The systems that control the aero- and hydrofoils of the new AC75 are covered by some of the most complex parts of the America’s Cup Class. The section on control…
Yachting World
January 2020
In this month’s new-look issue, Helen Fretter reports from the Brest Atlantiques race, Toby Hodges takes a world exclusive first test sail on the new Oyster 565, plus Sam Fortescue…
Sailing Galicia: Exploring the enchanting rias of North-West Spain
Dreams of white sand beaches fringed weather with granite boulders warmed by the Galician sun finally took flight. We departed from Crookhaven in Ireland at the break of dawn with…
1979 Fastnet Race: A lucky escape – Sir Peter Johnson’s story
To start, it was hardly distinguishable from any Round the Island race. Our beat down the Solent among so many Ton Cup series yachts and sailing round the buoys in…
The adventures of Infinity: Sailing to Antarctica on a 120ft handmade ketch
“When I say ‘Jump!’ y’all say ‘How high?’. If y’all don’t want to say ‘How high?’ you can pack your bags,” demanded the owner of the superyacht I was aboard.…
Belinda: This refurbished 1980s quarter tonner is a real labour of love
Spending around 1,800 hours and the price of a new boat on revamping a 30-year-old 26ft keelboat might seem extraordinary, yet it’s par for the course for a quarter tonner.…
Frers design: The family dynasty behind some of the world’s most beautiful yachts
It was the economist J K Galbraith who said that there was “no absolute standard of beauty. That,” he added, “is precisely what makes its pursuit so interesting.” That interest…
Clearing customs: How to ensure smooth passage across national borders
We asked sailors who have cruised in areas including the Caribbean, the Red Sea and Pacific Islands how the reality matched up with the official customs and immigration processes. All…
Black Jack 100: On board the light airs supermaxi chasing Sydney Hobart glory
“I always told Peter you never want to buy a 100-footer and eventually he ignored me. But now we’re all pretty happy that we’re here!” The words of Mark Bradford,…
Navigation briefing: How to navigate with Google Earth
We have got used to chartplotters and GPS being very accurate; sometimes (I think) too accurate as we pass ever closer to obstructions, confident we’ll be safe because it shows…
Kraken 50 yacht test: This bluewater beast was built to cruise
Some of the most inspirational ranges of production yacht have come into being because a man started by building the boat he wanted for himself; one he could find nowhere…
Road to the America’s Cup podcast episode 3: How the AC75’s soft wingsails work
It’s not a completely original idea – it has been tried in the past, but never with the resources that four big, well-funded America’s Cup teams can bring to the…
Enterprise: Is this restored 12 Metre the best yacht to never contest the America’s Cup?
Among the 21 elegant Twelves lining the docks at Rhode Island’s Fort Adams for this summer’s 12 Metre World Championship, sat a yacht that for many was a huge disappointment.…
Pete Goss transatlantic: Vendee Globe racer embraces life in the slow lane
Out of the blackness a breaking crest makes itself known with an alien glow of tumbled phosphorescence and roars past. This is not what we expected when we set off…
December 2019
In this month's issue, Helen Fretter takes a look back at the 2010s - a decade that changed sailing forever, plus Toby Hodges tests the Rustler 57
Tidal streams: How to read the waves to gain a sailing advantage
Navigators need to have a close knowledge of tidal streams and currents. The latest studies show just how multifarious even mid-ocean currents are. Closer to the coast, matters of fluid…
Cruising British Columbia: Exploring Canada’s Wild West coast by boat
The coastline of south-east Alaska and northern British Columbia is a fractured network of islands, like a broken pane of glass, and the Inside Passage threads in between them. My…
Viracocha III: The Chilean reed boat built to sail across the Pacific
Adventurer Phil Buck is no stranger to reed boats, having twice before sailed from Chile to Easter Island non-stop. However, his latest project aims to sail more than twice that…
Southern hemisphere cyclones: Everything you need to know
Although New Zealand is not in the tropical cyclone (hurricane) belt, the remains of Tropical Cyclone Gita hit the west coast of both the north and south islands in late…
Volvo Ocean Race: How Vestas used supercomputer forecasting to gain an advantage
Vestas 11th Hour Racing is unique in that our sponsor Vestas shared the race team’s obsession with understanding how wind flows around various topographies, and we’ve therefore been fortunate enough…