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.
DESTINATIONS: ADELAIDE AND PORT LINCOLN Will 2008 really be the ‘last time’ for South Australian yachting legend Dick Fidock’ Richard. H. Fidock AO has sailed in and probably won nearly every keel boat title or event that South Australia has…
Practical: Seating Sick and tired of having an aching back? Bob Couper solves the problem of the lack of back support on many boats with this handy $46 do-it-yourself transportable backrest-cum seat. I find sitting in the cockpit of Spindrift…
High seas With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, David Daniel muses on the problem of finding a reliable tradesman when necessity dictates. Have you played yet? It's the new national pastime and it's called “waiting for a tradesman!”…
Mag-Lite torches can be upgraded with a new release from Nite Ize. The 1 Watt upgrade kit is designed for AA Mini Mag-Lites, to increase their power and efficiency with a 1 watt white LED light. Offering super-bright flood or…
Is the tide high or low? Coming in or going out? Whether surfing, sailing, swimming or just strolling along the sand, you need to know. Tidetime offers Australia’s largest range of tide clocks, a unique product designed for a niche…
Marine Solutions has introduced Boat Bunkers inflatable boat fenders as a practical, space-saving alternative to traditional fenders. The Boat Bunkers fenders pack up to almost nothing for easy storage and take just seconds to prepare via a few strokes of…
Nylex has introduced three new products to its Esky High Performance range, the 2.5 litre and 5lt jugs and the 6lt Lunchtime Cooler, all ergonomically designed for comfortable use and easy transportation. The 2.5 and 5lt jugs provide maximum cooling…
Feature: Bluewater sailing Jackie Parry joins a classic thoroughbred for a delivery trip to Hobart. Will West Wind make it? Jackie tells the story. The tangy smell of the salt-laden breeze and the late afternoon muting of colours surrounded the…
New Products Lightwave's Grande plan After the release of the popular Lightwave 45 Sports in 2005, Lightwave has fast-tracked a new super-size deck design and plans to launch a 45 Grande later this year. “A Lightwave 38 owner commissioned a…
Practical: stretching it Coastal and offshore sailing can place unusual stresses and strains on the body, with long periods of inactivity and then sudden periods of intense effort. Maria Grigg outlines the exercise routine she uses to ward off injury….
Destination: Trinidad Jim and Linda Collier take time out from circumnavigating the world to experience one of the world's great events – the Trinidad-Tobago Carnival – and to do some much-needed maintenance. Our 31-day Atlantic crossing astern but still fresh…
Esthec decking is a new composite material supplied in sheets or as a custom-made deck, to provide luxurious appearance and functional qualities. The Dutch company Bolidt has developed the new decking in a wide choice of colour, texture and form…
Coursemaster Autopilots has been appointed Australian importer/distributor for the Seaview range of radar and satellite antenna mounts. Coursemaster has been designing and manufacturing autopilots in Sydney for more than 30 years and exporting to Europe, Asia, Middle East and North…
Practical: Building a boat When accountant Fraser Petrie told his friends he was going to build a boat, they thought he was crazy, even more so because of his profession. But – as Fraser explains – you can come in…
The Australian Sailing Team is preparing for a first look at the 2012 London Olympic Games sailing venue with the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta beginning in Weymouth, England, on Monday. With less than three years until the 2012 Games…
Spirit of Australia, the Australian entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round World Yacht Race, was cheered on by more than 100,000 spectators this afternoon, as the team set off from the Humber, UK, to do battle against nine other international…
The final of the Audi MedCup Circuit beckons and two different strategies will be evident in both TP52 Series and GP42 Series. On a race area which last year proved one of the most challenging of the season, Emirates Team…
We have had a request for information to try and track down thewhereabouts of the 5.5mR 'The Deb' which was K1. This is an historicallyimportant boat, designed and built by Nicholsons. The first ever 5.5mR. We have had one report that…
Matt Allen, Commodore and Chairman of the CYCA SOLAS Trusts has launched the CYCA Medical Management for Mariners Course (MMM), with the first course to be conducted from Tuesday 6 October 2009. The CYCA MMM course has been developed in…
Heading to the hotpots The most popular cruising grounds for longer range trips lie in the northern Pacific and SE Asia, but the magnificent Kimberley's could also be included because of their remoteness. Our closest major cruising area is Papua…
