Emergency grab bag: what's in yours
If it ever came to abandoning your yacht in a hurry would you be prepared? Would you have ready all you would need to grab and run? When about to embark on an ocean passage it is essential that you…
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.
Ebb and flow, the story of waves
When we think of ocean waves we immediately conjure up a vision of rolling water, but everyone has a different response to them. Some are gentle and some (when kicked up by a mighty wind) can be so majestic and…
Beneteau Oceanis 35 and its arch of triumph
Awarded best mid-size cruiser for 2015, following on from the big sister 38 which won European Yacht of the year, the Oceanis 35 is a continuation of the formula. Our September 2014 review of the Oceanis 38 was titled ‘Transformer’…
Entry open for 20th anniversary Etchells Australasians Championship
Entries are now being accepted for the 20th anniversary of the Etchells Australasian Championship which will be conducted by Mooloolaba Yacht Club. Organising committee chair Trevor Martin says he is anticipating an outstanding event as the Etchells sailors start…
Hulls fly as match racers warm up with fleet racing in Fremantle
The first day of the World Match Racing Tour's historic move to M32 catamarans showed that these light and fast craft will be exciting to watch. The 20 crews were divided into four groups of five for the opening fleet…
Clipper fleet sailing into stronger winds
With the fleet on an easterly course currently headed towards Taiwan on the race to Qingdao, the wind is picking up and will continue to do so for the next 18-24 hours. Clipper Race Meteorologist Simon Rowell has predicted wind speeds…
Oman Sailing Committee withdraw from hosting 2016 Youth Worlds
World Sailing is disappointed to announce that the Oman Sailing Committee have withdrawn from hosting the 2016 Youth Sailing World Championships which were due to take place in December 2016. The Oman Sailing Committee was able to exercise the…
Cruiser of the year nomination #2: John and Leanne Hembrow
Readers may have seen the support Cruising Helmsman gave for the recent Down Under Rally.The rally organiser, John Hembrow, has been nominated by John Thornely for the Cruiser of the year award to be decided later this year. It is…
Ensign Yacht Brokers call a Bavaria factory rebate for March only
Bavaria importers, Ensign Yacht Brokers claim, March is the month if you are looking for a new boat. There are factory rebates on the full range of Bavaria yachts, Nautitech catamarans and even its power boats. This includes rebates on…
Ainslie shows class at America's Cup World Series in Oman
Ben Ainslie, the most decorated Olympic sailor in history, led his Land Rover BAR team to victory at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Oman this weekend. Ainslie beat his former skipper, Jimmy Spithill and ORACLE TEAM USA, by…
India Howard is 18 Foot Skiff Queen of the Harbour
Eighteen-year-old India Howard became 18ft Skiffs 2016 Queen of the Harbour when she teamed with Stephen Quigley, Thomas Quigley and Sam Ellis on Alcatel One Touch to claim the title with a brilliant victory on Sydney Harbour today. The Alcatel…
Invincible wins Hobart Combined Clubs Long Race Pennants
Bellerive yachtsman Harold Clark’s Invincible has sailed to an overall victory in every handicap category of Group A of the Hobart Combined Clubs Long Race Series for 2015-2016. In a brilliant finish to the summer series, Invincible won the PHS, AMS…
Clipper fleet leaves Vietnam for Qingdao
Following a spectacular departure ceremony in Da Nang yesterday, and a dramatic seascape start off the Vinpearl Beach Resort, Race 8 is on and the teams are focussed on The Sailing City • Qingdao Cup. As the search for sea…
Light conditions on Port Phillip for Race 5 of the keelboat series
Race Day 5 of the Club Marine Series continued the premier keelboat series of Victoria Saturday, 27th February. Sandringham Yacht Club played host for this race and saw 132 boats registered for the event; officially passing the total number of…
Submersible off-switch on the wireless SailTimer Wind Instrument
Even if you have a 60-foot (20 m) mast, the new version of the SailTimer Wind Instrument is well-suited to transmitting from the masthead at that distance. In fact, if you anchor off shore and row 150-200 feet to shore,…
Triple treat for Nine Dragons in Short Ocean Race
Bob Cox’s DK46, Nine Dragons, came out on top of the pile in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s windward/leeward short ocean race on late Saturday afternoon, taking line, PHS and IRC honours, never putting a foot wrong all day….
