Blogs

Historic Ketch Ilen Heading for Official Launch in Dun Laoghaire to Create Pride in Preserving Maritime History
9th May 2019 Ilen The Ilen will be setting course for Dublin this weekend for a high profile launch at Dun Laoghaire on Friday of next week. She arrived at Kinsale this Wednesday night after what was described as a “bouncy bouncy run from…

Howth Yacht Club’s Mitsubishi Motors “Club of the Year” Award Honours a Very Special Organisation
4th May 2019 W M Nixon Environmental awareness and sailing success to top international level were dynamically intertwined at this week’s official presentation of the Mitsubishi Motors “Sailing Club of the Year 2019” award to Howth Yacht Club writes W M Nixon The announcement that Howth…

Sailing is 'Under Pressure' & Needs Young People, Says Irish Sailing President
2nd May 2019 Tom MacSweeney I like the direct approach of Irish Sailing President Jack Roy. He makes his points clearly, such as telling me that the sport is under pressure from other sports and needs more young people to become involved and ‘yes’ it…

The Golden Globe Race: Re-enactments of Great Sailing Achievements & Should The Past Be Left in Peace?
27th April 2019 Solo Sailing For those of us who find historical re-enactments to be slightly spooky, following the twists and turns of the Golden Globe Golden Jubilee Race through the latter half of 2018 and into the early months of 2019 has been -…

Over the years, rowing has had its highs and lows in Cork Harbour, where the history of the sport on Leeside as the River Lee wends its way from the city towards the harbour mouth, can be traced to the…

Limerick’s Ketch Ilen to Be Put in Focus With “Salmons Wake” Voyage to Greenland
19th April 2019 Boatyards The historic ketch Ilen of Limerick puts to sea again from her home port this weekend at the beginning of a complex 2019 sailing programme which will see the restored ship voyage in July towards southwest Greenland writes W M…

“We write to remind you that, due to the age of your vessel, Underwriters require an update of the last survey and valuation report, to be carried out ashore by a qualified marine surveyor who carries professional indemnity cover, prior…

The miraculous years of 2016 and 2017 provided a magic time in Irish sailing writes W M Nixon. Annalise won her Olympic Silver Medal. Shane McCarthy won the GP14 Worlds. And the most glamorous Round Ireland Race ever staged saw…

I remember when I first saw the Puffin seabirds. It was my first time sailing along the Kerry coastline and it was off Portmagee, on the appropriately named Puffin Island. We had closed the small Island south of Valentia which…

Cork Harbour sailors are being offered a different opportunity this season – to turn left rather than right when they leave Roches’ Point at the mouth of the harbour… This will be a new departure for Cork Harbour boats. Apart…

Reassuring News for Dun Laoghaire Harbour’s Future as VDLR 2019 is Launched in Style
5th April 2019 Volvo Regatta In the years to come, Thursday, April 4th 2019 will be remembered as a pivotal date in the development of Dun Laoghaire Harbour as a maritime, recreational and community amenity, a key moment in the significant growth of a shared…

Irish Cruising Club Fulfill Idealistic Objectives Set By Founders 90 Years Ago
29th March 2019 Cruising When the Irish Cruising Club was established in Glengarriff at the head of Bantry Bay on Saturday 13th July 1929, the friendly gathering of the crews from a modest flotilla of five decidedly varied sailing yachts – mostly small craft…

I don’t particularly like the ‘macho’ element which crept into sailing during the past few years. “Macho” has been defined as “behaving in a way that is thought to be typical of a man, especially by seeming strong and powerful…

Annalise Brings Stardust to Sutton & the Dickson-Waddilove Tokyo 2020 Campaign
23rd March 2019 Howth YC Annalise Murphy’s role in raising sailing’s profile in Ireland was brought home to us last weekend when The Irish Times ran a St Patrick’s Eve Quiz. Set by Eoin Butler, it aimed to test how truly Irish we who like…

The last competitor still at sea of the eighteen yachts which started the Golden Globe Race last July is not expected to finish back in France until the middle of May. Finnish sailor Tapio Lehtinen is in fifth place in…

New American Sailing Book with Irish Input Gives a Fresh Angle on our Scene Afloat
18th March 2019 W M Nixon Pete Brennan is an American of partially Irish ancestry who came originally from New Jersey, and now lives in Florida writes W M Nixon. For most of his life he has had steady jobs which had nothing whatever to do…