Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Wicklow RNLI volunteers launched their inshore lifeboat on Tuesday (25 August) to assist an injured swimmer at Wicklow Harbour. The young man had been injured on a floating pontoon used by swimmers to access the water and was initially tended…
Local sailors Niall O’Brien and Dermot Flaherty claimed the Flying Fifteen Western Championship after a five-race series hosted by Flying Fifteens Connemara at Rossaveel and Carraroe. The pair, sailing 4092, scored back-to-back wins on Saturday to establish their championship challenge…
Defending ISORA champion and current series leader Pata Negra will sit out Saturday's penultimate offshore race from Dún Laoghaire to Pwllheli, giving her closest championship rivals an opportunity to strengthen their challenge with just two races remaining. The Andrew and…
Ireland’s Finn Lynch will carry the overall lead into the Gold Fleet stage of the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship on Dublin Bay, after completing Wednesday’s final qualifying races with a three-point advantage at the top of the 141-boat fleet.…
Earlier rain cleared to warm sunshine for the AIB DBSC Water Wag race on Wednesday August 25th. The 27-strong fleet turned out to compete for the Commemoration Trophy, a rerun of the race that was cancelled in May due to…
Defending ILCA 7 Champion Wiersema Retires From Race 5 After Second Rule 42 Penalty
26th August 2026 ILCA Worlds 2026
Defending ILCA 7 World Champion Willem Wiersema was forced to retire from Race 5 on Dublin Bay after receiving his second Rule 42 penalty of the championship, as on-the-water judges recorded 29 Rule 42 actions across the opening five races.…
Britain's Michael Beckett produced the standout performance on the second day of the ILCA 7 Men's World Championship on Dublin Bay, jumping ten places to fifth overall as the qualifying series concluded in Dun Laoghaire. Beckett scored a first and…
Four members have been appointed to the board of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA) by Minister for Environment Darragh O’Brien. The four appointees have been named as: Ciara Reynolds, representing the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. Eugene…
American pair George Szabo and George Iverson have taken the early lead at the 2026 Star European Championship in Medemblik after two contrasting opening-day races on the IJsselmeer. An eighth followed by a second gave the US crew the most…
North Dublin rowers have completed a crossing of the North Channel from Donaghadee in Co.Down to Portpatrick in Scotland in two traditional West of Ireland currachs. As previously reported by Afloat, a crew panel from Currachaí na Sceirí in Skerries,…
Paint the Lake Pink! Get ready to Make a Splash for Breast Cancer Ireland. Dust off your brightest magenta, neon, and pastel pink gear! The Women on the Water (WOW) group at Lough Derg Yacht Club (LDYC) is launching the…
“We find the little fishing village of Rush has already fitted out four vessels, one of them is now at Rogerson’s Quay, ready to sail, being completely armed and manned, carrying 14 carriage guns and 60 of as brave hands…
The Royal Ocean Racing Club is opening its 2027 Griffin Offshore Pathway to a new generation of young sailors, with recent Irish successes providing evidence of where the programme can lead. Dublin sailor Nicole Hemeryck and Cork's Joe Griffiths, both…
Belfast Lough’s Chris Lindsay has been appointed Chief Umpire for the 2028 Olympic Sailing Competition in Los Angeles, securing a prominent Irish role in the officiating team for a second successive Games. World Sailing has confirmed Lindsay among its lead…
Four of Cork Harbour's sailing clubs will join forces again this September for the second running of the Cork Harbour Triple Crown, bringing three established harbour races together in an inter-club series that attracted more than 50 boats in its…
The 78-year-old heritage tall ship Le Français has been relaunched after an extensive restoration programme ahead of a new season of charter voyages, sail training and educational work. The 47-metre, three-masted barque, which carries 19 sails, returned to the water at…
Kinsale Sailors Shine at Irish Optimist Nationals in Cork Kinsale Yacht Club sailors returned with podium finishes and a national team racing title from the 2026 Irish Optimist National Championships, staged at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven from…
Sea Lock Gate Replacement Works at Grand Canal Dock Extended to End of 2026
26th August 2026 Inland Waterways
Public access to the walkways over the sea lock gates at Grand Canal Dock between Hanover Quay and City Block 19, and to a section of South Dock Road which runs parallel to the River Dodder, is now expected to…
Three Foyle Sailability sailors took to the podium at this year’s Foyle Sailability Regatta on Lough Foyle earlier this month. The regatta brought together disabled sailors from across Northern Ireland for a day of inclusive racing on Lough Foyle, with…
Nine races produced nine different winners as the international depth of the 141-boat ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship was laid bare on the opening day of qualifying on Dublin Bay. Ireland’s Finn Lynch emerged at the head of the standings…
