When it’s blowing a gale and it’s hard to even see outside for the horizontal rain or, worse, sand being whipped off the nearby beach, there’s little appeal in going afloat. But if you were to choose one yacht to board in such conditions, even if just to stay in the marina… it might well be a Boreal.

Equally, with more and more floating debris contaminating our oceans, and marine wildlife increasingly (and literally) biting back, you can understand the increasing amount of new cruising yacht buyers seeking belt and braces builds. They may never need that diff lock, get-out-of-trouble functionality, but it’s certainly reassuring to know it’s there.

For those unfamiliar with Boreal Yachts, these are not simply aluminium tanks for off-piste cruising. They prioritise performance and are packed with intelligent ideas which can only be the brainchildren of true ocean sailors, mostly from its founder Jean-François Delvoye.

And so I found myself navigating a precarious pontoon in IJmuiden, Holland, in a strong mid-September gale and scaling the high and bulletproof-looking freeboard of the new Boreal 56. We were conducting European Yacht of the Year trials, the first day and a half of which were lost to the unseasonable weather.

I envisaged a cosy interior, the stove lit, maybe a sauna or some mulled wine on offer, but the notably bright, raised saloon and roomy accommodation will likely appeal to the majority in more agreeable weather. Seated at the table, laptop and drawings at the ready, was the perfect person to explain the genesis of this 56.

Delvoye spent six years cruising with his wife and four children, including two years in Patagonia, a period which really forged his thoughts on the optimum cruising yacht. He had the skills to transfer these visions into 3D drawings, which became the first Boreal 50 (20 years ago). Boreal has since built 113 yachts from its Treguier yard, with up to 12 in construction at a time, and – remarkably in today’s climate – currently has a three-year lead time!

‘We tried an extreme bow shape and it worked’. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

Nose job

The 47.2 was a European Yacht of the Year award winner in 2021, and we tested the 52 a decade ago, so we already know and respect Boreal. They are ballasted centreboarders, bare aluminium cruisers that sail well and offer the protection of being able to stand watches from the forward part of the cockpit or within a raised doghouse. They offer a mix of robust construction with keen attention to sailing motion.

This new 56 shares many of the upgraded features the 47.2 exhibited, especially the desire for a separate crew cockpit layout on a larger model. Then came the novelty: the scow bow influence.

Surely that IMOCA/Class 40/Mini 6.50 scow phase is just a fad? You can see why production yards have been trying fatter noses, but that’s principally for the extra volume it brings? Delvoye insists the shape works on multiple levels, not just for this increased volume, but also the power and stability it brings.

“When doing the initial design, we did a lot of hull shapes using our software,” he explained, using visuals from his computer.

“We tried an extreme one [bow shape] and it worked.” They then built a 10% scale model and tank-tested it before asking Bureau Veritas to run it through their software, which also confirmed the positive results.

Clean design leads lines and winches to hand for the helmsman. You feel protected everywhere with solid grabrails to hand. Here around the pedestal. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

“We had seven orders [at the time] for a 55 open cockpit model, and all changed to the 56!” Indeed, Boreal took 10 orders by September, before any shows or publicity. The boat we tested was the second 56 to launch, and splashed the week before our trials.

It’s not simply that fat stem, nor the chined plated purposeful look which defines this model – what lies beneath a Boreal’s waterline is equally intriguing and defines its handling characteristics.

A long keel trunk or ‘embryo’, as Boreal calls it, contains the centreboard, the ballast (6,600kg), and provides a level grounding plate on which to dry out. The swinging board is NACA profiled, ballasted with 400kg of sand to ensure it will sink, and can be raised from its 3.2m draught in five seconds.

This embryo protects the prop shaft and single rudder while, unusually, there are also two lifting daggerboards aft, either side of the rudder. These boards extend 70cm out of the hull and are designed to help provide some of the grip that twin rudder yachts enjoy, while also maintaining the benefits of a protected single rudder yacht that can dry out.

Comfortable, clean helm areas. The central utility winch can be used to do all the heavy work. It can raise the centreboard in five seconds, while simple manual lines on camcleats are used to control the daggerboards. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

Theory to practice

By the third day the wind had dropped to a Force 5-6, and a 12-strong EYOTY jury was itching to try out the 56. The North Sea swell was still large, confused and inhospitable, making for testing conditions. For my first sail we punched out to sea under single reefed main and genoa in 20 knots, making 7.5 knots at 45° to the apparent wind.

Once the wind is above 20 knots or so, Boreal favours changing down to the staysail, which we then did, for no tangible loss in speed. Equally, I noted that once the breeze dropped to 17-18 knots, the log slipped to 6-6.5 knots, and the yacht felt underpowered, so its ability to change easily between these headsail gears is useful.

We had plenty aboard for the trials but the Boreal didn’t feel overcrowded. Note the position under the doghouse, completely protected for de-robing before entering. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

During my second sail, we had a spell of 25 knots under staysail, which felt right, sailing with slightly tighter pointing for a bit less speed compared to the genoa.

It was the comfort, protection and motion this Boreal offers that really stood out during sailing in inhospitable short pattern waves and driving rain. You could choose to take it on the chin on the helm, seek protection in the forward part of the cockpit or, if sensible, move into the doghouse! Close the door to this and the comparative silence does the talking.

Motion for the ocean

The soft motion is no fluke, as weight centralisation is paramount. A prime example is the chain locker being located near the mast base (where the windlass is more protected), which helps ensure 400kg of chain is as central as possible. Combining that with 1,500lt water and 1,150lt fuel low and central (in the aft of keel embryo), helps ensure a smooth motion.

Of particular interest was how the full bow shape performed in these conditions. Granted the bows seem to immerse a lot, but I spent some time below decks while sailing upwind in waves and was impressed, both by how secure it feels moving around, with plenty of handrails, and how quiet it is, even in the forward cabin (watching our video for confirmation). Delvoye believes this bow shape actually provides a softer motion through waves when at heel than a pointy bow. That said, if the yacht were more upright, say under engine, you would almost certainly pound more, he concedes.

The 56 has multiple hearts, including the longitudinal galley leading to the stove. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

The Boreal is easily controlled, but can be tricky to settle into a groove. As well as the balance of sails, you have to remind yourself of this bow shape, and what’s happening beneath the boat while helming.

For example, the centreboard is not for stability, only countering leeway, while the daggerboards can directly alter the feel of the helm. The boards have a notable effect while on the breeze, where they help keep the yacht on a rail and take a lot of pressure off the rudder, thereby lessening the power needed to drive the autopilot ram.

It’s a playful setup then, where both boards can be left down, or the windward one raised, while you can also adjust the centreboard position when off the wind. This is particularly appealing if you want to surf – having daggerboards alongside the rudder is more like surfboard design where typically three fins are used for grip and control.

Sailing close-hauled in the calmer seas inside the breakwater felt strange for a single rudder yacht with wire steering, I experienced a neutral-slash-lee-helm feel, and would have liked more time to play with the board set up to see how that affects this balance.

The doghouse reigns supreme for its ideal surround view and protected watch position. The double pilot seat has a lifting section on the inboard end, to help keep you in place on port tack. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

Unleashing the furling gennaker livened things up, especially as I was the lucky one who got to experience this in the best conditions, with 22 knots true, surfing across ugly seas at 100°T/75°A back towards the port.

Where you could expect a moderate displacement single-rudder yacht to really load up on the helm in these conditions, the Boreal proved highly competent, no doubt aided by the daggerboards’ grip. Even with the apparent wind well forward, it remained controlled as we averaged 8.5 knots, hitting 11.5 knots in the surf.

Cockpit comfort

Boreal clearly worked hard on the overall cockpit design and functionality. The layout, principally the separation of guest and sailing areas, is a major selling point, which prioritises the comfort of the helmsman as well as those in the secure cockpit.

‘Boreal clearly worked hard on design and functionality’. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

These are evolutions from the 47.2 though, as we noted when we tested that in 2021, the design stops short of offering a fully protected cockpit. I suggest that could make a valuable option here, as we’re increasingly seeing fully covered cockpits being used on larger yachts.

Otherwise, the cockpit is superb, huge and deep, with high backrests, coamings with really useful, deep outboard stowage, and a large fixed table with long grab rails. This area is all completely free of lines, including the mainsheet, which sheets to the doghouse roof and back to the aft winches.

The helm area again shows where experience has paid. The twin wheels are far enough outboard for visibility to the bow, with sheet winches to hand on each side to ease solo operation. The powered utility winch with remote foot controls proved very useful, as all lines can be led to this central position between the wheels (although that can temporarily block cockpit access). Meanwhile deep, built-in tail bins keep the whole area tidy.

The transom arch includes a crane system for lowering the tender and provides mounting options for regenerative power. The test boat had extra solar panels, a Superwind generator and a Watt&Sea hydrogenerator, providing more power than the yacht could use (the arch would also make a great place to swing a hammock from).

A cavernous lazarette is accessed from the aft quarter lockers, where an inflatable tender can be stowed. Alternatively, a RIB can be lashed onto the wide foredeck. The offset sail locker is also plenty spacious enough for offwind sails.

Huge engine room very well laid. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

It feels really sturdy moving forward along the Boreal’s side decks, with long, waist-height rails on the coachroof, support beams for the pulpit, and granny bars at the mast base. In fact, there is something to grab hold of wherever you move on the yacht.

That said, you’ll bang your head on the doghouse roof extension and on the step down from galley to the forward accommodation. While you’ll quickly get used to avoiding those, I did find the gap between the chart table and the companionway base to starboard a concern, as someone is likely to fall down here one day.

Peninsula double berth with plenty of natural light in the Boreal 56’s forward master cabin. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

In the doghouse

The doghouse is a trump feature. Remove your wet-weather gear under the hard top, hang it in the locker behind the double pilot seat to dry from the heat of the engine box, and sit your watch in comfort. Close the watertight door behind you and you’re in a world of comparative calm – particularly when it’s blowing 45+ knots in the marina.

Boreal is not a custom yard, and views its one layout only as the optimum configuration. Considering the weight centralisation also helps support this format – with tanks and batteries centralised and kept low around the keel trunk, the spaces left under the seats and berths offer really useful stowage.

The majority of its owners are couples, who are on passage for comparatively short amounts of time they spend aboard, so Boreal believes it makes sense to them to have the owner’s cabin forward, where it is away from the dock and noises and can benefit from the space the scow shape helps provide. They can then pick from the saloon or aft berths when on passage.

Starboard aft cabin with double and twin berths (with lee cloths) can also be configured with bunks or as a technical workshop. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

Compared to the old 55, the 56 offers higher saloon seating, from where you can see out properly through the coachroof windows. This long saloon table lowers and converts into a double berth. The galley opposite is also long and spacious, yet with a practical shape.

A countertop return at its forward end contains aft-facing fridge drawers, and together with the island/centre seat, it helps form a near U-shape, offering bracing at heel. It also boasts long, fiddled stainless steel worktops and lots of deep stowage, while extra drawer fridges are available aft of the saloon to port.

Central heating is provided through a Refleks stove that consumes just five litres per day. The disadvantage of these traditional Danish diesel/oil burning systems is they use a flat plate, which is not ideal at heel, admits Delvoye. Boreal also offers an Eberspächer Hydronic system, although these don’t give the same ambience and cost more. Opposite the stove is a long workbench with an optional vice, abundant stowage including long drawers for heavy tools, and space for a washing machine.

The forward master cabin utilises the full bow shape, providing a large peninsula berth. It’s a generous and naturally light cabin, with plenty of stowage, including beneath the berth, but no tall hanging locker.

Port aft cabin offers access to the engine room. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/Boreal

The aft cabins meanwhile feature double and twin berths, both with leecloths and the latter with good separation between berths. This starboard twin can also be configured with bunks or as a workshop/technical cabin. The main access to the superb engine room is through a door in the port cabin, where everything is very accessible, including the watermaker raised up aft, with membranes and filters on the bulkhead.

You also get a good look of the hull construction from here. Boreal always uses the same ratio of plating thicknesses, which allows sailors to visit most waters. For the 56, the keel plates are 12mm, the bottom plates 10mm, while freeboard chines go from 8mm to 5mm. Extruded polystyrene foam lines the hull above the waterline, and cork is sprayed on all the frames – the only place condensation can form is under the hatches, where Perspex covers catch any drips.

Boreal 56 specifications

LOA: 17.12m 56ft 2in
LWL: 14.47m 47ft 6in
Beam: 4.94m 16ft 2in
Draught: 3.18m-1.20m 10ft 5in-3ft 11in
Displacement (lightship): 20,500kg 45,194lb
Ballast (lead): 6,600kg 14,550lb
Berths: 8
Engine: 75hp 56kW Yanmar shaftdrive
Water: 1,500lt 330gal
Fuel: 1,150lt 253gal
Sail area/displacement ratio: 18.9
Displacement/LWL ratio: 189
Price test boat: €1.45m ex VAT (with circa €220,000 extras)

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‘RB3’ was the hull name of INEOS Britannia, the AC75 the British America’s Cup team sailed in the 37th America’s Cup Match against Emirates Team New Zealand after winning the Louis Vuitton Cup Challengers Series – the best British performance in over 90 years.

Dylan Fletcher shared America’s Cup helming duties with team boss Sir Ben Ainslie.

“My coolest yacht would have to be either Shamrock IV or RB3,” he explains, “The two most successful British challenges of the Cup.

“RB3 certainly means the most to me, given it was my first time sailing a Cup boat and it was such an epic experience.

“Sailing RB3 was breathtaking. A huge leap from the AC40 into an incredible piece of engineering that is very rewarding to sail, hugely technical, that requires finesse to maximise the performance. Finally fulfilling a dream to helm a British America’s Cup was something else.”

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

AC75 ‘RB3’ stats rating

Top speed: 55.6 knots
LOA: 23m/75ft
Launched: 2024
Berths: 0
Price: €10+million (boat only)
Adrenalin factor: 98%

Dylan Fletcher

Dylan Fletcher was co-helmsman for the British America’s Cup team in AC37, taking the port wheel of the AC75 through the Challengers series and Cup Match. He currently helms the Emirates GBR SailGP team’s F50, and is a former Olympic gold medallist and world champion in the 49er and an International Moth world champion.

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The world of high-performance cruising catamarans is currently undergoing a radical evolution. For decades, the segment was strictly defined by speed and lightweight, minimalist construction. Now, technological advancement, and a new focus on sustainability is driving builders to reinterpret what a fast multihull can be.

From the legendary Gunboat launching a radical new ‘Gran Turismo’ line designed for comfort over ultimate pace, to the eco-conscious innovations of Windelo and the superyacht-quality ambition of the new Dutch builder Holld, the focus is shifting.

This year’s yachting festivals provided a clear snapshot of this dynamic new market, showcasing performance cats that put volume, lifestyle, and ecological efficiency squarely alongside speed. With new models like the voluminous Gunboat Fusion 80 and the versatile Leopard 52 offering owners more luxury, livability, and operational flexibility than ever before, the defining lines of the performance multihull are being redrawn. Get ready to explore the exciting new generation of cruising catamarans that are built not just to sail fast, but to live well.

Gunboat Fusion 80

First, a Gunboat with a flybridge, and now a new line of voluminous flybridge cruisers…

Gunboat was/is the reference point in performance cruising cats. It didn’t just set the bar, it invented it. As Gunboat models evolved and were increasingly turbocharged, they became more elite cruiser-racers.

To see the now french-owned brand move into a new high volume market sector will no doubt raise many eyebrows, but together with design partners including VPLP and Christophe Chedal-Anglais, Gunboat has done its homework.

“We’ve led the fast cruising market for 25 years, but now owners have been asking for more,” marketing director Rodolphe Cadoret announced at the unveiling of this Fusion line in Cannes. “It’s time to bring something else to the market.”

That something else is a ‘Gran Turismo’ range that puts an emphasis on the lifestyle experience – intriguing, especially as Gunboat already has a 72ft flybridge model (No.5 in build).

Managing partner Benoit Lebizay confirmed the 72 fly was a “shy move towards this area… and see that the market is not only ready to accept this, but now demands it.”

So Fusion extends Gunboat into the realm of more comfort. “We want to focus on sailing early [from 6 knots], but top speeds are not important. The 72 is already too fast for some owners for a flybridge cat. To get to double digits quickly is capturing that essence,” Lebizay continued.

The Gunboat Fusion 80 will not need to keep such an eye on paring down to save weight – but will still be around 20 tonnes lighter than big cats of a similar size

The development team picked a figure in the middle of the weight sector – meaning 50-55 tonnes fully loaded, rather than the 32 tonnes of the GB72, or the 75 tonnes loaded figure of other cruising cats this size.

Construction will be in infused composite rather than Gunboat’s typical super light pre-preg carbon cats. “We can afford to not use honeycomb furniture and can offer more perceived quality,” Lebizay added. As a comparison, the 10m2 master cabin on the 72 is 19m2 on the Fusion 80. As well as this vast suite with its direct sea access, other key features include the large flybridge and forward cockpit with steps that lower to the sea.

Sensing people’s loyalty to the original Gunboat ethos, Lebizay compared the move to the automotive sector, explaining how the example they used internally is Porsche’s Cayenne model (a crossover SUV introduced over 20 years ago) – the german manufacturer took on that brand risk, yet succeeded in extending it into a new segment.

The first Fusion is an 80, pitched at the biggest expected growth area. “Gunboat is always going to be in the crewed boat area of 70-80ft… the idea is to do a range of Fusion because we want to combine two things that have been antagonistic – performance at one end and comfort at the other. This brings them together at the next level.”

Gunboat Fusion 80 specifications

LOA: 24.00m 78ft 9in
LWL: 23.95m 78ft 6in
Beam: 11.07m 36ft 3in
Draught: 2.20m-4.06m 7ft 2in-13ft 3in
Sail area (upwind): 295m2 3,175ft2
Price from: €13.5m ex VAT

Windelo 58 & 62

Think back over the explosion of performance cruising Catamarans in recent years, and a brand that sticks out for good reasons is Windelo. This Canet-en-Roussillon startup yard formed in 2019 with a focus on innovation, particularly with regard to using more sustainable materials and systems.

As well as its thorough research into and use of basalt fibre, recycled foam, green energies and electric hydrogenerating drives, these Christophe Barreau designs are also refreshingly different. Not only do they use a garage-style door aft to promote a vast and seamless indoor/outdoor space with a formidable amount of glazing and surround views, the forward helm and cockpit layout help set them apart.

I really came to appreciate the benefits of handling the original Windelo 50 from this position, one of the least pitching by the mast base. Minimal leads are needed for the lines, which aids short-handing, and the cockpit and helms are in easy social connection to those you’re sailing with. Therefore, while Windelo is currently building sports versions of its 55, it makes sense to see it maintaining the majority of these design features and material choices for its new range of 60ft cruisers, the 58 and 62. Both are conceived for private ownership or for use with a skipper/small crew.

The greenest motive power is the wind, so the new Windelo models are designed to sail in very light breeze.

Although powered by green energy, the most ecological measure is to sail as much as possible, hence these new models are designed to sail in as little as four knots of wind, thanks to lightweight fine hulls, lifting boards, and powerful rigs. “We wanted boats that offer more space, more comfort, and more autonomy — without compromising performance or sustainability,” designer Christophe Barreau explains.

The interiors have received an uplift in quality, thanks to a new partnership with automotive design specialists Stellantis. Both models offer up to five cabins (four of which are en suite on the 58) and the option for crew cabin access direct from the cockpit.

Windelo 58 specifications

LOA: 17.68m 58ft 0in
Beam: 9.48m 31ft 1in
Draught: 1.35m-3.00m 4ft 5in-9ft 9in
Displacement: 18 tonnes
Price: €2,100,000

Windelo 62 specifciations

LOA: 18.88m 62ft 0in
Beam: 9.48m 31ft 1in
Draught: 1.35m-3.00m 4ft 5in-9ft 10in
Displacement: 22 tonnes
Price: €2,550,000

Holld 74

We introduced this new dutch brand in our October issue, and then had the chance to meet the team and designer behind it at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. The founders of the Zwartsluis yard have known and worked together for many years doing specialist composite work for neighbouring superyacht builders such as Vitters, Royal Huisman and Feadship. They’ve set themselves up as the only dutch carbon Multihull manufacturers, specialising in superyacht quality. Holld offers performance cruising catamarans that can be sailed with small crews.

“We want to bring our superyacht quality into high-performance cruising catamarans that can be short-handed,” says Holld’s Anneke Harms. The 74 is an Elliot Thorne design being built on spec with an expected launch at the end of next year. Aimed at owners downsizing from superyachts who don’t want big crews, 74 is the maximum you can handle with a small crew, Holld argues.

Stub keels are preferred over daggerboards as they’re easier and more practical, without taking interior space, for a small trade-off in performance. That said, the design could accommodate boards if an owner so desired.

These semi-custom cats are highly advanced technical builds, hybrid-ready, and with modular interiors. They use one-shot infusion in negative moulds, with all parts in infusion too, and the yard has an ‘obsessive focus on precision’.

Holld 74 specifications

LOA: 22.50m 73ft 20in
LWL: 22.00m 72ft 2in
Beam: 10.20m 33ft 6in
Draught: 1.45m 4ft 9in
Displacement: 23.95 tonnes

Leopard 52

Cannes marked the world premiere for the Leopard 52, a three- to six-cabin model, with multiple layout options to offer the most versatile appeal, whether for the owner-operator liveaboard or as a dream charter boat.

Leopard, The Moorings and Sunsail, together with their long-term builders Robertson & Caine and designers Simonis Voogd, make for a team not lacking in experience and feedback, having built 246 of the previous 50ft model. Impressively, the base price of this new replacement remains the same.

This 52 is not only ‘bigger everywhere’ but is designed to also deliver improved sailing performance over its recent smaller sistership 46. And despite the vessel’s size, it’s already proved it can sail in just light single figure breezes. Fine bows, stepped hulls, deep keels and a tall mast with optional square-top main (17% extra upwind sail area) all help contribute to this performance.

New Leopard 52 is ‘bigger and better’ than ever – but is priced the same as the previous model

The show boat had the hybrid electric JOOOL power set up installed (€170,000 extra), which is capable of regenerating power under sail, while 57hp diesels come as standard.

The indoor/outdoor configuration will draw appeal, as will the number of different relaxation spaces, including Leopard’s trademark forward cockpit. The wide range of layout possibilities helps it suit private, bareboat or crewed charter use. The port hull in particular is clever as it can be chosen with a VIP or crew cabin with private aft entrance, or with a huge utility cabin fore, aft or both that liveaboards will cherish, while every cabin can have its own en suite.

Leopard 52 specifications

LOA: 15.75m 51ft 8in
LWL: 15.31m 50ft 3in
Beam: 8.16m 26ft 9in
Draught: 1.45m 4ft 9in
Displacement: 20.52 tonnes
Price: €899,000 ex VAT

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

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When the Rothschilds and Gitana team unveil a new boat, they do it properly – and last night the huge team base in Lorient, France, became the theatrical backdrop to the grand unveiling of Gitana 18, the highly anticipated new foiling Ultim.

In a dramatic ‘reveal’ a silk curtain dropped mid-press conference and the gathered guests – a couple of hundred media, technical partners, and the great and good of French ocean racing – realised they were underneath one of the most top secret boat building projects of recent years.

But perhaps even more dramatic was the boat itself – or certainly the appendages that will be fixed to it.

The radical new foils for the Ultim Gitana 18 – the flaps on the trailing edge can be trimmed independently, while the arms can also be lifted, and the rake adjusted.

The L-shaped foils of the current ocean-going trimarans have been replaced with what the team refer to as ‘Y’ foils – giant appendages with 5m span set on enormous swinging arms, that show a clear lineage from the America’s Cup.

The central ‘wing’ beneath the boat is a sculptural 3m of metal (they won’t disclose which one).

Radical rudder design

But the rudders are unlike anything seen before – an inverted ‘U’ or A-frame design. Unlike a conventional rudder, which itself turns, the double chords of the rudder are fixed, while flaps at the trailing edge control direction – all designed to overcome the deformation that the hugely loaded rudders would experience, and apparently with no drag penalty.

The rudders of the new Gitana 18 are a revolutionary A-frame or ‘U’ shape, with twin fixed stocks or chords, but adjustable flaps.

Meanwhile the rig is not only a canting wing mast, but is designed to bend to allow the crew to control the mainsail’s power – particularly in the shift between take-off and flight, and in squally conditions where the trimaran could become overpowered. It’s another element which is entirely new on this scale, and is the first Ultim mast made by Southern Spars in New Zealand.

“With this new boat, we hope to achieve as close to perfect flight as possible. Ideally, we’ll be able to fly very high without ever touching the waves. We hope to be able to fly in 3m waves and reach an average sailing speed bordering on 40 knots”, explains Charles Caudrelier, the skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 18.

The team told me that top speed potential is over 55 knots.

Gitana 18: designed to fly

The project was designed by known out-of-the-box thinker Guillaume Verdier with the 30-man in-house team at Gitana. Its primary goal is to foil for 100% of its sailing time, achieved by both decreasing the wind strength at which it can foil, while also sustaining higher average speeds at flight.

It builds on much of the knowledge, data and experience the team have gained from their previous Gitana 17 (now Actual Ultim 4), which was launched eight years ago and became the most optimised and successful of all the 100ft trimarans, winning the Transat Jacques Vabre, Route du Rhum, and Arkea Ultim Challenge, while covering over 200,000 miles of ocean.

