Things that make you go beep
Censorship in media has been around for a long time. We all like to think we live in a society where the rights of free speech are enshrined by law and by morality. Well think again, how many times have…
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.
Old sailors never die, they just rejig their yachts
Some sailors will be lucky enough to continue to sail well into their 80s but, well before that age, most will find they need to progressively curtail their activities. Various infirmities in themselves, or partners, may make it increasingly difficult…
Tempting the sea gods: renaming your boat
Superstitions abound in all cultures, but you probably will not encounter a more superstitious bunch of people than sailors. Why is this? Most psychologists believe that superstitions evolve from a feeling of lack of control. Writer and psychology professor Stuart…
Insomnia's Pittwater to Paradise countdown
Marcus Grimes is stepping into a new level of technology and style of racing with the purchase of the Judel/Vrolijk that was Elena Nova, now called Insomnia and racing from the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club in Sydney’s north. Grimes…
Winning day for Tasmanian SB20 sailor Andrew Smith
Sunday was a winning day in Tasmania for Huon Valley orchardist and sailor Andrew Smith – he organised the raising of more than $15,000 as drought relief for farmers and his boat Smigger won the SB20 sports boat class at…
Bow of the starboard float broken aboard the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
Shortly after 4:30 GMT, Sébastien Josse alerted his team manager to major damage aboard the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. Leading the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe fleet after an outstanding start to the race, the solo sailor came to…
2018 Annual Conference – 2 November Recap
A Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore will feature at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after World Sailing’s Council voted in favour of it replacing the Mixed One Person Dinghy. The decision happened at World Sailing’s 2018 Annual Conference in Sarasota,…
IMOCA skippers give us their take on the Route Du Rhum
For once, as they are not competing in this edition of the Route du Rhum – destination Guadeloupe, some of the skippers in the IMOCA class will be offering their personal outlook on the race and analysing each day the…
Plea from Finn class in open letter to delegates at World Sailing AGM
The Finn class has been part of the Olympics since 1952 and is an undeniable and integral part of the history and culture of the Games, creating more stars of the sailing world than any other class. It is not…
Fast start turns rough for Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe fleet
All is set in the Brittany port of Saint Malo for the start of the 11th edition of the Route-du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe solo transatlantic race, which features a record entry of 123-skippers who will tackle very rough conditions in the…
Cancellation of Newport Coffs Coast yacht race
The 2018 Pantaenius Newport Coffs Coast Yacht Race has been reluctantly cancelled as entries failed to meet target. Having resurrected the race last year with a fleet of 12, organisers from the Royal Motor Yacht Club (RMYC) Broken Bay and…
Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe form guide with 48 hours to go
The Ultime class is going to produce a fast race in the 2018 Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe from Saint Malo in Brittany to Point-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe and it features the rock stars of French solo ocean racing – here, sailing…
MACIF trimaran to sprint across the Atlantic
The trimarans of the Ultime class will take off from St Malo in the direction of Point-à-Pitre, at fabulous speeds probably never achieved before, this Sunday at 2 pm. François Gabart, skipper of the MACIF trimaran and his design office…
Life aboard the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild
In three days, at exactly 13:00 GMT, the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe fleet will set sail from offshore Saint Malo. The race start is approaching then and the weather patterns are taking shape. Indeed, this 2018 edition is…
Lisa Blair reaches Cape York on Australian circumnavigation
November 2, 2018. Lisa Blair is attempting to become the first woman to circumnavigate Australia non-stop and unassisted. At 6am Australian Daylight Time, she was off Cape York. Here is her blog from yesterday: Last night was fairly uneventful as…
Susie Goodall fourth Golden Globe sailor to pass Hobart
29-year old Golden Globe Race skipper Susie Goodall made good use of her time in Hobart to repair her wind vane self-steering and dive to clear barnacles clinging to the bottom of her Rustler 36 yacht DHL Starlight. Looking fit…
20 IMOCAs competing in the Route du Rhum, a class that is rapidly expanding
On Sunday 4th November in Saint-Malo, 20 monohulls from the IMOCA Class will be lining up at the start of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, the first solo event in the IMOCA Globe Series, the class’s new world championship. A…
Check your bilge pumps – catamaran sinks off Airlie Beach
A catamaran which sank off the Port of Airlie has prompted calls from Whitsunday Water Police for boat owners to ensure their bilge pumps are in working order, according to the Whitsunday Times. The 11.5m catamaran had been moored between…
Sam Davies: A sailor at the peak of her powers ready to take on the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe
The veteran British ocean racing sailor Sam Davies loves to remind people that she is a “rookie” when it comes to the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe but she is eager to get going and see whether she can spring a…
New York Yacht Club to host 2020 IRC/ORC World Championship
Sarasota, Florida – The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) working in cooperation with the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and Union National Course au Large (UNCL), founding partners of the IRC rating system, are pleased to announce the approval of the…
