Yannick Bestaven was declared the 2020/21 Vendée Globe winner, having finishing 3rd on the water but earned the win thanks to a time compensation of 10 hours and 15 minutes…
monohull
Route du Rhum skipper: Paul Meilhat
Paul Meilhat was the winner of the IMOCA 60 class in the last Route du Rhum back in 2018, adding that victory to a CV full of podium places and…
Route du Rhum skipper: Damien Seguin
Whilst there are some routes that are well-trodden to becoming an IMOCA skipper (Mini Transat, Figaro, Class 40…), there are a variety of routes into the world of offshore shorthanded…
Route du Rhum skipper: Romain Attanasio
Nothing about Romain Attanasio’s early life indicated that he might end up a solo offshore yacht racer. He was born to a skiing family in the Hautes-Alpes region of France…
Route du Rhum skipper: Alan Roura
Swiss-born sailor Alan Roura already has two Vendée Globe races to his name. He participated in his first, the 2016-17 edition of the event, when he was just 23 years…
Route du Rhum skipper: Conrad Colman
Conrad Colman, or the ‘crazy Kiwi’ as he became known, was the first New Zealander to compete in the Vendée Globe in 2016. Colman studied economics in the US, founded…
Route du Rhum skipper: Louis Burton
Louis Burton shot to Vendée Globe fame when he sailed across the line of the 2020-21 Vendée Globe in 2nd place in his 2012 IMOCA 60 Bureau Vallée. He finished…
Sailing Svalbard: a photographic expedition in the Artctic circle
It’s 0600 and I hear movement down below, our guide Marcel going for his shower. I’d woken a couple of hours earlier when I knocked a pillow covering the window…
Flight of the Dragons: a pilgrimage aboard a stunning classic Fife yacht
There came a moment when it felt right to speak to the water, here in the middle of the Bristol Channel. I could hear the tiredness in my voice, “Let…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: line honours winners, but half the fleet retires
Patience has been required for competitors on the 118 yachts which set off for this year’s 606-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race, with competitors struggling for double-figure (or indeed single-figure) boat…
Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 60 review
A measure of how much yacht design has moved on over the past few years is that Beneteau’s replacement for the successful Oceanis Yacht 62 (2016), the new Beneteau Oceanis…
Extraordinary boat: S&S 61 Running Tide
There are some yachts which are beautiful, some which are successful, and some which are well loved. It’s a rare boat which combines all three, but Running Tide has always…
The world’s most radical yacht? Onboard Flying Nikka
You might understandably mistake this futuristic craft for another America’s Cup foiler. Yet, although the aesthetics may look similar, Flying Nikka is a very different animal to the AC75s which…
First look: A tour of the new ClubSwan 80
Due to make her eagerly awaited regatta debut at the Maxi Worlds in early September, the first new ClubSwan 80 My Song launched from Persico Marine in Italy earlier this…
World’s coolest yachts: Cal40
The Cal40 has iconic status in the United States and was a game-changer in the 1960s as a true racer/cruiser. Designed by Bill Lapworth, it has a radical flat-bottomed hull…
First look: Dykstra/Baltic 117 Perseverance
It would seem that I’m not alone in finding Dykstra’s modern classic designs stunning, especially its pilot cutter-inspired models. The 117ft Perseverance scooped Sailing Yacht of the Year at the…
First look: wallywind110
While we were given a tantalising peak last autumn of what iconic Italian brand Wally may be up to under its new Ferretti ownership, only now have full details been…
Oyster 495 review: an impressive smaller Oyster
Good things come to those who wait. After tirelessly chasing the breeze for over 100 miles, we found our just rewards. It was a hazy, moody morning as I rose…
AC40: first flight for the ‘mini’ America’s Cup yachts
America’s Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand has reported a successful maiden sail of the first AC40 in New Zealand on Tuesday, 20 September 2022, following successful tow testing earlier…
First look: GT325
Nearly 10 years after GT Yachts launched the GT35, the company has re-emerged with a brand-new boat: the GT325. The original GT35 was designed by Stephen Jones and built by…