On the first night of their Atlantic crossing, a ‘dark shadow’ passed 100m away from Christian and Manuela Lücking’s boat. It was unlit and not moving. Unnerved, Christian Lücking called…
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Blown Away: How this Nautitech 46 Open was modified for Natasha Lambert
On 12 December, Natasha Lambert realised an ambition six years in the making. Back in 2014, Natasha, then 17, met her hero, Ellen MacArthur, and set her heart on ocean…
Atlantic crossing in a Pandemic? ARC 2020 crews tell their stories
The Covid-19 pandemic derailed the plans of around two-thirds of the crews planning to take part in the annual ARC Atlantic crossing and ARC+ from Gran Canaria to St Lucia,…
Eddie Warden Owen interview: The offshore boss who changed the RORC’s fortunes
Whether at the windswept finish of the Rolex Fastnet Race, or in the wood-panelled rooms of the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London, Eddie Warden Owen is one of the…
Boat hitchhiking: How to sail around the world without owning a yacht
As a boy, Darroch Tait always had his head in a book. He was fascinated by adventures and the discovery of new lands. In his early 30s he decided to…
Locked out and locked in: World cruisers share their COVID-19 sailing dilemmas
When the world abruptly locked down in March, many cruisers were caught out, and soon to be trapped. Hundreds, at least, were on passage at the time, and were forced…
Catamaran sailing across the Atlantic: Why multihulls are taking over the ARC
Something big has happened in ocean sailing. It could be the tipping point in the 34-year history of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, when multihulls move from minority element to…
Countdown to adventure: 5 skippers explain how to prepare for bluewater sailing
For most sailors, preparing for an Atlantic or round the world voyage typically takes between a year and three years. According to the surveys we carry out annually with ARC…
Kickstart your Atlantic adventure: ARC 2019 entrants explain how they got there
If Kate or Russell Hall wanted to know where their eight-year-old and six-year-old boys had got to, all they would have to do was look along the pontoon for their…
Rival to the Fastnet Race is launched by Plymouth yacht club to ‘bring race home’
A new race to the Fastnet Rock and back has been launched by the Royal Western Yacht Club of England in Plymouth to bring a classic format offshore race back…
Skippers’ tips: Bluewater sailing secrets of the million milers revealed
“The more I practice, the luckier I get,” the golfer Gary Player used to joke. This old saw became famous because it rang so true. The more you do something,…
Fastnet 79: Could sailing’s biggest disaster ever happen again?
Back in 1979, Ted Turner’s Tenacious won the Fastnet Race, with a corrected time of 3 days 8 hours. Over the last 30 years the average speed across the 605-mile…
Sailing across the Atlantic: Bluewater veterans share top tips for your first crossing
On the afternoon before we left the Canary Islands for the Caribbean for a transatlantic with the ARC, I struck a line through the final item on our jobs list.…
Atlantic sailing routes: 2018 ARC Rally finishers share their experiences
Steven Ismail never really meant to join a rally, but he ended up doing one almost by accident and sailing to a destination he’d never originally intended. Ismail’s crew, a…
Fastnet record eludes Rambler 88 in race that brought back dark memories
Big seas, fast reaching, relentless sail changes and a fast run back from the Fastnet Rock: Rambler 88’s second monohull line honours win of the Rolex Fastnet Race this morning…
2019 Rolex Fastnet Race: Light winds and low pressure promise a super challenge
One of the most challenging and tactical Fastnet Races of recent years lies ahead for the 394 yachts and 3,000-plus crew beginning the race this Saturday, 3 August. A complex…
Andrew Bishop profile: Meeting the man behind the ARC rallies
Do you know this man? Some will barely recognise Andrew Bishop, though his name may ring a bell. Yet others know not only who he is, but clamour to stop…
Beautiful but deadly: Why the Fastnet Rock has always been feared by mariners
It is so notorious among sailors that you could say the Fastnet Rock is the northern hemisphere’s Cape Horn. Legends have formed around this famous landmark: of storms, and shipwrecks…
Mastering the big beasts: what it’s like behind the wheel at the Superyacht Cup
From the towering masts of the 52m schooner Meteor to the carbon bladed racing Baltic 108 WinWin to the fabulous J Class, the 13 yachts taking part this week in the Superyacht Cup…
America’s Cup challenger Malta Altus withdraws as $1m fees deadline draws in
An America’s Cup challenger from Malta has officially pulled out of the 2021 America’s Cup in New Zealand. Malta Altus had been accepted earlier this year as a late entry…