Blogs
The prognosis for killer whales in Europe is dire, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. There was great excitement and media interest in the sighting of killer whales off West Kerry over a month ago. The IWDG has…
Changing Yacht Racing Handicap Bands at Royal Cork Yacht Club is 'Radical'
2nd April 2018 Tom MacSweeney
The Royal Cork Yacht Club at Crosshaven in Cork Harbour has decided on a change in the format of racing for the coming season which will reduce the number of starts and re-define the sailing classes. In cruiser racing out…
Enda O Coineen’s Latest Sailing Challenge Has Been an Inspiration For Us All
31st March 2018 W M Nixon
Lone sailor Enda O Coineen will soon – barring any cruel last-minute setbacks - complete his current personal Odyssey to finish his very individualistic version of the Vendee Globe Round the World course writes W M Nixon. He’s slightly ahead…
Welcome to my weekly podcast…. That question – where is sailing going? - has been in my mind since Emirates Team New Zealand media information came to me this week about the yacht they intend to race at the next Americas…
Dublin Bay Sailing Club 2018: Commodore Chris Moore & The DBSC Team Keep Historic Yet Modern Show on the Road
24th March 2018 W M Nixon
It’s big, it’s unique, and it’s the focal point of recreational interaction with the sea for one of the more affluent areas of population in Europe writes W M Nixon. But anyone visiting Dun Laoghaire Harbour for the first time,…
Welcome 'Great Island Sailing Club', a New Yacht Club in Cork Harbour
19th March 2018 Tom MacSweeney
Cork Harbour will have a new name in sailing this season - the Great Island Sailing Club, formed to ensure the continuance of sailing at Cobh, following difficulties which arose in Cove Sailing Club as it attempted to build a…
#eastcoastports – Ireland's east and north coasts may lack the cruising glamour of the south and western seaboards, but W M Nixon suggests that the ICC's East & North Coast Sailing Directions points the way to an area with its…
It’s still cold enough in boatyards to require determination to take off the covers, slide back the hatch and go below to start the annual preparation work. There are some more determined than others to have their boats ready to…
Will Olympic Sailing Regimentation Spoil Irish Offshore Racing’s Growing Attraction for Young Sailors?
9th March 2018 W M Nixon
It’s highly likely that a trial Olympic offshore racing event will be run in tandem with the 2020 Sailing Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020, and one proposal which seems to have traction is that a boat similar to the Figaro…
There have been a number of warnings about seamanship and navigational issues in the past few weeks that are important as the sailing season draws nearer. I wonder if the boating community takes enough notice of them? Gail McAllister, who ran…
Ireland’s 'Bantry Boats' – Complex Heritage Creates Historic Gems For Lough Neagh this Summer
2nd March 2018 W M Nixon
Most sailing folk in Ireland will have some level of awareness of the Bantry Boat. Even those who live most determinedly in the present, and look unswervingly to the future, will be vaguely aware that thanks to some fortuitous turns…
The loss of young sailors to the sport is an issue that has been identified by many clubs around the country and at national level. Other sports can be more attractive to younger age groups, particularly it seems as teenagers…
Caribbean 600’s Wild Wet Ride Brings Howth Yacht Club Glorious Reality of Top Offshore Racing
23rd February 2018 W M Nixon
With winter still clinging like a hyper-cold limpet in northern latitudes, the prospect of balmy breezes and warm seas in the tenth annual RORC Caribbean 600 in late February seemed like the perfect prospect for escape and sport writes W…
Irish cruising under sail and power is being celebrated and developed this weekend. Last night’s AGM of the Irish Cruising Club in the National YC in Dun Laoghaire saw this 1929-founded organisation moving its many activities forward on all fronts…
Innovative UK approach to Rescue Calls From Stinky Bay & Other Places
13th February 2018 Tom MacSweeney
I wonder if the example of what FINTAN has done in Britain could be followed in Ireland? It is an innovative approach to adding to rescue knowledge. The UK Ordnance Survey and the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have…
Here's To Howth Yacht Club's Conor Fogerty, Irish Sailor of the Year!
9th February 2018 Sailor of the Year
As he commented at last night’s annual Volvo Sailing Awards ceremony, our Sailing on Saturday columnist reckons that anyone who thinks they really understand every aspect of the Irish sailing and boating scene obviously isn’t a part of it. It’s…