I’ve learned to pinch myself regularly when I’m talking to Gitana 18 skipper Charles Caudrelier, especially when we’re discussing the Ultim trimaran. Without the occasional jolt to the senses it’s…
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‘The El Niño phase typically lasts nine to 18 months’ – How it affects sailors
In June, scientists at the UK Met Office announced that the world had officially entered an ‘El Niño’ – a naturally occurring phenomenon that brings warmer global temperatures, shifting wind…
Stem 50 review: Top-quality adventure yacht
More and more sailors are not just dreaming about but actually planning extended cruises to far-away places. While the majority may take any GRP boat across the Atlantic or into…
Jimmy Cornell, the ARC mastermind on routing: ‘Sailing your own boat is still the most rewarding way to explore our planet’
When I started planning my first voyage in the early 1970s there was only one book dealing specifically with ocean routing: the British Admiralty Ocean Passages for the World, first…
What causes tropical revolving storms and how to avoid them
Tropical revolving storms (TRS) are called different things depending on where you are in the world: hurricanes in the North Atlantic and East Pacific, cyclones in the East Pacific and…
World’s coolest boats: The Finn dinghy
“The Finn is the boat that taught me the most,” says Musto. After sailing the Cadet, Musto moved into the Finn dinghy in the early 1960s. “Initially, I was 10½…
How offshore racers are shaping this next generation of fast yachts
The influence of modern offshore racing on cruising design has never been clearer. Today’s short-handed ocean racers (such as Class 40s and IMOCAs) have proven that powerful hull forms, wide…
Q Class: All the soul of a J Class, without the super-sized crew
Glance down past the gunwales while sailing at full pace, and there’s that distinct, mesmerising vacuum left by the midbow wake, as if the very sea below is being sucked…
Offshore sailing routines: How emotional intelligence keeps your crew safe
Most sailing manuals focus on the practical: diagrams for how to rig a storm jib, troubleshooting guides for a temperamental diesel engine. But a successful passage also has an invisible…
Burling’s Luna Rossa takes home win in America’s Cup World Series, Naples
The second America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta concluded on the Bay of Naples with a dominant performance from local favourites Luna Rossa, who claimed the regatta title in front of the…
What to watch for at the Naples America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta this weekend
The second Preliminary Regatta in the 38th America’s Cup cycle kicks off for real today, with three days of fleet racing over Friday 25-Sunday 27 September. Six teams are racing,…
I raced 35,000 miles around the world to bring you this ULTIMATE sailing equipment test
There are some key ‘big ticket’ items that any ocean-going or bluewater yacht will rely on. Water, power, connectivity, steering: the things you need to just work to keep the…
How Alexis Loison won the Solitaire du Figaro after 19 attempts: ‘In solo racing you have to be good at everything’
Most sailors would have simply given up, but Alexis Loison kept coming back. For 19 editions of La Solitaire du Figaro the Normandy skipper Alexis Loison held one dream, and…
Two days, one cat: Beyond the brief test drive with the new Outremer 48
Which yacht would you pick if you could choose any? I’m sure this is a game we all often play, and hopefully your answer wouldn’t automatically be the biggest or…
First 36 SE review: Definitely race-winning material
Piran Bay is the most scenic part of Slovenia’s short coastline. The medieval village that lends its name to this busy stretch of water marks the picturesque entry to a…
Racer, cruisers, professionals and hobbyists: In praise of sailing’s diversity
Weighed down by a steel frame and two panniers of touring equipment and clothing (essentially my sailing kit repurposed), I rode the ‘granny gear’ up and over several famous Pyrenees…
Extraordinary boats: Trimaran Triple Jack – The 1979 yacht that’s reincarnated after Hurricane Irma
Cats have nine lives, they say, but this trimaran has 10. Now moored in Nanny Cay, in the British Virgin Islands, with its blue and red livery and retro bow…
Sailing isn’t dying, but it is moving away from week-long marathons – Matt Sheahan
Classic yachts and some of their regattas are something I keep getting drawn to. It’s never been my bag before, having always been far too interested in performance boats and…
The sailor’s guide to Quadrant Theory and Sea Breezes
Last month we delved into sea breezes, and the basic sea breeze is nicely summed up by the familiar picture (see Figure 1, below) showing an offshore gradient wind above…
5 expert tips: How to maximise time on and off water
Time is always the most precious commodity for any racing sailor, whether part-time or professional. For Odile Lambriex van Aanholt going for another Olympics, life should get more simple the…