Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Irish Sailing and Yacht Club News. Regattas, Race Reports & Results
IFPEA chief executive Brendan Byrne (left) and IFPO chief executive Aodh O'Donnell. The IFPO says it has joined forces with the Killybegs Fisherman’s Organisation (KFO) and the Irish Fish Processors and Exporters Association (IFPEA) to highlight fishing issues in the European election campaign
Fishing and seafood organisations are hosting a “hustings” for budding MEPS in the current European Parliament election campaign. The “#fight4fishing campaign” has invited Midlands North-West European Parliament election candidates to a public meeting in Killybegs next Wednesday, May 22nd. Candidates…
North Channel twins Stena Superfast VII (pictured on Loch Ryan) and Stena Superfast VIII will be retrofitted with methanol propulsion, which will see the Belfast-Cairnryan pair after the conversion project transferred to LR class.
Following the successful methanol conversion of the Scandinavian cruise ferry Stena Germanica in 2015, Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Stena Line will work in partnership on a project to retrofit two North Channel fast ro-ro vessels with methanol propulsion. According to…
National Yacht Club junior sailors (from left to right) Sam Ledoux, coach, Alex Butcher, Jacob Browne, Louis Tricket, Eabha Brennan Hobbs, Alanah Whelan and Cormac Whelan
After a frustrating May Bank Holiday weekend and the absence of wind that led to the cancellation of the Feva East Coast championships, the various host yacht clubs around the country were rewarded with great conditions last weekend. The Optimist…
An Islay serving ferry, the MV Finlaggan, as above when on a previous call to a dry dock at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, on Merseyside. The CalMac ferry was due to return to service today (15 May) but will now be delayed until Saturday and in advance of the Islay Festival, which is a gathering of whisky and fans of the west Scottish island from around the world.
One of the largest ferries in the CalMac fleet, Finlaggan, of 5,626 gross tons, which usually serves Islay in the Inner Hebrides, has been delayed in annual maintenance, reports The National. Afloat.ie adds that the almost 90-metre ferry is currently…
The RORC De Guingand Bowl Race starts this Saturday
Saturday's (May 18th) RORC 160 nautical mile De Guingand Bowl Race will start off the Royal Yacht Squadron line. Almost uniquely in the RORC series, the De Guingand Bowl Race starts and finishes in The Solent. This allows the RORC…
Royal Cork's Irish champion Antix skippered b y Anthony O'Leary finished 12th and second Corinthian at Round Two of the Cape 31 Race Circuit on the Solent
Seventeen Cape 31s gathered at the Royal Thames Yacht Club for Round 2 of the 2024 31 Race Circuit, where Christian & Jacintha Hamilton-Love aboard Khumbu Red emerged victorious by a single point. The husband-wife team led the regatta and…
On the 8th of June, Ocean to City - An Rás Mór, as part of the Cork Harbour festival will see hundreds of rowers and paddlers compete in a challenging 28km race through Cork harbour
The much-anticipated Cork Harbour Festival is returning this June for 10 days of maritime fun, running from the 1st to the 10th. The festival showcases Cork's stunning natural assets, including Cork Harbour and the River Lee, and promises a diverse…
With less than a month away, free tours of the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) take place during the Cork Harbour Festival. Book your tickets for a unique in-person event at the NMCI in Ringaskiddy to discover state-of-the art facilities and learn all about maritime careers and education.
An exciting in-person event is to be held at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI), with tours of the campus in Ringaskiddy taking place on Friday, 7 June. The free tours are part of the 10-day Cork Harbour Festival. Explore…
Susan Backlinie, who was 77, was a former national competitive swimmer before she began working on stunt scenes and also acted professionally
Susan Backlinie, the stuntwoman who played the first victim in the 1975 film “Jaws”, has died of a heart attack in California. Backlinie, who was 77, was a former national competitive swimmer before she began working on stunt scenes and…
File image of the Barrow Navigation in Carlow
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Barrow Navigation that events will be taking place on the waterway in Carlow town over the next two weekends. The Kerala House Boat Race will take place this Sunday 19 May. And…
Whale Watch Ireland 2024
This year’s Whale Watch Ireland has been brought forward from its usual August date to coincide with National Biodiversity Week. The nationwide whale watch organised by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) takes place this Saturday 18 May between…
The last remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is exploded by US Army demolition exports on Monday 13 May
The final remaining span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge — collapsed by a cargo ship crash in late March — has been brought down in a controlled explosion. As Marine Industry News reports, US Army explosives experts oversaw the…
File image of two orcas breaching
A sailing yacht has been sunk in the Strait of Gibraltar in the latest of a spate of incidents involving orcas in the region. According to RTÉ News, the 15-metre yacht Alboran Cognac was rammed by the cetaceans on Sunday…
Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan - delighted to welcome Marine Planning Responsibility into his department
Responsibility for Ireland’s marine planning system has been formally transferred to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC). The transfer from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage follows recommendations made by the former Attorney General Paul…
Brendan O'Connor, Commodore Garykennedy S.C., Maura Boyle of Larkins presenting the Visitors Cup to Philip Despard and his team of Stephenie O’Neill, Catherine Murphy, Stefany Gorski and Mark Reddan
Racing on Lough Derg is well underway already this season, with growing numbers appearing at Garykennedy Sailing Club's activities on Saturdays since April. Some 150 sailors turned out last Saturday for "The Visitors' Cup" which was part of a day…
The Vendée Globe's ‘little American sister', the New York Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne Race will set sail in 15 days time, on 29 May
With six months to go before the start of its 10th edition, the Vendée Globe is making an American aside! The last qualifying and selection race for the solo round the world race, the New York Vendée Les Sables d'Olonne,…
Geoff Holt MBE DL has dedicated his life to providing access to the sea for disabled people, demonstrating that there are no limits to what can be achieved. ‘Finishing The Dream’ is the incredible challenge he is undertaking for 2024
Involving months of planning and preparation, quadriplegic adventurer Geoff Holt MBE DL set sail from St. Katherine’s Dock, London in a record-breaking challenge to circumnavigate the UK coastline. The official ‘Finishing the Dream’ journey will call at 17 accessible ports…
The P70 class Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV) twins LÉ Aoibhinn (P71) as above and LÉ Gobnait (P72) which is to serve in the Irish Sea, on the east and south-east coasts. Of the pair, the crew of LÉ Aoibhinn are preparing the cutter into an initial stage of service this month and thereon into a full operational role. These stages see the vessel’s capabilities tested and armament installed and with their entry, they will mark a new era in Ireland’s commitment to EU fishery protection, the EEZ and in other roles tasked.
The newest additions to the Naval Service are a pair of former Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV) with the first of the cutters, expected to head out to sea this month based on an initial operating…
Just one step from becoming a ghost ship. The very unused classic 1981-vintage Frers 51 Moonduster seen recently languishing in Trondheim in Norway
In the Spring of 1981, Dens Doyle’s Frers 51 Moonduster was launched at Crosshaven into a glittering 20-year partnership in which she and her very special owner-skipper became a much-admired feature of the European offshore racing scene. It was a…
The Seafood Industry Representatives Forum (SIRF) is a collective of eight fishing and aquaculture representative organisations formed to deal with issues associated with ORE and their impacts
The Irish seafood industry says it is giving a “guarded welcome” to the Government’s recently published “Future Framework” policy statement for offshore renewable energy (ORE). The Seafood Industry Representatives Forum (SIRF), a collective of eight fishing and aquaculture representative organisations…