Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Féile an Spidéil, the regatta for traditional craft in Co Galway, has been postponed by a week due to weather. A large fleet of traditional craft is anticipated for the 2022 event, which has been rescheduled for Sunday, June 19th.…

Until this morning, the 162ft (49.5m) classic schooner was one of the most beautiful boats afloat. But in Tarragona Marina in Spain today, some manoeuvring by a large red work-ship didn't quite go according to plan, and Eleanora floats no…

“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…

When the weather patterns conspire to provide wet or rugged sailing on Ireland’s sea coasts, the shrewd mariner heads for the inland sea that is Lough Ree, which has been geographically measured with some elegant 19th Century science as being…

A large fleet of traditional craft is anticipated for Féile an Spidéil which takes to the water off An Spidéil, Co Galway, on June 12th. The regatta programme will include races for báid mhóra and leath bháid in the Galway…

A new outdoor lighting feature has been installed on the historic SS Nomadic, providing a new lease of life on the decks of the liner-tender on view at Titanic Belfast. The project was launched as part of Local History Month…

A week of events to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Heritage Boat Association is already under way at Ballinasloe Harbour. All welcome to come view the barges, some of which date back to back to 1847, and explore the…

Dave Kelly's All in a Row River Liffey Currach group are running a benefit music gig this Friday in Ringsend in aid of Ukraine for the Irish Refugee Council.  Doors open at 7:30 pm for the gig this Friday (27th of May) at…

Waterways Ireland advises masters of vessels on the Shannon Navigation that the Heritage Boat Association will be celebrating its 21st anniversary with a rally in Ballinasloe Harbour from Saturday 28 May to Monday 6 June. Masters of vessels are advised…

Dublin Port Company is supporting the State’s effort to recover from the Four Courts fire of 1922 by funding the conservation of 200-year-old records concerning Dublin Port. On 30 June 1922, the Public Record Office of Ireland at the Four…

"Ilen came back from London so quickly we got ahead of ourselves" said Ilen Marine School Director Gary MacMahon in Baltimore today, where the Limerick trading ketch had prudently put into port yesterday (Monday)evening in acknowledgement of near-gale westerlies forecast…

On the Thames Estuary and hidden below the waves, reports BBC News, is one of London's most unlikely tourist destinations. We've travelled about 30 minutes, along with a handful of day trippers from Southend, into the estuary. Slowly, a set…

The business of the City of London is business. Thus last week's visit there by the Limerick trading ketch Ilen saw many boxes being ticked in an efficient style, including a clear affirmation that The Dey of Kilcoe takes precedence…

Slipping out into Galway Bay before sunrise, several traditional craft from Galway Hooker Sailing Club participated in the Darkness into Light national fundraiser on  Saturday. “When a community comes together, it’s amazing what can be done,” the club said after…

The saga of the building and sailing of the traditional Galway Hooker Naomh Cronan by Clondalkin Community in west Dublin goes back nearly thirty years. And though the story has regularly featured in Afloat.ie,the various lockdowns had made it difficult…

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…