Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Baltimore RNLI held the early advantage in the Beaufort Cup's opening offshore race as part of Cork Week Regatta on Monday as the fleet settled into the 122-nautical-mile challenge from Haulbowline Naval Base to the Fastnet Rock and back. Thunder…
Irish Skiff Teams Ready for 49er European Championships
6th July 2026 Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove
Irish Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove launch their latest Los Angeles 2028 Olympic campaign this week at the 2026 49er European Championships in Eckernförde, Germany. The championship, running from 7–12 July on Germany's Baltic coast, has attracted a fleet…
Galway RNLI volunteers responded to three separate emergency callouts in a single night after being tasked by the Irish Coast Guard to assist incidents across Galway Bay. The first launch came shortly after 1 am when the lifeboat was requested…
Trentesaux Reveals Courrier Pogo RC Had Just Four Hours' Training Before Round Ireland
6th July 2026 Round Ireland
French offshore racing legend Géry Trentesaux has revealed that his new Pogo RC, Courrier, had just four hours of crew training before taking on this year's Round Ireland Race – making the yacht's remarkable runner-up finish on corrected time all…
North Sails is encouraging boat owners to trade in older sails and upgrade to new ones this summer through a limited-time promotion running until 31 July. The campaign offers preferential pricing on new sails for sailors looking to improve performance,…
"Pinger" To Deter Dusty The Dolphin During Lifesaving Training in Clare The Focus of Public Consultation Meeting
6th July 2026 Marine Wildlife
Clare Water Safety is holding a “public engagement” tonight, Monday July 6th, on the use of a device to protect participants in its lifesaving programme from Dusty the resident dolphin. As Afloat has reported, Dusty is a solitary dolphin which…
British Coastguard Engulfed in Controversy Over Decision To Drop Volunteer Payments
6th July 2026 Northern Ireland Waters
A controversy has erupted in the UK Coastguard over a decision to drop payments to volunteers involved in emergencies. As The Times UK reports, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) opted to strip volunteers of payments in response to a…
The first boats in the ARC Europe fleet have arrived in Faial, Azores, after completing a demanding 1,800-nautical-mile Atlantic crossing from Bermuda. The passage formed the second leg of the World Cruising Club's multi-stage rally and tested crews with a…
A powerful Meltemi breeze delivered a dramatic start to the sixth AEGEAN 600 on Sunday, sending the 71-boat fleet racing south under reefed sails in 25 to 30 knots of wind. Organised by the Hellenic Offshore Racing Club (HORC) and…
Wicklow RNLI volunteers launched their inshore lifeboat on Sunday to help transfer an injured swimmer from a floating pontoon in Wicklow Harbour. The call came at 12.50 pm after the Coast Guard requested assistance from the station. The young man…
France's Sun Hill IV claimed overall victory in the 2026 RORC Cowes-Dinard-St Malo Race after a fast and tactical 150-nautical-mile passage across the English Channel. The Royal Ocean Racing Club's largest offshore fleet of the season saw 79 boats start…
The Taoiseach officially opened Cork Week 2026 at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven on Sunday, (July 5th) launching one of Ireland's biggest sailing events before competitors from Ireland and overseas take to the water this week. More than…
The Dublin Bay Water Wags continued one of the class's longest-standing traditions on Sunday with their annual sailing expedition and picnic on Dalkey Island. The event, which dates back more than a century, brought together Water Wag sailors and visiting…
A father-and-son partnership from Sutton Dinghy Club claimed the 2026 GP14 Leinster Championship after six races at Howth Yacht Club. Peter and Stephen Boyle won the 32-boat championship aboard Further, finishing with a nett score of 15 points after counting…
American skipper Chris Poole and Riptide Racing claimed a second GKSS Match Cup Sweden title on Sunday, while France's Pauline Courtois successfully defended the Nordea Women's Trophy in Marstrand. Sailed in a fresh 16-knot westerly breeze, the finals delivered high-quality…
Three Irish crews completed the day's only race before severe weather forced an early end to racing at the 29er World Championships in Kiel, Germany. Louise Hanley of the National Yacht Club is the leading Irish sailor after the fourth…
The Beaufort Cup returns to Cork Week this week as international military and emergency service crews prepare to contest the unique inter-services regatta, now in its 10th year. Launched in 2016 as a joint initiative between the Defence Forces and…
EU ocean diplomacy is one of the themes of a conference on the EU Ocean Act in Wexford this week. The two-day conference at the National Opera House in Wexford has been planned as part of Ireland’s EU Presidency programme.…
Joint Oireachtas Maritime Affairs Committee Proposes Its Remit Be Extended to Inland Fisheries
5th July 2026 Fishing
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Fisheries and Maritime Affairs has proposed that its remit should extend to inland fisheries. There is “a clear logic and synergy to having sea and inland fisheries considered in a cohesive manner by a single…
The historic Lightkeeper's Cottage on Dún Laoghaire's West Pier has been given a fresh new look as part of the first phase of a wider programme to restore and revitalise the harbour's Victorian waterfront. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council says the…
