Afloat – Ireland's Sailing and Boating Magazine
Eighty Years of IDRA 14 Dinghy Celebrated in 1838-founded Royal St George Yacht Club
4th November 2026 IDRA 14
The IDRA 14 Class’s 80th year of Celebrations draw to a close with a dinner at the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire last Friday (30th October). Ninety attendees made up from current sailors, former sailors, boat owners,…
French solo sailor Armel Le Cléac'h has been rescued by a Panamanian cargo ship after his giant trimaran, Maxi Banque Populaire XI, capsized in the Atlantic during the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. Le Cléac'h was lying second in…
Armel Le Cléac’h’s Maxi Banque Populaire XI has capsized approximately 550 nautical miles north-west of the Azores during the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, triggering an emergency rescue operation in the Atlantic. The Ultim trimaran overturned at approximately 5.30am…
Brendan Foley's Impala 28 Running Wild won the opening race of the 2026 AIB Dublin Bay Sailing Club Turkey Shoot on Sunday, 1 November, as 58 boats finished a course around the Muglins in north-westerly winds of 10–13 knots. The…
The Shackleton Experience in Athy, County Kildare, has been named Best Europe Tourism Project 2026 at the British Guild of Travel Writers International Tourism Awards, bringing international recognition to the attraction dedicated to Irish polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. The Guild…
Christian Beck's 100-foot supermaxi InfoTrack, formerly LawConnect, will return to the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race under its former sponsor's name this December, seeking a third consecutive line honours victory for Beck's team. The technology company has reclaimed naming rights after four…
Kayaking expeditions in Greenland and Mexico, a solo swim around Ireland and long-distance hiking in New Zealand are among the subjects of this year's Kinvara Adventure Talks in Co Galway. The series, now in its 12th year, takes place at…
More than 70 qualified race officials have registered for the Irish Sailing Race Officials Conference, taking place at Kinsale Yacht Club in Co Cork on Saturday, 14 November. The biennial gathering will examine developments in race management, from technology on…
Irish offshore sailor Joan Mulloy has been assisting French skipper Anthony Marchand following the reported arrival of his damaged Ultim trimaran, Actual Ultim 4, in Galway during the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe. Marchand diverted towards the Irish coast…
Book Your Place at the 16th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium in Galway Next Month
3rd November 2026 Marine Planning
The 16th Annual Marine Economics and Policy Research Symposium, hosted by the Socio-Economic Marine Research Unit (SEMRU) at the University of Galway in partnership with the Marine Institute, will take place on Tuesday 1 December at the PorterShed in Galway…
Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Erne System and members of the public that Tullyinishmore Jetty, located on the Erne River between Enniskillen and Carrybridge in Northern Ireland, is closed until this Friday 6 November to facilitate the…
Navantia UK Opens Resurgent Hall at Belfast’s Harland & Wolff Shipyard
3rd November 2026 Belfast Lough
Navantia UK has opened its new Resurgent Hall at Harland & Wolff in Belfast, following a major programme of investment to prepare the shipyard for the next generation of naval shipbuilding. The facility was opened on Monday (2 November) by…
Applications Open for Appointment to Panel of Surveyors for Surveying Small Fishing Vessels
3rd November 2026 Fishing
The Marine Survey Office (MSO) of the Department of Transport is seeking application for appointment to a panel of surveyors to conduct surveys of fishing vessels of less than 15m length overall. This is in accordance with the Code of…
The environmental organisation, Greenpeace, has issued a statement saying that activists on board its ship, Arctic Sunrise, have dropped boulders weighing several tons onto the seabed off the UK coast, in the Southern North Sea, which it describes as “the…
Ronan Kenneally has won Monkstown Bay Sailing Club's October Dinghy League in Cork Harbour, securing the Class 1 title with a second-place finish in Saturday's final race. The club's Sailing Secretary, racing an ILCA 7, had led the series after three races and…
Route du Rhum Leaders Face Tactical Decisions as Ultims Race Southwest
3rd November 2026 La Route du Rhum Race
The Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe fleet is entering a decisive tactical phase, with the leading Ultim trimarans making rapid progress southwest as weather shifts and damage to two of the ocean giants reshapes the early contest. Tom Laperche (SVR Lazartigue)…
Wicklow Rowing Club's Kate Dunne produced a battling performance in the Women's Solo Beach Sprints at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Monday, 2nd November, going out in the Last 16 against Swiss race favourite Tanya Brendle. The 17-year-old…
Route du Rhum: Two Skippers Heading for Ireland After Atlantic Drama
3rd November 2026 La Route du Rhum Race
Francis Joyon is heading for Ireland aboard a cargo ship following his Route du Rhum capsize, while Charles Caudrelier has suffered major foil damage aboard Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. Race leader Tom Laperche has covered an extraordinary 775 nautical miles…
Portrush RNLI all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch by the coastguard on Sunday evening (1 November) at 7.06pm to reports of a 14-metre fishing vessel that had suffered engine failure just off Ballycastle Harbour. The volunteer crew launched at 7.26pm…
Howth Yacht Club's 2026/27 Dinghy Frostbites began in unusually pleasant November conditions on Sunday, 1st November, with sunshine, blue skies and a northerly breeze welcoming a diverse fleet for the opening two races of the Winter Series. The long-running event,…