The new Gitana 18 in the team base in Lorient

Owner Ariane de Rothschild also spoke at the launch, which she attended with her daughters. They are represented on the boat’s spectacular livery, designed by French artistic duo Florian and Michaël Quistrebert, in collaboration with the Palais de Tokyo. Gitana 18 is the 28th boat in the Rothschild/Gitana stable, which next year celebrates 150 years in the sport.

“Within my family, we’ve always enjoyed a passion for competition, performance and also one of technological disruption. It’s about being disruptive, knowing how to take risks, gauging them and managing them. This is fully in line with our philosophy,” said Ariane de Rothschild.”

The Rothschild family and Gitana team hosted a spectacular unveiling of the newest Ultim, Gitana 18,  on Wednesday 3 December.

You can’t rush perfection, and the boat is definitely launching a little later than anticipated, but a project of this magnitude will take months to work up. Its first event will be the 2026 Route du Rhum, which skipper Caudrelier will be looking to defend his title in, before taking on solo around the world and crewed Jules Verne record bids.

We’ll take an in-depth look at this incredible creation in the February issue of Yachting World, out January 8th.

The post Have you ever seen rudders like that before? Radical top-secret Gitana 18 Ultim unveiled appeared first on Yachting World.

For many cruising couples the liveaboard life is a shared ambition worked and saved towards for years, before setting off together, alone. For others, the decision to sail two-up is an evolution, borne of an increase in skill and knowledge, and the desire to reclaim peace and privacy on board after sailing with crew. But expectation and reality do not always align, so how do you ensure the experience matches the vision you both held?

We canvassed dozens of cruisers on how to run a happy ship for two. Many knew couples whose relationship did not survive living aboard. All had strategies to avoid the same pitfalls, and generously shared their advice.

Who knows more?

Few of our cruising couples had similar levels of sailing experience as each other initially. “A very definite no,” says Miranda Baker on that question. “Elliot had his RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and a ton of experience crewing and teaching sailing. I’d spent six weeks ‘crewing’ a boat through the Whitsundays in my early 20s – but don’t remember the sails ever being raised. I think this disparity worked in our favour because it was clear who would be in charge.” The couple have so far sailed 15,000 miles from New Zealand to Indonesia.

More important was how each pairing developed those skills. “One bit of advice we always give is to make sure you level-up your sailing experience as much as possible,” says Charlotte DC. She and partner JP Baudains are circumnavigating, and also run a brokerage company, often advising new cruisers on bluewater yachts.

“Stressful situations at sea can be even worse when only one person feels like they can be ‘dealing with the boat’ at that time,” she adds. “It makes the other person feel guilty and unimportant.”

Miranda Baker and Elliot Russo have cruised 15,000 miles on their 1985 steel Mason 48 Fortaleza. Photo: Miranda Baker & Elliot Russo

Get better together

Fundamentally, it’s a safety consideration. “I’d never been on a sailing boat before we met. I quickly decided, however, that if Neil went overboard i wanted to [be able to] sail the boat back to land so i did lots of sailing courses and got my Yachtmaster Offshore before we left,” recalls Helen Smith, who spent four years circumnavigating with her husband, Neil, on their s&s 40, then later bought a Moody 54 which they sailed across the Atlantic.

Kate Ashe-Leonard took a rigorous approach to up-skilling before she and partner Jim Hooper set off on their Catana 47. “Jim had sailed his whole life whereas i had never sailed before.

“In the first few months we divided the sailing quite evenly but i was always under Jim’s watchful eye. After a day of sailing, at anchor we’d discuss the manoeuvres we’d done (for example, raising and dropping the mainsail).

i would type them up into a step-by-step written procedure to make sure i really understood what was going on and why each step is important.”

Discuss how you will divide roles – from sailing to maintenance, navigation, paperwork and domestic tasks. Photo: Tor Johnson

But with so many demands on your time when preparing for a voyage, it can be a struggle to get the hours in. “Will grew up cruising offshore with his family. i had little to no sailing experience,” recalls Sarah Curry. “In the years that we were saving to buy our first bluewater boat we sailed locally out of Vancouver for a cumulative three weeks. i focused more on taking navigation courses and reading as much as i could.

“Will’s seamanship and skill is amazing, but i initially struggled as the far less experienced sailor. It’s hard to take direction all the time! i often felt jealous of couples who learned together or had sailing skills at similar levels. In hindsight, i should have used our preparation years to hone my on-the-water skills,” she acknowledges.

It worked out though – the couple have lived aboard for over 10 years, raising twins on board while also running wind vane company Hydrovane.

Photo: Tor Johnson

Who does what?

There are broadly two schools of thought on how to split roles on board: divide equally, or play to your strengths. The critical thing is to ensure that one member of the team doesn’t end up doing all the sailing and technical jobs, with the other de-skilled.

Janneke Kuysters and Wietze van der Laan were closely matched in their experience levels. “Many couples need to have a clear ‘captain’ role on board. We don’t believe in that. The person closest to the wheel (or on watch) has the best oversight and takes the decisions,” says Janneke.

“Wietze is the better sailor, so he sails the boat while i do everything around it: food, radio, weather, navigation, paperwork, berth reservations, etc. We strongly believe in doing what you’re good at, instead of both wanting to be able to do all the jobs. Despite being together all day, you need to have something to talk about. And having achieved something you’re proud of is good for the ‘catch up’ at the end of the day.”

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“i had a vision that certain areas would be really equal in our roles – everything down to the marine electrics or engine maintenance and so on,” recalls Larissa Clark, who is cruising the Pacific with Duncan Copeland and their two sons.

“i tried to prepare towards that before we left, going on courses where i didn’t have the expertise. Two days into a marine electrics course, where it felt like every chapter ended with the word ‘Fire!’, i decided actually there were areas it was just better to divide and conquer. Electrics is definitely not my strength, but it is very much Duncan’s. But i always like to ask a lot of questions so i can understand the decisions that we’re making, and vice versa.”

Helen Harbour and her husband, David, sail their 46ft Amel ketch around six months of each year. Helen described a typical division of roles among our cruising couples: “i do the planning, navigation and piloting. David does the maintenance. i helm to anchor and pick up buoys. David helms to bring us into marinas. We both do all sailing roles, either together, or on our own. We both stand our own, equal length watches, carrying out all boat handling on our own, night or day.”

Kate Ashe-Leonard and Jim Hooper have sailed halfway around the world on their Catana 47 Polaris. Photo: Jim Hooper

“More demanding manoeuvres, we make sure that we do together,” observes Miguel and Claire Queiroz, who crossed to the Caribbean in their Fountaine Pajot 47.

“There were no clear cut roles for us. We had a sign above the companionway saying ‘The Captain’s Word is Law’. The only issue was that we both captained on and off, sometimes making it confusing which of us was the law and which of us was the law-breaker!” recall Sarah and Rasmus Haurum Christensen, who have lived aboard their Beneteau 423 for a year.

“We were convinced that a flat structure was the best way, and that turned out to be wholly right. But for longer passages we establish a dedicated captain. This means that if all hell broke loose, this person had the main responsibility and last word.”

Most double-handed couples sail a large proportion of miles solo, but work together on more challenging manoeuvres. Photo: Nikkey Dawn/SV Freeranger

Domestic duties

Many couples reported that domestic duties were more equally shared on board than on land. Seasickness is the often unspoken reason why one half of a couple takes on more domestic tasks.

“Wietze gets seasick. Making him cook or get a weather forecast would make him unnecessarily miserable. So he sails the boat outside, i do everything inside,” explains Janneke.

“While we tried to split boat jobs and domestic jobs as evenly as possible, the simple fact is that i don’t get seasick and can knock out a meal in most sea states, whereas i wouldn’t have a clue where to start fixing the watermaker or the generator. It made sense to play to our strengths and skill sets,” says Philippa Steventon, who cruised Europe and the Caribbean with her family on their Bowman 40.

“When we moved onto the boat i volunteered Elliot to deal with the composting loo, a task that involves a trowel. His tax for us living his dream!” adds Miranda.

Downwind in big seas – fun sailing, but potentially stressful two-up. Photo: Tor Johnson

What do you both want?

Having equal ‘buy in’ is important to mutual happiness. “What is most important is discussing your expectations: what does each person want to get out of cruising? That’s what we see most of the fights are about on other boats. In many cases, one is fulfilling a lifetime dream and the other is going along to keep the relationship going,” says Janneke. “That person is prone to homesickness, boredom and unhappiness.”

“We met so many couples where one – usually the wife – was there because it was her husband’s dream,” seconds Philippa Steventon.

Drilling down into expectations is important. “We are very lucky that we both equally sought this lifestyle, and have similar feelings about the sorts of places we like to go, and the balance between visiting well-known versus more challenging destinations,” explains James and Jayne Pearce, who live on their Garcia Exploration 45 Scout. “If one partner dreams about long bluewater passages, and the other dreams about socialising by a marina pool, then there are going to be some painful misunderstandings!”

Larissa Clark and Duncan Copeland are cruising the Pacific while running the Free Range Ocean citizen science directory. Photo: Free Range Ocean

But you don’t have to bring equal experience to have equal involvement. “When you start out there will be one of you that is more confident in sailing or handling the conditions than the other. We learned early on that you really need to drive to the level of comfort where you are both happy. That may be a bit frustrating for the more experienced partner, but as time and experience move forward, trust is built allowing confidence to grow,” say Carl and Joanna Greenwood, who have been cruising their Lagoon 42 Rockhopper since 2021.

“Passage planning and weather routing really is a joint process. We both make a decision together as to whether to go or stay. If one of us is uncomfortable about the conditions then we don’t go. This way there are no ‘i told you so’ moments,” they add.

“It’s inevitable you are going to have bad passages and anchorages that don’t work out. But it’s important that it is both of our decisions, never just one person’s, so there’s no blame when things don’t go to plan. When we commit to something we have got to be in it together,” agree Simon McKenna and Soph Snijders, who are sailing their Duncanson 34 Nakama around Australia (and documenting it on their ‘Slim & Soph’ youtube channel).

Sarah and Will Curry cruise with their twin boys, and remotely run the Hydrovane windvane company. Photo: Will & Sarah Curry

But big changes can put pressure on the cruising dream at any stage. “Sailing life is a huge undertaking. Working remotely adds a new element of time management. Parenting on board was a natural progression for us but the combination of all three ‘jobs’ landed us in the Red Zone,” recalls Sarah Curry. “We found ourselves in la Paz, Mexico, with toddler twin boys learning to walk on the boat, in the middle of Covid, with emails to answer, while trying to re-visit our favourite anchorages.

“Our challenge was admitting to each other that we weren’t having any fun. We had to slow down for a few years, which is not in our nature.”

Jessy and Chet Chauhan are cruising the world on their Nautitech 46 Open catamaran Navasana. Photo: Sailing Navasana

Problem solving

Every couple has their flashpoints, largely depending on their boat set-up. One recurring issue our couples reported was handing downwind sails double-handed.

“For us downwind sailing in following seas presents the biggest challenge,” say Eamonn Naughton and Brigid McMahon, who have cruised their Rustler 42 for over seven seasons. “We carry a parasailor for downwind sailing and use a poled-out headsail when winds are in excess of 20 knots. Lowering the parasailor and gybing the pole in heavy seas can be very challenging double-handed. So when the weather gets up we now tend to sail on a broad reach (less than $160^\circ$ twa), gybe when required, and take the hit on course and vmg.”

“Wing on wing is the sail plan we most enjoy and have perfected,” say the Currys. “Our first boat came with a huge spinnaker pole strapped on the side of the deck. It was incredibly cumbersome, and even dangerous, for us to manoeuvre as a couple. We immediately had it mounted on a track on the mast for ease of deployment.

“We practice, practice, practice pole deployment and gybing. A well-balanced boat is essential for self steering, so we take this seriously and always use a pole on our monohulls when reaching or sailing dead downwind.”

Irish couple Eamonn Naughton and Brigid McMahon sailing their Rustler 42 Mor Toad. Photo: Eamonn Naughton & Brigid McMahon

‘Marriage savers’

Some double-handed issues can be solved by changing your gear. “Recently in Raja Ampat, Indonesia, we found it challenging in very tight anchorages where you have to use multiple shore lines,” recall Jessy and Chet Chauhan, cruising their Nautitech 46 Catamaran. “Chet had secured one line but while he was getting the second one attached, a squall came through that pushed the boat towards the reef. Jessy couldn’t use the engines, because the first shore line was under the boat and close to the propellers. We now have floating lines to tie to shore, which should allow Jessy to use the engines at any time.”

But by far the most common point of contention was mooring up. “Bella was Scheel keeled and particularly painful to manoeuvre in close quarters. This meant parking was 100% our biggest source of stress. We really didn’t want to be one of those couples screaming at each other going into marinas so we learned to get really calm and quiet coming in to dock,” says Philippa Steventon. Early preparation, doubling up lines and fenders on both sides, and refusing assistance from well-meaning bystanders helped smooth the process.

Many couples recommended radio headsets, often referred to as ‘marriage savers’. “For moments of potential contention we use headsets. In marinas, sometimes anchoring if it looks tricky, or when Elliot goes up the mast. The headsets have definitely reduced the need for raised voices – now we can whisper our insults at each other,” says Miranda Baker.

Simon McKenna and Sophie Snijders are rounding Australia on their Duncanson 34 Nakama. Photo: Sailing Nakama

Sarah Haurum Christensen feels there are three options for stress-free berthing: “Figure out some good hand signs and hope you understand each other; yell across 43ft, a rumbling engine and 30 knots of breeze; or buy headsets and dock like pros but look like boomers!

“We established clear hand signs, and yelled, which did not always end well. The most important tip here is to establish a method for dealing with arguments after a manoeuvre, and to debrief if arguments arose.”

Is it worth it?

There’s no doubt that living on board will test a relationship like – almost – nothing else.

“We consider this the ultimate Ikea test!” says Sarah and Rasmus. “The Ikea test normally entails building flatpack furniture as a couple, and success means you can do anything together. Try doing plumbing in the bilge together at 0300 in 4m waves because you had a fresh water hose explode!”

Somira Sao and partner James Burwick took a more extreme approach before going sailing with their young children on an Open 40 – continuing as their family grew to six children on a 50ft trimaran. “We were unique in that we never had a land life together in the traditional sense. We did not come from a world where we had to downsize from a four-bedroom house,” Somira explains. “All of our time living together involved an expedition lifestyle – bike packing for 12 months, living in vans etc.

“Before you commit to going sailing, we highly recommend doing some off-grid expeditions together. It’s a good litmus test for what will happen when you’re in a small space on a boat together in the middle of the ocean.”

For many couples the shared time together is a huge draw to double-handed liveaboard cruising. Photo: Tor Johnson

Prepare for some teething problems, even if you are experienced cruisers. “On both our long voyages, we have learned that the first three months are the most challenging,” says Janneke Kuysters. “You have to get used to living together on the boat, to being underway all the time and letting go of everything you were used to.

“For many people, their job is part of their identity. So if the job is no longer there, they have to find their new identity as a cruiser. We always advise to give it time and allow yourself to get used to your new way of life before making big changes.”

But the rewards are huge. “We spent 18 months living aboard while completing the World ARC,” says John DiMatteo and his wife Angela. “In addition to sharing a life changing experience (for the better), the biggest benefit was greatly improving how we communicate with each other. It brought us much closer together at an age where many couples start to drift apart.”

“i am glad i didn’t know how scary it can be,” reflects Miranda Baker, whose partner Elliot faced a life-threatening medical emergency in a remote anchorage. “i’m not sure if i’d have put my hand up, and that would have been a shame. This life probably makes or breaks relationships, so i am proud of our resilience as a couple.”

She concludes: “The immersive experience of exploring our planet by sailboat is a wild ride but the reward is equal in measure. We experience a freedom to choose what’s next for ourselves that’s rare for most humans. We are humbled by enormous, star bursting skies and by important things breaking in remote places.

“We have each other’s backs. And, when Elliot and i are very old, we will have a thousand crazy stories to reminisce over and laugh about.”

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“If someone gave you a lottery ticket with a 33 % chance of winning $2m, you’d snap their hand off!” said Dylan Fletcher, helmsman of the Emirates Great Britain Team during last weekend’s SailGP Grand Finale in Abu Dhabi.

And certainly for a lot of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix Season Grand Final – an event title which took almost as long to say as it took the F50s to get to the top mark – luck seemed to be playing a significant part in results, with zephyr-light winds and exceptionally short course plunging the season’s most consistent performers down the leaderboard.

At first watch even the final looked to come down to a ‘Hail Mary’ decision when the British team, who were third – or last – off the line split from the leading duo of Australia’s Bonds Flying Roos and New Zealand Black Foils to hook into a convenient shift and come out on top.

But, as Fletcher explains, that’s not quite how it happened.

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

SailGP leaders play it safe

Abu Dhabi was a new venue for the SailGP final, previously in San Francisco, and first impressions frankly weren’t great. Racing on the first day took place in very light winds – often just 5-7 knots – with the teams deploying the newest 27.5 wing rig, extra large light wind T-foils and just three crew onboard to make racing feasible in the very marginal conditions.

Fortunately the waters off Port Zayed were undisturbed – there was a notable lack of spectator boats. The race village was also smaller than some previous venues, with no giant grandstand packed with the roaring crowds of Auckland or Portsmouth. This was not a showcase of the stadium-filling, crowd-pleasing racing that SailGP can deliver – though it was a marker of the financial appeal of the league, with the event sponsored by the Sports Council of Abu Dhabi.

In the light, sub-foiling conditions and super-short courses, winning the start became everything, with Denmark, Switzerland and Germany having the best of the first day. At the end of four races three of the the top four teams – Emirates SailGP, Australia and Spain – were the sitting firmly in the bottom four on the leaderboard. The Kiwis only slightly redeemed themselves in 8th.

What, I asked Dylan, was going on?

“I think, honestly, you could have called it before the event,” Fletcher says.

Article continues below…

British star, Dylan Fletcher on jumping straight to the top of the SailGP leaderboard

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“There was a lot of teams who had couldn’t go up or down in the season championship; the points were basically closed off. Then you also had a bunch of teams changing people. And they were going to take risk. They were going to push it really hard.

“And I think we were all just so focused on doing what we needed to do to get into the Grand Final. As soon as it was that light, in reality, we want to win the actual Abu Dhabi event itself – but actually we don’t really care! We just want to make sure that we win the season points. So we inevitably ended up watching the other boats.

“We stopped taking as much risks as you don’t want to crash. We saw that the Kiwis got a rudder written off because the Swiss just sailed into them. And the Italians nearly took our rudder off with their foil. So there’s no wind, and there’s all these other boats pushing it, effectively.

“But it was funny, wasn’t it? It was like, oh, we’ve had a worst day of the entire year, but so have the other top four. So it doesn’t matter.”

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

The British had effectively pre-booked their slot in the Grand Final, though there was still a chance for the Spanish to fight their way back in. “I think the Spanish will feel obviously annoyed they didn’t make it, but the opportunity was there. All the other teams are doing terribly. They just needed to have a normal day and they would have been in very good shape!” points out Fletcher.

Super SailGP Sunday

On Sunday there was slightly more breeze nudging the F50s back up onto their foils and four crew back on board. Fletcher and the British squad came out firing, winning the first race. Was there a big team talk to reset the night before?

“I think we were very pragmatic about it, as we always are. We know that in reality, not foiling H2 [mode, two hulls in the water] there’s always more jeopardy, there’s more luck. You just got to do things a bit differently.

“[For Sunday] we came up with a different starting strategy. And from looking at the data on the other boats, came up with some things to make the boat go faster if we weren’t foiling. Although it was obviously foiling conditions, but we did actually adopt that start approach for the first two starts. I think there’s no doubt that our team is more comfortable when we’re foiling. And I think it showed on that Sunday.”

The teams had sailed with both the larger wings and foils previously, but not together. “It was new for the event. So we’d got one day. We’d used the foils before – they were from Geneva, and we used them in Cadiz. So [the change] was mainly the weight and the extra power of the 27.5m wing. You feel the extra weight, and it changes some of the moding. Once foiling, it’s a little more similar. But you do end up sailing a little higher, slower upwinds, and a little lower and slower downwind, basically.”

Sailing the F50s three-up also requires some ninja-levels of multi-tasking. “There are certain manoeuvres which you can’t do or it gets exceptionally challenging. And four people is a lot easier than three. Having someone to be able to grind, and then having effectively the pilot back to being a pilot really makes a difference.”

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

The $2m lottery

On the live broadcast on Day 2 Fletcher made a comment to his crew about the ‘lottery’ conditions. The SailGP commentary team took umbrage, but there was clearly a roll the dice element to the course.

“I guess there’s always an element of luck, and yes, it’s probably a little bit larger [in those conditions]. But interestingly or not, we had the best finish positions. You could have scored it any way the entire year, and we would have won. So there is a lot of jeopardy in that final race – and I think I said on the start of the final, ‘Welcome to the $2 million lottery’.

“But the idea behind that was that, yes, we won the points season. And yes, we’re sailing very well. But just because of that, that doesn’t mean that we are in any better position than the other two boats.

“If someone handed you a lottery ticket with a 33% chance of winning, you’d snap their hand off. So it’s just trying to see it as a massive opportunity and be open to enjoy it, basically. Enjoy it.”

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

Getting angry

But the fluky conditions didn’t play to everybody’s strengths. How hard was it for Dylan and co to keep their head in the game with this level of unpredictability?

“I think that was a real testament to the team on Saturday. We had obviously a challenging day. And we were still the same team. We were still smiling. We didn’t fall out. We weren’t getting angry… other people from some of the other teams were getting quite angry! And we didn’t get angry.

“I think that’s why I think we won, because of that is how our team operates. And we consistently are able to continue to solve the problem. We’ve had bad times this year, in America, where we didn’t do a very good job of that. And the results followed, basically, because we weren’t doing a very good job as a team.

“And I think that’s what I’m really proud of how the team operated.”

Final showdown

In the final itself it all seemed to come down to one key manoeuvre. GBR lagged off the start, then split at the leeward mark. But that decision was far from a fluke, Fletcher explains.

“We’d been working on it for seven weeks on how to win the Grand Final.

“For the start, we obviously didn’t want to be late, but we did want that approach. We just were trying to be on time. And we were happy to throw some risk at potentially being late. But we’d done a lot of analysis on, ‘Okay, well, if we don’t lead at Mark 1, what’s our next opportunity?.’

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

“We’d already discussed that we wanted to take the right turn at the bottom, if nothing had changed significantly from the racing beforehand. So we set ourselves up deliberately early on that gybe out to get a really good fast layline into the bottom. The Kiwis went round, but they were really slow. And we’d practised that ‘JK’ [manoeuvre] in some of the races, actually. So we’d set that up.

“Effectively we were using some of the fleet racing to try and practise a few things that we might do. So I felt pretty – not happy, but I felt very much when we went around the leeward and tacked, it was, okay, all the boats are level at this point. It’s completely even.

“I was actually surprised we weren’t further ahead. When we tacked back onto starboard, and the Kiwis were on port, I thought we would potentially be ahead. I was kind of annoyed that we weren’t, to be honest! But we also had decided that, again, if nothing had changed, we wanted the right turn at the top. So how we tried to orchestrate that up the beat [was] to be out of phase, set up for the right turn at the top with the other boats probably having to take the left, and they would have a difficult decision to make.

“That’s the key for me. They had a difficult decision if they wanted to take the right turn off us. And to be honest, as soon as we bore away, I was like, ‘it’s ours to lose’, because we took the bias mark and we were already faster.”

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

Fletcher’s make or break moment

To go from new ‘driver’ to SailGP champion is a remarkable feat. What were the team performance goals when he took over the wheel a year ago?

“It was to be in the Grand Final. So it was to win, but the actual goal was always get in the grand final.

“I’ve still been nicely… maybe surprised isn’t the right way of putting it, but I always felt like in my career, when I’ve been doing well, you’re not expecting it. You know you’re capable of it, but you don’t think it’s just going to happen. You always feel slightly on edge. I very much felt like that this whole year. And the team has just done a good job of learning all the new kit and giving me the opportunity to make mistakes, having come back in.

“I felt as though after America, then when we came to Portsmouth, I thought that was make a break for me, that event. If we didn’t go and get on the podium there – or maybe not even on the podium, but if we didn’t have a very good event, get the team back together, then that would be it. We would just be in the middle. So delivering there [was key]. And then I think also delivering in Sassnitz after the disappointment of getting the boat cut in half and everything, and the team really pulled together.

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

The biggest prize in sailing

SailGP’s famous $2 Million final prize is a great headline. But how important is it for Fletcher to be racing for serious cash?

“I think it is important, but I also think that we all care more about beating the others than the money. Yeah, the money is great, don’t be wrong. It’s obviously lovely. But the reality is, you just want to beat the others.

“I think Jensen Button said one time, all he wanted to be was an F1 world champion, and he’d trade everything. He didn’t care about his salary, he just wanted to win, be a world champion.

“I think that it’s a good amount of money in terms of it does raise the stakes, it does change people’s decision making. It adds quite a lot of extra spice effectively to it.

“But I also would probably say I’d like to see a bit more money for the season points because that is the traditionalist in me, that still thinks that valuing the points over the entire season is – maybe not more worthy because this is SailGP and SailGP has always been about winning that grand final. But the [overall] points to me is also quite important.”

