Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

John Barry, Secretary of Galway Bay Sailing Club, is quite right! Racing down the Corrib from Cong to Galway is "not for the faint-hearted." There are plenty of challenges and obstacles along the route. From my own experience, the Cong…

Despite the many cancellations of major events which sailing has suffered this season due to the pandemic, there are positives and one of those is what has been happening in the youth sector. The cancellation of the Youth National Championships…

Anthony O’Neill has been sailing Dragons for twenty years. In September he would have been racing in the Dragons’ major international event, the Gold Cup, which had been scheduled for Kinsale. The pandemic stopped that. Now he has been appointed…

The first major Class championships this season and the first in Cork Harbour will go ahead at Cove Sailing Club next weekend. The Squib Southerns will be based at the new Cove SC clubhouse and marina at Whitepoint. The event…

July 12, 1903 was also a Sunday, but it was not the sound of Orange bands marching that dominated the River Lee from Cobh to Cork City, but that of powerboat engines competing for what had been envisaged as the…

The South Coast Offshore Racing Association and Kinsale Yacht Club have agreed to run a SCORA-based race from Kinsale to the Fastnet Rock and back to Kinsale which will act as a qualifier for the Round Ireland Yacht Race in…

For everyone who gets on board a yacht to go racing as clubs return to competitive sailing, the core issue of a successful resumption is going to be personal responsibility. That applies to cruiser/racer skippers and to every member of…

“You will notice that the premium has increased on last year. This is not something that is particular to just your policy. All clients have seen their premiums increase this year.” The warning letter from my insurance brokers was blunt…

Despite having to cancel all voyages this year, Sail Training Ireland will publish its programme for next year in the next week. The organisation’s Chief Executive says they have been in discussion with vessel operators and will have an exciting…

The sight of more masts appearing on the marina in my village of Monkstown on the edge of Cork Harbour was encouraging this week. Not that I have any disregard for the motorboat community who populate the Cork Harbour Marina…

I got a strong, supportive reaction to last week’s Podcast in which Glandore Harbour Yacht Club’s Sailing Secretary Hal Andrews, said it was “a nightmare” trying to organise sailing with social distancing. The response to his view was overwhelmingly supportive. …

Glandore Harbour Yacht Club in West Cork draws its membership from a wide catchment area. It is surveying the members to get their views on how the club’s sailing season can deal with the current restrictions imposed by government under…

Glandore Harbour Yacht Club has cancelled its Classic Regatta which had been scheduled to start on July 18. Since it was first held on a July weekend in 1992 Glandore Classic Boats Regatta has developed into an outstanding event, “where…

Walking along the riverside in Cork Harbour in the past few days of good weather the harbour waters looked inviting, but as I thought of the pleasure of having the sails up, helm in hand, boat moving through the water,…

What is the most important, challenging and decisive part of yacht racing? “The start of the race.” That was what experienced skippers and crews told me - on the start line a race could be won and lost. So, when…

The yacht pictured above this week is definitely not aground, though it is at a critical angle. It is a Sigma 33 racing at Quoile Yacht Club on Strangford Lough. “We do have these interesting moments with spinnakers on these…