Have Your Say
Amid concerns over reduced water levels this year on the Grand and Royal Canals, Afloat.ie reader and former Oireachtas policy advisor Cathal Murphy fears for the future of Ireland’s inland waterways… Water levels on the canals plummeted over recent months.…
Irish Olympic performances have again failed to meet expectations, writes Roger Bannon, so perhaps the High-Performance support structure needs to be changed. In the wake of the Tokyo Olympics, it seems very timely for some dispassionate reflection on Ireland's sailing…
Cork Harbour Reader Robin Bateman questions the continuation of the 'no recreational use of the water' advisory issued by the Coastguard and the RNLI Sir, It seems to me that Irish Sailing is in a bind regarding its “return to…
Afloat reader Peter Mullan suggests how rules for boaters could be relaxed in any adjustment of COVID-19 regulations The blunderbuss approach to the lockdown on exercise is necessary to keep us safe. The time will come when restrictions can be…
It's nice to be out there with the wind and the waves and as one letter writer to the Irish Times mentioned when he spotted boats sailing on Dublin Bay this week - 'what a way to isolate!' We think the…
Maximise the Time Spent Racing & Stop Obsessing About The Perfect Race, Says Ken Read of North Sails
18th February 2020 Your Say
Ken Read, the President of North Sails, argues that the changes needed for sailing to adapt to today’s time-greedy society are not so difficult… if we can stop obsessing with creating the perfect race, and replace it with the objective…
Where is the Dedicated Department for Ireland's 'Vast Marine Potential' in General Election 2020 Pledges?
31st January 2020 Your Say
You come across many references in this General Election 2020 to Ireland as an 'island nation' – the 20th largest island in the world in fact – but what are our politicians genuinely doing about this 'vast maritime potential'? This island…
This was the subject of some discussion aboard our Dragon at the recent Volvo Cork Week. We had a UK Dragon sailor with us who also happens to be the organiser of the British Dragon Association East Coast Championships later…
#HaveYourSay - With Ireland making a big push for this country's marinas at the London Boat Show this week, Afloat.ie reader Conan Breslin came to us with the following question about mooring for visiting boats in Ireland: There seems…
#CourtesyFlag - An Afloat reader contacted us after spotting the German naval corvette F264 Ludwigshafen am Rhein, currently docked at Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin. However, he noticed that the ship was flying her Irish courtesy flag on her…
Dear Country Leaders in Sailing: You all are responsible for the choice to have the Olympics sail in Rio de Janeiro. Last week you held the Aquece Test Event. How did it turn out? Last year you had competitors fall…
#marystanford – Sir, With regard to your news item on Summer edition of Afloat magazine, I have to take issue with your news article stating that the former Donaghadee lifeboat is Ireland's most famous. The former Ballycotton boat – Mary Stanford…
#FinnLynch - Three forthcoming transatlantic trips over six months aren't the only items on Olympic hopeful Finn Lynch's list of expenses. Apart from the burden of the long-distance hauls required in trials for Ireland's Laser spots at next summer's Rio…
#WaterSafety - The Government's 'Sea Change' consultation contained sobering statistics on boating fatalities in Irish waters, prompting calls for much tighter water safety regulation. But as Irish Cruising Club spokesman and Sailing Directions Editor Norman Kean writes, that view is…
#irishsailing – After tweeting 'neither Afloat nor the Irish Sailing Association understand the makeup of sailors in Ireland', author Alex Blackwell gives his personal view on this week's ISA Public Meeting in Galway and on the way ahead for Irish sailing.…
#sailing – A leading Cork sailing official who praises the reform of the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) has raised concerns over a new initiative to raise €2.7m for Irish Olympic and ISA pathway sailing. The comments follow a reader piece…
