Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

There is no greater community to understand the changes in the oceans and what needs to be done to protect them than sailors. From those like myself, a leisure sailor, to fishermen, to marine scientists, to the professional seafarers, greater…

“Irish people of the sea have called for generations on the Blessed Virgin Mary as a guiding spirit while they are at sea.” That aspect of Irish maritime tradition refers to the use of the name Stella Maris on boats.…

The inland waterways will be celebrated at Killaloe next month, the quintessential waterways town on the River Shannon in Co.Clare. Called ‘LUA’, it will be “a celebration of wild water at the ancient settlement of Killaloe, which is a gift…

The first appearance of a Galway Hooker on the Dutch canals is likely to create a lot of attention and there may even be links found between the traditional West of Ireland boat and historic vessels in Holland  The ‘Galway…

The mast is everything to Pat Lawless. So, before his yacht, Green Rebel, went back into the water this week on Valentia Island and he headed for Dingle in “a nice light breeze” on his final preparations to take part…

Northabout, the 47-foot Westport expedition yacht of Jarlath Cunnane from Mayo, which with a crew, many of them Galway Hooker sailors, completed an Arctic circumnavigation of the world with a transit of the Northeast Passage north of Russia, has been…

Irish fishing industry leaders have warned that the costs of marine diesel are so high they are challenging the resilience of the Irish fishing fleet. CEOs of the main Irish industry organisations say fishing operations are being made uneconomical and…

“There was a lot of work, hull planking, fitting the stem post, caulking, filling, fairing, sanding, priming and painting. We lost over two years on the project due to Covid and this old girl was in a worse condition than…

The Round Ireland Race is the dominant focus of Wicklow Sailing Club at the moment, but there is a lot more to the club. The members take pride in describing their club as “a small family-oriented sailing club run by…

The idea for the Inishtearaght Race originated because Kinsale sailors thought that the best and most scenic part of the Dun Laoghaire to Dingle Race is west of Kinsale. So what about a race from Kinsale around the Blaskets and…

The Chairman of IFA Aquaculture has called for more Government support to be given to fish farming. Fish farmers are members of IFA Aquaculture, part of the Irish Farmers’ Association. There have been lengthy delays over many years in the…

There are not many sailing clubs which have experienced the vicissitudes of misfortune to the extent that Cove Sailing Club has in recent years. Back in March of 2018, Afloat reported that “Cork Harbour will have a new name in…

The Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has acknowledged that the Master of the Danish Fishing Vessel MV Ruth objected to the SFPA's process for weighing upon landing, at Killybegs in County Donegal on Thursday, March 31st. In a statement, the Authority…

The sighting of a big number of basking sharks off Hook Head is “an incredible start” to the 2022 basking shark season, according to the Irish Basking Shark Group. It is one of a number of sightings in the past…

The Chairman of the Irish Fishing & Seafood Alliance has accused the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority of causing serious losses and the temporary closure of a processing factory in Killybegs. The Danish fishing vessel MV Ruth, arrived to land 1,270…

There are over 5,000 superyachts in the world, of which Russian oligarchs own a relatively small number – over 50 according to estimates. These are subject to sanctions by the EU and the USA and a number have been seized…