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Irish Sailing and Yacht Club News. Regattas, Race Reports & Results
July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta Class One Champion, John Minnis's Final Call Two from Belfast, returns to Dublin to contest the ICRA National Championships at Howth Yacht Club
The ICRA Cruiser-Racer National Championships at Howth Yacht Club, which incorporates the J24 National Championships, is gearing up to be a strong event, with over 70 boats expected to participate. Organisers have now revealed the class bands for the three-day…
Skibbereen rower Jake McCarthy is into the repechage of the men's lightweight scull after a fifth-place finish in his heat at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Serbia
Skibbereen rower Jake McCarthy is into the repechage of the men's lightweight scull after a fifth place finish in his heat on day one of the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Serbia. Right up until the final 200 metres McCarthy…
Defending Beneteau 31.7 champion Chris Johnston from the National Yacht Club at the helm of Prospect
Defending Beneteau 31.7 champion Chris Johnston sailing Prospect leads after the three races sailed at the Royal St. George hosted 2023 National Championships on Dublin Bay. Racing in a sea breeze of up to ten knots and with strong spring…
Reigning World Champions Paul O'Donovan (UCC RC) and Fintan McCarthy (Skibbereen RC) are back in the lightweight men's double
Sunday, September 3, marks the beginning of the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. This is the first opportunity for the rowers to qualify Ireland for the 2024 Paris Olympics. This year, Rowing Ireland has 28 athletes competing across…
Tom Dolan (centre) Nils Palmieri (left) and Robin Marais (right) at Saturday’s prizegiving in Kinsale
Tom Dolan, the winner of Stage 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, has been making waves in the sailing world as the first Irish skipper to win a leg of the French solo offshore race in 25 years. The…
The National Yacht Club's Ian Mathews and Keith Poole (file photo) are leading at the  Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships at County Antrim Yacht Club on Belfast Lough
Saturday, 2nd September, dawned windless on Belfast Lough for the second day of the Irish Flying Fifteen National Championships at County Antrim Yacht Club. It stayed that way sufficiently long for the Race Officer to fly a postponement flag ashore.…
Four boats were judged to be ahead of the pin-end flag in Saturday's DBSC Cruisers One start with all four boats returning and starting. Raptor (closest to camera) was one of the four and went on to finish second in the ten boat IRC race
It's not often Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) racers don shorts and T-shirts for AIB Saturday Series racing – and rarer still in September – but today's 2nd September fixture presented such an opportunity with a warm sea breeze of…
The RNLI Courtmacsherry new Shannon class lifeboat 'Val Adnams'
An historic West Cork lifeboat station is set to officially name a new Shannon class lifeboat 'Val Adnams' during a ceremony at 1:45 pm on Saturday, September 9. The guest of honour on the day will be Val Adnams herself,…
Ireland placed sixth in Europe in the overall combined pool and beach competitions at this year’s European Junior Lifesaving Championships. Ireland won five gold medals, ten silver medals and nine bronze medals at the championships
With a remarkable skill and determination display, the Irish Water Safety team made a big splash at this year’s European Junior Lifesaving Championships. Ireland won five gold medals, ten silver medals and nine bronze medals at the championships.  The European…
Managing Director of Atlantis Seafood, John Kenny, with his pet dog Pingu and the new Harley & Marley fish pet food range
Atlantis Seafood, one of the most reputed seafood businesses based in Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford has partnered with Killiney-based pet food company, Harley & Marley, to create a new range of pet food made wholly from fish. The new pet…
Presenting a handsome profile on Dublin Bay, Renaissance which had its maiden Irish call with an anchorage visit off Dun Laoghaire Harbour this week. The new French operator, Compagnie Française de Croisières (CFC) single-ship sported a livery scheme reflecting the country’s national colours.
A new French cruise operator, Compagnie Française de Croisières, made its first presence in Irish waters when their Renaissance arrived to anchor off Dun Laoghaire Harbour, writes Jehan Ashmore. The Marseilles based CFC Croisières has just a single cruise ship,…
An Taisce has produced a poster on key steps towards creating and managing a pond drawn by children’s book illustrator Brian Fitzgerald
Creating and managing a pond for wildlife is the theme of a new publication by An Taisce. Ponds are a “low cost” and “straightforward tool” to tackle biodiversity loss and improve local environments, it says. The pamphlet/poster has been drawn…
Crawfish being measured for compliance with a minimum carapace size of 110mm
Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) officers confiscated 48 live undersize crawfish off the southwest coast late last month. The SFPA says that the crawfish were “returned safely to sea” after the discovery during a routine patrol. It says that a…
Coast Guard Helicopter Crews are seeking guarantees that their jobs will be protected when the service transfers to a new operator
The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) is seeking guarantees from Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan that pilots and winch operators flying for the Irish Coast Guard will remain in employment once the contract transfers from CHC Ireland to Bristow. As…
Dun Laoghaire Match Racing Cup
The National Yacht Club has announced the Dun Laoghaire Match Racing Cup to take place on Saturday 30 September and Sunday 1 October. Ten teams will complete in the club’s Elliott 6M fleet on what promises to be an action-packed…
File image of the ocean schooner Tara
Over the next two weeks, the Marine Institute will host a first-of-its-kind European science expedition when it makes a stop in Galway. The European Molecular Biological Laboratory (EMBL) is carrying out a pan-European census of coastal ecosystems and their response…
Checkmate XX
With the forecast showing the makings of an Indian summer, Howth Yacht Club is looking forward to decent weather for the start of its Autumn League in just two weeks’ time on Saturday 16 September. While Howth’s keelboats are understandably…
The amount of Dry Bulk passing through Dundalk Port has decreased by 31%
Cargo quantities in dry-bulk at Dundalk Port for the first half of this year fell sharply by 31% when compared to the first six months of last year according to an Irish Maritime Development Office (IMDO) report. The Co. Louth…
Racing at the front of the fleet was tight on day one of the Flying Fifteen National Championships on Belfast Lough
Two races were sailed on Friday at the Flying Fifteen Nationals, hosted by County Antrim Yacht Club on Belfast Lough. Wind that varied from 10 - 15 knots from ENE was the order of the day with a lumpy sea.…
The eternal traditional sailing boats of Connemara. Despite August’s perverse weather, the Galway Hookers were the flagships for the staging of Cruinniu na mBad 2023 in mid-month at Kinvara
Yesterday (Friday), Afloat.ie listed eight of our “Sailor of the Month” awards for August 2023. As most involved either double-handed teams or helmsmen representing more numerous crews, in total, the achievements mentioned highlighted the successful sailing performance of 22 people…