RUPERT HOLMES ON SMOOTH HANDOVERS: OWNERS’ ADVICE AND AVOIDING PROBLEMS WITH NEW YACHTS Buying a brand new yacht ought to be one of the best experiences of a lifetime. However, the reality is different for a small number of owners. So how can prospec

Offshore racer and chief Mr Fix-it during The Ocean Race, Jack Bouttell shares tips for keeping your boat going offshore with Andy Rice In the 50-year history of The Ocean Race (ex-Whitbread/Volvo), Leg 3 of the 2023 edition from Cape Town, South Afr

With renowned designer Gerard Dykstra approaching 80 years old, he was looking for a boat for himself that would fit a somewhat different use to his previous yachts. Yet at the same time he still wanted to include many of the features from those vess

Vendée Globe skipper Clarisse Crémer has been cleared following accusations that she cheated during the 2020 race by discussing routing options with her husband by WhatsApp. A French sailing federation (FFV) jury cleared Crémer and her husband, Tangu

A round the world cruiser has lost his yacht, and all his possessions, after he was wrecked while attempting to cross the Bahia del Sol sand bar in El Salvador. His boat was then stripped by thieves while grounded. Bahia del Sol, or Estero Jaltepeque

Among the elite band of rock star offshore sailors that do a solo lap of the planet there’s one basic yet counterintuitive rule they swear by: ‘To go fast you have to understand how to go slowly.’ Wherever you look into the history of fast passagemak

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 1822; it was designed to ensure ships (including those of the Royal Navy)

What is it? The first chartplotter from French manufacturer NKE, intended to be both powerful and intuitive Who’s it for? Offshore racing and performance cruising NKE’s electronics have never gained much traction in the English speaking world, even t

…AND RECEIVE FREE BOOMPOD SPORTSPODS OCEAN EARBUDS† Totally wireless earphones built for those hooked on sport! Ergonomically crafted for comfort and stability, the over-ear hooks give extra security for the most extreme sports, workouts and adventur

The Norwegian government has issued new regulations to protect the remote island of Svalbard, which will impact expedition sailors hoping to explore the area from 2025. Key changes are that landing will only be permitted in 43 designated sites, and t

Cole Brauer has become the first American woman to sail solo around the world non-stop. Brauer, 29, finished the Global Solo Challenge in 2nd place in her 2008 Owen-Clarke designed Class 40 First Light on 7 March. Brauer completed the race – in which

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 see. Just looking at the vast rows of neatly organised boats induced a kind of

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 a 24ft sportsboat weighing just 750kg. Features include a retractable carbon

Yachting World celebrates 130 years this year. It’s a remarkable timespan, which means it has overseen incredible changes since 1894. The first edition of the oldest sporting trophy in the world – the America’s Cup, held in front of Queen Victoria –

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 significant proportion have been in port, often while mooring. It’s a time when the crew are

How many crewmembers of high tech racing yachts have wondered whether the boat could be tweaked and tamed to create a super-fast cruising machine that’s enormous fun to sail? I certainly considered the idea as a navigator in the Farr 45 fleet when th

Dykstra Naval Architects has designed the world’s largest sailing multihull, a full custom twin-masted 57m/187ft catamaran. The build commission is with Echo Yachts near Fremantle in Western Australia and when completed it will easily eclipse the 47m

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 to do whether on land or sea. For the RORC Caribbean 600 race this year, 12 of us sat tog

In a change to previously advertised schedules the Ocean Globe Race is set to finish off the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes from mid-April. Each finisher will then berth for up to 48 hours on Trinity Landing, giving crews a chance to celebrate in

Our annual ARC survey results tackle the big topic of downwind sail selection: 242 skippers were asked what worked, what didn’t, what broke, and what they’d advise when it comes to downwind sail selection and setup for a transatlantic crossing or tra

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 a relief skipper on the Solent-based Samuel Whitbread and the time I spent

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 more important than ‘having’. It’s evidenced by the rise

LOA 17.58m 57ft 8in • Hull length 16.4m 53ft 10in Beam 5.25m 17ft 3in • Draught 2.4m 7ft 10in or 1.6m-4.2m 5ft3in-13ft9in • Displacement (light) 20 tonnes • Price from €1.8m ex VAT • wauquiez.com While the graphical representations of many new design

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 plunges through the floor of the cockpit. He dangles, metres above the chu

The growth in big boat multihull racing continues, with two new circuits for ‘Maxi Multihulls’ of 60ft-plus organised by the International Maxi Association. The Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series included inshore and offshore events, such as the RORC Ca

The crew of Translated 9, overall leaders in the Ocean Globe Race, faced a race against time to stay in the race after suffering hull damage near Cape Horn on Leg 3. Translated 9, the Swan 65 (formerly ADC Accutrac in the 1977/78 Whitbread Round the

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