Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Trust in news in Ireland has fallen significantly over the past year, according to the Digital News Report Ireland 2026 published by Coimisiún na Meán. The annual study shows that 42% of Irish people say they trust most news most…
The 73rd Loro Piana Giraglia enjoyed near-perfect sailing conditions on Monday as a steady north-easterly breeze delivered fast and competitive racing off Saint-Tropez. Cloudy skies gave way to sunshine shortly before racing began, with a 14-knot breeze filling the Gulf…
Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Mark Lyttle, the ILCA Class World President, goes into the final day of the 2026 ILCA 7 Masters World Championship in Athens with a slender but significant lead in the Grand Masters fleet, built not on race…
Ballycotton RNLI brought four people safely to shore after a late-night rescue operation involving a motorboat with engine trouble 29 miles south of Ballycotton. The alarm was raised at 10.12 pm on Sunday, 14 June, when Valentia Coast Guard received…
The largest fleet in the history of the Rolex TP52 World Championship is set to compete off Porto Cervo as racing gets underway on Tuesday. A total of 15 TP52 yachts representing 11 nations will contest the 2026 world title…
Aquaculture and Water Quality To Be Discussed by Joint Oireachtas Committee
15th June 2026 Aquaculture
Aquaculture and water quality issues are to be discussed by the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs with stakeholders on Tuesday (June 16) The meeting at 11am in Committee Room 2 of Leinster House will hear from representatives of…
The Royal Irish Yacht Club has announced the schedule for its 195th anniversary regatta celebrations, with a week-long programme of racing, social events and heritage activities in Dún Laoghaire. Founded in 1831, the club is one of Ireland's oldest sailing…
The 2026 Newport Bermuda Race will get underway on Friday, 19 June, with more than 150 boats lining up for the 636-nautical-mile offshore passage from Newport, Rhode Island, to Bermuda. Known as the "Thrash to the Onion Patch", the race…
The 2026 1720 National Championships delivered a closely contested seven-race series in Baltimore, West Cork, with the title decided after three days of varied Atlantic conditions. Baltimore Sailing Club hosted 19 boats from 12–14 June as crews faced everything from…
Irish Sailing President Dave Cullen and sailing colleague Declan Byrne, both of Howth Yacht Club, have returned a dormant Quarter Tonner to the water after an extensive rebuild that transformed the yacht into a race-ready campaigner. The Ceccarelli-designed Chronos has…
A Sydney Hobart retirement has become the catalyst for a renewed offshore campaign for Lake Macquarie sailors Tim Binns and Frances Beaumont. The double-handed pair will launch their 2026 offshore season in July's Noakes Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race aboard…
The 172nd New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta delivered a blend of history, close competition and modern racing as more than 130 boats competed off Newport, Rhode Island. The spotlight fell on the classic yacht SPARTAN, which marked a successful…
James Joyce's Dublin will be explored from a different angle this Bloomsday with two special boat tours around Dublin Bay and the River Liffey. Dublin Boat Tour, operating from the Irish National Sailing & Powerboat School in Dún Laoghaire, has…
The historic Lough Derg Yacht Club (LDYC) Garraunafada Cup, held in memory of Ed Waller, takes place annually at the picturesque village of Garrykennedy on the shores of Lough Derg writes Patricia George. And this year, Race Officers Joe Gilmartin…
Irish sailors Sean Craig and Stephen Boyle secured a top-ten finish at the UK GP14 National Championship in Llandudno, Wales last weekend. Representing Royal St George Yacht Club and Sutton Dinghy Club, the Dublin Bay pairing finished seventh overall in…
The fifth Women at the Helm (WATH) Regatta 2026 (WATH) took place at the National Yacht Club over the weekend of June 12th-14th in conjunction with the National Yacht Club Regatta on Saturday June 13th with WATH racing continuing on…
Drug Smugglers Exploiting Lack of Garda Presence at Foynes Port: Report
14th June 2026 Shannon Estuary
A report in The Journal says that the Port of Foynes on the Shannon Estuary is being exploited by international drug smugglers — but is policed by only two gardaí. Sources claim that Garda organised crime operations “focus on a…
Hibernia Line's second ferry, MV Akka, arrived in Cork Harbour on Saturday morning, completing the two-ship fleet for the operator's new Cork–France service. The arrival came less than 24 hours after sister vessel St Patrick made the inaugural sailing of…
Tributes have poured in from across the sailing world following the death of French offshore racing star Charlie Dalin, the reigning Rolex World Sailor of the Year who received the sport's highest honour in Dún Laoghaire last year. Dalin died…
Registration for this year’s Cong-Galway yacht race closes on June 21st. The race, set for June 27th weather permitting, is billed as the longest inland waterways sailing race in Europe. It runs over two legs from the top of Lough…
