CLUB SAILOR
CLUB SAILOR After a succession of cruising boats, David McLean's latest boat, a nimble X-37, has given him the chance to mix it up with the club racer fraternity. For almost 30 years, I have continued a wondrous voyage of…
Racing
The best yacht, keelboat & dinghy racing news, race results and personal insights, with racing series and regatta reports and lots of beautiful high resolution sailing photographs. Including daily news coverage from major races and circuits Olympic Sailing, America’s Cup, Sydney Hobart, SailGP, 44Cup, The Ocean Race and more.
I feel the need, the need for speed
Sailmaker, Ian Short, shares sail trim and rig adjustment tips that will help you sail faster under a range of conditions. It’s a fallacy that only racers need to sail quickly. If you’ve ever been caught out in a gale…
Repelling The Enemy
Hull Maintenance Special How to select and use the best anti-fouling paint system for your boat, by Bob Ross. ANTI-FOULING a boat is expensive. It's hard and dirty if you do it yourself with the labour of heavy-duty wet- sanding…
Finding the finish line
NAVIGATION for HOBART Hobart-winning navigator and world-record-breaking sailor Adrienne Cahalan reports on what it takes to win the blue-water classic. The great race south is on again and it is time to either dust off the race files that were…
Ocean racing: Family set for Osaka
Ocean racing Family set for Osaka A father and son building duo from Yamba on the NSW north coast are set to contest their first major ocean race together, reports Di Pearson, when the 2007 Melbourne Osaka double-handed yacht race…
A parting of the ways
OFFSHORE BY DAVID SALTER Our sport of ocean racing may be coming to the crossroads. The potential for a serious parting of the ways is both real and imminent. Competing forces are now so firmly counterpoised that a schism seems…
Sydney-Hobart musings
OFFSHORE by DAVID SALTER One of the handiest things about the sport of offshore racing is that almost any judgement you may wish to make about it can be true. Or false. Each contest has so many inter-dependant variables ‘…
Latest in lights
PRACTICALITIES BY ANDREW BRAY Navigation lamps Boat lighting is moving beyond the purely functional, with lifestyle convenience and pleasurable aesthetics becoming an achievable consideration on boats that are by no means in the superyacht class. You only have to scan…
Fit for Sailing: Time out
Rest periods are an important element of competitive sailors' yearly training plans, by Andrew Verdon. Taking time off is crucial. You should not train all year round as if you were still racing. This includes both on and off the…
Winning isn't everything, but it's a good start
If you’re tired of finishing back in the placings, then one place you might look to gain some ground is at the start. In this article, Ralph Skelton, looks at strategies and tactics many of the pros use to win…
‘The bad one’ – Reflections on the ‘98 Hobart
Traumatic events can leave physical, mental and emotional scars, as does the very fact that you survived, when others did not. In this article, Ed Psaltis, overall winner of the ’98 Hobart, reflects on the race, on surviving, on winning…
Heavy Air Racing
It is fascinating to watch a fleet of yachts sailing upwind in a heavy wind; so much can be learned from observing the different styles and techniques from a bird's eye perspective. It is amazing how much variation there is…
Catching the 'magic carpet'
DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SOFTWARE TOOLS TO HELP OFFSHORE RACERS FIND THE MOST FAVOURABLE OCEAN CURRENTS, BY PENNY HAIRE. ANY COMPETITOR in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart race will be aware of the East Australian Current. It is the largest ocean…
Put A Tick On Your Tacking
Reducing lost time through tacks can shave minutes from your time around the race track – By Tony Bull. We all know that the boat that sails fastest around the race course is invariably the first boat home, but let's…
Speed & Smarts: Gaining ground to leeward
Tactics for protecting your lead and clear air on the run, by David Dellenbaugh. One thing I hate on a reach or run is when the boat behind me sails higher than I want to sail. This forces me to…
Taking On Tactics
Life is never dull in the challenging role of tactician, reports Tony Bull. THE ROLE of tactician is arguably one of the most critical on the boat. As the name implies, he or she is responsible for positioning the boat…
Crossing the great divide
Small boat and big boat sailors can learn so much from each others' worlds, by Tony Bull. One of the new buzzwords we hear floating about these days is cross-training. In order to get fully fit it is not enough…
