Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

The East Coast Cruisers Zero competition just got tougher with the news that a third J122 may be joining the Dublin fleet later this year.  In 2021, Chris Power Smith's top ISORA offshore performer J122 Aurelia from the Royal St.…

Ireland will have a second Jeanneau Sunfast 3300 for next season's offshore yacht racing calendar. As regular Afloat readers know, the first of the new range, Cian McCarthy's Cinnamon Girl, debuted at Kinsale Harbour in 2020 but this second one, a…

After a year's break, Hugh Mockler of Crosshaven Boatyard from Cork Harbour is delighted to be presenting a three boat Rodman line up at the Southampton Boat Show that runs until the 18th September, with representatives from each of Rodman's…

Dufour Yachts and Crosshaven Boatyard are back with a bang at Southampton Boat Show, presenting five yachts, including the fabulous new Dufour 470 and the Dufour 56. Crosshaven Boatyard is announcing amazing Boat Show 'bundle' offers for all yacht orders…

Next month's Cannes Yachting Festival, from September 7th to 12th 2021 in Southern France sees the profiling of Zodiac’s XXL boat: the Medline 9. This boat, which has been on the market for a year, will be available for sea…

Here's a pack of four boats Leinster Boats have listed for sale on Afloat boats for sale: they're all ready for an enthusiastic crew to get out on the water for club racing. 420: A very lightly used 420 by…

The launch of the new Dufour 32 is exciting news for the Irish market, says Irish Distributor Hugh Mockler of Crosshaven Boatyard in Cork Harbour. "This new model from Dufour Yachts comes with a single long rudder and tiller steering,…

With the healthy sailing season bursting into life all around us - and doing so almost regardless of the various stages of pandemic-emergence ashore - there’s a shortage of quality used boats available worldwide, and particularly in Ireland. So news…

These days the description cruiser-racer has come to have so many interpretations that it can be meaningless, and even the best of them can disappear into the "boats with a lid" category. But when David Thomas created the design for…

It's always heartening to know that there are boats like the Oyster 37 Amazing Grace in the Irish fleet. They date from that era in the mid-to-late 1970s when leading yacht designers (in this case Don Pye of Holman &…

The Howth Yacht Club Half Tonner 'The Big Picture' that is currently on the market has had a price drop from €55,000 to €48,000 as the 2021 sailing season kicks off. Skipper Michael Evans says he is selling due to the purchase of a…

Following the successful cooperation on VAT and customs, the leading European, British, and international leisure marine associations continue to provide clarity on the new post-Brexit trade relationships. The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), European Boating Industry (EBI), European…

With sailing slowly re-emerging in Ireland which is still some distance from being post-pandemic, we seem to be seeing our sport taking shape again with a series of baby steps. In such circumstances, there’s much to be said for the…

In his almost-under-the-radar way of working, Andrew Wolstenholme is one of the most versatile boat designers practising the art of putting interesting craft afloat. All he seems to ask of clients is that they don’t request a run-of-the-mill vessel of…

Following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, there have been many questions that have caused confusion and uncertainty for the leisure marine sector both in the UK and in the EU27. Arguably, the biggest has been around the VAT status…

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and British Marine have welcomed HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announcement of a six-month extension to the one-year grace period for Returned Goods Relief (RGR) previously put in place by the British Government. The news…