Nobody could ever accuse my wife Sophie and me of taking the easy route in life. For one of our first proper ‘dates’ we cycled from Land’s End to John…
First Look: Arcona 50 – a different philosophy
This Swedish yard’s new flagship, the Arcona 50, represents more than just a step up in size – it’s also the outcome of a different philosophy. This is especially apparent…
New Zealand aims for windpowered land speed record
Not content with being one of the most successful teams in the history of the America’s Cup – and current holders of the Cup – Emirates Team New Zealand is…
Extraordinary boats: Cape 31
Thirty-foot keelboats come and go all the time. Most arrive with a short-lived fanfare, only to fade gradually out of sight and memory. Not so the Cape 31, which looks…
How to: navigating in tide
Wherever we have current (tidal or other) this will always influence the sailing wind and the boat’s course over the ground. At anchor we can accurately measure the wind speed…
Second-hand boats: Buying a shorthanded racing yacht
The rapidly growing double-handed and shorthanded racing scene has attracted a flurry of recently launched models specifically optimised for this type of competition. But a cost-effective way of competing can…
How the TP52 fleet uses America’s Cup tech
As the TP52 fleet sweeps around the bottom mark off Palma, eyes turn to the sky. This isn’t a predictable day’s racing in Mallorca. The 2021 Rolex TP52 World Championships…
Pretty Tough: the Contessa 32 at 50
Alan Ker on the Contessa 32 “We were prepared for a very rough night but we didn’t have any inkling how rough it was going to be. As we passed…
An Arctic adventure: ice-bound in Spitsbergen
Andrzej Jankowski, better known as Captain Andy, is a one-off. I met him in Warsaw when I was launching a book of my own, translated into Polish. His book’s title,…
Sail GP runs out of boats: Outteridge grounded for start of season 3
In a bizarre symptom of the rapid growth of the SailGP circuit, one of the event’s top teams – Team Japan, skippered by Nathan Outteridge – is stuck ashore as…
FlyingNikka 60ft custom foiler takes flight on first sail
FlyingNikka, a custom-designed 60ft racing yacht designed to be the first fully foiling Mini Maxi, took flight during her first day of test sails off the coast of Valencia, Spain.…
Turbo multihulls: a new generation of performance cruiser
“People sail for fun, and no one has yet convinced me that it’s more fun to go slow than it is to go fast,” said visionary multihull designer Dick Newick…
World’s coolest yachts: Volvo 70 Puma
“I stepped on board Volvo 70 Puma for the first time in Southampton to start trials for Team SCA for the Volvo Ocean Race. I’d just come from the Olympics…
Superyacht Cup Palma: Fleet of Js set to race
Superyacht Cup Palma 2022 is set to get underway in Mallorca’s capital from June 29 to July 2 with an ever expanding entry list and an impressive four J-Class yachts…
First look: Mylius M 72 – latest Carkeek stunner
Shaun Carkeek’s recent raceboats – including Niklas Zennström’s Fast 40 Ran, Richard Matthews’ CF520 Oystercatcher XXXV and the fully foiling Carkeek Persico F70 – are some of the stand-out designs…
Tested: 4 of the best inflatable tenders
Tenders are so much more than taxis. They can add freedom, sport and exploration to any stopover or anchorage, particularly if your yacht is large enough to carry a rigid…
What to wear paddle boarding in any weather
What to wear paddle boarding? It might sound like a silly question – but the answer isn’t necessarily as straightforward as you might expect. From those with no watersports experience,…
First look: HH88 – largest carbon cruising cat
Described by HH as the largest all-carbon cruising catamaran ever built, the first hull of the HH88 has just emerged from the painting booth in a high-gloss crimson. Destined for…
Tom Slingsby signs up with American Magic for AC37
Australian sailor Tom Slingsby has signed with the American Magic team for the 37th America’s Cup. Slingsby, who has won Olympic Gold in the Laser class, the 2013 America’s Cup…
Skiing Arctic ice by yacht
A single walrus raised its frosted head, eyeing Firebird as we dropped anchor at Tynarebukta on the Isfjorden. Rugged mountains were enveloped by a glacier that spilled out onto the…