Over 40 entries registered for 2021 Transpac
November 2, 2020 – Los Angeles, CA – As of today, 8 months and 10 days in advance of the first start on July 13, 2021, there are 42 confirmed entries in the 51st edition of the Transpacific Yacht Club’s…
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.
Double-handers angry at CYCA's decision
OPINION When the CYCA finally decided to enter the 21st century and allow double-handed entries in the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart, fans of short-handed sailing applauded. However, that applause has turned to anger with the announcement that double-handers won't be…
No public allowed in the race village prior to Vendee Globe start
Following the national lockdown measures announced by the President of the French Republic last night as part of the fight against Covid-19, the Vendée Globe Race Village will be closed to the public from Friday October 30th. The start of…
Newport to Ensenada Race 2021 confirmed
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., October 27, 2020 – Despite ongoing uncertainties on the path to normal following COVID-19 restrictions, the Newport Ocean Sailing Association has announced one certainty – the 73rd Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race will start off the…
Situation: almost normal. Fifteen days to the start of the Vendée Globe.
Les Sables-d'Olonne, 24th October 2020: At one week since the Vendée Globe Start Village officially opened and with 15 days to go before the start, the expansive site at Port Olona, Les Sables d’Olonne has enjoyed great weather for the passionate crowds…
NZ Ocean Racing wins New Zealand's Coastal Classic
RUSSELL, 24 October 2020 – At 3:58am this morning, Bianca Cook and Darryl Wislang with their all-kiwi NZ Ocean Racing crew became the first monohull to win the PIC Coastal Classic yacht race since 2009. After 18 hours racing through…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: Elusive 2 wins overall honours
It is the year that just keeps on giving. By midnight on Wednesday, 15 of the 50-boat fleet had completed the course. Ten of those were competing under IRC for the overall Rolex Middle Sea Race trophy and the French…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: everyone loves Poland
What a day! No one following this year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race had foreseen that two 70-foot ocean-racing maxis would match race the final 10 nm to the finish line to decide the monohull line honours title of the 41st…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: great spirit, great competition
1700 CEST: The story of day three of the 41st Rolex Middle Sea Race was undoubtedly the dogfight between Maserati and Mana, which finally concluded last night (Monday) at just after 2030 CEST. A classic tale of boat-on-boat competition between two…
Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship open for entry
Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s longstanding Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) will go ahead over the weekend of November 28-29, another positive bounce back from the New South Wales major sailing event doldrums. Last week the Cruising Yacht Club of…
NZ's Coastal Classic – Friday is looking tactical
Auckland, 21 October 2020 – Friday’s PIC Coastal Classic yacht race is not looking to be one of the fastest on record, but a strategic battle up the coastline with plenty of opportunities for the 175 competing boats to make…
IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge 2020-21 announced
The prime role of the International Maxi Association, as endorsed by World Sailing, is to encourage and support all forms of maxi racing internationally. In line with this remit, five years ago it introduced the IMA Mediterranean Maxi Offshore Challenge…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: Maserati takes multihull line honours
Maserati Multi70 (ITA), skippered by Giovanni Soldini, crossed the finish line of the 2020 Rolex Middle Sea Race at the Royal Malta Yacht Club to take Multihull Line Honours at 20:41:31 CEST on Monday 19th October in an elapsed time…
The Start Village for the 9th Vendée Globe is open
The impressive size and scale of the record sized fleet of IMOCA 60 yachts which will take the start line of the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe solo race round the world on Sunday November 8th, was immediately apparent…
Miranda Merron – delighted to be in good company in the Vendée Globe
One of the most encouraging aspects of this year’s Vendée Globe is the participation of female sailors, with a record-breaking six skippers taking the start, among them Miranda Merron on Campagne de France, one of the most experienced sailors in…
Planning for the Sydney Hobart continues with two weeks until close of entries
CYCA Media: The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) continues planning for the 2020 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The CYCA is committed to conducting a COVIDSafe Rolex Sydney Hobart for all stakeholders including competitors, spectators, volunteers, officials and staff….
Thirty days to go – Boris Herrmann gets set for the Vendee Globe
In just 30 days, the 33 skippers of the IMOCA fleet will be on the start line for the 9th edition of the Vendée Globe. Among them will be Boris Herrmann, the first German sailor to compete in this incredible…
Loïck Peyron: The pandemic can help the Vendée Globe skippers get in the zone
Ed Gorman talks to three-time Vendée Globe veteran Loïck Peyron about the race ahead: Everyone is well aware that this has been an unprecedented season for the IMOCA Cclass and an unprecedented way to build-up to the Vendée Globe, with…
The Vendée Globe: Race Village regulations, events, exhibitions and access areas on start day
On Tuesday, Yves Auvinet, President of the SAEM Vendée, which organises the Vendée Globe, officially opened the e-ticketing system that will enable visitors to access the Vendée Globe Start Village with health and safety regulations approved by the state and…
64th annual Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race set for December 4th in Florida
PALM BEACH, FL, September 24, 2020 – The Sailfish Club of Florida and Storm Trysail Club said today its 64rd Annual Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race will be sailed as scheduled on Friday, December 4th and will feature the two-course format…
Maxi Edmond de Rothschild 40 days away from the start of stand-by
Lorient, wednesday, September 23, 2020 – This figure has been on everyone’s minds for many months now; 40 days (23 hours and 30 minutes), is the exact time to beat if the crew of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is…
Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race entries open
The Derwent Sailing Squadron (DSS) planning for the 2020 Launceston to Hobart Yacht Race has been boosted with the announcement of TasPorts as the major sponsor for this year’s race. The support of the TasPorts state-based company will see the…
ORCV elects Grant Dunoon Commodore
The Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV) is pleased to announce that following the 2020 AGM, respected Victorian yachtsman Grant Dunoon, is the club’s new Commodore. A successful businessman and yachtsman, Dunoon has a vision and plans on giving the…
51st La Solitaire du Figaro title for Le Cléac’h, Tom Dolan lifts Vivi Trophy
Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) lifted the overall title for the 51st La Solitaire du Figaro at the end of race prizegiving in Saint Nazaire, France today. It is Le Cléach’s third time of winning after successes in 2003 and 2010….
