Gybing a symmetric kite double-handed is a tough manoeuvre and there is no question that practice makes perfect. Setting up your boat so things are within reach is essential, as…
Oyster 675 video – footage from our trials aboard Oyster’s brand new first 675
When it comes to series-building large cruising yachts, Oyster Yachts is the undisputed world leader. In the 60ft size range alone it has, over its 40-year heritage, produced a 61,…
Cleaning up the Pacific Garbage Patch: Dutch foundation tests new system off coast of Holland
During the build-up to this summer’s Olympic regatta in Rio, water quality and in particular the fear of debris and pollution affecting racing outcomes and racers’ health, hit the headlines.…
A classic Swan 43 in Scandinavia: Pip Hare discovers a place to keep the world at bay
Five hours out of Kokkola, the Baltic was baring its teeth. It was the middle of the night in the middle of June. The air temperature was below 5°C and…
How do you provision for a crew for three weeks or more at sea?
Food can be almost an obsession on board a yacht at sea. The days revolve around mealtimes as much as watches and are usually the times when everyone wakes up…
Foilers on test as Rolex Middle Sea Race gets underway
The Rolex Middle Sea Race got underway this morning, with 107 yachts setting out from Valetta’s impressive harbour in a light easterly on their first reaching leg towards Capo Passero…
Weather expert Chris Tibbs on how to predict and cope with fog at sea
Radar and AIS help to make navigating in fog safer, but it is still an unnerving experience to sail in visibility of less than 1,000m. Foghorns are hard to pinpoint…
Volvo Ocean Race new crew rule set to force change for women sailors?
Among the raft of changes for the 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race currently being announced, one of the most controversial has been the change to the maximum crew numbers dependent on…
A racer’s life: EF Education in the 1997-98 Whitbread round the world race
It’s hard to believe that almost 20 years have elapsed since the Swedish EF team of two boats took on the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1997-98, writes Tom…
ClubSwan 50 on test: the most extreme production yacht we’ve ever seen
The ClubSwan 50 is quite simply the most extreme-looking production yacht I’ve seen. No computer-enhanced renderings could do justice to seeing this yacht for the first time. She is fantastically…
Wolfhound: marine artist Stephen Dews reveals his brand new schooner
Recognised as one of the world’s leading marine artists, whose subjects range from the Battle of Trafalgar to the modern day J Class and America’s Cup, Steven Dews recently launched…
British sailor David Cowper navigates ‘world’s most difficult sea route’ for first time since discovery in 1822
British sailor and explorer David Cowper has successfully transited one of the most difficult routes of the North West Passage, the Hecla and Fury Straits. On 27 August, accompanied by…
Swan 43: the restoration of 50-year-old Sparkman & Stephens yacht Runn
When a Contessa 32 became a little bit too snug for a holiday with his wife and four children, Charles Hill went in search of a bigger boat for adventurous…
Gallery: Les Voiles de St Tropez 2016 wraps up Mediterranean season in stunning style
It’s hard to be a show-stopper at Les Voiles de St Tropez. The entire regatta seems designed to pit some of the world’s most eye-catching yachts against one another in…
Coastal Chile: uncovering the truth behind a mass whale stranding
The Golfo de Penas is a long way from anywhere. It is one of the major barriers to safe navigation along the already formidable coastline of southern Chile. The Taitao…
Night sailing: top tips and expert advice to see you safely through until dawn
Sailing through the night brings its own rewards: a contemplative stillness, phosphorescent trails through a star-lit sea, the soul-warming sunrises. But it also raises challenges – if you cannot see…
Dee Caffari finds out the hard way why Three Peaks Race is one of the world’s greatest endurance races
We were heading into the shore and just past Bear Grylls’s island, Saint Tudwal’s Island West, when the tacking duel commenced, writes Dee Caffari aboard Team Caffari/Sail 4 Cancer. Each…
Biggest ever ‘Big Class’ schooner gathering at Superyacht Cup in Palma
Seldom has there been a more magnificent sight in sailing than on the opening day of the Superyacht Cup in June. Seven classic and replica schooners gathered for a friendly…
X6 video: daring new semi-custom 65-footer from X-Yachts
The new ‘X’ line fills the gap between X-Yachts’ performance (Xp) and cruising (Xc) range and includes the new X4 (see YW X4 video) as well as this semi-custom X6.…
X-Yachts X4 on test video: a sweet-sailing Danish performance cruiser
When X-Yachts announced the X6 in 2014 (see YW X6 test video), revealing a powerful new raised saloon cruising yacht with aggressive lines, wraparound coachroof windows and a mainsheet arch,…