Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
The championship flag has been raised in Dún Laoghaire as sailors from 45 nations prepare for the opening races of the 2026 ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship on Dublin Bay. The championship flag has been raised in Dún Laoghaire, signalling…
Marine Notice: Hydrographic and Metocean Survey Operations Off Cork Coast
24th August 2026 Coastal Notes
The Department of Transport has been notified by Hydro Survey on behalf of Uisce Éireann that hydrographic and metocean survey operations will be undertaken in support of the South Cork Strategic Modelling Study. These surveys will take place along the…
The Journal reports on a search and rescue operation under way in the Irish Sea following a report of a person missing from a ferry. The UK’s HM Coastguard has been coordinating the multi-agency response since the alarm was raised…
Official Launch of Exhibition Celebrates 120th Anniversary of Rosslare-Fishguard Ferry
24th August 2026 Rosslare Europort
At Rosslare Europort an official launch event takes place today (24 Aug) to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the St. George's Channel crossing connecting to Fishguard, South Wales. The admission-free launch (at 7pm) of the special exhibition presented by Rosslare…
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Pip Hare, Tom Cunliffe and Mike Golding are among more than 100 speakers and demonstrators confirmed for the Southampton International Boat Show 2026, which runs from 18-27 September. More than 110 talks, panel discussions, demonstrations and workshops are…
Galway Docklands Festival has issued an invitation to participate in this year’s event, which takes place on Sunday, September 20th. The event, run by Galway Hooker Sailing Club, takes place from 11 am to 4 pm at Galway Docks, outside…
Dingle dolphin Fungie was genetically a mix between Ireland’s Shannon Estuary bottlenose dolphin population and the much larger offshore population, a newly published study has found. Fungie, who inhabited Dingle, Co Kerry for almost four decades and became one of…
Thirteen TP52 teams return to racing in Lanzarote on Tuesday, August 25th, for the Puerto Calero Lanzarote 52 Super Series Royal Cup, with championship leader Sled carrying a 17-point advantage into the fourth regatta of the five-event season. The five-day…
“It is shaping up to be a fantastic weekend for the Rankin Worlds in Crosshaven,” say Conor English and Maurice Kidney, organisers of the great ‘Rankin Revival,’ which is planned to reach a height this weekend at the Royal Cork…
Monkstown Bay Offers Adult Sailing Course in Cork Harbour
24th August 2026 Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club in Cork Harbour is offering an Adult Sailing Course, an introduction to the sport, on September 18 and 19. It costs €150 per person and follows a successful course held in April. “Perfect for anyone looking to get…
Tony McCarth Slipway Named at Lough Ree RNLI in Tribute to Former Volunteer
24th August 2026 RNLI Lifeboats
Lough Ree RNLI has honoured the late Tony McCarth, a former Lifeboat Operations Manager who played a key role in the development of the station, by naming the slipway at its Coosan Point boathouse in his memory. RNLI volunteers past…
Two new subsea fibre-optic cable systems linking Ireland directly with the United States are planned in a $500 million investment, with landings proposed in Galway and on Ireland’s south coast. Irish subsea cable specialist MDM has announced plans for the…
Three-time defending champion Johnie Berntsson will return to Hamilton Harbour in October seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive Bermuda Gold Cup as the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club confirms an expanded 12-skipper field for the 2026 event. The October 13-18 regatta will…
Defending Champion Wiersema Expects ‘Tricky Racing’ at Dublin Bay ILCA 7 Worlds
24th August 2026 ILCA Worlds 2026
Defending ILCA 7 World Champion Willem Wiersema says Dublin Bay's shifting breeze and pressure differences are set to make for “tricky racing” when the 141-boat World Championship fleet begins racing off Dun Laoghaire on Tuesday. The Dutch champion has already…
Jon Mclean's FarEast 28R Resolute and Colm Garvey's Ceccarelli Quarter Tonner Illegal emerged as the leading IRC winners from Royal Cork Yacht Club's 306th At Home Regatta at Crosshaven, with Illegal also taking the overall spinnaker IRC prize. The weekend…
Sean Donnelly and Greg Arrowsmith of the Royal St George Yacht Club have won the 2026 Melges 15 Irish National Championships at the Royal Irish Yacht Club after a one-point victory at the end of a remarkably close seven-race series…
Tom Slingsby’s Bonds Flying Roos claimed their fifth SailGP event victory of the 2026 season in Sassnitz on Sunday (August 23), beating NorthStar Canada and Spain’s Los Gallos in a light-air final on the Baltic. The victory stretched Australia’s lead…
Carrick Rowing Club has appealed for information after one of its boats was badly damaged in an overnight act of vandalism at its base in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim. The club says its octuple rowing boat was removed from its storage…
Denis Hewitt’s Mills 31 Raptor took both the race victory and overall honours as the Sail for Cancer charity sailing event hosted by the Royal Irish Yacht Club returned to Dublin Bay on Friday evening (August 21), raising just under €5,000…
The 50-year-old former fishing vessel MV KATE is due to leave Kinsale Fisheries Pier on Sunday afternoon, bound for Gaza in an attempt to breach the Israeli naval blockade and deliver relief supplies to Palestinians. Previous attempts by vessels taking…
