Last year’s Rolex Fastnet Race got off to a dramatic start, with over 30 knots of wind blasting through the fleet of 330 yachts lined up on the Solent. Not…
monohull
Solaris 40 review: appealing mix of style and performance
Helming your own yacht – or watching friends and family do so – ought to be one of the biggest pleasures of owning a boat. Along with promoting a clean,…
Beneteau First 27 review: sportsboat given the Beneteau treatment
The original version of the Sam Manuard-designed Seascape 27 (now branded as the Beneteau First 27 SE) has long been one of my favourite small yachts. In 2014 I sailed…
Vendée Arctique: whole fleet forced to stop, will not restart
The second edition of the Vendée Arctique has been brought to a stop by race organisers halfway through the course as a dangerous low pressure system has been deemed too…
Superyacht Cup Palma: stunning fleet assemble
While it may have been a slightly subdued 25th anniversary last year for the Superyacht Cup Palma, held during socially distanced times, organisers are confident the Mediterranean’s longest running superyacht…
Newport Bermuda Race 2022: Everything you need to know
Tomorrow, Friday 17th June 2022 will see the start of the 52nd Newport Bermuda Race. The biennial race will, this year, see over 190 yachts competing in the race which…
Everything you need to know about the Vendée Arctique
The Vendée Arctique-Les Sables d’Olonne race is set to begin this weekend, Sunday 12 June 2022 and will see 25 solo skippers competing on their IMOCA 60s. The race may…
Alinghi Red Bull Racing names America’s Cup sailing team
America’s Cup team Alinghi Red Bull Racing has named the key members of their sailing team as the Swiss-flagged squad prepares their challenge for the 37th America’s Cup, which will…
First look: Grand Soleil 40 Performance
In recent years there’s been a dearth of new performance cruisers of this size, so this Grand Soleil 40 Performance is a welcome addition to the market. It’s intended to…
Coolest yachts: Comanche
I was so fortunate to be working with an owner in Jim Clark who had a vision of all speed/no compromise. He was dared by a couple of Australian 100-footer…
First look: Grand Soleil 72 LC
Another model to launch from the Italian yard this year, the Grand Soleil 72 LC (LC standing for Long Cruise) is a new variant of the already launched Grand Soleil…
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…
Jeanneau Yachts 60 review: different yachts in one
It’s not long since 60ft yachts were the preserve of custom or semi-custom yards that could go to great lengths to provide a small number of discerning clients with the…
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…
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,…
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…