Hartbreaker takes Line honours at King Island
We knew it would be a late night and we weren’t wrong. The wind gods played silly buggers with the King Island fleet and the line honours were taken at 01.37 am, with the last yacht coming in at an…
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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.
Azzurra are Royal Cup Kings of Miami
(Saturday 11th March, Miami) – In winning the 52 SUPER SERIES second regatta of the 2017 season, the 52 SUPER SERIES Miami Royal Cup, Azzurra proved once again that a team on the bounceback from a modest preceding event is…
SAP Extreme Sailing Team clinch opening win of 2017 Extreme Sailing Series in wet and wild Act 1 finale
Muscat delivered classic conditions in an electrifying finale to the opening Act of the Extreme Sailing Series that saw SAP Extreme Sailing Team become the first winners of 2017. Clear blue skies combined with a blustery north-easterly breeze gusting 25…
Sébastien Destremau takes 18th place to bring the Vendée Globe to a close
Sébastien Destremau (TechnoFirst–faceOcean) crossed the Vendée Globe finish line off Les Sables d'Olonne in eighteenth place at 00hrs 40min et 18 sec UTC on saturday 11th March 2017 after 124 days, 12 hours, 38 minutes and 18 seconds of racing…
Estate Master crowned Farr 40 Australian Champion; a decade for Hill to reach the peak
A practiced team with many seasons behind them mixed with fierce ambition, and a quick recovery from what could have cost them the main trophy, delivered Martin Hill’s Estate Master the Farr 40 John Calvert-Jones National Championship on Sydney Harbour…
Big fleet for Australian Sports Boat Championship at Sail Port Stephens
They’re usually harder to herd than cats, but as many as 20 crews will contest the Australian Sport Boat Association’s (ASBA) national titles from April 7-9 as part of the 2017 Sail Port Stephens race week. At the same time,…
Big breezes, a dismasting and a moving buoy made for an interesting West Coaster
Fremantle Sailing Club’s West Coaster Race attracted a competitive fleet of twenty offshore yachts last weekend. Weather forecasts promised fresh easterlies for the race from Fremantle to Lancelin and return, but easterlies at the start turned to the south and…
Matt Carroll leaving Australian Sailing for Australian Olympic Committee
Matt Carroll, CEO of Australian Sailing organisation, has resigned to take up the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Olympic Committee. Carroll joined Australian Sailing in 2014 with a background in sports administration, in particular in rugby union….
Azzurra on the cusp of Miami Royal Cup win
Azzurra carry a ten point lead into the final day of the Miami Royal Cup and are looking to reprise their last 52 SUPER SERIES regatta title when they won the last event of 2016, the EGNOS Cascais Cup. In…
Angophora blitzes Farr 40 nationals opening day
Four races into the Farr 40s’ John Calvert-Jones National Championship on Sydney Harbour and an almighty tug-of-war is on between last season’s all-conquering team and the current season frontrunner. Guido Belgiorno-Nettis’ Angophora and Martin Hill’s Estate Master are three points…
SAP nudge ahead in remarkable penultimate day in Muscat
An epic finale to the opening Act of the Extreme Sailing Series™ is on the cards following an extraordinary penultimate day in Muscat that saw the overall lead change seven times in nine nail-biting races. Danish crew SAP Extreme Sailing…
Lisa Blair – less than a Sydney Hobart to reach Cape Horn
Lisa Blair's attempted circumnavigation of Antarctica is progressing well. Lisa has covered 45% of the total distance and has almost crossed the South Pacific Ocean. She is currently off the coast of Chile, with Cape Horn firmly in her sights….
Oman Air hit the front at Extreme Series Muscat
Home team Oman Air snatched the overall lead in the opening Act of the Extreme Sailing Series in a second day of intense action in Muscat today. Phil Robertson’s men made amends for their slow start to the 2017 season…
Double Top Azzurra work their Miami magic in TP Super Series
(Wednesday 8th March, Miami) – Azzurra may have had to wait until the second day of the Miami Royal Cup, the second event of the 52 SUPER SERIES season, to score their first race wins of 2017, but two well…
François Gabart and the MACIF trimaran to attempt the single-handed round the world record
The MACIF trimaran returned to sea on Wednesday 8 March, after a 4-month winter refit. In addition to checking all the parts of the boat, it mainly involved improving ergonomics. The most visible area of work carried out by the…
Sperry shoes take a leap forward and land safely
The quest for the perfect boat shoe continues, but Sperry may well have taken a step closer. Launched this month, the technology of the Sperry '7 Seas' shoe was developed in partnership with the America’s Cup authority. As we all…
Boat Books Sydney has moved after 40 years
After 40 years in the same location at Crows Nest, the iconic Boat Books Sydney, Australia’s large chart agent and specialised marine book store, has moved. But they have not moved too far. Just over 200 metres along it is…
Rolex releases the 2016 Sydney Hobart video
The Rolex Spirit of Yachting film series presents the 72nd Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race — the action, highlights and memorable moments in a 25-minute documentary. The behind-the-scenes footage covers peak moments during the 628-nautical-mile course, from the start…
Muscat delivers classic racing for Extreme Sailing Series season opener
The Extreme Sailing Series enjoyed a sensational start as Oman's capital city Muscat delivered perfect racing conditions to raise the curtain on the 2017 season. Muscat's old town of Muttrah provided a stunning backdrop as nine international crews went head…
AkzoNobel to race brand new VOR 65 in Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18
ALICANTE, Spain, March 8 – Team AkzoNobel will compete in the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in a brand new boat. The crew, led by Dutch skipper Simeon Tienpont, will tackle sailing’s toughest team test in the new Volvo…
Howard Rice – the end of the South American adventure comes in dramatic fashion
Howard Rice has been exploring Tierra del Fuego in a tiny pram dinghy. He has had his share of dramas along the way (see Related Content) but nothing to compare with the latest disaster when a local storm overturned the…
Jon Sanders blog – anchored off Jamestown, St Helena
Well, I have anchored off Jamestown, Saint Helena. A good place to be. So it is. Tied to a visiting yacht mooring; they are yellow or red. Red £2 per day under 40 tonnes. £3 for over 40, that’s not…
Vendée Globe star Jérémie Beyou takes on Volvo Ocean Race challenge
Jérémie Beyou, fresh from his third place in the Vendée Globe, will swap solo sailing for the sport’s toughest team challenge, after the Frenchman was announced as part of a trio of world-class sailors joining Dongfeng Race team for the…
Second Kiwi challenger enters Extreme Sailing Series Muscat Act line-up
OC Sport the owner and organiser of the Extreme Sailing Series has today confirmed a ninth entry for Act one of the 2017 circuit which starts off in Muscat in Oman tomorrow. NZL Sailing Team is to join the fast-paced…
Two rescued off NSW coast after rudder failure in gale force winds
NSW Police News Release: In a joint operation between the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and NSW Police, two people have been rescued from a yacht in distress about 210 nautical miles (NM) east north east of Sydney. AMSA has…
Just how identical are the Volvo one-design spar packages?
