Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Chris Bake’s Team Aqua, steered by Royal Yacht Squadron Commodore Robert Bicket, has won the King’s Cup on the Solent as the curtain-raiser to the 2026 44Cup World Championship in Cowes. The charity event brought the Royal Yacht Squadron together…
Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Autumn League gets underway at Crosshaven this Sunday, September 27, with racing continuing each Sunday through October. The Autumn League starts at the Royal Cork in Crosshaven this Sunday, formerly known as the ‘October League’ but…
Coventry University student Oliver Weaver has won the 2026 Superyacht UK Young Designer Competition after an intensive live challenge to create a 50-metre explorer yacht at the Southampton International Boat Show. Oliver Weaver, an Automotive and Transport Design student at…
Corrib Féile-Flow Celebrates Lough Corrib Heritage and Waters
24th September 2026 Maritime Festivals
The organisers of the second Corrib Féile-Flow event have expressed delight at the public response. The three-day event celebrating the natural, cultural and built heritage of the Lough Corrib catchment brought together community groups, local stakeholders, environmental organisations, architects, schools,…
Irish sailor Karl Smith will take another significant step towards his 2027 round-the-world campaign when he races his Class40 Racing to End Parkinson’s in the RORC Transatlantic Race from Lanzarote to Antigua in January. Smith, racing with David Rowen, is…
Aurelia, ValenTina, ReQuest and Rockabill VI are among the entries for Sunday’s race and cruise. Twenty-four boats had entered the Leisnter Boats sponsored Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club’s 2026 Kish Challenge by Wednesday evening, ahead of the event on Sunday,…
O’Connell Leads Tight Monkstown Bay Finale as Club Honours Youth
24th September 2026 Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
Davy O’Connell takes a one-point Class 1 lead into the final race of Monkstown Bay Sailing Club’s September league, as the Cork Harbour club also celebrates its young sailors’ success at the Optimist Connacht Championships. Davy O’Connell in his Laser…
More than 70 marine apprentices were recognised at Southampton International Boat Show as British Marine put training and future careers in the spotlight, with a record turnout for its Careers & Apprenticeship Evening. British Marine has named Jack Hayden of…
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and its statutory partners are investigating a fish kill in Tullamore, Co Offaly that has claimed the lives of 69 fish, primarily brown trout. The incident occurred on the Tullamore River in Tullamore town. Fish mortalities…
Tramore Lifeboat Crew Rescue Two People and Dog after Vessel Breaks Down
24th September 2026 RNLI Lifeboats
Tramore RNLI rescued two people and a dog after their 18ft boat broke down and began to drift towards Tramore beach earlier this week. The volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat at 4.50pm on Monday afternoon (21 September) following a…
The Marine Institute will feature in two episodes of TG4’s Cúla4 children’s series Cois Cladaigh, giving young viewers the chance to meet marine scientists and discover the research that helps us understand, protect and manage Ireland’s ocean. The first episode,…
Afloat has previously highlighted the revival of smaller cruiser-racers and Quarter Tonners in Cork Harbour, where affordability, smaller crews and close handicap racing have attracted owners. Now professional sailor Mark Mansfield makes the case for another option — lightweight planing…
Royal St George Yacht Club sailor Roger Craig has moved into second place in the ILCA 7 Master category at the 2026 ILCA Master European Championships in La Baule, France, after a difficult third day of racing. Craig is on…
Golden Globe Racers Head Southwest To Avoid Calm Off African Coast
24th September 2026 Golden Globe Race
An area of calm in towards the African coast in the latitude of the Cape Verde islands has encouraged the leaders in the Golden Globe Race to head southwest in a search for the best course to minimise time in…
Sean Craig and Puffin took the Candlelight Trophy as 18 Water Wags turned out for the concluding race of the AIB DBSC sailing season in Dún Laoghaire Harbour on Wednesday evening. A fleet of 18 turned out for the concluding…
Baltimore’s reputation as one of Ireland’s great sailing destinations has been matched ashore, with the West Cork harbour named Food Village of the Year at the Georgina Campbell Hospitality Awards. The very many sailors from home and abroad who have…
Bretherton and Luhrs Face Saturday Qualifier at Double-Handed Worlds
23rd September 2026 World Sailing
Ireland’s Richard Bretherton and Inka Luhrs begin their challenge at the 2026 Offshore Double Handed World Championship in Marseille on Saturday, 26 September, as Ireland makes its debut at the event. The Irish pairing, racing as IRE01, are among 17…
Fishing vessel owners and people working in the industry will shortly be able to apply for funding under three grant aid schemes supporting investment, sustainability and generational renewal in Ireland’s fishing fleet. The Young Fisher Scheme opens on 30 September,…
Promoted
Marine Services in Dún Laoghaire has opened its annual RS Winter Sail Order, offering RS sailors the opportunity to organise new sails, covers, spars and foils ahead of the 2027 season. The accredited RS dealer says the scheme aims to…
The 30-foot sailing cruiser which sank at its mooring in Dún Laoghaire Harbour earlier this month was successfully removed from the water on Monday (21 September). A team of divers carried out the recovery operation from the commercial workboat Puffin,…
