Croc on a rock at the top
The top of what you may ask? The top of Australia and, for a lot of people, the very tip of Australia is the highlight of the trip. Cape York is not only the name of the peninsula, it is…
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.
Living it up on a small hotel
Small Hotel is a Seaway 25 trailer sailer built in 1978 and designed by the late Doug Peterson. Although the design was originally more racing orientated, we have found her to be a handy small cruising boat. The fractional rig…
Synchronise your cabin and navigation lights
We have all had the experience of walking from bright daylight into a dark room. Initially we cannot see a thing, then slowly the room appears to brighten as our eyes adapt to the reduced light. This happened to me…
Should you flotilla before you fly?
Who amongst us has not dreamt of sailing the Greek Isles? Images immediately spring to mind of one’s self lounging on the deck, looking Photoshop-gorgeous of course, glass of wine in hand, gentle wind blowing through the hair against a…
Tohatsu M2.5A: a little kicker
Released on the Aussie market in 1988 and discontinued in 2006, the M2.5A was a derated version of the M3.5A originally released in 1975. It was a simple direct-drive, two stroke that suited small inflatables and dinghies and racked up…
My Boat: In love with a boat called Barnaby
How do you know when it’s time to upgrade? We struggled with that question ever since we bought our first boat, Serenity. Reece was constantly looking at what boats were for sale, even on the day we got the keys…
Rules of the road … at sea
“What’s that?” “What’s what?” Captain Hunk was in his dolphin pose, sleeping with half his brain. “That,” he said, pointing. “At one o’clock. Four boat lengths away.” Something was floating in Whig Channel. Something pink, about half a metre long….
Fleet gets a break on a no wind day at BVI
30 March, 2019 – Tortola, British Virgin Islands – Racing was canceled at 1000 hours with barely a breath of air to spare on the race course. It was maybe a blessing in disguise following a magical night in the…
Hooligan and Koa capture top TP52 honours in SailFest finale
The inaugural TP52 Gold Cup resumed in earnest on the final day of SailFest Newcastle, with the seven-strong fleet completing four windward-leeward races in challenging offshore conditions. Koa, co-owned by Peter Wrigley and Andy Kearnan, capitalised on its opening day…
Russia to celebrate 200th anniversary discovery of Antarctica by Bellingshausen
MercoPress Russia's tall ships are to undertake a round-the-world trip to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Antarctica's discovery by the Bellingshausen-Lazarev expedition, according to official information from Moscow. In effect, 2020 marks the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica…
Decades-old Garfield phone mystery finally solved
Daily Dot. By David Britton. Since the early 1980s, hundreds, possibly thousands, of bright orange Garfield phones have been washing up on beaches in the Finistère region of France. No one knew for sure from whence the famous cartoon cat came from,…
$500,000 yacht breaks mooring at Warrnambool and drifts on to rocks
A missing $500,000 Warrnambool yacht, which is believed to have broken free from its moorings in rough seas on Monday night, has been located, reports Andrew Thomson in The Standard. Acting Sergeant Lana Roberts said the yacht Patricia Mary disappeared out…
Businesses to clean toxic pollution in Hauraki Gulf ahead of America's Cup
Stuff.co.nz. By Laine Moger. The America's Cup will be defended on Auckland's waters in 2021 but the race is already on to clean up the harbour before that happens. A daily drain of toxins, plastics and sediments is degrading the Hauraki Gulf, a stretch of ocean…
Bigger, better, stronger – the 48th BVI Spring Regatta is back
31 March, 2019 – Tortola, British Virgin Islands – “It was thrilling to see this place buzzing again!” Miles Sutherland-Pilch, General Manager of Nanny Cay Marina enthused after a fantastic week-long fun-filled event that saw more than 800 sailors on…
Exciting Line-up for 48th BVI Spring Regatta
Tortola, British Virgin Islands: International-class sailing in one of the most beautiful places anywhere, together with good fun and camaraderie, draws many happy customers back to the BVI Spring Regatta and Sailing Festival year after year. Racing in the 48th…
Experts support Nicolas Troussel’s Vendee Globe campaign
Greg Evrard (team director, former director of North Sails France), Juan Kouyoumdjian (naval architect) and Michel Desjoyeaux (double champion of the Vendée Globe and building manager) are henceforth supporting the skipper Nicolas Troussel, who will take the helm a brand…
SA sailing event returns to its home on ‘the Pat’
South Australia’s longest-running junior sailing event returns to its roots next weekend when the 52nd Fisher Peterson Tillett Regatta takes place on the Patawalonga Lake on Sunday 7 April. Originating on the lake as an event for juniors in the…
Favourite toppled in TP52 opener at SailFest Newcastle
Anyone who thought the inaugural TP52 Gold Cup would be one-way traffic for Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan didn’t factor in a two-way breeze off the Newcastle NSW coastline today, which handed Sam Hayne’s Celestial and Peter Wrigley’s Koa the major results….
