One manoeuvre that really makes my heart race when sailing single-handed is a spinnaker drop. It can seem like a recipe for disaster as I will often be dropping because…
Cruising the River Plate between Uruguay and Argentina is a lesson in weird weather
‘South-easterly, Force 8,’ read the forecast. That wind was going to transform the adjacent coast and the entrance to the River Plate into a lee shore. But we decided that,…
Penalties issued to three Volvo Ocean Race teams following exclusion zone protests
They may have fought hard in the 2,800nm needle match across the Atlantic on Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race to gain just a single point on their arch…
The French JPK 1080 ticks all the boxes for a successful racing keelboat, says Matthew Sheahan
Today, success in the racing keelboat market relies on far more than delivering an exciting-looking boat that goes like a runaway train off the breeze. To win the wallets of…
The best route for an Atlantic crossing? It depends when you go
Weather is a large part of any Atlantic crossing: deciding when to go, which route to follow and the sails to carry. The main consideration is to avoid the hurricane…
Drones – how new flying robots can benefit sailors, from unique photography to MOB and rescue aids
Drones. Love them, hate them or fear them, these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are becoming mainstream. Outside the military, a drone’s primary benefit – aerial photography – has meant their…
Guest blog: Ready for our long voyage to Thailand on Whitbread classic Swan 65 King’s Legend
This is my home for the next eight to nine months. It is still hard to believe, even though I have arrived so many times before and I have left…
Prince Philip leads European Royals to Cowes for historic fleet review of yachts at Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Family along with seven other European royals is to review over 180 yachts owned by members of the exclusive Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) in Cowes on the 5…
Louis Vuitton returns to the America’s Cup. This is a big deal that really matters, says Matthew Sheahan
While the proclamation of a new event sponsor is very important to those closely involved, it is rarely headline news. But the confirmation this evening that Louis Vuitton is to…
Team Brunel wins a memorable Volvo Ocean Race leg 7. Now the pressure is on
“Last night we saw 24 knots but that was it,” he said. “The rest of the time it was a cruise across the Atlantic in nice flat water. But the…
Perini Navi’s new 60m sloop Perseus^3 boasts the world’s largest single sail
Perseus^3 is the second in Perini Navi’s new 60m series, launched earlier this year and in Palma for her first regatta and she is likely to turn heads, if only…
5 tips: how to trim your headsail for power and pace on the racecourse
The ultimate test of headsail trimming is the white heat of one-design racing and nowhere more so than at the start line. A perfect approach to the line on time…
Should I repaint my boat this summer?
Like putting a reef in the main, the time to repaint your boat is the first time you think about doing it. A topsides repaint can be completed within two…
Discovery 58: a cruising thoroughbred from a thoroughly British yard
This is the British yard’s newest thoroughbred cruiser, a development of the Discovery 57 with a more modern coachroof profile. The Discovery 58 looks every inch as competent a world-girdler…
J Class yacht J9 is ready to build – and may be “the fastest and finest yet”
As the J Class gears up for a showcase regatta that will form part of the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017, the fleet is growing. The J Class J8, from…
Gallery: the rooms, art and antiques of the Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron is one of the most exclusive yacht clubs in the world. Don’t ask to join; you have to be invited. It doesn’t have a clubhouse; it…
What’s the right yacht for an Atlantic crossing? The one you’ve got now
Numerically, the most common yachts for sailing across the Atlantic are ordinary production cruisers with standard kit, usually with upgrades of safety and power generation equipment. The happy truth is…
If you want your family and friends to sail with you, stop ***** shouting!
A few years ago I took part in a memorable regatta among the crew of a yacht whose owner and skipper was an extremely plummy and well-connected member of the…
Memorial unveiled to the crew lost when Sir Edward Heath’s Morning Cloud broke up and sank
A memorial to a yachting tragedy that killed two young men on Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath’s Morning Cloud has been unveiled, 41 years after the accident. The accident, which…
Inside the Royal Yacht Squadron – we get a rare view of this most exclusive club
Flags flutter from the ramparts, race officers look down from the imposing starting platform, and at ten-minute intervals mighty brass cannon fire with such power that spectactors lining the shore…