Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

A Sigma 33 One Design keelboat racing on Dublin Bay Photo: AfloatA Sigma 33 One Design keelboat racing on Dublin Bay Photo: Afloat

Displaying items by tag: South Coast Boat Show

The Key Yachting team will be at the South Coast Boat Show in Southampton this weekend, displaying the newest models from Nautitech Catamarans and J/Boats.

The South Coast Boat Show will be open from Friday 21 to Sunday 23 April in Southampton’s Ocean Village Marina.

This year the South Coast and Green Tech Boat Shows will be combined for the first time so there will be plenty to see — including the latest from J/Boats and Nautitech.

The Nautitech 44 Open catamaranThe Nautitech 44 Open catamaran, marketed in Ireland and the UK by Key Yachting

The 2023 show will see the UK and Ireland premiere of the Nautitech 44 Open. It was recently awarded European Yacht of the Year 2023 in the Multihull category and was named among SAIL Magazine’s Top 10 Boats for 2023.

The Nautitech 44 showing in Southampton is straight from the Nautitech Shipyard in La Rochelle — don’t miss the chance to see this fantastic new performance catamaran in the UK.

Leading-edge hull design meets refined interior design in the new J/45 from J/Boats, marketed in Ireland and the UK by Key YachtingLeading-edge hull design meets refined interior design in the new J/45 from J/Boats, marketed in Ireland and the UK by Key Yachting

In addition, the first British J/45 will be displayed at the show. Hull #5 has a three-cabin, two-head layout and has just recently been commissioned in Hamble.

The new J/45’s leading-edge hull design meets refined interior design to raise the bar on cruising comfort and performance like no J before it.

Key Yachting is expecting a high level of interest and appointment slots for both the J/45 and N44 are filling up so we recommend making an appointment in advance to be able to get onboard.

There are regular direct flights from Dublin to Southampton with Aer Lingus and the Ocean Village is a short taxi ride from the airport so getting to the show is easy.

Tickets for the event are free but do need to be booked online. Viewing appointments can be booked via the Exhibitors page or by contacting Irish agent Mark Mansfield at [email protected] or +353 87 250 6838.

The Kay Yachting team will also be available to discuss any other models from Nautitech and J/Boats along with other brands Grand Soleil Yachts and Tofinou.

Published in J Boats & Grand Soleil

The South Coast Boat Show is almost here — and X-Yachts will be on hand to welcome you to come and experience in person the soul and heritage of their brand.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, both the Pure X (represented by the X4³) and new X-Power (in the form of the X-Power 33C) ranges will be on show at the Ocean Village Marina in Southampton from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 May.

To book a private appointment, get in touch with Debbie Weldon — and book your complimentary ticket to the show HERE.

Then the following weekend, X-Yachts owners will gather in Hamble for the 2022 Solent Cup hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club. The regatta is set to deliver a fun, competitive programme of racing exclusively for X-Yachts’ owners and crew.

Published in X-Yachts GB & IRL

X-Yachts GB & IRL is gearing up for a busy month of May, beginning with the South Coast Boat Show.

Both the Pure X and new X-Power ranges will be on show at the Ocean Village Marina in Southampton from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 May. Book your complimentary ticket to the show HERE.

Then the following weekend, X-Yachts owners will gather in Hamble for the 2022 Solent Cup hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

The regatta is set to deliver a fun, competitive programme of racing exclusively for X-Yachts’ owners and crew.

Ashore, regatta guests will have the opportunity to relax, socialise and explore Hamble and the surrounding area.

For more information and how to join in the action, get in touch with Debbie Weldon.

Published in X-Yachts GB & IRL

With the cancellation of boot Düsseldorf back in January and other boat shows due to COVID, Dufour Yachts have been making more use of online events to showcase its range of yachts.

Following the first two events in its Dufour Nautic Days series, the French brand will hold its third this Wednesday 30 March.

Click HERE to register your interest and find out more about the event.

The programme will include Nicolas Bérenger, Dufour commercial director and Figaro sailor, taking us on board a new Dufour to talk about the pleasure of helming, DNA and reactivity.

There are eight models in the Dufour range including the latest models, the Dufour 32 and Dufour 61 at either end of the range.

The new-look, Felci-designed Dufours are well known for their performance and quality. So it should be no surprise that the order book is almost full for the 2023 season already.

Dufour 390

Adding to that demand will be the Dufour 430 and Dufour 390 which will join the line-up of performance cruising yachts at the South Coast Boat Show in Southampton on 6-8 May.

