Des Townson – A sailing Legacy
Des Townson – A sailing Legacy. By Brian Peet. This is a book that every Kiwi sailor should buy. But it’s one that will appeal to a huge number of Australians too. Because, as well as detailing fifty years of…
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The latest news from the world of yachting and sailing including yacht & dinghy reviews, cruising and destination information plus the latest boating gear as well as inshore and offshore racing updates and regatta schedules. All things Sailing, Sail Racing, Sailboats and more.
Federico Waksman (URU) | An Insight: Double Handed Offshore
Experienced offshore sailor Federico Waksman, from Uruguay, talks about his passion for double handed sailing and why he believes the event at Paris 2024 will be exciting for everyone, not just fans of the sport.
Alex Thomson hits the front in Vendee Globe
Passing the Azores, some 100 miles to the east of São Miguel island, Britain’s Alex Thomson leads the Vendée Globe fleet this afternoon on Hugo Boss. He moved south away from his closest rivals on the water early this morning, choosing…
Finnish RoRo ship rescues three from capsized catamaran off Portugal
The Finnish-flagged ro/ro Midas rescued three sailors from a capsized sailboat off Portugal last weekend, her owners reported. The 15-meter catamaran sailboat capsized on Friday at a position about 150 nautical miles off Portugal, and three crewmembers abandoned ship onto a…
NT Police find overdue yacht near East Arnhem Land
Northern Territory Police announced last week that they held concerns for two men who had failed to make contact since leaving their last known location. The two men were believed to have left Maningrida on Wednesday 4 November 2020 to…
How to help get Swansea channel dredged more regularly
Whilst the NSW State Government has recently announced limited funding for dredging the Swansea Channel there is a need for ongoing remedial action. BIA Life member Doug Olding is now a fulltime resident of Lake Macquarie and has personal experience…
Armel Tripon diverts towards La Coruña, Jérémie Beyou heading back to Les Sables d'Olonne
Jérémie Beyou, one of the Vendée Globe solo round the world race’s pre-race favourites has been forced to turn back to the start port of Les Sables d’Olonne in France after suffering a succession of problems including rudder damage…
Authorities respond to mayday from dismasted yacht off Port Macquarie
The Marine Area Command Search and Rescue Coordination Centre received a mayday relay from a yacht 220nm East of Port Macquarie after losing its mast and requiring assistance. The yacht is the 11.5m Solar Coaster with three men in their…
Vendée Globe: wild west or safer south?
Heading west this afternoon and encountering building winds, skippers of the many of the faster foiling IMOCAs are preparing themselves for an overnight pounding, set to last five or six hours, when they punch through an active weather front which…
David Kellett AM awarded Australian Sailing Life Membership
Prominent offshore sailor and sailing administrator David Kellett AM has been awarded Australian Sailing Life Membership. David is the twelfth person in the organisation’s seventy years to be awarded this honour, and the first since 2016. David was recognised for…
#31 | Off Watch – A Conversation with Annemieke Bes
Annemieke Bes is an Olympic silver medallist for the Netherlands 🇳🇱, and competed in the last edition of The Ocean Race aboard Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag. In this interview she tells us about getting a taste for ocean racing as…
Storm grounds, then demolishes, “Age of Russia” former America's Cup boat on Coronado Beach
By Coronado Times, 8 November, 2020. 2020 strikes again. A large racing sailboat became unmoored early Saturday morning during a storm. It then grounded at Coronado’s Central Beach, just south of the main lifeguard tower. Initially, the boat appeared to…
Vendée Globe: Seguin shows the way south
France’s double Paralympic gold medallist and 2017 winner of the Tour Voile Damien Seguin leads the 33 boat Vendée Globe fleet as the early rankings favour a leading group of older generation IMOCAs as they race south westwards across the…
Storing your boat: how to avoid mechanical problems
The other day we were chatting with the owner of a boat that had just moved to our dock. “I’ll just be here a couple of days. The boat’s been on the hardstand for 18 months and I’ve just come…
Vendee Globe fleet gathers speed after delayed start
A sea mist shrouding the start zone off Les Sables d’Olonne held up the start of the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe, the solo non-stop round the world race, for nearly one hour and 20 minutes. But for…
Gweilo claims IRC victory in Bird Island Race
Matt Donald and Chris Townsend’s Gweilo has held off six rival TP52s and a plethora of strong challengers to claim IRC victory in yesterday’s Blue Water Pointscore Bird Island Race. After a light, tactical start in Sydney Harbour 1000hrs Saturday…
Two different winners in 18 Footer Spring Championship
The two races (Races 5 and 6) of the Spring 18ft Skiff Championship were sailed in a light South East breeze on Sydney Harbour today and produced two different winners from the 'red group' under the Australian 18 Footers League's…
ARC+ 2020 departs Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
After months of preparation, hard work and determination to take part in ARC+ 2020 in challenging circumstances, last night’s firework display lit up the skies above the fleet of 24 boats, acting as a final farewell from organisers, World Cruising…
Shortlist and trophy revealed for the YJA 'International Sailor of the Decade'
The Yachting Journalists' Association (YJA) has announced the shortlist for the YJA MS Amlin 'International Sailor of the Decade'. Over the past decade we have seen a cohort of exciting personalities rise on the international stage, with the established ‘household’…
Jules Verne Trophy – men of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild actively waiting
Lorient, Friday, November 6, 2020 – As scheduled, since 1 November, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and her crew have officially been on standby to set sail on their Jules Verne Trophy attempt. Moored in Lorient, her port of registry,…
Seawind regatta sails rain, hail or shine
Sydney, Australia – 5 November 2020 October 30 and 31st, Multihull Central hosted the 21st Seawind owners regatta on Pittwater, just north of Sydney Harbour. This year's regatta came together in the last minute just as COVID-19 restrictions lifted a…
Coast Guard rescues four adults, four children and a dog from water in St. Mary’s Inlet
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Coast Guard rescued eight people and a dog from the water Sunday after their sailing vessel hit the north jetty in St. Mary’s Inlet, Georgia. The survivors were transported to Dee Dee Boat Ramp in Fernandina…
Vendée Globe vs The Ocean Race?
