Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Irish-American sailor Colm Walker has withdrawn from the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, ending a second strand of Irish interest in the solo non-stop round-the-world race ahead of its start from Les Sables-d’Olonne on 6 September. Walker reached the French…
Ireland's 2021 World Championship silver medallist Finn Lynch leads a six-strong home challenge when one of the deepest ILCA 7 World Championship fleets of recent years begins racing on Dublin Bay, with 141 sailors from 45 nations assembled in Dún…
The Rolex SailGP Championship returns to the Baltic this weekend, with stronger winds potentially putting the championship’s outright speed record under threat at the ROCKWOOL Germany Sail Grand Prix in Sassnitz. Thirteen international teams will race close to the shoreline…
El Syd Wins ISORA Night Race as Howth's Indian Takes Viking Marine Coastal Series
22nd August 2026 ISORA
Frank Whelan's Sydney 43 GTS El Syd from Greystones won Friday night's final Viking Marine ISORA Irish Coastal Series race on IRC, while Simon Knowles' Howth Yacht Club J/109 Indian produced the result it needed to leap from third to…
The 2020s provide a remarkable decade of major sailing commemorations in world, national and local sailing. Between 2020 and 2030, the 300th Anniversary of the Royal Cork YC has already been marked, as has the 250th of Lough Ree Yacht…
Body Found in Search for Man Overboard From Cruise Liner Off Scotland
21st August 2026 Scottish Waters
A body has been recovered after a passenger was reported overboard from a cruise liner off Scotland’s east coast, according to The Irish News. The alarm was raised on Friday morning (21 August) after a man reportedly fell overboard from…
Shannon Navigation: Long-Distance Endurance Swim Begins This Weekend
21st August 2026 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that a week-long endurance swim of the length of the Shannon commences on Saturday 22 August. Nineteen-year-old Conor Lanigan will undertake the exceptional endurance challenge, swimming some…
Restrictions for Lough Ree Boaters Around Castle to Castle Swim This Saturday
21st August 2026 Inland Waterways
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation that the Jim O’Connor Memorial Castle to Castle Swim takes place on Lough Ree this Saturday 22 August. This annual event is an important fundraising initiative for…
The Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) will host a 22-boat fleet for the Melges 15 National Championships on Dublin Bay this weekend, with seven races scheduled in what is expected to be a light-air series. Race Officer Michael Tyrell and…
Irish Sailors Take Round Britain and Ireland Podium After Bellino Boom Break
21st August 2026 Rd Britain & Ireland
Dublin sailor Nicole Hemeryck and Cork's Joe Griffiths have completed the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race aboard Bellino, taking a provisional IRC Two podium place despite racing the final 200 miles without a mainsail. The two Irish sailors, both…
Ballycotton RNLI rescued three people from a 30ft yacht after it suffered steering difficulties off Roches Point on Thursday night, 20 August. The all-weather lifeboat The Austin Lidbury was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard at 9.50 pm after…
More than 140 sailors from 46 nations will descend on Dún Laoghaire next week for the 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship, bringing Olympic and world champions to Dublin Bay for six days of racing. The championship, hosted jointly by…
The Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School (INSS) is now taking bookings for its autumn Coastal Skipper & Yachtmaster Offshore Theory course, held in the INSS clubhouse on the West Pier in Dún Laoghaire.Targeted at sailors looking to step up…
Spain’s recreational boating sector is enjoying a strong summer, with new boat registrations up more than 11% and marine tourism generating an annual economic impact of €6.2 billion. The growth follows a more challenging 2025 and is being accompanied by…
Bundoran RNLI will bring together emergency services from across the North West for its sixth annual RNLI and Emergency Services Open Day on Sunday, August 30. The free family event will run from 1 pm to 4 pm at Bundoran…
It seems the best way to make commemorations go with a buzz is to try to make it all low-key. The Sailing Into Wellness organisation, which runs the restored 1926-vintage 56ft Baltimore-built trading ketch Ilen of Conor O'Brien fame, tends…
The America’s Cup marks its 175th anniversary this weekend, tracing its origins to the schooner America’s famous victory around the Isle of Wight on 22 August 1851. What began with a Victorian silver ewer and a race involving the New…
Carrybridge RNLI volunteer Matthew Nelson has qualified as a helm, allowing him to take command of the station’s inshore lifeboat during training exercises and emergency call-outs on Lough Erne. Nelson completed his five-hour assessment on Wednesday, both ashore at Carrybridge…
Kinsale Yacht Club’s Caoimhe Corkery and Ríona McMorrow-Moriarty of Tralee Bay Sailing Club have been crowned 2026 Irish 420 National Champions after finishing second overall in the 29-boat championship at Lough Derg Yacht Club. The Irish 420 pair finished behind…
Twenty-seven years after Ger Owens and Melanie Morris first began sailing together, the Irish pair have reached the top of the GP14 class, winning the 2026 World Championship on Belfast Lough — a victory Owens admits has made him feel…
