Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

As Pat Lawless left Crosshaven this morning to take part in the Golden Globe Race, it was somewhat fitting that he was surrounded by National18s heading for the start line of their National Championships and, accompanied by Crosshaven lifeboat giving…

The mast is everything to Pat Lawless. So, before his yacht, Green Rebel, went back into the water this week on Valentia Island and he headed for Dingle in “a nice light breeze” on his final preparations to take part…

The offshore islands are “very far down the list of priorities for our policymakers” according to the Islands’ Federation, Comhdháil Oileán na hEireann, which has decided to carry out a survey of the housing needs of the islands. “There is…

Ireland's new Research Vessel Tom Crean in Vigo, Spain, was officially handed over to the Marine Institute yesterday and the Irish flag raised. The new state-of-the-art Ship leaves Vigo for its new home port of Galway next week. Dr Paul…

Johnny Shorten, Commodore of Galway Bay Sailing Club, has no doubts about the importance of the Optimist dinghy class Connacht Championships which his club is hosting this Saturday and Sunday, As Afloat reported previously, a hundred competitors are expected at…

Northabout, the 47-foot Westport expedition yacht of Jarlath Cunnane from Mayo, which with a crew, many of them Galway Hooker sailors, completed an Arctic circumnavigation of the world with a transit of the Northeast Passage north of Russia, has been…

Data from the M3 and M5 buoys off the South Coast is being recovered for analysis by the Marine Institute to ascertain whether it can explain the cause of a tidal drop of 70 cms reported at Union Hall and…

Irish fishing industry leaders have warned that the costs of marine diesel are so high they are challenging the resilience of the Irish fishing fleet. CEOs of the main Irish industry organisations say fishing operations are being made uneconomical and…

This year's Cong-Galway sailing race, set for Saturday, June 25, will mark two significant anniversaries. It is 140 years since the inaugural sailing of the race and 50 years since it was revived in its current form. It is the…

Cork County Council has engaged a contractor for the removal of the wreck of the fishing trawler, MV Sceptre, at Union Hall, West Cork and work has commenced. The wreck will be removed by barge for transport to an overseas…

“There was a lot of work, hull planking, fitting the stem post, caulking, filling, fairing, sanding, priming and painting. We lost over two years on the project due to Covid and this old girl was in a worse condition than…

Two local giants, Mahain and Binne, from old Irish folklore are the names of the cranes at Cork Port’s Ringaskiddy container terminal, chosen by Crosshaven Boys’ National School. The two names were voted most popular, as part of a recent…

The Round Ireland Race is the dominant focus of Wicklow Sailing Club at the moment, but there is a lot more to the club. The members take pride in describing their club as “a small family-oriented sailing club run by…

The Bantry inner harbour development scheme has re-generated interest in the West Cork town as a marine leisure and sailing centre. Bantry Bay Port Company, operated by Cork Port, has a sheltered marina with 40 berths there. But the town…

The home of Ireland’s last engineless freight-carrying schooner, the Brooklands, will be the centre of the popular Ballinacurra Race in Cork Harbour this Sunday. Creenan’s hostelry in Ballinacurra village near Midleton in East Cork will be the mecca for dinghy…

“People who swim at beaches, lakes and rivers,” are being asked to tell the Council if they think “existing designated bathing waters” should be maintained or new ones identified.” Local authorities must identify official bathing areas in their area every…

Glandore Harbour Yacht Club has accused Cork County Council of endangering the future of sailing in the West Cork harbour by changes it plans to make at the village pier. "This has been drawn up without any consultation whatsoever with…

The Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation (KFO) has called on the European Commission to act immediately on the presence of Russian trawlers in waters intended primarily for oil and gas exploration. A fleet of Russian midwater freezer trawlers are currently operating in…

There are not many sailing clubs which have experienced the vicissitudes of misfortune to the extent that Cove Sailing Club has in recent years. Back in March of 2018, Afloat reported that “Cork Harbour will have a new name in…

The €86 million new container terminal at Ringaskiddy is to be brought into operation tomorrow by the Port of Cork company. Conor Mowlds, the Port’s Chief Commercial Officer says this will be “a monumental milestone, the largest investment in our…