Foiling used to be the preserve of a select few elite-level athletes, but a couple of decades of work by enthusiasts determined to broaden participation has resulted in a slew…
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Watch: Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s America’s Cup Boat Innovations
The 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona this autumn is getting ever closer, and as the event heaves into view we are continuing our look at the AC75s in our team-by-team design…
Pegasus 50 review: the best 50ft yacht you haven’t heard of?
Three towering masts pierce the skyline off Trieste, where the impounded Sailing Yacht A lies forlorn at anchor like a crippled leviathan. The Russian-owned Philippe Starck design makes a fittingly…
Ambition and acrimony: Inside the plans to clean up the Pacific Ocean’s Great Garbage Patch
Viewed from space, the endless blues of the Pacific Ocean are the most obvious feature of Earth. Though not visible to those orbiting our planet, of equally vast proportions –…
Newly restored schooner cruiser-racer Adela: ‘Some of the best sailing of my whole life’
At least eight determined and energetic crew were out on schooner cruiser-racer Adela’s bowsprit and netting. They were frantically trying to unhank and retrieve the remains of the No1 jib…
‘Even for the most monkey-like riggers, going up the mast at sea is no fun’
What do you do if a halyard lock gets stuck? What if your spinnaker is wrapped? What if your mast track gets damaged and the mainsail won’t come down? I’ve…
Who looks set to win the Olympic Sailing medals in Paris 2024?
Could Paris 2024 be one of the best Olympic sailing regattas yet? Hosted by a country truly passionate about sailing, combined with – hopefully – stunning Mediterranean weather, and sailing…
‘At this stage of the America’s Cup, it’s all smiles… because no-one has yet lost…’
Everyone in the America’s Cup world is in a good mood – which isn’t always the case. Given the years of development and more than 80,000 hours it has taken…
Do more complex yachts mean owners need to upskill?
What it takes to run a happy, safe – and hopefully fast – yacht demands a diverse range of skills, knowledge, and experience. As a baseline, RYA courses offer an…
World’s coolest yachts: Alejandra
There is nothing so cool as classic beauty. “Alejandra is my choice of a very cool yacht,” says designer Malcolm Mckeon. “I remember when this yacht was launched as she…
Exploring Guyana’s mighty Essequibo River by boat
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…
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…