We asked some of the guys who’ve sailed both iconic offshore races – Jérémie Beyou, Sam Davies, and Kevin Escoffier. They explain the differences between sailing solo in the Vendée Globe and sailing fully-crewed in The Ocean Race.
Barney Walker & Jade Cole (AUS) | An Insight: Double Handed Offshore
Australian duo Barney Walker and Jade Cole have already started campaigning for the Mixed Two Person Offshore event at Paris 2024. With vast experience amongst them, they know they will have to train and compete as much as possible in…
IMOCA technology advances could help lower the Vendee Globe record
The latest generation imocas will surely deliver a new Vendée Globe record time. The British skipper of Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson, suggested on Tuesday in Les Sables d’Olonne that a new time could be “between 59 and 70 days depending…
Swiss challenger in pursuit of the World Sailing Speed Record helms its first prototype
Lausanne, 5 November 2020 – A year ago, SP80 unveiled the design of its boat to beat the World Sailing Speed Record. Today the team, composed of more than forty engineers and students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology…
Whitsundays Clean Up Flotilla another huge success
In 2018 we had the privilege to skipper a charter yacht for Annika’s family in Phuket. On that charter we saw a need for major cleaning of the islands and we worked hard with Sunsail to organise what was to…
Vendee Globe – ice exclusion zone is set, 24,296nm is the distance
Following the positioning of the Antarctic Exclusion Zone, Race Direction of the Vendée Globe have confirmed the course distance for the imminent ninth edition of the race at 24,296 nautical miles, 44,996kms. The theoretical course distance in 2016-17 was 24,394…
Ports of Auckland clears the way for America’s Cup spectacle to return to inner city race courses
Auckland, New Zealand – 4th November 2020 Ports of Auckland has today announced that it will facilitate the use of the inner harbour races courses (B and C) for all racing for the 36th America’s Cup event. CEO Tony Gibson…
US Coast Guard rescues two yachties from vessel near Cape Hatteras
CAPE HATTERAS, N.C. — The Coast Guard rescued two boaters from their 52-foot sailing vessel approximately 172 miles east of Cape Hatteras, Monday afternoon. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard's 5th District Command Center received a relayed notification from the International Emergency…
Offshore Doubles Sailing Association launches
Created by sailors, for sailors, Offshore Doubles' mission is to strengthen the community of sailors, events and boat classes who are already making Double Handed offshore sailing the fastest growing segment of the sport. Click here to join now for…
Sydney Hobart 2020 – 100 yachts entered
The starting cannon will be fired again on Boxing Day for the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s (CYCA) 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The world-renowned 628-nautical-mile blue water classic will go ahead after a lengthy period of consultation with…
OSCAR helps prevent costly Vendee Globe collisions
Short of space flight, a 40,000km non-stop singlehanded yacht race around the world represents one of the toughest human-mechanical challenges that can be undertaken. Sadly this often comes with a high attrition rate. Over the last eight editions of the…
Facing Fear – a remarkable book by a remarkable woman
I received this book in the midday post, immediately began reading, and did not stop until I had turned the last page. It is a book that will make you realise how small your perceived problems really are. And it…
Over 40 entries registered for 2021 Transpac
November 2, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA – As of today, 8 months and 10 days in advance of the first start on July 13, 2021, there are 42 confirmed entries in the 51st edition of the Transpacific Yacht Club’s…
World's first digital sextant provides GPS back-up
The Korean-designed Digital Sextant is claimed to be the first electronic sextant in the world and gives you quick and rapid identification of your location plus reliable back-up in case of GPS malfunction or failure. The developers say that current…
Taylor Canfield wins World Match Racing Championship and Bermuda Gold Cup
HAMILTON, Bermuda (Oct. 31, 2020) — Skipper Taylor Canfield and Team Stars+Stripes – Mike Buckley, Victor Diaz de Leon, Mike Menninger and Eric Shampain – won the 70th Bermuda Gold Cup and 2020 Open Match Racing World Championship with a penalty-marred…
Only three 18 Footers make the start line in stormy Sydney Harbour conditions
The Australian champion tech2 team of Jack Macartney, Charlie Wyatt and Lewis Brake gave a masterclass of power sailing with a brilliant victory in Race 4 of the Australian 18 Footers League's Spring 18ft Skiff Championship on Sydney Harbour today. …
Globe Mini 5.80 – a boat in a box
The compact offshore racing boat, known as the Globe Mini 5.80, is the brainchild of adventurer and sailing legend, Don McIntyre. Interest in the boat in a box is taking off all over the world, using a DIY kit constructed…
Double-handers angry at CYCA's decision
OPINION When the CYCA finally decided to enter the 21st century and allow double-handed entries in the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart, fans of short-handed sailing applauded. However, that applause has turned to anger with the announcement that double-handers won't be…
