Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#Rowing: It was a very tight battle for overall honours at the Irish Schools Regatta at O’Brien’s Bridge today. St Colman’s College and Laurel Hill shared the honours on 23 points. St Joseph’s of Galway were just one point further…

Saol Eile's Paraic O’Maolriada and wife Myra sailed around the world under the Kinsale Yacht Club burgee writes Bob Bateman. It took the couple six years returning late last season. They picked up an Afloat Sailor of the Month Award for their endeavours…

2017 looks like it will be a key year for the new mixed sportboats class on Dublin Bay. First promoted on Afloat.ie in late 2015 as a means of catering for a range of boats currently based in Dun Laoghaire. The…

Exciting racing is anticipated in next Saturday's Kinsale Yacht Club Spring Series Class One IRC with only one point separating the top four boats writes David Sullivan. Justus and EOS on 12 points followed by Jump Juice and Freya with…

#SkelligMichael - Skellig Michael’s opening for summer visitors on 14 May has been cast into doubt by concerns over of a number of unstable large rocks following a rockfall discovered earlier this month. Safety contractors and OPW staff are currently…

#CliffsOfMoher - RTÉ News reports that a man died after a BASE jump went wrong at the Cliffs of Moher yesterday morning (Saturday 22 April). It’s understood that the deceased, one of three men who had gone to Aill Na…

Royal Cork Yacht Club pairing Harry Durcan and Harry Whitaker last were bronze medalists in the 29er class at the British Youth Sailing National championships sailed last week on the Solent. In a fleet of 70 boats the Royal Cork…

#Rowing: Cork Boat Club had a good day at Limerick Regatta at O’Brien’s Bridge today. They won the the men’s intermediate eight and senior pair and the women’s junior 18 eight. UCD won the women’s novice eight and Daire Lynch…

Royal Irish's Andrew Alego made an impressive ISORA debut yesterday in a tricky light wind race from Dun Laoghaire to Wicklow. The new–to–the Bay, J109 Juggerknot port–tacked a 24–boat fleet in very light airs off the Dun Laoghaire startline. In yet…

Lighter breezes at Ballyholme have been providing some very different sailing conditions for today’s third day of racing in the ISA Youth Nationals on Belfast Lough. But in all classes the overnight leaders have stayed in front, with an exceptional…

#Aisling2SetSail- The former LÉ Aisling which was sold at public auction last month has been renamed Avenhorn by Dutch owners, and is expected to depart Cork Harbour tomorrow for the final time, writes Jehan Ashmore. Afloat has noted that the…

#MigrantMission - Flagship LE Eithne of the Naval Service is to be deployed again on humanitarian missions in the Mediterranean Sea, so to assist in the ongoing refugee migrant crisis off north Africa, writes Jehan Ashmore. The 1984 built Helicopter…

#LighthouseFestival - Next weekend is the time... to kick start the Summer with the Great Lighthouses of Ireland May Bank Holiday Festival (29 April – 1 May). Meet our Lighthouse StoryKeepers, enjoy all things maritime from crafts, technology, food and…

#AdoptedPorts – The ‘Freedom of Entry to the County’ bestowed to the Naval Service by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council last month took place in the harbour where flagship LE Eithne is twinned with the town. So what about the rest…

#CoastalNotes - While Bantry Bay prepares to open up as a maritime hub for Ireland’s South West, local coastal residents are expressing concern over the first State licence for the mechanical harvesting of seaweed. As the Irish Examiner reports, Kerry-based…

#Rescue116 - More than 100 divers have joined a major search since early this morning (Saturday 22 April) for Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith, the two Irish Coast Guard crew members still missing after the Rescue 116 tragedy over a…

The 2018 Golden Globe Race will start from Plymouth on Saturday June 30, 2018. The Race marks the 50th anniversary of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s victory in the Sunday Times Golden Globe solo non-stop round the world Race back in 1968/9.…

Its full title is the Irish Sailing Association Youth Pathway Nationals and Optimist Trials. It is a designation with a great air of seriousness about it, contrasting markedly with current public debate about providing more fun sailing, while making regattas…

Day Two of the ISA Youth Sailing Pathway National Championships and Optimist Trials saw all of the fleets afloat for the first time with over 200 sailors visiting Ballyholme Yacht Club.  With a stronger breeze than yesterday averaging 12-14 knots…

An ISORA move to deal with professional sailors racing in its expanding 2017 fleet has been amended just in time for the first race of the season tomorrow.   Following instructions received at the AGM in December and in keeping…