In a sport in which determination is in decent supply, Paralympic sailor Hannah Stodel stands out. The 30-year-old sailor has spent the last 16 years striving for an Olympic medal…
Yachting World
No dream start for Finn favourite Scott as heavyweight competition begins in Rio
Giles Scott might not be a household name, but it should certainly have featured on the many ‘ones to watch’ lists compiled in advance of this Games. Heading to Rio…
Disaster relief by yacht – how cruisers around the world are doing their bit
Gusting up to 190mph, Cyclone Winston was the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded reaching land in Fiji and the South Pacific Basin. On 20 February 2016 the Category 5 Severe…
Early leaders take control in RS:X classes – but Laser fleets are anyone’s guess on day one of Rio 2016
Guanabara Bay delivered some great sailing conditions to launch the first day of the Olympic Sailing Competition on Monday, 8 August, but the Rio venue was still very, very tricky.…
Who’s who at the Olympics – we look a some of the hopefuls and wildcards in each class
Pollution, Zika epidemic, Brazil’s president impeached, athletes robbed at gunpoint – the preparations for the Olympic Games in Rio have been marred by controversy. Part of the challenge for the…
September Issue
NEWS New route for Volvo Ocean Race promises long Southern Ocean leg Collision at GC32 foiling cat event Match racing victor shares $1m win Peak Performance: The Three Peaks Yacht…
Contest 42CS on test – a good looking cruiser from a family-run Dutch yard
Contest introduced a 42-footer to its range almost 40 years ago and it was considered a relative giant for a production yacht at the time. Today the 42CS is the…
How to follow the Rio 2016 Sailing Olympics
For the 380 sailing athletes competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a medal symbolises more than their skills; it is a reflection of the single-minded, obsessive nature that is required…
Solo sailor dodges hurricanes and ice on a North Atlantic crossing
An eastward crossing of the Atlantic in June or July should be easy for a well-found gaff cutter like Iron Bark. Wind and current are generally fair, gales few and…
Marina di Portisco Privilege Card Holders Scheme proves a great success
Based in the Costa Smeralda, this family friendly and full facility marina has ‘hit a note’ offering a Privilege Points scheme with boat owners who use their services. Marina Manager,…
Rio, a cruiser’s perspective – should you drop everything and sail there?
Scarcely ruffled by a lazy late afternoon breeze, the sea was an oily pink and orange lake. Two miles to the north, an endless chain of tall, strangely curvaceous grey…
Pollution in Rio spoiling the sailing Olympics? Skip Novak says: ‘This is Brazil; just enjoy the carnival’
I know Rio well enough. We stopped there in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1978. That was the year many of the competitors – and the security guards,…
Euphoria 68: a long-legged cruiser built in Turkey
A surefire way to bring our attention to a sizzling new launch is to send us some enticing pictures. This first sailing image of Sirena Marine’s flagship Euphoria 68 reveals…
Citrus Zinger Sport bottle tested
A durable bottle with an integrated straw is a handy thing to have for the car or the boat. Add a juicer to the bottom part and you have the…
Fugoo Tough speaker tested
My first impressions of this waterproof, shockproof speaker were that it’s so bombproof there seemed no obvious means even to power it up. But press and hold a discreet power…
Garmin Virb XE action cam tested
I bought the original GoPro HERO with a waterproof housing, yet never really found it user-friendly. As a comparative HD action cam, however, this Garmin Virb XE is so much…
White Glacier Arctic 25 immersion suit
This immersion suit is a much more serious product than it perhaps looks with me pictured in it. It will keep an occupant alive for up to 25 hours in…
Get out of that – heaving to in strong winds. Advice from Dee Caffari
This image should be entitled ‘Get into That’. Bernard Stamm had 120 miles to go to the finish line – to the north of Great Barrier Island – when he…
Common Cowes Week mistakes – and how to avoid them
Starting at the wrong end of the Squadron line Get it wrong and you will spend all day in last place with no hope of winning. The core issue is…
Atlantic gear survey: long-range communications at sea
Few could honestly claim they are not reliant on the internet today. The advent of stronger and faster 3G and 4G networks and wi-fi boosters have allowed us to maintain…