Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Review of Wild Irish Salmon Management Initiated by Minister Timmy Dooley
7th October 2026 Marine Wildlife
A review of management of wild Irish salmon has been initiated by Minister of State for the Marine and Climate Timmy Dooley. Following a review of Ireland's salmon management framework by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), the Department of Climate, Energy…
Carrybridge RNLI volunteers assisted three people in two separate incidents within 90 minutes on Saturday, 3rd of October, including a grounding near Naan Island and a person who fell into the water close to the lifeboat station. The first call…
Tributes have been paid to former Royal Irish Yacht Club Commodore Henry Leonard, who died on 25 September after a sailing life spanning more than half a century on Dublin Bay. Leonard, who was Commodore of the Dun Laoghaire club…
Kinsale Harbour Expected to Welcome at Least Six Cruise Ships Next year
7th October 2026 Cruise Liners
One of County Cork's premier tourist towns is set again to benefit from even more cruise ship visits during next year’s season, with at least six now confirmed, an increase of two for this year. Four cruise ships operating at…
Ferry passenger and freight operator, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Group, has reported a profit of £12.3m for the year ending 31 December 2025. The figure is an increase of £6.9m compared to the previous year, reports ManxRadio. The…
World Sailing's offshore rules could be heading for further scrutiny as increasingly sophisticated autopilots, sensors and computer-controlled systems raise questions over where electronic assistance ends and human endeavour begins. The rapidly expanding role of technology aboard offshore racing yachts is…
Fourteen Water Wags completed a nine-race end-of-season regatta on Lough Boderg, continuing a Shannon sailing tradition stretching back to 1903. Guy Kilroy's Swift emerged as the overall winner after a weekend that ranged from Saturday's light airs in the lake's…
Golden Globe Race 2026: Damien Guillou May Lead Into Lighter Winds
7th October 2026 Golden Globe Race
Although Damien Guillou of France continues to build on his commanding lead in the Golden Globe Race 2026, with the gap to second-placed Pat Lawless of Ireland now extended to 249 miles, it may well be that his Rustler 36…
Sweden’s Fia Fjelddahl and Patric Rosenberg have made a perfect start to the World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Portimão, Portugal, with back-to-back RS Venture Connect victories. The opening-day racing follows Sunday’s opening of the championships, when Afloat reported a record…
For those undeterred by colder temperatures and the occasional icy spray, the Dinghy Frostbites return to Howth Yacht Club for their 51st year. The series began in 1974, when the first Lasers arrived in Howth, and at its peak attracted…
Budget 2027 has provided an additional €20 million for fisheries and marine measures as part of the Government's spending package announced on Tuesday (6 October). The additional allocation provides a Budget boost for Ireland's seafood sector at a time when…
The UK's second largest port group, Peel Ports Group, has appointed Nigel Kent as its first Head of Project Cargo as it strengthens its offering to meet rising demand across this sector. Nigel's appointment (follows another at Clydeport, Greenock) is…
Ferry operator, the Isle of Man Steam Packet, says its current estimate for the dry docking and repairs to its flagship, Manxman, is in the region of £5m. As ManxRadio reports, in an update from the company, owned by the…
A major multi-agency search and rescue exercise on Lough Corrib brought together rescue crews from across the west of Ireland on Saturday, October 3rd, including the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115. Hosted by Galway Civil Defence at Lisloughrey…
A mother and calf cetacean stranded near Camp in Co Kerry have been confirmed as True’s beaked whales. As Radio Kerry reports, shore walkers discovered the nearly five-metre adult and its calf on the coast early last week and raised…
Warm tributes have been paid to diver, diving instructor, underwater photographer, and DCU assistant professor Brian Stone, who recently died at the age of 67. Brian was a university lecturer and researcher at Dublin City University whose work brought together…
Most Advanced and Highest Resolution Geomorphology Map of Ireland’s Seabed Now Available Online
6th October 2026 Marine Science
The new Irish Deep Seabed Geomorphological Map — now available in Ireland’s Marine Atlas — significantly expands the high-resolution mapping of the features of Ireland’s seabed, marking a major milestone in marine science. Geomorphology examines the physical features of the…
A proposal to broaden ISORA’s offshore programme with more north-south racing along the Irish coast is among the ideas being put forward for discussion at the association’s 2026 AGM. Barry O’Connor’s proposal suggests looking beyond ISORA’s predominantly east-west Irish Sea…
The Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) will hold its 2026 Annual General Meeting at the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire on Saturday, 14 November at 3pm, with the 2027 race programme and race-management arrangements among the principal items…
Just one month into the Golden Globe Race 2026, the fleet has clearly divided into two groups, with France’s Damien Guillou and Ireland’s Pat Lawless continuing to stretch their advantage at the front. The leading duo maintained speeds above six…
