Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The annual Dive Ireland Expo is running this weekend at the Sport Ireland Campus near Blanchardstown in West Dublin. Organisers at Viking Sub Aqua Club promise “the biggest dive show ever”, with SCUBA diving featured along with snorkelling, free diving…

The Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Minister for Defence yesterday officially announced the names of the two newest additions to the Naval Service fleet, which had been purchased from the New Zealand Government. The Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV) named the LÉ…

Not many were surprised when the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships, which have been taking place at the Royal Cork Yacht Club since Thursday, concluded early due to the landing of Storm Kathleen and a deteriorating forecast for the following…

The Eagle Wing emigrant ship is reputed to have sailed from Groomsport on the south. shore of Belfast Lough in 1636 with 140 passengers and was the first attempt by Ulster-Scots folks to emigrate to America. At 140 tons, it…

Racing at Bangor Regatta in June promises to be keener than ever with the appearance in the Coastal IRC and YTC class of not one but two Swans. The Swan 40 Sloop John T is better known outside Northern Ireland…

This weekend is expected to see the Entry List for the SSE Renewables Round Ireland Race on June 22nd going through the 40 mark, with a good selection of boats already providing a healthy mix of internationally-renowned craft lining up…

As Storm Kathleen is forecast to sweep up the Atlantic seaboard, Aran Ferries has cancelled a number of sailings to the Aran islands this weekend. The company which runs its ferry service from Ros-a-Mhíl, Co Galway, says there will be…

Great Britain’s Micky Beckett has won ILCA 7 gold with a day to spare, on day five of the World Cup Series at the 53 Trofeo Princesa Sofía Mallorca by Iberostar. Matching Beckett’s feat and conquering the Nacra 17 mixed…

Storm Kathleen has prompted Galway City Council to close access to roads and car parks and to distribute sandbags to areas vulnerable to potential flooding. A yellow wind warning for Ireland has already been issued by Met Éireann for the…

It seems that the Irish Sailing League is going to be a big success this year! We're receiving a lot of enquiries and entries on our website, and we're expecting to reach our maximum capacity of 16 boats very soon.…

The second day of racing at the 2024 Irish Sailing Youth National Championships at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour has been cancelled due to strong winds.  Organisers completed a successful first day of races on Thursday for over 90 boats and…

Sailing enthusiasts know that the sun's UV rays can be particularly harsh when out on the water. That's why a reliable sun hat is an essential part of any boater's kit. But not just any hat will do. It needs…

Irish offshore solo racer Tom Dolan is taking advantage of a break in the Figaro circuit to participate in a new crewed Class40 race - the Niji 40. Dolan is a key member of a three-strong international crew, skippered by…

A marker buoy that washed ashore in Co Wexford this week has been traced to as far away as the US state of Louisiana. The large metal buoy was found on Wednesday (3 April) on the coast at Ballymoney near…

RYA Northern Ireland has launched its Active Clubs Grants scheme, which offers funding for Northern Ireland clubs aiming to grow and retain their membership. Priority will be given to clubs who are running programmes for women and girls, people with…

Over 90 boats and more than 100 sailors competed on a wet opening Thursday at the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships ahead of Storm Kathleen's expected arrival in Cork Harbour this weekend. The Royal Cork Yacht Club-hosted event saw three dinghy…

Due to the weather forecast, both the Neptune and Commercial rowing regattas in Dublin have been cancelled. The organisers have cited strong winds of 45k/hr and gusts of 90k/ph expected to hit Islandbridge as the cause.

Due to Saturday's extreme weather forecast, ISORA's first coastal race is postponed until a date to be agreed upon amongst those skippers who entered the race. As Afloat previously reported, ISORA boss Peter Ryan issued the Sailing Instructions (downloadable below)…

The first cruise ship to Dublin Port of this season saw the Norwegian operator of M/S Spitsbergen, Hurtigruten Expeditions, whose small yet smart red, black, and white liveried ship, sailed upriver to a berth today, writes Jehan Ashmore. The call…

On light-wind day four of the World Cup Series event at the 53 Trofeo Princesa Sofia Mallorca, Irish competitors maintained their overall positions, with one day left to sail before the medal races on Saturday. The light sea-breeze condition on…