Fletcher’s winners’ Rolex watch, however, is treasured. “I’ve been trying to win one of these for 37 years!” he jokes as he tried it on.

Photo: c/o Emirates GBR

Transfer season

The flip side of all the money apparently sloshing around is SailGP are trying to ramp up interest in their ‘transfer season’. Have the Brits guys put a target on their backs for being poached?

“People have been chasing!” He laughs. “But Ben’s done a good job and we’re in a really good shape going forward. And I think that as people are getting longer contracts and getting locked in a bit more, to be honest.

SailGP now has a brief ‘off-season’ before the 2026 circuit kicks off in Perth in January.

“It’s six weeks to the next event. It’s less time between the Grand Final and the first event of the season than it was between Cadiz and Abu Dhabi,” points out Fletcher.

Though the break is welcome, “We’d rather be sailing!” He says, adding, “I guess for myself, because I’m still new into it.

“Experience means that when you take a break, you come back and you’re still at that same level. So I work quite hard, do what I can between the events to try and ensure that I’m as sharp as I can be. Even before the Grand Final, I was Moth sailing, 49er racing, and just doing anything.”

It’s a fair bet Fletcher will be coming back sharp and hungry in January.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post How the Brits won SailGP: Dylan Fletcher’s full debrief appeared first on Yachting World.

Seen one Caribbean island, seen them all? Not at all: the region offers amazing diversity, from incredible habitats to vibrant cultures. For many cruisers the Caribbean is an extended stopover destination – a delightful cruising ground for one season, often en route from Europe to the Pacific, or as the highlight of the Atlantic Circuit. But if you look closer, there are many opportunities to stay longer.

The hurricane season from June to December effectively cuts the Caribbean cruising year in two, between blissful sailing in winter and spring, and the need to store your yacht in a safe place for six months. This is when many cruisers either fly home or travel inland to memorable places within reach, for instance Central or South America.

The six safe cruising months can be used to explore the Caribbean in depth. If you do it clockwise you make the most of the prevailing wind and current.

While the Caribbean is renowned for short passages between islands, the whole sailing area is surprisingly large: to complete the full ‘circle’, you’d need four seasons. The geography of the region means you can make as many shortcuts as you like, or you could use each year to explore the four cardinal directions of the compass: east, south, west, north.

Sandy Spit near Green Cay, British Virgin Islands. Photo:Christian Wheatley/Getty

Eastern arrival

There is nothing better than making landfall at a Caribbean island after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Typically, yachts arrive in December or January and have five months available to explore the nearest island chains.

If you plan to cruise for multiple seasons in the Caribbean, it pays to aim for a destination further north in the Leeward Islands. Making Antigua your first stop and dropping the anchor in the sheltered Falmouth Harbour or English Harbour is a moment to savour. After celebrating your ocean crossing and exploring the island, you can either go north to Saint Barth, Sint Maarten or Anguilla or you use the prevailing east/north-easterly winds to carry you south to the other Leeward and Windward islands.

In winter, the north-east tradewinds blow with regularity and the days and nights are pleasantly warm. In summer and autumn, the tradewinds get lighter, but the threat of hurricanes increases.

There are many options to choose from as you sail south. Machiel Hermans and Liselotte Goddijn cruised their Root 51 Pitou extensively in the Caribbean.

Palm-fringed beach. Photo: imageBBroker/Alamy

“All the islands are different and each has its own unique character. We love the French islands, because of the culture and the culinary delights. Nothing beats eating a delicious croissant for breakfast under a swaying palm tree,” Liselotte says.

Machiel adds: “The Caribbean is a windy place, but if you keep a keen eye on the weather forecast you can make beautiful and comfortable passages.”

At the southern end of the Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago offer many options to store your yacht for the hurricane season.

Some adventurous cruisers head even further south-west to Suriname, the smallest country in South America, where you could wait out hurricane season inland up the Suriname River. But be aware, visiting sailors have reported that there are little to no facilities for parts or repairs, and paperwork can be cumbersome.

Machiel Hermans and Liselotte Goddijn have cruised the Caribean in their Root 51 Pitou. Photo: Machiel Hermans

Staying south

Typically many cruisers head south to avoid the hurricane belt, which means the second year of an extended Caribbean cruise could be spent exploring the south Caribbean Sea. Alan and Terry Ryall cruised their 50ft Island Packet Seminole Wind for 12 years in the Caribbean. Alan recalls: “Sailing from Grenada to the Dutch ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) is delightful. It’s a downwind sail and with the help of the strong west-going equatorial current, we made excellent speed.”

Terry adds: “The three Dutch islands are very different. The diving and snorkelling around Bonaire is incredibly beautiful. To protect the coral, you can’t anchor there. The available mooring balls are situated just at the dropoff, so you literally jump off the back of the boat for the most amazing underwater vistas.”

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Curaçao is the largest of the three and, apart from the quaint pastel coloured buildings, has good facilities for visiting cruisers. In the Spanish Water natural lagoon, many yachts anchor in sheltered conditions or haul out for the hurricane season. Aruba is delightful as well, and despite a lot of tourism on the island there are still authentic places to be found. Machiel Hermans notes: “There are excellent yacht storage options on Aruba, both in water and on land.”

From Aruba it’s just 250-300 miles to the South American mainland and Colombia. Despite the country having a – perhaps unfair – reputation for being unsafe, many cruisers report it to be a fascinating and attractive destination, with diverse ecosystems and culture.

The old walled city of Cartagena is a highlight for many cruisers, as well as Santa Marta, where the yacht can be left for some inland travel as well. Passage to Colombia from the ABC islands can be rough, especially when sailing closer to the coast in shallower water. There is the option to stop in Colombia and store your yacht for the hurricane season in Santa Marta or Barranquilla, or continue westward toward the San Blas islands and Panama, where there are also storage options in Shelter Bay Marina.

English Harbour, Antigua. Photo: Greg Balfour Evans/Alamy

The west-bound passage to Panama is best made when summer approaches, by April or May, as the tradewinds are not as strong and the downwind passage can be made more comfortably. In winter, the tradewinds are at their strongest and large seas can be expected on the way west.

On the way to Panama the idyllic Guna Yala, or San Blas islands, are a must-see. The indigenous Guna people are very welcoming of cruisers to their islands and keen to share their culture. “The Guna are hunter-gatherers and it is fascinating to see how they forage in their dug out canoes,” says Terry Ryall.

Coiba National Park, Panama. Photo: Max Campbell

Western adventures

The western Caribbean offers some lesser known cruising areas, with many countries in Central America blessed with beautiful nature, interesting cultures, hospitable people and delicious food. The many reefs, islets and shoals that dot the coast can make for interesting navigation and many places to drop their anchor.

The prevailing wind tends to be more north than north-east along this coast. However, the influence of land- and sea breezes can help yachts make progress when sailing northwards against the tradewinds.

Terry and Alan have spent many seasons exploring the western Caribbean. “First, it’s far less crowded and commercial than the Windward/Leeward islands, and we find there’s much more contrast and variation in terms of scenery and culture,” Alan explains.

“Second, we find it safe and welcoming: there is far less hassle. And cruising budgets stretch much further here – the value for money is incredible.”

In Panama, the Chagres River is an interesting stop; but most cruisers go to the Bocas del Toro archipelago, near the border with Costa Rica.

Caribbean coast of Colombia, South America. Photo: Christian Kober

The lack of port facilities and limited anchoring opportunities in Costa Rica lead many cruisers to visit the country by land with the boat safely tucked up in Shelter Bay, Panama.

“The Colombian Islands of Providencia and San Andreas are a great stop off north of Panama: they are around 100 miles to the east of Nicaragua and well to the south of the shallow banks at the northern tip of Nicaragua,” says Alan. “There are reports of Nicaraguan drug smugglers using the fishing camps on the small islands in the banks so it’s wise to take an outside route and avoid the inner channels.

“From there, it’s not that far to the jewel in the crown of this area: the Bay of Islands of Honduras. There are three different islands, which are all very different.

“The friendly people, the fascinating coral which you can explore either diving or snorkelling, the facilities for yachts – it’s just a wonderful place where many cruisers linger longer than expected.”

Off the coast of Belize, the natural wonders are also renowned – particularly the diving along the Mesoamerican reef, the second largest barrier reef in the world. Belize has attracted some small-scale charter yacht fleets, but the cost of permits for visiting yachts is much higher than other countries in the region.

Spectacular isolation in Panama’s Rio Chagres. Photo: Tor Johnson

Continuing north allows you to explore the coast of Mexico. Beyond the overdeveloped tourism of Cancun, the Yucatan peninsula has interesting and historic places to offer. The Yucatan Channel has a reputation for confused seas thanks to the many currents coming from different directions: the Yucatan current flows from the north, the Gulf Stream flows from the south into the Gulf of Mexico, while prevailing easterly winds and tides push in from Cuba.

For hurricane season, a widely recommended option is to go to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala, a long, winding river which widens in a few places to create sheltered lagoons – the largest a spot where yachts assemble in the hurricane season. Terry: “Our boat has a relatively shallow draught. Boats of up to 2m can get over the bar to get into Rio Dulce. Deeper draught boats may look for hurricane season storage in Panama (Shelter Bay).

“There is a big freshwater lagoon in the middle of the jungle. No hurricane has ever passed there. We’ve spent five hurricane seasons in Rio Dulce and call it a ‘sticky place’, because once you’ve discovered it, it’s hard to leave. There are several first class boat yards for haulouts and refit work. The quality of the workmanship and the low prices are very attractive.”

Brent Grimbeek and Ana Hill, seasoned circumnavigators on Impi, a Lagoon 440, are currently in Rio Dulce: “There is a large social network between cruisers here, with lots of organised get-togethers and trips. Many restaurants and bars make for a lively atmosphere,” they report. “And the jungle is incredible: we spotted hummingbirds nesting in front of our eyes, there are toucans and in the water the odd dugong cruises by.”

Alan and Terry Ryall sail the 50ft Island Packet Seminole Wind. Photo: Alan Ryall

Northern Antilles

If you have a fourth year to explore the Caribbean, or want to stay further north, you could spend a season in the Greater Antilles, before heading back to Europe in spring – or exploring the Gulf of Mexico or the US east coast.

Cuba, the Cayman islands, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico are larger islands that affect the local weather conditions due to their height and position. The land breeze at night counters the tradewinds, giving calm conditions. Sailing west from Central America inevitably means a lot of upwind work, but you can track south of the islands to get shelter from wind and waves as you go along, with many stops that can be made underway. Alternatively, passing the islands on the north side gives the advantage of east-going Luperon current.

Guna Yala in the San Blas islands of Panama. Photo: Max Campbell

Both the northern and southern coasts of Cuba are interesting to visit, and between the reefs and shoals offshore there are many secure anchorages. The Bahia de Jagua on the south side has a marina, where you can moor your yacht to explore inland. Just south of Cuba is Jamaica. Near the capital Kingston the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club offers a warm welcome to cruisers.

The Dominican Republic has long been a favourite for cruisers, especially in the large Luperon Bay in the north or Samana in the north-east, which are both ports of entry. And the last stop for many before returning to Europe is the lovely island of Puerto Rico. You could opt to just stop in the capital San Juan, but if more time is available a cruise along the south side of Puerto Rico offers great anchorages. On the east side of Puerto Rico is the large Marina del Rey, where your yacht can be moored for provisioning and clearance for the long passage to Europe.

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Today’s cruising monohulls tend to have full forward sections and rather bluff bows that markedly increase interior volumes forward. But how do these new hull shapes handle stronger winds? We had the opportunity to test the Dufour 48 in a gusty west-north-westerly of 15 to 26 knots during a blustery interlude between mid-summer heatwaves. It was a perfect chance to find out the answer to that question in testing conditions for any single-rudder monohull that offers a huge amount of accommodation for its length.

Close reaching with full sail at a 70° true wind angle we made an impressive 9.4 knots maximum speed in the gusts. The single rudder felt well loaded at this stage, but with no signs of losing grip.

After bearing away to a true wind angle of 110°, our speed hovered consistently between 8.5 and 9 knots with the boat feeling very comfortable, whether steering by hand or using the autopilot, and we were racking up the miles surprisingly quickly.

The additional beam in the Dufour 48’s forward sections boosts an already high level of form stability, which clearly helps resist excess heel, even in powerful gusts.

On the other hand, the sail plan of our test boat – a big mainsail paired with a small and very high aspect ratio self-tacking jib that depowers towards the head as soon as the sheet is cracked – would have quickly revealed the flaws of many older single rudder designs.

When I first sailed a twin rudder yacht back in the 1990s the level of control it offered, and the feel in the helm, was simply astounding.

I’ve since sailed more than 20,000 miles on dozens of different twin-rudder designs, from 20ft to more than 100ft, including transatlantic and beyond 60° north latitude, and have never been disappointed. However, much has changed in naval architecture over the past 30 years and today good single-rudder designs have far more grip than their forebears.

Felci’s modern, full design provides plenty of power and volume, while the single rudder proved capable and responsive in breeze. Photos: Jean-Marie Liot

Key factors behind this dramatic improvement in handling include moving the rudder further forward under the boat, where it’s clear of turbulence near the transom. It also helps that today’s designs tend to have proportionately more draught and a low centre of gravity bulb keel that improves stability. This also allows a deeper and more efficient rudder blade to be specified, without undue risk of the rudder grounding before the keel.

Today’s hull shapes also have massively high form stability once the chines start to dig in. Maximum heel angles are lower and even big gusts have less effect, which translates directly to reduced steering loads.

In addition, the Dufour 48’s full bow sections provide some balance for the broad transom and, when heeled, the boat tends to track in more of a straight line than older designs that paired a wide stern with a narrow bows. When well-heeled, these boats tend to dig the bows in, while the transom, along with the rudder, lifts out of the water. So the Dufour 48 is fundamentally different to wide stern, single-rudder designs of the 1980s and 1990s.

By the time we turned upwind the breeze was down to 16-19 knots, yet we consistently made 7.5 knots boat speed at a touch over 50° to the true wind. This was with the standard Dacron sails and the mainsail trimmed with a lot of twist to depower. With the higher specification laminate sails that come with the Performance pack, and the first reef in the main, we would have undoubtedly pointed a few degrees higher.

As we bore away onto a broad reach to return to La Rochelle, the breeze had dropped to 15 knots, yet we maintained 7 knots boat speed at 130° TWA. Bearing away further caused this figure to drop quickly and we had neither a Code 0 nor a spinnaker on board to check performance at deeper wind angles.

In any case, the breeze built again to 20-22 knots and we accelerated to 7.5–8.5 knots, even when sailing rather deeper at a 145° true wind angle. And when we luffed up to 125-130° TWA our speed jumped to 9 knots.

Beamy aft sections equate to significant space, particularly with the wide swim platform down. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

Choices on deck

Our test boat was the low-spec easy version, with all lines, including sheets, handled at the companionway.

So it’s impossible to trimming sails from the helm, though in reality when short-handed sailing the pilot is likely to be steering almost all the time and it can be convenient to be able to carry out all key sail handling activities from the shelter of the sprayhood.

The top of the sprayhood would benefit from a window so that the mainsail can be seen easily when hoisting, reefing and trimming.

The ocean version has sail controls on the coamings just forward of the helm stations, where a pair of additional winches are located each side.

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£566,000.00

This model also adds a german mainsheet system, a larger jib sheeted via adjustable tracks on the edge of the coachroof, plus deck fittings to fly an asymmetric spinnaker and code 0.

The performance pack builds on this, adding a longer boom with bigger mainsail and a larger 108% headsail, plus up-rated deck gear including an adjustable backstay and cockpit-mounted mainsheet.

There’s an impressive amount of stowage on deck, including lockers each side of a central lazarette that has ample space for a deflated dinghy, fenders and plenty of other watersport toys. Equally, there are good rope bins ahead of the helm stations and at the companionway. There’s also a sail locker forward, with space for a couple of reaching/downwind sails, plus several additional fenders.

A particularly adaptable layout includes the choice of galley positions. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

Big volume

In addition to increased form stability and better balance when heeled, the hull shape creates a lot more interior volume than earlier designs and the Dufour 48 has the feel of a particularly large 48-footer, both on deck and inside.

As well as increased space within the owner’s cabin, the extra beam forward allows the head of the generously proportioned peninsula berth to be moved forward, thereby creating more length for the remainder of the accommodation.

Two fundamentally different saloon and galley layouts are offered for the 48, and there’s an option of three, four or five cabins, along with two, three or four heads.

The test boat was the so-called long galley version, with a large and well-equipped linear galley to port, plus a very long saloon with a large dining table offset to starboard.

The Increased space is felt in the owner cabin. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

Alternatively, owners can opt for a galley forward arrangement that spans the full width of the boat just aft of the main bulkhead, plus a short settee on the port side and smaller dining area to starboard.

Dufour says sales to date have been split roughly 50/50 between the two options, with experienced sailors from windier parts of the world, including the uk and france, tending to prefer the full-width forward galley, while those from italy and new england are more likely to choose the linear galley.

The concept of flexibility also extends to the two areas immediately ahead of each of the quarter cabins. Both can be fitted out as heads/shower compartments, with the larger one to port having a separate shower stall. Alternatively, the starboard area can become a small office space, with plenty of stowage, and the port one a pullman cabin with two single beds.

Aft cabins are impressively spacious, partly thanks to the high cockpit sole, though natural ventilation is poor as the only opening ports are to the cockpit well, and in the aft coachroof bulkhead. By contrast, the owner’s cabin forward has excellent natural ventilation thanks to opening hatches above the head of the bed on both sides.

A tall, manageable sailplan: large main and high-aspect self-tacker. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot

This area can also be fitted out as two separate en suite cabins for the charter market.

Dufour has ensured key systems are easy to service marine engine and the electric panels particularly deserve mention for their logical layout and ease of getting to the wiring behind. These are also set up to facilitate neat retrofitting of additional equipment.

As with all models now in the Dufour and Fountaine Pajot ranges, the ODSea+ hybrid propulsion rudder system is available as an option. Owners can also specify a hardtop with solar power over the cockpit area.

This wasn’t fitted to the test boat, but assuming there’s appropriate provision to see the mainsail, the idea is appealing for a pure cruiser, adding excellent shelter and a big advantage in terms of autonomy with ample electrical power.

Dufour 48 specifications

LOA: 15.29m 50ft 2in
Hull length: 14.32m 46ft 1in
LWL: 12.23m 43ft 1in
Beam: 4.85m 15ft 1in
Draught (standard keel): 2.35m 8ft 0in
Draught (shoal keel): 1.75m 5ft 11in
Displacement: 13,900kg 30,644lb
Ballast: 3,850kg 8,487lb
Mainsail: 64m2 688ft2
Genoa: 53m2 570ft2
Fuel: 250lt
Water: 530lt
Price as tested: €522,000 including teak deck, electronics, adventure pack and office/heads option
Contact: dufour-yachts.com

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Dufour 48 review: How does this latest big cruiser perform in strong winds? appeared first on Yachting World.

Two sailors have been discovered dead on their yacht, while sailing between Madagascar and Mozambique, off Africa’s south east coast in the Indian Ocean.

The yacht Acteon is a 50-footer registered in France, and was sailing in the Mozambique Channel, around 200 miles north east of Beira, Mozambique.

The two sailors have been named as Deirdre Sibly, 67, of Port Lincoln, Australia, and Frenchman Pascal Mahe. Both are understood to be highly experienced cruisers.

The pair were sailing to Durban, South Africa from Reunion Island, when a distress call was sent from their yacht on Thursday, 27 November, which was received by a cargo ship in the area that alerted French authorities.

Deirdre Sibley, an Australian cruiser reported to have been found dead aboard the yacht she was sailing in the Indian Ocean, in a photo released by her sister Sue Good.

Speaking to The Guardian in Australia, Deirdre Sibly’s sister Sue Good said that the cargo ship approached Acteon but was unable to board the yacht. Two additional vessels then joined the rescue effort, and crew were able to get aboard.

“I had a call from [the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade] at about 10am Friday morning, that’s when they told me someone was able to board the yacht and a man and woman had been found deceased,” Cook confirmed to Guardian Australia.

Speaking to Australian news broadcaster ABC Adelaide, Good was also quoted as saying: “We’re just devastated; she’d been away sailing with Pascal since early June … she was so happy.”

The yacht Acteon, as identified on the Marine Traffic AIS tracking site. Image Fran Solly/Marine Traffic

Piracy speculation

There has been no official indication of a likely cause of death, though some online reports have speculated that piracy may be involved.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian missing in the Mozambique channel”.

A spokesman added: “Our thoughts are with the family at this distressing time.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

Historically there have been numerous incidents of Somali pirates targeting yacht sailors, most high profile of which were the Chandlers, who were kidnapped from their yacht near the Seychelles in 2009 and held captive for over a year before being released in 2011. That same year four American sailors were killed after being hijacked off the coast of Oman.

The Gulf of Aden has been known to be a high risk area for over two decades, although some yachts do still transit the area – 50-60 yachts are estimated to have crossed the Suez Canal in 2023 and 2024.

The reported location of the yacht Acteon when it issued a distress call on 27 November.

The waters further south were previously thought to be lower risk, though a radical Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique, funded in part by drug smuggling from Afghanistan to East Africa, led to authorities warning of an increased piracy risk in the area from 2020/21 onwards.

The Mozambique Channel is a key shipping route, and also a major oil and gas production area.

Madagascar and the eastern side of the channel were previously considered safer, though Madagascar has also experienced political upheaval and unrest, with a coup in November 2025.

The yacht Acteon is understood to still be adrift. We’ll report more when we have further information.

The post Mystery after two cruisers discovered dead aboard yacht in Indian Ocean appeared first on Yachting World.

The Famous Project CIC, the all-women challenge for the Jules Verne Trophy, the non-stop around the world record, departed on Saturday 29 November.

The team, which is skippered by French former Vendée Globe skipper Alexia Barrier and was set up together with British record-breaking yachtswoman Dee Caffari, is aiming to become the first all-female crew to complete a Jules Verne attempt.

But above all they are chasing one of the all-time great sailing records, the non-stop, no-holds-barred around the world record time, which currently stands at 40 days and 23 hours, set by Idec Sport in 2017.

As Dee Caffari posted on her Facebook page: “Sh*t is about to get real!”

Barrier and Caffari are racing with Annemieke Bes, Rebecca Gmuer, Deb Blair, Molly Lapointe, Xiquita Etchegoyen, and Stacey Jackson aboard Idec Sport, the same maxi-trimaran which set the current Jules Verne record in 2017, skippered by Francis Joyon.

The Famous Project CIC, 100% women crew, crossing the start line for Trophée Jules Verne on November 29, in Brest, France. Photo by Jean-Marie Liot / The Famous Project CIC

Starting a Jules Verne challenge

The Jules Verne Trophy has an official start/finish line between the Créac’h lighthouse on the island of Ouessant, France, and Lizard Point lighthouse on the southernmost tip of England.

Crews must sail around the world, passing Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn to port, before crossing the same line in the opposite direction to finish – a ‘great circle’ distance of 21,760 nautical miles (40,300km).

But the Jules Verne has no set start time, so teams may leave whenever their weather routers believe a suitable window of opportunity for a fast Atlantic descent is opening up.The Famous Project first moved to what’s known as ‘Code Green’, or ready to depart. Having left Brest, they crossed the line at 01.40 UTC (14 h 40 FR) on Saturday, November 29.

The Jules Verne Trophy course

Toughest 24 hours at start

The Famous Project crew set off in tough conditions with a blustery north-westerly, and will immediately face 4-5m waves in the Bay of Biscay.

“I feel very lucky and grateful for all the work that has been done over the last few months and years, all together. It’s really a collective celebration to be at the starting line,” said Barrier.

“Obviously, I’m a little nervous because what we’re doing is huge. But what reassures me a lot is having these incredible girls by my side. I’m not alone and I know my team is up to the task.

“We’ll be sailing downwind until we reach the equator. These are conditions we know well. Further on, the doldrums are still shifting.

“As Brian Thompson, who has helped us a lot throughout this training course on trimarans with the girls, would say, ‘You’re going to experience the toughest 24 hours of your Jules Verne Trophy.’ So we need to stay focused and conservative so we don’t hurt ourselves or break anything on the first day.”

Boat and crew of The Famous Project CIC, 100% women crew, before start for Trophée Jules Verne on November 29, in Brest, France. Photo by Jean-Marie Liot / The Famous Project CIC

“I’m surprisingly calm, but I think I’m calm to help everyone else, because you can feel a certain nervousness,” said Dee Caffari on the morning of the start.

“The main goal has always been to get to the starting line, and I think today we took a big step forward. It’s an important milestone, and I think it deserves a little celebration.

“It’s been a long road, with ups and downs, but Alexia never lost confidence or faith in herself, and I supported her throughout. So I’m very happy to be here. Today it’s about reminding the girls that we’re just going to sail, which is what they do perfectly, but simply that they won’t be sleeping in a bed for a few days. That’s exactly what we practiced in training, so we’re just going to set off, enjoy ourselves, and do what we know how to do.

“We wanted a perfect start, but perfection doesn’t exist in sailing, because we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature. That said, it’s a very good start.”

