Outside the tropics much of our sailing takes place in the disturbed westerly airflow that generates depressions, and within the depressions (or lows) the most active feature is usually the…
5 tips: spinnaker drop – how to drop the kite without drama
The leeward drop and mark rounding was looking fine and you were about to nail a few more places, so how come just two minutes later you are looking at…
Safety investigation as Prince Casiraghi of Monaco and photographer’s RIB collide during GC32 Tour in Lake Garda
A high speed crash on Lake Garda this weekend between a GC32 foiling catamaran and a photographer’s RIB left both boats damaged but fortunately no-one injured. The catamaran Malizia Yacht…
Frighteningly fast – a view from the GC32 Tour, the largest ever racing fleet of big foiling catamarans
Success can be a scary thing. That was my thought on board one of ten GC32s as they blasted off at 30-plus knots on a reaching start. This sight, at…
36ft Zest is hit by a ‘14m’ rogue wave and dismasted off Spain. Skipper’s story
You know when you’ve been hit by a rogue wave. The energy within it is of a different order of magnitude from an inconvenient, but ultimately harmless, wave crest that…
Cygnus Montanus – see inside the new Frers-designed sailing superyacht
This is Cygnus Montanus, the new 33.83m lifting keel oceangoing sloop launched last month by Yachting Development. She was designed by German Frers, and has an interior design by Adam Lay Studio.…
First Volvo Ocean Race entry announced as Team AkzoNobel
The first team has announced their participation in the Volvo Ocean Race, which sets off in the autumn of 2017. Team AkzoNobel is the first to chalk – or rather,…
Dubois half tonner Alchemist sinks during Round the Island – video
The Mudeford RNLI inshore lifeboat crew shot dramatic footage of the sinking of Alchemist during last Saturday’s JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race. Alchemist, a 1977 Dubois-designed Half…
Virtual reality for sailors with new specially targeted apps
Virtual reality (VR), a term once reserved for science fiction movies, is now a commonplace reality for techies, film buffs and video gamers. VR uses computers to create a simulated…
New solo 24hr record of 771 miles set by François Gabart in trimaran MACIF
French solo sailor François Gabart has set a new record for the outright 24hr speed record in his 100ft trimaran MACIF. His shore team announced today that, subject to official…
TP52 Gladiator wins Round the Island Race 2016 – see our race fleet gallery
Winner of the the J. P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, the Gold Roman Bowl for the first IRC boat on corrected time, is Bernard Langley’s TP52 Gladiator. She powered…
How a new record of 2h 23m was set on Round the Island Race by MOD 70 trimaran Phaedo^3
A new record for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race 2016 was set today in strong, often gale force westerly winds. Owner Lloyd Thornburg and skipper Brian Thompson and…
Bear necessities: Cruising the Broughton islands on Canada’s Pacific coast
We left Dead Point at 0800 in a flat calm and entered Beware Passage – inauspicious names for cruising in dense fog, but we had used this rock-ridden channel before…
Skip Novak goes sailing to climb mountains – in the wake of Tilman
I have always thought that voyaging under sail is more gratifying when it has an underlying purpose. Floating about somewhat ad hoc across oceans from one paradise to the next…
Bluewater cruisers give us their top pick of galley equipment
Pressure cookers were the most popular galley appliance for their convenience and time- and energy-efficient means of preparing food. An airtight lid allows the ingredients inside to cook speedily as…
Kraken Yachts, a new brand of competitively priced bluewater cruisers
Kraken is a new brand designed in New Zealand and built in China, founded by two experienced British businessmen and sailors in Hong Kong. They are marketing a particularly competitively…
Video: the superb sight of seven big schooners and a Fife gaff cutter at the Superyacht Cup
Palma Bay witnessed the superlative sight today of seven classic and replica schooners gathering, together with one Fife gaff cutter, for an exhibition sail, that resembled a friendly match. Glorious…
How to plan watches and sleep when sailing short-handed
Before you decide on the best way to run watches double-handed, answer this question: are you sailing double-handed or single-handed in shifts? Successful double-handed teams pushing hard together have often…
Blog: Pip Hare and her all-woman team win Leg 3 of the Three Peaks Yacht Race
At 1049 on Wednesday morning Jo and Lowri ran over the finish line and straight into the arms of our sailing team and the history books of the Three Peaks…
Cockroaches, weevils, moths. How to keep bugs at bay on board
A movement caught out of the corner of my eye: something furtive, small and fast. I must have imagined it, but I’ll have to take a closer look. Reluctantly, I…