I am going to need therapy after this America’s Cup. In 30 years of covering events as a journalist/commentator I can’t think of one that has so consistently delivered the…
Matthew Sheahan
America’s Cup: Why it’s good to be wrong
There are some days when you’re pleased to be wrong…today – the first day of the America’s Cup – was one of them. After three months of speculation and deliberation…
Sense of inevitability about Italian America’s Cup qualification
From the evidence of the Prada Cup Round Robin, there was every reason to expect that the Prada Cup Final between INEOS Team UK and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli would…
America’s Cup Challengers: The view from Auckland
Reversing the odds over the space of four weeks where the worst performing America’s Cup team became the best and vice versa, was on nobody’s radar down here in Auckland…
How the America’s Cup contenders compare going into the Prada Cup
As each of the new AC75s were wheeled out into the open for the first time, amid the celebration and champagne spraying, each team will have been keenly aware that…
Taking control: How modern autopilot systems can be your best helmsman
It’s hardly surprising. At speeds that are regularly in the high 20s with sustained bursts in excess of 30 knots, there is much to gain from getting it right and…
Flax 27: Cork decks and electric propulsion make this the most eco-friendly yacht
In the face of it there was nothing unusual about the Flax 27. Set in a corner of one of the 17 halls at Boot Düsseldorf at the beginning of…
Figaro Series: The hardest sailing race on the planet where money means nothing
“This is the hardest race – not to win, just to do. Winning is something else,” says Michel Desjoyeaux. “For me, the Figaro is harder than the Vendée Globe.” It…
Italia 11.98 review: This Alfa Romeo of the seas strikes a fine balance
I’m a soft touch for a well-balanced boat with a light feel and the ability to change gear easily. Be it it a cruiser or racer, performance and handling are,…
Dehler 30 yacht test: This one-design racer has a real double appeal
Talk to those who have switched to short-handed offshore racing and you’ll be hard pressed to find many who want to go back to a weather rail stacked with crew.…
Beneteau First 53 review: This French cruiser backs up its bold first impressions
There is big talk and bold talk, but often it is no talk that speaks loudest when it comes to a new launch. As I walked down the quay towards…
Amel 60 review: This modern cruiser is a true benchmark for quality
I’m guessing that rival manufacturers of bluewater cruisers know when their prospective clients have been to Amel. They realise when their prospects come to them to discuss the detail, and…
ClubSwan 36 review: This one-design foiler from Nautor really shakes things up
It’s easy to be seduced by modern high performance, especially downwind. As the wake flattens out astern and the foils start to sing, the helm takes on a more direct…
Ernesto Bertarelli: The Team Alinghi mastermind who shook up the America’s Cup
When Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi (SUI64) crossed the finish line for the final time in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2003, the Swiss 5-0 victory was more than just a decisive new…
ETF26: The trailer foiler bringing the foiling experience to the masses
Seven knots of true wind and a few quick pumps on the mainsheet was all it took to have the 8m cat rise up onto her foils and slip downwind…
Monofoil: The pocket rocket that can foil in just 8 knots of breeze
The spectacle of a flying catamaran, be it an Olympic Nacra 17, a GC32, the recent America’s Cup 50-footers, or anything in between, has become almost normal in today’s racing…
Eagle Class 53: The foiling cruiser inspired by the America’s Cup
Not everything that flies is destined to scorch around an America’s Cup course. The future for sailing hydrofoils is surely about more than just racing. At least, that was the…
What’s the optimum Fastnet route? Navigator Ian Moore crunches the weather data to find out
With tricky tides, imposing headlands and the vagaries of the British summer weather to contend with, the Rolex Fastnet Race is as much about tactics as it is about boat…
Fastnet Race 1979: Life and death decision – Matthew Sheahan’s story
At 0830 Tuesday 14 August 1979, aged 17, five minutes changed my life. Five minutes that, despite the stress of the previous six hours, would encapsulate the most extreme emotional…
Could the wonderfully weird Inflated Wing Sail make sailing easier?
As the mist rose off the water’s surface in the picturesque harbour of Morges on the north bank of Lake Geneva, only the gentle buzz of a small air compressor…