In a display of neat perfect sailing, the Brits moved to one win away from winning the LV finals, and facing mighty TNZ. More here.

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We are told that the use of cyclers to deliver power to trim the sails on the America’s Cup boats is a breakthrough – the kind of cutting-edge technological development that only the extreme competitiveness and huge budgets of the Cup cycle can produce.

Baloney. Consider the illustration to the left (click to expand). It’s from the February 1974 edition of the British magazine Yachting World and clearly shows that the idea of onboard cycle-generated power was being explored half a century ago.

The accompanying explanatory text begins: “In the attempt to obtain more power for winching sheets you can be sure that the seaborne sailing bicycle is soon to be seen”.

The system was developed by Lewmar at the request of the French AC campaign. Those concerned about the legality of non-sailors pedaling below deck were assured that “The teamwork required is only an extension of current crewing techniques. As the load increases, the gear can be changed by the cyclists as if they were going uphill.”

An intriguing aspect of the proposal was how it dealt with the angle of heel problem. Simple! “The tandem frame is gimballed fore and aft, because it would be difficult to exert effective leg push at an angle to the vertical.”

But with typical British reserve, Yachting World felt compelled to ask its readers: “Now comes the question of whether this is absurd.” Fifty years later, that’s still a good question.

– anarchist David

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Today’s AC LV Series
AM v Prada

Do or die for American Magic. Lose and go home.

Lumpy with 8 knots. Once again AM wins the start, forces Prada to tack, Prada going better but AM crosses and tacks on Prada, Prada sails through their Lee and forces AM to tack, Prada first at the weather mark by 14 seconds.

Prada builds a 400m lead, AM jibes away, Prada rounds the leeward mark 20 seconds to the good. Huge split on the next beat, no real change, but AM creeping a bit closer, now within 80m.

Prada only 8 seconds ahead at the weather mark, but Prada sails into more breeze and builds a 250m lead, which AM promptly eats into, then AM blows their jibe, Prada boogies away to round 22 seconds ahead at the bottom mark.

Prada is going very well, sailing strong, and they have this guy named Jimmy Spithill, perhaps you’ve heard of him? They build a 500m lead to round the final weather mark by 51 seconds, build the lead to 700m and baring breaking their traveler, this one is over. And it is.

AM was good, if not a bit strange. They had moments, but then they had a lot of control issues and other moments of mediocrity. The boat didn’t seem like it wanted to turn very well, but in fairness, none of the boats did. However, in comparison, Prada did it much better, as could be said for their overall effort.

A word about Spithill: he is, by far, the best skipper out there. His leadership skills are superb, his positive, cheerful and calm demeanor onboard is inspirational. His experience, knowledge, and skills are going to be very hard to beat going forward.

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The big bad Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Rolex IMA Maxi 1 Worlds canceled their racing as they claimed it was too windy (25+) but yet, here were a bunch of pictures of the big boys out sailing in those conditions. That is the crew led by Ken Read on Karel Komarek’s V took the opportunity blast around in the lively conditions. Photo: IMA / Studio Borlenghi

And we get nobody wants to break their boat, but can nobody race in 20+ knots anymore?

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Just when I was looking forward to getting up early and watching the AC “racing”, the threat of 50-knot gusts and possibly even more lightning than yesterday canceled today’s sailing. Apparently, tomorrow’s forecast looks more promising.

And we didn’t know it at the time, but Luna Rosa’s  impressive win over TNZ yesterday was all for naught, as the race was officially abandoned when lightning appeared. Bad break for LR, and a lucky break for TNZ.

Clearly, the most anticipated race will be a rematch of those two…

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Anarchist Layne sent us this…

Just finished watching a full replay of yesterday’s AC “racing”.

What a joke! It’s like a bad sitcom. “Yachts” that don’t turn up for the start, “yachts” that can’t sail because of software glitches, “yachts” that need to be towed by speedboats to get up on their foils, “yachts” that then fall off their foils and wallow around like dead ducks.

I think what we’re watching is the inevitable end game of an extreme, mutated, unworkable development that will have to be put out of its misery by the next Challenger of Record protocol. I am reminded of when Reliance was such a distorted idea of a “yacht” that the Cup turned to J Boats.

This title ripoff, is from one of the darkest, insane movies ever… Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke.

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Dufour 44

The latest from Dufour continues the French builder’s move toward refining its performance cruising chops under the guidance of naval architect Umberto Felci, “integrating elements from the Dufour 470 and Dufour 530, emphasizing fluid communication in the cockpit, facilitating easy passage to the deck, and optimizing the overall length of the boat.”

The big sister to the Dufour 41, a SAIL Top 10 Best Boats winner for 2024, this boat adopts the same design philosophy of bringing the beam far forward for maximum interior space yet keeping the hull relatively narrow below the waterline for improved performance. Sailing the 41 last year, we were impressed with how it would heel to a certain angle—in this case, about 18 degrees—and park there, a sweet spot for brisk upwind work in 20-plus knots of breeze. The new 44 shows the same pronounced flare above the waterline, and we would expect it to perform much the same.

Despite all that beam carried to a nearly plumb bow, the flat sheerline and low deckhouse keep the profile sharp. The sailplan offers multiple gears with a self-tacking jib, overlapping furling genoa, and a tack point on the sprit for an asymmetrical headsail.

The large cockpit, which seats at least six, has cleaner access to the side decks than the 41, as well as a massive lazarette, outdoor grill accessed while standing on the swim platform, and access on both sides to that platform.

