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…
Racing
How to follow the Rolex Middle Sea Race
The Rolex Middle Sea Race is one of the classic 600-mile offshores, but the only one that takes place in the Mediterranean. Despite its scenic backdrop, the Middle Sea Race…
Second hand boats: How to buy an IRC winner
If you want to participate in racing in the UK and much of the rest of the big sailing nations, you really need to look to IRC unless you are…
Epic Round Britain and Ireland Race decided by minutes
A flurry of competitors in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race crossed the finish line in Cowes today after an intense race which saw many boats take a full…
Expert tips: How to win the start
Robert Scheidt always used to start out of the middle of the line. That was in the days when he was the stand-out talent in the Laser single-handed dinghy, winning…
5 expert tips for going fast while reaching
Years of short-course racing in small keelboats in fleet race and match race competitions had made Annie Lush very good at downwind VMG sailing. But when she started offshore racing,…
SailGP: $1 million purse up for grabs in San Fran
Season 2 of SailGP is set to draw to a close this weekend as the eight competing teams, sailing their foiling F50s, line up for the SailGP Final in San…
Upwind headsail trimming: Top tips from a pro
The challenge of headsail trimming, according to Stir Fry, is understanding at any given moment what the team is aiming to achieve. On a busy race course, those aims are…
Caribbean sailing 2022: the rules and where to go
These days it’s hard to predict what the world may look like in a few weeks, let alone a few months, but many in the Caribbean sailing industry are cautiously…
Spinnaker drop techniques: top tips for ‘string drops’
Dinghies like the 505 have been using chutes to ‘string drop’ their spinnakers into the boat for decades. However, when specifically talking about the big boat spinnaker drop, the string…
How to keep calm under pressure
After sailing a brilliant qualifying series during the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this summer, a moment of indecision put Anne-Marie Rindom’s grip on the gold medal in jeopardy. But the…
A race for real sailors: giant schooners go head to head
America’s Cup yachts had become so extreme by 1920 that they didn’t race in anything more serious than a moderate breeze, but the racing designs of the day were not…
How to put together a winning crew
Despite only having come to offshore racing six years ago, Tom Kneen has proven a fast learner. He’s also done things his way, steadfastly holding to his preference to sail…
Finding flow in the Gotland Runt
3:45am. I don hat, base layers, foulies, boots, head torch and neck gaiter before stepping up on deck. There I am greeted by a fiery sunrise rising above the fierce…
Onboard communication: Pip Hare’s guide
Earlier this year I was lucky enough to join the French crew of the IMOCA 60 Bureau Vallée 3 for the Ocean Race Europe. Their new boat had been launched…
How to sail in light winds and tide
The lighter the breeze, the more significant the effects of any current or tidal flow. Ben Saxton has raced every kind of boat, from foiling catamarans to planing dinghies to…
The rise and rise of double-handed racing
If ever the stars aligned to see a sport’s popularity grow exponentially, they did so for the recent story of double-handed racing offshore. Societal changes, a brief hint of a…
Olympic sailing: Light winds, disqualifications and more medals
Medal Races where first brought into the Olympic Sailing Competition in an attempt to provide a final race showdown for the medals, while maintaining the integrity of the sailing competition.…
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing: Brits to the fore on day four
Enoshima is famous, notorious even, for its big wave action, and that’s what the sailors got on day four of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition. Eight out of ten…
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing: Ups and downs on Day 3
The excitement kicked up a gear on the third day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Competition as the women in the 49erFX Skiff put on a display of high…