“What’s my speed? What’s the speed? What’s the boatspeed now?!” Alex Thomson hollers into a…
Extraordinary boats
Viracocha III: The Chilean reed boat built to sail across the Pacific
Adventurer Phil Buck is no stranger to reed boats, having twice before sailed from Chile…
Melges 40: Onboard the unique lightweight racer taking the Med by storm
Each year the curtain rises on the Mediterranean grand prix regatta season at the PalmaVela.…
AAL: The volcanic yacht aiming for a fossil-free circumnavigation
Les Sables d’Olonne is used to waving off circumnavigators – the Vendée Globe, and most…
LA 28: The modern trailable boat that’s cold-molded from mahogany
Appropriately, it’s a long train ride through thick, thick forest before I reach the LA…
Monofoil: The pocket rocket that can foil in just 8 knots of breeze
The spectacle of a flying catamaran, be it an Olympic Nacra 17, a GC32, the…
Revolver: Bruce Ritchie’s gentleman’s racer blends traditional and modern craftsmanship
“I wasn’t expecting this,” said Michael Ritchie when his 83-year-old father Bruce showed him the…
Ràn VII: On board the Stealth Bomber of the Fast 40+ class
Some boats are the sum of their parts, but Rán VII is really the sum…
Veedol: On board Yoann Richomme’s record-breaking Lift 40
A curious pattern repeated in the 2018 Route du Rhum, as the newest designs –…
Marilee: The inside story of the 1926 Herreshoff NY40’s remarkable restoration
When the New York Yacht Club commissioned the new NY40 one-design class in 1916 Nathanael…
Fujin: The inside story of this carbon catamaran’s Caribbean refit
After Fujin capsized during the 2018 RORC Caribbean 600 race it would have been understandable…
SailGP F50: On board the sailing equivalent of a Formula 1 racecar
“I think 99% of people believe that we received these boats from Bermuda, repainted them…
Steinlager 2: On board Sir Peter Blake’s refitted Whitbread champion
In 22 May 1990, Steinlager 2 – skippered by Peter Blake and crewed by 14…
Eagle Class 53: The foiling cruiser inspired by the America’s Cup
Not everything that flies is destined to scorch around an America’s Cup course. The future…
Charal: On board the radical IMOCA 60 that takes foiling to the next level
In St Malo for the start of the Route du Rhum in early November, every…
Shearwater: Frers 57 custom cruiser-racer harnesses hybrid power
Wheeling effortlessly from crest to trough, wingtips kissing the wavetops, the shearwater is Australia’s most…
Qilak: The super-rugged yacht built for fast, high-latitudes cruising
If there were an award for brutalism in naval architecture Qilak would surely be on…
Could the wonderfully weird Inflated Wing Sail make sailing easier?
As the mist rose off the water’s surface in the picturesque harbour of Morges on…
Maiden refit: How Tracy Edwards’ sailing legend was brought back to life
Few yachts, and fewer skippers, become truly famous – famous in the sense that the…
Wilhelmina: The Nigel Irens motor launch designed for sailors
It’s a beautiful autumn afternoon in Salcombe, and half a dozen of the local yawls…