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.
Will Sydney-Hobart’s Sunshine Return to Brighten Ireland’s Mid-Winter Mood?
25th December 2021 W M Nixon
For many years now, the annual 628-mile Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race on 26th December has played a special role in reviving the mid-winter spirits of the dark and gloomy Northern Hemisphere, with the glitzy sunlit start out of one of the…
Wexford, Skerries, Rush, Derrynane, Malahide, Howth & Dun Laoghaire In Top Eight Places In Howth's Key Capital Laser Frostbites
21st December 2021 Howth YC
In ancient Greece, the mythological Halcyon Days at mid-winter were the calm and bright time around the Winter Solstice. In Ireland, a calm at midwinter (the Solstice is at 3.59 pm this (Tuesday) afternoon) tends to bring grey days, and…
The Cape 31s Give An Entirely New Meaning To “Local Club Evening Racing” (Video)
21st December 2021 Cape 31
The Mark Mills-designed Cape 31s have been stretching their limbs and muscles at the Royal Cape Yacht Cub in South Africa for long enough now to attract much interest elsewhere, and by next year they’ll be coming to a club…
Ireland’s Clinker-Built Boats Lead The Way In New UNESCO Heritage Status
21st December 2021 Historic Boats
Now hear this, all you sailors or rowers of Greencastle Yawls, Dublin Bay Water Wags, Foyle Punts, International 12s, Shannon One Designs, Castlehaven Ettes, Strangford Lough Clippers, Coastal Hobbler Rowing Skiffs, Dublin Bay Mermaids, Mayfly-Fishing Lakeboats, IDRA 14s, Ballyholme Insects,…
Neville Maguire Of Howth Was The Accomplished Sailor We Would All Wish To Be
18th December 2021 W M Nixon
Neville Maguire (1927-2021) was a devotedly local sailor whose racing was at world standard. Yet any civilised sailing enthusiast would wish to be as he was, for although Neville’s racing was important, it was only part of a lifelong love…
‘All in a Row’ Marathon Charity Challenge on Dublin’s River Liffey Provides A Great Boat Show Afloat
16th December 2021 Coastal Rowing
When we revealed the background to the Crosshaven-built George Bushe rowing skiff Lorelei of 1954 vintage, many sailors of traditional outlook could have been forgiven for reckoning this innovative craft would still stand out as decidedly unusual in any gathering…
Jack Roy’s Huge Contribution To Sailing Was Only One Part Of An Exceptional Life
14th December 2021 News Update
When we published a comprehensive overview of Jack Roy’s achievement-filled career ashore and afloat on 14th July 2017, it was in light of his recently-elected position as President of Irish Sailing. With someone who lived life a hundred per cent…
Neville Maguire of Howth has died much-mourned today (Monday) at the age of 95. The father of international ace Gordon Maguire, Neville himself was one of Ireland's most accomplished and popular sailors inshore and offshore, whether racing or cruising and…
For casual observers, conditions looked miserably grey for yesterday (Saturday’s) final race of Part 1 of Howth YC’s annual Brass Monkey through-winter series. But those bustling cheerfully ashore afterwards were full of enthusiasm for a great racing breeze from the…
The death of former Irish Sailing President and Olympic Games Race Officer Jack Roy of Greystones and Dun Laoghaire has deprived our sport of one of its most popular and enthusiastic devotees, both in terms of services to sailing and in…
The 2022 Sailing Season in Ireland is Approaching Over the Horizon With Drums Beating & Flags Flying
1st January 2022 W M Nixon
(First published 11/12/2021) Four World Championships. Two Europeans. The super-staging of our defining offshore race. A major new offshore challenge. Regattas galore. A very significant Centenary. An important Golden Jubilee. At least one new One-Design class. Established OD classes finding…
Limerick’s Ketch Ilen’s Christmas Lights Shone Undimmed Through Storm Barra in Galway Docks
8th December 2021 Galway Harbour
The imaginative use of the 1926-vintage 56ft Trading Ketch Ilen’s mainmast as a brightly-illuminated Christmas Tree for Galway Docks was switched on as recently as Sunday evening. Yet within 30 hours, the entire setup was being severely tested for many…
Howth’s Bright Motors Brass Monkeys Winter League Sails Serenely Between The Storms
6th December 2021 Howth YC
With the shortest day of the year only a fortnight away, winter leagues at a number of centres in Ireland can already look back on a satisfying collection of good races which somehow hit on magic days between storms such…
Golden Jubilee of Youth Sailing Worlds Recalls Earlier Irish Involvement At International Level
4th December 2021 W M Nixon
So many 50th Anniversaries in international sailing are being celebrated these days that you could be forgiven for thinking that all these major events - such as next week’s opening of the event’s Golden Jubilee celebration, and the staging of…
Conor Haughey’s Hibernian Reaches Caribbean, Leading ARC 2021 + For Ireland
3rd December 2021 Cruising
Conor Haughey of Malahide’s handsome Moody 54DS Hibernian swept into the finish of the ARC 2021 in Grenada this morning to chalk up a notable international success for Ireland. Hibernian - which sailed the longer ARC + course to take…
Conor Haughey of Malahide’s handsome silver-liveried Moody 54DS Hibernian is having a very good Transatlantic race with the ARC+ division of 70 boats, which has taken in the transoceanic hop in two stages with a stop in the Cape Verdes.…
What Would Admiral Beaufort Make Of The Current COVID-19 Situation?
30th November 2021 Coronavirus and Boating
The Navan-born Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort KCB FRS FRGS FRAS MRIA (1774-1857) was a man of very many interests, some of them a little startling. His work as the Hydrographer of the Navy is remembered in the name of the…
In November 1971, Malahide sailing enthusiast Gerry Watson journeyed with his son Philip from their comfortable home down the slow Irish roads of half a century ago to Crosshaven, where the son had signed up to join a new sailmaking…
Review of the Year: Sailing in Ireland Has Thrived in 2021 Despite Pandemic Limitations
31st December 2021 W M Nixon
(First published 27/11/21): The 2021 programme for Irish sailors is still in action with winter series underway at several centres, while next Wednesday a junior squad departs for Oman and the Youth Sailing Worlds which get fully underway on December…
Ireland & The One Ton Cup - History Lives Again 47 Year On (Video)
23rd November 2021 Historic Boats
In 1974, Ireland - and particularly Cork - leapt to a new level of international sailing prominence as the fresh combination of the design talents of Ron Holland, the sailmaking skills of Johnny McWilliam, and the boat-building talents of the…
