Francis Joyon’s day full of contrast
While the figures from the past 48 hours led us to be euphoric, with 716 miles clocked up yesterday in 24 hours and a lead extended this morning to 707 miles in comparison to the pace set in 2009, out…
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.
Laser Under-21 World Championships: The trend continues
Split, Croatia: Much like yesterday, everyone was up bright and early, sailors were rigging boats before 0700, and race committee left the harbor by 0730 for the 0900 first signal, with the Golf flag was lowered at 0750 and sailors…
Green light for Mini-Transat La Boulangère second leg start
It’s tomorrow, Saturday 2 November at 14:08 UTC that the start of the second leg of the Mini-Transat La Boulangère will set sail from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria bound for Le Marin (Martinique). Following the withdrawal of Hendrik Witzmann…
Brest Atlantiques: Gearing up for Tuesday start
This weekend, the tip of Brittany and more broadly France’s Atlantic seaboard will be swept by the first big autumnal depression with winds bordering on 50 knots and very heavy seas. There is nothing exceptional about these conditions at this…
Brest Atlantiques – start postponed
After having studied the evolution of the weather situation over the past few days, the organisers of Brest Atlantiques, in agreement with the sailors and owners, have decided to make official this Thursday the postponement of the race, initially scheduled…
Propspeed introduces new Foulfree coating for transducers
Auckland, New Zealand – Propspeed announced today the introduction of a new foul-release coating designed specifically for transducers – Foulfree. Designated by Airmar as a certified transducer coating, Foulfree releases marine growth, reducing the maintenance needed to keep transducers clean and…
The IMOCA class lets the weather experts have their say (#2)
Each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the IMOCA class gives a chance for the weather analysts and onshore routers to tell us about how they see the race in the IMOCA category to allow us to understand the strategy adopted by…
Alex Thomson stitching south with one eye on the World Cup
As he beats his way down the North Atlantic in an increasingly unfavourable position, Britain’s Alex Thomson looked forward to England playing in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday morning with the good omen that he watched the last…
Victoria's Etchells sailors get set for 2019 Lipton Cup Regatta
The various Etchells fleets in Port Phillip will take part in the 2019 Lipton Cup Regatta this year as part of its 2019/20 program, with a strong fleet getting ready to descend on the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria for…
Another day of light winds at Under 21 Laser Championships
(Split, Croatia) A promising start to a short lived morning of racing. Golf flag was lowered at 0750 and sailors began launching for a 0900 start time. The Women’s fleet, which hasn’t yet completed a race, started cleanly on the…
Entries open for the 52nd Marlay Point Overnight Race
Entries are now open and the countdown is on until the Keeley Marine Supplies 52nd Marlay Point Overnight Race (MPONR), which will take place on March 7, 2020. This iconic annual event starts at sunset and sees a large fleet…
Ensign are moving to 'in-house' and digital service
Ensign Yachts, agents for Bavaria, Nautitech and Italia yachts, is changing its sales direction. The strategy will see it reduce its retail footprint across Australia, while developing reach by expanding its presence in yacht clubs and marinas around Australia; plus…
National Sailing League Oceania joins Festival of Sails
The first event of the National Sailing League Oceania’s 2019-2020 season will partner with the Festival of Sails, hosted by Royal Geelong Yacht Club, bringing even more action to Corio Bay over the 2020 Australia Day long weekend. The Southern…
Sean Langman’s wide world of sailing
Sean Langman, one of Australia’s most versatile sailors, has set himself another wide-ranging program in the 2019-2020 Australian summer, with a season of 18ft skiff racing on Sydney Harbour, skippering Noakesailing, as well as skippering the 69ft Naval Group in…
Only one boy's race completed at Laser Under 21 Worlds
(Split, Croatia) Finally! Some racing! But just some. The fleets left the harbor at 0830 as the northeasterly breeze was beginning to build. By 1000, the scheduled start time for today, the wind was six to eight knots on course…
Additional funding for cyclone-damaged Whitsundays harbour
The Queensland Government has announced that Shute Harbour will be restored, following cyclone damage sustained in 2017, with another $10 million committed to the project after it was delayed by technical issues. Works to be undertaken include: demolition of the…
Joyon at full pelt heading towards the Cape of Good Hope
There’s no changing Francis. The skipper of the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is at the age of 63 just as keen as ever to set new records and perform well, as we have been able to see over the past 24…
The end to a perfect cruising day: brought to you by Nanni generators
The purpose of owning a yacht is to go sailing. For readers of Cruising Helmsman that means to get away from it all and get out there. A marina berth is all well and good, but the real reason you…
The IMOCA class lets some weather routers have their say
Routing is not allowed in the Transat Jacques Vabre for the skippers in the IMOCA class, but that does not mean to say that the weather experts are not watching the race and studying the charts… We therefore decided to…
Transat Jacques Vabre – Britain's two Sams challenge as fleet divides
Britain’s Samantha Davies and her French co-skipper, Paul Meilhat have sent a message at the start of this race and it rang out across the Bay of Biscay yesterday as they tacked south-west at Cape Finisterre in third place. They…
High-tech composites key to champion keelboat’s revival
