There is nothing so cool as classic beauty. “Alejandra is my choice of a very cool yacht,” says designer Malcolm Mckeon. “I remember when this yacht was launched as she…
Exploring Guyana’s mighty Essequibo River by boat
You don’t see Guyana as you approach it from the ocean, its low-lying coastline perfectly camouflaged against the hazy tropical horizon as the sun rises. And yet you sense it…
Has the reduced Shipping Forecast changed anyone’s routine?
News that there would be a reduced Shipping Forecast from BBC radio in spring 2024 led to mutterings of discontent among some devotees of this great British institution. But has…
How sailors plan sleep routines at sea: An expert guide
Dee Caffari knows the importance of sleep to any offshore sailor, whether you’re racing solo, double-handed or fully-crewed. “Most sailors don’t understand how the lack of sleep can affect your…
X-Yachts XR first look: An AI approach to racing yacht design
This model is intended as a serious return to X-Yachts’ racing DNA, following an unprecedented hiatus since the launch of the yard’s last pure race boat, the X-41, back in…
Sailing to North Cape, the northernmost tip of mainland Europe
We’re not ones to wish a passage away, but we cannot wait to get into Haugesund. After a rough three day crossing of the North Sea in a stiff north-westerly…
Cole Brauer: ‘I had a choice between going to medical school or working at a yacht club…’
The first Saturday in November was laundry day for Cole Brauer. One week into her single-handed around the world race, the Global Solo Challenge, the 29-year-old washed her smalls in…
How to race across the Channel: An expert guide
The UK has many active offshore racing fleets, spanning from the west coast of Scotland on the Clyde to Essex and Kent in the North Sea, but the largest and…
Olympic Sailing explained: What you need to know to follow the racing
Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the first Olympiad in 1896 and has changed significantly over the years since. But whilst the sport of sailing at the Olympic Games…
Best sailing sunglasses: 8 practical options for eye protection on the water
Those of us who go afloat expose ourselves to a lot of ultraviolet (UV) radiation – even on cloudy days in northern Europe. We all know that too much UV…
Best EPIRB: 5 emergency beacons for leisure sailors
Do you regularly cruise or race out of sight of land? If the answer is yes, one of the best Epirb is an absolutely essential bit of kit to have…
The best downwind sails: Options explained by over 200 experienced sailors
Downwind sailing is any cruising sailor’s dream. The thought of days, or even weeks, of reliable following tradewind pushing you across an ocean with just a warm apparent breeze over…
Great Seamanship: Sailing across Europe in a 10ft dinghy
When the Great Seamanship column put out to sea 20 years ago, the extracts were drawn from classic sailing literature, much of it written before World War II. As years…
54-knot winds severely deplete 2024 Round the Island Race fleet
Competitors in today’s 2024 Round the Island Race, an annual 50-mile circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight, faced one of the most severe conditions in years with gusts of over…
Alinghi Red Bull Racing suffer catastrophic mast failure
America’s Cup team, Alinghi Red Bull Racing, suffered a catastrophic failure of their mast on Thursday 13 June 2024 while training on their AC75 in in Barcelona, all crew are…
Watch: Emirates Team New Zealand’s America’s Cup boat innovations
The 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona this autumn is getting ever closer, something marked by all teams launching the boat upon which they will compete for the ultimate trophy in…
What to look for in the best handheld VHF marine radio
Your burning questions answered about Handheld VHF marine radios Unless you eat sleep and breath all things marine communications and safety like I do, then you might be correct in…
‘Should we identify more with our youthful selves to drive motivation?’ – Nikki Henderson
As a team that is much younger than the rest of the competition, what superpower does that give you? That’s the question I asked of a group of teenagers this…
Hutting 46 first look: stands out from the crowd
This long distance aluminium cruising yacht is intended to stand out from the crowd. This Dutch yard, founded in 1975 by Tjerk Hutting, has a strong reputation for its 40-50ft…
The switch to electric will reduce emissions, but what will we do with all the old batteries?
Rushing to wean ourselves off fossil fuels it seems we’re building another problem for the future. What do we do with the new batteries we’re now installing once they’ve reached…