Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Frank Whelan's Eleuthera, the Grand Soleil 44 yacht that broke the dominance of the J109s to win the first ISORA race of the season yesterday, is the former famous Dutch yacht 'Holmatro' with a race winning pedigree.  The Greystones crew…

Sunday 22 April marks 49 years since Sir Robin Knox-Johnston returned to Falmouth after spending 10-and-a-half months racing solo, non-stop around the world on is yacht Suhaili to win the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race. Sir Robin, who went on…

Frank Whelan's well sailed Eleuthera, a Grand Soleil 44, was the winner of ISORA's Viking Marine Coastal Series first race in ideal sailing conditions on Dublin Bay this afternoon.  An exotic mix of new and nearly new entries into the 2018…

#Offshore - Offshore vessels around the Caribbean are being asked to watch out for a toy ship on the waves that’s in need of a recharge. As BBC News reports, the appeal comes from a family in Scotland that launched…

For most participants, sailing is a team effort – we sail as part of a crew in a reasonably sociable mutually-supportive environment. Yet increasingly the best-known sailors are those who compete solo. While we’re naturally interested in the great sailing…

Irish ocean racer Tom Dolan is to face the might of the Atlantic for the second time in less than six months as he takes to the start line of the Transat AG2R La Mondiale.  Dolan, 30, will face his…

“Peter Ryan of ISORA”. That’s all you have to say to anyone who knows anything of the Byzantine workings of the sailing scene in and around Ireland, and they’ll immediately know not only know exactly who you mean, but will…

Meathman Tom Dolan made no secret of the fact that he expected his first competitive outing in the two-handed division of the famous Figaro Class to be a chastening experience writes W M Nixon. With former Mini-Transat rival Tanguy Bouroullec…

The elite Figaro Class’s 350-miles Solo Concarneau for the trophee Guy Cotton in the Bay of Biscay tomorrow (Thursday) will test Ireland’s Tom Dolan and Joan Mulloy on an intricate course writes W M Nixon. The route take two fleets…

“Inspirational” is the word that has leapt out of every set of reports and comments about Enda O’Coineen’s achievement in getting the IMOCA 60 Souffle du Nord/Team Ireland to Les Sables-d’Olonne on Sunday. Although his lone voyage from New Zealand…

At 13:57 today off the west coast of France Irishman Enda O’Coineen passed through the finishing line of the Vendee Globe course to mark the end of his solo sailing lap of the planet, with just one stop. On 6…

Lone sailor Enda O Coineen will soon – barring any cruel last-minute setbacks - complete his current personal Odyssey to finish his very individualistic version of the Vendee Globe Round the World course writes W M Nixon. He’s slightly ahead…

Recent political turmoil in Catalonia has been cited by race organisers in their decision to cancel next year’s Barcelona World Race. The fourth edition of the double-handed round-the-world race for IMOCAs was due to start on 12 January 2019, and…

In recent years, asymmetric sails have become much more popular. If you have a boat with a sprit you will likely have 100% asymmetric downwind sails. If you have a boat with a pole, it is likely you will (or…

With just over 13 weeks to go to the start of the 2018 edition of the Volvo Round Ireland Yacht race, 37 boats have already taken advantage of the Early Bird entry rates writes W M Nixon. But the Early…

A regular ISORA competitor will take on the marathon Round Britain and Ireland Race double handed class starting on Sunday 12th August, a feat that follows in the wake of Liam Coyne's National Yacht Club First 36.7 Lulu Belle that took double–handed honours…