Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#MERMAID – Last weekend the weather did not dampen the spirits of the participants who took part in Munster Mermaid Championship's at Foynes Yacht Club to coincide with the Foynes Irish Coffee writes Gerry Ryan. Thirteen boats travelled from the…

#sailforgold – Tim Hall believes this year's Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta will be the mostly keenly contested yet with the Olympic Games just under two months away and all five Irish Olympic boats in competition. Ireland is also represented…

#IRISH SAILING UPDATE – Ireland's out of the Commodore's Cup, Team Toy Yot are sailors of the month, watch out today for big tides, there's a full moon, diamond sailing on Loch Fyne, we have the pics, a Bangor couple…

#SCOTTISHSERIES – It was a distinctly 'old school' day on Loch Fyne for competing crews at the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Series where there was a departure from the usual diet of windward-leeward races and even Olympic triangles. Instead days of…

#ROWING: Carlow overcame cold conditions to run 11 hours of racing, mostly for young athletes, today. The big entry came from as far apart as Portora in Enniskillen and Fermoy in Cork. Carlow Regatta, Sunday Men Eight – Masters: Carlow/Commercial/Neptune…

#ROWING: Belfast Boat Club and Bann had a fine weekend at regattas in England. On Saturday, Bridget Jacques and Lucy Litvack won the Girls’ Championship Doubles at the British Schools Championships in Nottingham  – and Katie Cromie took third in…

#RNLI– Ballycotton ifeboat, launched at 12:40 today in response to a call for help from a boat 23 miles south east of Ballycotton. The vessel with four persons on board reported that it was taking water and requested use of…

Ireland will not defend the Commodore's Cup title it won in 2010 it has been announced this afternoon after weeks of doubt about Ireland's ability to put a competitive three boat team together. There will be little surprise with the…

#YACHTRESCUE–Two yachts in difficulty were brought to safety by the RNLI lifeboat stationed at Dun Laoghaire earlier today as gale force winds and driving rain lashed the east coast of Ireland. The incidents occurred at 8am today as the boats…

#SATURDAYSAILING – Eternal optimists among the cruiser-racer community had hoped that the success of the ICRA Championship might make the final difference to the emergence of enough enthusiasm to generate a team to defend the Commodores Cup in July. But…

#PORTS & SHIPPING REVIEW – Over the last fortnight Jehan Ashmore reported the shipping scene which saw former Irish President Mary Robinson on board the National Geographic Explorer . She was a guest speaker during a 'Exploring the British Isles…

#OLYMPICS - The Olympic torch lit up the slipways of Harland and Wolff - where the Titanic was built a century ago - in Belfast this morning as the five-day relay through Ireland begins. The torch will follow a route looping…

#VOLVO OCEAN RACE - The incredible finish of the latest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race wasn't the only drama on the high seas for one competing team. Just days before CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand had the misfortune…

#FUN ON THE SHANNON – Today is the last day of the Foynes Irish Coffee Festival, where there is still plenty to do and see during this afternoon's line-up of the festival programme. In port the public will be able…

#JUBILEE FLOTILLA - A couple from Bangor in Co Down will cruise their boat among the hundreds of vessels packed in the River Thames today for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee flotilla. As BBC News reports, Robin and Evelyn Clark believe…

#ScottishSeries – Day two of the Scottish seires at Tarbert has offered up a vintage blend of racing. With a full measure more breeze today and constant sunshine, even the SE'ly breeze stayed settled enough to ensure courses on the…

#QUEENS RIVER PAGEANT – The oldest operating tallship in Europe, Belem built in 1896 and once owned by the family of the Guinness brewing dynasty, is to take pride of place in Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant on the…

#RESCUE – A successful search was undertaken this afternoon for two missing divers off the Copeland Islands at the entrance to Belfast Lough. Belfast Coastguard received a VHF radio call on channel 16 at 12:20 pm this afternoon from the…

#DOCKLANDS – The Waterways Ireland Docklands Summer Festival 2012, bathed in gorgeous sunshine was a highly fun and exciting family event with over 100,000 people in attendance over the two days. The festival ran over Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th…

#SAILORSOFTHEMONTH – Smallest boat, biggest prize. Team Toy Yot of Malahide are the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailors of the Month" for May after sweeping Class 4 IRC in the record-breaking BMW ICRA Nationals at Howth. This really is a team effort.…