To win the Volvo Ocean Race you need proven, battle-hardened experience on board. However, the youth-focussed, multinational Turn The Tide On Plastic entry had very different goals. While every sailor…
Finishing a solo circumnavigation: An extract from Solitaire Spirit by Les Powles
If he hadn’t chosen to write a book, Les Powles could well have remained one of the unsung heroes of the ocean, men and women who dare to do in…
Sailing Vancouver Island: Braving bears and bad weather on the inside-out route
At 94 years of age, my father, Donald, still hates sitting in harbour. He lives in La Conner, Washington, on a cliff overlooking the Swinomish Channel, where he can keep…
Grand Soleil 44 Performance: New cruiser-racer to expand Italian yard’s range
With 4,500 yachts built to date, this Italian brand has recently increased capacity to 200 builds a year across its three model ranges. Turnover has also grown sharply, increasing from…
Hi-Line transfers: Pip Hare explains how to prepare for a helicopter evacuation
As a sea survival instructor, I have been evacuated from a liferaft by helicopter and over the course of my sailing career I have helped with several practice Hi-Line transfers. …
Sea Eagle II: The inside story of the world’s largest aluminium sailing yacht
Royal Huisman has an enviable track record of producing superlative sailing superyachts, with hundreds of projects completed to date. Yet the latest vessel to leave the shipyard is extraordinary even…
South Sandwich Islands sailing: Skip Novak on an ambitious scientific mission
The rule of thumb when doing these tricky inflatable beach landings is to hang in above the surf line for a good ten minutes to watch the sets coming through.…
Sailing the Southern Ocean in a 27ft boat: Extract from Captain Bungle’s Odyssey
Captain Bungle’s Odyssey by Paddy Macklin is a great sailing book belied by its humble title. Extraordinarily self-effacing, Paddy makes light of a remarkable circumnavigation executed in truly Corinthian spirit,…
Home schooling at sea: Top tips for tutoring your kids from 6 liveaboard sailors
For many, the opportunity to trade a bricks and mortar school for classes on deck or on the beach is part of the appeal of a cruising lifestyle. Here we…
Lagoon Sixty5: Home comforts abound on this new luxury catamaran
Measuring 20.55m length overall, a generous 10m at the beam and spanning three levels with a huge flybridge, the Lagoon Sixty5 is all about volume and offers up to six…
Special delivery: Sailing Dominican Republic to Florida in a foiling catamaran
It was an experience I’ll never forget: blasting downwind across the Northeast Providence Channel, on a deep water passage from New Providence to Chub Cay. We were sailing inside the…
Elan GT6: Slovenian yard to launch first Porsche-designed sailboat
When Elan passed from state ownership to the private sector in July 2017, the development of new models virtually stopped, aside from the GT5, which launched three years ago. Even…
Champagne Hippy: From sunken wreck to luxury charter yacht in 13 months
Champagne Hippy was never expected to sail again. When the keel ripped off the 82ft Polina Star III in July 2015 it sent shockwaves through the marine industry, and left…
Countdown to adventure: 5 skippers explain how to prepare for bluewater sailing
For most sailors, preparing for an Atlantic or round the world voyage typically takes between a year and three years. According to the surveys we carry out annually with ARC…
OSTAR 2017: David Southwood recounts an exceptionally brutal Atlantic storm
Competitors in the 2017 Original Single-handed Transatlantic Race (OSTAR) experienced the worst conditions since the race was initiated in 1960 in the era of Blondie Hasler and Francis Chichester. This…
Navigation briefing: Mike Broughton explains why you still need radar
In a recent feature in Yachting World, my friend and highly respected yachting journalist Ed Gorman wrote a revealing article about sailing single-handed. There were many good lessons in his…
Solo Pacific sailing: The adventures of Webb Chiles and his Moore 24 Gannet
As soon as I opened the companionway I knew we had up too much sail. Gannet, my ultra-light Moore 24, is a thin and often permeable membrane, but the wind…
5 expert racing tips: How and when to take tactical sailing gambles
Often you don’t actually know if your breakaway move will be a lone bid until later in the race. Libby Greenhalgh recalls her baptism into the Volvo Ocean Race, straight…
Three hulls, one planet: Neel 51 owner explains how he went self-sustainable
Bluewater sailing stories usually start with someone who has been around boats all their life. But not this one. A Swiss man who goes only by the name ‘Wolf’ freely…
Hurricane season: Cruising and mooring options from Maine to Grenada
The hurricane zone extends from Cape Hatteras or the Florida/Georgia border to Grenada, so cruisers who intend to spend the following season in this cruising ground have to make a…