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…
solo sailing
Alex Thomson backs ‘rookie’ Canada ocean racing campaign
When solo ocean racing skipper Alex Thomson announced that he was stepping aside from competitive sailing after the 2020 Vendée Globe, he didn’t give many clues as to what he…
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…
WATCH: Loic Escoffier rescued after capsizing 70 miles south of Fastnet Rock
Loic Escoffier has been rescued off the coast of Ireland after capsizing in his ORC 50 while racing solo in the Drheam Cup. Loic Escoffier, who is the brother of…
Unfinished business: Sailing back across the Atlantic in a 22ft sloop
This is part two of Max Campbell’s account of sailing solo across the Atlantic – make sure to read part one first… There has not been a time when I…
Life-changing voyage: Sailing solo across the Atlantic in a 22ft sloop
On a cloudy midsummer afternoon, my best friend, Harry Scott, and I waved goodbye to our worried mothers and sailed out of Falmouth’s Carrick Roads – two naïve 20-year-olds, wide-eyed…
Trying to break the 40-day barrier: Thomas Coville and the most radical Ultime yet
This week solo yachtsman Thomas Coville opened the doors to the build of his Sodebo Ultim 3, the newest Ultime trimaran and a conceptually very different design to those seen…
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede wins Golden Globe Race after 211 days at sea
Jean-Luc Van Den Heede today won the Golden Globe Race after an astonishing 211 days and 23 hours at sea, in an incredible demonstration of seamanship. The French skipper sailed across the…
Solo sailor Paul Heiney describes battling gale force winds off the Azores
I was 150 miles south-west of the Azores, heading for home, and it was blowing up rough from ahead. I lit the gas, and thought things through. The kettle was…
Silver Rudder race – the solo challenge for Danish Ironmen
‘If you want to feel real bliss, you have to experience real pain as well,’ so the saying goes. The thought seemed empty and stupid as I tried one more…
10 top tips for shorthanded sailing – from leading British Figaro sailor Alan Roberts
During Cowes Week 2015, I had the chance to sail with rising star Alan Roberts on his 33ft Magma Structures sonspored Beneteau Figaro. Roberts finished 9th in the gruelling Solitaire…
Video: we sail with UK solo sailor Alan Roberts at Cowes Week 2015
During Cowes Week 2015, I had the chance to sail with rising star Alan Roberts on his 33ft Beneteau Figaro Magma Structures. Roberts finished 9th in the Solitaire du Figaro…
Solo sailors such as Alex Thomson embody the motto ‘quitters never win; winners never quit’. They should be our sport’s role models
We know them as shorthanded or single-handed round the world races, the Vendée Globe and the like, but we should really call them single-minded races. An unwavering dedication and almost…
Route du Rhum versus Volvo Ocean Race: the battle for hearts, minds and smartphone viewing
In November two of the greatest ocean races were playing out simultaneously: solo versus crewed. The Route du Rhum versus the closing first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. It…