Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
British Crew Leads Irish Dragon Nationals After Six Races at Royal Irish Yacht Club
18th July 2026 Dragon
A British crew leads the Irish Dragon National Championship after six races at the Royal Irish Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire, where a fresh north-easterly produced fast, physical racing on Dublin Bay. With one discard now applied, David Tabb's Send…
Promoted
WOW!, another Cork Week has just flown by, my 18th - an unbroken run since 1990 - a most epic half-life sentence! As always, your North Sails team were there on and off the water supporting and helping all competitors…
A fresh north-easterly of 15–20 knots and bright sunshine produced exhilarating conditions for those who ventured onto Dublin Bay on Saturday as the AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club Summer Series continued. The brisk breeze kept numbers down in some fleets…
Paul Watson Foundation Ship 'Bandero' Visits Dún Laoghaire
18th July 2026 Dun Laoghaire Harbour News
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation vessel Bandero has visited Dún Laoghaire Harbour, arriving alongside Carlisle Pier before later moving to anchor in nearby Scotsman's Bay According to local harbour sources, the Panama-registered vessel called to Dún Laoghaire to facilitate a…
Portaferry Lifeboat Crew Join in Multi-Agency Search for Missing Jet-Skier
18th July 2026 RNLI Lifeboats
Portaferry RNLI’s crew pagers sounded at 8.43pm on Thursday evening (16 July) after Belfast Coastguard were alerted to a personal watercraft found adrift by a passing RIB in the Irish Sea several miles east of the entrance of Strangford Lough.…
Carrybridge RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was requested to launch by Belfast Coastguard shortly before 9pm on Wednesday evening (15 July) to assess a five-metre vessel, with four people on board, which had lost power after hitting a submerged object some two…
Ireland’s Largest Tug Initially Assists Cocaine Busted Bulker Bound for Bulgaria
18th July 2026 Cork Harbour
Following a technical issue with a tug, the cocaine-busted bulker MV Matthew finally left Cork Harbour yesterday, as Afloat reported, after a 24-hour-plus delay to its voyage bound for Bulgaria, writes Jehan Ashmore. Assisting operations was Ocean Challenger, the largest…
Interferry this year marks its 50th annual conference, which has a lineup of keynote speakers and leaders at an event to be held in Shangri-La, Bangkok, Thailand. The event (Oct 31-Nov 4) centres on the pivotal theme “Stronger than Ever……
Connemara Waterfront Home Offers Private Slipway on Ballinakill Lough
18th July 2026 Waterfront Property
A four-bedroom waterfront home in Connemara with its own private slipway has come to the market, offering boating access directly from the property onto Ballinakill Lough. Lakeside at Ballinakill, Lettermullen, Co Galway, is a detached residence extending to 154.3sq m…
Revenue has confirmed the departure of the MV Matthew from the Port of Cork, bringing to a close one of the most complex customs enforcement operations ever undertaken in Ireland. The cargo vessel was detained and seized by Revenue in…
International Research Team En Route to Greenland To Study Impact of Ice Melt on Atlantic
18th July 2026 Marine Science
An international team of researchers has set off for Greenland on a six-week expedition to study how quickly the ice sheet’s rapidly melting fjord glaciers are pushing the Atlantic Ocean towards a critical climate tipping point. The team will travel…
European Boating Industry (EBI), whose members include the Irish Marine Federation, is recruiting for a newly created position as Regulatory Affairs Officer based in Brussels. The new role will focus on advocacy and regulatory issues affecting the recreational boating industry,…
Proposed reforms to wedding laws in England and Wales could allow couples to legally marry onboard boats while afloat, opening up new business opportunities for the UK leisure marine sector. British Marine has welcomed the UK Government's launch of a…
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary has announced funding of €3.7 million to support offshore island communities. A capital funding programme of €2,740,509 has been approved to four local authorities for upgrading works including resurfacing…
All Eyes Increasingly Towards Dun Laoghaire’s World Major As 2026 Season Progresses Through Second Half
18th July 2026 W M Nixon
The 2026 ILCA 7 Worlds in Dublin Bay from 23rd to 30th August, co-hosted by the National Yacht Club and Royal St George YC of Dun Laoghaire is by all official ratings the most important sailing event in Ireland this year. Sailing being…
MV Matthew Leaves Cork Bound for Black Sea Grain Trade After Three-Year Stay
17th July 2026 Port of Cork
The MV Matthew, the cargo ship at the centre of Ireland's largest-ever drugs seizure, left Cork Harbour under tow on Friday evening, bound for Varna, Bulgaria, where it is expected to undergo refit before returning to commercial service carrying grain…
The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) has confirmed its 2027 National Championships will be staged in Dún Laoghaire, bringing Ireland's cruiser-racer championship to the Royal St. George Yacht Club.. ICRA Commodore John Leech announced the venue for the 2027 championships at the…
The National Yacht Club will open the decks of its newly acquired committee boat to members on Saturday (18 July), offering the first opportunity to view the vessel that is set to become the cornerstone of the club's race management…
Irish Lights Showcases Shannon Estuary Safety Work During Ministerial Visit
17th July 2026 Lighthouses
Marine Minister Timmy Dooley has visited the Irish Lights vessel ILV Granuaile during its annual programme of aids to navigation maintenance on the Shannon Estuary. The visit provided an opportunity to see at first hand the specialist work undertaken by…
La Solitaire du Figaro is to undergo one of the biggest changes in its 50-year history when the solo offshore classic switches from the Figaro Bénéteau 3 one-design to the Ocean Fifty multihull class from 2028. The move will bring…
