Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Irish Lights has appointed five new members to its Board, bringing experience across shipping, offshore renewable energy, public administration, governance, finance and regulatory affairs. The new Board members are Aideen McGinley OBE, Dave Ronayne, Gary Connolly, Louise O'Byrne and Vincent…
The Treasury Minister Chris Thomas said that Manx taxpayers are not handing the Isle of Man Steam Packet £2.5 million to fix technical problems with the flagship Manxman. In 2023, the newbuild ferry entered service on the Douglas-Heysham route, the…
Irish Ports Among Shortlist for European Sea Port Organisation (ESPO) Award 2026
29th September 2026 Ports & Shipping
Two Irish ports are among those that have been shortlisted for the 18th European Sea Port Organisation (ESPO) Award on Societal Integration of Ports. They are in (alphabetical order) the Port of Cork, Dublin Port Company, along with the Icelandic…
Swedish Flagged Tallship in Cherbourg Recalls Stena Line's Former French Connection
29th September 2026 News Update
The trainee tall ship Gunilla, which took part as the largest visitor at the recent inaugural Dublin City Council Liffey Festival, departed the capital more than a week ago to arrive at Cherbourg, France, where the ferryport faces new challenges,…
A new BIM report has identified how shorter tow times can improve fuel efficiency in the Irish Sea prawn fishery without compromising catch performance. The findings come from a fishing gear trial carried out on board the MFV Margaret Mary…
From Dún Laoghaire to Brazil: Inside the Business Moving ILCA Fleets Worldwide
29th September 2026 ILCA Worlds 2026
The 160-boat charter fleet that helped stage two ILCA World Championships in Dún Laoghaire this summer is preparing for another journey — this time across the Atlantic to Brazil. After returning to Hamburg for a complete refurbishment, the dinghies are…
Professional adventurers Hugo and Ross Turner are preparing to attempt a 650-nautical-mile hydrofoil speed record from Land’s End to John O’Groats aboard the Mantaray M25. The “Project Wake Up” challenge is expected to take around 38 hours, with the Turner…
Sligo Bay RNLI’s annual Seafood Night will return to The Strand Bar in Strandhill on Friday, 16 October, bringing the volunteer crew and local community together for one of the station’s established fundraising events. The evening gets under way at…
Dunmore East RNLI’s volunteer crew responded to four call-outs over the past week, including three launches within a 24-hour period. The first call came on Tuesday evening (22 September) following a report from a member of the public of a…
Galway Hosts Atlantic Summit on Ocean Knowledge Shaping Europe’s Future Next Week
29th September 2026 Marine Science
Galway will become a meeting place for Europe’s ocean research, innovation and policy community next week as the Atlantic Summit Galway 2026 takes place on 8–9 October. Jointly organised by the Marine Institute, University of Galway and Atlantic Technological University…
The long hot summer may have given sailors an exceptional level of experience in racing in easterly breezes, but in Howth the westerlies of autumn have come in bang on cue for the first three Saturdays of the 2026 Autumn…
Golden Globe Race's Two Leaders Feeling Benefit of Equatorial Southeasterly Winds
29th September 2026 Golden Globe Race
Golden Globe Race leaders Damien Guillou of France, with the Rustler 36 Solarem, and Pat Lawless of Ireland, with the Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro, have finally reached the Equatorial zone with its steadier southeasterly winds, after a stop-start struggle southwards…
The RNLI has revealed what its new Coastal Lifeboat will look like. In the Autumn edition of its Lifeboat magazine, it has published an image of what the boat will look like. “The nature of the RNLI’s lifesaving is changing,” it…
Oireachtas Fisheries Committee Resumes Discussion on Fisheries Amendment Bill
28th September 2026 Oireachtas
BIM and the Marine Institute are among State bodies which will be represented at an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs hearing on the Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2026. The hearing on Tuesday September 29th is resuming pre-legislative scrutiny…
Royal St George Yacht Club sailors Jack Fahy and Mike Huang have won the inaugural Melges 15 Sprint Championships after an exciting high-speed two-race Medal Series finale in Dún Laoghaire Harbour on Sunday. The new event format, partly inspired by…
Around 250 young surfers from 20 countries are competing in Bundoran, Co Donegal, as the Euro Surf Junior Championships bring 10 days of international competition to Ireland’s northwest coast. The championships, running from 24 September to 4 October, feature more…
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…
Stephen Lysaght’s Elan 333 Reavra Too and David Riome’s Sigma 33 Valfreya were the two ECHO winners at Kinsale Yacht Club’s traditional At Home fixture on Sunday (September 27). The end-of-season gathering was finally sailed after the original August 30…
Royal Irish Ker 46 Searcher 2 Lines Up for Les Voiles Saint-Tropez
28th September 2026 Royal Irish Yacht Club
Pete Smyth’s Irish Ker 46 Searcher 2 returns to the Gulf of Saint-Tropez on Monday (September 28) as racing begins at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2026, one of the Mediterranean’s largest end-of-season sailing gatherings. The Royal Irish Yacht Club campaign…
Historical Track Records Still Main Influence On Allocation of EU Fish Quotas - Study
28th September 2026 Fishing
A major study has found that historical track records still remain the main influence on allocation of national fish quotas in EU waters. This is in spite of the fact that Article 17 of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) requires…
