Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Met Éireann has indicated that last month was among the “top ten” wettest months of March on record. Sea surface temperatures over the North Atlantic have also been at record high levels now for over a year. As RTÉ News…

The Irish government has come under fire from environmental groups for failing to introduce the Marine Protected Areas Bill, which would commit to effectively protecting 30% of Ireland's seas by 2030, as promised since July 2023. The Fair Seas coalition,…

The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has congratulated the Port of Dover (UK) for being certified through the EcoPorts’ environmental management standard (PERS). The ferry port of Dover is a long-standing EcoPorts member, being in the Network since 2003 and…

Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, and the Channel Islands, has appointed Lance Batchelor as the Chair of its Lighthouse Board, succeeding Sir Alan Massey. Since becoming an Elder Brother in 2022, Lance has been sitting as…

The ferry operator, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, has confirmed that final 2023 passenger statistics show the highest number of passengers and vehicles carried since 2007, TT’s 100th anniversary. In 2023, the Company transported 623,037 passengers and 196,430…

Met Éireann meteorologist Joanna Donnelly recently earned the title of “Optimist of the Year” from an Irish Times letter writer for her take on yet another wet spell. As correspondent Kate Power recalled, Donnelly had been describing a rainfront that…

The Axiom Private Clients Spring Series 2024 at Kinsale Yacht Club got underway on Easter Monday with a fine turnout of over 30 cruisers and 1720 sportsboats in both the Spinnaker and Whitesail divisions. The racing lived up to its…

With gusts to over 30 knots at times and a big, untidy swell which has been built up by nearly two weeks of strong winds in the Balearica Islands, of the ten Olympic scheduled events only the Formula Kite Men…

There is not much in the way of shelter when the wind is in the north on Lough Neagh, so the fleet from the Club in the north west corner was greeted for the first race of the second half…

The annual Brassed-Off Cup for Optimists which has been running in Howth for 21 years, was held on Sunday in breezy south easterly conditions over a relatively flat sea with some strong gusts to test the boat handling of the…

The final day of the RORC Easter Challenge produced yet another variation in conditions with a medium-strong easterly breeze piping up to nearly 20 knots. The sturdy easterly going tide, built during the day, to create classic Solent chop.  After…

It is with deep sadness that we heard of Johnny Robinson's passing on Thursday at the age of 87. He had been involved with Clontarf Yacht and Boat Club for over 70 years and was its longest-serving member. Johnny was known…

This year’s Women on Water Festival will be held at the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club at Cultra on the south side of Belfast Lough near Holywood. The date is 12th May. This event, hosted by the RYANI is…

It’s more than 18 months now since Michael O’Suillebhain did some skilled helming to bring Kinsale YC’s J/24 Kinsailor onto the podium in the J/24 Europeans at Howth. But his skills were as sharp as ever as he led the…

The annual moveable feast that is the Irish Universities Annual Dinghy Team Challenge is not something to be undertaken lightly, as it aims to draw in more than 160 college sailors to some attractive venue that has to provide good…

In the third weekend of March, two nautical gatherings in the Cork area were painlessly relieved of around €5,000 for Irish lifeboats, with much of the background work to ensure that this went through smoothly being seen to by longtime…

Archaeologists have discovered a prehistoric fort in Clew Bay which has been described as “very significant”. As The Irish Independent reports, the fort has been identified on Collanmore island, Co Mayo, which was once one of the Glenans Franco-Irish sail…

Afloat.ie in association with Dubarry brings you a bi-monthly nautical crossword competition (No. 208). Win a pair of Dubarry Palermo High-Performance trainers! Complete the crossword below and add your details below and the first correct entry out of the hat…

Paul O'Higgins' championship-winning JPK10.80 Rockabill VI from the Royal Irish Yacht Club will be challenged by a smaller JPK 10.30 when the 2024 ISORA Viking Marine Coastal Series gets underway next Saturday morning at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Coquine, a brand new…

When the Irish Sea Offshore Racing Association (ISORA) was in its rapid expansion stage in the 1970s, one of its most active clubs was Holyhead SC, the sea-going base for many from Merseyside, including leading Liverpool medics and Irish Sea…