Skipper Alexia Barrier (FRA) before start of The Famous Project CIC attempt on the Trophée Jules Verne. Photo by Jean-Marie Liot / The Famous Project CIC

Jules Verne weather window

Ashore the team is supported by meteorologist Christian Dumard. The circulation of two high pressure systems over the North Atlantic has created an opportunity for a starting window, though the team will have an immediate race against time as the movement of an anticyclone threatens to close the route off Cape Finisterre.

“The front will pass over the starting area on Saturday morning,” explains Dumard. “The idea is to leave just behind it, in the early afternoon, in a north-westerly wind of less than 30 knots, which will gradually weaken.

“This window is very short and does not necessarily offer an absolute chance of achieving a ‘blistering’ time at the equator. But it does offer favorable wind and sea conditions for downwind sailing and a relatively comfortable start for the crew.”

“We will leave Brest on Saturday before noon and cross the line about two hours later. There will be rough seas, with swells of over 4 meters, which are perfectly manageable aboard Idec Sport,” adds Barrier.

“The danger is that the high-pressure system centered off the coast of Portugal will grow and block us as we pass Cape Finisterre. We would then have to turn back and resume our standby in Brest.”

A big crowd turned out to see the crew of The Famous Project off from Brest. Photo Jean-Marie Liot/The Famous Project CIC

All-female team

The Famous Project was launched in 2022, with the team initially training in a MOD70 before taking delivery of Idec Sport. They have been working with round the world yachtsman Brian Thomspon, with fellow British ocean sailor Jonny Malbon the Team Director.

In a recent blog post, Dee Caffari reported that the team’s final training sessions in late October ahead of the record were both invaluable, and challenging.

“These training sessions are where theory meets reality – intense, demanding, and absolutely invaluable.

“We were fortunate to train with Brian Thompson, whose expertise and calm authority at sea are second to none. Brian’s coaching has helped us fine-tune our performance and strengthen our team dynamics – those crucial marginal gains that will make all the difference when we take on the planet’s toughest challenge.

“This month, Mother Nature decided to push us harder. The conditions were significantly bigger and stronger than what we experienced during the summer -exactly what we needed. It’s one thing to sail fast in perfect conditions; it’s quite another to maintain that performance when the waves are towering and the wind is howling.

“These challenging sessions gave us a much more realistic preview of what life will really be like as we chase the record around the world.”

Skipper Alexia Barrier and his crew training onboard the Maxi-Trimaran The Famous Project CIC, off Groix island. Photo: Jean-Marie LIOT / The Famous Project CIC

Jules Verne attempts

There have been numerous attempts on the Jules Trophy record since Joyon set the current record in 2017. That time of 40 days, 23 hours, 30 minutes requires an average speed of 22.84 knots.

The foiling Ultim trimarans – capable of maintaining consistent speeds in the high 30s – have set off several times. In 2024 Thomas Coville’s Sodebo and Francois Gabart’s SVR-Lazartigue started within hours of each other, but both had to pause their attempt after damage or gear failure. Sodebo restarted last winter, but later had to retire after losing their central rudder.

In 2020, Charles Caudrelier’s team on Gitana 17 and Sodebo also set off in the same weather window in late November, but both had retired by mid-December after colliding with underwater objects.

Sodebo is among the Ultims that has made numerous attempts at the Jules Verne Trophy. Photo: Pierre Bouras/DPPI

The last all-female attempt on the Jules Verne, Tracy Edwards’ Royal & Sun Alliance in 1998, ended when the 92ft catamaran dismasted in the South Pacific 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile.

Idec Sport, the trimaran the Famous Project CIC crew are sailing, is a non-foiling design that was originally launched in 2006 as Groupama 3, and won the Jules Verne Trophy in 2010, skippered by Franck Cammas. While its peak speed is less than that of an Ultim, it is a robust and well-proven boat which has successfully completed multiple non-stop around the world passages – the first challenge of any Jules Verne attempt.

How to follow The Famous Project Jules Verne bid

You can follow The Famous Project’s attempt at thefamousproject.io

The team also has an app, active social media, and plan to share live daily updates on their YouTube channel.

The post All-female round the world record attempt sets sail in tough conditions appeared first on Yachting World.

The SailGP Grand Final is the climax to the racing season, and fans worldwide will be looking to tune in. The ultimate winner-takes-all race is set to take place at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Sail Grand Prix on November 29-30, 2025.

SailGP Grand Final Race Schedule

The race times for both days of the SailGP Grand Final event are consistent. The main event action, including the decisive winner-takes-all final race, will take place during the 14:00 – 15:30 GST window on Sunday, November 30.

• Local Abu Dhabi Time (GST, GMT+4): 14:00 – 15:30 GST (Saturday and Sunday)
• UK Time (GMT): 10:00 – 11:30 AM (Saturday and Sunday)
• France / Italy (CET): 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (Sunday)
• New York, USA (EST): 05:00 – 06:30 AM (Sunday)
• Sydney, Australia (AEDT): 09:00 – 10:30 PM (Sunday)

Free Viewing Options & Geo-Restrictions

SailGP has a strong history of offering free coverage through digital platforms, but this is subject to local broadcast rights.

SailGP App: The official SailGP app (available on Apple and Android) often features live racing and replays. Access to the live feed is typically geo-blocked in territories where exclusive broadcasters (like TNT Sports in the UK or Sky Italia in Italy) have paid for the exclusive live rights.

YouTube & Facebook: Live streaming is commonly available on the official SailGP YouTube and Facebook channels in countries without an exclusive live broadcaster. Countries like the US and Canada have often enjoyed free live streams on YouTube, while countries like the UK might see restrictions due to their paid-for exclusive TV deals.

Free-to-Air Channels: In some territories, SailGP airs on free platforms. For example, in Australia, live races are often available on Kayo Freebies (a free tier of the Kayo Sports streaming service) and sometimes on SBS (which may show highlights or select live races).

Where can you watch the SailGP finale?

• United Kingdom: TNT Sports (discovery+ streaming). TNT Sports is the exclusive live home for all events in the UK and Ireland for the 2025 season. This is a paywall service.
• United States: CBS and CBS Sports Network. Live coverage is typically featured on CBS Sports Network, with free live digital streams often available via the official SailGP App or YouTube (check local listings).
• Australia: Fox Sports and Kayo Freebies. Fox Sports provides subscription coverage, and select events are also available on the free-to-air platform Kayo Freebies.
• Canada: TSN and RDS. TSN covers the English broadcast, and RDS handles the French-language coverage.
• Italy: Sky Italia. Sky Italia is a long-standing partner and is expected to provide live coverage of the season finale.
• France: Canal+ Sport. Canal+ Sport typically provides live and delayed coverage for fans of the French team.
• Spain: RTVE and TV3 (in Catalonia), as well as Movistar Plus+ (on Deportes 3)
• Germany: ZDF (with a new multi-season partnership for the 2025 season)

How to watch SailGP from Anywhere Using a VPN

You don’t need to worry about missing any of the high-speed action, even if you’re travelling overseas while the races are taking place.

By using a VPN (or Virtual Private Network), you can avoid the geo-blocking restrictions that might otherwise get in the way of watching your usual streaming services or accessing the free live feeds when you’re in another country.

How a VPN Helps: VPNs have the useful ability to change your IP address, making your laptop, smartphone, or tablet appear to be back home. This means you can tune into the event, even when you’re thousands of miles away from your sitting room. If you are in a country with a restricted feed (like the UK or Italy), connecting to a VPN server in a country that offers a free YouTube stream (such as the US or Canada) can potentially allow you to watch the Grand Final for free.

There are plenty of VPNs out there, but the tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both believe that NordVPN is top of the world rankings, with top-notch streaming and security features, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a great deal this Black Friday…

NordVPN Black Friday deal
Yachting World readers can take advantage of an amazing NordVPN deal for SailGP. In a Black Friday promotion, you’ll get up to 77% off two year plans, plus an extra three months thrown in for free.

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Final Viewing Tip

Due to the dynamic nature of broadcast agreements, the most definitive source for “How to Watch” in any specific country will always be the official SailGP website’s dedicated ‘How to Watch’ page closer to the event date. This page provides the final, up-to-date listings for every region.

The post How to watch the SailGP 2025 Final: All the TV & streaming details for the final appeared first on Yachting World.

The restoration of an iconic racer, one that was so ground-breaking it helped create a whole genre of yachts, is no small undertaking. But that’s exactly what inadvertent owner Tina Roberts ploughed into headfirst with the two-year refit of Ragtime, the original ultra-light displacement boat from the land of the long white cloud.

Designed and built single-handedly by New Zealander John Spencer for industrialist and racing driver Sir Tom Clark in 1963/64, Ragtime was launched as Infidel and was reputedly the largest hard chine plywood keelboat in the world.

Infidel immediately upset the racing establishment, beating the Tercel brothers’ 60-footer Ranger, which had won nearly every race it sailed over three decades.

So comprehensive were Infidel’s victories that it was reportedly banned from competing in regattas in New Zealand. It was also barred from entering the 1967 Sydney-Hobart Race because it was deemed too light and not seaworthy enough for the notoriously treacherous 630-mile race.

Under spinnaker, Ragtime’s low freeboard becomes evident. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

California dreaming

With nowhere to turn Infidel wound up where many wayward souls are welcomed: California. A pair of businessmen in Newport Beach purchased the yacht for $25,000 in 1969 and renamed it Ragtime.

The yacht changed owners again in 1971 and, 10 years after her launch, benchmarked the performance of the ultra-light displacement genre by defeating the 73-footer Windward Passage in the epic 1973 Transpac Race, winning the Barn Door Trophy for first-to-finish by a mere 4m 31s over the 2,225-mile course. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that’s an interesting boat. That’s cool,’” recalls California yacht designer Alan Andrews of his first sighting of Ragtime in the early 1970s.

“Ragtime was a big boat, most of the racing at the time was in 30- to 40-footers. She was clearly very fast, at least downwind, with the hard chines as well.”

The plywood-built hull features hard chines that run its entire length. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

Ragtime is a simple but eye-catching yacht design, with a sheerline that drops noticeably from bow to stern. The hull is constructed from marine plywood; the cabin house, which stands tall of the sheerline, of kauri wood, and when launched it displaced 10 tons. The original LOA of 61ft 8in was determined in large part because that was the amount of floor space in Spencer’s shop, yet still the bow and stern hung outside the sliding doors on either end of the shed.

The boat hull features hard chines running the waterline length of 50ft 8in. In its original form Ragtime lacked an engine and was tiller steered, two features that were changed after she reached American shores.

Article continues below…

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A reluctant refit

Since arriving in the US, Ragtime has had no fewer than 10 owners (individuals, syndicates and universities). Tina Roberts became the current owner in 2021, upon the passing of her partner Chris Welsh who was actually Ragtime’s longest owner.

Welsh was part of a group that bought the yacht at auction for $125,000 in 2003 before becoming sole owner two years later. Welsh and Roberts met in 2009, as kindred spirits and adrenaline junkies. When Welsh passed unexpectedly in March 2021, aged 58, he left Ragtime to Roberts.

Welsh had accumulated parts that he intended to use in a refit of Ragtime. He purchased a spare TP52 offshore mast in Europe and had it shipped to California. He found a marinised Smart car engine in Germany and also shipped it home.

Welsh intended to lighten Ragtime and make her easier to sail in his planned refit, but Roberts had great apprehension about undertaking the project on her own. “My first thought shortly after he passed away was: this is not my project.

Tina Roberts has spent around $1.5m on Ragtime. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

This was his project, and I don’t know what to do,” says the 54-year-old Roberts. “I had some really good friends who said I should sell the boat, get rid of it, sell the pieces and parts and move on. And I thought that was probably a good idea, but i wanted to wait and find out where life landed.”

Roberts spent the better part of a year clearing up Welsh’s estate, which besides tidying up his business affairs also included offloading cars and planes and submersibles. As she was going through his personal files she found a trove of Ragtime memorabilia that Welsh had collected, including clippings of Infidel’s launch from the New Zealand Herald and Seaspray magazine. She became more endeared to the yacht as she started to understand the life that Ragtime had led.

In 2022 Tina Roberts called designer Alan Andrews, who has drawn a slew of light-displacement boats, and asked if he’d be interested in taking on the project. Andrews had worked on Ragtime for previous owners and also knew Chris Welsh well, having been a sailing instructor to him in his youth.

Roberts had a vision of Andrews being the project manager, but Andrews didn’t want to be involved if Roberts wasn’t leading the way. “I hung up the call with Alan very frustrated,” says Roberts.

“Then I thought about it a little bit and decided that I knew what Chris’s vision was and I began to really understand who Ragtime was. I became really interested in the historical side of it. So, I called Alan back and said ‘Let’s do the project’.”

The rebuilt cockpit retains its previous woodwork and coamings, to preserve its historical appearance, though light weight, high-speed winches have been added. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

20-year project

Roberts, who previously owned food processing companies in the Pacific Northwest, set a budget of $1 million to $1.2 million, a sum that she didn’t expect to reach.

But after completely stripping and rebuilding the interior, rebuilding the centre cockpit, wrapping the hull in carbon fibre and fabricating new chainplates to support the new mast, which also needed modifications to fit the hull and new carbon-fibre rigging, she estimates that she spent more than $1.5 million.

“Throughout a project like this you have many decisions to make,” Roberts says. “My mantra for the decision-making process was, is this for the next two years or next 20 years?

“If you make decisions for the next two years, the boat will never survive; it’s a 60-year-old boat built of plywood. So, I had to make decisions about what the next 20 years for the boat would look like because every time you have to go back and modify something else, it’s very expensive. So, I wanted to do it right the first time and ensure she has longevity.”

Bow locker with its original showgirl decal. The stem-fitting and deck were rebuilt during the refit to strengthen the load-bearing areas. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

“Chris had a dream and a vision of what he wanted to do with the boat, and largely, the refit has been along those lines, except that it’s probably a bit more elegant,” says Andrews. “Tina didn’t take shortcuts. When she was presented with options for how things could be done, in nearly every case she did what was best for the boat.”

Andrews’ participation was important because he’d been involved in previous modifications to the yacht, including keel projects in the 1980s and working with Welsh in the 2000s. He noted how Ragtime’s hull construction was two layers of 3/8in marine plywood with the joints butted – not scarfed – over the middle span of the panel they lay upon. The interior structure included bulkheads, frames and longitudinal stringers.

“The interesting thing was the original bulkheads in the boat are hollow bulkheads with wood truss structure inside. So, there was quite some thought that went in the boat,” Andrews says. “Tina wanted to keep the spirit of Ragtime going, so when we added a few ring frames up forward they were done with plywood frames and laminated carbon and mahogany caps on them.”

Ragtime’s keel remains unchanged, though new rudder bearings and a new steering quadrant were installed. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

Carbon wrap

Perhaps the biggest modernisation was wrapping the hull in two layers of carbon-fibre, a decision made squarely with the boat’s life expectancy in mind. While the plywood hull showed very little degradation given its 60-year age, there were some areas near the bow where a couple of veneers had deteriorated and there was some rot around some of the original chainplate fasteners.

Previous keel modifications had added carbon-fibre around the bottom in the keel area, but wrapping the hull in carbon stiffened the boat (it always had a problem with headstay sag) and helped to distribute the loads more evenly across the sections of plywood. “We chose to use carbon-fibre instead of glassfibre because carbon works much better with wood,” explains Andrews.

Shroud chainplates are high-strength duplex 2205 stainless steel and allow the thickness outside the hull to be minimised. Custom fasteners without slots and fairing ‘ramps’ minimise drag
when heeled. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

“Another thing that occurred with the boat over time was at the chine log, where the bottom panel meets the topsides. There’s an overlap there, a piece of wood and the glue joint on that is what keeps the topsides from separating from the bottom. “Crack repairs under previous ownership were evidenced by wider pieces of wood laminated inside,” Andrews continues.

“By wrapping carbon over the boat, we were effectively able to overlap on the outside of this joint, increasing the bonding area by patching over the joint and better distributing the loads.”

This section of the boat needed to take more load concentration because of the new TP52 mast. The height of the TP52 mast was similar to Ragtime’s previous mast, at least when measured from the spinnaker height to the deck.

But the previous mast had inline spreaders and a cap shroud with fore and aft lowers, meaning three attachment points for the shrouds, spreading their load over about 4½ft. The new TP52 rig has swept back spreaders with all shrouds attaching at the same point, but a point that is wider than Ragtime. The TP52 rig was designed for a 14ft beam while Ragtime’s beam is 11ft 8.5in.

Keeping the chainplates in the original location, just inboard of the hull and stringers, would’ve led to much narrower spreaders and increased compression loads. So, the chainplates were moved aft to match the spreader sweep angle and attached on the outside of the hull just below the sheerline.

The mast step was rebuilt to fit the new mast, while the updated nav station now includes B&G instruments and Starlink communication. Photo: Steve Jost Photography

The new rig makes the boat easier to handle, as it can now sail upwind with a 100% jib and full, square-head mainsail instead of the previous large overlapping genoa with a 1960s-era triangular mainsail.

The updated cockpit allows more room for the crew, but also access to the engine compartment, which was required to fit the engine Welsh had sourced – a Mercedes Benz OM660, a 0.8lt turbocharged diesel made for use in Smart cars. It weighs approximately 250lb/113kg, which is about 300lb/136kg lighter than the previous Yanmar engine that produced similar horsepower.

Lasting legacy

“The refit’s fantastic for the boat and an ode to all the sailors who’ve raced on her,” says Roberts. “We run into people all the time in California, Hawaii, Australia or New Zealand where if you bring up the boat’s name there’s a reply, ‘Oh, I sailed on Ragtime once.’ “That’s the tradition that we want to continue.

We want the boat to continue to be relevant, because she has so much history and so many stories to tell. It’s really important to continue that legacy.”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Extraordinary boats: Ragtime – the 60-year-old yacht that launched a genre is back on the water appeared first on Yachting World.

Got a need for speed? The last year has delivered an explosive fleet of new performance yachts designed for one thing: getting there first.

Designers are leveraging every ounce of technology, from prepreg carbon fiber construction to optimised IRC/ORC configurations, resulting in some of the most dynamic and competitive yachts we’ve seen in years.

Whether you’re looking for a double-handed weapon or a grand-prix dominating maxi, the options are faster and sharper than ever before.

We dive into the cutting edge: Discover the Neo 620 Roma, a carbon-fiber mini-maxi built for fast cruising with the weight of a pure racer, and its lighter, competition-focused cousin, the 460 Competizione.

See how the radical Wallyrocket 71 stepped onto the global stage and instantly redefined the Maxi 72 class by taking the Rolex IMA Grand Prix World Championship.

Plus, check out the new wave of sportsboats, from the featherlight, trailable Melges 19 to the pure one-design thrill of the KiSS 25.

These yachts aren’t just built to sail—they’re built to win.

Neo 620 Roma (& 460 Competizione)

This rocketship is the second Carkeek design for Italian carbon cognoscenti Neo Yachts.

The Neo 620 is its new flagship, which will muscle into the competitive mini-maxi arena.

It’s an evolution of the 570 we featured a couple of years ago (check out the video tour), and continues to sport Carkeek’s distinctive chamfered topsides, which run into a reverse sheerline, a stealth bomber-style shape first seen on racing machines such as Ràn.

The 620 has various layout options, primarily adding a third heads compartment compared to its smaller sister, and providing the option for a convertible fourth cabin space, which can be used as a nav station, for dining or sleeping – all while keeping weight to a mere 13.5 tonnes (nearly half of which is ballast in a deep keel).

Neo manages this wizardry by building the 620 in prepreg carbon fibre, fitted with a high-modulus carbon rig.

Cariboni hydraulics aid high-speed control, while it can sport a single or twin rudders, has space for a 3m tender, and includes 400lt tanks for both fuel and water.

Founded by competitive sailor and sailmaker Paolo Semeraro, Neo has now built 30 custom or semi-custom high-performance yachts since 2018.

The ‘Roma’ branding is Neo’s fast cruising line, which reflects the possibility for the wood veneered interior to be removable.

So these yachts suit those wanting to compete at high-level events with the lightest-weight boat, yet do so while protecting the timber finish and maintaining resale value.

460 Competizione (Race)

Where Roma signifies a cruiser racer or Gran Turismo theme, ‘Competizione’ is Neo’s pure racer line, and the Bari yard has just sold the first 460 in this guise to a German team.

Designed by Ceccarelli as an offshore double-handed or crewed racer, which can compete in Group 1 of the Admiral’s Cup class, it is available with single or dual rudders, water ballast options and an electric retractable pod.

It also displaces only 200kg more than the 430, so weights in at just 6.2 tonnes, yet adds a second compartment inside.

Semeraro reasons: “There are no production competitive racing boats in the 45-46ft range, the only competitive boats racing are a bunch of very old Ker 46s.”

With this 460 he explains that the moulds and hull mould of the 460 Roma.

“A new owner can enter a no-compromise racing program without having to support the full costs of a prototype,” thinks Semeraro.

And with the next Admiral’s Cup already planned for 2027, teams will already be needing to get their new steeds in place.

“Our target was to produce an all-round boat, not too light, not too specific for reaching in strong wind etc, but a boat that can win and can be used in many configurations, including inshore, offshore and double-handed.”

Both versions of the 460 are in build, plus a 520 Roma – all due for launch next year.

Neo 620 Roma (& 460 Competizione) specifications

LOA: 18.59m 61ft 0in
Beam: 5.30m 17ft 5in
Draught: 4.50m 14ft 9in
Displacement: 13,500kg 29,762lb
Price – 620 Roma: €2.1m ex VAT
Price – 460 Competizione: €750,000 ex VAT
Contact: neoyachts.com

KiSS 25

Here’s one for the thrill-seekers.

We’ve seen a real appetite for smaller, high-performance racing yachts of late, with sailors moving from the 50s and Fast 40s to the likes of the Cape 31.

Now comes a new Danish brand with this contemporary one-design sportsboat designed to light up in international racing circuits.

KiSS (Keep it Simple Sailor) Yachting promises to bring a new level of speed and precision, using vacuum-infused carbon-built craft.

It’s partnered with Neo Yachts (opposite), which specialises in carbon craft.

So despite the 2.5m beam, the 25 weighs a featherlight 750kg!

Couple that with a square-top main and a 66m2 gennaker (or a Code 0) and it’s easy to imagine that skimming dish-flat shape flying downwind.

Features include a removable rudder to ease trailering and a retrieval system for the A-sail – set off a 1.8m retractable bowsprit.

The 25 is designed for three to five crew, and unrestricted hiking is encouraged.

KiSS promises race-ready craft, including CNC-machined appendages, Cyclops smart sensors, Pauger carbon rigging, and Harken deck gear as standard.

With guardrails added, it also meets ORC and IRC requirements.

KiSS 25 specifications

LOA (inc bowsprit): 9.43m 30ft 11in
Hull length: 7.63m 25ft 0in
Beam: 2.50m 8ft 2in
Draught: 1.8m 5ft 11in
Displacement: 750kg 1,653lb
Sail area (upwind): 35.5m2 382ft2
Sail area (downwind): 101.9m2 1,096ft2
Price: €119,450 ex sails, ex VAT
Contact: kiss-yachting.com

Wallyrocket 71

Wally launches a second rocket. If the name and look seem familiar, it’s because we ran plenty of coverage of the first Wallyrocket 51 earlier this year, following its eagerly awaited launch and build-up to the Admiral’s Cup and Rolex Fastnet Race.

Yet just as we began featuring the first rocket, Wally announced this larger sistership, with both yachts launching in the same season.

Both are Botin Partners designs, and where the 51 is conceived to take on the TP52s and smash races on handicap, the 71 has the equally herculean task of becoming the ‘world’s most successful maxi’.

Compared with its main Maxi 72 rivals then (most of which have been extended), the Wallyrocket 71 is two tonnes lighter, with over 30% more water ballast (2.7 tonnes of it) for the same sail area, which brings advantages both in the light and going downwind.

It can clock upwind speeds of 10.5-11 knots, while matching or exceeding true winds going the other way.

“We started from a blank sheet of paper, asking how we could beat the most competitive Maxi 72s on corrected time,” Botin’s Adolfo Carrau explains.

“When they were designed, it was to a box rule, so many parameters were already set.

Now, as everyone is **optimising** their boats under IRC rules, there is a lot more freedom.”

Giovanni Lombardi Stronati commissioned the build of the first 71, Django 7X, at King Marine in Valencia.

It is already being campaigned by his Italian Django team, which represented the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) at the Admiral’s Cup with the first 51.

Once again, this team is galvanised by the affable Vasco Vascotto, who holds more world titles than any other sailor.

Django 7X’s first major regatta was the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup in September, hosted by the team’s club YCCS, where it took on the likes of seasoned competitors such as Bella Mente, Vesper, Jolt and Jethou – and beat them all, to claim the first Rolex IMA Grand Prix World Championship.

Quite the proof of concept!

Wallyrocket 71 specifications

LOA: 21.44m 70ft 4in
Beam: 5.55m 18ft 3in
Draught: 4.90m 16ft 1in
Displacement: 12,500kg 27,558lb
Sail area (upwind): 305m2 3,283ft2
Sail area (downwind): 630m2 6,781ft2
Contact: wally.com

First 36SE

Having gone big on the new First 30 last month, we’ll keep this preview concise.

The First 36, which launched three years ago, has received the Seascape Edition turbo charge treatment and is now available as an SE model.

This transforms the Sam Manuard design into what Beneteau calls ‘the ultimate planing racer’, with reduced weight (400kg less than the standard model) for more sail power.

