Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#tallships - The magnificent historic French tallship Belem dating to 1896 is to make a visit to Galway Port early next month and will be open to the public, writes Jehan Ashmore. 121 years ago the three-masted Belem was constructed…

#Tallships - Following the successful Seafest held in Galway the wooden sailing ketch Brian Boru has set sail from the mid-west port as the last ship to depart from the event. The Brian Boru is specifically modified for carrying passengers…

The up-beat mood of the weekend’s Galway Seafest was moved several notches higher by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, when he revealed at Galway Port that his government is broadly in favour of the concept of an all-Ireland sail training ship, which…

#SailingBursary - As part of the Drogheda Sail Training Bursary Presentations to mark the fifth year of the local youth initiative a large gathering was held to celebrate the event.  The gathering was the largest ever event held in Drogheda…

#SpectatorStand - Looking back on the fifth Dublin Port Riverfest held over the June bank holiday the Liffey event attracted record crowds thronging the North Wall Quay, writes Jehan Ashmore. On the Saturday alone a record 41,500 visitors attended out…

#OpenTallships - As one of the world’s largest tallships from the Spanish Royal Navy is visiting Dublin Port, Afloat also highlights a former sail trainee from the Iberian nation that is the centrepiece of a Scottish museum, writes Jehan Ashmore.…

The Spanish Embassy in Dublin and Dublin Port Company have announced that one of the world’s oldest and largest tall ships, the “Juan Sebastián de Elcano” will make a five-day visit to Dublin Port, arriving on Saturday, 10th June and…

#HelpCetaceans - From the fast and furious ThunderCats to the more serious side of marine wildlife as the Irish Whale & Dolphin ketch is part of the Dublin Riverfest which concludes this afternoon, writes Jehan Ashmore. As previously reported on…

#ThunderCats - Thousands of onlookers visiting the Dublin Riverfest watched as ThunderCat powerboats whizzed past tallships lining the North WaII quay, writes Jehan Ashmore. The thunderboats from the UK that are making their debut in the capital, raced along a…

Just a day late for Dun Laoghaire harbour's 200th commemorations and 24 hours early for Dublin Port's Riverfest there is no doubting the evocative age of sail with the arrival of two tall ships sailing into Dublin Bay this morning. The…

Drogheda Port's Captain Martin Donnelly have invited a wonderful new fleet of ships to visit Drogheda for the Irish Maritime Festival 2017 on 10-11th June. “The visiting ships are the focal point of The Irish Maritime Festival and it is…

#TallshipBursary - The launch of the Drogheda Sail Training Bursary from sponsor Drogheda Port Company took place on Friday 28th April. The launch marked a unique new sponsorship structure between Public and Private enterprise from the locality. Drogheda Port Company…

#JeanieDelayed - Once again delays to relocate tallship Jeanie Johnston to her normal home-berth closer to Dublin’s city-centre on the Liffey’s northside continue to beset the popular visitor tourist attraction, writes Jehan Ashmore. As previously reported on Afloat, the delays…

#ShiftingBerths – One of Dublin’s floating tourist visitor attractions on the Liffey, tallship Jeanie Johnston which reopened after a historic drydocking, has still yet to return to her customary city-centre berth, writes Jehan Ashmore. Jeanie Johnston a replica of a…

#TallshipTimes - The reopening of a Dublin city centre tourist visitor attraction, the tallship Jeanie Johnston has been deferred by a week, writes Jehan Ashmore. As reported earlier this week the replica of the 19th century famine-emigrant tallship followed a…

#DublinsTallship - Jeanie Johnston which became the final ever vessel to use Dublin Port's last working graving dock is to return to her usual city-centre berth this afternoon, writes Jehan Ashmore. On Monday, the replica of a 19th century famine…