Size and diversity in 2016 Newport Bermuda fleet
Newport RI: May 31, 2016 — In what promises to be the third largest race in its 110 year history, the 50th Bermuda Race now expects to see 192 boats on the starting line in Newport on June 17. This…
Offshore
News, race results plus editorial coverage from the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Vendée Globe, The Ocean Race, ARC, Fastnet, Transpac, Ocean Globe Race, Global Solo Challenge and Offshore Yachting from around the world.
Trade winds push Clipper fleet towards New York at good pace
The teams are making good speeds close hauled in steady easterly Trade Winds in the first 24 hours into the LMAX Exchange – RACE of THE AMERICAS to New York. After a Le Mans start at first light on Tuesday,…
Lagravière diverts to Newport after hitting UFO
Around 12:00 (French time), Morgan Lagravière, the skipper of Safran, contacted his shore team to inform them he had hit a UFO (unidentified floating object), which had broken a foil and caused a small leak. Lagravière is fine and is…
Transat New York–Vendée: race time for Morgan Lagravière
Morgan Lagravière will cross the starting line of the Transat New York-Vendée, his first transatlantic race on Safran, on Sunday at 21:30 (French time), after a parade in front of the North Cove Marina that began at 17:00. The youngest…
Team Tales hits top speeds of 19.6 knots in first leg of Atlantic Cup
May 29, 2016 – Charleston, SC – Just over 30 hours into the first leg of the Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing and the fleet is through the worst of Tropical Storm Bonnie. Overnight last night the teams saw 35+ knots of wind…
Newport Bermuda Race announces quest for onboard reporters
NEWPORT, RI: May 28, 2016 – With the single aim of encouraging sailors to capture and share their “real” ocean racing experience during the 2016 Newport Bermuda Race, organizers have announced the first ever Onboard Reporter Initiative for video reports…
As one Transat race finishes the next is confirmed
As The Transat bakerly 2016 came to an end today – with the last finisher crossing the line off New York – the race owner and organiser, OC Sport Pen Duick, confirmed that it will be in the calendar for…
Rambler 88 claims Volcano Race triple
Despite light conditions off Sicily, George David and the crew of his racing maxi Rambler 88 succeeded in not only demolishing the record for this year’s Volcano Race, but also won line honours and the overall prize based on corrected…
Phil Sharp: To hell and back in The Transat bakerly
For some of the big multihull skippers The Transat bakerly was a most unusual race. Far from being a boat-breaking uphill test against storm force headwinds in the north Atlantic, they enjoyed a downwind romp more typical of races from…
Pierre Antoine celebrates his Transat podium position beneath the twinkling Manhattan skyline
French skipper Pierre Antoine crossed The Transat bakerly finish line at Sandy Hook off New York in the early hours of this morning, taking third place and completing the Multi50 podium aboard his trimaran Olmix. Passing under the Verrazano Bridge…
Wind back in sails of Volvo Round Ireland Race
Celebrations are underway in Wicklow today with the news that the Volvo Round Ireland Yacht Race has set a new race record, which is expected to attract tens of thousands of spectators to Wicklow Town this June. A record 62…
Remembering Hans, 10 years on
ALICANTE, Spain, May 18 – Ten years ago today, the Volvo Ocean Race family lost one of its own. It was May 18, 2006, that 32-year-old ABN AMRO TWO, sailor Hans Horrevoets, was swept overboard. The Dutch boat nose-dived into…
Olmix hits the Atlantic expressway en route to the Transat finish line
The Multi50 fight to The Transat bakerly finish nears its conclusion today, as skippers Pierre Antoine aboard Olmix and Erik Nigon aboard Vers un Monde Sans Sida, battle it out over the final 100nm for the final podium position. Since…
Sailing with foils – the Safran team explains the pluses and the perils
One thing is now certain: within a few years every monohull in the Vendée Globe will be fitted with foils, as the advantages of the new appendages are undeniable. However, all the skippers entered on the latest generation boats…
The Atlantic takes its toll on Transat fleet as Loïck Peyron heads for home
Having reluctantly decided to end his attempt to sail to New York on board Pen Duick II, Loïck Peyron today spoke of his disappointment at not being able to complete his tribute voyage to Eric Tabarly and Mike Birch. After…
Safran delivery voyage – a Transatlantic log book
During the delivery of the 60ft monohull, Safran, to New York, Morgan Lagravière is participating in a literary project organised by les éditions Gallimard and the Grand Prix Guyader. This innovative project enables an IMOCA skipper and author, who has…
Solo sailor's record attempt fails as boat sinks just hours into the journey
gCaptain. By Mike Schuler. A solo sailor attempting to break a transatlantic record with his 21-foot sailboat had to be rescued by the Coast Guard just hours into his journey on Sunday. French sailor Olivier Jehl was attempting to sail…
Family affair as UBS Wild Thing returns to Sydney Gold Coast Race
Following a five-year hiatus, Geoff Lavis is returning to contest the Land Rover Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race with UBS Wild Thing, and he is cocked and ready to fire with a new rig, new sails, a new IRC rating…
Nine Transat boats arrive in New York, nine to go
The arrival of IMOCA 60 skipper Paul Meilhat (SMA) and Multi50 runner-up Lalou Roucayrol (Arkema) in New York today, brings the total number of competitors to have successfully crossed the Atlantic in The Transat bakerly to nine. Crossing the finish…
Loïck Peyron’s tribute to Eric Tabarly is cut short
Today Loïck Peyron, skipper of Pen Duick II, informed The Transat bakerly Race Management that his nostalgic voyage from Plymouth to New York had come to an end following damage to his staysail which has torn off the bridge of…
Tolkien relives his mid-Atlantic rescue
The British sailor Richard Tolkien today spoke about his dramatic rescue in the mid-Atlantic when he was picked up by a cargo ship after deciding to abandon his IMOCA 60, 44, in The Transat bakerly. Tolkien, 61, from Lymington in Hampshire…
Lamire romps home to claim the Transat honours in the Multi50s
The relatively unknown French sailor Gilles Lamire, stormed across the finish line of the Transat bakerly off New York this evening at 16:50 local time, to complete his first big win in professional sailing aboard French Tech Rennes St Malo….
