This quirky French cruiser has the soul of a race yacht and is full of innovations. Toby Hodges sails the JPK 45
Yachting World
Sailing Antarctica: Record-breaking voyage around the southern continent
Many believe number seven to be lucky. The seventh day of February proved to be just that. It’s seven weeks since we dropped the lines in Cape Town; the Amundsen…
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 lines he had drawn up for his ‘gentleman’s racer’. “It was a nice surprise,” concedes…
Race countdown: How to time the starting sequence perfectly
Starting a yacht at the right end of the line at target speed is very much a team game. On boats longer than 40ft, vital input comes from the bow…
Monaco Yacht Show 2019 preview: First look at super-luxe Origin [sponsored post]
One would never be able to guess that he was days away from unveiling his brand new creation, Origin, at this year’s annual gala at the star-studded Monaco Yacht Show.…
How to avoid grounding: Top tips from pro sailor Pip Hare
The 2017 investigation into the grounding of a Clipper Round the World yacht in South Africa delivered some interesting lessons for us all. The most notable points were that: the…
Grand Soleil 48P boat test: A yacht you’ll feel privileged to helm
Can one new performance design appeal to many tastes? Toby Hodges explores the ideas and multifarious options offered on the new Grand Soleil 48P
Sailing South Georgia: The inside story of Skip Novak’s 2018 expedition
We were eight days out from the south coast of South Georgia and once again we had skied smack into a full-blown white-out. There was nothing for it but to…
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 of the parts that aren’t there. It is characterised by a focus on reduction –…
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.…
Road to the America’s Cup podcast episode 1: Imagining the AC75
There is no doubt that the AC75 is a remarkable boat; a monohull designed to fly, engineered to reach speeds that were inconceivable to sailors less than half a generation…
October 2019
In the October issue of Yachting World, we bring you the inside story of the 2019 Fastnet Race, ask if the 1979 Fastnet disaster could ever happen again, and test…
Fastnet Race 1979: Restored survivor Assent heads back to the Rock
It’s a gloomy, grey afternoon on the Solent and I’m in a camera boat taking pictures of a yacht sailing off Lymington. There’s a light breeze blowing and a moody,…
Sardinia charter: Living the high life on a crewed Lagoon 620
Beam. Or beam and volume. Those are the dominant characteristics that spring to mind about cruising catamarans. You expect huge full-width saloons and cabins spread out across metres of multihull.…
Veedol: On board Yoann Richomme’s record-breaking Lift 40
A curious pattern repeated in the 2018 Route du Rhum, as the newest designs – like the foiling Ultimes, and foil-assisted IMOCAs Charal and Hugo Boss – were defeated on…
How to balance speed and comfort when sailing – top tips from Pip Hare
Most of us now rely on some form of routeing software when sailing offshore. These packages calculate the fastest theoretical route between two points based on polars and predicted wind,…
How to moor double-handed: Top tips from pro sailor Pip Hare
Mooring can be a stressful situation and mooring double-handed takes thought, preparation and calm heads. As the average couple’s cruising boat gets bigger the challenge of coming alongside safely at…
Electric winch, 4-speed winches or electric winch handle? [promotional post]
In the last few years, new solutions have been found: 4-speed winches and electric winch handles. Here is an overview of their comparative advantages: Electric winches: powerful but not always…
Kraken 66 test: Could this be the ultimate ocean cruising yacht?
What would you want in an ultimate ocean cruising yacht? Here’s Kraken’s answer
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…