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.
A young Kiwi team led by 17-year-old Matt Kelly enjoyed a dominant first day’s inshore competition at the China Cup International Regatta. The Youth Training Programme team, sent to Shenzhen by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, notched up two…
The twelve-strong Clipper Round the World Yacht Race fleet has begun the third leg of its 14-race global series in an energetic start from Cape Town in the 4845 nautical mile Southern Ocean crossing to Western Australia, named by host…
The Mini Transat Îles de Guadeloupe competitors set off to conquer the Atlantic with a sustained northeasterly wind and rough seas. Most of the skippers have preferred to play it safe, given the weather conditions (wind of 25 knots on…
Champion SB20 sports boat sailor Nick Rogers survived a blood-letting crack on the head from his boat’s boom to go on to win that race but also lead the class after today’s day one of the Audi Showdown regatta on…
Alex Thomson and Guillermo Altadill, skippers of yacht HUGO BOSS in the Transat Jacques Vabre set off their emergency beacon this …afternoon at 13.25UT. The Spanish Coastguard was informed and sent a rescue helicopter to their location 82 nautical miles…
The economic impact of the America’s Cup could be bigger than originally forecast, according to Minister of Economic Development Dr. Grant Gibbons. The impact assessment by the Bermuda America’s Cup Bid Committee, released in October 2014, projected an economic impact of $242M for the…
A few hours before the start of the second leg, the pressure is mounting on the pontoons of Lanzarote. Each in their own way, the sailors are looking to dispel the inevitable stress that arises when it comes to crossing…
Newport, Rhode Island, will once again host the North American stopover for the 13th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race in 2017-18 following the success of the sailing-mad coastal town’s hosting of the world’s leading offshore event in May. “We’re…
Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) confirmed its status as one of the favourites for victory at the 9th edition of the China Cup International Regatta after winning the opening day of this four-day event, the 30-mile Hong Kong to Shenzhen…
Following a successful conclusion to the Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour at Marseille One Design last month, the circuit’s organisers have been looking ahead to 2016. They can now confirm that a minimum of six teams will be participating, with more…
Suncream and shades are obligatory for the Ultimes as they shave the coast of Morocco, passing the renowned kite surfing spot of Dakhla today. For the Class 40s and the following IMOCA 60s it is still hard hats and protective…
Just two months into its 11 month global endurance sail challenge the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race has announced it has already raised £100,000 (>AU$216, 000) for its official race charity Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation. Clipper…
The 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final produced a fascinating opening day in Abu Dhabi with business as usual for several of the defending champions setting out again on a gold medal course. Australian Tom Burton is one who clearly…
Katie Spithill has led her Team Leagues Racing to six straight victories in the round-robin of the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race. After two days of racing the Australian is now the only undefeated skipper in the regatta: “it…
The Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race kicked off Wednesday with tricky winds and some current on the waters just off of Haeundae Beach. The American WIM Series leaders of Epic Racing mastered the delicate conditions well, posting four wins…
The leading pair of Ultime multihulls, opening the 5400 miles Transat Jacques Vabre course from Le Havre to Itajaí, are fighting through light winds just a few miles off the West African coast between Western Sahara and Mauritania while the…
With nine gold medals at stake over four days of racing, the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final gets under way in Abu Dhabi tomorrow with some of the sport's most accomplished elite athletes facing a stern examination. Not even…
The STS Leeuwin II is offering an exclusive opportunity to join an historical voyage along the Western Australian coastline to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the first Dutch contact with WA made by Dutch sailor and explorer Dirk Hartog. On…
Yahoo news are reporting a sailor was lost earlier this week as part of the crew of Ark323 bound for Australia to be the first Chinese entry in the Sydney to Hobart. “Sai Jun, 23, was lost at sea late…
Once again the Busan Cup Women’s International Match Race marks the conclusion of a thrilling WIM Series season. A dozen of the world’s leading women match racing sailors have come to Korea, but only a quartet can still win the…
