Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
The dismasting of the home club’s Sun Fast 3300 Cinnamon Girl (Cian McCarthy) in Kinsale YC’s Inishtearaght Race at the weekend, and the subsequent victory in the same race of John Malone’s JPK 10.30 Loinnir Girl, has had a knock-on…
A captain of a Royal Navy ‘Hunt’-class mine countermeasure vessel, which had visited the Isle of Man this week, told Manx Radio his crew was delighted to witness the TT. During its visit to the Isle of Man, HMS Middleton…
Guillaume Pirouelle and Jules Ducelier aboard SOGESTRAN-SEAFRIGO have won the 17th CIC Normandy Channel Race after crossing the finish line in Ouistreham at 4.20 pm. The Norman duo completed the 816-nautical-mile course in 3 days, 2 hours and 20 minutes,…
Rush Sailing Club's Endeavour claimed the 2026 Munster Mermaid Championship after a closely fought contest at Foynes Yacht Club. Crews from Rush, Skerries, Wexford and Foynes gathered on the Shannon Estuary for the two-day event on 30 and 31 May.…
A new state-of-the-art pilot vessel for the Port of Milford Haven, South Wales, has reached a major milestone with the official naming ceremony of the craft. The newbuild named Llanion reinforces the energy port’s continued commitment to safe, efficient, and…
A new international report has highlighted growing efforts to reduce vessel strikes on whales and other marine megafauna as global shipping traffic continues to increase. The findings were presented following a specialist workshop held during the European Cetacean Society Conference…
Emergency repairs are under way at Dún Laoghaire's West Pier after storm damage opened a significant hole in the northern sea wall of the historic Roundhead. The breach was discovered during an annual low-water drone survey of the harbour's East…
Well, why not? In an era when multi-squillionaires are rivalling each other in a “mine’s bigger than yours” competition to send the largest and most powerful privately-funded rockets into increasingly cluttered space, the entrepreneurial notion of a super-cruise-liner a mile…
Nicolas Lunven has secured overall victory in the 57th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, completing a remarkable comeback nine years after his last appearance in the race. The PRB skipper sealed his third Solitaire title after finishing fourth…
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on and users of the Shannon Navigation at Lough Ree that the Office of Public Works (OPW) will be undertaking river flow measurements on the River Inny, in the vicinity of the floating jetty…
Tom Dolan's challenge for a second Solitaire du Figaro Paprec title came to an abrupt end on Tuesday night after the Irish skipper ran aground on the Sein reef while leading the race overall. As Afloat reported earlier, the Kingspan…
Cork Harbour Festival visitors will have a rare opportunity to hear one of Ireland’s leading authorities on currachs and naomhóga this weekend. Acclaimed author Breandán Mac Conamhna will speak at Cork City Library at 3 pm on Saturday, June 6,…
Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) says it is investigating a “locally significant” fish kill on the River Glyde in Co Louth. The incident occurred in the vicinity of Tallanstown, some 13km south-west of Dundalk. Fisheries environmental officers have been on site…
Wednesday evening's (June 3rd) Water Wag racing on Dublin Bay has been cancelled due to forecast strong and gusty westerly winds. The decision was taken following discussions between Race Officer Harry Gallagher and the Water Wag racing committee. The scheduled…
A body has been recovered in the search for a person missing after a fishing boat sank in Carlingford Lough on Tuesday afternoon (2 June), as BreakingNews.ie reports. A major multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched after the alarm…
The final hours of the 2026 La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec are unfolding in demanding conditions in the English Channel, with the overall result still hanging in the balance. After rounding Brittany, the fleet entered the decisive closing phase of…
Donaghadee RNLI volunteers rescued a man from the water in Donaghadee Harbour on Tuesday afternoon after reports he was struggling to stay afloat. The volunteer crew was paged at 3.46 pm on 2 June by HM Coastguard following a call…
Ireland must move from ambition to delivery in protecting its marine environment, delegates at the Fair Seas World Ocean Week Conference in Cork have heard. The conference at Cork City Hall today (Wednesday, June 3) brought together international conservation experts,…
South Australian yacht Clockwork is preparing for a fourth consecutive Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race after overcoming one of its toughest offshore challenges yet in 2025. Co-owner Mary Ann Harvey admits she questioned her decision to return during the early…
The 2026 CIC Normandy Channel Race is heading for a dramatic finish after a high-speed charge through the English Channel left the leading Class40 crews separated by just a handful of miles. SOGESTRAN-SEAFRIGO, skippered by Guillaume Pirouelle and Jules Ducelier,…
