Are rebranded ‘Mk II’ models just an elaborate marketing exercise? Occasionally, yes. But a number of well-respected boatbuilders adopt the practice, including Hallberg-Rassy, Oyster and Discovery – in fact, HR…
Toby Hodges
Solaris 50 boat test – when style meets substance
Winner of the Performance Cruiser category of the European Yacht of the Year Awards 2015. Read more here Production yachts are rarely referred to as trendsetters. Like a mainstream saloon…
Drogues and sea anchors: we test a Jordan Series drogue and a ParaAnchor
Drogues and sea anchors are designed to slow a boat or allow it to hold station in extreme weather conditions. They can prevent a possible capsize, roll or broach by…
Why multihulls are becoming ever more popular for cruising
“Actually, there’s an awful lot of space on offer, isn’t there?” you might say after a quick look aboard a modern cruising catamaran at the boat show. “How nice to…
Bestevaer Pure – a series-built 45ft junior member of the renowned Bestevaer range
Could this be the hardiest 45ft production-build ever? KM Yachtbuilders, based in Makkum in the Netherlands, has announced plans to build a series of 45-footers under the name Pure. The…
Top 25 yachts of the year – a full breakdown of this year’s European Yacht of the Year nominees
If you want to know what the best new production yachts on the market are at the moment, the best indicator is to look at the boats nominated for the…
Eagle 54 – an immaculately clean-decked daysailer from Hoek and Dutch builder Leonardo Yachts
Leonardo Yachts’ co-founder Melle Boersma sent us these first sailing pictures of their new Eagle 54. When I first saw them I presumed they were computer-enhanced renderings, but no, she…
Video: We sail the new Discovery 58 offshore to explore the features of a bluewater cruising yacht
If you were to go long distance cruising, what would be the primary features you would look for in a yacht? I would wager that both looks and reward on…
Why this Baltic 115 launch, the latest in a growing fleet of cruiser-racers, is one to watch
This is the second project of very similar length to launch by this exact same team (Judel Vrolijk, Nauta Yachts and Baltic Yachts) this summer, following the 116ft Doryan earlier…
Water on board: what should you carry? We ask ARC skippers for tips for an Atlantic crossing
Water is fundamental to every sailor’s survival at sea and one of our first priorities. To spend extended periods afloat, sailors need large water tanks, cratefuls of bottled water on…
Video story: sailing a Bembridge Redwing at Cowes Week 2015 – a family class that continues to develop
I joined Joe Robertson and his sister, Bel, guiltily replacing their mother Annie, for a race aboard the family’s Bembridge Redwing Red Gauntlet II. I remember our former editor describing a…
Video – a beautiful film of the J Class racing during the RYS Bicentenary regatta
In a world that is increasingly short of time, where attention span increasingly diminishes as technology accelerates and yacht racing gets faster and faster – take a break, set aside 17…
Video: On board with Bella Mente, a grand prix 72ft Mini Maxi, at Cowes Week
Bella Mente is a Judel Vrolijk design, built by New England Boatworks, and launched in 2012 for American owner-driver Hap Fauth. She is one of a growing fleet of Mini…
10 top tips for shorthanded sailing – from leading British Figaro sailor Alan Roberts
During Cowes Week 2015, I had the chance to sail with rising star Alan Roberts on his 33ft Magma Structures sonspored Beneteau Figaro. Roberts finished 9th in the gruelling Solitaire…
Video: we sail with UK solo sailor Alan Roberts at Cowes Week 2015
During Cowes Week 2015, I had the chance to sail with rising star Alan Roberts on his 33ft Beneteau Figaro Magma Structures. Roberts finished 9th in the Solitaire du Figaro…
Video – we test the Xc45 Next Generation model, the updated version of X-Yachts’ first cruising yacht
The point to consider with these evergreen bluewater cruisers is that there is little to be improved upon in terms of hull design that justifies the cost of building a…
Sailing aboard the 72ft mini maxi Bella Mente, one of the fastest yachts at Cowes Week 2015
Only yesterday my colleague Matt Sheahan reported on how big the Solent looks when racing at 4.5 knots upwind aboard an XOD (see ‘A Wet Ride’ here). Today, Monday 10…
Drones – make a movie and save a man overboard with the new unmanned aerial vehicles
Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), made their name through widespread (and controversial) use by military forces over the past two decades. Outside the military, however, a drone’s primary benefit,…
VIDEO: The first foiling MOD70 – Gitana Team’s Edmond de Rothschild flies during her first trials!
The MOD70 (Multi One Design 70ft) is a well-proven ocean-racing trimaran that regulary hits 40 knot speeds. But what happens when you fit foiling daggerboards and T-rudders to one and…
Video: All the J Class action from Falmouth, as Velsheda, Ranger and Lionheart put on a show
This professionally shot and edited film by OCT Films, which includes some prime footage of the yachts in action from the water and from onboard, helps show why both the…