Impassioned plea from Victorian BIA to the Premier – relax the rules!
BIAV CEO Steve Walker has a message for the Premier and Boating Minister. Watch the two minute video.
All News
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.
Southport Yacht Club open for business
After months of closure owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, Southport Yacht Club will re-open this Friday, 5th June. New revised Government restrictions allow the club to open based on 20 people per room/defined area, while still applying the 'one person…
Captain of APL England charged for container spill off NSW coast
Charges have been laid against the master of the APL England, which lost about 50 containers overboard off Sydney on Sunday. This is the result of work between AMSA, the Queensland Police and the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecution. The…
Boating restrictions in Queensland lifted from June 1
Following pressure from tourism operators, the BIA and other concerned organisations, the Queensland government has announced that boating is effectively “back to normal” after some bizarre and illogical COVID-19 regulations have been revoked. Maritime Safety Queensland issued the following statement…
Coast Guard rescues three people in two separate incidents
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The US Coast Guard rescued a 56-year-old man after his sailboat became disabled and aground near Sapelo Sound, Sunday. A Coast Guard Air Station Savannah MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew arrived on scene, hoisted the man and transported him to…
Refits come to an end: The IMOCA fleet moving again and skippers rediscovering their boats
Just over a fortnight after the lockdown ended, the sailors and their teams are now busy catching up on lost time. Many IMOCAs have been relaunched after their winter refits, which took longer than planned. There have been more and…
Royal Huisman unveils Project 405
Royal Huisman has announced a new commission for a lightweight 46m high-performance cruiser sloop: “Nauta Reichel Pugh 151”. This versatile sailing yacht is to be built for very experienced owners who presented a stimulating brief: Comfort to explore the world,…
Around the world sailor Gaëtan Thomas aims for The Race Around
London, Wednesday 27th May: 5 Oceans Sports Marketing can today confirm the second competitor campaigning to be on the start line of The Race Around. He’s a guy for whom adventure is the ultimate calling. Gaëtan Thomas, aged 32, wants to beat…
AMSA inspects APL England after loss of containers of NSW coast
By The Maritime Executive 05-26-2020 01:32:11 Australian authorities boarded the container ship APL England in the Port of Brisbane anchorage following an incident in heavy seas where the Singapore-flagged vessel briefly lost propulsion and rolled violently causing approximately 40 containers…
Canting keel technology being used on workboats
By The Maritime Executive 05-26-2020 09:07:45 Danish startup Dacoma is turning canting keel technology upside down by fitting an air tank – rather than a lead weight – inside of the keel bulb. The canting keel is a device found…
SailGP and Oracle partner for seven-part Winning Calls content series
LONDON – May 27, 2020 – SailGP today launched Winning Calls with Oracle, a new seven-part series of virtual race-viewing events featuring the global league’s world-class athletes providing unique insight into how the national teams make strategic decisions at the…
Jimmy Spithill brushes off Luna Rossa struggles
stuff.co.nz Jimmy Spithill knows better than any sailor about the power of adversity and he insists Luna Rossa’s struggles in their America’s Cup buildup will make them stronger for Auckland 2021. The man who famously oversaw Oracle Team USA’s unbelievable…
NOR released for 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
The Notice of Race for the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart, the 76th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, encouraging entrants in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s blue-ribband event, has been released. Entries are now open for 2020’s 628-nautical-mile challenge, with the…
18ft Skiffs: James Joseph Giltinan, the man behind the name on the trophy
Since January 1938, the JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship has been regarded as the world championship for all 18 Footer Racing and the names on the James J Giltinan Trophy include some of the greatest sailors in the world. While…
Aussie manufacturer prepares to tap into worldwide post-Covid domestic travel booms with clever 12v/240v water heater
An Australian manufacturing innovator who has sold tens of thousands of his 12v/240v portable water heaters globally is expecting his latest model to tap into domestic adventure and recreational booms when Covid restrictions ease. Australia’s Aus J Hot Water Solutions,…
Active Atlantic hurricane season forecast for 2020 by NOAA
By The Maritime Executive 05-25-2020 08:23:41 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a busy Atlantic hurricane season in 2020 in its just released forecasts. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service is forecasting…
PIC Coastal Classic opens entries, business as usual
With 150 days to go, the New Zealand Multihull Yacht Club (NZMYC) is pleased to announce that the race is officially on for the 38th PIC Coastal Classic Yacht Race from Auckland to Russell in the Bay of Islands. Organizers…
Kiwi America's Cup boat Te Aihe finally comes home
Auckland, New Zealand – 26th May 2020 It is not so much a triumphant homecoming from Europe for the Emirates Team New Zealand AC75 ‘Te Aihe’- rather a low key but very welcome return in the dark hours of Tuesday morning,…
RNLI Volunteers search for missing yacht around North Wales wind farms
Just around midnight on Friday 22 May, the UK coastguard at Holyhead received a 999 mobile phone call from a yacht with two people on board, stating they had electrical failure and required assistance. The phone call ended without an…
Toolkit launched to help guide return of community sport
Sport Australia has launched a suite of practical resources that focus on giving community sporting clubs and associations a roadmap for the safest return to sport at all levels. Sport Australia’s Return to Sport Toolkit, developed in partnership with Hockey…
Mid-July return of Derwent yacht racing?
