We’re close-hauled in 7-10 knots of true wind, making 6-6.5 knots of boat speed, with the helm beautifully balanced and only a degree or two of weather helm. A gentle…
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Extraordinary boats: Baruna – stunning seven-year restoration
Designed by Olin Stephens in 1938, at 72ft LOA Baruna was at the top of the size limit permitted by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) to race offshore. The…
5 expert tips: How to hold a lane upwind
When you’re competing in a big fleet, it’s not the winning races that marks out the great from the good. It’s the ability to bounce back from bad positions and…
Cure 55 first look: Ultimate performance catamaran?
The Cure 55 extremely lightweight Australian model is intended as the ultimate performance cruising multihull, combining spacious and well appointed accommodation with the ability to cross oceans at speed, even…
Best yacht 2024: European Yacht of the Year winners
In what is dubbed as ‘Yachting’s Oscars’, The European Yacht of the Year 2024 winners were announced this evening, Saturday 20 January 2024. The awards this year comprise winners of…
Sun Fast 30OD review: breaking the mould
The best racing I’ve ever done, whether inshore or offshore, has been in one-design fleets. However, in the offshore realm it’s been two decades since the last successful one-design class…
Ever dreamed of setting off on a solo sailing voyage?
I awoke to the violent motion that comes with an angry squall in the night. Jumping out of my passage berth I rushed into the darkness and pulled on my…
First look: Grand Soleil 65LC
Welcome to another smoking hot new launch from Grand Soleil, the Grand Soleil 65LC. This Matteo Polli design follows in the footsteps of the 2022-launched GS72, for which it is…
1,200 miles by jury rig in the Roaring Forties
Finnish solo sailor Ari Känsäkoski has safely reached Durban, South Africa, 25 days after dismasting in the remote Indian Ocean and sailing 1,200 miles under jury rig. Känsäkoski, who is…
Some of the world’s biggest, coolest catamarans go racing
The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, its marble atrium and exclusive pool deck usually welcoming owners and crews of superyachts,…
World’s coolest yachts: Rambler 88
Rambler 88 was designed as a giant slayer. After the loss of his Rambler 100, owner George David asked designer Juan Kouyoumdjian to create a boat that was capable of…
North Atlantic in six days solo: Arkea Ultim Challenge leaders cross the Equator
Less than a week after setting out from the start in Brest, the leading Ultim trimarans in the Arkea Ultim Challenge have crossed the Equator. First to enter the Southern…
First look: CNB 78 – stunning bluewater cruiser
As Nicolas Claris’ photos show, CNB has produced a sympathetic replacement to the popular 76 to mark its first yacht since its change of ownership from Groupe Beneteau to Solaris.…
Sailing the northwest passage in a traditional cutter
Integrity set sail from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, on 1 June bound for Alaska via Greenland and Arctic Canada. It was a Thursday. With naval superstitions rife among the crew and…
Great Seamanship: Heavy Weather Sailing
Back in 1986, Martin Thomas and Alan Taylor entered the Transatlantic Two-Star Race in the Sadler 32 Jenny Wren. To say they didn’t have an easy trip would be a…
How to prepare for an Atlantic crossing with the ARC
Every autumn the pontoons of Las Palmas are a hive of activity, as hundreds of yachts prepare for an Atlantic crossing with the ARC and ARC+ rallies. Over its 38-year…
First look: Swan 51 – redeveloping a classic
The Swan 51 of 1981 broke new ground as it was the first German Frers design for Swan, the spark for an incredible relationship now in its fourth decade. Nautor…
World’s coolest yachts: RC44
“For sure one of the coolest yachts is none other than the RC44 class created by Russell Coutts,” nominates Cameron Appleton. A strict one-design, the RC44 was co-designed by five-time…
Ben Ainslie to step down as SailGP team skipper
Sir Ben Ainslie has announced he is stepping down as Driver of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. Ainslie will continue his role as CEO of Emirates GBR but will…
Six solo skippers ready to race 100ft foiling multihulls around the world
There are very few ‘firsts’ left in the world of sailing, but one such remaining barrier could be smashed when the Arkea Ultim Challenge Brest sets off from north-west France…