Yachting World

After what was not only the closest, but also the most complex finish in the Vendée Globe’s 32-year history, Yannick Bestaven won the 2020/21 edition. Bestaven on Maître CoQ IV was 3rd across the finish line early on Thursday 28 January, but earned t

While the Fastnet Race may not be stopping in Plymouth this summer, the Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) is fast re-establishing itself as a host for offshore, particularly shorthanded, racing. The RWYC has confirmed that the 2021 edition of the Origi

Online www.yachtingworld.com YouTube Yachting World Facebook @yachtingworld twitter @yachtingworldmagazine It is a fundamental principle that any seafarer will go to the assistance of another in distress. It’s enshrined in our laws, our racing rules,

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Just nine days after near-sinking on the Hauraki Gulf, the American Magic AC75 Patriot was back on the water test-sailing its hastily repaired systems. A replacement hull panel was fabricated by ETNZ’s build team and, on relaunch, Patriot sported a ‘

The 2020/21 Vendée Globe was another epic edition of the legendary solo race, with the final result going right to the wire. For Pip Hare, it has been the realisation of a lifetime dream. She shares her story One of the standout performances from thi

Nautor’s Swan has made its first foray into the powerboat sector by unveiling this sleek 43ft design, the first of its new Swan Shadow line. The Finnish yard says customer demand from its growing fleet of maxi yacht owners has driven the need for suc

Despite most sailing areas and destinations being closed to yachtsmen last year, some remarkable cruises were completed, as recognised in the Ocean Cruising Club’s annual awards. The foremost award, the Barton Cup, was given to Bert terHart from Brit

Since arriving in New Zealand and taking up my position in the America’s Cup television compound I’ve spent hundreds of hours looking at the extraordinary AC75s under way. And from my desk in the gallery (where the host broadcaster feed for the live

This summer’s biggest sailing event looks set to be the Rolex Fastnet Race after a record 500 places were claimed within an hour of online registration opening in January. Eddie Warden Owen, outgoing CEO of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) said: “I

I am a lousy sports fan. If I can’t actually do it, I’m ambivalent. However, I do tune in to the FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup finals and, as a Yank, the Super Bowl, for no other reason than to arm myself for the Monday morning conversations dow

On their first night at sea, a ‘dark shadow’ passed 100m away from Christian and Manuela Lücking’s boat. It was unlit and not moving. Unnerved, Christian Lücking called the Coastguard. Two hours later, the Coastguard called back asking them to return

4-5 April: On passage from Isla Bayoneta, Las Perlas, Panama towards Academy Bay, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Both my night watches 1800-2200 and 0100-0400 were just beautiful experiences. Watching a deflated red balloon sink below the horizon, I felt at t

When cruising and voyaging it’s hard to find the time to write regularly in a journal, to take photos, and keep a detailed ship’s log book. It’s hard either because you’re having such a great time, or such an awful one, but it is worth it, especially

“Quick, close the hatches!” my partner Wietze calls down while we prepare an early Monday breakfast. All is ready to leave Seychelles, we’ve mustered our courage to tackle the difficult passage south, but now there is thunder, lightning, and pouring

Having to make a non-stop crossing of the Mozambique Channel was not the only impact COVID had on Janneke and Wietze’s around the world voyage, they also spent 11 weeks during the peak of the pandemic on anchor in the Maldives. We asked them, and oth

Which are the most interesting, innovative, practical, well built and best value for money new yachts on the market? These are typical questions and the reason we can answer them confidently is that, as well as conducting our own independent tests, Y

Mike Horn is not a man you forget easily, yet if you were to name the world’s most famous sailors, it’s unlikely Horn’s name would top the bill. For a man who has, by his own count, sailed 27 times around the planet, this seems something of an oversi

Discovering Andrew Wilson has been the sort of exciting surprise that comes with editing a column like Great Seamanship. Andrew is a photographer working in Tasmania. He knows yacht and boat seafaring from keel to truck and is quick to point out that

LOA 18.30m 60ft 0in • Approx displacement 7 tonnes • Price POA • www.mills-design.com Given the history of the America’s cup, which has provided the sailing world with the benefit of equipment ranging from winches to aluminium masts, it’s no surprise

LOA 12.19m 40ft 0in • Beam 4.42m 13ft 6in • Draught 3.00m 9ft 10in • Light displacement 4,500kg 9,920lb • Downwind sail area 268m2 2,880ft2 • Price ex VAT (and ex sails) €410,000 • www.pogostructures.com The Pogo team and Guillaume Verdier have worke

LOA 12.20m 40ft 0in • Beam 4.10m 13ft 6in • Draught 3.00m 9ft 10in • Sail area 120m2 1,290ft2 •Displacement 4,500kg 9,921lb • Price POA • www.wilson-marquinez.com History tells us that unfamiliar Argentine names in yacht design are not to be underest

LOA 9.14m 30ft 0in • Beam 2.91m 9ft 6in • Draught 2.20m 7ft 2in • Light displacement 1,550kg 3,420lb • Ballast 800kg 1,760lb • Price ex VAT €84,000 • www.aeoloscomposites.com This competitively priced, but very fast, ‘carbon fun rocket’ is aimed at t

A technical base layer is the foundation of any layering system. It adds warmth and comfort for minimal bulk. While some elite athlete sailors may grind winches all day long, the majority of us who sail in weather cool enough to warrant wearing a bas

Boats have been built of wood since Noah first put axe to tree. For devotees of the classic style, Spirit Yachts have been building head-turningly pretty yachts with laminated wooden hulls since 1993, including the largest single-masted wooden yacht

The safety and wellbeing of both crew and vessel are the primary responsibility of any skipper. Without exception every crew leader will attest to this and yet it is nearly impossible to find a single MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) repor

Champion sailor and Volvo Ocean Race winner CAROLIJN BROUWER talks to ANDY RICE about expert skills for fast downwind helming. As a proven talent, Carolijn Brouwer was an obvious pick for the all-female crew on Amer Sports Too for the 2001/02 edition

“The Tornado multihull is a really cool boat. It was my introduction to high performance sailing and it had a big influence on me in many ways. Once you get a taste for it, there is no way back. Sailing the Tornado opened up different doors for me in

7-8 June: Coastal passage from Dutch Harbour, Amaknak Island, towards Dora Harbour, Unimak Island, Aleutians The course along the Alaskan Peninsula took us east under the Akutan Volcano. This volcano had given us grief in 2011 and it did so again. Mo

Since 1981, when we bought our wooden, varnished, 39ft Sparkman & Stephens sloop Sunstone, my husband Tom and I have sailed some 200,000 miles. Our world cruise, with some racing thrown in, began when we finished full-time employment and departed Eng