Weather guru, Chris Tibbs talks though some of the difficulties in accurate weather forecasting during the unusual event of a heatwave Situated to the north-west of Europe, the UK is blessed with mild weather with few extreme weather events, and our temperature is moderated by the seawater around the shores. Thanks to the Gulf Stream […]
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The world’s weather is changing. Cruising guru Jimmy Cornell explains how to future-proof your sailing and voyage planning ‘Sailing routes depend primarily on weather, which changes little over the years. However, possibly as a result of the profound changes that have occurred in the ecological balance of the world environment, there have been several freak […]
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Will Bruton takes a look at the best way to to buy, manage, and charter a bigger yacht an increasingly popular options for many buyers Small enough to sail without a large crew, but big enough to charter, pocket superyachts between 55-100ft have become increasingly popular. A compelling proposition for both owners and charterers; buying […]
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An east-bound Atlantic crossing via Bermuda and Horta was a voyage of contrasts for Vivian Vuong We tacked for the first and only time on our 13-day crossing. The view off Ultima’s bow revealed the alluring sight of not only an approaching landfall but elevation too. Pico, one of the nine Azorean islands of Portugal, […]
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Emirates Team New Zealand have completed a successful first day of testing for the new AC40, which will be used in the run up to the 37th America’s Cup, and for the Youth and Women’s AC America’s Cup Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand has reported a successful maiden sail of the first AC40 in New […]
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Nikki Henderson reveals what you really need to know before going bluewater multihull cruising It has become routine now for me to bookend the summer sailing season with a trip to the south of France for the biannual ‘Outremer Week’. This hugely popular event gathers 100-plus new Outremer catamaran owners for five days of training, […]
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The 5.5 Metre Jean Genie is the first ever British boat to win the prestigious Scandinavian Gold Cup, also winning this year’s 5.5 Metre World Championship Cowes-based businessman Peter Morton, widely known as Morty, is a serial winner who’s enjoyed a long career on the podium at everything from the Admiral’s Cup and Half Ton […]
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Round the world racer Josh Hall explains to Andy Rice how to make the most of your autopilot for downwind sailing to make your boat faster and safer Top-spec autopilots have become very sophisticated, not least in the use of AI (artificial intelligence), so much so that modern autopilot systems on an IMOCA 60 won’t […]
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Tom Cunliffe introduces this extract from Around Alone as a solo mast climb in the South Atlantic turns into a terrifying ordeal for Emma Richards In 2002, Emma Richards (now Sanderson) was the youngest person and the first British woman to finish the ‘Around Alone’ race. Sailing the Open 60 Pindar, she was pipped at […]
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Janneke Kuysters explores the sun protection options for sailors who are often highly at risk of over exposure to the sun Sailing on a sunny day is hard to beat: but apart from the mood-enhancing qualities of the sun, we all know of its dangers. After finishing our circumnavigation and returning to the Netherlands, one […]
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We ask top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts (or in this case dinghy) of our times. Emma Richards nominates the Cherub The Cherub is a 12ft two-person dinghy with a single trapeze (twin in the UK), designed in 1951. It evolved into an international development class, with […]
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As summer draws to a close we pick some of the most interesting boats set to be launched during this year’s boat show season The northern hemisphere summer is drawing to a close and for sailors this means that boat show season is upon us. With dozens of world premieres among the line-up at Cannes, […]
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The Alinghi Red Bull Racing team were subject to a significant squall on their first day testing their AC75 America’s Cup boat and capsized causing some damage Having taken delivery of their first AC75 several weeks ago and officially launching the boat recently, the Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team, has suffered a capsize on their […]
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If you’re buying a second-hand racing yacht, how do you ensure you’ll be competitive? Rupert Holmes analyses what to look for when buying a used yacht for serious IRC racing fun Careful passage planning can pay dividends during the Round the Island Race. Photo: Paul Wyeth If you want to participate in racing in the […]
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Erin Carey talks to a variety of liveaboard yacht cruisers about how they make a living on a yacht and what their days look like When my family and I set off on what we thought would be a two-year sailing sabbatical in 2018, we didn’t have any plans of working along the way. We […]
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The Five Year Voyage is a race against time and tide across the mouth of the Amazon for Stephen Ladd in his 21ft Herreshoff Sea Pear ketch. Introduced by Tom Cunliffe Flooded trail on the way to a yucca farm Stephen Ladd is a city planner from the US who opted for a better life. […]
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Pip Hare explains why efficient and well-planned watch handovers are vital to ensure a happy crew and a well kept yacht on passage On longer voyages, and passages with larger crews, a good watch system is essential to the efficient running of the boat. But the same watch system can also hinder good communication and […]
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Kevin Escoffier may be famous for his dramatic Vendée Globe rescue, but there is much more to his story, as he tells Helen Fretter We all know how French solo skippers get so darn good. They move from youth sailing to Mini Transat and Figaro classes, where they drill for years. Then the lucky few […]
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How to stay out of trouble use the racing rules of sailing to your advantage and handle a protest if you find yourself in one: rules advisor and umpire Bill O’Hara talks to Andy Rice When working as a rules adviser, Bill O’Hara’s job with his sailors is to make sure they understand the rules […]
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How to set up your boat for smooth, stress-free downwind sailing and how to pick the best downwind sail: Rachael Sprot examines the options For the coastal sailor, upwind sailing skills are critical: there’s nothing like a lee shore to focus the mind on tacking angles and leeway. For the ocean sailor the challenges are […]
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