Equipment decisions made at World Sailing conference
Equipment Committee Equipment for the Paris 2024 was a hot topic in the Equipment Committee. At the 2018 Mid-Year Meeting in London, Great Britain in May World Sailing's Council confirmed the five new Events for Paris 2024, following the confirmation…
Record number of yachts join the Down Under 'Go West' Rally
72 yachts from 14 countries have joined the 2018 Go West Rally. Having set sail from New Caledonia and Vanuatu at various times over the past couple of weeks, 43 of the participating yachts have already arrived in Australia and…
Barnacles – the scourge of solo circumnavigators
When Uku Randmaa set off from the BoatShed.com Film gate in Hobart in third place within the Golden Globe Race fleet last Saturday, he was not thinking about closing the gap between second placed Dutchman Mark Slats, but how to…
Jules Verne Trophy attempt – Spindrift 2 moves standby forward
November was originally planned as the month for Spindrift racing to complete their inshore racing season and then move to standby mode for the team’s attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy. However with the M32 championship event, originally scheduled to…
Light winds slowing Lisa Blair as she heads north-west to Cape York
Well I am still pleased to report all is going well on-board Climate Action Now, even if I am sailing a little slower than I would like in these light winds. Last night was another crystal clear evening and I…
New York Yacht Club launches America's Cup test boat
Stuff.co.nz The New York Yacht Club are the second 2021 America's Cup challenger to launch a test boat. American Magic revealed on their Facebook page images of a weekend launching in Rhode Island of a monohull with foils, looking to…
Replica tall ship, trashed in a storm, is in Maine for overhaul
The Sun Journal WISCASSET (AP) — A floating piece of history that was severely damaged during a winter storm is in Maine for repairs. The 110-foot sloop, known as the USS Providence, toppled onto its side during powerful gusts in…
IRC and ORC agree continued cooperation
Representatives of the RORC and ORC met at the Royal Malta Yacht Club before the start of the Rolex Middle Sea Race to discuss the continued cooperation between IRC and ORC on a technical level, and the future of a…
Last chance to join 2018 Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally
It’s the last chance to join in one of Australia’s best weekends of cruising with registrations closing soon for the 2018 Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally. Held from 23-25 November, the Multihull Solutions Pittwater Rally incorporates laidback cruising through the stunning…
New-look CYCA clubhouse revealed
After its nine month make-over, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s new-look clubhouse in Sydney is officially open for business following its unveiling at the weekend. The club’s sleek new home combines modern and classic features in its traditional location…
Finport wins heart-stopping 18 Footer Club Championship Race 1
In a fading SSE breeze, the Finport Trade Finance team of Keagan York, Matt Stenta and Charlie Gundy hung on to win a heart-stopping Race 1 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour today. After…
The women leading the charge in the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe
The 2018 Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe fleet consists of a record-breaking entry of 123 sailors, six of whom are female, with three each racing in the highly-competitive IMOCA and Class40 divisions. The organisers would be delighted to see more women…
Four world-class teams on World Sailing Team of the Year Award shortlist
Four elite, world-class sailing teams – showcasing the dynamism of the sport – have been shortlisted for the inaugural World Sailing Team of the Year Award. The World Sailing Team of the Year Award celebrates teams of two or more…
World Sailing’s 2018 Conference underway in Sarasota
World Sailing's 2018 Annual Conference is underway at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sarasota, Florida, USA. Running through to 4 November 2018, delegates will review and discuss the strategy of sailing and make key decisions that influence the future of…
World Sailing 2018 Annual Conference – classes committee meets
World Sailing’s 2018 Annual Conference is underway in Sarasota, Florida, USA and Sunday saw the meeting of the Classes Committee as well as the Youth Events, International Measurers, International Judges and Race Management Sub-Committees. Classes Committee World Sailing has 117…
Wild day for River Derwent sailing
A near gale-force sou’-wester came roaring up the River Derwent at more than 30 knots this afternoon, playing havoc with the Combined Clubs Summer Pennant race, with a man overboard (MOB) situation, a dismasting and other gear damage that forced…
Martin Hill claims Etchells Worlds title
Australia’s Martin Hill and his crew of Julian Plante, Sean O’Rourke and Mat Belcher have out-sailed a class international fleet to win the Etchells Worlds on Moreton Bay in Brisbane, holding on to their overnight lead and maintaining composure in…
Strong entry from outside France to enliven the Route du Rhum
The Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe has historically been a predominantly French affair – even if the first race was won by a Canadian in Mike Birch – but the 40th anniversary staging of the event features the strongest contingent of…
Sydney Sailmakers makes it two on the trot winning Parramatta River Championship
Nick Press and Andrew Hay (Sydney Sailmakers) have made it two in a row, backing up to win the 12ft skiff Parramatta River Championship for the Len Postill Memorial Trophy late this afternoon, after taking out the Upper Harbour Championship…
James Dorron’s Team Asko Appliances eyes big prize
James Dorron and his Asko Appliances team of Paul Montague and Harry Bethwaite were Australia's top team going into the 2018 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff Championship last March, but the trio are determined to turn that performance into victory on…
