Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

North Sails Ireland's Maurice "Prof" O'Connell had a chilly evening's test sail on Friday April 13th, unlucky 13th for Prof, as he had no foul weather gear! The occasion was the unveiling of new sails on the Beneteau First 31.7…

#MarineScience - A group of transition year students from five counties around Ireland, including Galway, Clare, Mayo, Roscommon and Meath, recently completed a week of marine science and technology training at the Marine Institute. Now in its fourth year, the…

Debris from the break–up of Holyhead Marina on the north coast of Wales continues to wash ashore along the County Dublin and Wicklow coasts.  Afloat.ie reader Peter Cunning found debris from on Sutton beach on Dublin Bay this week, which he believes…

#DublinPort- Expansion in Dublin Port will happen at a faster than expected pace over the next 20 years as population growth boosts volumes passing through the country's main goods gateway, the semi-state company behind the port said. As the Independent.ie…

This years Colours match between UCD Sailing Club (UCD SC) and Dublin University Sailing Club (DUSC) was held on Saturday the 14th of April in Dublin City. UCD SC successfully brought home the Colours trophy which was won by DUSC…

The forecast for the GP14 O'Tiarnaigh Challenge 2018 was moderate to fresh breeze for the Saturday and strong breeze and up to 30 knots of gusts for the Sunday. OD Peter Smyth at the Saturday morning briefing made the decision…

#FerryNews - Among ferry operators serving the UK, is the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company which is encouraging more people to rediscover the joy of travelling by sea. The ferry operator has teamed up with Manx National Heritage to…

#Ports&Shipping - The Port of Milford Haven in south Wales has published its 2017 Annual Report and Accounts. The report highlights how strategic long term investments have supported the growth of alternate business streams. It also demonstrates the role of…

#Tourism - ‘Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands’ is the new tourism brand for the Midlands region, with a particular emphasis on its inland waterways. More than 10,000 consumers gave their put to Fáilte Ireland on the development of the brand, which hopes…

#ClipperRace - On Day 23 (Monday 16 April) of Race 9: Race to the Emerald City, the leading Clipper Race teams have rounded the final waypoint of the 5,600 nautical mile marathon across the North Pacific Ocean, and are now…

The community of Erris and Irish Coast Guard have been jointly honoured at the People of the Year Awards, with special recognition for the crew of Rescue 116 which was lost off the Mayo coast in March of last year.…

Warrenpoint Port has unveiled a major 25-year growth plan as it forecasts a continued growth in trade following Brexit. The Masterplan document, which covers 2018-2043, aims to build on the port’s position as the second largest port in Northern Ireland…

#Rescue - A lone sailor whose yacht ran aground on Scariff Bay over the weekend had difficulties again just hours after his rescue. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Lough Derg  RNLI launched its lifeboat on Saturday evening (14 April) to…

The first review of the Masterplan commenced in 2017 with the purpose of ensuring that the Masterplan 2040 remains relevant and achieves its central objective of providing a clear vision for the sustainable development of Dublin Port into the future.…

These days, we’ve become accustomed to the historic Howth 17s of 1898-vintage – the world’s oldest keelboat class still sailing as originally designed – putting in admired appearances at classic boat festivals at home and abroad writes W M Nixon.…

A 'blessing of the boat' ceremony for Dublin yachtsman Liam Shanahan's new Oyster 625 Ruth II took place this afternoon at the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire.   Family and friends gathered onboard the new Rob Humphries design that recently arrived in…

Kinsale sailor and naval architect Jeremy Elliott is heading up North Sails Design Services giving him a key role in making the latest technology available to the North Technology Group companies and their clients. Based in Gosport, he’s worked on everything…

A strong south east breeze provided Kinsale Yacht Club's Matthews Helly Hansen sponsored Spring Series with two excellent races. Race one got away promptly at noon with the round the cans course finishing at Charles Fort. Race two got away…

#RNLI - Three-and-a-half months after setting out from her Arklow home, 65-year-old marathon runner Mary Nolan Hickey has completed her ‘lap of the map’ visiting RNLI lifeboat stations around the Irish coast, as TheJournal.ie reports. Hickey received a hero’s welcome…

#Navy - Leadship of the Irish Naval Service OPV90 class, LÉ Samuel Beckett is departing today for the Mediterranean to take part in 'Operation Sophia'. As The Irish Examiner reports, Ireland first joined the EU naval operation against smugglers and…