Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

You need to be several different people at once in order to thrive in Howth sailing. A classic case in point is former HYC Commodore Brian Turvey. His current highest-profile role - ahead of other deeply committed personal involvements -…

A newly built all-weather lifeboat with over 10,000 names on its hull which is due to arrive at the RNLI’s Clifden station in Connemara on Saturday has already recorded its first rescue mission. The Shannon-class lifeboat named St Christopher escorted…

Is Derry on the island of Ireland? That’s a question being asked by fishing industry representatives in a bitter row over how the State’s sea fisheries regulator has been handling landings of valuable blue whiting. The Irish Fish Producers’ Organisation…

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…

These past few days have been purest serendipity for historic Irish boatbuilders. Just two days after the 1926-vintage West Cork-built Limerick ketch Ilen was celebrated beside the River Thames in London on Wednesday, the 1937 Tyrrell of Arklow 43ft ketch…

We hear so much about the “New Normal” in everyday life ashore that it’s becoming difficult to remember what the Old Normal was like, as employers resort to bribery (“Special Bonuses” if you insist) to entice WFH employees back into…

Several months ago, images of a long silver streak on the water surface of the Bay of Biscay went viral on social media. The streak was created by an estimated 100,000 dead fish dumped by Dutch-owned trawler Margiris, one of…

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…

Barry Keane and Tony Doherty of Mountaineering Ireland have formally proposed that commemorative postage stamps be issued to celebrate the up-coming Centenary of Conor O’Brien’s pioneering voyage round the world south of the Great Capes with his Irish-built 42ft ketch…

With at least four Mark Mills-designed Cape 31s making their Irish class debut at the Wave Regatta in Howth from June 3rd to 5th, we will see one very important wheel come full circle. For it was a 31ft Mark…

Farmed salmon is Britain’s largest food export by value – more valuable than anything else except beer. Sounds impressive, but nutritious wild fish caught to sustain salmon farming is being squandered a new study maintains. Scientists analysing the Scottish salmon…

Joe Woodward of Cork, who has died aged 90, was the very personification of the spirit of Cork city and harbour as a place where the good things in life are there to be enjoyed, and enjoyed in style. This…

The devastating invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s forces has focused minds on reducing energy dependence on Russia, with Ireland Inc gearing up to be the “Saudi Arabia” of offshore renewable. However, the Government’s delay in setting up a liaison…

The past two years would have been difficult enough for Irish sailing as we navigated our way - usually with reasonable success – towards keeping our sport as active as possible through various manifestations of the pandemic regulations. But 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…