Doldrums’: a state of stagnation or depression, or an equatorial region of the Atlantic Ocean with calms, sudden storms, and light unpredictable winds. Or so my dictionary puts it. For…
The Ocean Race – Everything you need to know
The Ocean Race: Leg underway in very light winds
The second leg of The Ocean Race from Cabo Verde to Cape Town started on Wednesday 25 January, with the 5 fully-crewed IMOCA 60s fighting it out in very light…
The Ocean Race: All set for leg two
With the first leg of the much-delayed The Ocean Race now concluded, teams are readying themselves to set off on the second leg of of the race, which starts today,…
The Ocean Race: Holcim-PRB win Leg One
French skipper Kevin Escoffier led his Swiss-flagged Team Holcim-PRB to victory in leg one of The Ocean Race in the early hours of the morning on Saturday 21 January 2023.…
Baptism of fire for The Ocean Race crews as fleet starts from Alicante
The Ocean Race start, the latest iteration of the crewed multi-stage around the world race, set off today from Alicante, Spain. But the 11 crews – five IMOCA teams, six…
How to follow The Ocean Race 2022-23
It’s taken a long time to get the latest fully crewed around the world race off the ground, but finally The Ocean Race will start from Alicante on 15 January…
The Ocean Race kicks off with in-port racing in Alicante
Although competitors in The Ocean Race 2022-23 do not set off on the first leg of the crewed round the world race (for the IMOCA‘s at least, the VO65 fleet…
The Ocean Race 2023 preview: What’s in store for the new race
It’s been a long wait for the next fully crewed lap of the planet since the last one finished in 2018, but finally The Ocean Race will start from Alicante…
Kevin Escoffier: Tough guy of the sea
We all know how French solo skippers get so darn good. They move from youth sailing to Mini Transat and Figaro classes, where they drill for years. Then the lucky…
Extraordinary boats: the new radical PRB IMOCA 60
As if the new PRB IMOCA 60 were not eye-catching enough, the story behind it is truly remarkable. The reason Kevin Escoffier needed a new IMOCA in a hurry is…
Coolest Yachts: Volvo Open 70 Camper
“I’ve been fortunate to race on board and race against a great many boats I could nominate for my Coolest Yacht, but for me it would have to be the…
Extraordinary Boats: the new 11th Hour Racing IMOCA 60
For decades the whole point of designing an IMOCA 60 has been to win the Vendée Globe solo round the world race. However, the adoption of the class by The…
The Ocean Race: What’s it like on a fully crewed IMOCA 60?
How much faster could an IMOCA 60 go if it were really pressed? Not in bursts, not for brief peak speeds, but at a sustained average pace over days or…
Taking the Helm: Tales of leading a Whitbread team
The Whitbread Round the World race/Volvo Ocean Race has a precedent for replacing skippers in Uruguay and Taking the Helm, recounts what happened after one such moment. Skip Novak took…
The boom in around the world racing for all
Have you ever dreamed of sailing in an around the world race, passing Cape Horn or surfing down the face of a breaking wave deep in the Southern Ocean? In…
World’s coolest yachts: Volvo 70 Ericsson 4
“Ericsson 4 holds a special place in my history of boats sailed. I was fortunate to be part of a very talented team that resulted in the fastest Volvo 70…
Ocean Race Europe: Mirpuri Foundation wins with final hours gamble
The third and final offshore leg of The Ocean Race Europe came to an exciting conclusion in the early hours of Thursday morning in Genova, when the Portuguese entry Mirpuri…
Ocean Race Europe: Leg two finish sets up close final leg
The second leg of The Ocean Race Europe finished in Alicante, Spain on Wednesday 9 June, the culmination of three days of tight racing between the 12 international crews since…
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…
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…