Sirena's call turns heads: Azzuree 46
In my Sydney boat show review last year, I made the call that the Azuree 46 was my boat of the show. The main reason for the call was a marked difference to other yachts on show. While not particularly…
Boats & Gear
The latest insights on racing and cruising yachts, keelboats and dinghies. Plus all of the latest gear, boating accessories, equipment and sailing clothes from Australia and around the world.
Multihull Central Marina open day on Saturday March 4
Multihull Central in Rozelle Bay, Sydney will be opening their marina on Saturday March 4th from 9.00am – 4pm for an open display of catamarans for sale and also a chance for potential charter boat owners to learn what it…
Viper 640 Worlds for Perth in 2018
The International Viper 640 Class is pleased to announce its next World Championship Regatta from February 17 to February 23 2018 at South of Perth Yacht Club, Western Australia. SoPYC is one of the largest yacht clubs in Australia with…
B&G adds Predict Wind to Zeus and Vulcan chartplotters
B&G has announced its latest software updates will bring PredictWind weather services direct to its Zeus and Vulcan[1] chartplotter range. The online-based weather forecasting service provides the very latest weather and sailing information to sailors all around the world. The…
Hobart excels: wooden boat festival considered best in the world
After four days, as boats slowly took the opportunity to slip out of Hobart's Sullivan's Cove and head for their respective homes, I was reminded of the seminar Lin Pardey gave during the MyState Wooden Boat Festival symposium. Sponsored by…
Takacat, a lightweight tender, to be distributed by Multihull Central
The stability of a catamaran design has found its way into a new very practical application in the form of a yacht tender with an innovative lightweight design from New Zealand now being represented by Multihull Central. The Takacat dinghies…
Behind the scenes at Ronstan
Ronstan was founded in 1953 by Ron Allatt and Stan Lenepveu as a manufacturing facility for wooden-hulled boats and the deck fittings they required. They built their first factory in Victoria and on December 21 the name Ronstan Marine Equipment…
Behind the scenes at Musto Australasia
Musto is known to be one of the biggest brands in the world for offshore racing gear. They are one of just two sailing brands that use Gore-Tex and are extremely competitive around the world. David Oliver, CEO Musto Australasia…
Multihull Solutions set to celebrate with free Gold Coast Open Day
Multihull Solutions is celebrating all things multihull at its upcoming free Gold Coast Open Day on Saturday 18 March. Scheduled to coincide with the Gold Coast International Boat Show & Marine Expo, the Multihull Solutions Open Day will feature an…
Flexible innovator: putting the Grand Large into a small yacht
According to Dufour yachts the overriding purpose behind its Grand Large 382 is to provide sailors with a Dufour 410 in a smaller length. Indeed, from the aft platform to the for’ard berth, space is the key factor. I could…
Go go Iridium: are sat phones worth it?
For the first five years of cruising aboard Ceilydh our 40 foot catamaran, we used a combination of a single sideband, Pactor III modem and Sailmail to access weather and stay in touch while underway. The combination had its problems,…
Pod Tracker can be customised to protect your boat, tender or pet
Pod Tracker was created when inventor Sebastian Langton lost his pet cat Rango, who he called “possibly the coolest cat on the planet”. But the keen yachtsman, who once had a cruiser sink under him in the Atlantic Ocean, has now…
One classic, one modern – Reichel Pugh releases two new superyacht designs
The Reichel/Pugh studio continually develops concepts which are the latest accumulation of thinking and research, however these only serve as a blank canvas from which an owner can begin to realize and develop his vision. The 200’ Classic is an…
Imocas – from the old to the new generation of boats by Guillaume Verdier.
2 0 0 7 – 2 0 0 8 F I R S T G E N E R A T I O N In 2007, I was part of the K Challenge design team for the…
Infiniti 56C – redefining blue water cruising
Infiniti Performance Yachts has announced the Infiniti 56C designed by Farr Yacht Design, the first performance blue water cruiser in the market which will reap the benefits of Dynamic Stability Systems foils. Following its success in the racing world and…
G-Force Yachts and Reichel/Pugh release the fast and fun X-Treme 32
The latest collaboration between G-Force Yachts and Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design is the fast and fun X-Treme 32 – a high performance design for inshore and offshore racing. The briefing to the Reichel/Pugh team was to develop a flat-out racer that…
Philippe Briand unveils full details of 30m carbon sloop concept Egoist
A new 100ft/30m carbon sloop concept, Egoist, has been developed by the Philippe Briand Studio specifically to indulge the owner who wants to simplify their experience on board by having the exclusive use of their yacht. A focus on the…
B&G backing Lisa Blair's bid to be first woman to circumnavigate Antarctica
B&G is sponsoring Lisa Blair in her upcoming bid to complete the Antarctica Cup Ocean Race. Lisa will be competing against the clock, attempting to beat the current speed record set by Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov in 2008. Lisa is…
Far East 23R: A sporty club racer
I was impressed with the Far East 28R when we tested it for the 2015 December/January issue of this magazine, so I had high hopes for her little sister, the new 23R. I was not disappointed. Far East Yachts aim…
The Dutch are coming: Royal yacht to be at Hobart's Wooden Boat Fest
Earlier this month, at Gorinchem the Netherlands, the Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands Brett Mason and Damen Shipyards Group CEO René Berkvens gave a celebratory send-off to the Dutch royal sailing yacht Oranje bound for the Australian Wooden Boat Festival….