The interior, designed by Luca Ardizio, is enormous for a 44-footer and comes in four layouts with three or four cabins, the option for a C-shaped galley forward or a linear fore-and-aft arrangement, and a hexagonal salon table that seats up to 10 people.

LOA 45’7” LWL 40’1” Beam 14’7” Draft 7’2” (std) or 5’10” Air Draft 66’8” Displacement 22,487 lbs (light) Ballast 6,283 lbs Sail Area 1,076 sq ft (main, genoa) 366 sq ft (self-tacking jib) Power Yanmar or Volvo 50-60 hp options (option for hybrid electric)

HH52

Despite already having an award winning cat in this size range, the 50, HH has launched a new model with a new purpose: electrification. With owners increasingly asking for quieter, more sustainable, fume-free, long range cruising, electric options are looking like the future of the industry.

The purpose-driven design features a new cabin top to accommodate a solar array and additional sail area so that owners can spend more time sailing and less time motoring. Small wings have been added to the keels, which calculations suggest should reduce leeway by up to a degree while sailing upwind, adding back some of the efficiency that cats aren’t known for. This all supports a 48 volt electrical system with a 43.2kWh house bank and EcoDrive Parallel Hybrid Electric/Diesel propulsion system.

The cat itself maintains a svelte and sharp appearance despite spacious lounge areas and comfortable cabins. Much of the boat is customizable, with two or three cabins; an option for a workshop with pullman berths; and a U-shaped or an island galley. You can even swap some of the aft seating for a BBQ with dive tank storage. But the big choice for owners is going to be in the helm position, with two options: dual aft helms or an interior forward helm. Both come in an Ocean Cruising (50/50 e-glass/carbon) or Sport Cruising (100% carbon fiber) version. If you opt not to put the helms aft, you can instead get outboard seats with instrument panels that have a distinctly space-age vibe. In any configuration, it will be a lux, comfortable ride.

SC Specs LOA 55’11” LWL 49’6” Beam 24’4” Draft 5’5” (brd up) 11’7” (down) Air Draft 79’7” Displacement 24,500 lbs (light) Sail Area 1,742 sq ft (main and overlapping solent) Power 2x BETA 38 hp

SAIL New Boats & Gear 2025 is here and it’s chock-a-block with new boat reviews by SAIL’s boat review team, info on the latest models hitting the water, and gear SAIL‘s editors have checked out as well. It’s available on newsstands, so head to your nearest West Marine or Barnes & Noble, or catch us at the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis in October to say hi and get your issue. 

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NBGR 2025

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Photo courtesy of Xquisite Yachts

The new Xquisite 30 Sportcat looked like a drag racer, tugging at her dock lines at the Annapolis sailboat show. At 30 feet, she was by far one of the smallest boats in the water, but this carbon speedster looked like she’d give the big boats a run for their money. She was, in a word, enticing.

With a rotating carbon mast, carbon deck beams, displacement of just 1,872 pounds, an interior whose greatest luxury is a mattress, and a construction methodology that lets it be dismantled and fit onto a trailer and inside a 40-foot shipping container, this little rocket is just begging to be sailed fast and fun—and that is precisely its purpose, according to Tamas Hamor, Xquisite’s founder and CEO.

A cruising sailor himself, Hamor launched Xquisite just 10 years ago after deciding he could build a better cat and provide better service to boatowners. The company has since launched 50 boats built in South Africa—large, luxury bluewater cats—and now they’ve expanded into power cats as well…

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Photo: Lydia Mullan

The Cruising Club of America (CCA) is a collection of 1,400 ocean sailors with extensive offshore seamanship, command experience, and a shared passion for making adventurous use of the seas. Their experiences and expertise make them, collectively, one of the most reliable sources of information on offshore sailing. In partnership with SAIL, the CCA is sharing some of this hard-won know-how in SAIL e-newsletters.

Recently, I flew on a Boeing 737 on an international flight, and as luck would have it, I was able to fly in business class. The aircraft was similar to every 737 that you’ve flown in, but the business class cabin, consisting of 10 seats, was very different; sort of like a mini-version of a larger aircraft’s business seating. As I customarily do, I reached under the seat to find the life jacket, as some of our flight would be over the Indian Ocean. Hmm, no life jacket, nor was there a compartment in the armrest that I shared with Susan. Having never had to evacuate an aircraft, thankfully, this wasn’t a crisis, but it was curious: did they not offer lifejackets for some reason?

Eventually, I “found” them, although their location was indicated by the pre-departure briefing (in Arabic, Swahili, and English) as well as the card in the seat back. The life jackets were stowed overhead, where you’d expect to find the emergency oxygen masks. Furthermore, the seatbelt operated differently than every other seatbelt that I’ve used: to release, you pressed a button along the axis of the belt, rather than lift a handle. In the dark, or with smoke in the cabin, I am not sure I could have figured it out. And the card in the back of the seat in front of me illustrated a completely different seat belt design.

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I mean, who among us hasn’t at least muttered, “I’d like to kill that motherfucker”?

A 64-year-old German sailor is suspected of murdering his 71-year-old crew member after the International Multihull Meeting 2024 in Horten, Oslofjord.

Following the Multihull regatta in Norway, a 71-year-old German sailor was found dead in the water, allegedly murdered by his 64-year-old companion.

The tragedy occurred on the return journey from the regatta when tensions between the two men escalated due to the unsatisfactory results.

More here. And if you’ve got a comment, go here!

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