Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#ClipperRace - And they’re off! Much to the delight of the majority of Clipper Race skippers and their crews, the fourth day of Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race to Sanya, China has brought about some long-awaited breeze which…

#VOR - There is a new leader in the Volvo Ocean Race In-Port Race Series, after MAPFRE won the Dongfeng In-Port Race in Guangzhou, China today (Saturday 3 February). The win puts the Spanish race leader alone at the top…

The annual RORC Caribbean 600 in late February is now a pillar event of the international offshore racing programme, despite the fact that it was only first sailed – and on a rather experimental basis at that – as recently…

#NavyVisits - HNLMS Walrus which is one of the world's most sophisticated submarines arrived in Cork City yesterday for a courtesy visit this weekend, writes Jehan Ashmore. The non-nuclear powered submarine is the leadship of the 'Walrus' class which was…

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland has confirmed that the first spring salmon of 2018 was caught earlier this week in Co Leitrim. Well-known local angler Bill Likely landed the 7.5lb salmon on the River Drowes on Tuesday 30 January. The…

#RNLI - Clogherhead and Skerries  RNLI  rescued a man whose fishing boat got into difficulty north of Dublin Bay yesterday afternoon (Thursday 1 February). The volunteer crews were requested to launch the all-weather lifeboat from Clogherhead and the inshore lifeboat…

#Beatyard - The Jacksons will play their first ever Irish show as a part of this summer’s Beatyard festival in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, with tickets going on sale next week. Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon will headline on Friday 3…

#FerryNews- Services on Stena Line's Belfast-Scotland and England routes in 2017 marked another record trading year for freight and passenger operations. Freight volumes on its Belfast to Cairnryan, Liverpool and Heysham routes exceeded a record 514 000 units, which represents…

Following the recent announcement of the Volvo Cork Week ‘Super Early Bird’ competition winners who won back their full entry fee for the regatta, event organisers have announced a new enticing deal for those who sign up before March 31st.…

Gregor McGuckin (31) is attempting the gruelling feat of becoming the first Irish man to sail non-stop single handed around the world using no modern technology in the upcoming Golden Globe Race. In 150 days, Gregor will set sail from…

In the depths of this winter, traditional boat enthusiasts worldwide were thinking of Oldcourt in West Cork, where the traditional ketch Ilen, having completed her basic restoration, had to be moved in difficult and cramped conditions out of her building…

Last October there were 15 boats at the Irish J109 National Championships, a very impressive turnout for a 35–foot Cruiser Racer. What's more 109s have won ISORA overall in the last three seasons and filled the first four places last…

Photographer John Coveney captures the second Full Moon of January 2018, a "blue" moon, breaks through the clouds over Dublin Bay at dusk on 31st January. Sorrento Terrace in Dalkey is in the foreground. The Muglins Light (left) and the…

#Surfing - German big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner has set an unofficial record for the biggest swell ever surfed. As the Washington Post reports, Steudtner was filmed a fortnight ago surfing a wall of water off Nazaré in Portugal that’s…

The first two minutes of a race is arguably the most important. Those first two minutes will define where you start on the line, and how much space is around you to accelerate. This makes starting one of the hardest…

When the 30–ft gaff–cutter Lady Min was newly-launched in Schull in 1902, she was something of a sensation writes W M Nixon. Designed by local sailing enthusiast Maurice O’Keeffe and built to his requirements by local shipwrights under his own…

#ClipperRace - A testing first 24 hours of Race 7: The Forever Tropical Paradise Race has seen the Clipper Race fleet make slow progress at the mercy of a light wind lottery. With soaring temperatures to contend with and only…

#Fishing - The Netherlands has demanded certainty for Europe’s fishing industry after the UK’s withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy, as The Guardian reports. Dutch fisheries minister Carola Schouten called on UK environment secretary Michael Gove to provide a formal…

#Seabin - Coastal litter crusader Flossie Donnelly has raised hundreds of euro in a crowdfunding campaign to procure a Seabin water cleaning device for Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The Seabin is simple but remarkably effective, essentially a floating rubbish bin with…

#BelfastLough - A surprise visit by Sir Kenneth Branagh was made to HMS Caroline in Belfast Harbour on Tuesday - surprising a group of movie-goers who were on board to watch his turn in the Oscar nominated Dunkirk. The actor…