The nifty Jack Holt-designed keelboat, Saltash – eight-time winner of the Brisbane to Gladstone Race – is being given a new lease on life by the craftspeople at Norman R. Wright & Sons, using the latest generation epoxy and carbon…
Still no racing at Under 21 Laser Worlds
(Split, Croatia) Race committee left the harbor at 1030, on schedule, and spent the day watching and waiting. The light easterly breeze in the morning faded, as forecast, but the haze never burned off and the westerly thermal never filled…
HH Catamarans begins production of the first HH88 “supercat”
HH Catamarans has begun mold construction for a new ‘supercat’ that will propel the brand into superyacht territory. Hudson Yacht Group, the award-winning builder of HH Catamarans, is a builder of luxury performance cruising catamarans. A spokesperson said this new 88ft (26.8m)…
SailGP’s F50 crowned World Sailing's Boat of the Year
NEW YORK – October 29, 2019 – As SailGP prepares to kick off its second season in 2020, the global championship continues to be recognized for its successful debut. Today, the F50 catamaran – the fastest sail race boat in…
Marco Gradoni becomes youngest Rolex World Sailor of the Year; Anne-Marie Rindom receives female honour
Italy’s Marco Gradoni was crowned the 2019 male Rolex World Sailor of the Year on Tuesday 29 October in Bermuda, becoming the youngest ever recipient, at the World Sailing Awards. Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark received the female accolade to follow…
Transat Jacques Vabre – a high speed start for the IMOCAs
Since the start at 1215hrs UTC yesterday from Le Havre, the 29 IMOCAs have been sailing at high speed and quickly made their way out of the English Channel, even if three double-handed crews (Ruyant/Koch, Sorel/Le Brec and Joschke/Lagravière) suffered…
Brest Atlantiques: Top speeds for the MACIF trimaran?
Four boats will line up at the start of the Brest Atlantiques race; four Ultim 32/23 trimarans, so twelve hulls and the same number of crew. This long run is raced double-handed and the decision has been made to give…
SailGP to return to San Francisco, New York in Season 2
NEW YORK – October 28, 2019 – SailGP will return to two iconic U.S. shorelines in 2020, with Season 2 grand prix events set for San Francisco and New York. The U.S. leg of the global championship’s sophomore season will…
IDEC SPORT – sailing the long route off Brazil
Francis Joyon is sailing day after day clocking up more than 600 miles averaging over 26 knots. In spite of being some way from the direct route off Brazil, the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran is today (Monday) 266 nautical miles ahead…
Laser Under-21 World Championships – the waiting game
(Split, Croatia) The forecast held true – sunny and warm and very little wind. No gradiant, but hope for a thermal fill from the West in the afternoon. To be able to best advantage if the wind did build, the fleets were…
Clean wakes a priority at CRC Bay of Islands Sailing Week
CRC Bay of Islands Sailing Week is on track to achieve Clean Regatta certification in 2020, as organisers strive to leave a clean wake by reducing the event’s environmental impact. “We’ve joined up with Sailors for the Sea to become a certified…
Entries build for Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta
More than 20 of Australia’s most famous classic yachts have already entered for the Sydney Hobart Classic Yacht Regatta that will begin a month of celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. To be held…
Luke Berry and Tanguy Le Turquais out of Transat Jacques Vabre after dismasting
Hopes of a British victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre Normandie Le Havre were dealt a cruel blow before sunrise on Monday morning when overnight leaders Luke Berry and his French co-skipper Tanguy Le Turquais suffered a dismast to their…
Finport Finance wins first heat of 18 Footers Club Championship
Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers Club Championship, sailed in a 12-14-knot ENE wind on Sydney Harbour today, produced one of the closest and best 18ft Skiff races seen for a few years, and gave the Finport Finance team victory…
Four Australians set to challenge at ILCA Laser Under 21 World Championships
(Split, Croatia) The 2019 Laser Under-21 World Championships begin here tomorrow in this beautiful city on the Adriatic Sea. The host, Sailing Club Mornar, has put everything in place for a great event, and the weather has been sunny and warm for…
The Ocean Cleanup to address the main source of ocean plastic pollution: Rivers
Rotterdam, the Netherlands – October 26, 2019 – The Ocean Cleanup, the Dutch non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic, unveiled today its invention to prevent the unrelenting flow of plastic pollution into the world’s…
SailGP Sydney VIP tickets now on sale
SailGP returns to Sydney to kick off Season 2 on February 28 and 29, 2020. Australia’s Tom Slingsby will be hungry to defend his championship title, looking to put early points on the leaderboard in front of a home crowd….
170 yachts to start historic 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart
Entry for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has closed and organisers at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) are thrilled to announce 170 yachts from Australia and overseas will take part in their 75th race, making it the largest…
Mirabaud Sailing Video Award voting open
The Mirabaud Sailing Video Award invites the public to discover the best sailing videos produced this year, and to contribute to the selection of the best ones by voting online where you will see the 34 film makers or video…
Fast and wet Coastal Classic comes to an end
Intense, exhilarating, scary and really fun are some of the words being thrown around Russell today, where crews of more than 150 sailboats are swapping stories of the gruelling 119 nautical mile yacht race they started yesterday. The 37th PIC…
