Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Conor Haughey of Malahide admits to an addiction. It’s to saltwater and long-distance voyaging. But though he has made several transoceanic passages, it wasn’t until he bought the comfortable yet swift Moody 54DS Hibernian that he reckoned he could take…

The National Yacht Club’s flotilla of Elliott 6M match-racing boats came into their own early in December, when the club staged its inaugural Invitational Match Racing Series, successfully drawing in competition from near and far to being together a highly…

The Community Rescue Service (CRS) is a charitable search and rescue organisation operated by volunteers from communities across Northern Ireland and in the Queen’s New Year Honours the Regional Commander, Sean McCarry, from Co. Antrim, has been made an OBE…

Lough Ree Yacht Club and the Shannon One Design Association are sharing this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Sailing Club of the Year Award. It’s the well-deserved honouring of a dynamic combination that provides a core contribution to the Athlone area’s reputation…

Dear Reader, Because of your and our other supporters' generous backing, Afloat.ie has had another record year for visitors, with a significant 13% increase on 2020 figures. Our website dedicated to Irish sailing, boating and maritime issues reached another high…

(First published 11/12/2021) Four World Championships. Two Europeans. The super-staging of our defining offshore race. A major new offshore challenge. Regattas galore. A very significant Centenary. An important Golden Jubilee. At least one new One-Design class. Established OD classes finding…

Baltimore RNLI were called out to provide a medical evacuation yesterday (Thursday 30 December) from Cape Clear Island off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 9.26 am, following a request to bring…

“We are mission ready and interoperable with international Navies at home and overseas,” the Naval Service, which celebrated its 75th year of foundation this year, says in the Defence Forces ‘Year in Review’ annual report issued today. It records a…

When Gordon Maguire of Howth won his first Sydney-Hobart Race in 1991 helming Atara with Cork’s Harold Cudmore as skipper, he can scarcely have dreamed that thirty years later, he would proudly be holding the coveted Tattersall Cup for the…

Departing Dublin Port this morning was Arklow Castle, one of 10 C-class cargoship newbuilds which continue to be built for the Co. Wicklow shipowner as the latest launch in the series took place just a fortnight ago, writes Jehan Ashmore.…

Over the course of 2021, volunteers with Skerries RNLI were presented with long-service awards totalling 190 years of volunteering with the charity that saves lives at sea. Due to restrictions on gatherings, the north Co Dublin lifeboat station was unable…

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has appealed for the public to keep a look-out after a spate of marine wildlife strandings reported in recent days. Half of the six reports were live strandings, the group says, but only…

2020 was a record year for sprat landings — but this has come at the expense of many other marine wildlife species who depend on the small fish as a food source. Noteworthy’s investigation of the issue shows that in…

Matt Allen’s Botin/TP 52 Ichi Ban, with Gordon Maguire of Howth as Sailing Master and a crew including Sean O’Rourke and Dublin-born Noel Drennan, has received the benefit of a remarkable reversal of fortune in the current Rolex Sydney Hobart…

North Sails is a unique sailmaker, built on a champion spirit. We make history by looking ahead and that's what sets us apart from other sailmakers. We’re proud to introduce Loft 57, a conversational podcast (below) that opens the doors…

(First published 27/11/21): The 2021 programme for Irish sailors is still in action with winter series underway at several centres, while next Wednesday a junior squad departs for Oman and the Youth Sailing Worlds which get fully underway on December…

The Irish Coast Guard has reported an 12% increase in the overall number of incidents coordinated during 2021. And among these, the search and rescue agency saved 474 lives over the course of the year — though tragically 68 lives…

A fishing vessel which sank off the Wexford coast last January should have issued a “Pan Pan” alert, a report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) has noted. Four crew on board the FV Aztec were transferred successfully to…

With the preliminary design study phase drawing to a close, the ground is now being prepared for the construction of the first Class 30 a joint yacht design project between the RORC in London and UNCL in France, with the…

The annual report of the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) for last year came a bit late this year to make as much impact as it could. It arrived in my email at the start of the month, a time…