Carbon is used in the structure, hull tweaks have shaved off 3m2 of wetted surface, and wheels are replaced with a tiller.

It’s also **optimised** for ORC racing with input from ORC guru Maurizio Cossutti and Pure Design helping Manuard and the experienced Seascape team tweak the model.

Actions speak louder than words, and in July a customised 36SE finished the Transpac in 2nd place overall, finishing behind the 88ft Lucky, and nine hours ahead of its nearest competitor – despite being the smallest yacht in the fleet and the only one sailed double-handed.

Also, a freshly-launched first production version of the 36SE recently finished on the podium of the 4th ORC Double-Handed World Championship.

First 36SE specifications

LOA: 11.98m 39ft 4in
Beam: 3.80m 12ft 6in
Draught: 1.95m 6ft 5in
Displacement: 4,400kg 2,359lb
Price: €295,370 ex VAT
Contact: beneteau.com

Melges 19

The YW office is hoping we see one of these in European waters soon – after a look at the first images and videos we’re itching for a sail.

The Reichel Pugh design should plane in as little as 10 knots and is designed to suit and reward all levels of sailors.

The third-generation family-run Wisconsin yard has an international reputation for its sportsboat racing classes and says this should bring that renowned level of fast, fun sailing together with class support.

A spacious cockpit suits a combined crew weight of 220-243kg for racing, and the simple kick-up rudder and daggerboard design suits beach and trailer sailing.

“The Melges 19 is built for speed, simplicity, and sailing with family and friends,” says multiple Melges world champion, Harry Melges III.

Melges 19 specifications

LOA: 5.79m 19ft 0in
Beam: 1.98m 6ft 5in
Draught: 1.37m 4ft 6in
Displacement: 179kg 395lb
Price: US$34,500 inc sails, ex tax
Contact: melges.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post 6 race-ready new yachts: Performance designs built for speed appeared first on Yachting World.

Resilient to heavy loads, longer lasting, smarter and, some would argue, cheaper over the long term; lithium batteries technology is now becoming more mainstream on yachts.

Used not only for house batteries, lithium also powers propulsion on some new models. Many cruisers now have capacity to live aboard a yacht in a similar way to a house, with far less power restriction.

The MCA recently issued a guidance note on lithium battery installation to give a framework for best practice. While the advice leans towards commercially coded yachts, it highlights more general concern around lithium technology.

Since lithium has become more mainstream, there have been a number of fires on yachts, some causing a total loss. The note covers key aspects including installation process, system design, ventilation and cooling – all potential vulnerabilities of a lithium system. The message overall is that a lithium installation, whether retrofit or on a new build yacht, should be taken seriously.

Large solar arrays are often used as a means to top up or trickle charge lithium batteries. Photo: James Mitchell/WCC

Getting it right

At present, the only type of lithium batteries approved for installation on yachts are Lithium-Iron-Phosphate or LFP. Whilst it might be tempting to use cheaper lithium varieties such as nickel or cobalt, these are far more vulnerable to thermal runaway – an uncontrolled series of reactions which cause a rapid increase in temperature, and often an uncontrolled fire.

Installing batteries incorrectly can automatically invalidate your yacht’s insurance policy. What constitutes a correct installation is more layered than with older battery technology, but insurance companies have been clear they’re not inherently opposed to owners using lithium. High current levels, a need for safe containment in case of failure and the need for a proper battery management system mean that it’s important to seek expert advice and/or installation.

A knowledge gap

William Taryn was a firefighter in both California and Mallorca before starting to teach firefighting to yacht crew. He now has his own fire safety training business in Palma, Maritime Safety Solutions, while remaining a serving firefighter in the city. Over the past few years he has become heavily involved in yacht lithium battery safety.

“As lithium battery systems started to be installed on yachts, we began to see fires here in the city. We quickly learned more about lithium technology and what leads to lithium fires. There are lots of aspects to having lithium on board a boat and it’s not just the yacht’s batteries, as many yachts now carry things like e-bikes with lithium batteries, and the storage of them has to be considered too. “Put simply, lithium technology is in all sorts of things that you might find on board.”

Article continues below…

Taryn’s business now consults to yachts built with lithium battery systems, including training their crew, developing operating manuals and systems for each specific yacht. A 47m hybrid yacht, capable of running entirely on battery power, was the first of these consulting projects.

“We looked at the battery rooms in detail, then developed a set of procedures the crew could work with to keep things safe. It’s quite layered on such a big yacht and the emergency procedures specific to the batteries need to be understood by all crew.”

Taryn worked with crew training and recruitment company Bluewater Yachting to lobby for changes to the STCW course for professional crew. Thanks to their efforts, it will soon include a firefighting section on lithium.

DIY lithium systems should involve a marine electrician to ensure suitable installation. Photo: Will Bruton

An impact study

In February last year INEOS Britannia’s AC40 suffered an on-board fire during training off Barcelona. While sailing the crew had to react quickly to smoke pouring out of a forward hatch. They and their chase boat deployed fire extinguishers, followed by water being pumped in through the forward hatch, and were fortunately able to contain the fire.

The culprit was a lithium battery that had experienced what’s known as ‘thermal runaway’. Taryn soon found himself tasked with investigating. “In that case the battery fire had effectively been caused by repeated impact. Those yachts bounce around a lot and an excess of this had caused thermal runaway which, once it starts, is very hard to stop,” he explains.

Other incidents have been more extreme. In July 2023 a lithium battery fire at a marina in the Florida Keys caused one death and led to two people being critically injured. An e-bike kept on board a yacht had fallen in the water earlier in the day. The battery had then been stored in a wooden cabinet containing flares.

The British America’s Cup team’s AC40 yacht suffered a lithium fire on board, which the crew was fortunately able to contain at sea. Photo: Ugo Fonola/America’s Cup

And a lithium battery fire was suspected to be the cause of the deaths of two cruisers found deceased in their lifeboat in British Columbia in 2022. The couple – Canadian Brett Clibbery and Briton Sarah Packwood – were crossing the Atlantic on their Gib’Sea 42 Theros.

No distress call was received from Theros, but one crew was found wearing a flotation suit that was seriously fire damaged. Theros was understood to have been retrofitted with an electric car battery.

Taking precautions

The STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) is a framework for commercial operations that has now evolved to take lithium technology into account, but what practical steps might be taken for leisure sailors? Correct installation is crucial, explains Taryn.

“Consideration of how the batteries are contained, how they are isolated, how they are ventilated, and how they might be extinguished are all important to think about.”

Proteng fire sticks can put out any material that has ignited

One challenge is how the extinguishing system actually fits in. “Since I started to get involved with improving safety around lithium on board, one product has really stood out to me,” Taryn says. The Proteng fire suppression system can be fitted into battery spaces and requires no wiring. It activates above a certain temperature, shattering its own polymide container, at which point the retardant liquid becomes a gas and covers everything in a fine film.

Build challenges

So, if using lithium is so loaded with safety considerations, why do it? The upsides are big. Batteries can cope with heavy loads, making them well suited to a yacht equipped with creature comforts; even air-conditioning systems can be run relatively directly from the batteries.

Battery life cycles are much longer, balancing out their much higher initial purchase cost. The challenge the industry and owners face is in making sure installations meet the more exacting requirements of lithium. Battery compartments must be carefully thought through, considering how they are ventilated, but also how they might contain a fire should it occur.

Lithium battery systems are capable of supplying high current instantly. Photo: Mastervolt

Whilst this is relatively straightforward for new build yachts, it’s much more complex for those retrofitting lithium; a straight swap into the same location may not be possible. The MCA guidance note is likely to shape the framework that flag states considering regulation adopt. This means commercially coded yachts may need to invest to meet regulatory requirements for lithium technology on board. It’s a factor to consider for any owners considering charter.

For one major luxury yacht builder we talked to, who didn’t want to be named, it has proved a significant challenge for yachts already in build. “For anyone looking to install lithium, the simplest and most straightforward advice at this stage is simply to do it properly, taking note of the points raised by the MCA guidance note, while using an experienced and qualified electrician,” explains Taryn.

Top tips for a safe and effective lithium battery installation

1. Choose the right chemistry – Stick to LiFePO₄ (Lithium Iron Phosphate). It’s the most stable, with a lower risk of thermal runaway.
2. Install a proper battery management system (BMS) – A robust, marine-rated BMS is non-negotiable. It should handle cell balancing, over/under-voltage protection, temperature monitoring, and disconnects. Opt for systems with independent cell-level monitoring rather than just pack-level.
3. Ventilation and location – Install batteries in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated space. Lithium doesn’t off-gas under normal use, but airflow helps keep temperatures stable.
4. Overcurrent protection – Fit correctly rated fuses and breakers as close to the battery as possible. Lithium can dump huge currents instantly – far more than lead-acid – so cable and fuse sizing is critical to avoid electrical fires.
5. Separate charging profiles – Ensure all chargers (shore power, alternator regulators, solar controllers, wind generators) are configured for lithium. Overcharging or floating at lead-acid voltages will shorten battery life or cause failures.
6. Alternator protection – Lithium’s low resistance can burn out a stock alternator. Install a DC-DC charger or external alternator regulator to ensure safe charging limits.
7. Temperature safeguards – Never charge lithium below 0°C – this causes lithium plating and can lead to failure. Ensure the BMS has low-temp cut-off or install heating pads in colder climates.
8. Cabling and connections – Use properly crimped marine-grade cables with no undersizing. Poor connections can overheat under lithium’s higher loads. Keep runs short and secured against chafe and vibration.
9. Redundancy and manual override – Consider a manual disconnect switch or emergency isolator that bypasses electronics if the BMS shuts down in a critical situation at sea (while still keeping fusing in place).
10. Follow standards and best practice – Refer to ABYC E-13, ISO 13297, and manufacturer installation guides.

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‘Oceans must be at the forefront of climate discussions,’ says CEO of COP30 Ana Toni.

With ocean issues at its centre, it’s no wonder this week’s UN Climate Conference in Belém, Brazil included members from across the sailing community. From sportsmen to sailing activists to race officials, here’s who sailed to the UN Climate Conference and why.

Cop30 sailing news at a glance

• Greepeace and the People’s Summit Flotilla in the waters of Belém
• The Ocean Race highlights what climate leadership can learn from the sailing mindset
• Crews from Voices of and Ocean Institute and the Women Wave Project sail into the conference
• COP30’s Ocean-first topics that sailors will want to know about, including the Blue Package and the High Seas Treaty

The People’s Summit Flotilla takes to the waters around COP30

Over 150 boats with members of indigenous communities and social organisations sailed the Guama River as part of a symbolic crossing during the COP30, according to organisers. Photo: Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP.

Ahead of COP30, more than 5,000 people across 200 vessels sailed in the waters of Belém as part of the People’s Summit Flotilla in the hopes of demonstrating that a sustainable future is built not by industry, but by mobilising on a community level.

In attendance was Greenpeace’s iconic fishing trawler-turned sail-power ship, the Rainbow Warrior, the second ship to bear this name after its predecessor’s infamous sinking by French secret service agents.

Executive Director of Greenpeace Brazil Carolina Pasquali commented:

‘The thousands of people in the flotilla today are showing the strength of a unified global movement — communities who have been impacted by extreme weather events and by companies profiting from the destruction of our planet, Indigenous Peoples who have been fighting for generations for their rights, their lands and the forest, and civil society demanding real action from world leaders and negotiators at COP.’

Inside COP30: The Ocean Race tackles ocean advocacy

Photo: Sophie Valerie Hulme / The Ocean Race.

Inside the conference, sailor-driven events highlighted the importance of protecting the oceans to address climate change.

In a panel titled ‘Racing for the Ocean: Faster and Smarter’, the Ocean Race brought Brazilian sailing icon, Olympic champion, and winner of the 2008-2009 Ocean Race Torben Grael together with global experts to explore the findings of the Planetary Health Check 2025.

Talks between Grael, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean Peter Thomson, Ocean Impact Director at The Ocean Race Lucy Hunt, and Race Chairman of The Ocean Race Richard Brisius highlighted the urgent need to protect natural carbon sinks, reinforce ocean science, and revitalise humanity’s connection to the ocean.

‘Ocean health is currently, measurably, in decline,’ commented Thomson. ‘But there is hope. Around the world, ocean science is advancing at a pace we have never seen before.’

What can climate leaders can learn from sailing?

Torben Grael after winning the semi finals, race 5, against U.S. BMW Oracle of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007. He was Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge Tactician. Photo: Associated Press / Alamy.

As the ‘Racing for the Oceans’ panel’s sailor-in-residence, Grael identified elements from the sailing mindset that can help climate leaders face uncertainty, solve problems under pressure, and persist as they work to protect the oceans.

‘Sailing is a very difficult sport because it involves water and wind, both unpredictable and sometimes dangerous,’ he explained. ‘We must analyse what went wrong, decide what to correct, and make it better next time,’ Grael says. ‘That is how we win this race for the ocean.’

‘Just as sailors navigate the unknown with courage, determination, and teamwork, the world must chart a new course, one that respects planetary boundaries and safeguards the ocean for future generations,’ adds Brisius. ‘Sailors depend on the ocean: it is our racetrack, our home, our teacher. We have a responsibility to protect it.’

‘Racing for Oceans’ builds on the Ocean Race’s wider efforts to put ocean advocacy at the forefront of racing, which include sailor-led offshore data collection and stopover events dedicated to conservation.

More sailing crews mooring up for COP30

The Greenpeace ‘Rainbow Warrior’ ship docks at the riverbank of the Federal University of Para (Orla da UFPA), Belem, Brazil for COP30 UN Climate Summit. Photo: Mauro PIMENTEL / AFP.

Heloisa Schurmann, co-founder of Brazilian global-impact initiative Voice of the Oceans Institute (VOI), sailed 3,000 miles from St Helena to Brazil to attend COP30 with the sustainable sailboat Kat. 

Kat docked in Belèm from early November, giving visitors a chance to get onboard for a firsthand look at the sustainable onboard technologies developed in collaboration between VOI and global electronics company WEG.

VOI and WEG also teamed up on the Casa Vozes do Oceano, a free exhibition space open to the public, where they are presenting a series of activities to promote ocean protection and recovery through science, education, and innovation.

‘Voice of the Oceans is not just an expedition,’ Schurmann wrote from onboard. ‘It is a call. An invitation for every person, institution, and government to listen to what the sea has to say. We are bringing to Belém—and to COP30—not only data and alarming evidence, but also inspiring stories of those who chose to take action.’

The Women Wave Project

French climate activist Camille Etienne before sailing with other activists to COP30 on L’Esprit d’Equipe. Photo: Damien Meyer / Getty.

The Women Wave Project, supported by Amnesty International Belgium, brought an all-female crew of sailors and activists from Saint-Nazaire, France to Brazil onboard the legendary French racing yacht L’Esprit d’equipe, winner in her class of the 1985-86 Whitbread Round the World Race.

‘Crossing the Atlantic with women only was both intense and deeply symbolic,’ said crew member Maïté Meeûs, Brussels-based feminist and founder of an NGO that support survivors of sexual violence. ‘We wanted to embody the message we’re bringing to the COP: that women are always on the front line of crises, yet rarely at the decision table.’

The Women Wave Project is accredited within the Belgian delegation, and has taken part in both the public “green zone” and the official “blue zone” for state delegations at COP30.

Oceans at the centre of COP30

Attendees line up to get into the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, in Belem, Brazil. Photo: Fernando Llano / Getty.

These sailors were part of more than 55,000 participants in attendance at COP30, where talks focused on the dual priority of protecting the world’s oceans and its forests.

In the ocean sphere, three primary initiatives were front and centre.

First, explicitly including ocean resources in Brazil’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), or its climate impact plan, in order to foreground the ocean in its measurement of climate progress and to provide a ocean-inclusive impact model for other nations.

Second, coordinating the Blue Package, a roadmap for accelerating ocean climate solutions by 2028.

Finally, talks centred not only the ratification but the implementation of the High Seas Treaty, also known as the global BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) agreement, which will become effective in January 2026 after reaching the 60 ratifications needed to trigger its entrance into force.

The High Seas Treaty establishes Marine Protected Areas in two-thirds of the world’s oceans and creates a legal framework for governing the worlds commons. In the marine sphere, this includes marine life and environments in areas outside of national jurisdiction, such as the high seas and the international seabed, and their possible use in practices such as commercial fishing and deep sea mining.

Its funding and implementation will be discussed at BBNJ COP1 in late 2026.

The ocean citizen science being carried out on yachts

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‘Mass casualty we face very often,’ says skipper of search and rescue sailing yacht in the Central Med

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Boat owners, future boat owners, dreamer boat owners – the most common question they ask me is: ‘What’s going to make me and my boat safer?’ They want to know what my one piece of crew-overboard gear is that i’d recommend, my thoughts on which sea survival course is the best, or an instruction manual for emergency situations.

In other words they’re looking for a quick fix. i’ve got a bugbear here. you cannot buy safety. you cannot shortcut safety. safety has to be earned, and that takes time. gear and certificates don’t make you safer – not in isolation anyway.

You need another key ingredient. So what is that? What actually makes you a safer sailor?

It’s true that lifejackets, drogues, sea survival courses, an evacuation plan, knowing where the ‘arm’ button is on the EPIRB… all these things are important. but what is more important?

Sailing. the number one thing to up your safety game is simple: sail more, and get better at it. take performance boats. a common justification for buying the same length boat for double the price is speed: ‘by choosing the performance option we’ll be able to outrun bad weather.’

But the lightest, best-designed hull on the market won’t help you escape the storm unless you know how to handle it. i love performance boats. i also think fitting out your boat with good equipment is not only a safer choice, but more enjoyable to use.

And yes, investing time and money to take safety courses is prudent and necessary. but some owners spend hundreds of thousands on upgrading their boats – adding carbon rigs, nav systems, and 3di sails – yet hesitate to invest in a single day of professional coaching.

Just imagine how much faster and safer they’d be if they swapped the equivalent cost of one sail upgrade for top-class training. sometimes people justify an option like a carbon rig on safety grounds, because it reduces weight aloft. but then they reef early because they don’t have the sailing skills to push the boat to the edge.

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Thus, they probably wouldn’t escape the storm anyway, and they certainly wouldn’t see any of the slight gains of carbon vs aluminium rig (as a side note, the simple act of reefing early is a far cheaper way of achieving the same effect!). this all circles back to that old argument: qualifications versus experience.

Who’s safer, the sailor with a licence but no experience or the sailor with 10,000 miles and no certificate? the answer is neither. what matters is whether they can handle a boat efficiently and sensibly. and there’s only one way to know that – go sailing with them.

I still remember a delivery from Gosport to Liverpool for the 2017/18 Clipper Race start. On board was a full amateur crew, a few of whom had done extra training as coxswains so they could take over if anything happened to me.

So i tested them: i threw bob, our human-sized dummy, overboard and pretended it was me. they knew the theory. they’d drilled the procedure dozens of times. but when it came to turning the boat back downwind to the ‘casualty’ they couldn’t get the boat to turn.

Minutes passed and the dummy drifted out of sight, until someone finally realised easing the mainsheet might help. only after an hour of search pattern practice was bob eventually found. it was a reality check for all of us.

All the theory in the world needs to be underpinned by real sailing skills – and those skills need constant honing. for any sailor who wants to be safe, the job of learning, reflecting, and improving is never done.

So for anyone considering how to make themselves or their boat safer, i’d suggest putting as much time (and money if necessary) as you can into your actual sailing education. be picky about the sailing school you choose.

Lots of national sailing programmes do not include any practical sailing as part of their syllabuses. also remember, the quality of the education is ultimately a result of the quality of your instructor and not the sailing brand or programme endorsing them.

If you’re interested in performance sailing and short of cash, go club racing regularly to see how people don’t just sail fast, but also operate within the chaos of close quarters boat manoeuvres, and the constant stream of inevitable mistakes. because in the end, gadgets, miles, and certificates don’t make a safe sailor. time on the water does.

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It wasn’t long ago that even ambitious cruising yachts had only the bare minimum in electrical systems. Navigation lights, a VHF radio, perhaps an electric windlass and a single GPS plotter were about as sophisticated as things got.

Power demands were modest, and we managed with a decent-sized battery bank, topped up now and then by the engine alternator.

Modern cruisers are a different story.

Today’s yachts are expected to run fridges, freezers, laptops, and autopilots as standard. These place a heavy drain on the house battery bank.

Add in watermakers, air conditioning, or even induction hobs, and you’re into the realm of AC power demands as well.

This is where a generator can become essential. Not only can it keep your batteries charged without prolonged engine use, it also powers those high-demand systems that require 230V or 110V AC.

Choosing a generator, however, is not something many yacht owners will have done before.

At Rubicon 3, our vessels operate year-round, from the icy seas of Greenland and Svalbard to the Caribbean’s sweltering humidity. In between are many ocean crossings and many nights at anchor, with our crews relying on their generator for power, heat, refrigeration, desalination, and more.

It means our yachts need a generator that can handle variable loads smoothly, work hard every day in a commercial environment, and above all, remain reliable.

Unlike items such as foul-weather gear, where you can try something on and trust a few reviews, selecting a generator is more opaque.

Manufacturers such as Fischer Panda, Northern Lights, Onan and WhisperPower all have confident sales teams and polished brochures, but once you’ve filtered out the marketing spin, how do you make the right choice?

Fisher Panda 8000i installation in one of Rubicon 3’s adventure yachts. Photo: Rubicon3

Know your load

The first step is calculating your expected electrical load, including peak expected draw and a lower ‘duty cycle’.

This will narrow the field.

You’ll find that generators are usually rated in kVA – their total output, including wasted or ‘non-working’ power due to inefficiencies in the electrical system. They should also give an output in Watts (far more helpful to know), which will usually be around 80% of the kVA.

So 8kVA gives around 6.5kW, enough to run the kettle, toaster, battery charger and watermaker – though never more than two at once.

Check the physical size

Once you’ve got a shortlist of models that can meet your power requirements, the next crucial step is ensuring it will physically fit, not just into your engine room, but onto your bearers or generator platform – and, if not, what modifications you need to make.

Some models are compact and modular, while others are bulky and require greater installation space. It’s not the most exciting aspect of choosing a model, but it is quite key!

Rubicon 3 chose Fischer Panda generators for its fleet of yachts because they best suited the firm’s operating model

Fixed vs Variable Speed: The Trade-Off

You’ll also see that some models are fixed speed and others variable.

Variable speed generators adapt engine speed to the load demand, while fixed speed sets run at one speed, whatever the load.

Variable speed generators are, therefore, ideal for vessels with constantly fluctuating loads. They’re usually quieter, more fuel-efficient under light loads, and generally more compact. But they’re also more complex and there’s more to go wrong.

Fixed speed generators, on the other hand, are usually simpler but slightly heavier, noisier, and less efficient when running below capacity.

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Think Beyond the Spec Sheet

Equally important to your choice should be after-sales support.

The most sophisticated generator won’t help you if there are no service technicians or parts suppliers in your part of the world.

Look at the brand’s service network in the regions you plan to sail.

Again, quick access to support and spares is not glamorous to prepare for, but you’ll be very pleased that it’s there when you need it.

Fischer Panda generator

The Reality of Ownership

Having worked as an engineer on superyachts and managed multiple different generator brands in the Rubicon 3 fleet, i can honestly say this: if a generator is properly installed, operated within its limits, and serviced correctly, most of the major brands are very good.

I have not found that any one brand stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of reliability.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a generator for most cruising yachts is part of careful research of the items listed above and the happenstance of which generator is available near you, at the time you need it, and the price you can negotiate.

Take time to specify it correctly, plan for access and support, and match the system to your operational needs.

Do that, and whichever brand you choose, you’re likely to have a generator that repays your trust when you’re hundreds of miles offshore or in the wilds – and that’s what really matters.

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When ocean sailors are quizzed about their voyages, the most common question they are asked is: “Were you ever scared?” Harry Anderson insists he was not, but when he had to crawl forward and fix a broken **genoa** furling line alone in the Drake Passage amid storm force winds and seas, he realised he was chillingly vulnerable.

“Going south had been easy, but going north was a disaster,” he recalls. “There was a lot of fog. A huge storm came between Cape Horn and 60°S so I put in a bit of westing and heaved to, to wait out the storm. But I lost out the westing and I just had to start to cross.

“It was the most challenging time, trying to fix the broken line and furl the sail back in with frigid water crashing over me, up at the bow. I felt I earned my chops. But I said to myself, this is what this is about. This is reality.”

Harry Anderson has been a man on a mission for 15 years. In 2011 he flew his light aircraft solo around the world eastabout and in 2019 carried out the same feat westabout.

In between, he made a lone flight to Antarctica and back, becoming only one of five aviators ever to do so, as well as a daring and lengthy transpolar flight over the North Pole. Satisfied with the record flights he’d done, he began to consider an around the world sailing voyage, and the possibility of setting a new record as the first person to both fly alone and to sail alone to all seven continents.

Anderson with his plane. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

He accomplished this on 29 January 2025, sailing his 41ft Allures 40.9 Phywave back to Fort Lauderdale two years and five months after leaving Norfolk, Virginia.

He’d spent 350 days at sea and logged over 38,000 nautical miles, crossing the Atlantic to the Azores, Portugal, Morocco and south to Brazil, round Cape Horn to Antarctica, across the Pacific to Australia and via the Indian Ocean to South Africa, before crossing the Atlantic for the third time to return home to the US.