Le Cleac’h puts a marker down for the Vendée Globe
He is known as the Jackal in French sailing because of his relentless competitive zeal and Armel Le Cleac’h lived up to his name with an impressive win in the IMOCA 60 class of The Transat bakerly today – his…
Sarabande geared up for Round Ireland Race and 50th birthday
Sarabande may soon be heading for her 50th birthday, but that won't stop her and her loyal crew from enjoying a healthy competitive streak in this year’s Volvo Round Ireland! Rob Mably, a farmer from Cornwall, bought Sarabande over fifteen…
Battle commences for bonus points in Clipper Race ocean sprint
Once again, bonus points are up for grabs as the Clipper Race fleet approaches the Ocean Sprint start line at 17 and a half degrees north. Two points are on offer for the fastest team through the 90 nautical mile…
With two days to go in the Transat, Le Cléac’h professes himself happy with his foiler
The IMOCA 60 battle in The Transat bakerly, now in its 11th day, has been dominated by the duel between Armel Le Cléac’h on the foiler Banque Populaire and Vincent Riou on the more conventional PRB. For days now Le…
Coville makes it to New York as runner-up in the Ultime class
Thomas Coville, one of the great French solo sailors of recent times, became the second competitor to finish The Transat bakerly this morning when he brought his Ultime trimaran, Sodebo, to the finish at New York. After a voyage from Plymouth…
Alicante agrees deal to keep Volvo Ocean Race for two more editions
ALICANTE, SPAIN, May 11 – Alicante’s regional government, Generalitat Valenciana, announced today it had agreed a commitment to keep the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante for two more editions. The deal will see Alicante maintain its position as the start…
Clipper teams work to escape the Doldrums’ grasp
The lead has shifted once again in the PSP Logistics Panama Cup with ClipperTelemed+ now in pole position followed by IchorCoal and Unicef. However, as the frontrunners approach the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) they have started to slow in light airs which threaten to…
Fluky winds forecast is next test for Clipper fleet
2000 nautical miles and eleven days into the PSP Logistics Panama Cup the frontrunners are rounding the tip of Cabo San Lucas with their eyes now firmly on the Ocean Sprint some 300 nautical miles ahead. On a slightly more…
Lisbon to be first stopover for Volvo Ocean Race
LISBON, May 10 – Lisbon, one of the most successful host cities of the Volvo Ocean Race in recent years, has been chosen as the destination for a flying start to the next edition in 2017-18. In 2011-12 and 2014-15,…
Gabart takes line honours in The Transat bakerly 2016
Frenchman François Gabart on board his new 100ft trimaran Macif, crossed The Transat bakerly finish line at 18:24 EDT (22:24 GMT) this evening off New York, taking line honours in the Ultime class. The finish time, recorded by the Sandy…
Clipper leaders eye up scoring gate in warm weather
As some teams search for stronger winds, the leading boats are within hours of passing through the Scoring Gate and snatching those vital bonus points. Unicef, ClipperTelemed+, LMAX Exchange and IchorCoal are the closest as of 0900 UTC, with every…
The endgame for Macif as Loick ploughs on through a cold northerly gale
He can’t see the skyline yet but the French solo sailing superstar Francois Gabart is now closing in on the finish of The Transat bakerly in New York where line honours, an Ultime class win and a race record await…
Light airs delay Gabart’s Transat bakerly finish on Macif
François Gabart has enjoyed a magic carpet downwind ride across the Atlantic in The Transat bakerly, but his progress to the race finish at New York has been slowed somewhat as he encounters light airs crossing the Gulf Stream. This…
Stealth move as match racing continues ahead of Clipper scoring gate
Despite lighter airs some good downwind racing under spinnaker has continued with a number of match races between duelling teams now heading for the Scoring Gate, around 250nm south. LMAX Exchange went into Stealth Mode at midnight UTC to hide…
Gold Coast sailor aiming for westerly circumnavigation record
The Gold Coast Bulletin. By Shaya Laughlin. More people have been to space than those who have circumnavigated the world non-stop solo but Andy Lamont wants to do it backwards. Mr Lamont, 57, will attempt to become the first person…
Macif on target to smash the Transat race record
The Transat bakerly from Plymouth to New York is in its final stages for Macif skipper François Gabart who is now just over 450nm away from the finish line. The current routing is showing Gabart’s estimated time of arrival as…
Transat bakerly: British sailor Phil Sharp takes his penalty in the middle of nowhere
One thousand miles due west of Cape Finisterre and about 1,300 miles due east of the coast of Nova Scotia – in the middle of the liquid desert that is the Atlantic ocean – British sailor Phil Sharp is this…
Ramón Carlín, first Whitbread champion, dies aged 92
Ramón Carlín, the ‘weekend sailor’ who upset the odds to become the winner of the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973-74, has died in Mexico City at the age of 92. Carlín was a complete unknown in the…
