Paul O’Higgins of Royal Irish YC is “Sailor of the Month (Keelboats)” for December
1st January 2024 Sailor of the Month
While sailing in Ireland has its conspicuously attention-getting aspects, the real backbone of the sport continues to be the active club sailor who can quietly keep a usefully large crew panel together in order to have the right mix of…
Chris Bateman of Cork Harbour is “Sailor of the Month (Dinghies)” for December
1st January 2024 Sailor of the Month
Former junior champion Chris Bateman is a top sailor who leads by example and inspiration. Having decided that the ever-young Fireball is the answer for junior and adult dinghy sailors who don’t want to go down the cheque-book route to…
Howth and Pwllheli Crews Will Sail For Irish Sea in RORC Caribbean 600
1st January 2024 Caribbean 600
Howth Yacht Club J/109 skipper Simon Knowles – the inshore and offshore campaigner of Indian in Irish waters – and noted Pwllheli father-and-son offshore team of Andrew and Sam Hall, will be ensuring that the Irish Sea is well represented with…
Harry Pritchard Wins Magner Trophy in Monkstown Bay Sailing Club St. Stephens Day Mixed Dinghy Race
26th December 2023 Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
Harry Pritchard emerged as the winner of the Magner trophy for his outstanding performance in the Monkstown Bay Sailing Club St. Stephens Day mixed dinghy race held in Cork Harbour. Pritchard, who was racing his ILCA 7, outclassed his opponents…
National Yacht Club Hosts Coached Racing Series for Junior Dinghy Sailors
24th December 2023 National YC
Every Sunday morning until 24 March, the National Yacht Club is running a coached racing series for dinghy sailors. The series comprises short sprint-style races set up as a pursuit, with the slower boats starting first and the faster boats…
Growing Fireball Dinghy Fleet Enjoys Pre-Christmas Blast at Monkstown Bay
24th December 2023 Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
Day three of the December Fireball Frostbite League was held on Saturday, the 23rd, on Monkstown Bay in Cork Harbour in glorious winter sailing conditions. A beautiful sunrise set the tone for the morning's racing. The bay was awash with golden light…
Afloat.ie regrets to record the death of Cormac McHenry, for many years a leading figure in the Irish Cruising Club. He also served as a Trustee and was a Life Member of the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. An…
Royal Cork Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble: From a Wreck in Greece to Irish Boat of the Year with Young Sailors
21st December 2023 Tom MacSweeney
Dave Dwyer’s success with Swuzzlebubble comes from a determination to acquire the classic Farr-designed half-tonner, which had been a wreck in Greece. He comes from a Cork family that has a four-generation sailing history. Dave Dwyer’s Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble competing…
Following a busy and successful racing season of Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) events nationwide, the legendary Half-Tonner Farr-designed yacht, Swuzzlebubble, raced by David and James Dwyer under the burgee of the Royal Cork Yacht Club, was deemed the 'clear…
A week ago, the Howth Yacht Club Frostbite multi-dinghy racers were pinching themselves to be sure that they really did manage to slip a race in under the radar, despite the rest of the country being battened down in threatened…
Ireland’s Cruising And Voyaging Continues To Develop The Rich Legacy And International Friendship Radiating From Cork
16th December 2023 W M Nixon
In a week’s time, Sailing on Saturday will resume normal service with a preview on December 23rd of the up-coming Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race on December 26th, both generally and from an Irish angle, for we…
Irish Sailors Clinch Two Bronze Medals at Youth Sailing Worlds in Brazil
15th December 2023 World Sailing
Dublin and Cork crews have clinched two bronze medals in a highly successful outcome at the youth world sailing championships in Brazil this afternoon. Sienna Wright of Howth Yacht Club took bronze in the female one-person dinghy, and Ben O’Shaughnessy…
Arctic Voyager Jarlath Cunnane Wants To Put The Record Straight On Shackleton Achievement
13th December 2023 Cruising
Arctic circumnavigator Jarlath Cunnane of Mayo has a bee in his bonnet about the Ernest Shackleton story. While most of his voyaging has been in the high Arctic, he also has extensive experience in Antarctica. And he feels that the…
Revised Edition of Northabout Published by Jarlath Cunnane
12th December 2023 Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club
Polar circumnavigator, sailor and boat builder Jarlath Cunnane is marking the publication of a revised edition of his book, Northabout, in Dublin’s Poolbeg Yacht and Boat Club next week. Cunnane and crew became the first small yacht to complete the…
Strong Start for Ireland at Youth Sailing Worlds as Sienna Wright Takes ILCA 6 Lead in Brazil
12th December 2023 World Sailing
Howth Yacht Club talent Sienna Wright leads the ILCA 6 fleet after the first day of racing at the Youth World Sailing Championships in Brazil, with a total of four Irish boats and six sailors competing in Armação dos Buzios.…
Howth Winter-Racing Dinghies Leap Through Weather Window To Clinch A Contest
11th December 2023 Howth YC
One of the advantages of East Coast sailing is that much of the weather and winds come from the west, and thus, Race Officers at Howth trying to slice a brief but real winter contest out of any approaching weather…