Sailing with the old man
By now many readers may well be aware of the death of Jim Kilroy. The US real estate magnate most known in Australia for his fleet of yachts named Kialoa. Unfortunately I was overseas when I heard the news but,…
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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.
Anchor winch maintenance and puppy dogs
Sometimes all it takes is a can of dog food…. We’d recently replaced the electrics on Tubby (Golden Haze), including re-running cables and connections to the Muir anchor winch up in the fore peak. At the same time I decided…
Lisa Blair's Antarctic circumnavigation is on but help is required
When Australian sailor Lisa Blair announced that she was going to be the first woman to circumnavigate Antarctica single-handed, many people doubted the challenge would get off the ground. But here at www.mysailing.com.au we were very confident. She has confirmed…
Vale Jim Kilroy, Kialoa owner and philanthropist
Jim Kilroy passed away this week while in hospice care. The real estate owner/developer was best known for his yachts all named Kialoa. A full tribute will be posted shortly but here are the opening paragraphs of his Wikipedia entry:…
One week till 18 Footers season kicks off at Double Bay
The Australian 18 Footers League’s 82nd consecutive season of 18ft Skiff Racing will begin on Sunday 9 October when the club will conduct the R. Watt Memorial Trophy 3-buoys race on Sydney Harbour. A fleet of 20 teams are registered to…
Groupama records smashed but you need to be bigger than 60'
First time multihulls have been allowed in the Groupama New Caledonia race and what a record VOdafone has set. But monohull Scallywag (ex Ragamuffin) has also made a big impression, followed by Beau Geste. Ichi Ban, however, has not been able…
Ginger overpowers MC38 Spring Regatta field
The dominance of the MC38 class by Leslie Green’s Ginger continues with yet another triumph, this time the CYCA Spring Regatta sailed on Sydney Harbour over the weekend of September 24-25, 2016. Over seven races Neville Crichton’s Maserati came within…
Qingdao chances shorten as top tens confirmed at Sailing World Cup
It was all about a place in the Medal Race on day four of the Sailing World Cup Qingdao as the top ten were confirmed in all seven fleets. There was one gold confirmed and points cushions opened up in…
Perfect 21st birthday for Team Tilt skipper at GC32 Racing Tour
Sébastien Schneiter celebrated his 21st birthday in the best way possible, the Team Tilt skipper winning two of the three races held today at the GC32 La Reserva de Sotogrande Cup. The westerly Levante breeze was expected to blow…
Ginger takes an early lead at MC38 Spring Regatta
Eight MC38s took to Sydney Harbour in light winds on the magic opening day of the CYCA Spring Regatta. An hour and a half delay due to insufficient breeze eventually transitioned to an 8-9 knot easterly and consecutive starts were…
Swiss stars Alinghi lose mast in collision in action-packed day at Extreme Series
The Extreme Sailing Series™ lived up to its name on the penultimate day of Act 6 in Madeira as a collision between rivals Alinghi and Red Bull Sailing Team resulted in the Swiss crew losing their mast. Both teams have…
Same same but different at WMRT Cape Crow Cup
Day number two of the Cape Crow Cup could easily carry the headline of challenging when it comes to the racing conditions. The wind started from the northwest and shifted slowly and inconsistently to the southwest. This made the race…
A fourth bullet and Team Ceeref takes the lead at RC44 Cascais Cup
Saturday's racing at the RC44 Cascais Cup was the hardest yet for race officials and crews alike. First they had to wait out on the water off the Portuguese sailing mecca for a light breeze to build and stabilise long…
Missing marks in choppy Chinese waters at Sailing World Cup
The wind picked up on day three of the Sailing World Cup Qingdao as marks were missed and misjudgements made in the unforgiving waters of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Cloud cover and current played havoc with on water decisions…
World Sailing General Assembly candidates named
HM King Constantine and the Election Committee are pleased to announce full details of the candidates eligible for election as President and Vice-President to its Board of Directors. The President and seven Vice-Presidents, two of which must be from each…
GC32 Owner/Drivers show the Pros how it's done
Lighter winds on day two of the GC32 La Reserva de Sotogrande Cup opened the door of opportunity, and the two owner/drivers in the fleet wasted no time in seizing their advantage. It was an afternoon of soft southerly…
Game on and wind up on day one of WMRT Cape Crow Cup
The Swedish west coast weather provided both sun and misty rain on the first day of the WMRT Cape Crow Cup. A nice south-westerly breeze created a racecourse that was fully powered up and allowed for both passing lanes and…
Alinghi take fight to Red Bull Sailing Team as action at Extreme Series heats up
Extreme Sailing Series™ heavyweights Alinghi launched an assault on Act 6 leaders Red Bull Sailing Team on the waters of Madeira today as the regatta reached its halfway mark. Arnaud Psarofaghis’ Swiss crew on Alinghi exchanged blows with Roman Hagara’s…
Close racing at RC44 Cascais Cup
Two days to go of fleet racing at the RC44 Cascais Cup and, incredibly, just four points separate the top seven boats across this nine-strong fleet. Yesterday there were 12 points between first and seventh. After an hour long postponement…
Keep nature natural: don't feed the tourists
Commercial fish food or chum sold by dive shops may break the equilibrium of the food chain but it is not the worst thing. The true wonder of underwater encounters with rays, sharks, whales and dolphins makes their popularity understandable….