JUST CRUISING WITH KEITH FLEMING When transferring from shoreside living to living full-time on board a cruising boat, there is no reason to downgrade your lifestyle. It is just as important to keep healthy and live a comfortable life. This…
PRACTICALITIES BY ANDREW BRAY Compass technology has moved on, so understanding the underlying principles helps when choosing the best instrument for your boat. Magnetic compasses remain essential equipment, but are often not the only heading reference system a yacht can…
PRACTICALITIES BY ANDREW BRAY Why Bother? Watermakers, or to use their technical name, reverse osmosis desalinators are increasingly common on both cruising and racing yachts. In this article we examine the main options and delve into the practical side of…
PRACTICALITIES BY ANDREW BRAY Environmental protection is very much on everyone's mind so being aware of the options for taking care of onboard waste is more important than ever for sailors. BACKGROUND We know that discharging boat head or toilet…
PRACTICALITIES by ANDREW BRAY Powering Up Nothing is more basic or essential to the efficient management of a yacht than its sources of auxiliary power. YACHTS GENERALLY rely on DC electricity for cabin and navigation lamps, radios and engine starting,…
A special screening of the much talked about sailing film Morning Light will be held at Middle Harbour Yacht Club this Friday, 18th September 2009. Through the magic of Disney, this is the inspiring true-life story of 15 young aspiring sailors taking on…
DESTINATIONS Following their ice adventures in March, Commitment completed a 4-week expedition heading north through the famed Patagonian Canals of Chile and Tierra del Fuego. Tony Mobray reports the boat is now berthed at Puerto Mont in Chile, at roughly…
AROUND THE YARDS C.2123 Main Characteristics The Italian superyacht yard in conjunction with Kiwi designer Ron Holland will build another all-aluminium yacht, the eighth in a successful series. The order for the 56m ketch, hull number C.2123 will be the…
I'm new to sailing – my daughter has just started at the local club – so I might be right off base with this one. But am I right in thinking there are way too many different classes of boat…
Superyacht Cup 2007 There are yachts and then there are superyachts. Owners who turned up to race their J-classer in this year's Superyacht Cup at Palma de Mallorca found themselves at the 'small' end of the fleet. This spectacular photo-essay…
QUAY CULTURE BY SIMON KENT Dust off that spray jacket. Rustle up your deck shoes. Tip out the favourite sailing bag and block out all land-based activities for the next six month's worth of weekends. YES, YOU guessed it. Summer's…
SHORE LIFE There are more than 290 marinas in Australia. They cater for everything from modest fleets of local boats to the growing number of international maxi yachts that visit our shores each year. Sally Oulten outlines some of the…
YACHTING NEWS HE MIGHT be the one of the oldest and most revered offshore skippers in the country, but the fire still burns brightly for 79-year-old Lou Abrahams from Sandringham Yacht Club. He showed the Victorian keelboat fleet competing in…
YACHTING NEWS TREVOR GOWLAND, the esteemed boat-builder and Sydney to Hobart-winning yachtsman, died at his home at Point Clare on NSW Central Coast at the age of 75 after a brief illness. His funeral was well-attended, the numbers swelled by…
Sean Rahilly – Man and a boat profile Between his Late father being a ship captain, and growing up close to the water in Sydney's eastern suburbs, it was inevitable that Sean Rahilly would take up sailing as a sport….
RACING LEGEND How a teenage Swedish seaman jumped ship and became a sailing legend in Australia, by Bob Ross. The big Swede with the ready laugh “Ya Ya” to the offshore fraternity led from the front, both as sailing master…
NEW OWNER'S PERSPECTIVE Partnership afloat Taking delivery of a shiny new Sydney 36CR has given Sean Rahilly's sailing a real boost, reports Di Pearson. With a ship's captain for a father and growing up close to the water in Sydney's…
NEW OWNER'S PERSPECTIVE Getting afloat with a new boat is never cheap, except perhaps when sharing the burden with others, reports Di Pearson. So many options are available to prospective yacht owners today: ticketed lessons, casual bareboat and skippered charter,…
Loch Ness family flotilla That monstrous thing, sibling rivalry, reared its ugly ahead amid the majestic Scottish Highlands, recounts Kevin Green. The competition began long before we'd even got on the water with my little sister racing up from the…
Island honeymoon Heading off into the unknown with a few friends and 50 or so complete strangers on a sailing regatta is perhaps not everyone’s idea of a romantic honeymoon, reports Traci Ayris. Tonga’s Kalia Cup Rally in July suited…
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