Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Inshore fishermen say that new EU regulations on spurdog make the re-opened fishery less worthwhile. The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has published regulations for the commercial fishery of spurdog in north-western waters, noting that it had been a prohibited…

With the youth sailing nationals out of the way, the season is launched for the club's junior and youth sailors, writes National Yacht Club Head Coach Thomas Chaix. If the NYC flagship event - the 133 boats Optimist Leinsters - has been…

Following a successful outing for Irish Cape 31 interests at the Vice Admiral's Cup on the Solent last weekend, there is confirmation this week that the 2023 Irish National Championships will be raced at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta (VDLR) this…

Supporting the accelerated growth of the fixed offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector is a key component of the Port of Cork Masterplan 2050, which was launched on Friday (19 May) by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and Finance Minister Michael McGrath.…

Bangor RNLI lifeboat came to the aid of two people on Sunday after their 8m yacht broke down in Ballyholme Bay on Belfast Lough. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by Belfast Coastguard at 1.21 pm…

Royal Cork's Nigel Young from Cork Harbour and the National Yacht Club's Will Byrne from Dun Laoghaire were part of the winning crew of Black Seal that successfully defended its Club Swan 36 class title at the Sardinia Challenge in Villasimius…

An exhibition this autumn marking the golden jubilee Commander Bill King’s solo sail around the world is one of a number of events planned by Galway Bay Sailing Club (GBSC) commodore Johnny Shorten to pay tribute to an “unsung hero”. It…

This coming weekend’s annual Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival makes its welcome post-pandemic return from Friday, May 26th until Sunday, May 28th, with the well-proven formula of events afloat tailor-made for the local and visiting classic and traditional craft being neatly…

As Royal Cork Yacht Club prepares to stage the Quarter Ton Cup in July, it's clear the form boat is Sam Laidlaw’s BLT which has been winning all around them on the Solent. Laidlaw’s BLT won the Class for the third regatta…

Fethard RNLI came to the aid of two people on Saturday afternoon (20 May) after their 20ft boat broke down. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore D class lifeboat by the Irish Coast Guard at approximately 2.45…

Kilmore Quay RNLI responded to two separate requests from the Irish Coast Guard for assistance with pleasure craft in the vicinity of the Saltee Islands over the weekend. The volunteer crew were requested to launch their all-weather Tamar class lifeboat…

While most of the country seemed to have little or no wind, with many races and events cancelled, East Antrim Boat Club managed to get all six races of this year's GP14 Ulster Championship completed. The event attracted 30 GP14s…

Winning Co-Skipper Victoria Cox recalls Saturday's (May 20th) marathon race across the Irish Sea from Pwllheli to Dun Laoghaire, where she says perseverance and determination in light winds were just as important as sailing skills onboard the J109 Mojito We had…

“Light, backing -fluctuating” was how the late Commander Bill King described winds in the final frustrating days of his successful solo sail around the world half a century ago. The log entry for his schooner Galway Blazer II, recorded in…

Spare a thought for PRO Michael Tyrell and his team, who had to wait until Sunday afternoon to deliver three races so that the Optimist Leinster could have a championship, writes Brendan Foley of the IODAI. After waiting in vain for…

After confirmation of her IRC overall win in the weekend's marathon ISORA cross-channel race, Peter Dunlop and Victoria Cox's J109 Mojito now lead the ISORA points table after eight races sailed. Despite not competing in some of April's coastal races, Dunlop…

Irish Cape 31 champion Anthony O'Leary finished fifth overall – and top Irish entry – at the weekend's six-race Vice-Admiral's Cup on the Solent. As Afloat reported earlier, it was the biggest-ever gathering of the new sportsboat class with a…

After success at the Portuguese Grand Slam earlier this month, Michael O’Connor was already up to speed in the SB20 class, but with only two wins from seven races, the Royal St. George Yacht Club ace did not have it all…

Newport, Rhode Island earned its title as one of the great homes of sailing on Sunday, providing beautiful conditions for the start of leg 5 of The Ocean Race. The sunshine returned with light southwesterly winds and the crowds were…

Sixty-nine boats started the North Sea Race outside the Royal Harwich YC for the 180nm race bound for the Scheveningen Yacht Club, Netherlands. The overall winner after IRC time correction was the J/122 Ajeto! raced Two-Handed by Robin Verhoef &…