WM Nixon
William M Nixon has been writing about sailing in Ireland for many years in print and online, and his work has appeared internationally in magazines and books. His own experience ranges from club sailing to international offshore events, and he has cruised extensively under sail, often in his own boats which have ranged in size from an 11ft dinghy to a 35ft cruiser-racer. He has also been involved in the administration of several sailing organisations.
There was a certain optimism in the Sailing on Saturday HQ a week ago, with the day looking to improve in a useful way to facilitate the Autumn racing at home, while far away in the South Atlantic Pat Lawless…
The Howth Autumn League started in the midst of a period of “Indian Summer” weather on Saturday 12th September (though opening day itself was brisk enough), and concluded on Saturday October 17th with a clear but decidedly crisp and undoubtedly…
Ireland's Pat Lawless was setting the pace among the three leaders as the Golden Globe leaders raced into Saturday night in the South Atlantic, with the developing low-pressure area off the coast of Uruguay and southern Brazil bringing fresh energy…
Summer Weather In South Atlantic Makes for Difficult Golden Globe Racing
16th October 2026 Golden Globe Race
As Autumn begins to bite in Ireland, so the Springtime in the Southern Hemisphere continues to build towards summer, and a high pressure system in the middle of the South Atlantic is resulting in lighter and confusing wind patterns for…
So what’s new? When has the Mediterranean - Mare Nostrum, Our Sea, the salty beating heart of Western civilization - not been ultimately centre stage? For sure, the focus in mid-summer may swing briefly elsewhere, to the Baltic or the…
Pat Lawless continues to whittle back Damien Guillou's Golden Globe Race lead as a high-pressure area in the South Atlantic, well east of the River Plate Estuary, serves up adverse easterlies, such that although Guillou's Rustler 36 Solarem is shown…
Wednesday has seen Golden Globe leaders Damien Guillou (Fr.) in the Rustler 36 Solarem and Pat Lawless (Irl.) in the Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro playing something of a cat and mouse game with the South Atlantic weather and each other,…
Howth May Continue To Be Weather-Lucky With Final Races of Autumn League This Saturday
14th October 2026 Howth YC
Being “lucky” with Autumnal weather in Ireland is a very relative matter. Last Saturday (October 10th) the varied fleet in the Howth Autumn League had been anticipating Indian Summer conditions with an approaching ridge of high pressure. But the peak…
Pat Lawless has had another good day chasing down Damien Guillou at the front of the Golden Globe Race fleet, with both skippers shaping their courses for the Cape of Good Hope. The Dingle and Limerick skipper's Silvermines Hydro was…
Ireland's Pat Lawless has closed to within 97 nautical miles of Golden Globe Race leader Damien Guillou after recording a better 24-hour run in the South Atlantic. Lawless, sailing Silvermines Hydro, covered 111 miles compared with 106 for Guillou's Solarem…
Pat Lawless, sailing his Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro, has picked up a developing stream of fresher north-north-easterly wind, enabling him to continue his weekend pattern of closing the gap on Golden Globe Race leader Damien Guillou aboard the Rustler 36…
Ireland's Pat Lawless has experienced good sailing south of Trinidade through Saturday in the Golden Globe, pulling Damien Guillou's lead back to 142 miles as the Dingle man's Silvermines Hydro makes 5.4 knots to Guillou's Solarem at 3.3. Admittedly the…
Damien Guillou of France with the Rustler 36 Solarem and Pat Lawless of Ireland with the Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro are now past the mandatory southwestern waypoint of Trinidade Island, deep in the South Atlantic, with both boats making around…
When Annalise Murphy of the National Yacht Club won the Dinghy Division of Sailing’s Championship of the Champions in Ireland last Sunday (October 4th) after two days of racing in Melges 15s at the Royal St George Yacht Club in…
Howth Heads Into Fifth Weekend Of 2026 Autumn League With A Final Result Already In The Can If Needed
9th October 2026 Howth YC
Ever since it started in 1982, Howth’s Autumn League has from time to time experienced blustery late-season weather which has seen the race officers and competitors hanging on until the very last possible race in order to have enough results…
Third-placed Ertan Beskardes in the Rustler 36 Miss Beagle was making best speed of the 14 Golden Globe racers as he powered down the Atlantic finally south of the Equator, showing 6.5 knots as Thursday night came on, with the…
Pat Lawless of Dingle and Limerick had the top speed of the Golden Globe round the world fleet going into Wednesday night, with his Saga 36 Silvermines Hydro showing 7.1 knots in the brisk easterly by comparison with the 5.9…
Philip Mayne Will Tell All About Saving Dublin’s Tugboat Rosbeg To DBOGA
9th October 2026 Dublin Bay Old Gaffers
There are few, if any, sailors in Ireland with the breadth and depth of experience accumulated by Philip Mayne of Lough Ree. A cradle sailor with the Shannon One Designs, he was Class Chairman of the SODs in 2022 when…
Golden Globe Race 2026: Damien Guillou May Lead Into Lighter Winds
7th October 2026 Golden Globe Race
Although Damien Guillou of France continues to build on his commanding lead in the Golden Globe Race 2026, with the gap to second-placed Pat Lawless of Ireland now extended to 249 miles, it may well be that his Rustler 36…
When Damien Guillou of France and then Pat Lawless of Ireland exited the Bay of Biscay ahead of the rest of the Golden Globe Race fleet, it was becoming increasingly clear that a weather pattern was developing that might give…