Hanse invests 12 million Euro in new manufacturing technology
Hanse is the German yacht brand that has rocketed the Hanse Group and Team Windcraft in Australia to success over the past couple of decades. The upward trend looks set to continue thanks to a recent 12 million Euro investment…
Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 named IRC Boat of the Year
The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 has just been named IRC Boat of the Year by the UNCL, “Union Nationale pour la Course au Large.” The UNCL judging panel is composed of journalists from a variety of marine media. This award…
Deck life: How big yachts are making inroads into short-handed sailing
From the yacht production company that brought you the concept of a deck saloon, Jeanneau's latest range of production yachts appears to be phasing this concept out. Or, at least, taking it to a new level. The Yacht 54 is…
Sun Fast 3600 results recognised by Euro media
The Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 has just been named IRC Boat of the Year by the UNCL: 'Union Nationale pour la Course au Large'. The UNCL judging panel is composed of journalists from a variety of European marine media…
More detail on how Ludde Ingvall has transformed the 90ft Nicorette into the 100ft weapon CQS
A previous winner of the Rolex Sydney Hobart and the Rolex Fastnet races, Ludde Ingvall last week revealed his new challenger to Wild Oats XI's domination of the race south to Hobart. On his website https://www.bigboatracing.com, there is plenty of detail…
Nine excellent used multihulls for sale
Multihull Solutions is an innovative company with sales centres and agents conveniently located throughout Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and New Zealand who can assist you with all of your multihull needs. The company imports and sells a range of…
25th Beneteau Cup Regatta all set for November 25
Flagstaff Marine Beneteau is celebrating the 25th year of its annual Beneteau Regatta. The Beneteau Cup Regatta has been a key event on Sydney Harbour since 1991 and attracts many local and interstate participants as we kick off summer sailing…
A million dollar yacht for less than $200,000
Yachts and dreams are synonymous, but yacht ownership is sometimes likened to standing under a shower tearing up $100 dollar bills; unless you share the capital and running costs with others. Fractional ownership of yachts is common on Australia's weekend…
A selection of pre-owned yachts offered for sale
Established in 2002, Performance Boating Sales is an award winning yacht and motor boat brokerage based on Pittwater, Sydney. A founding member of the Australian Marine Network (AMN), PBS is also the NSW importer for Jeanneau yachts, as well as an…
Anchor winch maintenance and puppy dogs
Sometimes all it takes is a can of dog food…. We’d recently replaced the electrics on Tubby (Golden Haze), including re-running cables and connections to the Muir anchor winch up in the fore peak. At the same time I decided…
Flotsam and Jetsam: The Cranse Chronicles – By Bob Ross
For more than 30 years, a collection of characters, curious situations and humorous bits and pieces has washed across the desk of sailing magazine editor and columnist Bob Ross and published in Australian Sailing magazine in Bob Cranse’s By the…
Seen at the show: RescueMe EDF 1 distress flare
Ocean Signal has developed a compact electronic distress flare,the RescueME EDF1. Lightweight and rugged, the EDF1 is sold in Australia by All Sat Communications. Claimed to be 40 per cent smaller than similar devices, it is ideal for a grab…
Seen at the show: Eco Marine Bedding
Is there a better bed?Austrian designed Flexima mattresses have been used in superyachts for quite a while now and appear to have the problem of keeping dry, sorted. The interior of every mattress has an internal plastic interconnected spring. This…
Seen at the show: GME VHF radio GX750
The GME GX750 VHF Marine Radio is a compact communication and safety device with innovative installation options. Waterproof to IPX7, the GX750 is the ideal communication tool for your boating lifestyle whether you’re sailing inland waters, or heading offshore. The…
Seen at the show: Megapulse
Refresh your batteries – 5000 times a second! Electrical systems in yachts are under increasing load stresses, subject to voltage losses forcing them to operate outside of design parameters leading to inefficiency. A naturally degrading product by nature voltage losses…
Seen at the show: Norglass Orange Peel
Norglass Paints have introduced a citrus-based paint stripping gel. Orange Peel features include: Holds on to vertical surfaces Removes multiple paint layers Cleans up with water Evaporates slowly Works faster than other citrus style paint strippers Does NOT contain Methylene…
Jeanneau 349 – sailing made easy
The Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 349 has been making waves around the world and it isn’t surprising why. The price point is right for a boat that can go from cruiser to round-the-cans racing easily. With over 25 in Australia, and…
Behind the scenes at North Sails
North Sails was founded in 1957 by Lowell North in the United States. The company is one of the largest sailmakers in the world with lofts and facilities in almost 30 countries. The brand was established in Australia by John…
Behind the scenes at Flagstaff Marine
Flagstaff Marine was created in 2014 in conjunction with Vicsail Sydney. While the brand is known for their association with Beneteau, they are also the agents for Amel Yachts, CNB Yachts and Sly Yachts. We spoke to Graham Raspass about…
MG14: Moulding the future
The ‘Manly Graduate’ 14ft sailing skiff has been on the Australian sailing scene for a long time now, and while many other ‘traditional’ classes have dwindled and almost disappeared, the MG is embracing its development roots and forging ahead. The…
