Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#VOR - Vestas 11th Hour Racing were the first team of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet to round Porto Santo in the early hours of this morning (Thursday 26 October), beginning the home stretch of Leg 1 to Lisbon. But…

The International Maritime Organisation, that’s the United Nations agency for safety at sea, has acknowledged, the first time this has been publicised, that a large number of abandoned or no-longer usable fibreglass vessels - including fishing vessels and leisure craft…

W M Nixon on the aftermath of Saturday's Optimist dinghy training incident during Storm Brian. “A boat, by God, it’s just a gleamin’ beautiful creation. And when you pull the sail up on a boat, you’ve got a little bit…

If you had to be in a 35-footer as the remaining fleet in the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2017 negotiated those foul gale-and-backwash conditions off the huge cliffs of northwest Sicily earlier this week, then the JPK10.80 would have been…

The first Maltese boat home in the Middle Sea Race was Josef Schultheis and Timmy Camilleri’s Xp-ACT with Ireland's Cork Harbour Sailor Barry Hurley on board, completing the offshore race after just over three and a half days a sea…

#WorldLargest - As Afloat.ie reported on Monday, the World's largest ro-ro freight ferry is to make a maiden call to Dublin Port however the giant newbuild made a debut call to Rotterdam yesterday following a delivery voyage, writes Jehan Ashmore.…

The favourable east to southeast winds which carried the seven Volvo Ocean Race 2017-2018 contenders so positively through the Straits of Gibralter and into the Atlantic are already a fading memory writes W M Nixon. The leaders – with Vestas…

#Angling - Three new angling bye-laws have been introduced in the Eastern River Basin District by Minister of State with responsibility for Inland Fisheries, Sean Kyne. Conservation of Coarse Fish and Pike Dundalk District (Lough Muckno) Bye-law No 950, 2017…

#MarineScience - Transition Year pupils from Coláiste Croí Mhuire in Spiddal learned recently that a tracking drifter device they were using to measure the surface currents of Galway Bay before it was lost ended up off the coast of Scotland,…

There has been a touch of déjà vu for Round Ireland Race aficionados in watching the unfolding results of the current Rolex Middle Sea Race writes W M Nixon. As the middle part of the very depleted offshore fleet approached…

#BrazilCork - Appropriately one of the largest Irish flagged ships, Arklow Spirit is due to Cork (Ringaskiddy) where as previously reported the National College of Ireland annual Maritime Event Open Day is on this Thursday, writes Jehan Ashmore. Afloat has…

#VOR - Yesterday’s snug racing out of the gate in Alicante made for the most exciting Volvo Ocean Race start in recent memory. But the near-misses weren’t only between the fleet as the jockeyed for position out of port, as…

The Mackey Opticians sponsored Belfast Lough Autumn Series came to a sad finale yesterday with Storm Brian hanging around long enough to put paid to the morning's racing. Race Officer Ruan O'Tiarnaigh had hoped to run two races as the…

The Charlie Enright-skippered Vestas 11th Hour Racing, with Ireland’s Damian Foxall in a senior crew role, continues to lead the Volvo Ocean Race as the fleet runs into the Atlantic towards the turn at Porto Santo off Madeira in the…

#ferryaward - After winning a top ferry company award, Stena Line celebrated a record-breaking 25th time at the annual Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards. The ‘Best Ferry Company’ award was presented to Paul Grant, Stena Line’s Trade Director, Irish…

George David’s Rambler 88 has taken line honours for the owner’s third time in the 608-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race currently finishing in Valetta writes W M Nixon. But Nin O’Leary and Alex Thomson in the IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss…

#Windfarm - Giant wind turbine blades seen in Galway Harbour last winter are now in operation in Connemara as part of Ireland’s biggest ever windfarm project. According to the Connacht Tribune, the Galway Wind Park between Galway Bay and Lough Corrib…

Dublin Port Company has published its latest trade figures showing growth of 4.2% to the end of Q3 2017. Overall, volumes in Dublin Port have grown by 30.1% in just five years. A continuation in the current pace of growth…

#worldlargest - The world's largest ro-ro ferry described as a 'game-changer' is to make a maiden call this week to Dublin Port from Zeebrugge and is to be followed with an introduction on the Rotterdam route, writes Jehan Ashmore. Landlocked…

Tom Dolan has had a good rest and recharge after ten and a half tough days at sea during the first stage of the 2017 Mini–Transat. Here he gives a short rundown of how things went with some video from…