On the ocean no one can see you naked
I lay in my bunk gripping the sides with white knuckles, feeling the painful legacy of this rough passage on my upper left arm. The bruise, now looking very impressive, happened last night when I was in the cockpit having…
Light of my life – and fridge to my beer
A nice romantic title, but if you are expecting a Mills and Boon story better keep on looking. Light, in this instance, is sunlight and how we can turn it into electricity. Romance is often described as “electric” but I…
Beautiful and that is the way to keep it: use GBR buoy moorings
When cruising far north Queensland (FNQ), everybody wants to spend some time in the water on the reef. Either scuba, hookah, free diving or snorkelling, we all love to experience that special outer reef world close-up. The biggest impediment is…
My top three reef anchorages
For many cruisers (your author included) one of the most appealing images of the cruising lifestyle is sitting at anchor in some very beautiful and secluded spot, surrounded by nothing but sea and scenery. For those cruisers (again including your…
Sails with whales: keeping in the good books
During autumn and spring in southeast Australia, cruisers head north for the winter and head south again for summer. At the same time, humpback whales are also beginning their annual migration between their summer/winter feeding grounds. With increasing numbers of…
Schengen explained: how Aussies should sail in the Med
Some members of the European Union joined together in an agreement to facilitate the movement without passports of people across the borders of the member states, thereby applying restrictions on the movement of people from non-member states. Citizens from some…
Options for seeing the Mediterranean: pros and cons explained
Lounge in the late afternoon with your yacht moored stern to a quay in a tiny port on a Greek Island. The world wanders by and, after a cool gin and tonic, you decide it is dinner time. Across the…
Chinese Whisper wins Flinders Islet Race
Following a near race-long battle for line honours with Giacomo, Rupert Henry sailed Chinese Whisper over the Flinders Islet Race finish line in second place, but his JV62’s upwind performance helped cement their overall victory in the Cruising Yacht Club…
Cock of the Huon to Emotional Rescue
Michael Hutchinson’s Hobie 33 Emotional Rescue is a rare breed of yacht design in Tasmania, but she certainly is fast and rates well. She dominated the Ronald Young Builders/Huon Aquaculture-sponsored Pipe Opener over the weekend, conducted by Derwent Sailing Squadron and…
QLD Match Racing Championships 2016: Sunshine Coast team win on local waters
It came down to the last moments of the last race before the Sunshine Coast Sailing Team could be assured of taking out this year’s QLD Match Racing Championship open and youth titles. They battled seven other teams from Tasmania, Victoria,…
Two gold and a silver for Aussie Paralympians in Rio
In a finale fitting on the setting, the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition came to a spectacular close with the medals decided in front of a sell-out crowd lining the shores of Flamengo Beach. Racing on the Pao de Acucar…
Close racing in Pipe Opener night race
Michael Hutchinson’s Hobie 33 Emotional Rescue has taken AMS honours in the first race of the Piper Opener, a night race from Hobart to Green Island in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel. The Hobie 33 is the only keelboat produced by Hobie…
Bad day at the office for Quantum at 52 Worlds
While Quantum Racing were effectively excluded from Race 8 of the 52 World Championship for crossing the start line early while a black flag rule was in force, their nearest rivals for the 2016 world title completed a perfect day…
Two Gold for Aussies at Paralympics ahead of final races
SKUD 18 Protest pending, Australia's Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch have defended their Two Person Keelboat (SKUD18) Paralympic title with two races to spare at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition. Before day five started, Fitzgibbon and Tesch had already…
Quantum is untouchable at 52 Worlds
As a team which is much more used to winning Quantum Racing had some tough moments in 2015 when they were overshadowed by Azzurra. But the TP52 class’s most successful team are back on song this season, more so than…
RC44 fleet sharpen their teeth ahead of Cascais Cup
When it comes to the search for a purer racing experience very few venues in the world can deliver like Cascais, Portugal. Returning to the picturesque Portuguese port for the fifth consecutive year, from the 21-25 September, the RC44 fleet…
Flinders Islet Race will be clash of the Titans
Jim Delegat’s Kiwi V70 Giacomo and Rupert Henry’s JV62 Chinese Whisper will lead the charge for line honours in this weekend’s Flinders Islet Race, while Matt Allen’s resounding winner of the 2016 Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race, Ichi…
Quantum Racing maintains excellence and consistency to lead TP52 Worlds
(Thursday 15th September, Menorca) – From a difficult, and at times confusing second day of racing at the 52 World Championship 2016 on the beautiful waters off Menorca, Quantum Racing kept up their amazingly high level of consistency to extend…
Top rookies and experienced entrants for the sixth edition of the Gstaad Yacht Club’s Centenary Trophy
In two weeks' time, some of the most fascinating old ladies of the classic yachting circuit will reunite again for the 6th Gstaad Yacht Club Centenary Trophy. Among them, some top “rookies” and a great line-up of experienced teams and…
Aussies lead all three classes at Paralympics in Rio
Australia moved to the top of every fleet at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition thanks to a thrilling finish in the final race of the day in the One Person Keelboat (2.4 Norlin OD). Already sitting very pretty…