After a good start to the Transat Jacques Vabre, Morgan Lagravière and Nicolas Lunven were forced to turn back home last night. The cause was a crack in the hull at the starboard foil that generated a leak. It is…
After 3,400 nautical miles and 15 days racing across the South Atlantic Ocean, Qingdao and LMAX Exchange arrived in Cape Town within hours of each other on Monday 26 October. The pair departed Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday 11…
The third and final day of the Etchells Asia Pacific Championships got off to an early start, with the first warning signal sounding at 1000hrs. With 15 to 17kts of consistent north easterly breeze and a 1 to 2m swell,…
Following the damage that happened at around 2300hrs yesterday evening to a mainstay attachment, which holds the mast up from the front, Jérémie Beyou and Philippe Legros, who were in 4th place, were forced to make their way to Roscoff,…
After having lived together in the Paul Vatine harbour in Le Havre for 10 days, the IMOCA 60s have already broken up. Faced with a very active Atlantic depression, the fleet has been split into two groups. The monohull Safran…
Having posted a superb start to the race and whilst leading the westerly group at the last ranking, Sébastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier have just announced their retirement. It’s a terribly tough decision for the two competitors but one dictated…
After collaboration with Yachting Australia, Cruising Helmsman is pleased to announce the implementation of an award for Australian cruiser of the year, to be included in the annual Yachting Australia Awards. Now it is up to you to start nominating….
The owner’s blurb for his Festival of Sail’s sports boat division entry simply states: “Thompson 8. Great fun. Fast boat”. A handful of words that sums up Julian Newton’s trailerable sports boat Game On, the first entry for the division…
As you will know from our previous reports, in July 2015, 52 Cruising boats of all shapes and sizes, from all over the world, came together for the start of the 2015 Multihull Solutions 2015 Sail 2 Indonesia Rally run by…
In what looks like an industry first, Digital Yacht have taken to the crowd funding platform, Kickstarter, to introduce a new interfacing technology for the marine electronics market. NMEA iconnectivity has been with us for the past 30 odd years…
Sydney’s first-ever Couta Week ended on Sunday and though the lightweight wolves in sheep’s clothing from Victoria set the pace in the gusty sea breeze, it was the local fleet that dominated the 5th annual Wattle Cup on handicap. Pittwater…
Abu Dhabi sets the stage for the conclusion of the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup this week, with racing starting on Thursday, 29 October on the waters around the UAE capital’s Lulu Island. More than 150 competitors from 39 countries…
It is not everyone’s dream to sail an open boat down the Hawkesbury River in mid-winter but it was Rosco’s. Ross Pollard is a sailor, a carpenter and a lover of wooden boats. After reading Captain Cook’s journals he liked…
Those of you who attended Cruising Helmsman’s Captain’s Deck in Manly (Qld) last November, will have already been introduced to the Boomerang. Two people from that event were even lucky enough to become owners of the device. For those that…
Two days out from Middle Island on our sailing around Australia adventures aboard Easy Tiger, we started sailing into choppy seas. The swell coming behind us from the southwest was about three metres high and there was a wind-wave or…
Our dreams recently enticed us to begin exploring the Solitary Islands. Named by Captain Cook from HM Bark Endeavour in May 1770, the Solitary Islands include five major islands and a scattering of smaller islands/reefs off the NSW coast between…
I had the good fortune to encounter a charming couple doing a circumnavigation in a rather large cat some weeks ago. Their boat is massive, an opulently appointed floating apartment that had me justifiably jealous. We got to talking about…
Never heard of it? I am not surprised, I just made it up. I use the term to explain my urge to explore and discover, like Columbus on his first voyage, rather than go somewhere I have been before, like…
Australian Sailing Squad’s Joanna Sterling (QLD) has qualified Australia a spot in the women’s RS:X Windsurfer class for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the RS:X World Windsurfing Championships in Al Mussanah, Oman (17-24 October 2015). The RS:X World Windsurfing…
When Adrienne Cahalan’s Whitbread 60 Elle Racing pumped out its water ballast and flew from Fremantle to Geraldton in a howling tailwind in 1996, she carved out the 220 nautical miles in a staggering 17 hours and 18 minutes. Garth…
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