Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#dbsc – BENETEAU 31.7 Echo - 1. Fiddly Bits (Timmins/Quigley/Murray/Breen), 2. Levante (M.Leahy/J.Power), 3. Extreme Reality (P.McSwiney/E.O'Rafferty) BENETEAU 31.7 - 1. Legally Blonde (C.Drohan/P.Egan), 2. Bluefin Two (M & B Bryson), 3. Levante (M.Leahy/J.Power) CRUISERS 1 - 1. Bon Exemple…

#inland – Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Michael Ring TD, announced the opening of the Shannon Blueway: Camlin Loop today with walkers and paddlers taking to the Shannon Blueway, in Clondra, Co Longford.The Shannon Blueway is the first…

#isora – The reigning ISORA champion Ruth skippered by Liam Shanahan was the winner of today's first race coastal race of the 2015 season. The National Yacht Club J–109 took a six minute win on corrected time from the Irish National…

#ROWING: Sam McKeown of Portadown won the intermediate single sculls, beating Damien Kelly of Garda, at Limerick Regatta today. The St Michael’s men’s senior pair came out on top and Portora won both the junior 18 and junior 16 men’s…

#NavyMedCrisis – Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney, T.D., yesterday echoed the Taoiseach's sentiments in relation to the deployment of an Irish Naval Service vessel to assist in the humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean as previously reported on Afloat.ie The Taoiseach…

#Surfing - Indoor surfing could be on the cards for Derry residents in proposals for new sports facilities the Foyleside city, as the Londonderry Sentinel reports. A wave-machine-type "surf basin" is one of a number of options for the £20-30…

#lifeboat – Howth RNLI all weather lifeboat launched at 4.00pm this evening to reports of a 32ft–sailing vessel with engine problems in the vicinity of the Baily lighthouse. The casualty vessel was located and towed to the safety of Howth…

#boatbuilders – In the good old days of bespoke boat-building, regular visits to the boatyard by the prospective owners were a sociable part of the process, regarded as normal and mutually instructive. And as most boats were built in waterfront premises…

#VOR - High pressure, and the attendant lack of wind, is the challenge faced by the navigators with the Volvo Ocean Race fleet now five days into the sixth leg from Itajaí to Newport. Yesterday (23 April) saw the first…

On a day that proved exciting for all, Timbalero III was flying on the downwind leg of the course at the Voiles de Saint Barths regatta on the east side of the island when the bright orange, futuristic foiling cat tripped…

#CorkHarbour - Following today's earlier news of a French naval visit to Dun Laoghaire Harbour comes word from TheJournal.ie of a courtesy call by the German navy at Cork Harbour this weekend. Seven German vessels will be stopping by till…

#fisheries – Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD today welcomed the progress made at the international Blue Whiting Fisheries negotiations in Clonakilty. The Minister said "I am pleased that serious efforts were made this week to…

#dlharbour –Three French naval training ships will pay a courtesy visit to Dun Laoghaire Harbour in May. The Harbour Master of Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company, Simon Coate, accepted the invitation from the French Ministry of Defence for the ships to…

#fireball – Normally the start of the Irish Fireball summer season is heralded with a coaching session by a leading UK Fireballer doing the honours. For a few years this weekend session was undertaken by Adam Bowers of ABC for…

#RNLI - A coast-to-coast cycle starting in England and finishing in Co Mayo next month will raise funds for Achill Island RNLI. Jane McNeela and Ursula Murray from Preston will undertake the Coast to Coast Bicycle Ride as part of…

#Angling - Derry chef Emmett McCourt looks forward to giving visitors to the Northern Ireland Angling Show a taste of Lough Neagh's world-renowned eels this coming June. As the top cook tells the Londonderry Sentinel: “Lough Neagh eels are revered…

#Angling - Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it has "temporarily suspended" pike management operations in designated wild brown trout fisheries. The agency added that it is "currently undertaking a review of the necessary standard operating procedures for these operations and…

#GalwayBay - Galway City Council will soon open a public consultation on a proposed new walkway between Salthill and Silverstrand, as the Galway Advertiser reports. The new Galway Bay coastal walking route will comprise a series of "scenic pathways and…

#MaritimeFestivals - The annual Dublin Bay Prawn Festival kicks off this evening (Friday 24 April) with the 'mystery dine-around', heralding a weekend of food and fun in Howth. Whatever way you like your prawns – barbecued, whole, shelled, fried, skewered,…

#flyingfifteen –  The Mitsibushi Motors sponsored Flying Fifteen fleet turned out in good numbers with 13 boats competing in the first race of the DBSC 2015 season on a beautiful sunny evening with a nice force 3 breeze from the…