Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#irish49er – Their meteoric rise from 33rd to 11th in the ISAF Global Rankings for the 49er Olympic Class gave international recognition to the April achievement of Belfast Lough's Ryan Seaton (24) and Matt McGovern (26). They brought home the…

#fireball – My early afternoon check on the forecast conditions for Tuesday evening racing in Dublin Bay on the XC Weather website suggested that at 19:00 and 22:00 the winds would be 14 and 16 knots gusting to 20 and…

#MaritimeCollegeDeal- The Irish Examiner writes that the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMMI) will sign a landmark €2m training contract with one of the world's largest shipping companies in Texas. The deal between the global giant Chevron Shipping Company and…

#GiantOilRig – A giant oil rig, initially set for a whistle-stop 60-day renovation project in Belfast, will now see the Blackford Dolphin remain in the city's docks until June. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Blackford Dolphin, a 360ft high…

#boathire – In a cost reduction move, two leading Shannon boat hire companies are to merge. Carrickcraft and Waveline Cruisers will be merging for the 2015 boat hire season. The existing shareholders of Carrickcraft and Waveline will be shareholders in the enlarged…

CRUISERS 3 Tuesday - 1. Grasshopper II (K & J Glynn), 2. Papytoo (M Walsh/F Guilfoyle), 3. Asterix (Boushel/Meredith/Counihan) Ensign - 1. INSC1 (K Rumball) FIREBALL - 1. No Name (S Oram), 2. Licence to Thrill (Louis Smyth), 3. Elevation…

#Surfing - The third annual Long Line Disabled Surf Festival will take place at Limavady's Benone Strand on Saturday 14 June, according to the Londonderry Sentinel. Afloat.ie previously reported on the inaugural event hosted by the Long Line Surf School…

#Crowdfunding - Campaigning documentary maker Richie O'Donnell is turning to the public to help fund his latest film about Ireland's marine resources. The filmmaker behind critically acclaimed documentary The Pipe, about the controversial Corrib Gas Pipeline, tells TheJournal.ie that his…

#mirror – The 2014 Mirror dinghy Eastern Championships were completed on Sunday in superb racing conditions at Sutton Dinghy Club with victory for local pairing Robert Dickson and Meisha Johnston. With Junior and Leaving Cert exams coming shortly a smaller…

#ManxFerry&Freight – Isle of Man Steam Packet ro-pax ferry Ben-My-Chree is undergoing a biannual overhaul, in her place on the Douglas-Heyham route are fast-ferry Manannan and Arrow providing freight capacity, writes Jehan Ashmore. Work on Ben-My-Chree at Cammel Laird, Birkenhead,…

#gandelow– The Ilen School Gandelow Races in Venice were a great success. The Venetians threw open their port to Limerick's superb traditional boat. Having trained our crews on Canal Grande and Bacino di San Marco the main race was held…

#sb20 – Another cracking days racing last weekend on Dublin Bay for the second (of ten) SB Sundays writes Michael O'Connor. Despite the many obstacles put in their way (an anchor that refused to catch and a windlass engine that started…

#sailathon – Had you been walking the East or West Pier of Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday morning around 9pm you would have seen an INSC 1720 rigged as a committee boat make its way out into Dun Laoghaire Harbour's…

#Coastguard - The Irish Times reports that a nine-year-old boy is in critical condition after falling into the sea near Blackhead lighthouse in Co Clare on Sunday 4 May. The Irish Coast Guard's Shannon-based rescue helicopter airlifted the unconscious boy…

#optimist – 14 young sailors from ten different Irish yacht clubs make up the team to represent Ireland at the Optimist Europeans that will be held in the home waters of Dun Laoghaire in July. Skerries Sailing Club sailor Peter Fagan…

#rorc – The domestic season for the RORC Season's Points Championship kicked off with a test of tactics and endurance for the international fleet of yachts racing from Cowes to Le Havre for the Cervantes Trophy writes Louay Habib. The…

#croatiasailing – Malahide reader Scott Flanigan, the 2012 Olympic sailing team member, has written to advise of an opportunity for young sailors who would like to work as a skipper in Croatia this summer. The 'Yacht Week' is a sailing…

#foynes – Foynes Yacht Club annual Commodore's Day takes place next Sunday writes Gerry Ryan. Proceedings will 'kick-off' for this fun day with all classes on the water at 2pm for racing. Class 1, 2 and White Sails will be racing…

#topper – A strong performance from Carlingford Lough's Conor Quinn saw off a home club challenge for the Jelly Bean sponsored Leinster Topper title at the National Yacht Club on Sunday. Full results downloadable below as a pdf file. Quinn…

#gbsc – The final race of the GlenncahillCars.com April Series concluded last Wednesday with the final race a 'non-discard' to ensure it would all be up for grabs on the night. Eight boats were on the water to contest this…