Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Irish solo sailor Pat Lawless has received his official Green Card for the 2026 McIntyre Golden Globe Race, clearing one of the final hurdles before Sunday’s start of the 30,000-nautical-mile solo, non-stop circumnavigation. Lawless was the second of the 16 skippers…
The RS21 World Championship will head to France for the first time this autumn, with entries now open for the fifth edition of the international keelboat class's global championship. Around 50 boats are expected at the Yacht Club de Cannes…
The Mirror Nationals were hosted by Rush Sailing Club at the weekend as part of the club’s dinghy festival. The Mirrors were joined by the RS Aero class, also sailing their Nationals, while the club senior regatta added fleets of…
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Happy September sailing to all you sailors out there - and here is happy pricing! The sailing "season" is still ripping along with various championships, events, "Indian Summer" cruises, Autumn Leagues & "frosty" series still to come. So, there is…
The Irish Fish Producers Organisation (IFPO) has called on the Government to seek a comprehensive review of Ireland’s position within the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), arguing that flexibility offered to Iceland should also be available to Irish fisheries. The…
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has opened a new round of funding for projects that remove physical barriers from rivers and waterways. The initiative follows IFI funding schemes launched in 2025, which awarded grants of €28.48 million to 194 projects across…
Following the death of Johnny Hooper, sailing historian Vincent Delany recalls the remarkable career of the double Olympian and National Yacht Club and Royal Irish Yacht Club sailor, whose achievements stretched across several decades of Irish sailing. Johnny was born…
Dunmore East RNLI were tasked at the weekend following a report of a person in the water while fishing from rocks just south of Dunmore East Harbour. The volunteer lifeboat crew were alerted at 7.50pm on Saturday (29 August) and…
European marinas are being mapped on the EU-funded European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) as part of an initiative to give recreational boating greater visibility in maritime spatial planning. The project comes as competition for European coastal and marine…
Three major offshore titles will be decided when the Royal Ocean Racing Club fleet sets out on the Nautical Cloud Cherbourg Race on Friday, 4 September. The traditional 75-nautical-mile sprint from Cowes to Cherbourg is the final event of the…
The Department of Transport has been advised by Vermilion Exploration & Production Ireland Limited of an inspection campaign of the Corrib offshore pipelines and umbilical. These works will commence on Thursday 3 September and will last for approximately 14 days,…
Garmin has expanded its marine technology range with four new product announcements covering onboard audio, instrumentation and sailboat autopilot systems. The September launches include new JL Audio A60 marine head units, JL Audio M200 speakers and subwoofers, the GMI 40…
Report from MAIB on Holyhead Ferry-Jetty Incident that Holed Hull & Caused Flooding
1st September 2026 Stena Line
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has outlined the events that caused a Stena Line ferry collision with a jetty at the Port of Holyhead, Wales, during a normal berthing maneuver, reports The Maritime Executive. The incident, which took…
The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) has named its multi-platform commentary team for the 2026 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, with leading Australian sports broadcaster Matt Hill joining the line-up for the first time. Hill, best known as the…
Peter McConnell of Royal North of Ireland YC is “Sailor of the Month (Championship)” for August
1st September 2026 Sailor of the Month
The Royal North of Ireland YC at Cultra on Belfast Lough had quite a month of it in August with the hosting of the hundred-strong fleet racing in the GP14 Worlds. And then, in the very last weekend of the…
Ger Owens of Wicklow & Mel Morris of Newtownards are “Sailors of the Month (World Champions)” for August
1st September 2026 Sailor of the Month
A successful 27-year south/north championship dinghy racing crew combination would be unusual enough in any country, and in Ireland it’s a beacon of goodwill with its own special messages for all sport. Not least of the messages is that you…
Sienna Wright of Howth is “Sailor of the Month (Youth Worlds)” for August
1st September 2026 Howth YC
With something like 429 young sailors from 45 nations in all categories taking part in August’s huge ILCA 6 Youth Worlds at Aarhus in Denmark, getting anywhere near the podium was a remarkable achievement. Yet in her fleet races for…
Finn Lynch of Carlow is “Sailor of the Month (Olympic)” for August
1st September 2026 Sailor of the Month
Finn Lynch may have been disappointed that his home ILCA 7 World Championship on Dublin Bay did not produce the medal he wanted, but eighth overall in the 141-boat fleet was another remarkable demonstration of his consistency at the very…
Johnny Swan of Howth is “Sailor of the Month (International Offshore)” for August
1st September 2026 Sailor of the Month
While sailors at home in Ireland basked in the heat of high summer, in mid-August away to the north at highly scenic Hangko in Norway, the weather was sometimes decidedly rugged for the international fleet of 42 Classic Half Tonners…
Finnish Firm Acquires Former Irish Sea Ferry Stena Nautica for Åland Archipelago
1st September 2026 Ferry
Baltic Sea ferry company Rederiaktiebolaget Eckerö, based in Mariehamn, the capital of the Åland archipelago, earlier in the summer announced the purchase of the ropax Stena Nautica from its Swedish owner. As Shippax reported in May, the move will strengthen its…
