The St. Regis Race Day finale delivered another instalment of the excellent race conditions that the Bay of Palma is famed for, with 10 to 12 knots of wind and…
Yachting World
How to manage your mental health at sea
It’s a common misconception that ‘mental health’ only applies when we are experiencing a condition such as anxiety, depression or addiction. But one of the most important points about mental…
How to choose the right sails for your boat
When asked his advice on how to extract maximum value from your sail budget, Ian Walker first offered a health warning: “You do know that I work for North Sails,…
Round the Island Race 2024: How to prepare for victory
The exact nature of the error that led someone to share the wisdom of the ‘5Ps’ with me has grown hazy with time, but I’ve never forgotten the advice: ‘Proper…
Sailing in Europe: Your guide to 90 days of summer cruising
Whether you need to fit around work, school, or Schengen zone requirements, three months of sailing in Europe can make for a summer to remember. Exploring the many cruising areas…
World’s coolest: IKA Kitefoil
“Watching the gracefulness of kitefoil racing had me mesmerised the first time I saw it,” explains Will Harris. “It is an example of pure efficiency and use of all and…
Two Man Overboard Incidents in cross-Channel races: British sailor dies
Two separate Man Overboard incidents have occurred during different cross-Channel races this weekend, with one fatality confirmed. The first incident took place during the Royal Escape Race, which set off…
Swimming with humpback whales
“Slip into the water, don’t jump. Try not to splash, and follow me,” our guide Torea hurriedly told us as the panga-style boat slowed to a stop, only 100m away…
How to provision a yacht for a long passage
Provisioning a yacht for a long period away from conventional shops, with limited cold store space, dry goods stowage and galley facilities, can be daunting. In a beautifully illustrated new…
How to trim an asymmetric sail in light airs
Francesca Clapcich has enjoyed a hugely diverse and successful racing career. Her years racing the Laser Radial at Olympic level honed her wave-riding skills where sailors steer huge arcs –…
What you need to know to sail across the Pacific
Coffee in hand, I gaze out from our cockpit across the flat lagoon of the palm-fringed coral atoll in Fakarava. We are in the Tuamotus, French Polynesia. Yesterday we swam…
Starlink at sea: all change for cruisers
Starlink, Elon Musk’s low orbit satellite network which delivers low cost high speed internet via a portable dish, has shaken up its offering for cruising sailors and other broadband users…
World’s coolest yachts: The Waszp
“I’d like to be able to say the AC40 [Women’s and Youth America’s Cup foiler] because hopefully – fingers crossed! – I will be in it and it’s definitely the…
Cruising Costa Rica: discovering an unspoilt paradise by boat
The sea curls with distant groundswells as the fragmented skyline of Panama City dips into the horizon. A neat queue of cargo vessels waits at anchor for their turn to…
Adrift in the Pacific: One sailor’s incredible story of survival
Staring down from the cockpit into the cabin of my vintage sloop I tried to imagine watching her fill with water. What would float freely first? How long would it…
How to run a yacht’s watch system
Bouwe Bekking has been around long enough to remember the ‘bad old days’ of non-stop hiking on the rail on a Mumm 36 while competing in the Admiral’s Cup. Life…
Round the World racing to start from Southampton once again
Round the world ocean racing will once again start from Southampton, UK, with the announcement that the Ocean Globe Race (OGR) – the ‘retro’ celebration of the Whitbread Round the World…
World’s coolest yachts: Cookson 50
“I think the Cookson 50 is one of the coolest yachts on earth for several reasons. First, it’s designed by one of the most renowned yacht design firms on earth:…
5 top tips: Conrad Humphreys on how to keep up crew morale
Leading a crew of amateur sailors around the world in an event like the BT Global Challenge, or its modern equivalent, the Clipper Race, can be challenging in the extreme.…
Coolest yachts: MOD 70
“In terms of complexity for speed, there isn’t anything else which has such a good ratio as a MOD 70. We’ve been over 40 knots [boatspeed] on them, and with…