An eastward crossing of the Atlantic in June or July should be easy for a well-found gaff cutter like Iron Bark. Wind and current are generally fair, gales few and…
Marina di Portisco Privilege Card Holders Scheme proves a great success
Based in the Costa Smeralda, this family friendly and full facility marina has ‘hit a note’ offering a Privilege Points scheme with boat owners who use their services. Marina Manager,…
Rio, a cruiser’s perspective – should you drop everything and sail there?
Scarcely ruffled by a lazy late afternoon breeze, the sea was an oily pink and orange lake. Two miles to the north, an endless chain of tall, strangely curvaceous grey…
Pollution in Rio spoiling the sailing Olympics? Skip Novak says: ‘This is Brazil; just enjoy the carnival’
I know Rio well enough. We stopped there in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1978. That was the year many of the competitors – and the security guards,…
Euphoria 68: a long-legged cruiser built in Turkey
A surefire way to bring our attention to a sizzling new launch is to send us some enticing pictures. This first sailing image of Sirena Marine’s flagship Euphoria 68 reveals…
Get out of that – heaving to in strong winds. Advice from Dee Caffari
This image should be entitled ‘Get into That’. Bernard Stamm had 120 miles to go to the finish line – to the north of Great Barrier Island – when he…
Common Cowes Week mistakes – and how to avoid them
Starting at the wrong end of the Squadron line Get it wrong and you will spend all day in last place with no hope of winning. The core issue is…
Atlantic gear survey: long-range communications at sea
Few could honestly claim they are not reliant on the internet today. The advent of stronger and faster 3G and 4G networks and wi-fi boosters have allowed us to maintain…
Comanche, Jim Clark’s 100ft super maxi, smashes the transatlantic record
In making the crossing in just 5 days, 14 hours, and 21 minutes Comanche has knocked over 24 hours off the prized record held by Mari-Cha IV for the last…
Christophe Harbour: Welcome to your Caribbean hideout
Led by the renowned developer and superyacht owner, Buddy Darby, Christophe Harbour is a luxury development nestled on the south-eastern peninsula of the untouched Leeward island of St Kitts. Located…
Sailing upwind when short-handed requires different techniques
Excessive heel is your enemy when sailing upwind, and with no hiking crew this is something the double-handed sailor needs to consider. To sail upwind well you must learn the…
A new Humphreys 39 for Richard Matthews of Oyster Yachts fame
Richard Matthews, the man who built up Oyster Yachts over 40 years, has consistently kept ahead of the game with the designs he has commissioned. For his latest new build,…
Land Rover BAR win at America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth shakes up the series
Today at the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth was tagged ‘Super Sunday’, and it delivered on the promise, with the result hanging on a single point difference in…
Ainslie and Land Rover BAR race wins delight home crowd at America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth
Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR team stamped the ‘bring the Cup home’ message on the first day of racing at Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth today by tying…
Who’s who at the ACWS Portsmouth as crews reshuffle
With the Rio Games just two weeks away, there has been a reshuffle in some of the ACWS crew lists for this weekend’s event in Portsmouth, with some big names…
What is the AC45? Meet the America’s Cup World Series foiling catamaran
The boat being raced in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is the AC45 – sometimes also called the AC45f. It is a one-design 44ft foiling catamaran (that’s what…
Ainslie makes Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth the push for new America’s Cup blueprint
As Ben Ainslie races in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series Portsmouth this weekend he embarks on the on the second crucial chapter of his goal to prove Britain can…
Extraordinary boats: a new take on a Dutch Lemsteraak
Name any traditional racing class and there will always be one owner who tries to move the game on. In the world of Lemsteraak racing on the Netherlands’ inland waterways…
Skip Novak on harnesses, ocean racing risks and the most vulnerable time of all
Of course the loss of crewmember Sarah Young from the Clipper Round the World Race yacht IchorCoal in April was a tragedy. We should be under no illusions, though, that…
A challenge, not a spectacle: onboard the RC44s
The RC44 class is in the UK for the first time this weekend. Helen Fretter sailed onboard Artemis to discover what sets this owner-driven class apart Setting out from the…