How long would it take you to roll out of bed, dress and get out of the front door if you had to leave home in a hurry at night?…
World Cruising Club hosts weekend seminar for those looking to sail offshore
If you have ever harboured thoughts of taking your boat on a round-the world trip, then a seminar hosted by the World Cruising Club could be just the ticket. The…
Alan Buchanan, naval architect 1922 – 2015
Alan Buchanan, the celebrated naval archictect credited with designing the first glassfibre yacht in Europe, died peacefully in Jersey on Monday 26 January. Having trained as an aircraft engineer, he…
Volvo Ocean Race: Breaking a winning formula? Dongfeng navigator sits out Leg 4
to leave Dongfeng’s star navigator Pascal Bidégorry on the dock will surely raise a few eyebrows.
How to lay up a yacht abroad: cruisers find they can fly home and still save money
A high percentage of cruisers we meet plan to lay up a yacht in a safe place to fly home, often once a year. Since international air travel has never…
Southern Ocean storms are some of the most brutal forces in nature. Here is how sailors try to harness them
Solo sailors call it ‘the South’, as if to emphasise its alien difference. The Southern Ocean is a place most of us have never been to and never wish to…
VIDEO: How the biggest change in the Volvo Ocean Race has happened ashore Matthew Sheahan reports
This time around as crews tie up after finishing a leg they might as well be leaving their 65 footers on Volvo’s park and valet pontoon. As the sailing team…
Win Win: a 108ft carbon superyacht designed as a dual-purpose cruiser-racer
Javier Jaudenes is a name you probably will not have heard of before. But, judging from these explosive pictures of his first superyacht design, Win Win we will be seeing…
Caribbean 600 race to feature up to 60 yachts from brand new carbon racers to two giant schooners
The RORC Caribbean 600 race, which begins on 23 February, will have a fleet of up to 60 yachts from brand new carbon racers to two giant schooners. The fleet…
Paralympic sailing to be dropped for Tokyo 2020 Games
According to IPC President Sir Philip Craven, sailing, ‘did not fulfil the IPC Handbook’s minimum criteria for worldwide reach.” The official Paralympic website (see below) that reported the news said…
The first Gunboat 55 catamaran Rainmaker dismasts and is abandoned in the Atlantic – 5 crewmembers airlifted
Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone broke the story on their Facebook page here, reporting that squalls had been in the 40-knot range for most of the day, but it was when…
Gunboat G4: is this the world’s first flying cruiser? She could do 40 knots on foils
When the Gunboat G4 launches this spring, she will be the most outrageous coastal cruiser-racer ever seen – and certainly the fastest. If you ever needed proof that the America’s…
Cruising in Brittany: its warm weather, golden beaches and handy marinas take some beating
Peter Cumberlidge cruises the coast of north Brittany and investigates a slower pace of life among the many island anchorages
The first time a Chinese team has won a leg of the Volvo but what is the future for this Franco/Chinese team?
What had not been anticipated before the event started back in November was the Franco/Chinese team’s consistently potent performance. Second into Cape Town on the opening leg, second into Abu…
Why the Kiel Canal, shortcut to the Baltic, is a fascinating mini cruise all of its own
The Kiel Canal can be a fascinating voyage in a yacht, as Detlef Jens reports
Fuel cell from Hydromax: a smaller, lighter, cleaner alternative to diesel generators for battery charging
Hydrogen fuel cells offer a mobile, silent form of power that can be useful for recharging batteries in place of generators. But although the technology has been available to yachtsmen…
Two new French plastic rope blocks that may save you weight and money plus reduce friction in deckgear
French sailors have always been the innovative, daring types. They have the heart for adventure and the mental fortitude for prolonged discomfort, which goes some way into explaining their domination…
Yacht refit 2: how a three-month refit of Zest was worth all the effort and expense
Many owners have found yacht refit to be a protracted process and in some cases have missed more than one season of sailing. This seems to be particularly the case…
Volvo Ocean Race: Dongfeng seals the deal for Leg 3 as the rest of the fleet come piling in behind
On the face of it Caudrelier’s Franco/Chinese team had owned the race since they took the lead on the second day out of Abu Dhabi, never dropping off pole position…
Gallery: Stunning superyacht racing pictures from the Millennium Cup 2015, held in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand
The Millennium Cup 2015 regatta was won by the 50m Perini ketch and five-time circumnavigator Silencio. Steinlager 2, previously skippered by Sir Peter Blake and the only yacht to have…