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.
What a beginning to this epic race! With a forecast for a downwind sleigh ride the whole 1100nm to Madeira, everyone was so excited at La Rochelle to get out there and send it. And we weren't disappointed. The start…
A Maritime Safety report has found that Jessica Watson did not follow standard procedures which could have prevented the collision with a 63,000 tonne Chinese bulk carrier just a day after she set sail off southeast Queensland last month. Jessica was on…
Melbourne based Kleentec Marine has recently been appointed Australasian distributor for the Chafe-Pro® range of mooring line protection products manufactured by Fjord Inc. of Graham NC., USA Chafe-Pro's patented design allows the units to be moved easily to the desired…
Peter Millard and John Honan's 98ft maxi Lahana has won line honours in the 85 nautical mile Bird Island race early on Saturday morning in a race time of 9 hours, 38 mins and 37 secs, outside of race record…
Dredging activities have commenced on the main shipping channel of the Clarence River in the Port of Yamba. The dredging began last week and will be undertaken over a three to four week period. “The dredging supports the ongoing viability…
The race viewer indicates this morning that Hull & Humber may have won the Battle of Biscay. With only a few miles to go before rounding Cape Finisterre the team has a comfortable lead on the rest of the fleet….
Two weeks to go to close of entries and the 2009 Rolex Middle Sea Race looks set for another cracking edition – its 30th. 73 yachts have entered so far, only five short of last year's record number. The varied…
Claudio Recchi's Team 93 (ITA) remains in first place overall with three races having been run in the Audi Melges 32 World Championsip 2009, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. Pieter Taselaar's (New York, N.Y.) Bliksem (USA) took a…
Taken out of the water in May to allow alterations to take place during the summer's light wind conditions, the SYZ & CO hydrofoil catamaran is now ready to tackle the Lake Geneva speed records. She will be back on…
Persistent Shift How to put a more positive spin on your crew’s downwind experiences, by Tony Bull THE FIRST recorded use of the word spinnaker is believed to have been in 1866, in reference to a downwind sail specially built…
A 27 strong fleet will continue their preparations for this year's Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in this weekend's 85 nautical mile Bird Island Race. With strong winds predicated over the weekend, the 13 year old race record of 7…
There were no surprises in the finishes posted by the 17 Twelves who completed only a single race today at the 2009 12 Metre World Championship. After sailing out to the old America's Cup racecourse off Brenton Point, the wind…
It's taking all the skill and concentration they can muster to conquer the light wind conditions but the teams in Clipper 09-10 are revelling in the challenge light airs sailing brings. Team Finland had opened up a small lead after…
Details of the 2009-10 Nationals to be held at Mounts Bay Sailing Club in Perth have now been posted on the Cherub Web Site, Cherub Central. The event will run from Monday 28 December2009 through to Thursday 7 January 2010….
Paul Mckenzie and Philip Toth have finished 16th overall (10th nation) in the 2009 International Sailing Federation (“ISAF”) Sailing World Cup, despite forfeiting the last event in Weymouth, Great Britain. In the week immediately prior to Weymouth, McKenzie was busy…
Some competitors at the 2009 12 Metre World Championship are certainly experiencing déjà vu as a veritable “Who's Who” of sailing walked the docks at Bannister and Bowen's Wharves this morning as the first day of this long-anticipated event got…
The Royal Australian Navy is to be at the forefront at the official opening of the brand new Sandringham Yacht Club premises in Melbourne on Saturday 3rd October. Sixty-one Navy personnel will play a key role in the opening, along…
The Bay of Biscay has the reputation of being one of the most feared stretches of ocean in the world. This morning, however, it was more pussy cat than lion for the start of Race 2 of the Clipper 09-10…
Despite the set-back of her collision with a freighter while en route to Sydney, 17-year-old Jessica Watson is in great spirits and is expecting to be back on the water next week. According to her official website: Repairs to Ella's Pink…
The Panama Canal is a milestone for most circumnvigators, and so too was it for Elaine and Chris Kleiss, on their way home after purchasing a boat overseas. This was it! This was the day! The various jobs mostly done…
