Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine

Every now and then a politician will gift you a few wonderful puns. Councillor blocks toilet. It Byrnes when I pee. Bog goes dry. The list goes on. The story today is that an outdoor toilet in Dublin Bay has…

Scottish rower Lia Ditton, who has just finished the Barcelona World Race, garnering attention for her naked rowing pictures, has announced that she will head straight into a campaign for the 2010 Barcelona World Race. Irish solo rower, Sean McGowan,…

RYA Scotland has taken on board the responsibility for representing inland boaters since the Scottish Inland Waterways Association (SIWA) decided to discontinue operations. SIWA's primary aim was to see the Lowland canals re-opened, a goal that has been successfully achieved.…

Enter the competitions in the current issue of Afloat and you could win a weekend for two in the Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire, a bag to carry your weekend swag in, and a brand new pair of Dubarrys…

Two early season sailing events in Dun Laoghaire are under investigation this week after sailing boats crossed the path of the Stena 'Sea Lynx' car ferry last Saturday morning. The ferry, arriving from Holyhead in Wales, was forced to stop…

It takes some courage to race Round Ireland so you can imagine the daunting prospect of sailing it blind. That's just what Mark Pollock intends to do this June. Although last week's Irish Times said he'll be making history in…

They're away. Eight RIbs were escorted out of Kinsale harbour by Kinsale Life boat heading for Wales this morning on a perfect run to Aberystwyth. Afloat's Bob Bateman was there to capture the action on a perfect morning for a…

Sailmaker Des McWilliams from One Sails in Cork will give a talk on the 'black art' of rig tuning at Howth tomorrow evening (Wednesday) at 8pm. The talk is free, but attendees are invited to donate to the RNLI in…

Waterford’s first Maritime Festival of Song takes place from 28th to 30th May this year presented by Waterford’s own Hooks and Crooks!Pirates, Rowers, Air Sea Rescue crews and Sea Shanty Singing groups from Norway, Denmark, Germany, England, Wales, Holland, France…

The Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey T.D. has today announced that the Government has agreed to contract discussions taking place on the extension of the new Search and Rescue helicopter contract to cover a full 24-hour service at all four…

With over 30 knots on the course at the Princess Sofia trophy yesterday, no fleets featuring Irish teams were in action in Palma. Click through for a run-down of Irish placings at the first major European olympic classes regatta of…

The final gap in the Volvo Ocean Race route was plugged overnight, with Auckland, the City of Sails, announced as the second Pacific stopover. The fleet will sail from Sanya in China to Auckland before the leg around Cape Horn…
It's a longer than usual podcast this week, as we speak to Irish sailor John Coffey, who's joining Bear Grylls on an RIB expedition through the Northwest passage, Hal Bleakley on handing in his cap and badge at Dun Laoghaire…

Minister for Defence Tony Killeen rejected Fine Gael calls to reverse a decision to reduce by 200 the number of days the Naval Service patrols the coast in an attempt to cut costs. Fine Gael defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan appealed…

The first time he saw Roche’s Point Lighthouse marking Cork Harbour, John Eagle knew he was smitten. ‘Coming from an inland town, there was so much excitement in the sea,’ he explains, ‘and lighthouses encapsulated all that.’ Lighthouses have played…

Up to eight hundred rowers from twenty eight clubs will compete in Rowing Ireland’s second Grand League Regatta which takes place next Saturday at the Queen's Regatta in Castlewellan , Co Down. The leading clubs after the first Grand League…

Newly appointed Cork Clipper round the world yacht race Skipper, Hannah Jenner, will earn her 2010 sea legs earlier than expected. The volcanic disruption of the air space has left Qingdao’s Skipper Chris Stanmore-Major stranded in the UK after he…

Courtown RNLI will hold an official naming and dedication ceremony for its new D-Class Lifeboat on Saturday 24 April 2010. The ceremony will take place at 2pm on the north pier in Courtown Harbour where the lifeboat will be officially…

The Irish ports and shipping sectors began to show positive signs of recovery towards the last quarter of 2009 following a record fall in volumes earlier in the year as the downturn in the economy bit hardest, according to the…