Falmouth, Cornwall, 1955: a legend is born along Customs House Quay. A smartly dressed young man with wild, curly hair has launched a 23ft catamaran, built in just a few…
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Is this sailing’s greatest spectacle?
While for many of us October sees our thoughts turn to bringing boats ashore or preparing them to overwinter, in Saint-Tropez some 2,500 sailors are enjoying a 10-day international regatta…
Extraordinary boats: Baruna – stunning seven-year restoration
Designed by Olin Stephens in 1938, at 72ft LOA Baruna was at the top of the size limit permitted by the Cruising Club of America (CCA) to race offshore. The…
5 expert tips: How to hold a lane upwind
When you’re competing in a big fleet, it’s not the winning races that marks out the great from the good. It’s the ability to bounce back from bad positions and…
Ever dreamed of setting off on a solo sailing voyage?
I awoke to the violent motion that comes with an angry squall in the night. Jumping out of my passage berth I rushed into the darkness and pulled on my…
Some of the world’s biggest, coolest catamarans go racing
The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world, its marble atrium and exclusive pool deck usually welcoming owners and crews of superyachts,…
World’s coolest yachts: Rambler 88
Rambler 88 was designed as a giant slayer. After the loss of his Rambler 100, owner George David asked designer Juan Kouyoumdjian to create a boat that was capable of…
Sailing the northwest passage in a traditional cutter
Integrity set sail from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, on 1 June bound for Alaska via Greenland and Arctic Canada. It was a Thursday. With naval superstitions rife among the crew and…
World’s coolest yachts: RC44
“For sure one of the coolest yachts is none other than the RC44 class created by Russell Coutts,” nominates Cameron Appleton. A strict one-design, the RC44 was co-designed by five-time…
How to deal with a tight windward mark rounding
While there may be many factors that feed into a successful windward mark rounding, Charlie Cumbley boils it down to one overriding aim: “Ultimately you’re trying to get to the…
Rolex Sydney Hobart: How to win the legendary race
The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race stands as a pinnacle of offshore yacht racing. Its reputation as the hardest of the classic offshore races is well deserved. Compared to the…
How to take on a Caribbean yacht charter for racing
Regatta organisers are reporting a boom in Caribbean yacht charter entries, and, with more yachts available than ever before, the opportunities to pay and play for some racing in the…
How to take advantage of these fantastic cruising itineraries
Though the idea of owning a yacht to many conjures ideas of setting sail to far-flung destinations, it is not always the case that sailing from one idyllic location to…
SwellPro Spry+ Drone review
We’ve always enjoyed photography and video-making as we’ve cruised Maunie of Ardwall, our Vancouver 38 Pilot. And ever since we first met some American sailors in Vanuatu who flew a…
Sailing to the most remote islands in the world amid ice and snow
It’s five years since our first voyage to Antarctica and we need a break from chartering to the Antarctic Peninsula. We love Southern Patagonia and the Antarctic but it’s time…
What’s it like to sail to the most remote of the South Sandwich Islands?
We dropped anchor in 12m of water, a long stone’s throw from an unfriendly rocky cliff face and immediately the reality of our position set in as Vinson of Antarctica…
5 expert tips: How to use an asymmetric spinnaker in light airs
Just as the best teams seem to find an extra high mode on the upwind legs, often they’re also very good at eking out an extra-low mode on the downwind.…
Extraordinary boats: Maluka – restoration of a 1932 classic
One thing you should do is take your watch off. If you start looking at your watch you’re going to do your head in!” said Sean Langman, owner and skipper…
A complete guide to high latitude sailing (and avoiding icebergs)
I’ve just returned home from skippering 59º North’s Farr 65 Falken from Annapolis, Maryland, to Isafjordur in north-west Iceland. We covered over 3,000 miles, sailing via the stupendous Prince Christian…
Coolest yachts: the dhow
“I always have been impressed by the dhow, the traditional racing boats sailed in the United Arab Emirates,” says Bruno Dubois. “The 60ft yachts are particularly impressive.” The original dhow…