Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Donaghadee RNLI launched late on Wednesday night (30 September) after a fishing boat was reported to have collided with a cargo vessel east of the Copeland Islands. HM Coastguard paged the volunteer crew at 11.20 pm after a report that…
Irish Coast Guard Director Asked To Address "Horrendous Conditions" in Which Kilmore Quay Volunteers Work
3rd October 2026 Coastguard
A Wexford councillor has called on the director of the Irish Coastguard to address what he calls “horrendous conditions” in which Irish Coast Guard Kilmore Quay volunteers have to work. Cllr Ger Carthy says the director should attend the October…
South Korea’s Jeemin Ha and Thailand’s Sophia Montgomery have secured the first sailing quota places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after winning the ILCA 7 and ILCA 6 events at the Asian Games in Japan. The results on…
Cork boatbuilder Safehaven Marine has launched Ederra 8, a new 18-metre Interceptor 60 pilot boat for the MVD Pilots Association in Montevideo, Uruguay. The new vessel is the third Ederra built by Safehaven for the Uruguayan pilots, following the two…
Sailing’s Championship of Champions Gets Fresh Head of Steam With 80th Anniversary On Horizon
3rd October 2026 All Irelands
The new-look Championship of Champions is taking place during this and next weekend, with the Dinghy Championship starting this morning for two days at Royal St George YC in Dun Laoghaire racing Melges 15s with GP14 ace Ger Owens of…
Golden Globe leader Damien Guillou of France with the Rustler 36 Solarem was making hay right through Friday, speeding south on a reach at 7.5 knots, with 172 miles made good in the 24 hours as he raced into the…
Smyth’s Searcher 2 and Goodbody’s SPIIP Eye Saint-Tropez Finale
2nd October 2026 Royal Irish Yacht Club
Pete Smyth’s Searcher 2 and Tim Goodbody Jnr aboard the Swan 88 SPIIP carry Royal Irish Yacht Club interest into Saturday’s final racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Smyth’s Ker 46 Searcher 2 took sixth in Friday’s fourth race of…
Ireland’s Conor Cronin finished seventh overall at the 2026 ILCA 6 Men’s World Championship in Vilamoura, Portugal, after recovering two places on Friday’s final day. The Irish sailor had gone into the concluding two races in ninth overall on 114…
Kinsale Yacht Club has confirmed the dates and senior race management team for the 2027 Sovereign’s Cup, with Michael O’Sullivan returning as Race Director and Anthony O’Leary again taking charge on the water as Principal Race Officer. The four-day regatta…
Six class winners have been crowned in the 2026 AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club Royal Alfred Yacht Club Super League, with the historic Royal Alfred silverware presented at an end-of-season prizegiving at the Royal St George Yacht Club. AIB, the…
The Port of Cork Company (PoCC) has published its Annual Report for 2025, reporting higher cargo throughput, turnover, and profitability as it continues to invest in the infrastructure needed to support Ireland’s trade, connectivity, and energy transition. Total consolidated traffic…
The Isle of Man Steam Packet has cancelled several sailings on its new ferry route to Larne, launched in April at the Co. Antrim port, and on the company’s other year-round route to Heysham, in Lancashire. The company says this…
Last Weekend in Clontarf (26th-27th September) the IDRA 14 Class held a two day celebration to mark their 80th Anniversary. With a full schedule of events pencilled in which included a boat exhibition on land, a pop up IDRA 14…
Scientific advice for North-East Atlantic mackerel catches in 2027 has more than doubled, potentially improving the outlook for Ireland's pelagic fleet ahead of international negotiations on next year's fishing opportunities. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)…
Colombia’s naval training ship ARC Gloria will return to Dublin this weekend, with the tall ship opening to the public during a three-day visit to the capital. The three-masted barque, known as Colombia’s “Ambassador of the Seas”, will welcome visitors…
Pat Lawless Up to Speed South of Equator as Golden Globe Leaders Pull Clear
2nd October 2026 Golden Globe Race
Both of the leaders in the Golden Globe Race 2026 are now south of the Equator, with Pat Lawless of Limerick crossing the line at 1710 UTC yesterday (Thursday). The Southern Hemisphere has made his Saltram Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro…
Irish sailor Conor Cronin goes into Friday’s final day of the ILCA 6 Men’s World Championship in ninth overall after ten races at Vilamoura in Portugal. Cronin is on 114 points after five consecutive days of racing in the 60-boat…
Portrush Lifeboat in Daybreak Launch to Fishing Vessel in Difficulty at Inishowen
1st October 2026 RNLI Lifeboats
Portrush RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch by the coastguard early on Thursday morning (1 October) to reports of a fishing vessel in difficulty at Inishowen. The vessel with five persons on board had run aground and Greencastle Coastguard…
Baltimore RNLI’s volunteers were called out on Wednesday evening (30 September) to a medevac on Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork. Following a request from the Irish Coast Guard to provide a medical evacuation for a child…
The UK's Cruising Association is expanding its campaign against poorly marked lobster pots and other static fishing gear, an issue which has also prompted renewed safety warnings and reporting appeals for sailors in Irish waters. New campaign flyers and pocket-sized…
