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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Kinsale Yacht Club cruisers will compete in the Dick Hegarty Trophy Race on October Bank Holiday Monday
Kinsale Yacht Club sails its Dick Hegarty Trophy race on Bank Holiday Monday, having deferred racing from Sunday due to weather.  The First Gun for the memorial race is 13.55. The Victoria’s Antiques White Sails Autumn/Winter Series incorporates the Hegarty Trophy…
Jules Start (centre), receiving the Millenium Trophy for best Optimist performance at world championships, from Robbie Walker (left) and Mark Hennessy (right)
Almost 90 junior and youth Royal St. George sailors came together on Friday evening in Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay to celebrate a season of sailing successes. Despite the formal dress and elegant surroundings of the RStGYC dining room,…
Ireland on the winners podium in Italy - Reigning World 29er Champion Clementine Van Steenberge (National Yacht Club), who, at last week's 2023 EuroCup Final, was joined by Royal St. George's Jessica Riordan, showed their promise as a new team achieving 7th place overall and top Women's team
Reigning World 29er Champion, Clementine Van Steenberge (National Yacht Club) who, at last week's 2023 EuroCup Final in Italy, was joined by Royal St. George's Jessica Riordan, showed their promise as a new team achieving 7th place overall and top…
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Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that the waiting jetty at the Railway Bridge in Limerick has been relocated to George’s Quay. The jetty will be reinstated to its original location in March…
A file photo of Baltimore RNLI lifeboat
A resident of Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork was evacuated for medical assistance following an accident on Sunday. Baltimore RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew received a call at 12.39 pm and launched their all-weather lifeboat to provide…
A spectacular Class 40 start to the 16th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre
Strong, gusty winds and choppy seas made for a spectacular start to the 16th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre for three of the four-race fleets today. While the ULTIM, Ocean Fifty and Class 40 races set…
Tom Dolan crosses the Round Ireland Speed Sailing Record line between the East Pier Light at Dun Laoghaire Harbour and the Kish Lighthouse (above on Dublin Bay) on his second record attempt this year
Day One (start): Just coming up to 4pm on Sunday, 29th October 2023, Ireland's leading solo sailor, the French-based Tom Dolan, embarked on his latest adventure to round Ireland in under four days and break the 2020 doublehanded record according to the bid…
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan and the president of University of Galway Prof Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh walk the Burren after signing the agreement between the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the University of Galway
A Burren-based marine and coastal research station stands to benefit from a new partnership agreement between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the University of Galway. The Finavarra centre on the Burren’s water’s edge at Rine, Co Clare,…
Inis Oírr has suffered from water shortages
Islanders on Inis Oírr are being shipped water several times a day, even during this period of heavy rainfall across Ireland. As The Sunday Independent reports, Uisce Éireann has not yet resolved the island’s water shortage issues. The island co-op…
Tom Dolan's Round Ireland Speed Sailing Challenge. See the live tracker below
Follow Tom Dolan during his Round Ireland Speed record attempt in the live tracker below. The course is approximately 700 miles long.  Check out all Afloat's regular Tom Dolan updates on the record bid right here
On stand-by in Greystones, County Wicklow for his second attempt at a Round Ireland speed record since early October, Tom Dolan will set off this afternoon for the Kish lighthouse startline on Dublin Bay. After some final weather discussions with…
The Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre double-handed race from Le Havre to Martinique has a record-breaking fleet even if weather has disrupted the start
A record-breaking fleet of 95 boats, which is set to start the 16th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre double-handed race from Le Havre to Martinique, is set to encounter very robust conditions as they leave the…
Andrea Recordati, Bullitt and his crew lift the trophy for the overall winner under IRC of the 2023 Rolex Middle Sea Race
As per tradition, the closing act of this year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race was the final prize-giving held in the historic 16th-century Sacra Infermeria. Originally built as a hospital by the Knights of St John and overlooking Grand Harbour Malta,…
The 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre fleet in Le Havre -  predicted winds of 80kts and 10m seas has cancelled the start of their race today
Only three of four classes will start the Transat Jacques Vabre today, Sunday. The IMOCA fleet will remain in Le Havre. Because of a rapidly worsening weather forecast, in particular for the period Monday into Tuesday with predicted winds of…
Available in two sizes, the ECHOMAP Ultra 2 102sv with a 10-inch display and ECHOMAP Ultra 2 122sv with a 12-inch display, the new series offers unparalleled mapping coverage and detail for both coastal and inland waters
Garmin, a leading technology company, has launched its ECHOMAP™ Ultra 2 chartplotter series designed with advanced features for inland and nearshore anglers. Offering a 10- or 12-inch sunlight-readable touchscreen with keyed assist, they put UHD scanning sonar, support for Garmin…
Farming mussels on a long line. In 2022, the Irish aquaculture sector contributed €208 million to the economy, according to the 2022 report from BIM
The Irish aquaculture sector has shown significant growth and sustained employment opportunities, according to the Annual Aquaculture Report for 2022 published by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). Despite a reduction in the number of Production Units (PUs) due to consolidation within…
A Sydney Hobart race starts. The lineup for the 2023 race of 120 boats is one of the most diverse in years
Entries for the 78th annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race have closed, and the lineup of 120 boats is one of the most diverse in years. The 628 nautical mile race, set to start on St. Stephen's Day, December 26th,…
Fabrice Amedeo, skipper of Team Nexans – Art et Fenêtres (II) and Stefan Raimund, ocean science advisor at The Ocean Race
The Ocean Race is supporting Team Nexans – Art et Fenêtres (II) in the collection of vital ocean data during the Transat Jacques Vabre, which sets sail this weekend from Le Havre in Normandy. Following The Ocean Race 2022-23, in…
The Paroc Marine Navis Mat for deck and bulkhead insulation
The Department of Transport advises that the manufacturer Paroc Group Oy, a subsidiary of Owens Corning, has issued a product safety recall for certain forms of deck and bulkhead insulation that it produces. This recall follows independent testing where it…
File image of Baltimore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat The Alan Massey
Baltimore RNLI were called out to provide a medical evacuation on Friday morning (28 October) from Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat The Alan Massey at 10.44am following a…

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