This is a great opportunity to get an insight into the Dufour range in person, as both yachts borrow styling, design features, equipment and smart layout ideas used in their larger and smaller sister yachts.

Crosshaven Boatyard are the Irish agents for Dufour Yachts. Get in touch with Hugh Mockler or Donal McClement on 021 483 1161 or email [email protected].

Published in Crosshaven Boatyard

Last weekend's UK South Coast Boat Show at Ocean Village Marina, Southampton has been deemed a 'great success' by both organisers and exhibitors, with nearly 700 appointments booked by 500 'serious buyers' over the three-day show.

Over 50 innovative sail and power brands were on display in the water at MDL’s Ocean Village Marina at the weekend, while the land-based exhibition area showcased smaller boats and supporting services such as ancillary gear, finance and insurance.

With its carefully curated selection of boats, the appointment-only show was one of the first boat shows to take place in a physical format since the start of the pandemic.

“The South Coast Boat Show has been a great start to the 2021 boat show season,” says Al Wood from Multihull Solutions. “Our appointments were fully-booked throughout, allowing us to showcase Dragonfly trimarans in a relaxed and exclusive environment.

“While online resources are invaluable, there’s no substitute for spending time onboard. The show has been a great success for us, with a contract signed plus a number of new clients eagerly anticipating exhilarating trial sails. We look forward to returning next year.”

Ancasta International Boat Sales’ marketing director, Will Blair, adds: “It was great to be able to get customers physically back onto boats again after so many months with no boat shows.

“The process to ensure visitors and staff were kept safe worked well and overall it was a successful weekend. The format of the South Coast Boat Show is one that is here to stay, focusing on buyers who appreciate the time and space to really explore their new yachts without queues and distractions.”

Tim Mayer, director of sales and marketing for show organiser MDL Marinas, comments: “We worked closely with local stakeholders to ensure that the show could go ahead in a safe and secure manner. The event taking place, and it’s success, is a big boost to the leisure marine industry and will give confidence to marine companies and the general public that other shows and events planned for later in the year will also be successful.”

Alongside the show’s sponsors, Raymarine, Towergate Insurance and Inspiration Marine, brands which exhibited at the show in Ocean Village Marina’s stunning city-centre location, with its sheltered all tides access and unique Harbour Hotel backdrop included: Arcona Yachts, Axopar, Bavaria, Beneteau power and sail, Broadblue, British Boat Club, Chris-Craft, Cranchi, Discovery, Dragonfly, Dufour Yachts, Elan, Finnmaster, FlexiSail, Fountaine Pajot, Galeon, Galia, Grand Soleil, Hallberg-Rassy, Hanse, J-Boats, Jeanneau power and sail, Najad Yachts, Nautitech Catamarans, Nord Star, Prestige, Princess, Pure Latitude, Sargo, Saxdor, Seakart, Sealine, Sea Ray, Seaward, Solaris and X-Yachts.

Returning to Ocean Village Marina in 2022 for a third time, the South Coast Boat Show will take place on the 6-8 May with more brands, more boats and an upscaled landside area, accommodating additional boating-related exhibitors.

Published in Marine Trade
Tagged under

X-Yachts welcomes everyone to experience first-hand the soul and heritage of its brand at the South Coast Boat Show in Southampton this coming weekend.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the X4⁹ will be part of X-Yachts’ presence at Ocean Village Marina from Friday 7 to Sunday 9 May.

Viewing slots are in high demand, with limited times available HERE.

Published in X-Yachts GB & IRL

How to sail, sailing clubs and sailing boats plus news on the wide range of sailing events on Irish waters forms the backbone of Afloat's sailing coverage.

We aim to encompass the widest range of activities undertaken on Irish lakes, rivers and coastal waters. This page describes those sailing activites in more detail and provides links and breakdowns of what you can expect from our sailing pages. We aim to bring jargon free reports separated in to popular categories to promote the sport of sailing in Ireland.

The packed 2013 sailing season sees the usual regular summer leagues and there are regular weekly race reports from Dublin Bay Sailing Club, Howth and Cork Harbour on Afloat.ie. This season and last also featured an array of top class events coming to these shores. Each year there is ICRA's Cruiser Nationals starts and every other year the Round Ireland Yacht Race starts and ends in Wicklow and all this action before July. Crosshaven's Cork Week kicks off on in early July every other year. in 2012 Ireland hosted some big international events too,  the ISAF Youth Worlds in Dun Laoghaire and in August the Tall Ships Race sailed into Dublin on its final leg. In that year the Dragon Gold Cup set sail in Kinsale in too.

