Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Setting the inhaulers is often discussed before a race yet rarely changed on any boat once set. Maybe it's too hard to adjust them once the sail is trimmed, or maybe they aren't considered once the gun goes off? Neither…

As the summer season draws to a close and the last Thursday night race ends, it is time to consider what can be done to improve your sailing for the 2022 season. Take advantage of our autumn discount to assess…

It's often talked about and rarely changes on any boat once set. But it's an important tool that needs to be changed between light and heavy airs.  Rake defines the balance (Lead) of the boat and how it sails upwind…

Using a full inventory of UK Sails and a new XD carbon mainsail, big congratulations to the McBearla crew of Ross McDonald, Aoife McDonald, Killian Collins and crew on Atara on winning the 1720 Eastern Championships at Howth Yacht Club…

UK Sailmakers Ireland congratulates Ann Kirwan and the crew of Bandit for its weekend win of the Ruffian 23 Nationals 2021 on Dublin Bay. Taking six first places and two seconds over the three-day championship, Bandit's performance speaks for itself.…

A small tear or a complete blowout to your sails? Cork-based UK Sailmakers will be on-site at this week's O'Leary Insurances Sovereign's Cup Regatta at Kinsale Yacht Club to carry out sail repairs for the 62-boats competing in the biennial regatta. …

Barry Hayes from UK Sailmakers Ireland explains which slab reefing system is best for various situations. With an eye towards optimizing the boat for the way you sail it, you can opt for different reefing options. Finding the right combinations…

There are times in your boat-owning life when you need to step back and evaluate your vessel's set-up. With an eye towards optimising the boat for the way you sail it, you can opt for different sails, winches, running rigging,…

Barry Hayes from UK Sailmakers Ireland explains which system is best for various situations There are times in your boat-owning life when you need to step back and evaluate your vessel's set-up. With an eye towards optimising the boat for…

Barry Hayes of UK Sailmakers Ireland (in conjunction with Jenny Howells of the RORC Rating Office) explains the main difference between a flying Jib and an IRC flying headsail  The main difference between a flying Jib and an IRC flying…

We would like to wish all our customer a very happy Christmas and a prosperous 2021. In such a hard year, we would like to thank everyone for all the support and most of all the staff and people who helped…

Small fathead mainsails, where the roach of the sail is increased due to a considerably wider head of the sail, are starting to pop-up on the racecourse and they are proving to be a winner. Getting extra sail area on…

Racing a J/109 in IRC has its compromises because you're sailing with asymmetrics, you're limited to certain angles and only so much boat speed is generated both up-wind and down. While living in Hong Kong, I raced the J/109 Whiskey…

What has Brexit got to do with your winter sails service this year? Barry Hayes of UK Sailmakers Ireland, explains the situation and why it’s such an urgent matter. Dear customers, I want to let you know it’s really urgent if…

Barry Hayes from UK Sailmakers Ireland with tips on the dos and don'ts of reefing a sail for racing and cruising Times have changed, and this season we have moved to more ISORA short course, offshore sailing. This trend will…

Next Thursday week (September 8th) is the last evening race in the 2020 Dublin Bay Sailing Club season writes Barry Hayes of UK Sailmakers Ireland. As the summer season draws to a close, it is time to consider what we…

We've been working hard this weekend to keep the 1720 sportsboat boys in the game at the AIB Southern Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club. When you rip it, UK Sailmakers Ireland can fix it in time for the next…

Cork Harbour sailors Mel and Kieran Collins from Crosshaven describe how they transformed Coracle VI, their vintage Olson 30, into an 'IRC weapon' Prior to buying the boat, we did extensive research on which boat to buy and why. The…

In this article, Barry Hayes (UK Sailmakers Ireland) and Pat Considine (UK Sailmakers Chicago) explain headsail vertical camber and why it’s so important to boat speed and performance of the boat. In reality, understanding headsail vertical camber is the modern…

Barry Hayes from UK Sailmakers Ireland gives his top tips on the backstay and using it to get the most out of your boat Now that we are back open making and repairing sail, getting back into sailing will be…