Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Inland Fisheries Ireland is seeking public views on proposed oyster dredging licences in Tralee Bay and Lough Swilly for 2027–2032, with environmental assessments published for both locations. Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has opened public consultations on proposed oyster dredging licences…
Irish solo sailor's second Golden Globe Race challenge ends in the South Atlantic while lying approximately 100 miles behind leader Damien Guillou. Ireland's Pat Lawless has retired from the 2026 Golden Globe Race after a serious rigging failure aboard his…
The Government has yet to identify locations for additional Irish Naval Service bases, as work continues on plans to expand the country's maritime defence capabilities. No locations have yet been selected for additional Irish Naval Service bases, despite the Government's…
Ireland's Pat Lawless was setting the pace among the three leaders as the Golden Globe leaders raced into Saturday night in the South Atlantic, with the developing low-pressure area off the coast of Uruguay and southern Brazil bringing fresh energy…
American Chris Poole and Britain's Christian Hamilton will contest the Bermuda Gold Cup final after contrasting routes through the knockout stages, guaranteeing a first-time winner of the prestigious World Match Racing Tour event. Chris Poole and Christian Hamilton will meet…
A new display at the harbour’s historic anemometer will bring Dublin Bay weather observations to East Pier visitors from Thursday 22 October. A live weather information display at Dún Laoghaire Harbour’s historic East Pier anemometer is due to go live…
Black Jack Leads Middle Sea Race Fleet Around Sicily as Pace Sets Early Handicap Pace
17th October 2026 Middle Sea Race
The 606-nautical-mile race around Sicily began with seven cannon-fire starts from Malta's Grand Harbour, where light winds greeted the fleet beneath Valletta's historic bastions and the Three Cities. Thousands of spectators watched from the waterfront as yachts ranging from double-handed…
The inaugural championship concluded on Saturday, 17th October, after ten races in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, with ten different race winners underlining the competitiveness of the growing international one-design fleet. Eker Süzme entered the final day with a 17-point advantage…
Sweden's Johnie Berntsson produced a remarkable turnaround at the Bermuda Gold Cup, winning five consecutive matches on Friday, 16th October, to lead the repechage standings and secure his place in the quarter-finals. The five-time Gold Cup champion, who had lost…
Galway Bay Sailing Club (GBSC) hosted the Dart 16 Open Championship for the second consecutive year on Saturday, 10 October, with 14 catamarans competing in fresh conditions on Galway Bay. The one-day event attracted sailors from Galway City Sailing Club,…
Howth RNLI has confirmed that construction is underway on its new Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat, which will replace the station's Trent-class Roy Barker III next year after almost 25 years of service. Howth RNLI's new Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat is already under…
Sea Synergy divers have recorded a rare fan mussel during marine biodiversity surveys in the Portmagee Channel, highlighting the importance of continued research into Kerry's protected coastal habitats. A rare fan mussel (Atrina fragilis), one of Europe's largest bivalve molluscs,…
So what’s new? When has the Mediterranean - Mare Nostrum, Our Sea, the salty beating heart of Western civilization - not been ultimately centre stage? For sure, the focus in mid-summer may swing briefly elsewhere, to the Baltic or the…
Summer Weather In South Atlantic Makes for Difficult Golden Globe Racing
16th October 2026 Golden Globe Race
As Autumn begins to bite in Ireland, so the Springtime in the Southern Hemisphere continues to build towards summer, and a high pressure system in the middle of the South Atlantic is resulting in lighter and confusing wind patterns for…
Fourteen countries and more than 160 RS21 sailors will compete in the four-day championship, with European medallists, national champions, and leading Corinthian crews among the contenders. With less than two weeks until racing begins, six teams have been identified as…
A record fleet of 22 maxi yachts will line up for the 2026 Rolex Middle Sea Race in Malta on Saturday, October 17th, with Irish sailors among the crews competing for honours in one of the Mediterranean's leading offshore races.…
Ferry operator Stena Line has carried out a large-scale multi-agency emergency response exercise at its 12 Quays Terminal in Birkenhead, on Merseyside, serving Dublin and Belfast. The exercise brought together maritime, emergency service, and port partners to test and strengthen…
Stena Line to Acquire CLdN's Somerset Set to Replace Dublin-Birkenhead Freight Twins
16th October 2026 Stena Line
Stena Line has reached an agreement to acquire a ro-ro freight ferry, the Somerset, from CLdN and is to serve on the Dublin Port-Birkenhead (Liverpool) route. Subject to closure and transfer, the vessel would begin operating the central Irish Sea…
Ireland's maritime regulator has refused consent for a proposed 300MW floating solar development in the Shannon Estuary, citing concerns over the applicant's technical and financial capability and the project's alignment with Government marine spatial planning policy. The Maritime Area Regulatory…
The Royal Cork Yacht Club (RCYC) will host its 2026 Dinghy Frostbite Series in Cork Harbour over four racing days in November, with competition open to a range of junior and adult dinghy classes. Racing at Crosshaven is scheduled for…
