As the sailing world eagerly counts down to the 37th America’s Cup, the spotlight in recent months has been on the cutting-edge foiling AC75s, which teams have been launching. With…
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Great seamanship: When the Sea Calls
Back around 1980 I was privileged to be involved with the Robert Clark-designed 72ft ketches operated by what was then called the Ocean Youth Club. My own contribution was as…
Canal shortcuts to paradise: “You could sail through the fjord in two days, but why hurry?”
Canal shortcuts through Scotland Scotland’s famous Caledonian Canal cuts through the Great Glen from Inverness to Fort William and offers cruisers an unforgettable experience. The 50-mile canal first opened in…
Cruising Greece: ‘We felt removed from the chaos of it all’
The nighttime call of owls reverberated through the forest – a forest of 1,000 aluminium masts, like stands of pine trees stretching in all directions as far as you could…
The 10 modern and updated golden rules for line handling
They say that most accidents happen in the home, and I’d hazard a guess that the same is true for sailing. Of the accidents I’ve witnessed over the years, a…
12 dream sailing experiences – from dreamy adventures to high-octane thrills
We’re all seeking experiences. Whether that’s taking on a sporting challenge, going on above-averagely-adventurous holidays, or learning a new hobby or skill, we live in an era where ‘doing’ is…
Oyster Yachts announce they are back in profit with World Rally proving popular
Oyster returned to profit in January this year and expects to make an overall profit for 2024 following a 29% year-on-year increase in turnover to £56.4m. After launching 32 yachts…
Grand Soleil Blue first look: new recyclable yacht concept
It wasn’t until the end of a lengthy press conference in Düsseldorf that Grand Soleil’s management team dropped what was, for me, the bombshell. It has already designed and engineered…
Charles Caudrelier: the first man to foil a giant multihull around the world
It would be a scene worthy of the most outrageous Hollywood action movie: a man, alone on an enormous flying trimaran, is hurtling across the ocean’s remotest reaches, when he…
Solaris 55 first look: an ‘aggressive increase in form stability’
During its 50th anniversary, Solaris Yachts is launching a new version of this popular model size, Solaris 55. This shows Solaris and its faithful designer, Soto Acebal, continuing to refine…
World’s coolest yachts: Open 7.50
The Open 7.50 is the fastest one-design sportsboat ever built. Designed by the Finot Group, it applies much of the developments from Open 50s and 60s ocean racing designs to…
Nikki Henderson’s advice on nurturing a high performing team
The first thing I do when I meet a new crew is gather everyone together and get each member to introduce themselves. It’s a pretty common thing for team leaders…
Wauquiez 55 first look: brimming with clever ideas
While the graphical representations of many new designs may look impressive, rarely do we see a production yacht unveiled with so many new or reimagined clever ideas all packed into…
NKE NavXP chartplotter first look: NKE’s first chartplotter
NKE’s electronics have never gained much traction in the English speaking world, even though they’re almost a default choice for offshore racing and performance cruising yachts in France. Part of…
‘The latest offshore racers take off like a scatty race horse’ – Matt Sheahan
Among the elite band of rock star offshore racing sailors that do a solo lap of the planet there’s one basic yet counterintuitive rule they swear by: ‘To go fast…
How to use tides and tidal currents to your advantage
We all know the tide ebbs and flows. It’s as predictable as the sun rising or the seasons changing, but it’s also not an exact science. Getting the timing wrong…
Exclusive 2 day sail on the largest Hallberg-Rassy ever built: Hallberg-Rassy 69 review
It was proper cold. An honest cold that cuts straight through us soft southerners, unused as we are to minus double digit temperatures. The docks were covered with gnarled ice,…
“We’ve done something slightly different” American Magic tease first look of AC75
New York Yacht Club American Magic became the fifth America’s Cup team to reveal – or at least partially reveal – their AC75 when their new ‘B3’ briefly appeared out…
Caught in a tropical cyclone in a 130-year-old wooden sailing ship
Perhaps the best way to introduce Shane Granger is to quote from the flyleaf of his book Cargo of Hope: ‘He has worked as a radio DJ, advertising photographer, copywriter,…
Expert tips: how to sail multihulls downwind in big breezes
Pushing fast multihulls downwind in gnarly conditions can be a hazardous business. Knowing how hard you can push, and when you need to back off, mostly comes down to experience.…