Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Ireland has ranked fifth in a new Europe-wide report on bathing water quality - but some beaches in Northern Ireland are falling short of strict EU standards. MEP Jim Higgins welcomed the results of the annual Bathing Water Report for…

Late entries are still being accepted for the Royal Alfred Yacht Club's Bloomsday Regatta on Saturday 18 June. http://www.afloat.ie/sail/sailing-clubs/royal-alfred-yacht-club/ Racing for all cruiser and dinghy classes is set to begin at 1pm tomorrow in Dun Laoghaire. Today is the closing…

Blue Flag Boats bring to market this 5.5m Humber Ocean Pro with Custom Tubes. 140 HP Suzuki 4 stroke 4 x Jockey seats and a long list of extras, to see them all and images see the full listing here.

Waterways Ireland wishes to advise masters and owners that as part of the Docklands Summer Festival, yacht racing will take place in the Grand Canal Basin from 09.00 hrs until 16.00hrs on Sun 26th June. On Sat 25th, there will…

Afloat's Summer issue hits the shops mid-next week as Irish crews took to the international stage this month to reset the Olympic pecking order – in two classes at least – and stake a claim as contenders in next year's…

With nearly 400 yacht in 25 classes there is no doubt about the size of July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta. Here's the entry list class by class for Ireland's biggest regatta in 2011. table.tableizer-table {border: 1px solid #CCC; font-family: Arial,…

There were concentrated faces last night in Cork Harbour where the Royal Cork fleet had a windy evening of racing in the Union Chandlery June League. Brian Heffernan's Dufour 365 Aisling was first in the in White Sail division. Class…

With only four months to the start of the race, China revealed its first sole entry into the Volvo Ocean Race this morning and also announced an Irish sponsor as part of its first challenge for world sailing honours. Discover…

Former Flying fifteen ace Ted McCourt made the most of tonight's westerlies to produce a win in the Sigma 33 class from Dick Lovergrove's Rupert of the Royal St. George Yacht Club writes our Dublin Bay Correspondent. Third was Michael…

DAILY REPORT: Day 3 saw the race team take the International Week Fireball fleet outside Sligo's famous lighthouse and into the Atlantic proper. The result was lumpy seas that make the upwind legs awkward and hard work for crew and…

Raging Bull crew man (and photographer) Brian Carlin has added onboard images from last weekend's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race. Photos from the Sigma 400, the 2010 ISORA champion, are on the Afloat gallery here. Onboard vid below too:

Ireland has a small entry at this year’s Henley Royal Rowing Regatta. On the official list, UCD are entered in the Ladies’ Plate, and have two crews in the Visitors’ Cup, but it is understood just one of these crews,…

Fastnet Line which runs the Cork-Swansea port route on the Celtic Sea, is assisting the charity MarineLife to monitor cetaceans, writes Jehan Ashmore. The work of MarineLife is to survey the population trends and track the movements of dolphins, whales,…

The RNLI volunteers with Kilmore Quay lifeboat station are the first to receive the new €3 million lifeboat, which is the most modern and technically advanced lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. The new lifeboat, which is named Killarney (ON 1298)…

The Sigma 33 Irish Championships take place at Royal Ulster Yacht Club this weekend with the fleet based in Bangor Marina. The event, sponsored by Hamilton Shipping, has already attracted yachts from Scotland, Dublin Bay, Isle of Man and Strangford…

The overall results for the 2011 Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race give Martin Breen's 'Galway Harbour' first overall. First in the two handed category was Barry Hurley's Dinah, on this occassion the Cobh man was sailing with Andy Boyle. First…

The Cork-berthed replica HMS Bounty, the purpose built movie prop tallship used in the 1962 MGM studies film release of 'Mutiny and the Bounty' starring Marlon Brando, will be open to visitors from tomorrow, writes Jehan Ashmore. The famous tall…

Dun Laoghaire based photographer Gareth Craig has added to last Saturday's Dun Laoghaire to Dingle race coverage with a selection of start images on the Afloat Gallery here. Our race start coverage from the National Yacht Club is here.

The Hartlepool Mail reports on one skipper who's making final repairs to his vessel ahead of the Tall Ships Races in Waterford this month. http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/setting_sail_for_success_1_3476609 http://www.afloat.ie/sail/tall-ships/ Calvin Whitehead, captain of the 45ft Black Diamond, will set sail next Monday from…

Competitors in this year's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta are set to race for the ultimate bragging rights in a new bonus event. http://www.afloat.ie/sail/events/volvo-regatta/ The Royal Irish Yacht Club is proposing the one-day event on Sunday 31 July modelled on the…