Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Where Bavaria once had the 35 and 38, there is now just a 37 – but she’s impressive, writes Tony Jones Way back in 2004 – when Ireland was covered in trees and Dublin the domain of dinosaurs – there…

The Monte Carlo 37 claims to offer great value and an easy ride.Tony Jones assesses the latest entrant to an increasingly competitive market. Two things allow the Monte Carlo 37 to stand out from the crowd: the highly attractive starting…

The Aquador 28 Cabin from MGM Marine has just made its Irish debut into a market that has seen great success for its little sister, the Aquador 26HT. Over 150 26s have been sold, making it one of the most…

Last August, an old Tornado 7.4 with twin 115 Yamahas left Co. Kerry for a 19-hour white-knuckle ride around Ireland. Phillip Fitzgibbon recalls the day that now seems like == ***2a dream

Electronic navigation has developed to the point where navigators now use electronics as the primary navigation system. The combination of radar and the electronic chart would appear to give the navigator all the information he or she needs for safe…

If we wanted tangible evidence of the way that Ireland is changing in prosperity, then this energetically revised 11th Edition of the Irish Cruising Club’s East and North Coast Guide provides more than enough to be sailing along with. Describing…

Entries for July’s ACC Bank Cork Week are already stacking up, and in addition to a rush into the Laser SB3 Class at the south end of the size band, there’s a formidable line-up of seriously-raced big boats. The word…

Only time will tell which team will win the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race but one thing is certain; when they line up on at the start in Alicante on October 4, a huge amount of preparation and hard work will…

You wait all day for a bus and then two come along at once. Just like the Number 7, there’s a queue forming for the chance to represent Ireland in the men’s keelboat class at the Olympics.

Although a much talked-about French armada was scheduled to drop anchor off Ireland’s Eye it has so far failed to materialise. But even if the prospect of French attack at the Irish championships in May was just sabre-rattling, Irish cruiser…

Lifeboats on either side of the country were called into action over the bank holiday weekend, with RIBs in distress off Dublin and Galway. Sunday saw three men picked out of the water near Kilcolgan Point after they fell out…

The controversy over Ireland’s Olympic selection in the Star class looks set to get worse before it gets better, with one of the crews in the running set to appeal the Irish Sailing Association’s nomination. Royal Cork helm Peter O’Leary…

Sarah Steyaert of France has won the 2008 Women’s Laser Radial World Championship after a sensational finish to the regatta, when Lijia Xu of China was disqualified from the final race, ultimately costing her the world title.

In his annual address to one of Europe’s largest yacht racing clubs, Dublin Bay Sailing Club Commodore Tim Costello indicated that soon the club will be running year-round sailing.

The documentary feature film ‘Waveriders’ won the prestigious Audience Award at the recent Dublin International Film Festival. Starring Gabe Davies, Richard Fitzgerald and the Malloy brothers and featuring Kelly Slater, the documentary was directed by Dubliner Joel Conroy of Inis…

The manufacturers of Rocna Anchors claim they set in all ocean floors without any special tricks and are easy to use, giving maximum versatility. The anchors have self-launch capability, and its design ensures that it lands on the ideal angle…

‘Scaoil Seol’, a new six-part reality series for TG4, will show the viewing public how easy – or difficult – it is to start sailing when it follows the efforts of ten novice sailors as they learn to sail from…

Afloat columnist and RTÉ marine correspondent Tom MacSweeney has been chosen as maritime person of the year. The award presentation was made at the recent Maritime Ball in Galway.

Sovereign Yacht Sales, recently appointed Elan dealer for the south and west coast of Ireland, have just established a new brokerage office in Kinsale. They are now dealing with pre-owned as well as new yacht sales, six days a week,…

As a desolate granite outcrop in the North Atlantic, Rockall is unlikely to challenge the Great Pyramids or Grand Canyon as a tourist mecca.