Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A new Cork Harbour ferry has been launched to Spike Island to coincide with the opening of a major new exhibition there, and it's hoped these initiatives will lead to a rise in tourist visitor numbers writes Bob Bateman. The ferry, named…

It's no exaggeration that the visit of Flying Manta simply dwarfs all other pleasure craft in Cork Harbour writes Bob Bateman. The 42-metre superyacht is much more ship than yacht and cuts an impressive sight moored outside Crosshaven in the Summer sunshine.…

Summertime and the living is easy in Cork Harbour. Despite the postponement of Sunday's Cove at Home Regatta due to the lack of access to landing pontoon at The Quays in Cobh, a combined fleet of nine sailing cruisers coming from…

Cork Harbour had an impressive RIB visitor when a Zodiac Hurricane ZH-1300 MACH II OB Interceptor called to the south coast earlier this month writes Bob Bateman The new model is the newest and largest platform of the Zodiac Hurricane range and…

In the first race of the Ronan Enright Solicitors July League at Royal Cork Yacht Club last night, Ronan and John Downing's Half Tonner Miss Whiplash was the winner of the 19-boat IRC Spinnaker division writes Bob Bateman. It was a light wind…

If Kinsale Port wasn't treated to enough on Saturday with the climax of the 95-boat Sovereign's Cup Regatta at Kinsale Yacht Club, the West Cork Town also had a visit from the Celtic Steam Engine Association writes Bob Bateman. It…

There was a packed clubhouse at Kinsale Yacht Club for the presentation of O’Leary Life Sovereign’s Cup prizes. Photos by Bob Bateman. As Afloat reported previously, with a superb string of six race wins in the four-day event, Frank Whelan's Eleuthera from…

The Sovereign's Cup Portcullis Trophy was awarded to John Gordon’s X-yacht 'X-Rated' from Mayo Sailing Club for the best overall performance under the ECHO handicap system. The X-332 entry won two races in the ECHO division of the Cup's biggest…

In the Sovereign's Cup non-spinnaker fleets, Waterford Harbour Sailing Club’s Shane Statham on Slack Alice won the overall White Sails trophy for his straight wins under IRC plus his counterpart victory on ECHO handicap, a feat only managed by Eleuthera…

In an intense battle of the Half Tonners, Michael Wright's Mata briefly overtook Class Two overall leader Nigel Biggs's Checkmate XVIII in the closing races of the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale today. As Afloat predicated here, Half Tonners dominated the 19-boat IRC Two…

Despite a disqualification (DSQ) in the penultimate race of the five-race series last night, Richard Colwell and John Murphy's new J109 campaign from Howth Yacht Club held the lead in Class One of the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup to take overall victory…

George Sisk's new XP40 Wow sailed to success in the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup today beating bigger sistership the XP50 Freya on her home waters off Kinsale in the Regatta's Coastal Class. The Royal Irish Yacht Club crew led the regatta from the…

With five wins from five races and discarding a first place in her overall score tally, the Greystones Sailing Club's Grand Soleil 44 'Eleuthera' made a clean sweep of Class Zero of the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale today.   It marks…

The weather might have thrown four seasons at the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup this week but it was no match for the organisers or competitors who successfully completed the penultimate days racing albeit in fog off Kinsale today.  It leaves…

Day Three of the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale today started in the harbour for both of the White Sail fleets in low mist and drizzle. Former Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore and veteran Irish Paralympian John Twomey was the leader of Class 2 on Shillelagh…

Kinsale Yacht Club has cancelled today's second day of racing at its 2019 Sovereign's Cup regatta due to easterly winds forecast to gust to 40-knots by lunchtime writes Bob Bateman. The 95-boat fleet completed a full programme of racing in yesterday's opening day…

Day One - A three-way tie on four points overall makes it tight at the top of a 16-boat Dragon fleet competing at its first-ever showing in the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale.  After two races sailed, Martin Byrne's Jaguar Sailing…

It's turning into an early battle of the Half Tonners in Class Two of the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale writes Bob Bateman. Class Two is the Cup's biggest class with 19 boats competing and Half Tonners occupy five of the…

A battle of Olympic proportions ensued at the top of Class One IRC of the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale today with two former Olympic Star helmsmen on the top two rivals overall writes Bob Bateman. There should be no surprise that…

Last year's Cork Week winner, Frank Whelan's Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera is in the driving seat again on the south coast having scored two race wins in the first day of the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale writes Bob Bateman. Whelan…