Dee Caffari – Volvo and solo sailor Exposure Marine MOB Search Light I have spent many days sailing offshore, often solo in the inhospitable envi ronment of the Southern Ocean,…
Video: J11s – J Boat’s new launch for the amateur shorthanded racing scene. Matthew Sheahan reports
Several production builders such as Jeanneau and JPK have been tapping into the new enthusiasm with models such as the Sun Fast 3200 and 3600 as well as the JPK…
Elfje – is this 170ft performance cruiser the consummate yacht?
Some say the ideal yacht is one that sails like a racer, has the accommodation of a cruiser and the looks of a classic. That’s a wry joke because at…
Pets on board – how to go long-distance cruising with your dog or cat
Chester and Awa’s story is a boating bromance. It’s the touching tale of two inseparable buddies who met through sailing and cruised together on their boats. I met them at…
Alex Thomson airlifted to safety as his new Hugo Boss is capsized by a rogue wave
Alex Thomson and his co-skipper, Spanish sailor Guillermo Altadill, were airlifted off the 60ft yacht Hugo Boss yesterday afternoon some 82 miles off the north coast of Spain. They had…
Video of Sailing Yacht A, the world’s largest sail-assisted vessel, during early sea trials
This video footage of Sailing Yacht A shows her with her towering free-standing masts and illustrates the jaw-dropping scale of the world’s largest sail-assisted yacht. It is when a tug passes that you…
Cruising Georgia – the wilderness coast of the eastern USA
I felt the urge to roar “Ho, ho, break out the grog boys, this is it!” but it wasn’t 1720 and there was just Nancy and me. Our Mason 44,…
Updated: Damage, retirements and a capsize as Transat Jacques Vabre meets heavy weather
Updated: Wednesday 28th October 1300 GMT 35 of the entry of 42 boats are still heading for Itajaí. This year’s Transat Jacques Vabre is proving to be very challenging for…
‘Huge waves, 30+ knots, freezing and very, very wet’ Pip Hare blogs from the Transat Jacques Vabre
Tuesday 27th October: 1700 GMT I’m going to keep this short as we have a bit going on out here, but hello from a wet and wild Concise 2. It’s…
5 tips: reaching and downwind starts – some advice from Sir Ben Ainslie
The cut and thrust and elbow-shoving of a typical start is mostly about wrestling your way to the front of the queue. We all know the drill: assess the bias…
Looking for a new challenge? Entries now open for the gruelling Three Peaks Yacht Race
Applications are now being taken for the The Three Peaks Yacht Race, the gruelling adventure race that sees teams of five take on a unique navigational and fitness challenge. It…
Video: Dramatic rescue of French sailor and his cat in rough seas 400 miles south of Alaska
Scroll down for video If ever a reminder were needed about how desperately dangerous it can be calling for help at sea, this video shows it most graphically. This grainy…
Gallery: A sunny send-off for the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet as 42 yachts begin 5400 mile race
Our Contributing Editor Pip Hare is sailing onboard Class 40 yacht Concise 2 with co-skipper Phillippa Hutton-Squire. She is blogging about their experience, take a read here. You can also…
First sailing pictures of Galateia, the latest racer-cruiser to join a growing wallycento class
It seems there is still an appetite for maxi-style racing, albeit in slightly more comfort than traditional maxi yachts. These first sailing pictures of the latest wallycento, Galateia, will help…
Taking the northerly route across the Atlantic; our meteorologist explains
In the 2012 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers the winning boats, the Class 40 Vaquita and the maxi Rán-Leopard, followed a similar route, which was suggested by routeing programs and made…
How to choose the right asymmetric spinnaker for your kind of racing
What should you be looking for in an A-sail for your boat when the bulk of your season’s racing is a mix of inshore racing round the cans and windward-leeward…
Artemis wins Bermuda Americas Cup World Series – crashing to victory
“That last gybe was the event,” said Iain Percy to his team as they crossed the finish line of the third and final race of the day. Artemis Racing had…
Americas Cup World Series – weather refuses to play ball on big day, but is there an alternative?
Once the weather forecast came into view earlier in the week there was always a risk that the first day of racing here in Bermuda was going to be tricky,…
Americas Cup World Series Bermuda – Practice day reveals new lessons for all
As with any practice race there will be those who go home grateful that their results didn’t count while others will wish the day’s action had been for points. Friday…
Mediterranean classic ready for the off as more than 100 yachts line up for the Rolex Middle Sea Race
The Rolex Middle Sea Race commences on Saturday with more than 100 yachts from 22 countries due to take part. Starting and finishing in Malta, the race is known for…