Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Waterways Ireland advises all masters of vessels and inland waterways users of the Shannon Navigation, Shannon-Erne Waterway, Grand Canal, Royal Canal, Barrow Line and Barrow Navigation that these waterways will reopen from Monday 10 May in line with the latest…

The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife on a boating holiday in Co Fermanagh has heard the company that hired out the boat to the accused had failed to supply enough lifejackets on board, as BBC News…

Key Yachting will be at the South Coast Boat Show Southampton from 7-9 May 2021 with the following boats on the water: J/99, Grand Soleil 46LC and Nautitech Open 40 Catamaran  Mark Mansfield Irish agent for the Key Yachting brands,…

Ahead of the May Bank Holiday weekend, the Port of Cork and Cork Water Safety are issuing a safety message to all marine leisure users in Cork Harbour, as well as swimmers and jet ski users. As the weather warms…

Today, Friday (30 April) will see fire crews resume their attempts to put out a blaze onboard (Alta) a so-called ghost ship on the Cork coast. A spokesperson from Cork County Council (see related story) said firefighting operations ended around 9pm…

Worry over if there will be a 2021 sailing season at all has been replaced by hope after the Government outlined its latest path out of COVID-19 last night. There has been overwhelming optimism following the news of the accelerated…

A new steering group has been established to work with consultants, councillors and stakeholders to progress the Bray Harbour improvement project. As reported last month on Afloat.ie, more than €7.1 million from the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund has been…

It has been a challenging year for sail training in Ireland, with 2020’s slate of tall ships voyages cancelled due to the pandemic and this summer’s schedule also looking unlikely. But as chief executive Daragh Sheridan acknowledges in the Sail…

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, anglers fishing in Irish waters in 2020 caught hundreds of large fish — according to the latest Irish Specimen Fish Committee (ISFC) report. One new record was set — for a 12.02kg smooth-hound hooked off Wicklow…

The Port of Cork has announced that the Grimaldi Group will offer a twice-weekly direct Ro-Ro service from Cork to Antwerp beginning the second week of May. This new service builds on Grimaldi Group’s reputation and their continued investment. Conor…

The first-ever study by European Boating Industry, Bundesverband Wassersportwirtschaft e.V., and boot Düsseldorf offers a unique insight into how the recreational boating industry in Europe fared in 2020 given the COVID pandemic. Presented at the International Breakfast Meeting on 20…

Say what you like about the SB20s, but you have to commend the class and its President John Malone of Lough Ree YC for always being game to have a go. Back in September 2020, when everyone else reckoned they’d…

The RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard are expecting a busy May Bank Holiday weekend on the coasts and inland waters, with more people enjoying the warmer weather and the brighter evenings. The two organisations are asking people to plan…

In July 2022, one of the largest sailing championships of the year will be held in Aarhus since the Sailing World Championships in 2018.  The regatta will be one of the important milestones for the Paris Olympics 2024, just three…

A Dublin Bay-based race boat crew that have made modifications to their deck layout for the 2021 season require a flush-mounted deck compass to fit a 99-mm opening before the sailing season starts (hopefully) next month. The Plastimo 95 model…

Is Ireland “ocean literate”? Tireless campaigners for better awareness of our impact on our marine environment may not be so sure, but Galway-based scientist Dr Noirín Burke is ever optimistic. Dr Burke is director of education at Galway Atlantaquaria in…

ICRA Commodore, Richard Colwell has welcomed two new Committee members, Saoirse Reynolds and Daragh Connelly to the ommittee of the national cruiser-racer body. As Afloat reported previously, stepping down from their ICRA roles are Johanna Murphy who’s term as Commodore…

The new Ultim trimaran Banque Populaire XI was launched after exiting the CDK Technologies yard in Lorient in Brittany yesterday, Tuesday 27 April. All the teams involved in the project were present to witness the fruit of two years of…

The winners and runners-up have been announced in a national video competition for Go Fishing Week 2021, which is taking place this week. Entries were received across Ireland under the title ‘Why I love to fish’, and one overall winner…

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien has been accused of “railroading” the National Marine Planning Framework through the Dáil without pre-legislative scrutiny, as The Irish Times reports. Opposition TDs say that while they broadly support the framework…