Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

In an intense battle of the Half Tonners, Michael Wright's Mata briefly overtook Class Two overall leader Nigel Biggs's Checkmate XVIII in the closing races of the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale today. As Afloat predicated here, Half Tonners dominated the 19-boat IRC Two…

Despite a disqualification (DSQ) in the penultimate race of the five-race series last night, Richard Colwell and John Murphy's new J109 campaign from Howth Yacht Club held the lead in Class One of the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup to take overall victory…

George Sisk's new XP40 Wow sailed to success in the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup today beating bigger sistership the XP50 Freya on her home waters off Kinsale in the Regatta's Coastal Class. The Royal Irish Yacht Club crew led the regatta from the…

With five wins from five races and discarding a first place in her overall score tally, the Greystones Sailing Club's Grand Soleil 44 'Eleuthera' made a clean sweep of Class Zero of the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale today.   It marks…

The weather might have thrown four seasons at the O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup this week but it was no match for the organisers or competitors who successfully completed the penultimate days racing albeit in fog off Kinsale today.  It leaves…

Day Three of the Sovereign's Cup in Kinsale today started in the harbour for both of the White Sail fleets in low mist and drizzle. Former Kinsale Yacht Club Commodore and veteran Irish Paralympian John Twomey was the leader of Class 2 on Shillelagh…

Kinsale Yacht Club has cancelled today's second day of racing at its 2019 Sovereign's Cup regatta due to easterly winds forecast to gust to 40-knots by lunchtime writes Bob Bateman. The 95-boat fleet completed a full programme of racing in yesterday's opening day…

Day One - A three-way tie on four points overall makes it tight at the top of a 16-boat Dragon fleet competing at its first-ever showing in the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale.  After two races sailed, Martin Byrne's Jaguar Sailing…

It's turning into an early battle of the Half Tonners in Class Two of the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale writes Bob Bateman. Class Two is the Cup's biggest class with 19 boats competing and Half Tonners occupy five of the…

A battle of Olympic proportions ensued at the top of Class One IRC of the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale today with two former Olympic Star helmsmen on the top two rivals overall writes Bob Bateman. There should be no surprise that…

Last year's Cork Week winner, Frank Whelan's Grand Soleil 44 Eleuthera is in the driving seat again on the south coast having scored two race wins in the first day of the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale writes Bob Bateman. Whelan…

George Sisk's XP44 WOW from the Royal Irish Yacht Club on Dublin Bay leads the eight-boat Coastal Class in the O'Leary Life sponsored Sovereign's Cup off Kinsale after today's first race writes Bob Bateman. Although the Dublin Bay boat leads, Kinsale yachts are second and…

The fleet is in and Kinsale Yacht Club fires the first gun of its 2019 O'Leary Life Sovereign's Cup tomorrow writes Bob Bateman Competitors gathered today at the club and a briefing was held in the evening sunshine. Regatta Director, Bobby Nash…

Rounding the bend in the road that leads to the Hook Head Lighthouse you immediately know you have arrived at a unique place of beauty and history writes Mary Malone with photography by Bob Bateman. Hook Lighthouse rises skyward showing…

"All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by". The five-star Tall Ship Sea Cloud II arrived into Cork Harbour early this morning, her tall masts and sails evoking memories of times past for shipping in the Harbour writes Bob…

First overall in Saturday's Royal Cork Yacht Club's annual Round the Island Race in Cork Harbour was the Sunfast 32, Bad Company (Desmond/Ivers/Deasy).  The RCYC race was part of the North Sails Open League and had a finish at the Naval Base at…

This year's Crosshaven Trad Sail that that concluded in Cork Harbour today had a packed programme of festival events around the historic boat regatta writes Bob Bateman. As Afloat previously reported, the celebrations begin at The Oar Bar on Friday…

The northern latitudes of the Isle of Man once again will remain unconquered by the solo sailors of La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro, after the planned course for stage 2 of the 50th-anniversary edition was radically altered to avoid strong…

Recovering from the baptism of fire that was leg one of the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro race into Kinsale on Thursday, both Irish entrants, Tom Dolan and Joan Mulloy, attended the Skipper's briefing in Kinsale this afternoon as…

The showcase event of the Cork Harbour Festival, the Ocean to City – An Rás Mór that draws huge crowds every year is the race is the largest of its kind in Ireland and attracts competitors from all over –…