“Breeze coming in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…full hike, press her down guys!” As we threw ourselves against the padded lower guard wire, arms outstretched to windward as if reaching…
Matthew Sheahan
Voiles de Saint Barths – the model for a perfect regatta? Matthew Sheahan thinks so
When saxophonist Jim Rolland, aka ‘Jimmy Sax’, climbed onto the table and belted out his live solo to Mark Ronson’s ‘Uptown Funk’ the party kicked off. Fuelled by a plentiful…
Why now is the right time for America’s Cup change
Debate and disagreement go hand in hand with the oldest trophy in international sport, often because a wealthy individual is considered to be trying to outspend the competition. But rarely…
Take a tour of Ben Ainslie Racing’s new base as it nears completion
If you are in any doubt as to how serious the latest British assault on the America’s Cup is, there is one simple way of appreciating the effort and commitment…
Video: The FarEast 28R pocket rocket on test. A 28ft sports boat for under £35,000?
Just over a year ago a little known Chinese yard, the Shanghai Fareast Boats Co. Ltd. made a big impression at the Dusseldorf boat show with a rocket red, all…
VOR: Will Brazil be the end of Dongfeng Racing’s VOR campaign?
The rest of the fleet may be in, but Charles Caudrelier’s Volvo team is still racing, racing to get to Itajai, Brazil to step a new mast and get back…
Abu Dhabi wins Leg 5 of Volvo Ocean Race. Skipper Ian Walker reveals some interesting reasons why
“I am absolutely stoked,” said Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker shortly after taking the trophy for the leg win from Auckland to Itajai, Brazil. “That leg was absolutely epic, absolutely…
Luna Rossa pulls out of America’s Cup after dispute over the new class
Patrizio Bertelli’s Italian America’s Cup team Luna Rossa has withdrawn from the 35th America’s Cup. The team had raised concerns over the proposal of a new class of boat and threatened to withdraw…
New America’s Cup class revealed. Think 46 knots in 16 knots of wind and that’s just the start
In contrast to the usual razzamatazz of a busy press conference hosted in the next Cup location (I wish), the announcement of the new class for the next America’s Cup…
Another race against time as Dongfeng Race Team battle to make the deadline in Itajai and stay in the race
As the rush to rebuild Team Vestas continues following their grounding in the Indian Ocean, the dismasting of Charles Caudrelier’s Donfeng Racing Team in the Southern Ocean last Monday, marks…
Italians and Kiwis back in discussions, America’s Cup teams vote for the new boat but what are the choices?
After the surprise news last week that two of the biggest teams in the Cup were considering turning their backs on the event if plans for a smaller boat went…
Still fancy a ride in the Southern Ocean? Watch this video and you might think again!
Ian Walker and his crew provide first hand accounts of what it’s like here and now in the most remote part of this race, deep in the Southern Ocean. Great…
Why reducing costs is a risk to the next America’s Cup
First came the news that the Cup organisers were to change the boat that the next America’s Cup would be contested in from a 62ft foiling cat to something around…
Big change for America’s Cup as event switches to even smaller boats
The 35th America’s Cup will be contested in smaller boats than the AC62s that had been previously planned for according to a release from the America’s Cup organisers. The surprise…
VOR: Dongfeng Race Team’s Southern Ocean wipe out
As the fleet gets stuck into the Southern Ocean and conditions start to ramp up, Dongfeng Race Team is the first to report a wipe out to leeward, a Chinese…
Karver KJH Handle tested
Who’s it for? Any sailor who wants added purchase when hand-pulling a rope of 8mm or less. Tested by Matthew Sheahan
Ben Ainslie Racing: Bermuda race course reconnaissance
Ben Ainslie Racing is the first Cup team to start active training on the water in Bermuda. On the face of it there is nothing surprising about starting a Cup…
Video: How do you repair a Volvo 65 with no side or back end?
Recovering a wrecked Volvo 65 from a remote reef in the Indian Ocean and shipping her over 5,000 miles to a yard tucked up against the foothills of the Italian…
Vestas grounding report – More than just an expensive and embarrassing mistake
Once on the reef there was no way off. Miraculously no one was hurt. Running into a reef that is marked on both paper and electronic charts and for which…
Volvo Ocean Race: Team Vestas Wind grounding report published
Commissioned by the race organisers the investigation was conducted by Rear Admiral (Rtd) Chris Oxenbould (chair), Stan Honey and Chuck Hawley. The report sets out the background to the incident…