I awoke to the violent motion that comes with an angry squall in the night. Jumping out of my passage berth I rushed into the darkness and pulled on my…
shorthanded sailing
‘Boat breaking’ depression disrupts Transat Jacques Vabre start
Yesterday’s scheduled start for the Transat Jacques Vabre – the double-handed race across the Atlantic from Le Havre to Martinique – partially got away on Sunday 29 October, but the…
Double handed sailing skills: Upwind trim and reefing
Double handed sailing skills are increasingly important to master as the recent boom in double handed racing, both inshore and offshore, continues and boats designed for couples to cruise two-up…
Simon Curwen first finisher in Golden Globe Race (but can’t win overall)
British solo sailor Simon Curwen has crossed the finish line of the Golden Globe Race, the single-handed around the world ‘retro’ event, after 234 days and 22 hours of racing.…
Jessica Watson: the true story of True Spirit star’s voyage
In the late Noughties and early 2010s, sailing garnered astonishing levels of attention due to a series of teenagers bidding to become the youngest sailor to sail around the world.…
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…
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…
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…
Epic Round Britain and Ireland Race decided by minutes
A flurry of competitors in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race crossed the finish line in Cowes today after an intense race which saw many boats take a full…
Kevin Escoffier: Tough guy of the sea
We all know how French solo skippers get so darn good. They move from youth sailing to Mini Transat and Figaro classes, where they drill for years. Then the lucky…
What you need to know to head out to sea alone
Solo sailing may seem daunting at first, but if you regularly sail with a novice crew, you’re probably already going through the motions of a solo sailor without even knowing…
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…
Masterclass: Pip Hare on tuning an autopilot
The latest generation of autopilots require less manual input to perform well but, besides selecting the correct mode (read Pip Hare‘s piece on how to make the most of your…
Homeward Bound: across the Pacific
The tireless whirring of my coffee machine brought me back to my senses as I stood, lost in thought, in the cockpit of Mirniy Okean, my 40ft Boden South Sea…
The rise and rise of double-handed racing
If ever the stars aligned to see a sport’s popularity grow exponentially, they did so for the recent story of double-handed racing offshore. Societal changes, a brief hint of a…
Jean Le Cam: Vendée Globe legend they call ‘The King’
He’s the solo skipper who might remind you of Keith Richards. A rugged, hawkish face topped off with an unruly mop of black curly hair, Jean Le Cam was the…
South Atlantic ocean: A crossing in mid-winter on Pelagic Australis
There was a crunching sound underfoot as we loaded Pelagic Australis with provisions for the South Atlantic Ocean crossing ahead. Snow flurries had covered the deck with a layer of…
Facnor FD190 flat deck furler
Although not a new product, this webbing line furler is rarely seen outside of French performance cruising yachts, writes Rupert Holmes. It’s a great option for anyone who wants to maximise…
Expert tips on getting your cockpit set up perfectly for short-handed sailing
The simple things we take for granted when sailing with crew can become a nightmare double-handed. Dropping the main on a blustery night with one of you stuck behind the…
How to reef short-handed and how to know when the time is right to reduce sail
The decision to reef is as much about boat handling as it is about wind strength. So try to take a holistic view of how the whole boat feels and…