Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Since Des McWilliam retired and sold the UK Sails business to Barry Hayes and Graham Curran at the end of the year, they have lost no time in getting their new designed products out to their customers. In addition they…

After a busy start to the Laser sailing season at Baltimore for the Munster Championships and then last weekend's Ulsters at Ballyholme, all before the first weekend of May, next up for the senior Irish Laser fleet is the Lennon…

After the success of the inaugural Beaufort Cup for Military and Emergency teams in 2016, this year's entries are approaching 20 boats already, including no less than eight J109's for the Cork Week event. There's an excellent line up of…

The Volvo Round Ireland Race 2018 - in just eight weeks time on June 30th from Wicklow - will be marking 20 stagings of this biennial classic. When first raced in 1980, it was with a fleet of very modest…

The RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard are issuing a joint call this May Bank Holiday weekend for people to stay safe on and near water as the expected warmer weather and brighter evenings will see more people spending time…

Last weekend marked a historic event in the history of Cullaun Sailing Club as club Commodore Des McMahon along with forty other members turned the sod on their new clubhouse at an opening ceremony after their spring regatta. There was…

#FerryNews - IOM Today reports of a newly-formed lobby group that says it has ’serious concerns’ about the ’strategic vulnerablility’ of Douglas port. Isle of Man Maritime Ltd, a not-for-profit company which has replaced the Isle of Man Shipping Association,…

Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine, Michael Creed TD, this morning (Thursday) met with his French counterpart, Stephane Travert, in Paris. This is the fifth in a series of bilateral meetings being conducted by the Minister with EU counterparts on…

The wind is at last from the west, the easterlies of the longest winter in memory have finally relented, and it’s time to be in the west of Ireland and Connemara, time to eavesdrop on two senior boat restorers as…

#Rowing: Michelle Carpenter has been chosen as the new chief executive of Rowing Ireland. She will succeed Hamish Adams who recently left the position to take up the role of CEO with Athletics Ireland.  Carpenter has held a number of…

The first County Wicklow designed Melges IC37 designed by Mark Mills, Afloat.ie's Sailor of the Year in 2009, arrived at New England Boatworks last Monday afternoon, and was out sailing Tuesday afternoon after fitting keel, rudder and rig. Three days…

#VOR - The Volvo Ocean Race teams were enjoying full-speed trade wind sailing on Wednesday (2 May) as they knocked off the miles to the Leg 8 finish in Newport, Rhode Island. Stage leaders Team Brunel continue to set the…

#ClipperRace - There’s been an early win for the Clipper Race teams that opted to stay inshore after the Le Mans start to the 4,100-nautical-mile Race 10: The Garmin American Challenge from Seattle to Panama. After choosing to head south…

#FerryNews - Scandinavian operator, Viking Line based in Finland, has announced that its LNG fuelled cruiseferry M / S Viking Grace has become the first passenger ship in the world to utilize wind power through mechanical rotor driving. The rotor sail…

#InlandWaters - Masters and owners of vessels on the Killaloe Canal are advised that the section between Killaloe road bridge and the control gate structure upstream will be closed for six weeks from later this month.  The 450m long section…

#FerryNews - Ulysses, Irish Ferries cruiseferry on the Dublin-Holyhead route has sailings cancelled today (2 May) and up to Friday (4 May).  According to the operator's website this is due to technical reasons. All of the cruiseferry's operated sailings in…

This biennial tri-club team racing event championed by the late Harry Maguire for many years was run over the weekend in the Gareloch, Scotland and hosted by the Royal Northern and Clyde YC. The holders Royal St George YC travelled…

#BelfastLough - Chief Executive Robert Cooper has stepped down from his position in Harland & Wolff Group after a 44-year career at the shipyard, where he has been replaced by Jonathan Guest. As The Irish News reports, he began his…

At the International Council of Yacht Clubs (ICOYC) World Forum 2018 in San Francisco, the Royal Cork Yacht Club was selected to host the ICOYC World Forum in September 2019. Vice Admiral, Colin Morehead, and Club General Manager, Gavin Deane,…

In his first article in the ICRA /  UK Sailmakers Series, Racing Consultant Mark Mansfield wrote about tuning a fractionally rigged mast. His second article featured changing gears in different wind conditions while racing. In this final article, the four time Olympic helmsman…