Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA)  Chairman Peter Ryan is urging crews to enter for next month's first race of the Viking Marine Irish Coastal Series 2024 so class rating splits can be evenly prepared. "Now that rugby is over,…

Irish renewable energy developer Simply Blue has joined a North Sea consortium working on a commercial scale seaweed farm located within an offshore wind farm. The “North Sea Farm 1 Project” involves ten hectares of water off the Netherlands coast,…

The Frank Godsell March League 2024 for mixed cruisers at Kinsale Yacht Club was cancelled on Monday, March 18, due to 'adverse wind and sea conditions'.  Although racing under IRC and ECHO, the White Sails division is attracting the most…

The Navy's LE George Bernard Shaw was one of the first arrivals of the season to use the new ship fender installation at Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Carlisle Pier.  As regular Afloat readers recall, the installation in August 2023 of nine new…

Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) has announced the rules for its 2024 Boat of the Year (BOTY) competition with the introduction of a new ECHO trophy for the first time. The BOTY competition is based on a boat's performance in the…

Crosshaven in Cork Harbour is getting another sail loft. Cork sailor ‘Nin' Nicholas O’Leary has announced that the former ‘Old Sunday Market’ building across the road from the Royal Cork Yacht Club in the village will be his base. This…

The 13th edition of the Superyacht Challenge Antigua (SYCA) was held in fantastic conditions off the South Coast of Antigua with Tradewinds ranging from 13-20 knots. Five days of racing were held rounding deep water and inshore marks, making full…

There was a strong maritime presence for the rebirth of Dun Laoghaire's St Patrick's Day Parade, which attracted up to 30,000 people to Ireland's biggest boating centre in the spring sunshine. Among the 46 groups participating was the Irish Navy,…

Irish sailors are currently participating in the 2024 Etchells World Championships in Fremantle, Western Australia. The event has attracted a star-studded 42-boat fleet, which includes America's Cup veteran John Bertrand and Dragon Gold Cup champion Lawrie Smith of Glandore Harbour…

The European Commission is consulting the public about improving ways to protect and manage sharks and related marine ecosystems. The consultation aims to gather the public's views to ensure an informed follow-up to the 2023 European citizens’ initiative ‘Stop Finning…

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that all locks and bridges within the North Shannon region will be closed for one day on Thursday 21 March to facilitate mandatory staff training. The cross-border…

Powering Prosperity – Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, the first strategy of its kind for Ireland, aims to build a successful, vibrant and impactful offshore wind energy industry in Ireland. This will ensure that the sector creates as much value…

Eucon have announced the addition of a sixth ship to their fleet keeping Europe and Ireland well connected. The additional vessel, the MV Ranger, will be welcomed into their fleet this Wednesday 20 March, expanding their sailing frequency, capacity, flexibility…

The Marine Institute has launched an updated edition of the Explorers Education Programme’s Wild About Wildlife on the Seashore workbook, which has also been translated into Irish, and is being used as a key teaching resource for student teachers at…

The picturesque town of Kinsale Harbour in West Cork was packed with spectators over the weekend as it played host to the tenth annual St. Patrick's Maritime Festival. Despite a gloomy and wet day, the town was buzzing with excitement…

The National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire is offering a pre-race coaching series to help Water Wags sailors preparing for evening racing on Dublin Bay. This series will be led by the club head coach and may receive the input…

Irish Olympic sailing was well represented by 20 sailors when the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the Irish Olympians Association celebrated 100 years of Ireland's participation at the Olympic Games (1924 - 2024) on March 13th. The evening marked the…

IRC rating's 40th anniversary year sees the GBR IRC National Championship leave the Solent for the first time; in 2024, it will be held at 'International' Poole Regatta over the spring bank holiday, 25-27 May, with three days of racing…

Annual maintenance dredging at Warrenpoint Harbour in County Down will continue until the end of March and possibly into April. According to Afloat reader Lee Maginnis, residents and visitors to Warrenpoint and, indeed, Omeath have been treated to the sight…

A Connemara shellfish business is using Brexit-related grant aid for a new packaging and labelling machine. Killary Fjord Shellfish in Leenane received grant aid of over €16,000 through Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) under the Brexit Sustainable Aquaculture Growth Scheme. The…