Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Joe Woodward of Cork, who has died aged 90, was the very personification of the spirit of Cork city and harbour as a place where the good things in life are there to be enjoyed, and enjoyed in style. This…

Howth Yacht Club welcomes Cormac Farrelly to the clubhouse tomorrow evening (Thursday 7 April) to regale with tales from the tropics. And the bar will be mixing Caribbean-inspired cocktails for the perfect accompaniment to the evening thats bound to inspire…

Aidan Tyrrell of Cork was about as far as it was possible to be from the status of a nationally-known sailing figure. It was a situation that chimed well with his intensely private nature. Yet throughout Ireland, there were many…

The UK Government's has made good on its promise to make a positive change to the application of Returned Goods Relief (RGR) for recreational craft resulting in many boat owners no longer becoming liable to pay VAT on the return…

The Cruising Club of America (CCA) has announced the winners of its prestigious annual awards, highlighting an extraordinary group of sailors who have demonstrated perseverance, service, heroism, and how time spent on the water can change your life. In keeping…

In July 2022, the yacht ‘Danú of Galway’ will depart from Ireland for Scoresby Sound, East Greenland, the largest fjord in the world. The team will comprise of a small group of independent adventurers aiming to sail to and climb…

A loose grub screw was apparently the reason why a Dutch owner of an X-Yachts X4⁹ experienced rudder failure while taking part in a transatlantic cruising race. During the ARC January race out of Gran Canaria last month, the rudder…

“The Freedom of the Seas” is a grand hifalutin notion altogether, particularly when you try to explain the special joys of cruising to a sailing enthusiast who can only measure pleasure afloat through successful racing results. But as the exchanges…

Afloat.ie regrets to announce the death of Peter Gray of Dun Laoghaire, one of the most talented and widely-experienced sailors of his long-lived and active generation. Initially a dinghy sailor across a wide range of classes, he represented Ireland in…

A group of Irish polar circumnavigators held a silent vigil today outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin in protest over the imprisonment of Russian historian Yuri Dmitriev. As Afloat reported earlier this week, the crew of yacht Northabout, which successfully…

The crew of Jarlath Cunnane’s expedition yacht Northabout which sailed expeditions to the Northwest and Northeast Passages is to protest outside the Russian Embassy in Dublin on Wednesday at 2 pm for one hour to highlight the plight of a…

Despite another year of pandemic challenges, the Ocean Cruising Club Awards Subcommittee has found numerous achievements to recognise in the cruising world. Nominations are made by Full Members of the OCC, winners are selected by a highly experienced team of…

For the first time, Gran Canaria bid farewell to an ARC fleet in the new year as ARC January 2022 set sail from Las Palmas today, Sunday 9 January. The new route has brought together an eclectic fleet of cruising…

Conor Haughey of Malahide admits to an addiction. It’s to saltwater and long-distance voyaging. But though he has made several transoceanic passages, it wasn’t until he bought the comfortable yet swift Moody 54DS Hibernian that he reckoned he could take…

Following reports earlier this month of the UK Government’s intention to waive the three-year condition for Returned Goods Relief, it’s now been confirmed that from 1 January 2022 new legislation will give certainty to UK-based recreational boat owners post-Brexit. Boat…

There is no such thing as a ‘typical’ ARC, and 2021 proved again why sailing the same route at the same time of year can produce so many different experiences. The ingredients of the ARC, the boats and nationalities, ambitions…