Sunday, July 19 is looking as the possible date for the resumption of yacht racing on Hobart’s River Derwent. The Combined Clubs Committee, which represents The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Derwent Sailing Squadron and Bellerive Yacht Club, this week…
WEST SYSTEM 207 is the secret to clear coating
This winter, tap into the products the professionals trust to refinish timber finishes for a glossy, UV-resistant coating in time for next season. Ultra clear 207 Special Clear Hardener was specifically developed for coating and fibreglass cloth application where the…
U.S. Court rules that Titanic's Marconi set can be salvaged
By The Maritime Executive 05-20-2020 08:51:59 In the ongoing battles over the RMS Titanic and its wreck site, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has issued an order providing RMS Titanic, Inc. (RMST) the…
Man who used sailboat to smuggle drugs sentenced to prison
PORTLAND, Ore. – The suspect apprehended in a historic Coast Guard drug seizure off the Oregon coast in 2019 was sentenced to prison today. John Philip Stirling, 66, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and…
World Sailing cancels the 2020 Offshore World Championship
World Sailing has cancelled the 2020 Offshore World Championship, due to be held alongside October’s Rolex Middle Sea Race in Valletta, Malta, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The many uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic have forced the…
Protective foul weather gear from Zhik provides facial protection afloat for sailors and watersports instructors
When Zhik’s design team created their Hydrovision adaptive hood and detachable visor as part of its Isotak X Offshore range for the Dongfeng Race Team, which won the last Volvo Ocean Race, no-one could have predicted how this innovation in…
Peter Isler's Marine Weather University
Two-time America’s Cup winner, Peter Isler and veteran sailing meteorologist, Chris Bedford are proud to announce the opening of their new online educational venture, “Marine Weather University” (MWU). Designed to help sailors and boaters take their weather education to the…
Fight your way through the confusion of different States, different lockdowns
Australia continues to gain ground in efforts to contain COVID-19 which is allowing Governments to ease restrictions on recreational boating around the country. This is great news, however it is important the boating public understand what activity is permitted within…
Queensland Premier refuses to budge on irrational charter inconsistencies
Last week we highlighted the absurdity of allowing bareboat charters in Queensland for day trips, but not allowing the charterers to stay out over night. You can read the original article here. It highlights how award-winning Cumberland Charter Yachts, which…
Coast Guard aircrew rescues three from disabled sailboat
SAN FRANCISCO — The Coast Guard rescued three people from a disabled sailboat in Pillar Point Harbor, Wednesday morning. The owner of the 30-foot sailboat, Freedom, contacted Coast Guard Sector San Francisco command center at approximately 11 p.m., Tuesday via…
More fun, more participation revisited
Here in NZ, the sailing clubs are putting their thinking caps on to find a way to get people back into clubs. The racing classes seem to have fragmented the sailing population, young and old, as people have to choose…
Cruising Yachts Pacific Crossing 2020 – COVID Ocean Cruising Club update
The OCC has continued to liaise with various governments, diplomats, marine trade associations, rally organisers and OCC port officers in the hope of facilitating at a minimum transit under quarantine and/or ports of refuge for the forthcoming South Pacific cyclone…
The Mediterranean Escapade 2021 – Greek Islands and the Coast of Turkey
By Trevor Joyce The Corona virus pandemic derailed our inaugural Mediterranean Escapade but the event is now set to proceed in 2021. Timed for the same late spring dates and with the same unique combination – the Greek Islands of…
Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d’Olonne: A brand new race for the IMOCA boats
The horizon is starting to look clearer for those aiming to compete in the 2020 Vendée Globe. On 4th July, they are due to start the Vendée-Arctic-les Sables d’Olonne, a 3600-mile solo ocean race around a big triangle reaching up…
Op-Ed: Protecting 30 percent of the ocean is easier said than done
By China Dialogue Ocean 05-17-2020 06:21:31 [By Kong Lingyu] Although there is no official word, it is highly likely the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), due to be held in Kunming this…
YCCS postpones opening and is ready for 2020 season
Porto Cervo, 15 May 2020. Pending definitive government provisions, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda has postponed the opening of its base in Porto Cervo until the end of June/beginning of July, and in the meantime is preparing to get safely…
Bermuda Gold Cup eyes October running
HAMILTON, Bermuda (May 15, 2020) — When the calendar turned Jan. 1, 2020, organizers for the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club’s Bermuda Gold Cup match racing regatta were eyeing this week, the 19th week of 2020, as a celebration of the…
Postponement of Tokyo 2020 Olympics to cost IOC $800 million
Inside the Games. By Liam Morgan The International Olympic Committee (IOC) expects the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to cost the organisation $800 million (£656 million/€741 million), $150 million (£123 million/€139 million) of which will form an “aid…
Franklin 29 project showcases shipwright skills
Work has begun on a wooden boat project uniting modern construction and traditional methods and aiming to showcase the enduring appeal and relevance of the shipwright. In build at The Wooden Boat Centre in Franklin, Tasmania, the vessel, known as…
MEB Sail Design offers a diverse and versatile service
With a diverse background in the marine industry, Lake Macquarie sailor Michael Babbage offers a unique service to clients around Australia, branching out from sail making to rigging supply and advising through his company, MEB Sail Design. Based at the…
