Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Being dismasted during a shattering 360 degree roll in the tumultuous Southern Indian Ocean in the roughest part of the Golden Jubilee Golden Globe Race would have created an extreme survival situation for most sailors. But after it happened to…

The classic 12ft Firefly dinghy may have been the single-handed boat in the1948 Olympics when the Gold Medallist was Danish legend Paul Elvstrom. But as an enduring class in Ireland, they’re ideal for team racing and junior championships requiring a…

The Olympic 49er skiff is one of sailing’s greatest challenges, but Robert Dickson (21) of Howth and Sean Waddilove (20) of Skerries have determinedly battled their way up the class’s international performance ladder. Their total dedication was rewarded in September…

Mark Lyttle, Olympic Sailor at Atlanta in 1996 when he won a race in the Laser’s first outing in its very effective career as an Olympic boat in addition to its myriad other duties worldwide, has continued his love affair…

While the Afloat.ie 'Sailor of the Month' awards have been in being since 1996, the idiosyncrasies of the calendar can occasionally make selecting the monthly awardees a complex business. When September began on Saturday, September 1st, on that day we…

SAILOR OF THE MONTH (Junior): HUGH O’CONNOR (National YC). Young Hugh O’Connor (15) of Dun Laoghaire is currently No 1 in the International Topper Class in Ireland, and he fulfilled his role at the August 2018 Topper Worlds in China…

Talented all-round sailor Darragh McCormack of Foynes (he’s a noted J/24 sailor) still has the classic 1932 vintage 17ft Mermaids as his first love, and in a thrilling National Championship at Foynes from August 1st to 5th with a fleet…

Silver Medal in 117-boat fleet for GP 14 Worlds in England at beginning of August, then new Irish GP 14 National Champion at Sligo (crewed by wife Jane) later in same month. Ross was formerly a professional sailor as a…

Liam Glynn of Ballyholme is July’s “Sailor of the Month” (Olympics) after taking the Bronze Medal in the U–21 World Championship in Poland. Glynn was Topper World Champion in France aged 13 in 2013, now at 19 he has demonstrated…

The achievement of Niall Dowling of the Royal Irish YC in taking both Line Honours and the Overall Win in Wicklow’s Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 with the Ker 43 Baraka GP is put into its proper perspective when we…

July 2018 will go down in Irish sailing history as one of the busiest months ever experienced, including as it did the Volvo Round Ireland Race and Volvo Cork Week. In this exceptionally busy period, Commandant Barry Byrne of the…

Howth’s Dave Cullen is “Sailor of the Month” for June after a stellar series of performances with his classic Half Tonner Checkmate XV. He emerged as clear overall champion in Howth’s successful Wave Regatta at the beginning of the month,…

Ireland’s Tom Dolan found he was in a different world entirely when he moved up from racing a Minitransat to competing in the legendary Figaro Class. Here, the competition is so hot that being first rookie in any race is…

Pat Kelly and his family and friends from Rush in the heart of Fingal certainly enjoy their sailing. But they work hard to ensure that their all-conquering J/109 Storm is in peak condition as the new programme starts, and they’ve…

A stellar international performance in the Magic Marine Easter Regatta in The Netherlands, and an overall victory in the Irish Sailing Youth Pathway Nationals in Dublin Bay in the Optimist, makes Justin Lucas of Tralee Bay SC and Royal Cork…

The annual Irish University Sailing Association Intervarsity Team Racing Championship is the first major event to signal the new season, and 2018’s – at Kilrush on the weekend of March 9th to 11th – was vintage stuff. There were 28…