Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee is among 118 skippers now entering the final countdown to the 2026 Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, with just over a month remaining before the solo transatlantic fleet leaves Saint-Malo. As previously reported by Afloat,…
Baltimore RNLI volunteers were called out for their second medical evacuation from Sherkin Island in three days on Tuesday morning. The all-weather lifeboat launched at 9.20 am following a request from the Irish Coast Guard to assist a man on…
EU Ocean Week 2026 will take place from September 28 to October 2, bringing civil society groups, policymakers and other stakeholders together under the theme “Delivering ocean health for Europe’s future”. Organised by a coalition of Brussels-based environmental NGOs led…
Savings of up to €10,000 are currently being offered on new Merry Fisher 795 Series 2 motorboats by MGM Boats. The offer applies to the 795 Series 2, an outboard-powered weekender designed for family coastal cruising, with overnight accommodation, an…
Ireland is hosting European experts in Dublin for a three-day workshop to improve the use of aerial surveillance to detect marine pollution and identify polluters. Some 50 delegates from 16 European countries are attending the eighth European Maritime Safety Agency…
The Cape 31 Mediterranean Circuit heads to Hyères, France, from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September for the fifth and final round of its 2026 season, with 20 teams entered and the overall championship title up for grabs. Reigning champion…
Southern California’s sailing community is launching a fundraising drive aimed at improving US sailing results when the Olympic Games return to Los Angeles in 2028. The grassroots Layline to LA28 initiative is raising funds for America One Racing’s Project Podium,…
Tickets have gone on sale for boot Düsseldorf 2027, which returns to the German city from January 23rd to 31st for nine days of boats, equipment and watersports. The organisers say the lowest-priced admission is available through a free boot.club…
Lough Erne RNLI Crews Assist Three People and Dog After Grounding
22nd September 2026 RNLI Lifeboats
Three people and a dog were brought safely ashore after a narrow boat ran aground on Lower Lough Erne on Tuesday, September 15th. Enniskillen RNLI’s inshore lifeboat John and Jean Lewis launched at 11.56 am at the request of Belfast…
Invitation to Public to Vote on Names for New Shetland Isles Freight Vessels
22nd September 2026 Ferry
The public has been invited to help name the two new 'freight-flex' ferries being built for Scotland’s Shetland Islands, which will serve the Aberdeen to Kirkwall/Lerwick route, operated by Serco NorthLink Ferries. The new vessels will provide the company that…
Almost 10,000 volunteers took part in clean-ups across all 26 counties during Ireland’s Big Beach Clean, removing an estimated 58 tonnes of marine litter from beaches, waterways, towns and villages. Clean Coasts groups, community organisations and individuals organised some 500…
Radar systems and guns for the Naval Service are among equipment which may be hit by Defence Forces spending cuts. As The Irish Times reports, the Department of Defence has been asked to save up to €12 million over the…
Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) responsible for waters off England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar, has partnered with the Gibraltar Heritage Trust to open Europa Point Lighthouse to the public. Further to the six lighthouses that Trinity House opens…
RYA Northern Ireland is recruiting for three new board director positions — two independent directors and one nominated director — to help deliver its Navigating the Future strategy. The board is particularly keen to hear from people with skills or…
Golden Globe leaders Set to Pass Between Cape Verde Islands and African Coast
22nd September 2026 Golden Globe Race
Damien Guillou of France and Pat Lawless of Ireland continue to be the very clear leaders in the Golden Globe Non-Stop Round the World Solo Race, and last night (Monday) were shaping up to pass midway between the Cape Verdes…
Streamling Aquaculture Regulation To Be Considered By Oireachtas Fisheries Committee
21st September 2026 Aquaculture
Streamlining the aquaculture regulatory system is to be considered by the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs on Tuesday (Sept 22). IFA Aquaculture chief executive Teresa Morrissey is among those invited to the public session where pre-legislative scrutiny of…
South African paddlers Matthew Fenn and Bradley Boulle claimed overall victory in the 65th Liffey Descent, leading the 30km race from Straffan Weir to the finish in a time of two hours, 14 minutes and 30 seconds. Bridge View: Spectators…
First Electric Wheelchair Accessible Boating Service Launched in Dun Laoghaire
21st September 2026 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
Dun Laoghaire Harbour has initiated one of Ireland’s first electric wheelchair-accessible boating services – named Boathub. In a significant step forward to making maritime activities accessible to all, Boathub will enable wheelchair users and people with disabilities to experience the…
The Multihull Cup will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Port Adriano in Mallorca from September 25th-27th, with a fleet of high-performance cruising multihulls lined up for the three-day regatta. Among the headline entries are Adrian Keller’s 84-foot Nigel Irens-designed Allegra…
The 56.6-metre wooden ship Batavia has arrived at Damen Shiprepair in Amsterdam after being towed from Lelystad across the Markermeer and IJ, marking the final stage of the 17th-century ship's reconstruction. The vessel, complete with its masts, passed the centre…
