There’s a saying among sailors that plans are only ever made in the sand at low tide. Sailing the world requires meticulous planning and preparation – but also the ability…
Top stories
World’s coolest yachts: The Myth of Malham
“Nothing beats the elegance of a classic yacht with a distinguished past. RORC commodore John Illingworth’s Myth of Malham won the Fastnet Yacht Race in 1947 and 1949, and made…
Ice 66RS Review: Slippery, Premium, Performance Cruiser
Finding the right mix of geographical influences can sometimes create formidable results. I’ve sailed most new Ice yachts over the last few years and all have been Italian-designed-and-built lookers. But…
White Tip Yachts Cape-WT10: Performance trimaran with folding wings for towing
The Cape-WT10 is a 33ft foldable and trailable performance trimaran which can be cruised or raced offshore both short-handed or fully crewed and looks light, fast and thrilling. When professional…
Sailing to the remote islands of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea
For a month, the boys had been hidden in the mountains with their uncles. They had their noses pierced with bamboo and stayed in the ceremonial hut for three nights,…
Croatia is a yacht charter destination that is chock-full of surprises
Why charter? To have a deserved break afloat; to sail somewhere different; to try before you buy, especially if deciding between monohull and multihull; to see if it’s something your…
Nautitech 48 Open review: No-compromise performance cruiser
Yacht design continues to advance quickly, as evidenced by the leap in performance made by the current generation of IMOCA 60s compared to just four years previously. The same is…
Balance VersaDrive Hybrid 464CC and 502CC first look: Carbon core catamarans with hybrid propulsion
Du Toit Yacht Design has also been busy with Balance again recently, conceiving longer, faster new models. During this year and next the South African-built US brand will release the…
Most of our life on land we spend hiding from ourselves. But at sea there is no escape – Nikki Henderson
Ahoy there, from halfway to the Caribbean! This is my third attempt at writing this column. The first go was interrupted by a squall. We underestimated its strength, surfed down…
Great Seamanship: Last Days of the Slocum Era
From childhood, Graham Cox had dreamed of the ocean. Growing up in Durban, he’d spent his time hanging out near what was then called the International Jetty, where far-ranging yachts…
Evo 60 first look: Luxury catamaran with a capital L
The Evo 60 is an eye-opening, performance-focused luxury cruising catamaran and a full South African project. Drawn by top multihull designer Anton Du Toit (Balance Yachts’ designer), who grew up…
Extraordinary boats: The Mini Globe Race Globe 5.80
“Go small, go cheap, go now,” famously said Lin and Larry Pardy, who sailed for decades aboard small engineless yachts they built themselves. For Don McIntyre, the restless mind behind…
Vision 484 first look: New catamaran in development for 2026 launch
This South African yard’s first model, the Vision 444, is a fast and lightweight catamaran set up for long-distance sailing that has won wide acclaim over the past five years.…
Why the Vendée Globe fleet is right to reject a full foiling rule
That tens of thousands of Vendée Globe fans were prepared to get up in the early hours of the morning and camp out on a sea wall in the middle…
Let’s Go Offroad… Sailing? Cruising the Gulf of Bothnia
The massive structure of Svartklubben lighthouse looms on the horizon. Standing on the small Swedish island of Singö, it guards the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia. Passing it feels…
Buying a ‘Bulletproof’ Yacht: New and Used Adventure Boat Advice
Those planning to sail to inhospitable places tend to have a strong vision of what is needed from the craft that will take them there. In the case of Jean-François…
Freddie Carr: 20 years trying to win the America’s Cup
“For 23 years I have had the privilege to call myself an America’s Cup sailor, but today is the last day of that for me. The body says it’s time…
4 of the coolest new wooden yachts in 2025
It has now been many decades since wood was the most widely used material in yacht productions but timber is still a natural choice for some modern yacht designers and…
Jimmy Cornell: ‘Some of my most memorable sailing was due to unforseen detours’
When it comes to regrets, I have none. But on all my voyages the golden rule has been to know what NOT to do. I learned that valuable lesson on…
WOY26 first look: Open daysailer with sustainable design
One of the stand-out new yachts of recent years is the Thomas Tison-designed 48ft Elida, which combines high-tech timber construction with innovative laminates and local carbon reinforcement to create a…