Team Donino leads on Day 1 of Melges 32 World League
Villasimius, Cagliari: The Melges 32 World League 2019 season has officially started today in a sunny Villasimius with two races sailed in light-wind, suited to the talents of team Donino helmed by Luigi Giannattasio. Giannattasio’s crew includes Manuel Weiller, Sebastian…
Boris Herrmann’s sporting and environmental ambitions
In 2020, Boris Herrmann will become the first German to compete in the Vendée Globe, which he is preparing for, feeling full of confidence, while remaining methodical. After earning fifth place in the Route du Rhum, Boris may take the…
Tenth edition of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award
27 March 2019 – The Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image international photo competition is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Proud of its success, the event hopes to set a new participation record and is looking forward to once again discovering the best…
Young and the old: Ten plus teams to compete on 2019 GC32 Racing Tour
With the GC32 flying catamaran racing circuits this year amalgamated on the GC32 Racing Tour, so at least 10 teams, including the GC32 teams from the Extreme Sailing Series, are due to compete on this season’s five event circuit that…
Jimmy Spithill reveals why he changed his mind to sail the next America's Cup
Stuff.co.nz Jimmy Spithill has opened up on his decision to have another crack at the America's Cup, describing the new foiling monohull as “a praying mantis on steroids” that was irresistible. Spithill, the colourful Australian who won the Cup twice…
GPS Rollover – will your boat's positioning system fail?
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has issued a new marine notice. You can also read this marine notice on our website at www.amsa.gov.au/marine-notice-01-2019. Purpose This marine notice advises Global Positioning System (GPS) users of potential issues that may occur with older…
Australian Sailing Team prepares for Palma
Members of the Australian Sailing Team have arrived in the Spanish coastal town of Palma, Mallorca, where they are preparing for the first European Olympic classes event of the season; the 50th Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia in Palma, where they…
International Laser Class Association seeking new builders for Olympic racing dinghy
27 MARCH 2019 – AUSTIN, TEXAS – Managers of the world’s most popular racing sailboat class are seeking new builders to complement their existing network of manufacturers, the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) announced today. The move comes after longtime…
Third annual Scrub Island Invitational enjoys record fleet
27 March, 2019 – Tortola, British Virgin Islands – “Hard to get to, harder to leave, impossible to forget” – a beloved cliché maybe but one that Brits Tony Mack and his wife Sally like to remember when they think…
L30 adopted for World Sailing's Offshore World Championship
World Sailing has announced that the L30, a 30-foot one design keelboat, has been selected as the supplied equipment for World Sailing's Offshore World Championship from 2020. The L30 is a light, modern, one-design boat with racing at its core,…
Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta – impressive fleet announced for Porto Cervo
Porto Cervo, Italy. 26th March 2019. The 12th edition of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda with title sponsor Loro Piana, is scheduled to take place in Porto Cervo from 3 to 8 June…
Celebrations aplenty as records smashed in Round Tortola Race
25 March, 2019 – Tortola, British Virgin Islands – A perfect day for record setting at the BVI Sailing Festival saw Fujin, the Bieker 53 catamaran owned and skippered by Greg Slyngstad, win the Nanny Cay Challenge with the fastest…
DutchSail use crowdfunding to keep America's Cup challenge afloat
Stuff.co.nz The Netherlands has resorted to crowdfunding to keep their America's Cup challenge afloat. Cup rookies DutchSail, one of three late entries, are showing the strain of their game of catchup. They are appealing to individuals and corporates to provide €100…
Fleet-footed roosters to be cock-a-hoop at SailFest Newcastle
The fastest rooster on Newcastle Harbour will be crowned on Saturday March 30 when Port Hunter 16 Foot Skiff Sailing Club holds its legendary Cock-of-the-Harbour as part of the inaugural 2019 SailFest Newcastle Regatta. The race name may furrow a…
Transpac 50 offers new Storm Trysail Club Team Trophy
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Board of the Transpacific Yacht Club, organizers of this year's 2225-mile Transpac 50 race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, has accepted an offer from the Storm Trysail Club to award a new team scoring trophy: the Storm…
New foiler design with 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart in mind
Twelve months work and investment from a highly experienced Australian group has led to the development of a 15.2m fully foiling design intended for the 2019 RSHYR. Performance predictions for the design suggest that, in certain conditions, it is capable…
Fast Facts: What are the Trade Winds?
The Maritime Executive Early commerce to the Americas relied on the trade winds – the prevailing easterly winds that circle the Earth near the equator. Known to sailors around the world, the trade winds and associated ocean currents helped early…
Belinda Stowell re-signs for Perth's Easter Coaching Regatta
Dinghy sailors at this year’s Hillarys Easter Hillarys Coach Regatta will again enjoy the benefits of Olympic level coaching following confirmation that former women’s 470 gold medalist and WA Institute of Sport head sailing coach, Belinda Stowell, has agreed to…
Philosopher casts its spell on Derwent
Another day on the Derwent and another day of wins for Shaun Tiedemann’s Sydney 36cr Philosopher on Saturday as she sailed to an overall victory in the Combined Clubs Inshore Series for 2018-19. Philosopher convincingly won all three Division 1…
Sanremo M32 victory for Williams and GAC Pindar
(Sanremo, 24th March 2019) – Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar team today claimed the M32 European Series warm-up event in Sanremo with a race to spare, at least. The British six time Match Racing World Champion and defending M32…
Report: Rogue waves are getting more extreme
Research led by the University of Southampton suggests that rogue waves are occurring less often, but becoming more extreme. Waves are classed as rogue when they are over twice the height of the average sea state around them. From trough…
Fastest yacht in the Southern Hemisphere to complete in the 2019 Brisbane to Gladstone Race
The 2019 Brisbane to Gladstone Multihull Yacht Race has something the 2019 Sydney to Hobart won’t have – the trimaran Beau Geste. She is a 70 foot (21.2m) trimaran weighing in at nearly 7000Kgs. Karl Kwok bought the MOD70 designed…
