Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The coastal ferry service across Carlingford Lough is set to recommence next weekend with the easing of lockdown. As The Irish News reports, the service, between Greenore in Co.Louth and Greencastle in Co.Down, has not been operational since last March.…

The welcome announcement that the National Yacht Club's biennial 280-mile Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2021 will be going ahead on Wednesday, June 9th, is encouraging. But it should not be seen as a clarion call to get the 2021…

Dingle’s boatmen have been hit hard by the double whammy of pandemic restrictions on the tourism trade and the disappearance of Fungie last autumn. But as the Business Post reports, the boatmen of the Kerry Gaeltacht town have directed their…

This neat fitting, versatile top is new in the retail stores for 2021. Zhik's Z-Skin® Top has evolved for 2021 to become one of the thinnest ever, skin-fitting neoprene tops. It's the perfect performance top to crossover high activity sailing…

The Cruising Association, through its local representatives, has helped to make cruising to France easier, post-Brexit. Since leaving the EU, boats arriving in France from the UK or Channel Islands are required to sail to one of a small number…

Following an update on COVID-19 compliance and revised restrictions, the Royal Western Yacht Club in the UK has postponed the OSTAR & TWOSTAR race. The 60th-anniversary race entry list will officially re-open on May 9th. The date is particularly symbolic…

Golf and Tennis Doubles competition returns on Monday, May 10th in a further relaxation of Government COVID rules that has not extended to sailing. Sailing clubs had been urging officials to lobby the Government's Sport Ireland's Expert Group to classify sailing with…

Two large naval warships which were spotted off North Wales this week, have berthed at the Port of Liverpool (Afloat adds, this morning they departed into the Irish Sea).  The Royal Canadian Navy's Royal Danish Navy's HDMS Absalon and HMCS…

The government in the UK says it is “currently identifying” a suitable location for a customs facility near the ferry Port of Holyhead in preparation for already delayed checks on EU traffic. Exports to the EU from Britain have been…

Port of Galway harbourmaster Capt Brian Sheridan has said Galway could become a stage for the America's Cup yacht race in the future. The harbourmaster was commenting as the port outlined its vision for a new “urban quarter” with a…

The Notice of Race and online entry form are now available for the Irish Cruiser Racing Association’s National Championships 2021 later this year. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is the host for this…

Due to necessary maintenance works, the Thomas Clarke Bridge at Dublin Port will need to remain in the upright position overnight from 11pm tonight, Thursday 6 May until 6am tomorrow, Friday 7 May. Dublin Port appeals for motorists to use…

Dusty the dolphin last weekend treated two SCUBA diving sisters to an encounter they will never forget, as RTÉ News reports. Jessica and Jennifer Smith were diving with their father Finbar as part of a group with the Burren Sub…

West Cork is enjoying a veritable bounty of whale sightings “in dolphin numbers”, as the Southern Star reports. Video recorded last week near Union Hall shows two humpbacks who followed a whale watching vessel “in a very sociable mood”, according…

Irish Ferries and Stena Line, the two key players in Ireland’s ferry industry, are today calling for the reopening of the Common Travel Area (CTA) at the earliest opportunity. They also welcome comments made last week by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar,…

The Irish public believes more action needs to be taken to improve the health of the ocean, according to results from Ireland’s first Ocean Citizen Survey. More than 1,000 people across the island of Ireland completed the Ocean Citizen Survey…

The Olympic Federation of Ireland and Paralympics Ireland today welcomed the outcome of talks between the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Pfizer Biontech which paves the way for the vaccination of Irish Olympic and Paralympic…

UK Royal Navy vessels are patrolling waters around Jersey, amid concerns of a possible blockade of the largest of the Channel Islands, due to an ongoing row with France over post-Brexit fishing rights. HMS Severn and HMS Tamar have been…

A native of Co. Cork, who played a pivotal role in a multi-national operation to save tens of thousands of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea has been appointed second-in-command of the Naval Service. Ken Minehane, who joined the navy in…

The Aberdeen of the Irish Atlantic rim – that’s the potential future for Shannon Foynes, the State’s second port after Dublin. It faces an exciting future, with ESB’s Moneypoint site in County Clare to be transformed into a green energy…