Marion Bermuda Race – have fun and win
For Steve Gordon, the 22nd Marion Bermuda Race will be his first. Starting Friday (June 14) he will race his Alden 50 sloop ‘Elena’ in the 645 nautical mile ‘Race to the Rock’ with two goals in mind— win and…
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.
La Solitaire Le Figaro leader Richomme rolls with the pressure
Having taken the lead late last night as the fleet passed offshore of Devon’s Exe estuary, Yoann Richomme (HelloWork-Groupe Telegramme) pushed hard to profit through a brutally testing second night on stage 2 of La Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro. By…
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro – beware the doldrums of Bishops Rock
The Doldrums of Bishop Rock may today have slowed and frustrated the fleet racing La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro second stage from Kinsale to Roscoff via the Needles Fairway, but the leading trio look set to be rewarded for their…
Eliès leads La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro from Kinsale on changed channel course
The northern latitudes of the Isle of Man once again will remain unconquered by the solo sailors of La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro, after the planned course for stage 2 of the 50th anniversary edition was radically altered to avoid…
La Solitaire – 45 in for second leg
Forty five solo racers will take the start line on Sunday afternoon at 1700hrs local time, heading out from Kinsale, Ireland on the 615-nautical mile second stage of La Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro to Roscoff via the Irish Sea with…
Marion Bermuda – full moon rising
Sailors preparing for the 2019 Marion Bermuda Race— the first warning for the first start is Friday at 12 noon— have a busy week ahead of them, with many out doing safety drills and making last minute adjustments, stowing provisions…
Sydney to Auckland Yacht Race 2021
The Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron are excited to announce their partnership for the 1250nm Sydney to Auckland Yacht Race 2021. The race will start on Sydney Harbour on 30 January 2021 and finish…
Richomme wins first stage of La Solitaire
From what is considered the most competitive fleet ever, Yoann Richomme won the opening stage of the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro; a strategic 545-nautical mile leg from Nantes across the Celtic Sea to Kinsale in Ireland proved to…
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro: Three way battle to Kinsale
Overall winner in 2016, Yoann Richomme was doing all he could to hold on to a lead of just under half a mile late this afternoon, seeking to close out what would be a well deserved victory on the first…
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro – an ultra marathon, not a sprint
Race direction of the 50th anniversary La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro have made it their clear policy to make each stage as open as possible by minimising the number of marks of each course. They have rewarded avid followers of…
Rolex Fastnet Race – more than just a race
Among the 300-350 boats in this August's record-sized Rolex Fastnet Race fleet, many of the 3,000 crew members are competing to fulfill a personal challenge or to tick the world's largest offshore race off their 'bucket list', but several crews…
La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro – normal service resumed off North Brittany
After he eked out a dream 18 nautical mile lead on stage 1 to Kinsale, Ireland, runaway amateur Henri Lemoncier appears to have had his wings clipped to have been overturned by three times La Solitaire winner Yann Eliès this…
La Solitaire leaders Hardy and Desjoyeaux under threat after testing first 24 hours
As stage one of the 50th La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro completed its first 24 hours at sea, racing 553 nautical miles from Pornichet to Kinsale, Ireland, leaders Adrien Hardy (Sans Nature Pas de Future) and Michel Desjoyeaux (Lumibird) were…
Lagraviere leads early skirmish as La Solitaire URGO Le Figaro leaves France for Kinsale
Under grey skies on the Bay of La Baule, at the mouth of the Loire river in the west of France, Morgan Lagraviere (Voile d’engagement) lead an early breakaway trio at the head of the 47-strong La Solitaire URGO Le…
Breakaway 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar for Rambler 88 and Vera
One of the biggest ‘door closing on those behind’ moments in offshore sailing occurred on Thursday night and through the next 24 hours for competitors racing in the special 10th anniversary edition of the 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar, between Livorno and…
Back to the future for 50th La Solitaire Le Figaro
The introduction of the new foil-assisted Figaro Bénéteau 3 has proven to have had a magnetic attraction to past winners of the famous annual La Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro, so much so that when the 47-strong fleet of solo racers…
Fleet builds for historic 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart
A mix of newcomers and race-winning veterans headline a 75-strong fleet already entered in the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the historic 75th staging of the iconic Australian sporting event. The Cayman Islands-registered Caro is the latest, returning to the…
Irish solo racers buoyed up and ready to race ‘home’ to Kinsale
Rather than any accumulated local knowledge it will be the strong, primal lure of returning to the homeland, Ireland, which might yield any additional speed advantage to Joan Mulloy and Tom Dolan when the two Irish solo racers compete on…
Strong maxi fleet sets sail in 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar
What is now the Mediterranean’s largest offshore race set sail from Livorno, Italy this afternoon. The 151 Miglia-Trofeo Cetilar celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with a giant fleet of 220, up from just under 200 last year, making it…
Solitaire URGO Le Figaro: “This is not a living; it is about pursuing the dream”