Anderson, now 74, lives on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle. An electrical engineer and entrepreneur, he built up a company designing wireless communication networks, sold it – then bought it back four years later and transformed it once again.

As a young man, he studied for a PhD in England, hitchhiked across Africa and has worked on four continents; his outlook is decidedly global. He has always had a taste for travel and for adventure, and the time and means to enjoy his freedom.

Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

A Family Dream

The seeds of his aviation and sailing ambitions are there in his family background. His father had been a radioman in the Navy, flying on patrol bombers out of RAF Dunkeswell in Devon to search for German submarines. His parents were both keen sailors and for a time lived aboard a yacht.

It had been their dream to sail from San Diego to Baja, and perhaps far beyond, but his mother fell ill, then died, and his father moved ashore. When his father later died, he left his sextant to Harry.

Anderson was 48 when he got his private pilot’s licence. In 2011 he made his first round the world flight in a Lancair Columbia 300, a small, single-engined plane he’d chosen because the back seat could be removed to fit in extra fuel tanks.

In 2018 he flew over the North Pole, from Resolute Bay in Canada to Longyearbyen, Norway, then in 2019 flew alone around the world for a second time, through Russia, Japan, China and Kazakhstan. Sailing had been an early interest, but never anywhere near the scale of his airborne adventures.

After moving to Puget Sound Anderson bought a Bavaria 37. “I sailed it for 12 years up the Inside Passage to Alaska, and learned about different things,” he says.

Flying over Svalbard having crossed the North Pole. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

“But I sold it in 2018 and thought my sailing days were done. It wasn’t until 2020 that I resurrected the idea of sailing round the world. Like everyone else [in the pandemic], I was sitting around at home twiddling my thumbs, and changed my mind.”

Anderson decided he needed an aluminium yacht to sail to Antarctica and ordered the Allures. At 40ft it is small these days for such a trip, but he knew the loads would be manageable.

“It was similar in size to the Bavaria 37 so I knew I could handle it alone,” he explains. He had the boat shipped from Southampton to Baltimore, US, and the sails, watermaker and generator fitted there.

He chose a Schaefer furling boom and electric winches to make sail handling easier solo.

King George Island, Antarctica. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

Ticking Countries Off

Anderson’s round the world voyage route did not include a sightseeing itinerary. “I planned the route to land on all seven continents most efficiently, with the shortest way, and I typically planned a week in each place.

“I was not on a cruise around the world, not there for tourism; I was truly on a mission. Part of that was that I had already been to many of these places, and they were not a mystery to me,” he reflects. The first night at sea after leaving Norfolk, Virginia, for the Azores was also the first time he’d sailed overnight on his own, and it was a turning point.

“I went to bed at 2200. I didn’t set up some bizarre sleep schedule. I thought ‘I can’t do that’, so I went to my bunk in the aft cabin, and slept and I let the boat sail on its own, no one steering or keeping watch.

It convinced me I could do that – you have to look to the electronics to be your crew. “Not many days later, I found that when I was sleeping I’d become very sensitive to the motion of the boat and I could quickly detect the wind increasing from the [sound of the] wind generator overhead.”

From the Azores he and Phywave sailed to Portugal, then to Morocco and Lanzarote, from where Anderson struck out for Brazil, crossing the Atlantic for the second time in three months.

He kept his pace steady, with a simple sailplan of poled out genoa, staysail and mainsail, using a boom brake to reduce the energy when gybing. His logs from those passages are matter-of-fact, finding little to remark on other than the emptiness of the ocean, occasional pods of dolphins and schools of flying fish.

Pago Pago. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

Burned Out

By the end of 2022, Anderson was working south from Mar del Plata in Argentina, trying to dodge tidal currents and headwinds on his way to Patagonia.

In early 2023 he left Puerto Williams in the Beagle Channel and turned south across the Drake Passage, making landfall in fog at Deception Island and anchoring in the dark bay of its submerged volcanic caldera.

A week later he was making his way back in fierce weather, anxious to press on into the Pacific. Looking back, he remarks: “I regret not venturing further on, but I was evaluating the risk and it was riskier to extend into more difficult waters.

You have to set shore lines and one of my issues was I was unable to do that solo – when you go ashore there’s no one on board to keep position.”

Reaching Puerto Williams again he felt he badly needed a rest. “I was pretty burned out from sailing and living on the boat. The preceding seven months had been intense sailing, covering more than 12,000 miles. I was due for a break.”

On the beach at Deception Island, Antarctica. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

The next stage beyond Chile would be a 2,200-mile voyage to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas. Instead Anderson flew home for six weeks, and got a delivery crew to take Phywave onwards to Puerto Montt, in southern Chile.

It would mean missing out five degrees of longitude, so the voyage would fall short of a full circumnavigation. “But,” he says, “my real objective was sailing solo to seven continents.”

From French Polynesia across the Pacific, the tone of Anderson’s logs changed. With his increasing ease on Phywave, and the sporadic winds of an El Niño year, a philosophical mood crept into his writings.

“I’m sailing west across the Pacific into a setting sun, a common sailor fantasy now real, though I still see the clouds above me as a pilot would, not a sailor,” he reflected. “The days [flow] together with no distinguishing features, the tradewind direction and speed finally fairly steady.

The sky suddenly clouds over then just as quickly brightens to brilliant blue, seemingly at random, followed by nights lit up with a moon waxing full. It’s the upper half of a world that has the hypnotic, twisting rhythm of the waves beneath. And me in between.”

A toast with whiskey while crossing the equator southbound. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

Long Haul Home

The slog from La Réunion to Richard’s Bay in South Africa, one of the most notoriously hard passages, was one of Anderson’s biggest tests. Struggling against the strong Agulhas Current and low pressures that funnel up the African coast, he remembers “raising my arms to the sky and saying ‘Why are you doing this to me?’

“I felt like I was being put upon. I had put up with a lot and I deserved a break. At the time, it felt so unrelenting.”

But after a rest in South Africa he was ready for the last long haul home to the US, stopping in Walvis Bay, Namibia, St Helena and finally Antigua for some ‘Dark ‘n’ Stormies’ – as well a complicated repair to an autopilot drive unit.

He arrived back in Fort Lauderdale on 29 January, 2025 to the fanfare of family and friends.

Lombok, Indonesia. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

An End In Itself

Today, Anderson is back on Bainbridge Island and Phywave is on the hard near Annapolis, the other side of the country. He’s contemplating his next adventure: sailing through the Northwest Passage.

He has already flown the route by plane, landing in Barrow, Alaska. “It would be the most interesting way home,” he muses. He would again make that voyage solo. “I guess it’s what I have gotten used to, being alone,” he says.

“People ask me this about flying as well and I say I’m like a road cop that nobody wants to ride with. It would be weird and uncomfortable even bringing friends who are sailors.”

He always viewed a plane or a yacht as vehicles for an adventure and a goal, but the long voyages in Phywave took on a meaning he did not entirely anticipate. “When I am out there in the ocean that’s the part I enjoy the most.

I don’t look at ocean crossings as something to be done to get it over with. It’s a destination in itself. “In retrospect, I think I really should have savoured some of those moments more.

Sailing in rough seas. Photo: courtesy Harry Anderson

I felt that as I left St Helena – in some ways the most remote place I’ve ever been. As it receded in the distance, and it was clear this voyage was coming to an end, I said to myself: I have to savour being out here, being able to see horizon to horizon with no other boats and nothing on the radio.”

Anderson’s accounts of his voyage (on phywave.com), can be sparse and startlingly matter of fact – he was certainly not pitching for film rights. But the voyage became something more than just a companion record to his aviation feats.

His penultimate entry, alongside a big photo of his father’s sextant in its wooden case, reads: “I’ve carried my Dad’s sextant with me everywhere I’ve sailed for the past two-and-a-half years, across the world’s oceans, to seven continents, several countries and dozens of harbours and anchorages around the globe,” he writes.

“In this small way [my parents] were along with me, sailing the world as they once dreamed of doing. I think they’d have liked that.”

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I was navigating on the 80-footer Beau Geste on the Round New Caledonia Race, steaming towards a reef system when suddenly all the systems went down. We were on a dark ship and were within five minutes of hitting the reef.”

It’s because of times like these that Will Oxley remains so committed to his no-stone-unturned approach to navigation. He’s all too aware that the smarter the technology we rely on, the less smart we become. At least, that’s the danger.

“When I get people coming to me for coaching and training in improving their navigation skills, the first thing I’ll ask is have they mastered the fundamentals?” says Will. “Have you done your RYA Yachtmaster certificate, for example?

That’s where you get to learn the fundamentals of the job – coastal navigation, transits, how tides work, about wave patterns and the fact that you’re not necessarily safe in more water than the depth of your boat.”

Since the arrival of GPS and electronic charts, many sailors have increasingly lost touch with these fundamentals, which leaves them dangerously exposed, according to Will. Here are his five best boat knife tips for making sure you’ve covered yourself for those times when systems go down and the only thing you’ve got to fall back on are your raw navigation skills.

Software skills do not make a navigator

The ability to use software like Expedition and Adrena is obviously critical to being a good navigator in the modern age of offshore racing, but this is not the be-all and end-all. While people come to me asking for help in training them in the best boat knife use of these tools, I’m conscious of my responsibility to make sure they’ve covered the other vital aspects of navigation.

The software tools are the top of the pyramid of skills required, but you can’t call yourself a good navigator unless you’ve studied the fundamentals – the base of the pyramid – in great detail. There are plenty of examples I could draw to make the point, but one that we see in the Caribbean 600 is when someone hits a rock that they say wasn’t shown exactly on the chart.

If you come from the UK where the charts are five- or six-star and every tiny rock is accounted for, it’s easy to fall into the trap of putting the same level of blind trust in the ENCs (electronic navigation charts) for the Caribbean. They are nowhere near at the same level of accuracy and you’ll come unstuck if you place too much faith in them. This is just one of many examples why studying the fundamentals matters so much.

Pro navigators use the latest navigation software – but still rely on paper charts as vital back-up. Photo: Amory Ross/Team Alvimedica/Getty Images

Make backups for the backup

You’ll hear people tell stories about how the boat went aground because the chart was inaccurate or there was a GPS failure. But they’re not really valid excuses because you have to assume that these things are going to happen at various points in your sailing life.

You can get yourself into some pretty complicated situations with a deck screen and a detailed chart. For instance, at night time, you can get inside some rocks that are not very wide, but you’re still happy that all is well. Now, what happens if your GPS goes down? A well-rounded navigator should be able to say: “I know that if I stay between these depth contours, then I’m safe. I know there’s a lighthouse and the bearing to that lighthouse needs to remain at this angle for me to be safe. There’s a transit here…” and so on.

There are a whole lot of other pieces of information, using fundamental navigation, that you should be paying attention to.

I use a mesa rugged tablet as a backup to the main desktop nav system on any boat that I sail on, so even if the boat’s electronics go down – say, after a crash gybe and all the antennas have been ripped off the back of the pulpit – then I can flick straight to the tablet.

But what if the mesa goes down? Navigation is as much about knowing where you’re not as knowing where you are, and you always need to know your escape route if absolutely everything goes down. At all times, and for all potential worst-case scenarios, you need to plan your way to safety.

Spread the workload

Just as we’re talking about backups for all scenarios, the same applies to the navigator too. You need to spread the workload and make sure other people on the crew are up to speed with your plans. When you’re doing a handover and you’re planning to have a sleep for a little while, explain the projected scenario for the next few hours, including those vital paths to safety that we talked about. Before the race you’ll do hours of preparation, particularly looking at the sailing instructions and the course routing.

I realise everyone else on the crew has their own area of responsibility, so I’ll boil down the really vital information that I think everyone needs to know, and condense it into one page. I’ll summarise the key points from the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions and say, “Everybody should be aware of this, and there will be a fine if someone asks me a question that’s already on this one page,” because there’s basic stuff that absolutely everyone needs to know.

It’s easy to sit back and think “oh, Will is prepared, we won’t read it. We’ll just assume that what he did was right.” That reliance purely on the navigator is a big error that even professional teams sometimes make.

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Set your risk level

We’ve talked about limiting your risk and erring on the side of safety, but occasionally someone will come up to me after a race and say, “Hey, what you did going in so close to the shore there, that was dangerous.” And I’ll say, “Well, no, because I was out there last week in a RIB and we sounded that whole area. And I know 100% for sure that what’s on the chart isn’t there.”

The more you research and the more you do your homework, the more you can push your level of risk, or at least what other people perceive to be risk. When we’re racing 100ft maxi yachts out of Porto Cervo we can’t afford to hit the rocks because these are big, expensive boats and the rocks on the Costa Smeralda are really hard. But a small advantage of just feet and inches can really count in such close races, which is why on the layday the navigators will be less likely to be in the bar enjoying a few beers, and more likely to be out in a RIB plumbing the depths and mapping out every nook and cranny of ‘Bomb Alley’.

There’s also a high level of cooperation and knowledge sharing between the navigators, which is exactly how it should be.

Eyeballs still matter

These days even the bowman is pinging the line with his own GPS-enabled wrist watch. But eyeballs still matter, for bowmen sighting the line and for navigators using their own senses rather than placing all their faith in charts and electronic navigation aids. There are plenty of places in the world – like the Caribbean or Hamilton Island in Australia – where I’m looking at the chart but there’s a point at which it becomes an eyeball.

If you’re working off six-star charts in the UK you can place a lot of trust in them, but if it’s a two-star chart you’re definitely using your eyeball from a long way out. In this age of electronic wizardry, eyeballs, and all your senses and instincts, still matter.

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Big news from the British America’s Cup team Athena Racing, which announced today that legendary sailor and team boss Ian Walker MBE has been appointed Chief Executive Officer.

Walker joins Sir Ben Ainslie’s Athena Racing as CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of its America’s Cup Challenge, reuniting two of Britain’s most successful competitive sailors.

It also sends a strong signal that the Brits – who have not revealed any major backers since splitting from INEOS in January 2025 – are gearing up for a full-power challenge for the 38th America’s Cup.

Since entries closed for the 38th America’s Cup, to be held in 2027 in Naples, there have been no announcements of confirmed entries, only the news that American Magic will not take part.

Athena Racing, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron, remains the Challenger of Record.

Ainslie at the helm of INEOS Britannia in AC37 (no word yet on what the Team Principal’s full role will be, nor on backers for the British Challenge).

Athena Racing’s new CEO

Ainslie welcomed his new CEO today, saying: “Ian is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of success with high-performance campaigns across the very top of our sport, there are very few people as qualified, both on and off the water.

“He also understands the complexity of running teams that need to be at the forefront of innovation and performance while meeting both budget and timeline demands. For AC38, that timeline is tight, and we needed a CEO who could hit the ground running and Ian can do that, he understands how to drive teams forward and the importance of continuity in achieving the ultimate goal.”

Ian Walker also spoke about his enthusiasm for returning to the America’s Cup arena: “The Cup has evolved enormously since I was last involved in terms of the boats, the technology, and even the balance between sailors and designers.

“But at its core, it remains unchanged, it’s about managing your resources, getting the best out of your people, and making every second count, in a race against time, and the clock is ticking.”

The 2000 Team GBR sailing team, including Ian Walker (left), Ben Ainslie (3rd from left) at the Olympic Games in Sydney Harbour. Photo: AFP/Torsten BLACKWOOD via Getty Images

British talent reunited

Walker and Ainslie were both part of the hugely successful British Olympic sailing team, and competed at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (Ainslie famously took silver at Atlanta, then Gold at Sydney, while Walker won silver at both – in the 470 with the late John Merricks in 1996, then the Star with Mark Covell four years later).

Since then, while Team Principal Ainslie went on to score four more Olympic golds and compete in multiple America’s Cups, Walker’s career has spanned ocean and inshore racing, America’s Cup campaigns, and high-performance team management roles.

He skippered Britain’s Wight Lightning for Peter Harrison’s GBR Challenge in the 31st America’s Cup in 2003, which Ainslie was also a member of. In 2007 Walker joined the Italian 39+ Cup team with fellow British Olympian Iain Percy.

The British Americas Cup boat GBR Challenge racing in the Solent during the Round the Island Race. Photo: Clive Mason/ALLSPORT

Ian Walker: a winning leader

Ian Walker also achieved major success in offshore racing, skippering three Volvo Ocean Race entries, which culminated in becoming the first British skipper to win in 2015 with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, having come back from a dismasting in the previous edition.

His coaching and performance roles have included coaching Shirley Robertson to her second gold in 2004, and serving as Performance Director for the British Sailing Team. He oversaw the British team’s last truly dominant Games, with GBR sailors topping the medal table at Tokyo 2020, winning five medals, including three golds after a challenging, covid-disrupted build up.

Since Tokyo, Ian Walker has been at North Sails, leading the UK sailmaking team for the past three years.

Ian Walker, skipper of the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team, celebrates during the winners ceremony in Gothenburg at the end of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images

Unusually, Walker brings experience at a high level in both commercial and performance spheres, combined with personal sailing achievement and experience.

“It’s an exciting moment to return to the America’s Cup with a British challenge that has the continuity of the last three campaigns, alongside the recent creation of the America’s Cup Partnership (ACP),” Walker explained.

“That was a big part of my decision to take this on, because I believe in what the ACP is trying to achieve – creating a sustainable, viable commercial business model for the competition. I’ve also worked with several members of the team previously, which gives me real confidence in what we’re building together.”

“The America’s Cup transcends the sport of sailing and has so much untapped potential, Walker concluded. “I am excited about what lies ahead, just imagine how cool it would be for the team to win it for Britain.”

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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What should an Olympic medal represent? Is it still sport’s ultimate accolade? Is it a demonstration that you’re the best in the world and have dedicated your entire life to proving it? Or is it more of a blue Peter badge, a confirmation that you took part in a piece of sporting media entertainment that you should be proud of?

As we head towards the next Olympic Games regatta in San Diego there are a growing number of sailors who are extremely worried that the medals in 2028 will represent more of a memento for turning up rather than a celebration of being the world’s best.

It’s no secret that Olympic Sailing has had the sword of Damocles hanging over it for decades. An expensive, complicated sport that still isn’t as inclusive as the modern age requires has been a hard sell for a long time.

For years the sport has resisted a class cull to rationalise the overall fleet and bring the numbers down to more economically viable proportions. You could argue that it should have led the way and merged the genders for all of the double-handers to keep classes and disciplines while reducing the head count. And though this has happened in the 470s and Nacra cats, the sport has introduced the equivalent of BMX bike and skateboard categories in the foilers, in the hope these more street-style classes will draw in a huge new audience.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 1 August, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

I have nothing against foiling boards or kite foils – they’re exciting – but these new classes have not brought spectators and supporters in the kind of numbers that will turn around the economic fortunes of Olympic Sailing. And neither will changing the medal racing format by reducing it to a single, short, winner-take-all final race between the top four.

Apparently, this is what could be on the cards for Los Angeles. I’m told there are plans to reduce the fleet racing stages beforehand to just three days with no reserve or lay days – which surely doesn’t help to even out the spikes in weather and fortune that often influence our sport. And all in the name of creating a greater sense of jeopardy to make our sport more exciting.

Really? More of a lottery by the sounds of it. Imagine if you turned up at your national championships where you’d worked hard at consistently delivering the points during the week only to be told that the points buffer you’d accumulated counted for nothing when it came to a shot at the trophy.

That’s effectively what happened to British iQFoil sailor Emma Wilson, who was 31 points ahead in the games last year. We know how that played out for her… a bronze.

Surely what would help to get sailing back on track would be to take the racing to a venue that has a reputation for breeze on a stretch of water that can cope with a variety of wind directions and that isn’t hopelessly compromised by being too close to the shore where a few thousand people can watch.

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If we’re talking about sailing at the Olympics needing to be a sport that gets talked about and watched on TV for a global audience, a few thousand on the beach isn’t going to move the needle when it comes to balancing the costs of putting it on. It strikes me as odd that at a time when we can film sailing pretty much anywhere while relating the action with trackers and on-the-water commentary, we choose to move the racing to within shouting distance of the shore – why?

After what was clearly a disastrous sporting broadcast in Marseille for the last games it sounds like there are some pretty drastic changes being considered. But it also sounds like the Olympic broadcasters are having a big say in how the sport will look going forwards and, despite having worked in and seen the pressures that TV faces to bring sailing to our screens, I don’t think that’s the answer.

The television world itself is facing big challenges as audiences head to other platforms and media, and I don’t believe it’s in the right position to tell a sport how to conduct itself. Because you then risk creating something that bears little resemblance to the sport as its enthusiasts and grassroots participants know it – and then you risk losing the support of a community that should be the core supporters.

Imagine a future where we only have one race to decide the Olympic Games results. Is this really what winning an Olympic medal is all about, or are we gradually ensuring that sailing is driven out of the games?

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Wally launches a second Rocket. If the name and look seem familiar, it’s because we ran plenty of coverage of the first Wallyrocket 51 earlier this year, following its eagerly awaited launch and build-up to the Admiral’s Cup and Rolex Fastnet Race.

Yet just as we began featuring the first Rocket, Wally announced this larger sistership, with both yachts launching in the same season. Both are Botin Partners designs, and where the 51 is conceived to take on the TP52s and smash races on handicap, the 71 has the equally herculean task of becoming the ‘world’s most successful maxi’.

Wallyrocket 71 Django 7X became a world champ at its first major regatta. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Compared with its main Maxi 72 rivals then (most of which have been extended), the Wallyrocket 71 is two tonnes lighter, with over 30% more water ballast (2.7 tonnes of it) for the same sail area, which brings advantages both in the light and going downwind. It can clock upwind speeds of 10.5-11 knots, while matching or exceeding true winds going the other way.

“We started from a blank sheet of paper, asking how we could beat the most competitive Maxi 72s on corrected time,” Botin’s Adolfo Carrau explains. “When they were designed, it was to a box rule, so many parameters were already set. Now, as everyone is optimising their boats under IRC rules, there is a lot more freedom.”

Clean, Spartan carbon interior – it’s a racing yacht after all. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Giovanni Lombardi Stronati commissioned the build of the first 71, Django 7x, at King Marine in Valencia. It is already being campaigned by his Italian Django team, which represented the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) at the Admiral’s Cup with the first 51. Once again, this team is galvanised by the affable Vasco Vascotto, who holds more world titles than any other sailor.

Django 7x’s first major regatta was the Rolex Maxi Yacht Cup in September, hosted by the team’s club YCCS, where it took on the likes of seasoned competitors such as Bella Mente, Vesper, Jolt and Jethou – and beat them all, to claim the first Rolex IMA Grand Prix World Championship. Quite the proof of concept!

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Wallyrocket 71 Specifications:

LOA: 21.44m 70ft 4in
Beam: 5.55m 18ft 3in
Draught: 4.90m 16ft 1in
Displacement: 12,500kg 27,558lb
Sail area (upwind): 305m2 3,283ft2
Sail area (downwind): 630m2 6,781ft2
Contact details: wally.com

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post New Wallyrocket 71: The Next Generation Racing Yacht appeared first on Yachting World.

On June 29 a lifeboat crew was attending a multicoloured little yacht that had run hard aground off Folkestone, on the south-east corner of England, in the early hours of the morning.

The yacht was a 27ft Albin Vega, sitting high and dry on the rocks, and its skipper a petite young sailor called Jazz Turner, who was in the closing stages of a solo circumnavigation of Britain – and also happens to use a wheelchair to get about on land.

At first glance, Turner and the Albin’s situation looked hopeless: the yacht would surely require towing off, the single-handed skipper would surely require assistance.

But the rescue crews were asked not to intervene. Jazz and her team had a plan, and she was going to get herself and her yacht out of this predicament on her own.

Despite her limited mobility Turner was able to kedge off and refloat after dragging first a bow and then a stern anchor out across the rocks.

It was a remarkable act of seamanship by any standards, but Turner spent hours crawling across the slippery shoreline, hauling anchors and chain that weighed nearly as much as her own 40kg frame, then pulling in on the stern anchor lines by hand to get the yacht’s rudders back into deeper water.

It worked, the Albin refloated – relatively unscathed – and Turner went on to complete one of the most incredible sailing achievements of recent years.

Turner’s yacht Fear aground just before her voyage end. Photo: Project Fear

Face everything and rise

Jazz Turner’s solo sailing circumnavigation was named Project Fear, and her beloved Albin is named Fear, for ‘face everything and rise’.

It’s an apt sentiment, as Turner has faced more adversity than most. She was initially drawn to sailing quite by chance – a school friend had been given a voucher for a day’s sailing experience as a birthday present, but the typical English summer weather was uninviting, cold and wet.

When her friend didn’t want to go, Turner jumped at the chance, and realised instantly that she loved it. She began dinghy sailing aged 13 at her local club, Newhaven & Seaford SC.

“I couldn’t afford my own boat, so I walked down to the club every Sunday morning, on Wednesday evenings after school. I’d go around the dinghy park and ask people if I could go sailing with them.

“Eventually they brought down a Topper for me from our club inland site, which I raced and learned to sail that way,” she recalls. From the Topper she progressed to the Laser (now ILCA) at Weir Wood SC, and helmed a double-handed Fireball dinghy.

Article continues below…

However, the sailing clubs weren’t just a source of fun. Turner had an unstable home life, often moving around, and finally left home as a teenager.

Fellow Fireball racer and friend Chris Turner realised Jazz’s situation and took her in – later formally adopting her. Sailing had not only given Jazz a passion and an outlet, but it also brought her a new family.

