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,…
How to execute the perfect spinnaker drop when sailing short-handed
Dropping the kite double-handed may seem a daunting challenge, but provided you take adequate steps to ensure the spinnaker is deflated, a drop can be successfully achieved by any size…
Azuree 41 on test: a polished performer from Sirena Marine of Turkey
What is a gem but a stone yet to be polished? When Sirena Marine produced its first Azuree yacht it was somewhat rough – the potential was there to see,…
Volvo Ocean Race announces return to epic Southern Ocean route
The Volvo Ocean Race today announced the route for the next edition in 2017 and with that a return to the emphasis on long Southern Ocean legs. The route will…
‘Force Unlucky’ mid-Atlantic: surviving a truly ferocious winter gale
Today’s sailing world is well stocked with sponsored heroes, performing remarkable feats in the cause of being fastest on some great endeavour, writes Tom Cunliffe. John Kretschmer is a different…
Off-piste sailing: serene rock-hopping footage from Kragero, Norway
Close encounters of the rocky kind are normally the stuff of sailors’ nightmares, but the unique glacial grooves cut into the coast of Norway have left something of a playground…
Get out of that! What to do when your spinnaker snags a racing mark
It looks a rather pleasant day on the Solent with 15 knots and sun, and crews are enjoying what they probably believe is a decent race. However, as can be…