By nature meticulous in all of his planning and his preparation, British solo racer Alan Roberts is trying to ensure he has left nothing to chance before he starts what promises to be the most competitive Solitaire URGO Le Figaro…
The Ocean Cleanup is ready to try again
The Maritime Executive Last September, The Ocean Cleanup deployed System 001 into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – marking the first-ever attempt to start cleaning it up. During the campaign, it was found that the system did not maintain a…
Circolo Della Vela Bari wins One Ocean Sailing Champions League
Porto Cervo, Italy. 26 May 2019. Bad weather prevented racing being held on the last day of the One Ocean SAILING Champions League. The classification therefore remains unvaried from yesterday, with victory going to the team from Circolo della Vela…
Edmond de Rothschild repaired and back in action
There is no doubt that the large offshore multihull season is up and running! Following on from Actual Leader last week, Macif yesterday, today was the turn for the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild to return to the ocean this at…
Marion Bermuda Anti-bias Adjustment introduced for 2019 race to remove bias against faster boats
Marion MA, May 21, 2019: When the 2019 Marion Bermuda Race starts June 14, the Founders Division boats will be sailing under a unique, new “anti-bias” adjustment of the ORR handicap system. The adjustment designed by race organizers in collaboration with…
MACIF Trimaran back at sea, better performance and more reliable
Just a few days after the MACIF trimaran left the cargo ship that brought it back from Pointe-à-Pitre, in mid-January, it was sent to the yard for a refit, where it has spent nearly four months in the expert hands…
A new direction for The Transat with Brest confirmed as 2020 start city
The first and oldest single-handed transatlantic race, The Transat, will carve out a new path in 2020, with the announcement that the city of Brest in northern Brittany will host the start of the four-yearly classic. Starting in May, the…
What we have learnt from the Bermudes 1000 Race
There is one competitor still at sea in the second edition of the Bermudes 1000 Race, the Belgian skipper, Denis Van Weynbergh, who is expected to finish on Thursday afternoon in Brest. The race was won on Friday by Sébastien…
GGR DAY 322 Tapio Lehtinen completes solo circumnavigation
Tapio Lehtinen, the 5th and final placed Finnish skipper competing in the Golden Globe Race crossed the finish line at 20:21 hours today accompanied by Bernard Moitessier's famous yacht Joshua and a flottila of excited wellwishers, including French race winner…
Bermudes 1000 – arrival imminent
After hurtling along at warp speed for 24 hours, propelled by a steady NW’ly wind, the leading boats in the Bermudes 1000 Race Douarnenez – Brest have, as expected, seen their progress falter as of early this afternoon. The reasoning…
Bermudes 1000 – one race, two systems
Those competing in the Bermudes 1000 Race Douarnenez – Brest are not all being treated the same this Wednesday. The first boats are still being shown the way by Sébastien Simon (Arkéa – Paprec), who is creaming along at an…
Ultimes threaten Rolex Fastnet Race record destruction
Unless there is a flat calm, it is very likely that the outright record will fall in this August's edition of the Royal Ocean Racing Club's premium event, the Rolex Fastnet Race. For leading the charge in the world's biggest…
Francis Joyon and IDEC SPORT back in the water for the Round Belle-Ile race
Since Francis Joyon’s win in the last Route du Rhum, the IDEC SPORT maxi-trimaran has been in the yard for her winter refit and repairs following what was a very tough Route du Rhum. Since that race, Francis has announced…
Bermudes 1000 Race: Sébastien Simon in the lead at the Azores waypoint
At 1245hrs UTC on Tuesday 14th May, Sébastien Simon was the first to round the Azores waypoint, the second major course mark in the Bermudes 1000 Race. The skipper of ARKEA PAPREC is now on the final leg of the…
Pata Negra declared overall winner in Antigua Bermuda Race
With all yachts accounted for in the 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race, Giles Redpath's Lombard 46 Pata Negra (GBR), skippered by Andy Liss, has posted the best corrected time under IRC, winning the Warrior Trophy. In a dramatic finish for second…
Antigua Bermuda Race: Close Call for Warrior Trophy
Six yachts are expected to finish the 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race today, Monday 13 May. Afansay Isaev's Grand Mistral 80 Maxi Weddell (RUS) is expected to finish around midday taking second place in Line Honours, but Weddell will be outside…
Transpac 50 Class Divisions and start dates now available
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Transpacific Yacht Club is pleased to announce that its record 100-boat fleet entered in the 2019 Transpac is now split into 12 divisions for this year's 50th edition of this biennial ocean race from Los Angeles…
Lighter winds create accordion effect for Burmudes 1000 solo sailors
Though yesterday proved to be a bracing day, with a SE’ly breeze of between 25 and 35 knots on short seas, the pace of the 17 solo sailors in the Bermudes 1000 Race Douarnenez – Brest has slowed considerably since…
Antigua Bermuda Race: Line Honours for SHK Scallywag
Supermaxi SHK Scallywag (HKG), skippered by David Witt, crossed the finish line outside St David's Lighthouse, Bermuda just before 10pm local time on Saturday 11 May, taking Line Honours in the 2019 Antigua Bermuda Race in an elapsed time of…
First Maxi victory to Lunz am Meer as Caol Ila R retains her line honours title
In addition to the usual spectacular midnight start from off Naples’ magnificent Castel dell’Ovo, following Friday night’s dinner at the Circolo del Remo e della Vela Italia (CRV Italia) clubhouse in the Santa Lucia Marina, the 65th Regata dei Tre…
Bermudes 1000 Race: Pecking order apparent at Fastnet Rock
Sébastien Simon was the first to round the Fastnet rock to the south of Ireland, the first waymark in the Bermudes 1000 Race between Douarnenez and Brest, with Sam Davies, Boris Herrmann, Yannick Bestaven and Maxime Sorel following him. On…
