Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

In his Irish Independent Sailing Column today WM Nixon says the new Tall Ships Race from Dublin will give an intense flavour of the world of Tall Ship sailing. It's a novel way to get to a football match, but…

Dun Laoghaire's Niall Dowling, who finished runner up in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's (RORC) 2011 overall IRC Championship, has replaced his J/111 with another, his new boat is called Jazzband. The boat has only recently reached the UK and…

#FERRY NEWS – By this weekend three seasonal-only operated routes from the island of Ireland will have resumed service since the recent change of the clocks marking the start of summertime, writes Jehan Ashmore. Sailings started today on Stena Line's…

The River Barrow, Graignamanagh, St. Mullins and a boat trip from New Ross to Hook Head features on the new series of Distant Shores, a sailing adventure TV series where an American couple Paul and Sheryl Shard undertake different voyages.…

#NEWS UPDATE - A Donegal TD is encouraging the county's marine stakeholders to submit suggestions for the Government's upcoming Integrated Marine Plan, as previously reported on Afloat.ie. The plan, which will be published in the summer, "will be a national…

#INLAND WATERWAYS - The Tyrone Times reports that Clogher and District Angling Club has been awarded £1,000 (€1,196) by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) for an environmental project with local schools. The Water Environment Community Awards recognised the club…

#DEVELOPMENT - The International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) inaugural Development Symposium at Howth Yacht Club recently "promised much in the way of passionate discussion", according to its review of the two-day event. Presentations were given by Tony Wright, training manager of…

#ISLAND NEWS - Writing in the Boston Globe recently, Cork native Thomas Breathnach extols the virtues of the Aran Islands as "a bastion of native culture". "The country’s roughest seas and 1,000 miles of ancient stone walls have successfully preserved…

Kinsale Yacht Club's Spring series kicks off on Sunday and incorporates the first races of the SCORA league. There will be nine races over five weekends with results scored in IRC, IRC Restricted and Echo handicaps. Racing will be either…

The Dublin Tall Ships Liaison Team is looking for 150 volunteers to help out at the Dublin Tall Ships event this August. Organisers are recruiting Volunteer Ship Liaison Officers to ensure smooth sailing of the final leg of the event. …

A search and recovery operation is underway upstream of the Carrick-on-Shannon town bridge for a distance of approximately 400m. The Garda Water Unit has divers in the water and both Garda and Civil Defence vessels are searching this area. Waterways…

#NEWS UPDATE - The Irish Petroleum Industry Association (IPIA) has proposed a suite of measures aimed at tackling the problem of illegal diesel washing in Ireland. In a statement, the industry body for Ireland's fuel industry says that the practice…

#ANGLING - Days after the tragic death of an angler on Lough Corrib, as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the Collinamuck Angling Club will donate €5 from every entry in the upcoming open wet fly competition on 22 April to the…

#KAYAKING - A father-and-son duo from north Co Dublin will shortly embark on an epic kayak paddle from Dublin to Donegal, the Fingal Independent reports. Dermot Higgins and his son Fionn, from Rush, will attempt to kayak from Dublin Port…

Energy Minister, Pat Rabbitte has welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on offshore renewable energy research cooperation with the United States Department of Energy. The memorandum was signed on his behalf in Washington last week during the Taoiseach's…

Northern Irish surf pro Al Mennie took on a different challenge this month, when he paddled a surfboard from the Giant's Causeway to Scotland in the name of charity. "It will be the northernmost crossing of its type in the…

A favourable window of glorious weather which started earlier in the week extended into the weekend and the final Sunday of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club's Frostbite Series. The author of these reports was yet again unable to sail…

Details of Cork Week 2012, Europe's biggest regatta organised by a single club, were announced today at an event in Cork Harbour Commissioners. Held on a biennial basis at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven, Co. Cork, Cork Week…

Dublin's Gonzaga College beat Rathdown School to win the Lenister Schools Team Racing Championships after a thrilling 45 rounds of competition. Third overall were Kilkenny College from an entry of ten schools. The inaugural event was run in fair weather…

Some boating clubs might be feeling the pinch but not all of them. As Magheramore reveals there is one club with two dozen boats freely available for 400 members to use on a 'first come first served' basis.  It is…