When the Great Seamanship series was planned back in 2004 it was about giant waves, dismastings, amazing rescues and the like. Research, however, led me into a wonderland of nautical…
Yachting World
From the Yachting World archives: The demise of the mighty 23 Metre racing cutters
With upwind sail areas not much short of 10,000ft2, these mighty 23 Metre gaff-rigged racing cutters were raced hard and fast at regattas around the British Isles and occasionally on…
Vendée Globe 2020 start: Record fleet sets off from Les Sables d’Olonne
After the strangest of departure days, the Vendée Globe fleet set off this afternoon at 1420 local time. To start a round the world race is always an enormous relief,…
2020 Vendée Globe preview: Pip Hare and Paul Larsen’s guide to the fleet
The 2020 Vendée Globe, which sets off on Sunday, November 8, sports one of the most diverse IMOCA fleets the event has ever seen. Over the 33 entries there is…
2020 Vendée Globe: Pip Hare explains how it feels to be on the starting line
The Vendée Globe is the longest continuous racecourse in sport. Like some of the world’s great marathons, it offers something very rare: the opportunity for competitors from a wide range…
Storm sailing in a 16ft open boat: Extract from The Sea Takes No Prisoners
I’m always delighted to find a book about high adventure undertaken with no sponsorship and nothing out of the ordinary in way of funds. The Sea Takes No Prisoners, recently…
Allures 40.9 vs Ovni 400: French aluminium centreboarders go head-to-head
Back in the mid-2000s the niche market for aluminium centreboarders was disrupted by the arrival of a new upstart, Allures Yachting. Until then, the undisputed market leader was French company…
Vendée Globe racer Pip Hare on maintaining your focus on long sea passages
For me, managing a 60ft IMOCA alone demands my full attention so there is little time for distraction. However, even then it can be difficult to maintain really long-term focus.…
Philippe Briand profile: The man whose designs launched more than 12,000 yachts
There have been over 12,000 boats built to Philippe Briand designs in the last four decades in a remarkable career that began with a 25ft wooden boat to the International…
Sailing El Salvador: Captivating landscapes make this a must-see cruising destination
We dropped anchor in the middle of the night and waited until daybreak for our rendezvous. We were at the agreed point to meet our pilot who would safely see…
Learning the ropes: An extract from Shakedown Cruise by Nigel Calder
Nigel Calder’s works on the technicalities of boat systems are accepted worldwide as Bibles, but he doesn’t generally trumpet his vast cruising experience. He is a modest man, so when…
These extreme sailing superyacht concepts prove that the sky’s the limit
For decades the superyacht world has undeniably been dominated by vast, fuel-guzzling motor boats. And, despite the elaborate marketing spiel of their designers and builders, many of them look remarkably…
Vijonara: Inside one of the world’s most successful sailing superyacht designs
Many will look at this yacht and admire its graceful lines, its presence and elegance on the water. Vijonara is the latest proof that Hoek’s Truly Classic range is the…
Lithium boat batteries: Why now is the right time to upgrade your electrics
Larger new cruising yachts, especially those at the quality end of the market, have been routinely fitted with lithium boat batteries for the past few years. Arcona, for instance, says…
Expert sailing tips: How to make emergency offshore repairs to your yacht
Jason Carrington was always in demand in professional offshore racing crews for his repair skills. Keeping the wheels on the wagon for skippers like Lawrie Smith, Neal McDonald and Ellen…
Sailing Cape Horn on Pelagic: An extract from Rounding the Horn by Dallas Murphy
‘Rounding the Horn – Being a story of Williwaws and Windjammers, Drake, Darwin, Murdered Missionaries and Naked Natives – a deck’s eye view of Cape Horn’. So reads the front…
Fountaine Pajot 59 first look: This new cruising cat is a social animal
The Fountaine Pajot 59 integrates many of the new design features of the 2019-launched Elba 45, which boasted a longer, wider hull that nevertheless showed 10% less drag. Chief among…
Sailing from South Africa to Europe: Chris Tibbs’ top tips for a smooth passage
There are a number of advantages to doing this, as well as saving around 3,000 miles of sailing, but the passage from the doldrums is predominantly upwind against the trade…
How to sea trial a boat: Professional boat testers share their top tips
Yacht brokers don’t really sell boats, they sell dreams. To buy any sailing yacht requires a leap of faith: a conviction that the winds will blow in our favour, and…
Outremer 55 first look: Efficient catamaran promises more sailing and less motoring
Plugging the gap between Outremer’s longstanding 5X and 51 models, the Outremer 55 will exhibit the brand’s typical balance of performance and comfort. When the design was unveiled at the…