There are few things quite so humiliating as being stopped dead in the water, moments away from causing thousands of pounds worth of damage as your competitors glide gracefully past.…
Yachting World
5 tips: How to create a winning atmosphere with a new crew
According to Nikki Henderson, good leadership is not about barking orders, it’s about fostering an atmosphere of shared responsibility and finding out what really motivates the individuals on your team.…
Cruising around Newfoundland: An unspoiled wilderness full of surprises
Two beluga whales flanked Frances B, our Mason 44, as we threaded out of Ingonish, on northern Cape Breton Island. Belugas don’t live in this area so this unexpected show…
Forward-facing sonar: Everything you need to know
Yachting is usually pretty fast to embrace useful new technology, particularly if it helps win a race or if it helps with safety. Just look at how rapidly AIS (Automatic…
SailGP F50: On board the sailing equivalent of a Formula 1 racecar
“I think 99% of people believe that we received these boats from Bermuda, repainted them and sent them on their way again. I don’t think we’re ever going to be…
From lifeboat crew to the Round-the-Island race – why ‘helping people stay and feel alive’ is the motto of Helly Hansen [sponsored post]
Over 1,200 yachts crewed by world-class sailors, families and first-time racers, battled it out on the water in last month’s Round-the-Island race. While the largest monohull, Jethou took the line…
Can augmented reality really give us a vision of the future of sailing?
Google’s mission statement is ‘to organise the world’s information.’ This almost impossibly ambitious declaration of intent underpins the technology giant’s ventures into everything up to and including Space. The message…
Steinlager 2: On board Sir Peter Blake’s refitted Whitbread champion
In 22 May 1990, Steinlager 2 – skippered by Peter Blake and crewed by 14 fellow New Zealanders – crossed the finish line off Southampton to win the fifth Whitbread…
September 2019
In the September issue of Yachting World, we share the best advice for your first Atlantic crossing from some ocean cruising veterans, plus Toby Hodges tests the Grand Soleil 48P
Running aground: Lessons learned from a nightmare scenario
We hit the sandspit at something over five knots and went hard aground. A moment before, the bottom had risen suddenly from 10ft to now visible sand in the wave…
Sailing around Cape Horn on the world’s largest ketch Aquijo
When asked to help guide the 86m/282ft ketch Aquijo for a cruise in Tierra del Fuego and a Cape Horn rounding I was very sceptical. Accustomed to sheltering in small…
Fastnet record falls to Maxi Edmond de Rothschild as Ultimes finish 1 minute apart
Before the start of this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race it was far from clear that the race record for the 603-mile bluewater classic would be in any danger, with predominantly…
5 tips: How to prepare your boat for offshore racing
Every serious offshore sailor has more than one story to tell about when it all went spectacularly wrong. Sam Goodchild has experienced multiple breakages in the past year, firstly with…
How to run the bow offshore – 5 tips from a pro sailor
British-Aussie pro sailor Jack Bouttell believes that success in his job as bowman comes down to preparation more than anything else. This applies especially to inshore bowmen about to go…
Fastnet Race 2019: Bumper IMOCA 60 fleet set to assemble in Cowes
One of the largest – and most intriguing – fleets of IMOCA 60s ever gathered is due to set off from Cowes for this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race (August 3).…
Fastnet 2019: The pro navigator’s guide to preparing for the race
The interesting thing about the Rolex Fastnet Race is that for an offshore race there are a lot of inshore tactics to consider. Coupled with the start of the race…
How to fly a drone like a pro and land it safely back onboard your yacht
With the advent of small, affordable and user-friendly drones, many cruising sailors have adopted them as a way of achieving really impressive and professional-looking photographs and video. I speak from…
Fastnet Race 1979: Why was the storm so devastating?
There was nothing in the forecast at the start of the 1979 Fastnet Race to indicate a storm, but a storm came with devastating effect. How and why did it…
Fastnet 2019: The entries that prove this is more than just a yacht race
Among the 300-plus boats in next month’s record-sized Rolex Fastnet Race fleet, many of the 3,000 crew members are competing to fulfil a personal challenge or to tick the world’s…
How to win at double-handed racing – 5 top tips from a Fastnet champion
The popularity of double-handed sailing is on the rise. The Rolex Fastnet Race is the perfect case in point – this year there are due to be 63 doublehanded entries,…