When RW Henson envisioned the ideal boat for his global circumnavigation he knew it needed two basic features – reliability and simplicity. He wanted a vessel that was bulletproof and…
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Half the boat had flooded. We were side-on to the sea and rolling dangerously. We abandoned ship
About one hour before abandoning Magic Bus in a raging North Atlantic Ocean, skipper Buster Pike attempted to initiate a Pan-Pan call with the US Coast Guard via VHF radio.…
Dream team unveiled: Slingsby, Simmer and Ashby to lead Team Australia America’s Cup challenge
Nestling snugly amongst some of Sydney’s most desirable real estate on the shoreline of the exclusive Point Piper headland, the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club – invitation only, membership 500…
World’s Coolest Yachts: Pogo 44
“Cool to me means super tough, go-anywhere, probably slightly utilitarian but still fast, comfortable and fun,” says Jacobs. “The first time I saw a Pogo 44 I fell in love…
The long way home: Navigating broken shrouds and fickle trades on the road to Polynesia
The Río Valdivia was glassy when we slipped our lines, the Chilean shores still wrapped in morning mist. For a moment it felt as though our crossing might actually begin…
How I finally conquered a lifetime of seasickness to become a yacht skipper
Seasickness is surprisingly common – around one in three people are estimated to suffer from it, including long-term cruisers and even professional sailors. While numerous remedies and medications offer temporary…
Long read: A polar vortex, a $100,000 Tiffany & Co trophy, and the ‘longest grudge match in sports history’
To understand what happened in Red Bank, New Jersey, in the first 10 days of February this year, you first have to understand the cold. This wasn’t a regular winter.…
The new rugged aluminium explorer yachts redefining adventure
The modern cruising landscape is undergoing a metallic makeover as shipyards double down on aluminium new builds. No longer reserved for utilitarian workboats, the latest wave of adventure yachts combines…
Squall tactics: How to use Radar as a squall tracker (and when to use mark one eyeball)
Squalls are self-contained convective systems, often confined to less than a mile or so in diameter, but they can occur in clumps of several hundred miles in spread. They are…
How to get your family into sailing and loving it: ‘Match the boat to the people, not the dream’
For many, sailing is a generational habit – learned from their parents, maybe by pottering about a local reservoir in a beaten-up dinghy, or hopping from port to port and…
How Sam Manuard is reimagining the 50ft offshore racer
At first glance, the Mach 50 Palanad 4 looks as if it has arrived from a different discipline entirely when compared to her rivals in recent offshore races. The bow…
Pure 42 review: Why this alloy cruiser is the new benchmark for bluewater cruising
It has got busy lately in the explorer segment. While some of the traditional brands like Ovni, Garcia and Bestevaer are still trucking along steadily, new ones have complemented this…
World’s Coolest Yachts: 12 Metre IKRA
“Ikra is probably the most formative yacht in my career. I was 18 and it was the first ‘big’ boat I ever raced on,” recalls Barrier. Launched as Kurrewa V,…
Science under sail: How Project Zero is helping build the future of emission-free yachting
When the idea of a big sailing yacht with no combustion on board was pitched to designer Marnix Hoekstra at Vripack, he was instantly enthusiastic. A mould-breaking electric boat of…
Two surfers take a journey from the outback to the ocean
One day we were standing in swirling red dust under the brutal Australian outback sun, steel-capped boots caked in sweat and iron ore. The noise of haul trucks filled the…
Beating the thorny path: A modern pilgrimage to Luperon
I decided to sail to Luperon over gassy Cuban draft at the quayside bar at Marina Darsena, in March of 2023. My friend and I were stuck in the rundown…
Dyneema vs. Wire: How to pick the right standing rigging for your yacht
A thousand miles from anywhere in the Atlantic, with the trades blowing hard and the boat surfing down lumpy seas, the last thing you want to find on a morning…
World’s coolest yachts: VO70 Mar Mostro / Puma – ‘She was so powerful that helming this boat I felt nothing wrong could happen’
The VO70 Mar Mostro / Puma was designed by Juan K and originally took part in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race, before being widely campaigned in other offshore races as…
Predict the weather like a pro (in the time it takes to brew tea)
There is now so much weather information available online. There are apps and websites that will give you forecasts every hour for any location, down to previously unheard of spatial…
Sailing to South Georgia: Retracing Shackleton’s 1916 traverse
We hit the cold front square on. From light and variable in the centre of the low, bottoming out at 973mb, the wind took but an hour to ramp up…