Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

Royal Irish Extreme 37 Wow! Enters 2023 Sovereign's Cup at Kinsale
6th February 2023 Sovereign's Cup
Kinsale Yacht Club has 30 registered entries to date for its biennial Sovereign's Cup 2023 Regatta. One of the latest entries for the Simply Blue sponsored Cup from 21st to 24th June is George Sisk and Tim Kane's Dun Laoghaire-based Wow! The…

UK Sailmakers Ireland Talks Series Begins at Ballyholme Yacht Club
6th February 2023 UK Sailmakers Ireland
Irish Laser ace Liam Glynn will be on home waters when he and UK Sailmakers Ireland manager Barry Hayes deliver the first of a series of UK Sails countrywide talks beginning in Ballyholme Yacht Club on Belfast Lough later this month.…

A post-mortem investigation will be performed on the body of a fisherman who drowned on Saturday evening (February 4th) off the coast of Donegal. The man, who was in his late 30s, fell overboard from a boat off the northwest coast…

Two of the primary events of AC37 in Barcelona are the Women's & Youth America's Cup Regattas, which place a strong emphasis on the upcoming generation of America's Cup sailors. The most prestigious prize in sailing is the ultimate platform…

A single-item agenda could see a new constitution for one of Ireland's strongest dinghy classes when the GP14 class votes at an Extraordinary General Meeting later this month. Since September 13th, 1955, the GP14 Ireland Class Association has existed in…

America’s Cup Defender Emirates Team New Zealand Begins Two-Boat Testing
5th February 2023 America's Cup
America’s Cup defender Emirates Team New Zealand began its two-boat testing programme on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour last Thursday (2 February) in ideal 12-15 knots northeasterly winds. It was the first opportunity the team has had to sail in the past…

Film footage of the 1970 Fireball World Championship hosted in Fenit by Tralee Bay Sailing Club has been digitised after more than 50 years and has been shared online by John Caig, who won the event with Jack Davies. According…

Royal Malta Sailing Club Moves Into Shipping Containers After Eviction
5th February 2023 Middle Sea Race
The host club of the Rolex Middle Sea Race has been forced to relocate its operations into shipping containers after it was evicted from its premises. As the Times of Malta reports, talks to delay a court-ordered eviction or find…
Noel Butler of the National Yacht Club is Stateside this week for the 2023 Florida RS Aero Winter Series in Tampa. Davis Island Yacht Club — known for its steady winter winds ranging from 8-15 knots on any given day…

St. Bridget Another Former Aran Islands Ferry Departs Dublin's Grand Canal Dock In Preparation for Seasonal Bay Cruises
5th February 2023 Dublin Bay
Dublin Bay Cruises St. Bridget which departed the capital and headed across the scenic bay to neighbouring Dun Laoghaire Harbour from where it is based, is preparing for another busy season, writes Jehan Ashmore. The 96 passenger vessel (spelt St.…

The Ocean Race IMOCAs Make the Turn East in First Big Move Towards Cape Town
5th February 2023 Ocean Race
It was near midnight UTC on Saturday night (4 February) when boats in The Ocean Race fleet started to make their first significant move to the east towards Cape Town. Within an hour, all five IMOCA teams had gybed to…

St. Ayles Skiff Racing at Skiffiefest 2023 Returns to Strangford Lough This Summer
5th February 2023 Coastal Rowing
A country park doesn’t readily come to mind as a venue for a weekend of St.Ayles Skiff racing, but Delamont lies on the shores of Strangford Lough near Killyleagh and has proved an ideal base for this activity in the…

The world’s top match racing skippers will return to Long Beach, Calif. April 18 to 22, 2023 for the 58th Congressional Cup regatta at Long Beach Yacht Club, and a founding event on the World Match Racing Tour. Reigning 2022…

The 2023 Irish GP14 season gets underway with its first of seven events in April when Blessington Sailing Club hosts the O'Tiarnaigh Challenge. Coming off the back of an epic 2022 season, that saw 100 boats gather in Ireland for…

Orient Express Team Will Be Official French Challenger for 37th America’s Cup
5th February 2023 America's Cup
K-Challenge Racing is now Orient Express Team, after the ACCOR hotel group’s commitment to backing their challenge for the 37th America’s Cup. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, K-Challenge — who previously contested for the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007 as…

Inland Fisheries Ireland to Recruit 36 New Seasonal Fisheries Officers for 2023
4th February 2023 Angling
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has launching its recruitment drive to hire 36 seasonal fisheries officers for 2023. Subject to funding, the six-month posts are divided across seven River Basin Districts, covering 15 counties, with recruitment getting underway immediately. Seasonal fisheries…

Date Set for Inquest Into Death of Irish Coast Guard Volunteer Caitriona Lucas
5th February 2023 Coastguard
A date has been set for an inquest hearing into the death of Irish Coast Guard volunteer Caitriona Lucas (41), over six years after her death off the Clare coast. As The Irish Examiner reports, the Limerick coroner’s office has…

The operator P&O Ferries which has routes on the Irish Sea, North Sea and the Strait of Dover has reintroduced one of its ferries onto the short sea route to Calais. As KentOnline reports, the ferry Spirit of France which…

Shannon Navigation: Clarendon Lock Closure for Gate Replacement Extended
4th February 2023 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels and waterway users on the Shannon Navigation that replacement of the upstream lock gates at Clarendon Lock is ongoing and the lock will now reopen for navigation on Friday 3 March. As previously reported…

The Ocean Race: Luck Runs Out for GUYOT environnement as Leg 2 Lead Shrinks
4th February 2023 Ocean Race
“Around the outside” is a trope that gets pulled out at one point or another on every edition of The Ocean Race. It refers to a tactical option on the race course where a boat, or boats, sail a longer…