Setting the start line ends in your chart plotter two days before the race may seem a little over eager, but on the 100ft super maxi Comanche it was essential.…
Video story: sailing a Bembridge Redwing at Cowes Week 2015 – a family class that continues to develop
I joined Joe Robertson and his sister, Bel, guiltily replacing their mother Annie, for a race aboard the family’s Bembridge Redwing Red Gauntlet II. I remember our former editor describing a…
Video – a beautiful film of the J Class racing during the RYS Bicentenary regatta
In a world that is increasingly short of time, where attention span increasingly diminishes as technology accelerates and yacht racing gets faster and faster – take a break, set aside 17…
Video: On board with Bella Mente, a grand prix 72ft Mini Maxi, at Cowes Week
Bella Mente is a Judel Vrolijk design, built by New England Boatworks, and launched in 2012 for American owner-driver Hap Fauth. She is one of a growing fleet of Mini…
Teenage kitesurfer eyes up round the Isle of Wight speed record
I’m not wishing to take anything away from Sidney Gavignet’s impressive performance around the Isle of Wight today on the MOD70 trimaran Oman Sail, in which he won the Artemis…
Cowes Week on the hunt for new sponsor as Aberdeen Asset Management prepares to bow out
After some of the most diverse racing in its 180-year history, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week finishes this weekend facing another chapter of change and the search for a new backer…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 12: Fishing from your boat
Dan Bower's advice on catching a fish for your supper is the last in our series of Bluewater Sailing Techniques
Video: close racing aboard the Farr 280 at Cowes Week, but is it time to talk handicaps?
Today I felt like I had been dragged around the race course on the end of a lead, such was the load in the large asymmetric kite sheet aboard ‘Red’, the…
10 top tips for shorthanded sailing – from leading British Figaro sailor Alan Roberts
During Cowes Week 2015, I had the chance to sail with rising star Alan Roberts on his 33ft Magma Structures sonspored Beneteau Figaro. Roberts finished 9th in the gruelling Solitaire…
Video: we sail with UK solo sailor Alan Roberts at Cowes Week 2015
During Cowes Week 2015, I had the chance to sail with rising star Alan Roberts on his 33ft Beneteau Figaro Magma Structures. Roberts finished 9th in the Solitaire du Figaro…
Rig service
How do I know if my rig needs a service? There are no set service intervals. It is really more about time scales and usage. If you have sailed for…
Oyster Yacht sank and five crew rescued after ‘incident that compromised hull integrity’
An Oyster yacht that sank off the coast of Spain in July may have foundered following a hull failure. Polina Star III was a 90ft extended version of the Oyster 825.…
Team SCA navigator Libby Greenhalgh wins Ladies Day Trophy at Cowes Week 2015
Leading weather forecaster and racing sailor Libby Greenhalgh was awarded the Ladies Day Trophy yesterday at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. The annual award, a highlight of Liz Earle Ladies Day,…
5 tips: OCS (on course side) or over the line at the start – what should you do?
Pundits at any local sailing club say you’re not trying hard enough if you don’t stray over the line once in a while. So, never mind honing your starting skills…
Video – we test the Xc45 Next Generation model, the updated version of X-Yachts’ first cruising yacht
The point to consider with these evergreen bluewater cruisers is that there is little to be improved upon in terms of hull design that justifies the cost of building a…
Video: why helming Sir Keith Mills’ new 40 footer Invictus is an intoxicating experience
I was only joking at the crew briefing on day three of Cowes Week when I said I would prefer to sit opposite the carbon tiller than be wedged into…
Sailing aboard the 72ft mini maxi Bella Mente, one of the fastest yachts at Cowes Week 2015
Only yesterday my colleague Matt Sheahan reported on how big the Solent looks when racing at 4.5 knots upwind aboard an XOD (see ‘A Wet Ride’ here). Today, Monday 10…
5 tips: light airs racing – how to keep going when all around are drifting in circles
The forecast was spot on, the breeze has slackened as pressure rises, but now with the remains of an open sea swell and the tide soon to turn against you,…
Video: an introduction to the week’s racing at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2015
This year sees the 180th annual Cowes Week regatta and, with over 800 yachts taking part, is growing again to justify its place as one of the greatest of British summer…
Video: A wet ride – racing the X One Design, the oldest (and biggest) class at Cowes Week 2015
Surrounded by her wooden cockpit coamings with a cabin sole that feels way below the waterline, you also can’t help noticing when you race an X One Design (XOD) how…