2013 is also packed with Kinsale hosting the IFDS diabled world sailing championships in Kinsale and the same port is also hosting the Sovereign's Cup. The action moves to the east coast in July with the staging of the country's biggest regatta, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta from July 11.

Our coverage though is not restricted to the Republic of Ireland but encompasses Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Irish Sea area too. In this section you'll find information on the Irish Sailing Association and Irish sailors. There's sailing reports on regattas, racing, training, cruising, dinghies and keelboat classes, windsurfers, disabled sailing, sailing cruisers, Olympic sailing and Tall Ships sections plus youth sailing, match racing and team racing coverage too.

Sailing Club News

There is a network of over 70 sailing clubs in Ireland and we invite all clubs to submit details of their activities for inclusion in our daily website updates. There are dedicated sections given over to the big Irish clubs such as  the waterfront clubs in Dun Laoghaire; Dublin Bay Sailing Club, the Royal Saint George Yacht Club,  the Royal Irish Yacht Club and the National Yacht Club. In Munster we regularly feature the work of Kinsale Yacht Club and Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven.  Abroad Irish sailors compete in Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) racing in the UK and this club is covered too. Click here for Afloat's full list of sailing club information. We are keen to increase our coverage on the network of clubs from around the coast so if you would like to send us news and views of a local interest please let us have it by sending an email to [email protected]

Sailing Boats and Classes

Over 20 active dinghy and one design classes race in Irish waters and fleet sizes range from just a dozen or so right up to over 100 boats in the case of some of the biggest classes such as the Laser or Optimist dinghies for national and regional championships. Afloat has dedicated pages for each class: Dragons, Etchells, Fireball, Flying Fifteen, GP14, J24's, J80's, Laser, Sigma 33, RS Sailing, Star, Squibs, TopperMirror, Mermaids, National 18, Optimist, Puppeteers, SB3's, and Wayfarers. For more resources on Irish classes go to our dedicated sailing classes page.

The big boat scene represents up to 60% of the sail boat racing in these waters and Afloat carries updates from the Irish Cruiser Racer Association (ICRA), the body responsible for administering cruiser racing in Ireland and the popular annual ICRA National Championships. In 2010 an Irish team won the RORC Commodore's Cup putting Irish cruiser racing at an all time high. Popular cruiser fleets in Ireland are raced right around the coast but naturally the biggest fleets are in the biggest sailing centres in Cork Harbour and Dublin Bay. Cruisers race from a modest 20 feet or so right up to 50'. Racing is typically divided in to Cruisers Zero, Cruisers One, Cruisers Two, Cruisers Three and Cruisers Four. A current trend over the past few seasons has been the introduction of a White Sail division that is attracting big fleets.

Traditionally sailing in northern Europe and Ireland used to occur only in some months but now thanks to the advent of a network of marinas around the coast (and some would say milder winters) there are a number of popular winter leagues running right over the Christmas and winter periods.

Sailing Events

Punching well above its weight Irish sailing has staged some of the world's top events including the Volvo Ocean Race Galway Stopover, Tall Ships visits as well as dozens of class world and European Championships including the Laser Worlds, the Fireball Worlds in both Dun Laoghaire and Sligo.

Some of these events are no longer pure sailing regattas and have become major public maritime festivals some are the biggest of all public staged events. In the past few seasons Ireland has hosted events such as La Solitaire du Figaro and the ISAF Dublin Bay 2012 Youth Worlds.

There is a lively domestic racing scene for both inshore and offshore sailing. A national sailing calendar of summer fixtures is published annually and it includes old favorites such as Sovereign's Cup, Calves Week, Dun Laoghaire to Dingle, All Ireland Sailing Championships as well as new events with international appeal such as the Round Britain and Ireland Race and the Clipper Round the World Race, both of which have visited Ireland.

The bulk of the work on running events though is carried out by the network of sailing clubs around the coast and this is mostly a voluntary effort by people committed to the sport of sailing. For example Wicklow Sailing Club's Round Ireland yacht race run in association with the Royal Ocean Racing Club has been operating for over 30 years. Similarly the international Cork Week regatta has attracted over 500 boats in past editions and has also been running for over 30 years.  In recent years Dublin Bay has revived its own regatta called Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta and can claim to be the country's biggest event with over 550 boats entered in 2009.

On the international stage Afloat carries news of Irish and UK interest on Olympics 2012, Sydney to Hobart, Volvo Ocean Race, Cowes Week and the Fastnet Race.

We're always aiming to build on our sailing content. We're keen to build on areas such as online guides on learning to sail in Irish sailing schools, navigation and sailing holidays. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]