Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Route du Rhum 2026: 49 Class40 Skippers Ready to Race Including Ireland's Pamela Lee
26th October 2026 La Route du Rhum Race
Wicklow offshore sailor Pamela Lee faces a formidable challenge in the Class40 fleet at the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, with 49 solo skippers preparing to start off Saint-Malo on Sunday, 1st November. Lee, sailing EmpowHer, is preparing to become the first…
The 2026 World Sailing Awards will return to the international stage in Qingdao, China, next month, a year after Dún Laoghaire hosted the ceremony at which the late French offshore racing star Charlie Dalin was named Rolex World Sailor of…
The IRC Congress has approved a series of rule changes for 2027 and outlined a six-year strategy for the international yacht rating system, including plans for improved digital services and a new technical assurance framework for high-performance racing. The annual…
Former Scottish Lighthouse Tender Now Floating Hotel Named 'Europe’s Leading Boutique Hotel'
26th October 2026 Lighthouses
A former Northern Lighthouse Board tender now a luxury floating hotel in Leith, Edinburgh, has been crowned Europe's leading boutique hotel at this year’s World Travel Awards. The NLV Fingal was built in the 1960s and was the last ship…
Dublin City Council is seeking public feedback on its Sandymount Flood Alleviation Scheme, with a second public participation day on Thursday, October 29th. The proposals concern coastal flood risks in Dublin Bay. The event marks the start of a four-week…
Dun Laoghaire Harbour Opens €1.8m Tender for St Michael's Pier Repairs
26th October 2026 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has opened a €1.8 million works tender for repairs to the supporting piles at St Michael's Pier in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The tender, published on 22 October 2026, seeks a contractor to undertake remedial repairs to…
The US visitor who nearly lost his life after a wave swept him off the middle ledge at Poll na bPéist, Inis Mór, last month has described the details of his rescue. As he recounts in an interview with RTÉ…
Major Milestone in Visitor Engagement for Portrush Coastal Zone
26th October 2026 Northern Ireland Waters
A record-breaking number of visitors came through the doors of the Portrush Coastal Zone in 2026 to learn about Northern Ireland’s marine environment, new figures have revealed. A total of 61,315 visitors visited the centre, which features interactive exhibits about…
The Department of Transport has been advised that Gas Networks Ireland will conduct remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey operations in the northwest Irish Sea along the pipelines of the Irish Sea Gas Interconnector. These will be followed by maintenance interventions…
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) is considering the issuing of annual licenses for draft netting of trout in Lough Ree between 2027 and 2031, and wishes to consult the public on this matter. Following the completion of the public and statutory…
Marine Institute to Showcase Progress in Data Collection and Knowledge in EMFAF Annual Webinar
26th October 2026 Marine Science
The EMFAF Annual Webinar 2026 on Wednesday 4 November, hosted by the Marine Institute, will showcase current progress, impacts and emerging technologies supported through the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund’s Data Collection, Marine Biodiversity and Marine Knowledge Schemes. EMFAF is…
Storm Boelo Fails to Dampen Royal Cork Autumn League Prizegiving Spirit
25th October 2026 Royal Cork YC
Finbarr and Colm O’Regan’s Kinsale Yacht Club J109 Artful Dodger takes IRC and ECHO Spinnaker 1 honours as Royal Cork Yacht Club celebrates its 2026 Autumn League winners despite the cancellation of the final day’s racing. Storm Boelo may have…
Royal Irish's Lauren Donaghy Races at NYYC Women's Championship
25th October 2026 Royal Irish Yacht Club
Royal Irish Yacht Club sailor Lauren Donaghy helped a British team to eighth place overall, including a race victory, at the inaugural New York Yacht Club Women's International Championship in Newport, Rhode Island. Donaghy sailed with the Great Britain entry…
An award-winning documentary on the battle by a fisherman after a mysterious environmental disaster devastated the northeast coast of England is due to be screened at Dublin's Irish Film Institute (IFI) on Tuesday, October 27th, and Thursday, October 29th. All…
The 44Cup will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2027 with a five-event international racing calendar, including two opening regattas in Antigua and Barbuda, a World Championship in Sardinia and a first visit to La Palma in the Canary Islands. The…
DLRCoCo Seeks Consent to Regularise Existing Harbour Pontoons
25th October 2026 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council has applied to the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) to regularise existing pontoons adjoining the Irish Lights Buoy Bank quayside in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The application, reference MAC260026, was received on 25 September 2026 and concerns…
Antrim Contractor Appointed by Port of Dover for £53m Western Docks Revival Project
25th October 2026 Northern Ireland Waters
The appointment of a Northern Ireland company by the Port of Dover for a £53m project sees construction firm McLaughlin & Harvey secure two places on a new contractor framework at the UK's busiest ferry port. The development of the…
A recent sighting of a beluga whale off Donegal is only the second recorded this century, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) says. The remarkable visitor was captured on video by Sebastian Szumlański at Fintra on Donegal Bay last…
Marine Notice: Nearshore Survey Operations for Irish Sea Gas Interconnector
25th October 2026 Coastal Notes
Nearshore surveys of the high-pressure gas interconnector pipelines running between Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man are being conducted along the shores of Loughshinny and Gormanstown by AWJ Marine. Earlier this month, multi-beam echo sounder, side-scan sonar and sub-bottom…
Ulster Wildlife's work to restore the endangered European native oyster (Ostrea edulis) to Northern Ireland's coastal waters has won Biodiversity Initiative of the Year at the 2026 All-Ireland Sustainability Awards. The award recognises a restoration programme that has established four…