With thousands of ocean and coastal miles under their keels Dave and Pattie Bowden and Geoff and Cherylle Stone, two couples who own Grainger catamarans, share their thoughts on coping with heavy weather. Article compiled by Cherylle. Keeping This Way…
The idea of building your own boat from scratch is daunting, but many DIYers are altering the odds for a successful outcome in their favour by buying a kit, reports Jo Djubal. Building your own multihull is an admirable, if…
John Champion takes a tongue-in-cheek look at some of the perplexing things he has come across in his many years around boats of all descriptions. Boom height The scale of these things ranges, and there frequently seems to be no…
Bavaria flies the flag with new corporate design Bavaria Yachts has officially launched a new corporate design this week at the Interboot boat show in Friedrichshafen. Bavaria Yachts stands at the dawn of a new era in yacht design and…
Steve Farmer and his family have visited Zoe Bay only three times, but they still count it as one of their favourite desintations. It's hard to start an article on Hinchinbrook Island's Zoe Bay without quoting Alan Lucas in Cruising…
Roger Priest checks out the latest import from overseas – the South African-built Leopard 40 luxury catamaran. Here's the open-water proof. Ten thousand miles, two ocean crossings and this 12-month-old Leopard 40 is in pristine condition, boat-show ready. Literally the…
Practical: Maintenance Servicing your own diesel engine is a good way to save money but also an essential skill for any cruiser who plans to cruise off the beaten path. Here Jon Neeves takes us through the process step by…
Rod Jones, the 2009 Audi Australian IRC Ocean racing champion, has not rested on his laurels since winning the prestigious title during last month's t Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. The talented Sunshine Coast skipper who proudly races under the…
New boat: Hanse 320 Australian Hanse distributor Windcraft is targeting new territory with the value-for-money Hanse 320, reports Caroline Strainig. Every time I see a new boat, I am amazed how much space they have packed in. “Surely, this must…
As Tuiga entered Port Hercule on Saturday the 19th escorted by a flotilla of colourful Rivas and heralded by a storm of steam-boat whistles and horns, there was no doubt in everyone's mind that this Monaco Classic Week would go…
The Bay of Islands in New Zealand's Northland is a cruising paradise. Now the organisers of the Bay of Islands Sailing Regatta are trying to tempt Australian sailors with the promise of close racing, good organisation and great parties. To…
ACMA seeks views on use of VHF radio by recreational boaters Responding to concerns about declining standards in the use of marine radio and compliance with the requirement to hold an operators' certificate of proficiency, the Australian Communications and Media…
PRACTICALITIES BY RYA (TIM BARTLETT) Using radar effectively could be the difference between staying safe in a foggy shipping channel or approaching a night anchorage without anxiety, so getting the basics of its operation right is important. Radar works just…
Destination: Port Stephens John Tylor profiles one of NSW's most popular destinations – Port Stephens, also the gateway to the Myall Lakes. Port Stephens would have to rank high on anyone's list of favourite destinations and mine is no exception,…
Jeanneau's latest racer combines short-handed practicality with IRC sensibilty, By Andy Robertson. Giants such as Jeanneau and Beneteau have long since learned not to dabble in the niche markets, to make short to medium sized runs of race type boats….
Any yacht venturing offshore needs one of these! Designed for use by rescue teams, and in particular for cutting people out of wrecked cars and collapsed buildings, it must be the quickest and simplest way of cutting rod or wire…
If you want to miss the pre-Christmas madness in Australia, why not take an early holiday and enter the Fiji National Sailing Regatta from December 11 to 13. The regatta will be sailed in Optimist, Laser, Hobie 16 and RSYC…
No one knew quite what to expect, even though a year and a half of planning went into getting 19 teams from 14 nations to Newport, R.I., for the inaugural New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. The event, which started…
Hundreds of sailing crew, invited VIP guests and organising staff saluted the new 2009 Audi MedCup winners and celebrated the end of the season at a glittering gala prizegiving in the beautiful setting of the open air quadrangle in Cartagena's…
SPEED & SMARTS Boatspeed 2008 IQ test Expanded answers to last month's quiz on boatspeed, by David Dellenbaugh. IN OUR April issue, we published a Boatspeed IQ Test with 56 questions about all aspects of what it takes to sail…
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