Jazz Turner approaches Brighton to complete her around Britain adventure. Photo: Ingrid Abery

Remarkable story

But that was far from the end of Turner’s remarkable story.

Due to her chaotic childhood, Turner had never had some unusual medical symptoms investigated. Chris Turner’s wife, Carolyn, is a GP and realised that some of the conditions Jazz lived with – frequently dislocating joints and unexplained allergies – needed proper diagnosis.

That diagnosis was Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; a genetic, progressive condition, which affects connective tissue throughout the body, and over the years the condition has increased in severity.

On land Turner uses a wheelchair, as it’s painful to bear weight and she is liable to falling. Gastro-intestinal failure means her digestive system struggles to process food and drink.

Jazz has raced in a wide range of dinghy fleets including the RS200. Photo: c/o Jazz Turner

Her foster dad, Chris, explained to our sister title PBO: “She also has a Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) condition which means her heart rate goes through the roof; assistance dog Phoebe tells her to sit down before she passes out.

“When sailing she has a clever watch, which gives her a shorter warning of five minutes.”

In December Jazz was told her condition had become terminal, and she had months to live. She was just 26.

“They offered her a bed at the hospice but she’s a 26-year-old who wants to live life to the full. She might die quicker doing so but she’d rather do that than be in a hospice with tubes – that’s a jail sentence,” Chris explained.

Living every day

Living life to the fullest for Turner was always going to involve sailing.

Determined to continue despite her worsening physical symptoms, she had previously begun sailing Paralympic and adaptive classes, such as the 2.4mR and RS Venture. “I found out that I wouldn’t classify: even if sailing was re-included in the Paralympics I wouldn’t be able to go because my disability isn’t eligible.

Racing in a Dart 15. Photo: c/o Jazz Turner

“I wanted to chase something similar to the Paralympics and still feel like I had a focus, so I switched over to big boats,” Jazz Turner recalls.

“But I was struggling to get opportunities crewing because people were scared of my wheelchair or scared of my disability. I was getting really frustrated. So I decided I’d get my own boat with the intention of potentially racing it or taking on some bigger challenge.

“I didn’t necessarily know what that challenge was: I just knew I needed my own boat.”

Sonar keelboat sailing in the Solent. Photo: c/o Jazz Turner

Chasing a dream

Turner had a total budget of £10,000 and bought the 1970s Albin for £6,000, leaving scant funds for the total overhaul required.

“She was pretty unmodified from when she was first built. She didn’t really have any modern electronics; it was all original winches, original rigging, original wiring.

“I had to totally rebuild her from the ground up,” Turner recalls.

Initially the shoestring refit was carried out by friends and family, but as Jazz’s plans crystalised into an around Britain challenge, more and more companies in the marine industry began to support her and she was able to make upgrades, including new sails and electronics.

Minor adaptations were made for her mobility: all lines are led to the centre cockpit, and fear sails downwind with a goosewinged jib rather than a spinnaker.

“Other than putting up the jib pole, there was no need to go on the foredeck at all,” she explains. “Then I have a series of straps that hold me onto the windward side of the boat, as well as a lot of handholds and extra supports so I could pull myself around using my body and not be reliant on my legs.”

Turner also competed in Para sailing classes, including the SV 14. Photo: c/o Jazz Turner

It wasn’t until late 2024 that Jazz knew whether a truly solo sailing adventure would even be possible.

“It was nearing December when I finally did my first solo, solo sail. Up to that point I’d always had someone else on board as a backup.

“I went out, past Dover and back. It was a lot, but it was good. That was when I realised I was actually going to attempt this solo, non-stop and unassisted.”

Around Britain

Turner and Fear set off on their round Britain challenge on 2 June from Brighton marina.

It did not go well. “It was a brutal start, properly brutal. I had 20 knots of south-westerly, upwind, that didn’t drop for the first four days,” Jazz Turner recalls. “Everything, everything, that could have broken did break.

“It was exhausting physically, and very exhausting emotionally – because I thought we’d done loads of sailing to test everything, and then things were still breaking. I genuinely thought we’d be forced to turn around. I remember I was off Poole and my electronic compass had stopped working.

Showing true grit turner refloated the boat herself during her Round Britain. Photo: Project Fear

I was on the phone to my parents and dad said, ‘Look, it’s okay. You can come home. You can start again. We’ll start you again next week.’

“And everything in me wanted me to say yes, but all I could shout down on the phone was ‘no!’ – and then hang up on him, because how could he even say that? That was when I realised I was going to push on no matter what. It just might nearly kill me.”

When Jazz says the challenge might kill her, she’s not talking purely metaphorically. Maintaining body temperature and processing food are among the vital physical functions disrupted by Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and even harder offshore.

Another complication is that her joints easily dislocate. “Without being able to brace my legs, I get thrown around an awful lot. Physically, that is massively exhausting and painful, but all my joints dislocate. So every time I get knocked, a joint falls out and I have to put it back in.

“If I do a tack wrong or something, I can knock my hip out, knock several fingers out. And then once the boat’s on the new tack, I’ve got to reattach and relocate all those joints and carry on sailing.

“It happens daily, so I’m used to it, but it doesn’t stop it from hurting. And I couldn’t take most of the pain relief because of the risks with drowsiness.”

Sailing Round Britain

Over the top

Despite the rough start, Turner carried on. After nearly two weeks at sea, she realised she’d fallen into a rhythm.

“It was passing Fastnet rock on day 11. When I first started out in yachting, it was a Fastnet race year and I’d applied to loads of boats to do the race. I’d been turned down from each one – basically being told by teams that my disability was too complex and they couldn’t support me.

“So passing Fastnet was one of those moments where I suddenly thought we actually might pull this off!”

Fear was flying and the passage up the west coast of Scotland proved an unexpected treat. “It was really enjoyable. We had a breeze behind us pretty much the whole time, about 20 knots, just surfing down waves. So we made it to St Kilda by day 14, which was a lot faster than planned.”

Going into the challenge, Turner hadn’t set herself an end goal. “I didn’t set any expectations because I really didn’t know how long things would take – I never actually planned the second half of my route because I never thought I’d ever make it that far!” she recalls.

Turner’s yacht Fear aground. Photo: Project Fear

Second half

The return leg proved not so kind. “It was horrific. I thought by the point we were heading south, the worst had to be over. But the east coast and North Sea lived up to its reputation. A short, sharp, chop that was uncomfortable to sail through.

“Not nice for the boat, not nice for me, not good for the autopilot. That combined with the fact that you were having to slalom between oil rigs, tankers, and wind farms. It was pretty bloody miserable.”

Turner had onshore weather routing from Paralympian and offshore racer Hannah Stodel, and would check in twice a day via satellite communication.

“But a lot was just a case of keep going. There’s a massive storm coming? Reef, tough it out, carry on. Because once I’d turned south, there weren’t any anchorages I could get into and out of under sail alone.

“I think we saw 52 knots at one point in the North Sea. I was quite far offshore, and it was just a massive squall that came through. I was fully reefed and just drifted on the poles. But I had complete faith in Fear.

Turner is reunited with her parents, Chris and Carolyn, at the end of her circumnavigation. Photo: Fergus Kennedy

“She didn’t let me down in the slightest. She’s a bomb-proof little thing.”

The only point Jazz’s challenge was in true jeopardy was that grounding the night before she finished. “I was essentially drifting because there was no wind and an awful lot of tides. So I went inside to check the chartplotter, and I must have fallen asleep.

“The next thing I know, all the alarms were going off and I can see I’m in less than a metre of water. I throw myself out the companionway, look up to see the cliff, then chuck the rudder over to try and tack out to sea. But we’d hit and it was too late.”

After calling her family and team she formulated the strategy of using anchors to winch herself out.

Even getting on and off the beached yacht required some quick thinking. “The boat was high and dry, on its side. So I was able to slide off the front. I had on board a long piece of rope with a load of knots in, so I tied that onto the windward guardrail, and then I could pull myself back on board by pulling myself up the knots on the rope.”

Ashore after her circumnavigation. Photo: Fergus Kennedy

Success recognised

Jazz Turner completed her round Britain by sailing back into Brighton marina on 30 June after 28 days and 2,070 miles of sailing. She became the first disabled person to sail around the British Isles solo and unsupported.

Huge crowds turned out to greet her, her adventure having drawn the support of sailing A-listers including Ben Ainslie, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Pip Hare, and Ian Walker.

The achievement took a while to sink in. “This project started as nothing more than something to keep me going at a time where I didn’t really see any hope or any future for myself,” she reflects.

“It was very much a personal challenge. The fact that it has inspired so many people to believe they can do more than what’s expected of them – that’s a great bonus.”

However, Turner is not done adventuring yet. “I think i’m going to attempt a transatlantic in fear next year. I learned a lot while I was out there,” she said. She is also seeking sponsorship to compete in the RWYC’s 2026 Worldstar Solo Round The World Race.

“Pretty much immediately afterwards, it’s been, ‘oh, what can I do next?’ I don’t think I’ll ever be done.”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Inside Jazz Turner’s solo circumnavigation around Britain appeared first on Yachting World.

Time in a boatyard rarely goes exactly to plan. Investigate beyond where you usually look and you’ll almost always uncover work that wasn’t expected. The trick is to turn that disruption into long-term value — tackling hidden jobs head-on and using time out of the water as an investment.

The old rule of thumb still applies: buy well but only buy once. With a clear game plan and good guidance futureproofing can be one of the smartest refit strategies there is.

Old, but far from out

To futureproof thoroughly, you need a good sounding board of expertise, like David Gabriel, the refit manager for Rustler Yachts. The traditional brand is perhaps still most closely associated with its 36; a classic, long-keeled cruising yacht that counts Princess Anne as a former owner.

HRH now sails a much more modern Rustler 44, but refits of the 36 remain regular work for Gabriel. He explains what updating an older yacht for the long haul can look like.

“The 36 refit we’ve got underway at the moment is designed to give her maybe a couple of decades before she needs another major overhaul. It’s very much an investment for the owner setting her up for a long sailing future. She’ll be a much more modern yacht in terms of technology than anyone could have imagined when she was launched.

Spending money below the waterline might not often be seen, but is one of the first steps to futureproofing your yacht. Photo: Rustler Yachts

Forward-looking sonar, a hot water-based heating system instead of hot air, and completely new plumbing and electrics will make her feel new again,” explains Gabriel.

Surprisingly the original rig of the 1990s yacht was judged so good that it’s been given a clean bill of health — not in need of replacement for up to a decade.

So what makes an older design worth this level of commitment over a cheaper new production build? “It’s a pattern we’re seeing, including with other quality brands we refit,” says Gabriel. “It lowers the price threshold to own a really solid yacht at a time when raw material costs are pushing new prices up for everyone. While it’s not the same as commissioning a new Rustler, it’s a great way to enjoy a genuinely high-quality yacht.”

Jobs easily missed

Nathan Bone Yachts has been refitting yachts in Plymouth for over 50 years, seeing trends come and go, but also how getting the fundamentals right can set a yacht up for a long life with only routine maintenance needed. “Good futureproofing is about dealing with the jobs that are hard to reach, always with safety first in mind,” Bone says.

But which jobs to tackle, and in what order? “Ideally, we shape the work by talking a lot to the owner, building a solid relationship before we even start, and making a plan that will serve them well for years.

Like a classic car, even if the yacht isn’t that old, you always find more once you open her up. We’ll usually take a proper look at the keel, for example. It might be tempting to focus on the looks first, but the question should always be ‘What’s caused it to look like that?’ Often there’s something deeper going on.

Coachroof refurbishment and repainting. Photo: Rustler Yachts

“The deck is always a big consideration. We restore teak wood when we can and enjoy doing it, but we also replace decks completely with teak or modern alternatives. That’s a major job – and one people often kid themselves about, thinking the deck has more life in it than it really does. If you can see the screws, it’s usually past it.

Good teak is wonderful, of course, but synthetic options can be excellent too — it depends on the yacht and the owner,” Bone explains.

So are things ‘not like they used to be’, or do improvements in terms of materials and fittings mean they last longer? “It’s a mix. Acrylic hull paints have improved massively and last a long time. Coppercoat, if applied correctly, can last 12 years. PropSpeed is a fantastic product that improves economy and speed and just wasn’t available before,” says Bone.

“We’d also always recommend spending on quality deck gear — that’s an area where the metal quality from some makers has definitely dropped.”

Article continues below…

A second hand yacht that holds its value? Here’s how to get one

Whisper it quietly, but yachts, and perhaps their owners too, quite often have an archetype. A well-worn Amel Super Maramu…

What’s hidden beneath

Neil Desty of Desty Marine is well known in the UK yachting industry as a go-to yard by marine insurance companies, as well as for contracts with major UK yachtbuilders. He suggests that everything under the waterline is the first thing to consider when looking to futureproof. “Spending money on what you don’t see in the water isn’t often so appealing to an owner but it’s absolutely fundamental.

“Spending money here is generally spending money you won’t spend again for a long time, so, if you change a seacock, consider changing all of them, and, why would you change a seacock and not change the hose coming off of it? It just makes sense.”

When it comes to the hull itself, Desty notes there is often reluctance to spend there too. “If we’re taking the keel off, spend a little extra for some good quality washers, a good quality plate, and generally do things properly. We do a lot of osmosis treatment and owners are often tempted to save a bit by not putting in a good layer of epoxy to give it a good waterproof layer and seal off the laminate.”

Watertight decks are vital, whether real wood or synthetic alternatives. Photo: Rustler Yachts

Good ingredients

In an age where the yachting industry has become increasingly environmentally conscious, buying well-made yacht components might be one of the best things we can do to minimise impact on the environment, simply by making things last longer.

When it comes to deck fittings, poor quality metal has found its way onto many yachts over the past decade, often the result of cheaper raw materials from China and rising prices closer to home.

Some marine manufacturers are making a point of buying the best quality they can, explaining to customers why their product costs more instead of trying to compete on price. Alex Blair, UK sales manager for Ultra Anchors, explains: “We only occasionally get objections to our anchors, and it’s always about price. But once we explain, it makes sense.

We use Swedish 316 steel for Ultra anchors — it’s the best you can buy — and that lets us offer a genuine lifetime warranty on the anchor and five years on the swivels.

“Stainless steel chain costs more than galvanised, but for good reason, so we’ve taken the same approach there too. Long-term sailors know their anchor is their insurance policy, and it’s something you absolutely have to get right.”

Anything on deck will be exposed to UV. Plastic fittings are particularly vulnerable, and those made with UV-stabilised materials will last much longer. Investing in proper covers can also dramatically extend the life of deck components.

Hull and keel integrity is fundamental to a yacht’s long term future. Photo: Will Bruton

Buying Smarter for Longer

Some yacht kit has a surprisingly short shelf life, while other gear — if you choose carefully — can be fitted once and forgotten about for decades.

Batteries

Lead-acid or AGM types are usually good for three to five years before sulphation sets in, while a well-managed LiFePO₄ lithium bank will still be cycling happily after 10-15 years.

Standing rigging

Stainless steel wire is typically changed on a 7-10 year schedule, often at an insurer’s insistence. Modern Dyneema (the creep-resistant DM20 variety) can run for a decade or more if it’s properly jacketed and protected from UV.

Sails

Plain Dacron will last 7-10 years of moderate seasonal use, but a Hydranet or Dyneema-reinforced cloth can add several seasons – sometimes 12-15 years – before shape loss forces a replacement.

When a boat is out of the water there’s no point in not checking and replacing sacrificial anodes. Photo: Will Bruton

Anchor chain

Galvanised anchor chain typically needs replacement after 5-10 years of hard service, but stainless steel chain can often last more than 20.

Seacocks

Brass seacocks may dezincify in as little as five years, while bronze or Marelon valves often see out the life of the boat.

Hardware

Deck hardware follows the same pattern. Cheap plastic-sheaved blocks will wear and seize quickly, whereas a bronze or stainless winch, kept greased and maintained, is an investment.

Electronics

Magnetron radars are prone to fade after 5-7 years, whereas solid-state Doppler sets don’t have these issues.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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Vaan is an emerging Dutch brand creating a new generation of markedly different catamarans. Travel 20 miles from the historic city centre of Rotterdam, on through Europe’s largest commercial port, and you’ll reach the peaceful little town of Hellevoetsluis where Vaan is based. Founded in 2018 by Igor Kluin and Nienke Van Klooster, the company is located on the banks of the Haringvliet, an inland basin separated from the North Sea by a lock.

The site offers ideal enclosed waters for testing, but above all a space for long-term development – Vaan has already reserved a large part of the technical area of the marina, and a brand-new building is ready to accommodate up to three boats under construction at the same time. Moored at the pontoon, the Vaan R5 looks just as striking as it did in the computer-generated images that caught our attention.

Although the freeboard is high (2.12m/7ft 11in), it’s the smooth design with very few rough edges that makes the biggest impression. As raw aluminium is unforgiving of any flaws, we were pleasantly surprised by the fluidity of the hull’s lines, with no visible deformations.

Better still, the material used incorporates up to 70% recycled aluminium – made from things like window frames, number plates and road signs. Once crushed and sorted, they’re combined with 30% pure aluminium alloy and 0.5% additives, such as argon, to achieve the required marine quality standard 5083. In terms of CO2 emissions, the figures are significant, as its production emits only 2kg of CO2 per kilo of aluminium, seven times less than conventional material, according to Kluin.

To optimise weight, the thickness varies depending on the area: the hulls are 7mm thick, the areas around the keel are 10mm and the deck is 6mm thick. The structural frames are very tight, as can be seen in the very large sail lockers, located in the two bows, and the mast foot lockers, which are also generously sized. A big benefit this rigid construction brings is that Vaan catamarans can have single-piece glass deckhouse windows, offering almost unobstructed surround views. Here, on the 49ft R5, they’re double-glazed, while the older 42ft R4 has a single layer of glass.

Premium fast cruising. The R5 has high freeboard, but coachroof and boom are kept low, maximising sail area. Photo: Vaan Yachts

Sailing Smarter

Ecology is one of the three strategic priorities behind the creation of Vaan catamarans. Their life cycle assessment has been studied in detail, right up to their final recycling. But in addition to their highly distinctive style, the third major criterion that influences all designers’ choices is performance under sail.

For Kluin, who started sailing at the age of three, a yacht must perform well, whatever the wind conditions. This is non-negotiable. So, while Vaan means ‘wind vane’ in Dutch, it is also an expression that could be translated as ‘go where the wind blows’.

Anyone surprised that aluminium is associated with performance may be forgetting its excellent weight-to-rigidity ratio. Until the rise of composites, particularly carbon, it was used for a long time in ocean racing. Among the most famous examples are Flyer, winner of the second Whitbread Round the World Race in 1977/78, and the 12-Metre JI boats built for the America’s Cup, which were made of aluminium until 1987. During the same period, French sailors Eric Tabarly (Paul Ricard), Olivier de Kersauzon (Kriter) and Marc Pajot (Elf Aquitaine, winner of the 1982 Route du Rhum) made it the core material of their offshore racing multihulls.

The very beamy cockpit can be covered with a partial fabric bimini or full hard top. Photo: Vaan Yachts

However, before checking whether the 125m2 of upwind sail area is enough to help this 18-tonne craft sparkle under sail, we leave the port… in silence. As on the first three Vaan catamarans already built, this second R5 is powered solely by electricity. Energy storage is provided by a bank of LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries).

Admittedly, they have a slightly lower energy density (-14%) than conventional lithium-ion batteries, but on a 15m catamaran this is not much of a problem. In addition to their slightly lower cost, they offer greater longevity as they can withstand many more complete charge-discharge cycles. The figure of 5,000 cycles (instead of 1,000) before falling to 80% of their initial capacity is mentioned. They also present much less risk of fire.

Finally, a key element in Vaan Yachts’ strategy, is that they’re less polluting and can be stored for long periods. According to the manufacturer, with 60kW of batteries on board, fixed here in the central crossbeam, the Vaan R5 can motor for four to five hours, depending on conditions, at a cruising speed of between five and six knots.

For a catamaran which promises performance under sail, even in light winds, this should cover nearly 90% of engine use. On a performance catamaran, engine use is mostly limited to entering and leaving port, or when anchoring and raising the anchor. Beyond that, if all green energy sources are exhausted and the wind has died, a 15kW backup generator is installed on board.

Visibility to both bows is maintained thanks to the huge glass windows. Photo: Vaan Yachts

This is the right power for engines that will require 7.5kW each to bring the R5 up to cruising speed. The generator can be seen as a safety feature, but also as a means of extending the boat’s range, allowing it to sail under engine power for around four days. The pod engines installed during our test were prototypes and will be replaced by production models for delivery to the end customer.

For reasons of confidentiality we can’t go into detail about the installation, but from what we’ve seen it looks very promising. To improve hydrodynamics, the pods will retract into the hulls when the boat is under sail. And for better manoeuvrability in ports, the pods are also steerable – we weren’t able to test these two features during our trip as they were still in the testing phase.

Quiet Departure

The cruising speed under engine (5.6 knots) was confirmed as soon as we left the harbour. Hoisting the mainsail is done with the touch of a finger from the helm, thanks to the impressive Furlerboom. I’d never been very convinced by furling booms on multihulls of this size, but the efficiency of this surprised me. The composite casing is wide around the furling profile, leaving plenty of room for the sail.

Wide, clear side decks. Photo: Vaan Yachts

The sail, designed by Quantum, is very well cut, and the flexible luff connecting it to the mast, a critical point on this type of system, is particularly well adjusted in its lower section. To maximise the sail area and lower the centre of gravity, the gooseneck has been lowered as much as possible and the boom skims the deckhouse.

The self-tacking jib Solent unfurls just as easily, and we begin our journey north-west. In these sheltered waters the sea is calm and with 0.83m of clearance under the bridgedeck, there is little chance of any waves slapping beneath. The wind during our trial is irregular, and many obstacles (buoys, shipping traffic, banks, etc), present frequent reasons to tack.

These are all opportunities to see that the Vaan R5 is competent at this exercise. It barely slows down while tacking and offers a close-hauled angle near to the holy grail of 90°. On a reach and then downwind, without a headsail larger than the Solent, we cannot say for sure whether the R5 would meet or exceed the 10 knots given on the polar curves calculated by Dykstra, but the responsiveness of this multihull to the slightest breath of wind makes me optimistic.

Plenty of deck stowage on the R5. Photo: Vaan Yachts

Upwind and downwind, steering is a pleasure because visibility is always ideal – whether looking to the sails, the bow in front of the helmsman, or even the opposite bow (thanks to the large glass surfaces of the deckhouse). The steering system supplied by Jefa is really precise. It offers no play, to the point that the wheel may feel a little stiff in light winds, but the advantage is that it allows you to maintain control without any effort when the breeze picks up.

Vaan promotes luxury living with a minimalist, architectural style. Photo: Vaan Yachts

Bold Interior Design

As the afternoon draws to a close and the outside temperature drops significantly on the North Sea coast, we take the opportunity to explore the interior. Once the large sliding glass door is closed, the atmosphere immediately becomes warmer. The fittings, described as minimalist by Kluin, take the concept of simplicity even further than the competition in this sector.

There’s something reminiscent of Apple or Tesla minimalism about the interior. So, you’ll either love it or hate it, but no-one will be indifferent, that’s for sure. Apart from a few minor details – the absence of fiddles on the kitchen worktop and the highly symbolic folding chart table – I really liked it.

Photo: Vaan Yachts

Neat and distinguished at the same time, the main saloon and living area deserve much praise. The view to the outside is perfect, whether from the galley with its ample stowage space, or from the saloon, which is tastefully positioned facing forward. All the materials are high quality, with the occasional welcome touch of originality, such as the graphite grey felt covering the mast step. An example of detail is to be found in the bench armrest, which successfully marries shapes and materials, including metal, wood and fabric.

The hull steps are undoubtedly designed to Northern European standards and seem a little steep for my 1.73m height. However, the 2.09m headroom once in the hulls really helps contribute to the impression of space. The aft berth is integrated into the structure, providing rigidity without adding weight, as is the case on performance composite multihulls. On the port side, a huge dressing room occupies the central part of the hull, leading to an equally impressive washroom.

‘Living areas are tasteful, neat and distinguished’. Photo: Vaan Yachts

On the starboard side, the forward cabin has two bunk beds, as requested by the owner. A shared bathroom is located in the passageway on the inner side of the hull. There are 600lt tanks integrated under the floors of each hull: one for water, one for diesel for the generator. The Vaan is thermally and acoustically insulated with cork, a material which serves both the ecological and lightweight ambitions of the brand.

The interior temperature is regulated by a reversible air conditioning system that operates on the principle of a heat pump, which is very energy efficient. Its coefficient of performance (CoP) of six means that for every kW of electricity consumed, it produces 6kWh of thermal energy (heat or cold). Kluin assures us that even in the Mediterranean in summer, the interior can be cooled using only the 1,800W of solar panels installed on the deckhouse.

Vaan R5 specifications

LOA: 14.95m 49ft 3in
Beam: 7.94m 26ft 3in
Displacement: 18,000kg 39,683lb
Sail area (upwind): 125m² 1,345ft²
Sail area (downwind): 250m² 2,690ft²
Mainsail: 82m² 883ft²
Self-tacking jib: 45m² 484ft²
Gennaker: 172m² 1,851ft²
Code 0: 120m² 1,292 ft²
Engine: 2×7.5kW electric pods
Battery bank: 60kW
Generator: 15kW
Fuel tank: 600lt 132gal
Water tank: 600lt 132gal
Price: ex VAT €1,496,750 (test boat) €1,900,000

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Vaan R5 review: The 50ft electric multihull pushing sustainable sailing appeared first on Yachting World.

