The explosion in multihull and catamaran sales has been well documented, with many yards reporting lead times of two years or longer as build slots sold out as quickly as…
Helen Fretter
Editor
Baptism of fire for The Ocean Race crews as fleet starts from Alicante
The Ocean Race start, the latest iteration of the crewed multi-stage around the world race, set off today from Alicante, Spain. But the 11 crews – five IMOCA teams, six…
Golden Globe skipper Tapio Lehtinen rescued by fellow competitor after 24 hours in liferaft
Golden Globe skipper Tapio Lehtinen has been rescued by fellow solo competitor Kirsten Neuschäfer after Lehtinen’s boat sank and he spent over 24 hours adrift in the southern Indian Ocean. Lehtinen…
“A torrent of flames came out of my cabin” – dramatic mid-ocean rescues in the Route du Rhum
It has been another intense 24 hours in the Route du Rhum 2022, with two dramatic mid-ocean rescues, as well as multiple other abandonments as the 138-boat fleet continues to…
Dismastings, a capsize and damage toll rises in Route du Rhum
The Route du Rhum’s reputation as one of the toughest offshore races in the solo sailing calendar is proving to be true once again. Last night the IMOCA 60s went…
Huge Route du Rhum fleet starts: but Briton Sam Goodchild injured, and 2 IMOCAs crash
With 138 single-handed boats on the line, the 2022 Route du Rhum start was always going to be spectacular. Three days later than originally scheduled, thanks to a severe depression…
UPDATE: Route du Rhum 2022 start postponed. Is this the greatest ever offshore race?
The Route du Rhum 2022 single-handed transatlantic race start has been postponed until Wednesday 9 November. The decision was announced at this morning’s skippers’ weather briefing. While the forecast for…
Route du Rhum skipper: Conrad Colman
Conrad Colman, or the ‘crazy Kiwi’ as he became known, was the first New Zealander to compete in the Vendée Globe in 2016. Colman studied economics in the US, founded…
Route du Rhum skipper: Sam Davies
English-born Samantha Davies has the rare status of being loved by both French and British sailing fans. She is now among the most experienced IMOCA 60 skippers in the fleet,…
Route du Rhum skipper: Kevin Escoffier
Kevin Escoffier is a hugely experienced ocean racer, a Volvo Ocean Race winner and a member of Loick Peyron’s Banque Populaire V crew that smashed the fully crewed round the…
INEOS Britannia reveal new T6 America’s Cup test boat
INEOS Britannia has launched its first America’s Cup test boat. Code-named T6, the test boat is known as an ‘LEQ12’ , a scaled down foiling monohull which may be used…
Mike Birch, 1931-2022
One of offshore racing’s greatest heroes, Canadian Mike Birch, has died at the age of 90. Legendary Canadian skipper Mike Birch won the first edition of the Route du Rhum…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: line honours winners, but half the fleet retires
Patience has been required for competitors on the 118 yachts which set off for this year’s 606-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race, with competitors struggling for double-figure (or indeed single-figure) boat…
Golden Globe Race favourite Damien Guillou faces mid-ocean rudder repairs
French skipper Damien Guillou, one of the pre-race favourites in this year’s solo Golden Globe Race, is facing his second major windvane breakage, which will require significant mid-ocean repairs if he…
Extraordinary boat: S&S 61 Running Tide
There are some yachts which are beautiful, some which are successful, and some which are well loved. It’s a rare boat which combines all three, but Running Tide has always…
Jeremy Rogers, 1937-2022
Jeremy Rogers was an esteemed designer and passionate racing sailor. He founded his eponymous boatyard in Lymington, Hampshire, in the United Kingdom. Rogers was born in September 1937, and as…
Paul Larsen’s record-breaking SailRocket 2 to sail again: 10 years on
Paul Larsen, who has held the outright speed sailing record for 10 years, has dusted off the record-breaking craft SailRocket 2 and plans to sail again out of Weymouth later…
World’s coolest yachts: Cal40
The Cal40 has iconic status in the United States and was a game-changer in the 1960s as a true racer/cruiser. Designed by Bill Lapworth, it has a radical flat-bottomed hull…
World’s coolest yachts: Cherub
The Cherub is a 12ft two-person dinghy with a single trapeze (twin in the UK), designed in 1951. It evolved into an international development class, with a wide range of…
Golden Globe Race starts: 16 sailors prepare for 9 month isolation
Sixteen sailors – 15 men, and one woman – started from Les Sables d’Olonne today, on the 2022 Golden Globe Race, the ‘retro’ non-stop solo circumnavigation that is expected to…