Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#VOR - With the Volvo Ocean Race fleet racing south in trade wind conditions on Wednesday 14 February, Team AkzoNobel leads the charge towards the doldrums, still some 600 miles away. The fleet is becoming more aligned from north to…

#CruiseLiners - On this Valentine’s Day the yacht-like cruiseship Saga Pearl II is due to depart Portsmouth International Port (PIP) at 17.00 this afternoon to see the Northern Lights in Norway. It won’t just be guests on board hoping to see…

#PortofCork - An expert on regional economics has said that balanced development cannot be achieved and trying to achieve it would be counter-productive for national prosperity. As The Irish Examiner reports, Economics lecturer at University College Cork (UCC), Frank Crowley…

#ClipperRace - The two Chinese teams in the 2017-18 Clipper Race continue to lead the race to their home country on Day 15 of Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race to Sanya. Shifting winds have meant that many in…

#Watersport - Proposals for a national watersport centre in Dun Laoghaire Harbour have been revived with the launch of a preliminary market consultation. Afloat.ie previously reported on plans in 2015 for a ‘National Watersports Academy’ on the site of the…

#FerryNews - The ferry industry in the UK according to a recent report is gearing up for growth with more than £1 billion pounds worth of new investments planned in the next four years.  Portsmouth International Port has long realised…

#DublinPort - "Overdependence" on Dublin Port for trade traffic raises significant supply security issues in the context of Brexit, the Irish Academy of Engineering has argued. As The Independent writes, Dublin Port's share of Ireland's roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) traffic has…

Though it may not look it on a map which emphasises the extensive low water limits, at high water the Loop Head Peninsula in southwest County Clare is almost an island writes W M Nixon. Only a couple of small…

#Optimist - An independent report into an incident involving Irish Sailing’s junior Optimist squad last year, during which almost half the dinghy fleet sustained significant damage, has criticised the organisation’s coaching systems. Scroll down the page to download the full…

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan, in the Premier (open weight) single sculls, and the Skibbereen four both made it to A Finals at the New Zealand Rowing Championships. O’Donovan won in a repechage to join some of the top heavyweight single scullers…

#Rowing: Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll were eliminated from the Premier Pair at the New Zealand Rowing Championships on Wednesday (local time). The world lightweight pairs champions knew they would have some tough races as they learnt their trade in…

An extraordinary general meeting (EGM) of the Irish Cruiser Racing Association has been called for Wednesday, March 21. It will be held in the Maldron Hotel in Portlaoise at 7.30 p.m. and a new Executive Committee will be voted into…

Usually when a boat fills a very special niche in the world sailing scene, the standard response is that if it didn’t exist, then somebody would just have to invent it writes W M Nixon. But in the case of…

#Fishing - Funding for a new slipway has been allocated for the harbour at Ros a Mhil in Connemara. According to Galway Bay FM, it’s part of a 27.9 million euro fund for 2018 Capital projects at Ireland’s six fishery harbour…

#CruiseLiners - In the pipeline are moves to try and sell Warrenpoint in Co. Down as a key destination to cruise ship operators. As the Armaghi writes, the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is considering spending £5,340 to send…

#Ports&Shipping – An emergency on board the Royal Mail Ship RMS St. Helena forced the return of the ship to St Helena Island in the South Atlantic yesterday, writes Jehan Ashmore. The passenger-cargohip returned to St. Helena, a UK overseas…

#Rowing: Paul O’Donovan was the pick of the Irish internationals at the testing New Zealand Rowing Championships on Lake Karapiro on Tuesday. O’Donovan finished third in his heat of the Premier (openweight) single sculls – just .11 of a second…

#SpeedRecord - Oisín van Gelderen has released an extended video of his Irish speed sailing record-setting run in the south of France last spring. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the windsurfer took to the lagoon at La Palme in the…

Five of the seven Irish GP14 fixtures this season will be on the east coast ranging from Donaghdee and Newtownards in the North to the inland venue of Blessington in County Wicklow.  The season starts on April 14th with the…

Born out of our experience of working with some of the World's leading racing teams including Land Rover BAR and Wild Oats, Henri Lloyd marine clothing has been developed through years of collaborative testing where weight, performance, protection and comfort…