An attempt on the toughest sailing record, the westabout round the world course, is being planned later this year by French sailor Romain Pilliard. The 46-year-old Figaro sailor and IMOCA…
Atlantic crossing: Extra ARC rally added for bumper entries
After a year of lockdowns and travel limitations, such is the pent-up demand for sailing adventure that World Cruising Club will be running three ARC transatlantic rallies this winter, bringing…
Energy Observer: From ocean racer to tech wonder
Few boats have had such a rich and varied history over the past 40 years as this one, now known as Energy Observer. Would Nigel Irens and Mike Birch, the…
SailGP: Light winds for round 2 in Italy
It was a weekend dominated by light winds as the SailGP fleet took to the waters of Taranto, Italy for their second regatta of 2021. Even with the new wingsail…
SailGP: New faces for the second regatta of the season
Saturday 5 June will see the second regatta in this second season of SailGP. For the first time ever the event will visit Italy with racing throughout the weekend in…
First look: North Sails’ foul weather gear
The news of North Sails’ first-ever range of foul weather gear for performance sailing and long-distance cruising immediately created a stir in the industry. Nevertheless, given the company has successfully…
The joy of French Polynesia’s traditional multihulls
I arrived in French Polynesia as a cook and photographer on the scientific research yacht Tara, just passing through. But I ended up settling here for a decade; partly because…
Upwind in survival conditions: How to take on heavy weather
Stu Bannatyne has learned the hard way that sailing upwind in survival conditions changes your priorities. “A lot of the decisions are based around boat preservation, rather than outright speed.…
Ocean Race Europe: Incredibly close finish to Leg 1
The opening leg of The Ocean Race Europe came to an incredibly close conclusion Tuesday 1 June in Cascais, Portugal with the winners in both the VO65 and IMOCA 60…
All set to celebrate 25 years of Superyacht Cup Palma
With less than a month to go to the start of the landmark 25th anniversary Superyacht Cup Palma, final preparations are falling in to place to for the 2021 event.…
Stranded sailors bring new life to St Helena
A group of cruising sailors stranded by the COVID pandemic in the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena have reinvigorated the island community – and the local sailing club,…
First look: Ice 54, the new speedy cruiser/racer
This enticing picture shows the latest Ice Yachts project looking as cool as its name suggests. The Milan yard boasts its Ice Yachts Ice 54 has the space and pace…
World’s coolest yachts: F50
“Without question the SailGP F50 is the best boat that I have ever sailed. The headline top speeds of over 50 knots are impressive, but there is so much more…
Swedish sailing: Exploring archipelagos in a classic Norlin 34
My first real memories — tangible memories that I know to be my own and not false memories born of old photos and stories — were formed as a nine-year-old…
Eastbound Atlantic crossing: All the weather info you need
Atlantic crossings are usually spoken of in terms of days of running west before the tradewinds (although as sailors we are rarely satisfied and yearn for an angle to turn…
Extraordinary boats: Andrillot, the original ‘Vertue’ design
German boatbuilder Uli Killer was looking for a boat to sail while he was working on a big restoration project when he spotted Andrillot, a 25ft wooden cutter for sale…
World’s coolest yachts: USA 17
“I’d have loved to sail on the America’s Cup AC72 cats in San Francisco in 2013, they were so invigorating. Those boats were when Larry Ellison just let free in…
How to follow the Ocean Race Europe
On Saturday 29 May, The Ocean Race Europe will set off for the first time ever and will see 12 teams in two classes racing on a multi-stage course from…
Across the Atlantic in a £1500 ferrocement schooner
Of all the yachting books I have read, not one starts like The Boat They Laughed At, by the inimitable Max Liberson: ‘I tapped the large man on the shoulder,…
Furlers: All the latest kit on the market
A tug on the working sheet and the furling line, the offwind sail spins open and your boat surges forward, the great joy of a furlers doing that for which…