Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Barry Cunningham's J/109 Chimaera claimed Cruiser One ORC honours at the DMYC Regatta, the opening event of the ORC Ireland Dublin Bay Combined Clubs Regattas series, after edging Richard and Tim Goodbody's White Mischief in one of the closest contests…
USA skipper Allie Blecher successfully defended her Santa Maria Cup title on Saturday, defeating Sweden's Anna Östling 3-1 in a hard-fought final at Annapolis, Maryland. The victory gives Blecher and Team BAAM back-to-back wins at the prestigious event, which forms…
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has appointed Paul Arkwright as its new General Manager. Arkwright takes up the role on 8 June and joins the club following his tenure as General Manager of Hebe Haven Yacht Club in Hong…
El Niño could have a sudden and chaotic impact on weather patterns right across the globe, a Queen's University Belfast (QUB) climate expert says. An El Niño weather pattern raises global temperatures and worsens rainfall in some regions, and the…
Austria's Hans Spitzauer and Christian Nehammer have been crowned 2026 Star Eastern Hemisphere Champions after a dominant display at the KÉSZ Group Balaton Star Sailing Week in Hungary. The Austrian crew sealed the title on the final day at Lake…
Four Years After P&O Ferries Scandal UK Government Proposes New Worker Protections
7th June 2026 Ferry
Under new UK government proposals - fairer pay, proper rest periods, and stronger rights and protections under law are being promised for ferry seafarers. The proposed new ferry worker laws would give guaranteed minimum rest periods and fair pay for…
A new website dedicated to celebrated Scottish yacht designer Alfred Mylne has been launched, bringing more than a century of yacht design history together in one online archive. The new platform, Mylne.com, provides access to a growing collection of yacht…
Howlin' Mad Claims National 18 Irish Championship After Weather-Hit Regatta
7th June 2026 National 18
Howlin' Mad won the 2026 National 18 Irish Championship at Baltimore Sailing Club in West Cork after four races were completed on Saturday in a regatta heavily affected by weather. According to organisers, Sunday's scheduled racing was cancelled, leaving the championship…
Minister Tells Anglers Fines ’Not Fit for Purpose’ After Fish Stocks ‘Wipeout’ by Agricultural Discharge in Co Louth River
7th June 2026 Angling
The Minister of State for Fisheries, Timmy Dooley has told anglers that fines are “not fit for purpose” as he visited the Co Louth river affected by a significant fish kill. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI)…
Ben Ainslie Told Jim Ratcliffe ‘Will Burn Your House Down’, Documents Released in Multi-Million Yacht Legal Row Reveal
7th June 2026 America's Cup
Sir Ben Ainslie was told that INEOS chair Sir Jim Ratcliffe would “burn your house down” in a row over funding for America’s Cup campaigns, UK High Court documents reveal. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, Sir Jim has launched legal…
South-easterly winds of 135–150 degrees at 8–14 knots delivered excellent racing for the opening day of the 2026 DMYC Regatta on Dublin Bay on Saturday. Competitors enjoyed bright conditions and flat-water racing for the first races of the day before…
Andrew and Sam Hall's Pata Negra claimed overall victory in the 105th edition of Liverpool Yacht Club's Isle of Man Midnight Race, one of the oldest offshore yacht races in the Irish Sea. The race traces its origins to 1907…
Castletownbere RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat launched on Saturday afternoon (6 June) to a RIB with an engine fire just off Ardnakinna Lighthouse in West Cork. The crew of the Annette Hutton were paged shortly before 2pm and the lifeboat launched minutes…
Defending champion Allie Blecher will lead the four-team battle for the 2026 Santa Maria Cup title after qualifying concluded in Annapolis, Maryland. Blecher and Team BAAM topped the standings following the completion of the double round-robin stage at the second…
Dún Laoghaire RNLI volunteers rescued six people during two incidents off the Dublin coast on Friday afternoon. The station's all-weather lifeboat, Anna Livia, was first launched at 3.35 pm to assist two adults and a child aboard a four-metre RIB…
The second leg of this weekend's ISORA Isle of Man double-header has been cancelled following a recommendation from the race safety team. Race Nine, scheduled to take the fleet from Douglas to Dún Laoghaire on Sunday, was called off after…
A select number of buoyancy aids made by Helly Hansen have been recalled by the company on safety grounds. A recall issue notice by Helly Hansen Ireland says that due to “product manufacturing failures”, the listed buoyancy aids do not…
Offshore islands and the Gaeltacht are among the areas that may apply for grants under the €20 million Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS). Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, launched the 2026-2027 ORIS while in…
"Mindful Steps By the Sea" - World Ocean Day Events with Galway Atlantaquaria
6th June 2026 Maritime Festivals
Galway Atlantaquaria is marking World Ocean Day with a series of “mindful steps by the sea” between June 8th and 13th “What the ocean teaches us” is the theme of the events, which are funded by An Taisce’s Clean Coasts…
Registration is open for the Inishbofin Summer School in Connemara, now in its 42nd year. Described as Ireland’s longest-running outdoor environmental school, the course from July 6th to 10th on Inishbofin is led by marine biologists Dr Noirín Burke and…