Southern Spars will be the official supplier of the full rig package for the One Design Volvo Ocean 65 fleet for a second consecutive race, a move that strengthens the Auckland-based company’s historic ties with sailing’s toughest team challenge. Southern…
Airlie Beach Race Week entries open – Top Gun first in
Online entry is open and the Notice of Race online for Whitsunday Sailing Club’s 2017 Airlie Beach Race Week Festival of Sailing to be held from 10 to 17 August in the beautiful Whitsundays. No sooner had WSC opened entries…
Whitsundays' plans of management up for review: have your say
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authroity (GBRMPA) has posted its proposed plans of management for the popular cruising area of the Whitsundays, if you are keen on this area then you should take a look and maybe post a…
Thurlow Fisher crowned 2017 JJ Giltinan Champions
The Thurlow Fisher Lawyers team of Michael Coxon, Dave O’Connor and Trent Barnabas were already declared 2017 JJ Giltinan 18ft Skiff champions before today’s race but there was tremendous interest on the result as only five points separated the next…
Ikon38 walks away with Sydney 38 trophy at Sydney Harbour Regatta
Kirwan Robb and his Ikon38 crew from Victoria have walked away with the inaugural Sydney 38 OD International Championship trophy at Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Harbour Regatta this afternoon. Robb, from Hobsons Bay Yacht Club, maintained the status quo,…
Successful Sydney Harbour Regatta wraps up for another year
More rain and confusing conditions on the final day of the annual Sydney Harbour Regatta, hosted by Middle Harbour Yacht Club, but in the end, those who could run the gamut of conditions succeeded. Among the 21 divisions and…
Oman Air claims inaugural GC32 World Championship
Oman Air scored a convincing win at the GC32 Championship, held out of Al Mouj on the outskirts of Muscat today. The Omani team led the GC32 Championship from the outset on Tuesday, but it was only today that they…
Why not get in the Family way?
Every year when the SE trades are blowing, cruising folk make their annual procession along the east coast of Australia heading north. Their usual destination is somewhere in Queensland’s far north, depending on delays along the way. Then it is…
Top ten survival tips for a liveaboard haulout
Into every wonderful cruising life a little rain must fall. For live-aboard yachties this can often mean the annual haul out, when your boat will be taken from its natural environment and propped up on dry land. It will become…
Smooth as a baby's bottom: why cruisers should care
A smooth underwater finish will reduce drag, increase speed and improve fuel consumption. Is the bottom of your boat smooth enough? If you get a group of five sailors to sit around the table with a jug of beer to…
Capricorn Coast: diverse beauty with perfect anchorages
“Remember, if you are passing through the ships at anchor or coming into Gladstone go to Gladstone Harbour control monitoring on channel 13”. It is the usual practice of volunteer marine radio Gladstone to inform sailors of the need to…
My favourite marina: A little bit of Oz in Malaysia
Whenever I think of Pangkor marina, Rupert Brooke’s World War I poem, The Soldier, comes to mind. I paraphrase it to read: “if in some corner of a foreign field, that is forever Australia.” This is because there are always…
Lisa Blair's blog: Almost under water – timing is everything
March 5, 2017: Almost under water – timing is everything Throughout last night the winds continued to fill in and by 10 am there was a consistent 20 knots of wind from the North gusting up to 25 knots giving…
When propane explodes – locals come to the aid of a would-be circumnavigator
Port City Daily (Wilmington, North Carolina). By Benjamin Schachtman on March 5, 2017: WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH – It was a quiet Monday evening, about one hour after sunset, when a fireball erupted from the cabin of a sailboat moored in Banks…
Action to be taken on Whitsunday Magic shipwreck
Whitsunday Times. By Inge Hansen. FOR Allen Grundy, the gut-wrenching feeling when he heard his former tall ship Whitsunday Magic had sunk is still very raw. And he is reminded of the heartbreak each time he looks out of his…