World Sailing has recognised its top achievers, honouring two offshore stars, Charlie Dalin and Justine Mettraux, as the Rolex World Sailors of the Year.

The awards highlight not only exceptional performance but also remarkable personal resilience in the face of immense challenge.

Dalin’s Secret Battle Behind Record Victory

France’s Charlie Dalin was named the Male Rolex World Sailor of the Year, a tribute to his all-conquering victory in the 2024–2025 Vendée Globe.

Aboard Macif Santé Prévoyance, Dalin completed the grueling solo, non-stop circumnavigation in 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 49 seconds, demolishing the previous course record by nearly 10 days. His win was made all the more heroic by a revelation shared recently: Dalin was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumour in 2023.

He competed in the Vendée Globe while undergoing treatment, managing his illness with daily medication.

Mettraux Sets New Female Circumnavigation Record

The Female Rolex World Sailor of the Year title went to Swiss sailor Justine Mettraux, who delivered an historic performance in the Vendée. Finishing eighth overall on Teamwork-Team SNEF, Mettraux was the first woman and first international competitor to cross the finish line.

Mettraux completed the race in 76 days, 1 hour, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest single-handed, non-stop, monohull circumnavigation by a woman. Her achievement is the latest in a highly diverse and impressive offshore career that has seen her compete in the Vendée Globe, participate in the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup, and, more recently, take part in The Ocean Race Europe.

Emirates Team New Zealand Named Team of the Year

In the collective categories, Emirates Team New Zealand earned the 2025 World Sailing Team of the Year Award. The honour recognises the team’s continued success and commitment to innovation and community within the sport.

The award follows ETNZ’s historic third consecutive America’s Cup victory in Barcelona in 2024, a feat that solidified their position as one of the most successful teams in America’s Cup history.

Kevin Shoebridge, COO of Emirates Team New Zealand, emphasised the collaborative spirit behind the win. “This recognition is especially meaningful to us because it is not about any one individual. It is about the strength of the team,” Shoebridge said.

“Every single person in our organisation, from the sailors to the designers, the boatbuilders, the shore crew, and the families who support us, plays a crucial role in what we achieve together.”

In accepting the award, the team also paid tribute to inspirational blind sailor Dani A Pich, acknowledging the importance of championing inclusivity and accessibility in sailing.

Article continues below…

Vendée Globe record-breaker Charlie Dalin won gruelling race after cancer diagnosis

French ocean racer Charlie Dalin has revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer in 2023, and completed – and won…

From the Vendée Globe to the America’s Cup: Women Who Conquered Sailing in 2024-25

Over the past 12 months, women in sailing have achieved remarkable milestones, showcasing their skill, determination, and passion for the…

11th Hour Racing Impact Award

The commitment to sustainability in the sport was also recognised, with the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Impact Award being presented to the LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES Project.

The project, led by the Royal Yachting Association, was honoured for its landmark collaboration uniting conservation bodies and the recreational boating community to restore and protect fragile seagrass meadows and maerl beds across five Special Areas of Conservation in southern England.

Youth Winners Impress

The Kuehne+Nagel Young World Sailor of the Year awards were won by Greece’s Nikolaos Pappas and Marta Cardona of Spain.

Nikolaos Pappas, from the small Greek village of Vonitsa, made history on the global sailing stage. At just 13 years of age and competing at his first international event – the 2025 Optimist World Championship in Portoroz, Slovenia – he beat 213 athletes from all over the world to take the title.

Another debutant, Marta Cardona Alcántara from Spain, showed her potential by winning the 470 Mixed World and European Championships at the first time of sailing in the events. She won the European title after sailing with her partner Jordi Xammar for just 40 days and went on to claim the world title a month later.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Record-breakers and champions: World Sailing honours the 2025 World Sailors of the Year appeared first on Yachting World.

The red bandit. This rocketship is the second Carkeek design for Italian carbon cognoscenti Neo Yachts.

The Neo 620 is its new flagship, which will muscle into the competitive mini-maxi arena. It’s an evolution of the 570 we featured a couple of years ago (check out the video tour), and continues to sport Carkeek’s distinctive chamfered topsides, which run into a reverse sheerline, a stealth bomber-style shape first seen on racing machines such as Ràn.

The 620 has various layout options, primarily adding a third heads compartment compared to its smaller sister, and providing the option for a convertible fourth cabin space, which can be used as a nav station, for dining or sleeping – all while keeping weight to a mere 13.5 tonnes (nearly half of which is ballast in a deep keel).

Making a point: the Carkeek-designed 620 Roma is Neo’s new flagship model

Neo manages this wizardry by building the 620 in prepreg carbon fibre, fitted with a high-modulus carbon rig. Cariboni hydraulics aid high-speed control, while it can sport a single or twin rudders, has space for a 3m tender, and includes 400lt tanks for both fuel and water.

Founded by competitive sailor and sailmaker Paolo Semeraro, Neo has now built 30 custom or semi-custom high-performance yachts since 2018. The ‘Roma’ branding is Neo’s fast cruising line, which reflects the possibility for the wood veneered interior to be removable. So these yachts suit those wanting to compete at high-level events with the lightest-weight boat, yet do so while protecting the timber finish and maintaining resale value.

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Ceccarelli 42 first look: A contemporary spirit of tradition yacht

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460 Competizione (Race)

Where Roma signifies a cruiser racer or Gran Turismo theme, ‘Competizione’ is Neo’s pure racer line, and the Bari yard has just sold the first 460 in this guise to a German team. Designed by Ceccarelli as an offshore double-handed or crewed racer, which can compete in Group 1 of the Admiral’s Cup class, it is available with single or dual rudders, water ballast options and an electric retractable pod.

Stylish carbon in the Neo 620 Roma’s interior

It also displaces only 200kg more than the 430, so weights in at just 6.2 tonnes, yet adds a second heads compartment inside. Semeraro reasons: “There are no production competitive racing boats in the 45-46ft range, the only competitive boats racing are a bunch of very old Ker 46s.”

With this 460 he explains that the moulds and design costs have been amortised by the yard, as it shares the hull mould of the 460 Roma. “A new owner can enter a no-compromise racing program without having to support the full costs of a prototype,” thinks Semeraro. And with the next Admiral’s Cup already planned for 2027, teams will already be needing to get their new steeds in place.

Two versions of the 460 Competizione are already in build

“Our target was to produce an all-round boat, not too light, not too specific for reaching in strong wind etc, but a boat that can win and can be used in many configurations, including inshore, offshore and double-handed.”

Both versions of the 460 are in build, plus a 520 Roma – all due for launch next year.

Neo 620 Roma Specifications:

LOA 18.59m 61ft 0in
Beam 5.30m 17ft 5in
Draught 4.50m 14ft 9in
Displacement 13,500kg 29,762lb
620 Roma price: €2.1m ex VAT
460 Competizione price: €750,000 ex VAT
Contact details: neoyachts.com

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The post Neo 620 Roma & 460 Competizione first look: Two new stealthy yachts aiming to top the mini-maxi market appeared first on Yachting World.

The sea around us was filled with orange and yellow buoys, causing my imagination to go wild with visions of fouled propellers and angry aqua farmers. The markers rose and fell with the swell like a coloured carpet that glowed in the grey, rain-filtered light. Ahead of us, Jehoon Yee beckoned us to follow the route he was taking aboard his small yacht, Frog.

“I hope he’s sure about this route. Look, that ferry is taking a different route through the farms,” I called to Fiona, who was standing on the bow for better visibility.

I followed Frog’s stern as closely as I thought was safe, matching Jehoon’s every twist and turn as he led us through the gauntlet of ropes, nets and buoys. We were about to enter Yokjido, a small island fishing port in the Hallyeohaesang National Marine Park off the coast of South Korea. We’d sailed about 20 miles from Tongyeong – a journey that began in light winds and flat seas, then turned to strong gusts which had me scrambling to ease out the mainsheet, and ended with a dousing of rain as we neared our destination.

Through it all I kept Jehoon in my sights, following his path through the rocky islands and past bays filled with fish farms. I’d met Jehoon on the docks of the Tongyeong Yacht School, where his Yamaha 30 was moored near Teng Hoi, our Hallberg-Rassy 42F. He was deeply tanned and a mischievous glint in his eye contradicted his otherwise serious demeanour.

Covered bridge in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of South Korea. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Foreign visiting yachts were rare here, and after asking the usual questions about where we were from, Jehoon invited us to join him on a weekend sail. “I’ll show you where to moor on some of the little islands around here,” he said.

Jehoon also helped us file the paperwork the local authorities required even for this short cruise – a cumbersome process we were still struggling to master.

Now we followed him around the towering concrete seawall into Yokjido, and to a small floating dock. This was one of six basic marinas that had been recently created by the city Tongyeong to promote pleasure boating on the sprinkling of islands within day-tripping distance of the city.

As I helped Jehoon with his lines I invited him and his friends to come aboard Teng Hoi for arrival drinks. “But we have nothing to bring,” one of his friends said. “We have plenty of soju to drink, just come!” I assured them.

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Minutes later Jehoon and his friends arrived, bearing instant noodles and a big packet of wet wipes. The South Korean sense of hospitality that had prompted Jehoon to invite us along, also meant these sailors could not simply drop in on a visiting yacht empty-handed.

They had to bring a gift – any gift. We humbly accepted their offerings and poured them extra shots of soju, a spirit popular in Korea and Japan, to show our gratitude as we swapped stories.

Jehoon and his friends had to turn back to Tongyeong the next day, but before he left he gave us directions to the public marina in Maemuldo, the next island to the east that we planned to sail to. We spent a day hiking along Yokjido’s soaring cliffs before setting sail. The skies were grey and overcast, but we had a light southerly wind, allowing us to cover most of the 15 miles on a beam reach.

Stone statue on the shores of Jeju. Photo: Cameron Dueck

In Maemuldo we again found simple but adequate floating docks, well protected by a massive sea wall, with water so clear we could see the bottom of the harbour. We hiked to the peak, from where we could see other rocky islands rising from the sea.

This was how we’d imagined it, exploring the myriad of islands of South Korea’s coast, interacting with local sailors, visiting small fishing ports, eating at port-side raw fish restaurants where the seafood was kept alive in big glass tanks until ordered.

But we already knew that beyond Tongyeong’s small network of marinas we were unlikely to visit the many islands we could see in the distance. We’d been in Korea for about one month, long enough to have tried, and failed, at finding a path through the country’s oppressive maritime restrictions.

The Duecks’ cruising route

South Korea seemed like the obvious next destination for us after we’d spent almost a year exploring Japan. Our online research turned up very little information on the country’s clearance procedures, but we had friends who’d cruised in South Korea decades earlier and loved it.

We’d been warned about the bureaucracy of cruising in Japan, and those fears had turned out to be greatly exaggerated, so we set off confident that South Korea would also welcome us with open arms. “There’s not much information about cruising in South Korea… that’s good, as it means there won’t be many other cruisers,” I foolishly boasted to friends.

Teng Hoi off the South Korean coast. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Japan to busan

We’d left Teng Hoi in Japan’s Seto Naikai, or inland sea, over winter. It was late March when we hanked on our sails and steered for Korea with a cold, stiff wind on our nose.

The voyage from the Kanmon Straits, which connects the Sea of Japan with the Seto Naikai, to Busan, South Korea is about 120 miles. In the middle is the Japanese island of Tsushima – the Koreans call it Daemado – which has bridged the two countries geographically and culturally for centuries. It is also a clearance port, making it the perfect place to exit Japan.

We left the main islands of Japan behind us and soon we were beating into 20-25 knots with three reefs in the main and the staysail. Seas of 2-3m slowed our progress and showered the boat in spray, but we pushed on, arriving at noon the next day.

We tied up to a concrete wall in Hitakatsu, at the north-east end of Tsushima, and walked into the village. Buses were disgorging Korean tourists by the dozen, the voices in cafes were speaking Korean, and many shops accepted Korean won as payment.

Tsushima played a key role in defending Japan against invasions from Korea and China over the centuries. It was also a base for the wokou, or Japanese pirates, that once pillaged the Korean coast, and served as a trading port for the rice that Japan imported from Korea. Even today Tsushima uses unique finance and taxation systems that resemble those of Korea, despite Japanese ownership.

Light winds and sunny skies on passage. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Early warnings

After clearing out of Japan we continued westward, again beating. Intermittent cold rain slashed at us from the west, keeping us huddled under Teng Hoi’s hard dodger.

Squalls skidded across the horizon as we motored the final miles through a shipping channel with Busan to starboard and Geoje island off to port. We were navigating across the channel when our VHF radio came to life.

“Where are you going?” a port authority official asked. We explained we were headed for Myeongdong Marina in Changwon, and that we’d already submitted all the requested paperwork.

After a long silence, the official came back to caution us about a ship that was several miles away, and far off our track. We assured him that we were keeping watch and were aware of the traffic.

Street market on Jeju Island. Photo: Cameron Dueck

The warning struck us as over-vigilant, but it was only later that we recognised it as a harbinger of our Korean cruising experience. We were in high spirits, buoyed further by sighting otters that surfaced near our boat as we neared the marina.

A commercial shipping agent, who is a friend-of-a-friend, volunteered to help us navigate our first experience with the Korean bureaucracy as we cleared in. Myeongdong is a brand new marina, and was still awaiting its new clubhouse and onshore services.

It was also a one-hour bus ride to the nearest shops and restaurants, so after a few days we decided to move on.

Southern appeal

South Korea’s best cruising grounds, and most of its yachting culture, are concentrated on the island-dotted south coast. Many owners keep their yachts on the south coast and travel from Seoul to go sailing, because the more industrial west coast has muddy waters and extreme tidal ranges. The east coast has pristine waters, but the coastline is featureless with few welcoming ports, making the south the country’s natural maritime playground.

We made plans to island-hop our way west, sizing up various anchorages to call at on the way. That was when reality set in.

We learned that any voyage of more than 10 miles from our port of clearance required us to apply to authorities both for permission to leave our port, and permission to enter a new port. Every time we wanted to change anchorage or visit a nearby island we needed to apply for permission several days in advance, providing exact departure and arrival dates – and if we were delayed by weather, all of the paperwork had to be redone.

The author was given a live octopus by Korean sailors. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Each port clearance costs 10,000 Korean won (around £8), and local sailors are also subject to the process and fee. We soon learned that each province, office and individual officer had their own interpretation of the rules.

Some Port Authority offices insisted we use PORT-MIS, their online registration system for commercial shipping, which is only accessible to licensed shipping agents. At the time of our visit, South Korea didn’t have any agents specialised in pleasure craft, meaning we’d need to hire a commercial shipping agent at significant cost.

Moving to a new province also required us to clear customs, immigration and quarantine at both ends. Adding a twist to the red tape, we communicated with officials using their personal email rather than a general office address, and if they went on holiday the entire process needed to be restarted with a new contact.

The officials appeared confused by our requests. Foreign visiting yachts in the past had either ignored the requirements, pretended to be a local yacht, or had remained in one port rather than cruise.

Han Kim, a director of the Gyeongnam Sailing Federation and the manager of a marina in Busan, offered us help and advice on a daily basis. He explained that recent security incidents had led to increased scrutiny of foreign yachts.

In 2020 a Korean man entered the country with a yacht he’d bought in Croatia, carrying an undeclared firearm that he used to shoot his girlfriend. Drug smugglers had used South Korean ports as trans-shipment points, creating further alarm. We were also reminded repeatedly by South Koreans that their country is technically still at war with North Korea.

A statue guards a Korean martial arts temple. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Kim told us the number of foreign yachts visiting South Korea each year is in the single digits. “I think some people that have attempted to come may have been put off by the paperwork,” he observed.

So we decided to simplify our plans and sail directly to Tongyeong which, like Changwon, is in the province of Gyeongnam and is a short day trip down the coast. There was no wind, so we motored, which was just as well as the inside route forced us to wind our way through endless fish farms that filled the protected waters.

We’d noted a bridge we’d need to pass under on the north side of Geojedo. Charts showed it had 20m clearance, only 1m higher than our mast. We checked the tides, and spoke to local sailors, all of which reassured us that we’d have several metres of clearance and that they regularly passed underneath it with taller masts.

But one mile from the bridge the Coast Guard called us on the radio. “There is a bridge in front of you. It is a great danger to you,” they informed us.

I explained that the charts, tides, and local sailors all indicated that we were safe to pass through, but they were unconvinced and commanded us to stop. We were drifting within sight of the bridge when a Coast Guard boat pulled up next to us and a phalanx of boiler-suited, hard-hat wearing officials crowded their bow, waving and shouting in Korean and blowing whistles.

Monks give a seonmudo martial arts demonstration. Photo: Cameron Dueck

One of them pulled out a loudhailer. “Danger! Danger! Very big danger! You must turn around!”

I attempted to argue, shouting across the water, but Fiona turned me back to the helm. “There’s no use, you’ll never change their minds,” she said. We detoured 10 miles to avoid the bridge, with the Coast Guard boat motoring behind us for half an hour before returning to base where they continued to watch us on AIS.

In the next hours they called us on the radio several times, asking us to change our heading by a few degrees or take a different route. They even telephoned the agent who’d helped us clear into the country to ask him about our voyage plans. Part of me was incensed at their interference, but we were also amused they were taking such an interest in our safety.

At the Tongyeong Sailing School, we found our sailing tribe, with new friends like Jehoon eager to offer their help with finding fuel and parts, or navigate bureaucracy. The city, and the province of Gyeongnam, have ambitions to turn the area into a marine sports hub. Han, who completed the Clipper Round the World Race in 2015/16, has played an instrumental role in bringing the Clipper Race to Tongyeong in 2026.

Market in Myeongdong. Photo: Maremagnum/Getty

Explore ashore

Once it became clear we’d not see as much of Korea as we’d hoped from our boat, we travelled inland instead. We went to a Busan Giants baseball game, stayed at a temple where we learned martial art basics from the monks, and revelled in Seoul’s sleek art museums and plentiful parks.

South Korea was electing a new president during our visit, which encouraged us to learn more about its history. Colonised by Japan, divided from North Korea after World War II by domineering American generals, it then suffered decades of brutal military rule before the bloody birth of its democracy in the 1980s. The country is dotted with museums to the democratic struggle, and its modern commitment to peace.

The inland travel was fun, and gave us a deeper appreciation of Korean culture, but we were on a sailing voyage after all and had not yet given up our aspirations to see more of the coastline. Our new local sailing friends helped us identify a string of islands to visit on our way to Jeju, South Korea’s most popular tourist island, about 110 miles south-west of Tongyeng.

This route would take us to ports in neighbouring South Jeolla Province, which increased the complexity of our plans. Fiona spent two weeks researching, emailing, telephoning and filling out forms. Then, just when we thought we were making progress, an official told our agent we were not allowed to enter port unless for repair or to change crew.

Disappointed and frustrated, we decided to instead sail directly to Jeju which, as its own province focused on foreign tourism, demanded less paperwork. Han was deeply apologetic and dismayed at the difficulties we were facing. He even wrote a letter of petition to the government, hoping to push South Korea towards realising its potential as a cruising destination.

Teng Hoi at anchor off Bijindo. Photo: Cameron Dueck

Another tangle

We left Tongyeong and motored to nearby Bijindo, an island with a bay created by a narrow isthmus of sand, where we anchored for the night. After seven weeks in port, Teng Hoi’s hull had grown a thick beard, so we scrubbed the bottom and basked in the freedom of our only night at anchor in Korean waters.

The next day we set off for Jeju amid light winds, alternating between motoring and slow sailing whenever we had enough breeze. But soon we came across the huge floating masses of seaweed that pollute these waters each spring.

We manoeuvred around the first few clumps, but then the engine bogged as a mass of seaweed wrapped around the propeller. We reversed, but the weed clung fast. Finally Fiona donned a mask and dove into the water with a knife to cut it all away.

Lush Yokji Island, off the south coast of South Korea. Photo: Cameron Dueck

That night we passed through large fleets of squid fishing boats, whose brilliant lights lit up the sea for miles around and created eerie outlines of the rocky, remote islands we passed.

Jeju is known for three things: rocks, women and wind. As an island created by numerous volcanic eruptions it has plenty of jagged black rocks along its coast.

The famous haenyo are female divers who dive off its coast without scuba gear, to harvest abalone, sea urchins and other sea food. And the island was indeed windy, with unpredictable weather.

Soon after we arrived in Jeju we decided to make one more attempt at cruising, sketching out a plan to sail around the island, a voyage of about 120 miles, with stops in a few small fishing ports along the way. We soon ran into familiar challenges, and found the fishing ports that looked so inviting were closed to yachts. Instead we rented bicycles and made a six-day loop around the island.

We followed the black, rocky coastline and saw haenyo diving and bringing seafood ashore. And we pedalled hard against the wind, all the time thinking these would be excellent sailing conditions.

Squid drying in port on Jeju. Photo: Cameron Dueck

After a month in Jeju our South Korean visas were about to expire, and we’d finally accepted that cruising its coastline was out of our reach. We pointed Teng Hoi back towards Japan, catching steady southerly winds on our beam for a fast, smooth passage across the Japan Sea.

A few days after arriving in Japan we received a message from Han. He’d met with government officials and had been granted agent access to the PORT-MIS online registration system.

“So now I can help visiting yachts deal with all the paperwork,” he said. Fiona and I looked at each other, recalling the small islands, remote fishing ports and quiet bays we’d researched but were unable to sail to. Should we turn around and try again?

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Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

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The post Cruising South Korea: the oppressive restrictions that scuppered our plans appeared first on Yachting World.

Asking WIll Oxley to pick the coolest yacht he’s ever sailed is a tough choice, as his list incudes Comanche, Sodebo Ultim, and the foil-assisted superyacht Raven. “It was quite a difficult decision,” he recalls, “but I thought back to all the sailing I’ve done, and some of the most fun I ever had was in 2005 with Brian Thompson in the Transat Jacques Vabre on board Skandia – which was, of course, more famous as Kingfisher.”

Skandia was an Open 60 (now IMOCA) design by Owen Clarke built for Ellen MacArthur’s 2000 Vendée Globe campaign, in which she finished 2nd. The boat was later campaigned as Skandia by Nick Moloney, as well as Thompson and Oxley.

The 2005 TJV was sailed at a record-breaking pace. “I remember double-handing with Brian and doing nearly 100 miles in four hours,” says Oxley.

“This thing is tiller-steered and you’re strapped in. You’re getting water pouring down the deck, screaming along, just the two of you. I remember it being the most amazing sailing I’d ever done in my life at that point.”

Make sure you check out our full list of Coolest Yachts.

Photo: Jon Nash/OC Sailing Team/DPPI Media/Alamy

Kingfisher/Skandia stats rating

Top speed: 30+ knots
LOA: 18.28m/60ft
Launched: 2000
Berths: 1-2
Price: (build cost) £50,000
Adrenalin factor: 80%

Will Oxley

Will Oxley is one of the world’s best offshore navigators, and has sailed some of the most exciting ocean race yachts ever built. Since skippering an entry in the 2000 BT Global Challenge, he has gone on to work on four Volvo Ocean Race campaigns, as well as Maxis, superyachts, and winning many of the bluewater classic races.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post World’s Coolest Yachts: Kingfisher/Skandia appeared first on Yachting World.

The US-based America’s Cup team, American Magic has announced it will not compete in the 38th edition of the America’s Cup, stating that the event’s current Protocol and new Partnership Agreement ‘do not provide the necessary framework for a financially sustainable and highly competitive campaign’.

The team, which has represented the New York Yacht Club in the previous two Cup cycles, made the decision following, what they call ‘an extensive review of the governing documents’.

“After extensive engagement with the Defender [Emirates Team New Zealand], Challenger of Record [Athena Racing], and fellow teams, we’ve concluded that the present structure does not provide the framework for American Magic to operate a highly competitive and financially sustainable campaign for the 38th America’s Cup,” said Team Principal Doug DeVos.

“For a team committed to long-term excellence, alignment around financial viability and competitive performance is essential. At this time, we don’t believe those conditions are in place for American Magic to challenge.”

The decision comes amid significant structural changes to the America’s Cup. The new America’s Cup Partnership (ACP), established in the latest Protocol, fundamentally changes how the event is run.

The ACP aims to spread the logistical and financial burden of hosting the event among the Challengers and Defender, creating a more commercial structure intended to secure long-term sponsorship and hosting deals.

However, the American Magic’s withdrawal reflects growing concerns that this “democratisation” of the Cup, which shifts away from the traditional winner-takes-all format, may dilute the event’s unique appeal and prestige.

Critics of the ACP argue that commercialising the competition risks turning it into a world championship circuit, potentially making it harder for teams like American Magic to raise the necessary high-level finance by reducing the unique cachet of challenging for the Auld Mug.

Despite the withdrawal, American Magic confirmed it remains committed to its founding purpose of building a high-performance American sailing platform. The team’s focus will now shift to athlete and technology development, international competition, and supporting U.S. Olympic sailing from its base in Pensacola, Florida.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post American Magic announces withdrawal from 38th America’s Cup appeared first on Yachting World.