You don’t see Guyana as you approach it from the ocean, its low-lying coastline perfectly camouflaged against the hazy tropical horizon as the sun rises. And yet you sense it…
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Has the reduced Shipping Forecast changed anyone’s routine?
News that there would be a reduced Shipping Forecast from BBC radio in spring 2024 led to mutterings of discontent among some devotees of this great British institution. But has…
How sailors plan sleep routines at sea: An expert guide
Dee Caffari knows the importance of sleep to any offshore sailor, whether you’re racing solo, double-handed or fully-crewed. “Most sailors don’t understand how the lack of sleep can affect your…
X-Yachts XR first look: An AI approach to racing yacht design
This model is intended as a serious return to X-Yachts’ racing DNA, following an unprecedented hiatus since the launch of the yard’s last pure race boat, the X-41, back in…
Sailing to North Cape, the northernmost tip of mainland Europe
We’re not ones to wish a passage away, but we cannot wait to get into Haugesund. After a rough three day crossing of the North Sea in a stiff north-westerly…
Cole Brauer: ‘I had a choice between going to medical school or working at a yacht club…’
The first Saturday in November was laundry day for Cole Brauer. One week into her single-handed around the world race, the Global Solo Challenge, the 29-year-old washed her smalls in…
How to race across the Channel: An expert guide
The UK has many active offshore racing fleets, spanning from the west coast of Scotland on the Clyde to Essex and Kent in the North Sea, but the largest and…
The best downwind sails: Options explained by over 200 experienced sailors
Downwind sailing is any cruising sailor’s dream. The thought of days, or even weeks, of reliable following tradewind pushing you across an ocean with just a warm apparent breeze over…
Great Seamanship: Sailing across Europe in a 10ft dinghy
When the Great Seamanship column put out to sea 20 years ago, the extracts were drawn from classic sailing literature, much of it written before World War II. As years…
54-knot winds severely deplete 2024 Round the Island Race fleet
Competitors in today’s 2024 Round the Island Race, an annual 50-mile circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight, faced one of the most severe conditions in years with gusts of over…
Alinghi Red Bull Racing suffer catastrophic mast failure
America’s Cup team, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, suffered a catastrophic failure of their mast on Thursday 13 June 2024 while training on their AC75 in in Barcelona, all crew are…
RM 1380 review: an enticing alternative to the mainstream
I’ve admired the innovative range of fast yet comfortable cruisers from RM Yachts for many years – their combination of spacious, attractive and brightly lit interiors, planing performance and well…
Watch: Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup boat innovations
The 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona this autumn is getting ever closer, something marked by all teams launching the boat upon which they will compete for the ultimate trophy in…
‘Should we identify more with our youthful selves to drive motivation?’ – Nikki Henderson
As a team that is much younger than the rest of the competition, what superpower does that give you? That’s the question I asked of a group of teenagers this…
Hutting 46 first look: stands out from the crowd
This long distance aluminium cruising yacht is intended to stand out from the crowd. This Dutch yard, founded in 1975 by Tjerk Hutting, has a strong reputation for its 40-50ft…
The switch to electric will reduce emissions, but what will we do with all the old batteries?
Rushing to wean ourselves off fossil fuels it seems we’re building another problem for the future. What do we do with the new batteries we’re now installing once they’ve reached…
Saffier SL 46 first look: larger yacht from new larger yard
Saffier Yachts has grown to become the established name in luxury daysailers, particularly over the last decade or so. The family-owned Dutch yard has secured this market sector with its…
British Vendée Globe hopeful Sam Goodchild dismasted in transat race
Sam Goodchild, one of the leading contenders for this autumn’s Vendée Globe solo around the world race, has dismasted on his IMOCA 60 Vulnerable (formerly For The Planet) while racing…
The 12 stunning superyachts set to race one another this summer
Palma is arguably the greatest place to arrange a sailing event in Europe. Why? Reliability. It boasts a wonderfully consistent warm seabreeze in the summer and there is easy access…
World’s coolest yachts: Initiatives-Coeur 3
Sam Davies’ entry in the 2020 Vendée Globe was Initiatives-Coeur 3, a well-proven Verdier-VPLP design (ex Foncia/Banque Populaire/Maître CoQ III) that had been reoptimised with second generation foils fitted –…