Grand Soleil’s latest launch, the Grand Soleil 40, is something of a rarity in today’s market – a cruiser-racer with a comfortable three-cabin interior, yet the ability to excel on…
Rupert Holmes
Best sailing gloves: 10 top pairs to protect your hands and keep them warm
For much of the year thermal insulation is an important attribute for the best sailing gloves, and is especially true for those on faster boats such as RIBs, where windchill…
Gill OS1 Ocean Jacket review
I’ve been using Gill’s previous OS1 kit for several years, covering tens of thousands of miles with it, so was naturally curious when a new Gill OS1 Ocean Jacket was…
The future of chartplotters
Multifunction displays for navigation, instrument data, radar, AIS, and even watching Netflix, continue to evolve, especially at the high end of the market. While early units were hampered by a…
Excess 14 review: competitively priced performance catamaran
We’re sailing the Excess 14 upwind in 12-14 knots of true wind, with boat speed hovering between 7.4 and 8.0 knots. The helm feels positive and responsive, the boat tacks…
Extraordinary boats: Flo – Florence Arthaud’s iconic 60ft trimaran
There are many iconic raceboats, but few capture the feeling of an era as much as the 60ft trimaran in which Florence Arthaud won the 1990 Route du Rhum. She…
Solaris 50 review: fast, fun cruising
The drive to include all the features we now expect of new yachts, such as easy handling, big cockpits for al fresco dining and huge accommodation volumes, all too often…
Beneteau First 44 review
There’s a glassy calm, without a ripple on the water, yet we’re slipping along on the new Beneteau First 44 under Code 0 at four knots of boat speed. Of…
Extraordinary boats: Scow-bowed Ace 30
Scow bow designs are still very rare in the UK and mostly elsewhere in northern Europe. The exception is France, especially on the Atlantic coast, where their distinctive spatula-shaped forward…
Offshore sailing clothes review
After winning the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race aboard JPK 1010 Jangada Rupert Homes provides this full offshore sailing clothes review. Rupert Holmes has some 85,000 miles of offshore…
Beneteau Oceanis Yacht 60 review
A measure of how much yacht design has moved on over the past few years is that Beneteau’s replacement for the successful Oceanis Yacht 62 (2016), the new Beneteau Oceanis…
First look: TEMO 1000 electric outboard
Electric propulsion has allowed innovative companies – usually small start ups – to experiment with novel form factors, many of which have clear advantages over that of a conventional internal…
Extraordinary boats: 5.5 Metre Jean Genie
Cowes-based businessman Peter Morton, widely known as Morty, is a serial winner who’s enjoyed a long career on the podium at everything from the Admiral’s Cup and Half Ton Cup,…
Tested: SailProof android tablet
I’ve long thought that ruggedised Android tablets represent a threat to traditional marine MFD and instrument displays. They can be used very flexibly, either running a wide variety of apps,…
Second hand boats: How to buy an IRC winner
If you want to participate in racing in the UK and much of the rest of the big sailing nations, you really need to look to IRC unless you are…
First look: X-Yachts X49E – Danish yard’s first electric yacht
X-Yachts has launched its first yacht with electric propulsion, a 49-footer for long distance cruising, the X49E. The Danish yard worked closely with the owner, who wants to use his…
First look: Zen50 – innovative wingsail rig
How far is it possible to push the concept of this kind of yacht? Maltese firm Zero Emission Nautic has gone further than most with its Zen50, thanks to the…
Aceleron Essential: recyclable lithium batteries you can repair
We are increasingly turning to lithium-ion phosphate batteries to power our boats’ systems. Yet despite their many advantages they can also be associated with a number of potential problems that…
First look: Arsouin 40 hybrid
The Arsouin 40 hybrid is a lifting keel monohull, which is the first in a range of yachts that has also been conceived from the outset for electric propulsion. A…
First look: Seaquest 46SQ
Light displacement greatly reduces the amount of power needed to drive a vessel – an important factor in an electric yacht. This is one of the reasons Mike Eaton, who…