This graceful new Rapide 41 is the first to be built in a new series of performance café-racers drawn by Mark Mills. The in-demand Irish designer was commissioned by a…
Top stories
Great seamanship: The Lugworm Chronicles
For anyone interested in small-boat voyaging – or indeed, any sailor wanting to get seriously close to the sea itself, The Lugworm Chronicles by Ken Duxbury is a ‘must-read’. I,…
Double handed sailing skills: handling symmetric spinnakers
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…
Coolest yachts: Quantum Racing
Terry Hutchinson is tactician for the Quantum Racing TP52 and nominates the team’s Botin-designed USA 52018. “The most recent Quantum Racing and this entire generation of TP52s have been a…
First look: YBreeze 75ft daysailer
YYachts has unveiled a fascinating new 75ft luxury daysailer concept, the YBreeze. It’s founder Michael Schmidt, the veteran racing sailor, industry pioneer and former Hanse Yachts owner, is known for…
What’s the best autopilot kit for a transatlantic?
Few cruising skippers would argue with ocean sailing guru and founder of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) Jimmy Cornell when he says some form of self-steering is ‘essential for…
Extraordinary boats: Infiniti 52 – an incredible story and boat
When it comes to displacement, racing yachts today cover the widest spectrum – from fully flying AC75s to the heavyweight J Class. In between lie light displacement and planing boats,…
5 top tips: How to gybe in strong winds
Gybing any boat in strong wind can be loaded with jeopardy but it’s particularly risky on a powerful boat like a VO70. The boat that was originally constructed for US…
First look: Aeolos P45 – ultrafast carbon cruiser-racer
Following the ultra lightweight Aeolos P30 short-handed offshore race boat that weighs only 1,550kg, this Dubai-based brand led by German engineer and sailor Hans Genthe has developed a 45ft performance…
Second hand boats: Buying a yacht to upgrade
Among brokerage listings it’s rare to see a yacht openly advertised as ‘work needed’. After an initial conversation, the potential buyer can be easily put off by not knowing how…
Rolex Fastnet Race winner declared as Caro takes victory overall
Max Klink’s Botin 52, Caro, has officially been declared the winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2023, with the announcement coming early afternoon on Wednesday 26th July. “This is a…
Great seamanship: The Voyage of the Aegre
Back in July 1973, Nicholas Grainger and his wife, Julie, sailed from north-west Scotland bound for the oceans of the world. Their boat was a 21ft clinker-built traditional Shetland Islander,…
Caro 1st in IRC Zero in Rolex Fastnet Race – can they hold on for the overall win?
Max Klink’s Botin 52, Caro, crossed the Rolex Fastnet Race finish line at 06:25:02 on Tuesday 25th July to earn the class win IRC Zero – while their corrected time…
IMOCAs win race to Cherbourg with Macif first monohull in Rolex Fastnet Race
In the battle of the big boats it was the brand new IMOCA Macif, skippered by Charlie Dalin with Pascal Bidégorry which was first monohull home to take line honours in…
Australia to the Seychelles on a classic Swan
It was time to go. Sailing up the east coast of Australia at the end of a cyclone season can be challenging and dangerous for even the most experienced sailors.…
Line honours and new Rolex Fastnet Race course record for Ultime SVR-Lazartigue
Francois Gabart’s Ultime SVR-Lazartigue has claimed Rolex Fastnet Race line honours and set a new course record of 1d 8h 38m 27s over the 695-mile offshore. With two foiling Ultimes…
Incident-packed first day for Rolex Fastnet Race fleet with rescues, retirements and one yacht sunk
After yesterday’s strong wind start for the Rolex Fastnet Fleet, the number of boats that have retired from racing has continued to multiply. At 0700 this morning over 80 of…
50th Rolex Fastnet Race starts: but early retirements pour in with furious conditions forecast
The 50th Rolex Fastnet Race got underway today, Saturday 22 July, with the largest offshore racing fleet ever setting off from Cowes in rain and 20-25 knot headwinds . With…
‘Gnarly’ but potentially record-breaking forecast for 2023 Rolex Fastnet Race
Strong headwinds are forecast for the start of the 50th Rolex Fastnet Race, which sets off tomorrow from Cowes, Isle of Wight to Cherbourg, France, via the iconic course around…
What does it take to sail two-handed around the world?
Long-distance offshore racing nurtures extraordinary levels of self reliance and mutual support. The inaugural Globe 40 race, an ambitious and testing circumnavigation for double-handed Class 40 teams via the three…