Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
The Royal Cork Yacht Club's Under-25 team made a winning start to the Brown & Brown-sponsored Winter League on Sunday (1 November), taking first place under three handicap systems aboard the J/24 Jambalaya in bright sunshine on Cork Harbour. Racing…
The favourites were setting the pace in the early stages of the 2026 Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe on Sunday, 1st November, after 115 solo sailors set off from Saint-Malo in bright autumn sunshine and light north-easterly winds. The 3,542-nautical-mile transatlantic…
David Clarke of Howth is “Sailor of the Month (Series Winner)” for October
1st November 2026 Sailor of the Month
The Puppeteer 22 OD Class provided both the numerically largest fleet in the Howth Autumn League 2026, and the closest racing with one of the most complex uses of tiebreakers to achieve a final result. After all the numbers had…
Finbarr & Colm O’Regan of Kinsale are “Sailors of the Month (Season’s Performance)” for October
1st November 2026 Sailor of the Month
The Kinsale-based J/109 Artful DodJer achieves a level of consistently good performance - both with her O’Regan owners or with others in charge – that is an advertisement for the quality of racing provided by a J/109, and the standard…
Micheal O Suilleabhain of Kinsale is “Sailor of the Month (National Champion)” for October
1st November 2026 Sailor of the Month
When Micheal O Suilleabhain of Kinsale first figured as a “Sailor of the Month” on Afloat.ie, it was quite some time ago in a junior category, and he was truly a beardless youth. But when he lifted aloft the sacred…
Caoilinn Geraghty-McDonnell of Dun Laoghaire is “Sailor of the Month (Team Racing)” for October
1st November 2026 Sailor of the Month
In the most successful squads in sailing team racing, the hand of the Captain might lie very lightly indeed while achieving success, but nevertheless this sometimes virtually invisible power of leadership is essential to overall success. And in the final…
Tralee Bay Sailing Club's Ben Chaix delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 International Topper Class European Championships in Weymouth, winning seven of eight races to secure the Topper 4.2 European title as Irish sailors claimed three of the six…
Revised Killiney Beach Watersports Facility Opens for Consultation
1st November 2026 Aquatic Tourism
Plans for new watersports facilities at Killiney Beach have returned to public consultation under a revised proposal by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The council opened a Part 8 consultation on Friday, 30 October 2026, for a Fáilte Ireland-supported facility and…
Route du Rhum Fleet Faces Fast Start and Unusual Atlantic Route
1st November 2026 La Route du Rhum Race
The 115-boat Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe fleet is preparing for a fast start from Saint-Malo on Sunday afternoon, with an unusual Atlantic weather pattern expected to send competitors north of the Azores rather than towards the traditional trade winds. The…
Marine Notice: Cable Lay Operations for Celtic Interconnector Project
1st November 2026 Undersea Cables
The Department of Transport has been advised that Nexans will perform undersea cable operations for the Celtic Interconnector Designated Activity Company (CIDAC) as part of the Celtic Interconnector Project from Monday 2 November for approximately four days, subject to weather…
€650k Royal Canal Greenway Project Promises to Enhance Visitor Experience Across the Midlands
1st November 2026 Inland Waterways
A new visitor experience project along the Royal Canal Greenway aims to encourage more people to engage with the inland waterway’s rich heritage, stories and surrounding landscapes. The Royal Canal Greenway Animation Project brings the canal’s history and heritage to…
‘Queen of the Shark Tank’ Molly the Sea Turtle Returns to the Wild After 22 Years in Dingle Aquarium
1st November 2026 Marine Wildlife
A sea turtle that spent the last 22 years living in a Dingle aquarium after washing ashore on a Kerry beach has been returned to the wild. As RTÉ News reports, Molly the turtle became known as the ‘queen of…
Sunday, 1 November 2026 | The week to Saturday, 31 October — There are Sundays when Irish sailing seems to be shutting down for the winter. This is not one of them. As the Route du Rhum prepares to send…
Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee received a family and diplomatic send-off in Saint-Malo early on Sunday morning (1 November) as she prepared for the start of the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race aboard her DFDS-backed Class40 yacht EmpowHer. Lee…
Wicklow coastal rower Kate Dunne has become the first Irish athlete to compete in beach sprint rowing at an Olympic event, opening Team Ireland's campaign at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal. The 17-year-old recorded a time of 3:13.98 in Saturday's…
Jack Jennings and Phil Trinter (USA) have been crowned 2026 Star North American Champions after dominating the eight-race championship in Tampa, Florida. The American duo led the championship from the opening race and sealed the title with five victories in eight races,…
Marine life in Irish waters, from watching whales and dolphins in Donegal Bay to studying the underwater soundscape of the Irish coastline, is among the themes covered in the new series of RTÉ television's 10 Things to Know About. Presenters…
Protecting Our Seas and Oceans: Authors Mark Mellett and Michael Cronin Debate At the Dublin Book Festival
31st October 2026 Book Review
Two authors whose books explore how protecting our seas and oceans is so vital in the response to climate breakdown will speak at the Dublin Book Festival on Sunday November 8th. Michael Cronin’s Ireland: Why It Matters to Be an Island…
Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher has taken issue with Sinn Féin’s stance over the allocation to fisheries and aquaculture in the 2027 EU budget. As Afloat has reported, Sinn Féin claimed that only three Irish MEPs, all from the Left,…
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group's new passenger ferry, Scillonian IV, has departed Vietnam to begin her journey to the UK, ahead of entering service in March 2027. The 75-metre vessel left Ho Chi Minh City at 06:00 local time (23:00…