Duratec Sunshield Clear high gloss topcoat for epoxy parts
Duratec Sunshield Clear 904-061 is a unique polyester topcoat that is compatible with epoxy, vinyl ester and polyester resins and can be applied to epoxy laminates as an in-mold or post-mold coating. Sunshield cures to a durable surface with excellent…
Quarter Ton Cup moves to Royal Yacht Squadron for 2016
29 February 2016 – Cowes, UK – 2016 Marks the tenth anniversary of Coutts' title sponsorship of the revival Quarter Ton Cup. Since it was first run in 2005 the event has gone from strength to strength and Coutts' support…
Third female skipper entered in The Transat 2016
One of Europe’s top female solo sailors has added her name to the startlist of the Class40 fleet for the 2016 edition of The Transat. The Franco-German sailor Isabelle Joschke, aged 39, will be racing the Class40, Generali Mixite, in…
Land Rover BAR takes charge in Oman
Ben Ainslie and Jimmy Spithill had big recoveries on Saturday to vault to the top of the leaderboard at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series in Oman. Ainslie and his team were the class of the field. After incurring…
One man killed, another severely injured in yacht crash during race in Pittwater
Members of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club are in shock following the tragic death of a well-loved club member in a freak accident during racing on Saturday. David Booth, known to everyone at the club as Boothy, was a 72-year-old…
Bronze medal for Mat Belcher and Will Ryan at 2016 470 World Championships
Olympic gold medallist and six-time World Champion Mat Belcher (QLD) and three-time World Champion crew Will Ryan (QLD) have won the bronze medal at the 2016 470 World Championships, which concluded in Buenos Aires, Argentina overnight. Croatias Sime Fantela and…
Winners decided at 2016 RORC Caribbean 600
On the fifth day of the RORC Caribbean 600 three yachts were still racing: RORC member, Peter Hopps, skipper of British Sigma 38, Sam was just five miles from completing his eighth RORC Caribbean 600. Aleksandra Jankowska's Polish team racing Dufour 40, Porfavor was…
America's Cup fleet hits the water in Oman
The six America’s Cup teams took to the water in Oman on Friday for official practice racing, the first competition the fleet has seen since racing in Bermuda in October. At the morning press conference, team skippers all expressed an…
Belcher and Ryan sit third ahead of 470 Worlds medal race
It will all come down to the Medal race with defending World Champions Mat Belcher (QLD) and Will Ryan (QLD) wrapping up fleet racing at the 2016 Men’s and Women’s 470 World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Friday, 26…
Evan Walker wins his way into the World Tour in Fremantle
A delighted Evan Walker claimed victory in the first M32 regatta held in Australia, the South of Perth Match Cup. Walker’s KA Match Team finished the competition with 10 wins from 13 races, two points clear of second placed Steve…
First America's Cup racing of 2016 for looms for Oracle Team USA
ORACLE TEAM USA transitions from training in Bermuda to racing in Oman this week with the start of the 2016 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series season. Three races featuring six teams will be held on both Saturday and Sunday,…
RC44 season to kick off in Bermuda in early March
The stage is set for the opening regatta of the 2016 RC44 Championship Tour, with some of the biggest names in the world of professional sailing and international business lining up on the starting grid for the RC44 Bermuda Cup,…
Semis and finals cancelled at South of Perth Match Cup
The South of Perth Match Cup continued today and completed the first round robin, so the organization fell well behind the schedule by the time the second round robin began. Most competitors only sailed two or three races of the…
Belcher and Ryan conquer weed obstacle course to move into podium spot at 2016 470 World Championships
It was a full day of racing at day four of the 2016 Men’s and Women’s 470 World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Thursday, 25 February local time) with the Race Committee getting in three races for each fleet. A…
An Eye for Innovation – Biography of Austin Farrar republished
Austin ‘Clarence’ Farrar saw an opportunity for innovation in almost everything. Although not a well-known public figure, he was known and respected by those who met him and worked with him. His work on dinghy design and building, and subsequently…
Iain Murray talks about the Oman leg of the America's Cup World Series
Geoff Waller from BoatsonTV interviews race director Iain Murray on all things America’s Cup, including the likely conditions for this weekend’s World Series. Currently, the forecast is not looking good with winds of 2-3 knots forecast. https://youtu.be/CsfkbrectZs
Rolex China Sea Race 2016 starts Wednesday 23 March
Of the 34 boats currently entered into the 2016 Rolex China Sea Race, eight hail from as far afield as Japan, Russia, Philippines and Australia, representing one of the strongest overseas showings for many years and underlining the appeal of…
Conditions hold the key at America's Cup World Series in Oman says ETNZ
The first event of the 2016 Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series begins in Muscat Oman this weekend where the current overall leaders, Emirates Team New Zealand, will be looking to continue their dominance on the water in the one-design…
First M32 capsize as crews try to qualify for WMRT Fremantle
In a day of stark contrasts, the M32 catamarans of the World Match Racing Tour made a spectacular debut on the Swan River in Perth. Competing for the South of Perth Match Cup, eight teams started the regatta in a…
Canfield holds off Williams in M32 Series Round Two in Bermuda
London, UK (23rd February 2016): Taylor Canfield and his US One crew were victorious last weekend in the second of four events which make up the M32 Series Bermuda. However his nemesis on the World Match Racing Tour, Ian Williams…
Comanche takes monohull line honours in RORC Caribbean 600
Jim Clark & Kristy Hinze Clark's American VPLP-Verdier 100 Comanche crossed the finish line of the RORC Caribbean 600 at 03.45 on Wednesday morning with an elapsed time of 40 hours 53 minutes 2 seconds, taking monohull line honours for…
Belcher and Ryan up to fourth as tricky conditions continue at 470 Worlds
A lot of patience from Race Committee and teams was required on day three of the 2016 Men’s and Women’s 470 World Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina with light conditions once again postponing racing until the afternoon at Club Nautico…
YA advises against wearing NOB brand PFDs as they are not marked to conform with Australian standards
Out thanks to Andrew Hawkins of BoatCrewGear.com for the following information from South of Perth Yacht Club: Yachting Australia has recently been looking into an issue identified with ‘NOB’ brand PFD’s. It has been identified that these PFD’s are not…
Sailability NSW to celebrate 20 year anniversary
This weekend, Sailability NSW will celebrate its 20th anniversary with aregatta and gala lunch. In fact, the organization was established inDecember 1995, but due to a busy 2015 sailing season, the celebrations havebeen held over. On Saturday 27th February, there…
