The dangers of long term cruising
What are needs? Food, shelter, air and fresh water. That is all very well until your husband wants both of you to live on a yacht for many a long year. Who wants long years unless they are enjoyable? In…
All News
The latest news from the world of yachting and sailing including yacht & dinghy reviews, cruising and destination information plus the latest boating gear as well as inshore and offshore racing updates and regatta schedules. All things Sailing, Sail Racing, Sailboats and more.
Sea going clockwork: a fascinating history through time
It is almost a generation since 1994, when GPS finally relegated celestial navigation to being just an intermittent, time consuming and relatively inaccurate backup method of position fixing. It is true GPS was preceded by the Transit satellite system from…
Airlie Beach Race Week: Conditions take their toll
Overcast yes, but conditions looked more manageable than yesterday, with winds in the 16-20 knot range at the 27th Airlie Beach Race Week today, but low and behold, not everyone got off scot-free. In the Whitsunday Sailing Club hosted event,…
Airlie Beach Race Week: Mister Magoo strengthens Nationals lead
Jason Ruckert has steered his Thompson 7, Mister Magoo into an almost unassailable lead in the Trailer Boat Nationals at the 27th Airlie Beach Race Week, with one day of racing remaining. After sailing three windward/leeward races on Pioneer Bay,…
Windcraft introduces new Hanse 588
German yacht builders, the Hanse Group have released the first model in their new 8 series – the Hanse 588. This 17 metre (58 foot) model is an innovation in yacht building and design. It offers all the space and…
Airlie Beach Race Week: Blowing dogs off chains
The weather gods turned their wrath on competitors at Airlie Beach Race Week today, the normally ‘Tropical Festival of Sails’ was not living up to that moniker, instead winds gusting 35 plus hit the Whitsundays. Race Director for the Whitsunday…
Burling and Tuke take Gold in 49er at Rio before the medal race is sailed
At London 2012, legendary New Zealand media man and “the voice of sailing” Peter Montgomery was standing next to me at the 49er medal ceremony. Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen had won the Gold before the medal race was…
Silver for Waterhouse and Darmanin in Nacra 17 – by a single point
The Australian cousins Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin were in fourth place going into the Nacra medal race at Rio 2016. They were nine points out of Gold but only four behind Silver. However their medal chances weren't helped at…
Giles Scott wins Finn at Rio 2016 by massive 32 points
Giles Scott missed the British nomination for the Finn at his home Olympics because of the greatest Olympic sailor of all time, Ben Ainslie. Scott was arguably the better Finn sailor at the time but understandably the British selectors gave…
Giles Scott cements the Finn medal but Jake Lilley falls from grace
Australian Jake Lilley said yesterday, when he held third position in the Finn fleet, that he wasn't thinking about medals with two qualifiers to race. Unfortunately, in the shifty conditions today he was always in the wrong place and finished…
Croatia makes title defence harder for Belcher and Ryan
Croatia has never won an Olympic medal in sailing, but they look certain to break their duck in the mens' 470 where they are making life difficult for defending champion Mat Belcher and his crew Will Ryan. Leading after the…
A few millimetres make New Zealand's 470 defense all but impossible
Defencing champions Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie of New Zealand are ruing being a few millimetres over the line in the first race of the womens' 470 at the Rio Olympics today. The UFD they scored, to go with a…
Final qualifying race cruels Australia's Nacra hopes
It was a grim day for Australia in the waters off Marina Da Gloria in Rio de Janeiro today as one after another of yesterday's heroes fell by the wayside. Instead of looking good chances for medals in five of…
Charline Picon wins womens RS:X while van Rijsselberge celebrates
Pierre Le Coq (FRA) has won the bronze medal for France after a fierce battle in the Medal Race for the Men's Windsurfer (RS:X). Racing in 10-knot winds, the fleet of 10 windsurfers blasted up the race track in front…
Coopers’ winter win with new SB20 in Derwent Winter Series
SB20 one-design sportsboat enthusiasts Brett and Jacinta Cooper yesterday sailed their brand new boat, Aeolus, to a win on its first day of racing in the Derwent Sailing Squadron/Cascade Winter Series on the River Derwent. The Coopers, pioneers of the…
Tom Burton wins Gold in the Rio Laser after a superb pre-start escape
Tonci Stipanovic of Croatia and Tom Burton of Australia went into the Laser medal race at Rio 2016 knowing they were going to win a medal. The only question was what colour that medal would be. Stipanovic had a handy…
Belcher and Ryan face uphill battle to defend Gold in 470 at Rio 2016
Unless a miracle happens during the 470 medal race tomorrow, Australia has failed to defend the Olympic titles they won at Beijing and London. Croatians Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic have been the best crew in the class at these…
Burling and Tuke increase their lead in the Rio 49er
Despite the very light conditions inshore that caused the postponement of the Laser final, there was just enough breeze out in the Atlantic Ocean to sail three races in the 49er and 49erFX. For Kiwi superstars Peter Burling and Blair…
London 2012 and sailors save Australia's Olympic bacon
The London 2012 Olympics started badly for Australia when the swimming team, usually the source of so many medals, failed to fire. With just a single win in the women's 4 x 100m relay, the first week passed without an…
Another perfect day of racing expected at Airlie Beach Race Week
Another superb day of sailing weather at 2016 Airlie Beach Race Week yesterday and more on the way, according to the local forecast and competitors are asking, “How much longer can this fabulous racing weather last?” Warm, sunny and lovely…
