Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Irish Sailors in World Title Mix as Northstar III Clinches Maxi Crown
11th September 2026 Superyachts
Irish sailors are in the thick of the action at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, where Peter Dubens’ Northstar III has clinched the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship with a race to spare. The title…
McMahon Makes ILCA 6 Worlds Medal Series as Rose Leads Final Ten
11th September 2026 ILCA Worlds 2026
Ireland’s Eve McMahon has secured a place in Saturday’s ten-boat Medal Series at the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship in Dún Laoghaire, qualifying ninth overall after a difficult final day of Gold Fleet racing on Dublin Bay. The Howth Yacht…
Kinsale Yacht Club’s Cameron Good has taken a commanding early lead in the Cantor Fitzgerald Irish South Coast Dragon Championships 2026 after winning two of Friday’s opening three races at Kinsale. Good’s Little Fella (IRL 211), crewed by Simon Furney…
Howling winds, ‘blowing dogs off chains’, opened Day 1 of the SB20 2026 National Championships at Lough Ree Yacht Club, with a steady 20 knots and gusts of 25–30 knots. Three races were completed on day 1 and four on…
Irish Ferries Owner ICG See Shareholders Narrowly Back Management Buyout
11th September 2026 Irish Ferries
A majority of shareholders in the ferry and maritime transportation company Irish Continental Group (ICG) have backed a €1.2 billion takeover bid led by its Chief Executive Officer Eamonn Rothwell, reported RTE News. The Dublin-listed ICG held an extraordinary general meeting…
More than 4,000 people have now graduated from a Dublin Port-based construction training programme which is providing job-ready workers for Ireland’s building sector. Taoiseach Micheál Martin marked the milestone on Friday (11 September) during a visit to the Construction Skills…
Arklow Dale First D-Class Launched from Dutch Shipyard Brings New Technological Features
11th September 2026 Arklow Shipping
Arklow Dale is the first D-class newbuild launched for Arklow Shipping, through its Dutch subsidiary, having splashed into a canal adjacent to a shipyard in the Netherlands, writes Jehan Ashmore. Aside from workers of Ferus Smit’s shipyard in Westerbroek, curious canal-side…
Team Ireland claimed three European titles and secured medals across the squad at the European Youth Lifesaving Championships on Rossnowlagh Beach in Co Donegal. More than 70 athletes from nine nations competed over two days on Saturday and Sunday, 5-6…
French photographer Julien Anton has been named Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 for an extraordinary underwater portrait of a male seahorse accompanied by two tiny juveniles. More than 15,000 images were entered in this year’s international competition, presented by Oceanographic…
Wicklow RNLI Tows Two to Safety After Boat Breaks Down Near Wolf Rock
11th September 2026 RNLI Lifeboats
Wicklow RNLI brought two people safely ashore after their seven-metre boat suffered engine failure five miles south of Wicklow Harbour on Tuesday afternoon (8 September). The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O’Shea launched at 1.28 pm under Coxswain Nicky Keogh following…
Perseverance I Adds to Dún Laoghaire Superyacht Traffic
11th September 2026 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
The award-winning sailing superyacht Perseverance I has made a brief call to Dún Laoghaire Harbour, adding to a growing succession of international superyachts visiting the Irish port during the 2026 season. The distinctive Malta-flagged yacht was photographed departing Dún Laoghaire…
Ireland’s Eve McMahon has climbed to seventh overall at the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship in Dún Laoghaire after scoring two second places on a turbulent three-race day on Dublin Bay. The Howth Yacht Club Olympian moved four places up…
Crosshaven RNLI volunteers provided emergency care to an injured sailor after a yacht arrived at the Cork Harbour lifeboat station on Thursday evening (10 September). The volunteer crew were preparing to launch for an exercise at about 6.45pm when a…
A 30-foot sailing cruiser sank at its mooring in Dún Laoghaire Harbour on Thursday (10 September). The yacht went down in the harbour’s East Bight, close to the East Pier bandstand, with only its mast remaining visible above the water.…
Ireland’s Frank O’Leary and Shane Diviney remain unbeaten aboard North Star III at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo, where Peter Dubens’ JV76 has opened a commanding lead in the Rolex IMA Maxi Grand Prix World Championship. North…
Damian Guillou of France and Pat Lawless of Ireland are facing into the fifth night at sea in the Golden Globe non-stop round the world race by lengthening away from the rest of the fleet as they benefit from the…
Although several leading members of the Cruising Association of Ireland were in Les Sables d’Olonne last weekend as part of Pat Lawless’s large support team for the start of the Golden Globe 2026, CAI Commodore Mike Kelly was still able…
The Irish Coast Guard coordinated responses to 1,154 incidents and saved 240 lives during summer 2026, as the number of incidents increased by 11% compared with the same period last year. A total of 1,462 people were assisted** between 1…
The concluding James Eadie Race of the 2026 Musto ISORA Offshore Series, scheduled from Pwllheli to Dún Laoghaire on Saturday (September 12th), has been cancelled because of the weather forecast. The 75-mile offshore race was due to start from Pwllheli…
World Sailing Inclusion Championships Draw Record Entry for Portimão
10th September 2026 Sailability
More than 200 athletes from over 40 nations are set to compete at the 2026 World Sailing Inclusion Championships in Portimão, Portugal, from 4-10 October. Registration has closed for the second edition of the championships, with eight disciplines on the…
