Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A man was hospitalised with serious head injuries after a kitesurfing accident in west Cork on Saturday. http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/kitesurfing/ The Irish Times reports that the man got into difficulty in high wins while kitesurfing in Courtmacsherry Bay. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0718/1224300883641.html He was taken…

Searching resumed at first light this morning for a teenager reported missing last night in Co Donegal. The 17-year-old, believed to be from Derry, was last seen by friends around 1:30am when their group went swimming in Lough Swilly at…

There will be an added nautical flavour to this year’s Malahide Festival with the introduction of a new feature entitled ‘Malahide Afloat’, devised by Malahide Yacht Club and organised on Saturday 23rd July in conjunction with Malahide Marina and Malahide…

Martin Byrne's win in the Edinburgh Cup, Antix crew pipped for IRC honours, Flying fifteens stormbound in Hayling, Joie de Vie is West Coast Champ, Doran's tenth in Croatia, Arabella for Fastnet, Supernova's still winning on the bay. Lots more…

The overall winner of the 2011 West Coast Championships (WIORA) is Glen Cahill's "Joie de Vie" of Galway. Cahill won the IRC 1 division. Local boats filled the class two and three slots on IRC.  David Griffin's "Egalite" of Clifden…

Ashore since Saturday, over 100 Flying fifteen sailors are waiting to see this morning if westerly gales at Hayling island have abated to allow the first race of the Flying fifteen British National Championships, a pre-cursor to Thursday's World championships.…

With less than a month to go the Fastnet race Niall Dowling and Nick Smyth will be co skippering the J111 'Arabella' under the burgee of the Royal Irish Yacht Club. 'Arabella' the first J111 in Europe has had an…

Royal Cork's Antix skippered by Anthony O'Leary has finished as runner up in the IRC 1 division at a heavy weather staging of the British IRC Championships this afternoon. With eight bullets in eight races, Peter Rutter and the crew…

A rare naval visitor to Dublin Port is to be made from that of the Russian Navy when the anti-submarine destroyer Admiral Chabaneko (650) is to dock next weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore. Measuring 8,950 tons full load displacement and 163m/ 534ft…

Fans of the Tall Ships Races have launched a new Facebook page to campaign for their return to Cork Harbour. http://www.afloat.ie/sail/tall-ships/ http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-the-Tall-Ships-back-to-Cork-Harbour/200692176646022 Waterford recently celebrated a successful Tall Ships Race weekend, with thousands turning out to welcome the magnificent fleet.…

The decision to keep open Northern Ireland's only dedicated search and rescue base is a victory for people power, says the Belfast Telegraph. http://www.afloat.ie/safety/rescue/ http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/viewpoint/people-power-keeps-coastguard-afloat-16023561.html As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the station at Bangor was saved from closure following a…

American Gregg Bemis is headed to Ireland for what may be the last major dive to the wreck of the Lusitania. Bemis, who owns the wreck of the former Cunard cruise liner torpedoed off the Cork coast in 1915, told…

There's less than two months to go till the inaugural Ironman triathlon in Galway. As reported on Afloat.ie last year, the City of the Tribes was chosen to host Ireland's first ever Ironman 70.3 event on 4 September. http://www.afloat.ie/port-news/galway-harbour/item/14215-ireland-joins-ironman-calendar-for-2011/ Thirty-five…

The waiting is nearly over: the 44th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race, one of the great ocean challenges, is exactly a month away. With a staggering 350 entrants at the ready, 1979's record-breaking tally of 303 participating yachts will…

Recently added to our site is this Hallberg-Rassy in excellent condition, her specification is top class and the teak interior is a definite advantage over the standard finish. The owner and his son are both very experienced yachtsmen who have…

With a slow moving front passing across the Solent today, the fleet competing at the RORC's IRC Nationals were subjected to one of the windiest days they have seen so far this season. Three races were held on the central…

Royal St. George Commodore Martin Byrne lifted the Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Abersoch, North Wales tonight after a three way last battle for victory went the Dun Laoghaire crew's way in emphatic style. The current Irish champions won the pivotal…

Budding photographers and designers from across Ireland, the UK and Europe are encouraged to take part in the Eurosurf European Surfing Championships poster design competition. http://www.afloat.ie/watersport/surfing/ The winner will see their photo or design appear on the official contest poster…

A US$2 billion-plus contract to work in the Gorgon gas fields project in Western Australia has gone to Irish oil company Kentz, the Irish Echo reports. The work involves support in various aspects of the construction of three processing plants…

The Irish Independent today recounts the tumultuous history of the Celtic Mist - the yacht once owned by the late former Taoiseach Charles Haughey that has now begun a new life as a research vessel with the Irish Whale and…