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Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Line honours leader  Ian Lipinski in #865 Griffon prototype
Ireland’s Tom Dolan was neck-and-neck with Pierre Chedeville and Emile Henry as their three Pogo 3s closed in on the Royan turn at 1700hrs to lead their class in the 500-mile Mini-en-Mai offshore challenge, which leaves them with 147 miles…
Water Wags had a 21-boat turnout at Dun Laoghaire last night
Within Dublin Bay there currently are twenty-one classes of racing yachts. It might come as a surprise to many, that currently the largest class is Dublin Bay is the Water Wag class with 33 boats entered for the 2017 season.…
Arklow Vanguard which made a delivery voyage to Rotterdam (as above) is the latest addition to the fleet that now totals 50 cargoships.
#50ships - The maiden delivery voyage of Arklow Vanguard is significant as Arklow Shipping now totals a record 50 cargoships and follows the company's 50th anniverary last year, writes Jehan Ashmore. Arklow Vanguard made the delivery passage on Monday from…
A complicated night for competitors of the Mini en Mai is revealed on this morning's chart at 9am. See Tracker below
Irish solo skipper Tom Dolan has continued to show exceptional consistency as he maintains his position at the front of the fleet through a challenging second night of the 500-mile Mini-en-Mai in the Bay of Biscay writes W M Nixon.…
The Skandi Olympia is carrying out the visual survey for the next three weeks
#MarineNotice - Sailors and other mariners off the South West Coast should keep on the lookout for a visual survey by remote operated vehicle currently being undertaken by PSE Kindle Energy Ltd. The survey, which was set to commence on Tuesday…
A track of Laser sailor Theo Lyttle's training course over last Friday evening's training session – the DBSC Lasers were out in the conditions that cancelled the DBSC Saturday racing
DBSC Laser dinghy fleet began their month of May training over the weekend in both extreme conditions. Friday evening saw the fleet of Lasers leave the harbour in a solid 26–knot breeze and large swell practicing upwind technique, followed by…
The restored Periwinkle reveals her classic style
The last time the Alfred Mylne-designed Dublin Bay 24s raced together in their home waters was Saturday, September 25th 2004 writes W M Nixon. Since then, the class has been through various traumas as projects for a group rebuild/restoration in…
Tom Dolan – He has always been in contention for the top slot,
Wednesday evening update – After a difficult day in the middle of the Bay of Biscay with the fleet in the Mini-en-Mai now spread across a wide front as they close in towards the southerly turn off Royan, Tom Dolan’s…
The decision was made to keep the  DBSC dinghy fleets inside Dun Laoghaire Harbour
Four Fireballs came under the starter’s orders for the third Tuesday night of the DBSC Summer Series. Given the warm conditions during the day and the strong tide outside, the decision was made to keep the dinghy fleets inside –…
142 Optimists are heading for Kinsale this weekend
142 boats across the 3 fleets are confirmed for this weekend's Munster Optimist Championships at Kinsale Yacht Club this weekend. Six races are scheduled over the two days. The Senior and Junior fleets will race outside the harbour, weather permitting,…
This event will see 120 players aged between 10 and 19 compete
#Canoeing: Kilcock Canoe Polo Club is hosting the National Junior Competition in the newly re-opened Kilcock Harbour on Sunday, May 14th. This event will see 120 players aged between 10 and 19 compete, with teams coming from around the country,…
The 313–metre Celebrity Eclipse, twice as long as Croke Park, and as seen from Dun Laoghaire, passes Howth Head on her way into Dublin Port this morning
Luxury cruise liner Celebrity Eclipse made her maiden call to Dublin Port this morning.  As our photo above shows Dublin Port Pilots and two Port Tug boats escorted the liner on her first journey past the Baily Lighthouse in the…
Nearly 400 boats will compete in the world's largest offshore race this August - and safety is of the utmost importance
#FastnetRace - With the days ticking down till the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race, Ocean Safety has published its free Fastnet Safety Checklist to ensure your yacht is ready for the rigours of the challenging seas around Fastnet Rock. One of…
One happy dog in the care of Lough Ree RNLI after a cruiser grounded on the Long Shoal on Monday morning
#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI’s lifeboat crew were alerted by the Irish Coast Guard on Monday morning (8 May) when four people and their dog on board a 40ft motor cruiser ran aground on the Long Shoal near the eastern…
The medical evacuation of a fisherman  took place 20 miles south of Ballycotton Lighthouse
Ballycotton RNLI launched in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday 10 May) to assist in the medical evacuation of a fisherman 20 miles south of Ballycotton Lighthouse. The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat by…
Pictured onboard Irish Ferries’ Ulysses at Dublin Port to launch the fourth Our Ocean Wealth Summit are PwC advisory partner Declan McDonald, tax partner Yvonne Thompson and Marine Institute CEO Dr Peter Heffernan
#OurOceanWealth - Professional services giant PwC has announced a new three-year headline sponsorship of the Our Ocean Wealth Summit, the fourth of which takes place in Galway next month. The one-day summit on Friday 30 June at NUI Galway coincides…
A Sunseeker yacht arrives in Dun Laoghaire Harbour
Dun Laoghaire Marina, Ireland's largest marina and the 'gateway to Dublin city', welcomed two impressive Sunseeker motor cruisers at the weekend. Firstly, a Manhattan 56 model that was in transit on the Irish Sea stopped for fuel, one of the…
Tom Dolan (bow number 910 in foreground) narrowly leads his class after the first night at sea in the Mini-en-Mai 2017, but still has 329 miles to race with the prospect of flukey winds.
After their first night at sea, the Mini Transat boats racing the 500-mile Mini-en-Mai race in the eastern sector of the Bay of Biscay have put the navigation challenges of Western Brittany astern, and are well on their way, shaping…
The sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus), one of three shark species with six gills, is usually found in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean
#Angling - A group of sea anglers off the Co Clare coast have hooked what’s thought to be the largest ever sixgill shark caught by rod and line in Europe. As BBC News reports, English angler Ben Bond struggled for…
Baltimore RNLI's Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat
#RNLI - A week of engine troubles around the Irish coast continued yesterday morning (Tuesday 9 May) when Baltimore RNLI went to the aid of a fishing boat on passage from France to Kerry. The lifeboat launched to the vessel…

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