Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Kieran Cotter and Jerry Smith of Baltimore are the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailors of the Month" for August in recognition of the key roles they played in the superb rescue of all 21 of he crew of the capsized super-maxi Rambler…

Martin Byrne of Dun Laoghaire is the Irish Independent/Afloat.ie Sailor of the Month after his superb final race to clinch the Edinburgh Cup, one of the most significant events in the International Dragon Class' annual programme in Europe. In a…

What a month! The judges are making up their minds for July's Sailor of the Month Award to be made at the weekend. Who would they have in mind? We can think of Anthony O'Leary who was just one point…

Martin Breen of Galway is the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for June with his clearcut overall win in 2011's main offshore event in Irish waters, the Dun Laoghaire-Dingle classic. It's the fourth time that a Galway boat has…

What a month! The judges are making up their minds for June's Sailor of the Month Award to be made at the weekend. Who would they have in mind? We can think of Anthony O'Leary (ICRA and Sovereigns winner), Laura…

It's not often that Irish sailors are at a loss for words, but the outcome of the huge Delta Lloyd Olympic Classes regatta in the Netherlands on Sunday had our top performer's scoreline being described as everything from startling through…

Captain Colm Newport is the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for April in honour of the key role he played in ensuring the continuity of Irish sail training through a difficult period. Colm Newport was the Master of the…

The sailing season is starting and selecting the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailors of the Month" for March has been a swift business, with the remarkable performance by Peter O'Leary of Cork and David Burrows of Malahide in the Olympic Star Class's…

Fergus and Kay Quinlan of County Clare are the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailors of the Month" for February to mark their fine voyage from their home port, Kinvara on Galway Bay, to Tahiti in the Pacific. Recognised by the senior offshore…

Ross Kearney of Belfast Lough is the first Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for 2011 after excelling all other contenders with his overall victory in the International Mirror Dinghy World Championship in Australia. As we learned in 2001 when…

The re-opening of the Royal Canal in October was the culmination of a remarkable joint effort by voluntary community groups and Waterways Ireland, together with government agencies. Many people were involved, at national and regional level, along this intriguing link…

The new Irish Independent/ Afloat.ie Sailor of the Month is a blue-water voyager who sailed to South America, crewed for much of the way by a dog.But not any old dog. Oscar is a magnificent golden retriever who somehow coped…

John Kenny of Ringsend in Dublin, is the Irish Independent/Afloat.ie Sailor of the Month for January after the 37-year-old pushed the bounds of water-borne, wind-powered speed in Ireland during winter's big breezes.Previously our Sailor of the Month in October 2008,…

Nicholas "Nin" O'Leary of Cork has re-written the Irish sailing records, and he's only 24. The new All Ireland Champion Helm is clear winner of the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" award for November after a nail-biting finale in…

John Sheehy of Dun Laoghaire is the latest Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" after his convincing recovery to retain his title as National Match Racing Champion in Kinsale on October 24th. Recovery and retention became the theme of a…

Oisin van Gelderen of Skerries is the Afloat.ie/Irish Independent "Sailor of the Month" for September after his sensational windsurfer speed runs on the famous Marine Lake at West Kirby near Liverpool on September 15th. (SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO OF THE…