Varta High Optics 3C Flashlight – 9/10 Used: every night of the race for sail trim, sail changes, rig checks and problem solving. This handheld torch allowed me to pick…
Yachting World
Eight Cube, or the Flying Frog, this eccentric new Mini Transat boat has foils
French yacht designer and Mini sailor David Raison has a lot to answer for. His 21ft Magnum scow, designed to the Mini class rule, was one of the most significant…
The J Class yacht Endeavour is for sale – a rare chance to buy one of the most iconic yachts ever built
Arguably there couldn’t be at a better time to buy one of the most prestigious yachts ever. In recent years the J Class has enjoyed a complete resurgence (see our…
Dismasting, sinking, damage – ARC 2015, an event-filled rally
On the third night of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC 2015) a small Italian yacht in the racing division, with five Italian sailors on board, broached in a gust.…
Walk the course with Mike Broughton- navigator onboard the brand new Baltic 115 Nikata
Start date: Monday 22nd February 2016 Course: Approx. 600nm non-stop around 11 Caribbean Islands Organised by: The Royal Ocean Racing Club in association with Antigua Yacht Club Mike Broughton is…
How to prepare a yacht for sale
Useful tips for a quicker sale at the right price, from the UK’s leading experts
Did you know?
...that as well as being a first-rate marina with superb facilities, the distinctive blue sheds of Berthon allow them to provide additional services that will make your sailing life pleasurably…
5 tips: pre-season troubleshooting – key problems with deck gear the experts see regularly
You may have stepped off the boat at the end of the autumn series with a mental list of items that needed attending to over the winter, but how many…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 3: Gybing
The first time I gybed single-handed it was on a 40-footer with a symmetrical spinnaker. The task seemed insurmountable and I struggled to see how any person could do this…
Video: what is it like to sail a Swan superyacht? Onboard footage from the Swan 115
The Swan 115 is very much a Swan of today, a prepreg carbon fibre performance machine that offers supreme comfort and quality, built by the most famous production yard in…
Skip Novak: where have all the America’s Cup tycoons gone? We miss them
I recently became aware of the new rules in the America’s Cup whereby the challengers are subject to fines if they publicly criticise the Cup organisation. It is US$25,000 for…
Hands-on advice for cruising in ice – expedition to Greenland
“Turn left after the berg with the Marge Simpson hair-do and continue past the one that looks like the Sydney Opera House,” Susie, the first mate, called from the top…
Best 5 new yachts named winners of the European Yacht of the Year 2015/2016
Now in its 12th year, the European Yacht of the Year is judged by journalists from 11 different magazines from 11 different European nations. Each jury member tested every yacht from…
5 tips: how to survive a squall when racing
Things get complicated when dark clouds build to windward and the horizon looks more like night than day. There’s breeze under squall clouds, but could it herald a major change…
High adventure in Iceland on board an expedition yacht
Cold. We came to Iceland expecting it and the passage to Grimsey Island didn’t disappoint. For eight hours Hummingbird beat into a bitter northerly beneath a sky like a dishrag.…
Video: Hanse 315 – we test Hanse’s new baby and find it packs serious punch
The Hanse 315 is an example of a large firm concentrating the best of its products into a more compact, feature-rich yet user-friendly version. We found in our test –…
America’s Cup: uncovering secrets at the Land Rover BAR mission control
Deep in the carbon hollows of the internal structure of Land Rover BAR’s new boat banks of red, yellow and green LEDs wink away like a spaceship on standby. Underneath…
HH Catamarans – a new range of performance cruisers from China
HH Catamarans is a name you may not have heard of (yet), but behind this new brand is one of the largest-scale investments and boldest thinking in some years. The…
Is Colombia the new must-visit destination for cruisers? We report from Santa Marta
As the first boats arrived in Santa Marta Colombia completing the first leg of this year’s World ARC, government officials have been working hard to promote this ancient city as…
Skip Novak: remembering the capsize of the maxi Drum – will they ever complete the Fastnet?
Thirty years ago last August the maxi Drum capsized in the Fastnet Race with 24 crew aboard. The keel had fallen off near Dodman Point in Cornwall, which was dramatic…