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.
Amazing Grace: This Oyster 37 Genuine Cruiser-Racer is a Very Versatile Sailing Proposition
23rd May 2021 Boat Sales
It's always heartening to know that there are boats like the Oyster 37 Amazing Grace in the Irish fleet. They date from that era in the mid-to-late 1970s when leading yacht designers (in this case Don Pye of Holman &…
"Sailing is a lifestyle activity which evolves as an expression of a vehicle sport afloat". There you go. So now you know. And please note that it's "lifestyle" and not "lifetime", though the latter also applies. Yet you were thinking…
Limerick Ketch Ilen Finds Another Weather Window to take Valuable Cargo Down Shannon Estuary
21st May 2021 Ilen
In the decidedly unsettled weather of this 2021 Spring and early Summer, the restored 56ft trading ketch Ilen of Limerick is acquiring the reputation of being a lucky ship in finding gentler conditions when sea work has to be done…
These evocative photos of the Heron Class in their prime in the early 1960s at Kilbarrack Sailing Club are a reminder that there are concerns about the well-being of avian herons in general in the north Dublin Bay region. Our…
Time was when the question of whether the 2020-Olympics-in-2021 should or should not be staged would have been described as the Elephant in the Room, suggesting the presence of an imponderable so large and unthinkable that the sanity-seeking majority of…
While the Figaro fleet in Concarneau were watching the meteorological scenario go down the tubes as the start time for their Transatlantic Race approached, further south in the Bay of Biscay, at La Trinite sur Mer, Round Ireland Two-Handed record-holder…
With so many people now gaining their first experiences afloat in alternative ways to sailing such as kayaking and paddleboarding, Howth Yacht Club is developing and expanding its Come Sailing initiative with the recruitment of a full-time On-the-water Coordinator to…
Donegal Boat with Wartime "Mystery History" is Restored in Southwest Wales
11th May 2021 Historic Boats
Veteran skipper Rob Mason, from Milford Haven in southwest Wales, made a dramatic impact on the Irish sailing scene in 2017, when he turned up at the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta during its special year of the Kingstown Bicentenary, sailing…
Howth’s Time-Honoured Lambay Race to be Staged as Club-Only Event on Saturday, June 12th
11th May 2021 Howth YC
Under the current lockdown-easing programme, Saturday, June 12th will mark the first weekend when full-scale in-club officially sanctioned races will be possible. The latest word on the waterfront is that last night (Monday), the monthly meeting of Howth Yacht Club’s…
Sailing in Dublin Bay Area in 2021 Will Be Resuming on a "Gently Does It" Basis
8th May 2021 W M Nixon
The welcome announcement that the National Yacht Club's biennial 280-mile Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race 2021 will be going ahead on Wednesday, June 9th, is encouraging. But it should not be seen as a clarion call to get the 2021…
Pamela Lee of Greystones on High-Powered Multihull Induction Course in France
4th May 2021 Pamela Lee
Round Ireland Two-Handed record-holder Pamela Lee of Greystones is one of three female sailors who qualified - out of 34 applicants from nine different countries - for a place on this week's Leyton X The Magenta Project Multihull Training Session…
Most people’s memories of the already pandemic-constricted Bank Holiday Weekend will be of Monday's wet and windy storm. But the training crew on the restored Conor O’Brien ketch Ilen of Limerick have only pleasant memories, as a fair weather passage…
Say what you like about the SB20s, but you have to commend the class and its President John Malone of Lough Ree YC for always being game to have a go. Back in September 2020, when everyone else reckoned they’d…
With great regret we record the death today (Wednesday) of Sadie Phelan, President of Wicklow Sailing Club since 2011, and a longtime and tireless voluntary worker on behalf of WSC and sailing generally, particularly with the biennial Round Ireland Race.…
With sailing slowly re-emerging in Ireland which is still some distance from being post-pandemic, we seem to be seeing our sport taking shape again with a series of baby steps. In such circumstances, there’s much to be said for the…
Jack O'Keeffe of Cork Harbour Becomes Chairman of International Drascombe Association
27th April 2021 Cork Harbour
The many, varied and characterful boats of the Drascombe range became even better known throughout Ireland during 2020. Their trailerable flexibility of logistics and boat-positioning - together with their Association's long experience in organising cruises-in-company and rallies to remote coastlines…
Norfolk Smuggler Family Cruiser For Sale in Cork Harbour is an Appealing Proposition
26th April 2021 Boat Sales
In his almost-under-the-radar way of working, Andrew Wolstenholme is one of the most versatile boat designers practising the art of putting interesting craft afloat. All he seems to ask of clients is that they don’t request a run-of-the-mill vessel of…
For this week's Sailing on Saturday we take a look back eight years when WM Nixon cruised from Ireland to the Outer Hebrides in the 36-foot vintage restored sloop Ainmara #hebrides – August is almost upon us. The heat has…
You may remember a little while back, we were recording the sad yarn of Don Street losing his beloved vintage clinker-built service tender Red Rocket when a freakish October gale swept over Glandore pier, and removed everything in its way,…
When Muriel Simpson married Alistair McMillan of Howth, she knew that boats and sailing would become a significant part of her life, as he had become a Junior Member of Howth Sailing Club in June 1941, while by 1967 he…