Competitors flock to Kettering for Pipe Opener's 52nd year
The Ronald Young Builders 52nd Pipe Opener celebrated a successful three day race with the help of Kettering Yacht Club. The race, which has been immensely popular with the Hobart fleet, saw an average of 40 boats competing throughout the…
The 2020 Vendée Globe is on course to be an exceptional edition
The official press conference for the ninth edition of the Vendée Globe was held on Thursday, September 17 at the Palais Brongniart in Paris. The event mustered as many sailors, partners, organisers and journalists as was safely possible. It is…
Duthil takes Stage 3 Win in La Solitaire, Le Cléac’h retains overall lead
Hugely experienced on La Solitaire du Figaro but a relative novice in the Beneteau Figaro 3 that he had only sailed four times before the start on the Baie de Saint Brieuc ten days ago, Fred Duthil (Technique Voilse/Cabinet Bourhis…
Walking the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race course – extra downwind and a new last roll of the dice
Moving to Cherbourg for the finish of the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s premier event, the Rolex Fastnet Race next year will see navigators and crews facing a few significant new challenges. Firstly the new course is 90 miles (or…
Yann Eliès leads La Solitaire on the final long straight to stage 3 finish
Approaching the Chaussée de Sein mark late this Tuesday afternoon, with some 125 nautical miles still to sail to the finish line off Saint Nazaire, three times La Solitaire du Figaro winner Yann Eliès (Quéguiner Materiaux-Leucémie Espoir) was holding a…
The Azimut Challenge taught us a lot
The tenth Azimut Challenge finished yesterday with victory going to L’Occitane en Provence (Armel Tripon) in the runs, Charal (Jérémie Beyou) in the 48-hour race and PRB (Kevin Escoffier) winning the race around the island of Groix. Three complementary events…
Serene leader Goodchild well-placed to deal with a night of calms
Having led the 33 strong La Solitaire du Figaro fleet since the early hours of this morning Britain’s Sam Goodchild (Leyton) has had to see his hard earned margin evaporate in a fast failing breeze off the Baie de Morlaix…
Slow Sunday – gains and losses are temporary in Stage 3 of La Solitaire du Figaro
Racing in very light and variable easterly winds, progress this Sunday afternoon has been as slow for the 33 solo skippers racing on Stage 3 of La Solitaire du Figaro from Dunkirk to Saint Nazaire at the entrance to the…
Pipe-opener to launch southern Tasmanian sailing season
The success of this years Combined Clubs Winter Series demonstrated the enthusiasm of our Hobart sailors to return to sailing in these unprecedented times. The 2020 Ronald Young & Co Builders Pipe Opener is the traditional lead-up to the official…
Blue Water Classics: Portraits of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
Blue Water Classics Portraits of the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race By Andrew Wilson, with Di Pearson A new book on Australia’s famous blue water classic, the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, will become a collector’s item for anyone who has had…
La Solitaire Stage 2 – victory for Armel Le Cléac’h
Sailing a near perfect 404 miles race from the Baie de Saint-Brieuc where the 35 strong fleet started Sunday Armel Le Cléac’h (Banque Populaire) won Stage 2 of the 51st La Solitaire du Figaro when he crossed the finish line off…
Armel Le Cléac’h in control of La Solitaire stage 2
Two times La Solitaire du Figaro champion Armel Le Cléach (Banque Populaire) said before the start that he was ‘going to be an opportunist’ on this 51st edition. For the second time in as many stages the Vendée Globe winner…
Moonen Yachts Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race postponed to 2022
It is with great disappointment that the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron announce the postponement of the Moonen Yachts Sydney to Auckland Ocean Race, until January 2022. “The restrictions of movement, immigration and quarantine…
First night of La Figaro stage 2 may shape the leaderboard
The second stage of the La Solitaire du Figaro started on the Baie de Saint-Brieuc, northern Brittany in a light to moderate north easterly breeze at 1100hrs this Sunday morning. The 404 nautical miles stage takes the 35 strong field…
IMOCA general meeting announces a full race programme for the 2021-2025 cycle
The IMOCA Class meeting marking the end of the summer holidays was held on Thursday 27th August using virtual technology. This meeting enabled the members of the Class to carry out an early appraisal of what has happened in 2020,…
Relief for Xavier Macaire as he wins Stage 1 of La Solitaire du Figaro
Xavier Macaire (Groupe SNEF) crossed the finish line on the Baie de Saint-Brieuc at 06:17:55hrs French time this Thursday morning to win the 642 nautical miles first stage of the 51st La Solitaire du Figaro. His elapsed time was 3…
