Entries for the Royal Yacht Squadron’s Solent summer celebration of 200 years, the RYS International Bicentenary Regatta, have reached sixty and still counting, as entries continue to arrive by the…
5 tips: how to avoid a crash gybe from a world champion TP52 sailor
The wind is rising steadily and what has been an exhilarating sail on a perfect day for racing has turned into a battle for survival. As you are braced in…
Antigua Sailing Week 2015 gets off to a blistering start with a new record, and more could fall
As Antigua Sailing Week 2015 gets ready to start this weekend, the 45th edition of the regatta, a record has already been broken by Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD70, Phaedo3. The big…
Get expert offshore cruising advice at World Cruising’s Bluewater Open Weekend
A free open boat weekend for bluewater sailors is being run by ARC rally organisers World Cruising Club at Berthon Boatyard in Lymington on the weekend of 16 and 17…
Wild Oats XI – how mods can keep a nine-year-old racer up to speed
Two themes recurred consistently in interviews with the skippers of the five super-maxis that raced the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart: good management and the right people. In both regards the…
Golden Globe 2018 Race round the world is set to recreate a ‘totally retro’ era of epic adventure
In the 47 years since the first non-stop round the world race, the Golden Globe, races circling the globe have become so numerous the venture seems almost commonplace. So today’s…
Astra Esa smartwatch, a wrist-mounted watch/smartphone/display for those on the move
This is the first smartwatch I have seen that is designed for sailing – and it’s as neat to use as it looks, fusing the sailor’s thirst for gadgetry with…
VX One: could this be a modern keelboat class to match the popularity of Flying 15?
I’ll come straight out with it: there are some boats that hit the spot from the outset and for me the VX One is on that list. In fact, I’ll…
Video: See how the new Gunboat G4 foiling ‘cruiser’ capsized at the Voiles de Saint Barths regatta
Having been talk of the town in Saint Barths for her foiling antics at the beginning of the week, Eduardo Perez’s foiling Gunboat G4, ‘Timbalero III’ became the hot topic…
Here’s why the Voiles de Saint Barths is one for your bucket list
“Breeze coming in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…full hike, press her down guys!” As we threw ourselves against the padded lower guard wire, arms outstretched to windward as if reaching…
Z is for the Victory class, named after Nelson’s flagship and a stalwart at Cowes Week
One of the most prolific designers of the first third of the 20th Century was Isle of Wight-based Alfred Westmacott, whose portfolio included such popular classics as the Solent Sunbeam…
Voiles de Saint Barths – the model for a perfect regatta? Matthew Sheahan thinks so
When saxophonist Jim Rolland, aka ‘Jimmy Sax’, climbed onto the table and belted out his live solo to Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ the party kicked off. Fuelled by a plentiful…
If I had a hammer . . . a winter voyage to South Georgia by Skip Novak
No matter how well you think you have prepared for a voyage, there are always things that slip through the net. Usually they are minor items that didn’t make the…
Why now is the right time for America’s Cup change
Debate and disagreement go hand in hand with the oldest trophy in international sport, often because a wealthy individual is considered to be trying to outspend the competition. But rarely…
A multihull for the French classic the Tour Voile? Meet the Diam 24, a VPLP-designed 24ft trimaran
If the change from monohulls to foiling cats was dramatic in the America’s Cup, an equally profound transformation is to take place next year in one of France’s leading events,…
Take a tour of Ben Ainslie Racing’s new base as it nears completion
If you are in any doubt as to how serious the latest British assault on the America’s Cup is, there is one simple way of appreciating the effort and commitment…
5 tips: when, why and how to take a penalty in a yacht race – advice from top match racer Ian Williams
“It’s close, but we are easily clearing them,” is the call from the tactician as you beat to windward on port tack. But the breeze is veering and the other…
Watch the world’s first foiling cruiser take flight at 30 knots: first video of Gunboat’s G4
Hats off to Gunboat. The company that put the cool into cruising cats has done it again by producing the world’s first foiling ‘cruising’ yacht. And it seems the G4…
Video: The FarEast 28R pocket rocket on test. A 28ft sports boat for under £35,000?
Just over a year ago a little known Chinese yard, the Shanghai Fareast Boats Co. Ltd. made a big impression at the Dusseldorf boat show with a rocket red, all…