Anna Östling wins Lysekil Women’s Match
After five years of Danish triumph in Lysekil Women’s Match, local hope Anna Östling finally sailed to a very longed-for success. With the smallest of margins she pushed herself past Stephanie Roble, USA, right before finishing the very last finale…
Airlie Beach Race Week: Cruising used to be for gentlemen
The best day yet at Whitsunday Sailing Club’s signature event, Airlie Beach Race Week, as trade winds strengthened to north of 18 knots, allowing yachties to enjoy a day of pressured up but pleasant conditions. While the sports boats…
Quarters decided in Lysekil Women’s Match
The Swedish west coast offered a fresh breeze and heavy rain as the quarterfinals of Lysekil Women’s Match, the 2nd event on the 2016 WIM Series, were decided Friday. All quarters finished 3 – 0, but the winners agreed that it…
Airlie Beach Race Week: Another perfect day of racing
The weather could not have been better for yesterday’s opening day of Whitsunday Sailing Club’s 2016 Airlie Beach Race Week – or so we thought – but today‘s trade winds were enjoyed by the record 131 entries sailing across 10…
Burling and Tuke stay on top of 49er in Rio, while Outteridge and Jensen rue lost chances
Kiwi favourites Peter Burling and Blair Tuke remain on top of the 49er table after six races of the 12 race qualifying series but are coming under pressure from the German crew of Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel. The Germans…
Denmark leads 49erFX but Kiwis and Brazilians are pressing in second place
The inaugural 49erFX class is set for a classic regatta as positions remain close after half the qualifying series has been raced. With just 12 points from six races after discarding a UFD from the first race, the Danish crew…
Waterhouse and Darmanin stay on top of the Nacra fleet at the Rio Olympics despite high scores
How often can you score 15,11,11 in one day and still hold the lead in your class? That was the question Australians Jason Waterrhouse and Lisa Darmanin were asking themselves after a crazy day on the Rio course that saw…
Tom Burton guaranteed a Laser medal at Rio 2016 – but which colour?
Australian Laser sailor Tom Burton goes into Monday's medal race guaranteed a place on the podium. He finished the qualifying series 10 points behind Croatian Tonci Stipanovic and 10 points ahead of third-placed Sam Meech of New Zealand. It has…
Bouwmeester in the box seat for Gold in the Laser Radial but all medals up for grabs
With the qualifing series completed and only the double-points medal race to sail, London Silver medalist Marit Bouwmeester (NED) holds an eight point lead over Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) with Annalise Murphy (IRE) a further two points behind. Bouwmeester said she…
Stop the chill, get some Gill from BoatCrewGear.com
Sailing may well be an all year round activity in Australia, but it still gets cold at this time of the year. To counter the chilly months Gill Australia has brought in the new Thermoskin Skiff Suit and Thermoskin Top….
Natural order restored as Camilla comes back
In excellent sailing conditions with bright sunshine and perfect winds, Thursday’s racing offered an exciting conclusion to the round-robin of the second round of Women's International Match racing. Not until the very last match of the day, Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby…
Humour – a non-sailor tries to make sense of Olympic sailing
We all know our sport is confusing to those less fortunate than ourselves who have never been sailing. And most of us bemoan the fact that it never gets any TV coverage. Well, perhaps the answer lies in this very…
Ideal conditions open Airlie Beach Race Week
The Whitsunday Sailing Club’s 2016 Airlie Beach Race Week opened with a bang, as the record 131 boats hit the water in ideal conditions averaging 15 knots in the Whitsundays today, putting a smile on all competitors’ faces. Back at…
Jake Lilley up to third in the Finn at Rio Olympics
Jake Liley (AUS) had an awful start to the Rio 2016 regatta with a 16th and a UFD which became his discard. But since then he has put together a great scorecard of 8,6,6,3,3 before another excellent day today whe…
Belcher and Ryan move a point closer to the Rio 470 lead
Only one race was possible in the 470 mens competition today and Australians Mat Belcher and Will Ryan worked their way back from a poor position early in the race to finish second. Their major rivals, Sime Fantela and Igor…
British women take advantage of shifty conditions in Rio 470 competition
While all around them were losing their heads, London 2012 Silver medalists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark kept theirs. With unpredictable winds appearing and disappearing around the course, they put themselves in the right place at the right time and…
Insane but a bit of fun – Nacra 17 class thrills fans at Rio 2016
ISAF (as it was called then) made a massive blunder when they dropped the Tornado multihull from the Olympic sailing schedule after Beijing 2008. But admitting their mistake, they chose the Nacra 17 for these Rio Games and the decision…
Rookie beats world #1 at WIM second round match race
Wednesday at lunchtime the racing at Lysekil Women’s Match, the 2nd event on the 2016 WIM Series, finally got going on the Swedish west coast. Halfway into the round-robin, local hope Anna Östling is the undefeated leader. But her fellow…
Amazing photographs of Big Wednesday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Wednesday August 10, 2016, delivered some of the most extreme conditions ever experienced in Olympic sailing. Even the big boys in the Finn came in shaking their heads. Above you will see a selection of images by Jesus Renedo and…
Defending champion grabs the lead in RS:X at Rio 2016
It was a tough day for the windsurfers in Rio today, with conditions ranging from strong and gusty winds to low-pressure pumping on the inshore course. In the men's division, defending champion Dorian van Rijsselberghe (NED) snatched back the lead…
