As the first day comes to a close, we want to thank everyone who took part today. Whether you were out on the water or helping to fundraise for your event, we hope that you enjoyed joining together with the sailing community around the world…
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Anchor hooks an unexploded bomb
Friday
Sep 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A Dutch cruising couple were forced to abandon their brand new anchor and chain off the port of Pula, northern Croatia, after they discovered they were entangled with an unexploded bomb.
Experienced cruisers Daniel Steenstra and his wife employed a diver to find out why they were unable to weigh anchor after a night in North Harbour, Pula. The diver reported seeing a large cylindrical object rising from the seabed, approximately 2m in diameter, which the authorities then confirmed to be an unexploded Allied bomb that had been dropped during World War II.
Pula Harbour was a German submarine base during World War II and was attacked heavily as a result, but it is now a busy sailing hub with hundreds of charter yachts based at multiple marinas in the area. – Full report
PHOTO: A foil-assisted superyacht
Thursday
Sep 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The launch by Baltic Yachts of the ultra-light, foil-assisted 111-foot Raven for sailing trials off Jakobstad, Finland.
The yacht was first lowered into the water in mid-July, minus her side arms and T-shaped hydrofoils, so that all her systems could be tested before foiling commenced. This ensured that everything from her hydraulic, electrical and electronic systems, including her diesel electric propulsion were working.
Her Southern Spars mast was stepped, North 3Di sails bent on, and her water ballast tanks activated so that she could be assessed under sail without her foils. Although Raven is fitted with a fixed keel, without her foils, she needs the assistance of water ballast to maintain stability while sailing.
When this phase of commissioning was completed, Raven was lifted back onto the hard standing in Jakobstad so that her side arms and foils could be fitted and be prepared for further trials to test her ability as a foil-assisted ultra-lightweight superyacht.
2023-24 Clipper Race to descend Atlantic
Thursday
Sep 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The Clipper 2023-24 Round the World Yacht Race is set to depart on its second race for the fleet of eleven identical Tony Castro designed Clipper 70s. After the teams completed passage from Portsmouth, UK to Puerto Sherry, Spain, their next course to Punta del Este, Uruguay will begin September 15 with an expected arrival window of October 12-16.
Sometimes La Solitaire is a war, sometimes a dance
Thursday
Sep 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The annual French solo, multi stage one design offshore race, La Solitaire du Figaro is an incredible sporting challenge and this year’s edition, the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec which finished into Piriac-sur-Mer this morning was no exception.
Clipper 2023-24 Race arrives in Puerto Sherry
Monday
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Race 1 of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has finished with Perseverance taking the win of the first race of the circumnavigation…
Dual defending champs prepare
Monday
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Of the many illustrious clubs from around the world that have competed in the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, the premiere fleet regatta for Corinthian crews, two have most consistently demonstrated the slick boatspeed…
McIntyre Ocean Globe underway
Monday
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
History was made anew on Sunday as the cannons of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes, signaled the start of the inaugural McIntyre Ocean Globe mirroring the original 1973 Whitbread…
A Class Cat Worlds at Toulon, France Day 1
Monday
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Following a lovely champagne sailing week’s run up to a major championship, it’s obvious now, to anyone with any wind connection and recent experience, that the actual race week will inevitably be one where total near windless conditions shall prevail…
How the America’s Cup teams are looking
Monday
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 11
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The pre-event practice racing that has been held in Barcelona ahead of the first Preliminary Regatta in Vilanova i La Geltrú, has given us an early look into the form and revealed much about the sailor’s approach to pure one-design AC40 fleet racing…
MC38 Series Act 5 at Middle Harbour Yacht Club
Sunday
Sep 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Leslie Green and the Ginger crew made a remarkable mark in MC38 Act 5, securing three consecutive victories during the event. Ideal sailing conditions prevailed, with a steady 10-knot east-southeasterly breeze on The Sound…
Great Britain wins SailGP Saint-Tropez
Sunday
Sep 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Ben Ainslie’s Emirates GBR has triumphed at Sail Grand Prix taking place in Saint-Tropez, beating Season 3 champions Australia and Los Angeles victors Spain in a dramatic sprint to the finish line.
Held on September 9-10, the triumph ends a long-running win drought for the British team, which last won an event at Season 2’s Bermuda Sail Grand Prix in May 2021.
The three-boat Final was tense from the gun, with Australia and Emirates GBR going head to head on the start line. It was the Brits who won the best start – crossing the line with just 0.27 seconds to go and traveling faster than both their competitors…
SailGP: Newsflash – Kiwis drop big rig
Saturday
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The New Zealand Sail GP team dropped their big 29metre rig just after the finish of Race 3 on the opening day of France SailGP in Saint-Tropez…
Race to Alaska gets changed for 2024
Saturday
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The 8th edition of the Race to Alaska (R2AK) returns again in 2024 for the 750 mile course from Port Townsend, WA to Victoria, BC. But unlike the 2022 and 2023 races, the western side of Vancouver Island is no longer an option as the course has reestablished the Seymour Narrows checkpoint…
Details: https://r2ak.com/
America’s Cup teams get first taste
Saturday
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The first Preliminary Regatta on the road to the 37th America’s Cup begins in the Catalan port of Vilanova i La Geltrú on September 14-17 and offers the first competition for the challengers and defender. While the results do not extend beyond the event, everyone is seeking the morale-boost that a good result offers and all are desperate to make the Match Race Final on September 17, 2023.
Racing the AC40s in one design mode, there will be up to three fleet races per day to decide the top two teams who will contest the winner-takes-all match race final.
Early indications of form really count for nothing until the teams are under the white-hot flame of racing for points towards winning a regatta.
Shorter course for showdown La Solitaire Stage 3
Saturday
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
After what, for many of the 32 solo skippers, proved to a be a painfully frustrating, slow finish into Roscoff on the Bay of Morlaix Thursday night into Friday Stage 3 of the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec has already been shortened…
2023 Finn European Masters at Lake Garda Day 3
Friday
Sep 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
https://www.sail-world.com/photos/finn/yysw435693.jpgPeter Peet, from The Netherlands, will go into the final day of the 2023 Finn European Masters, at Campione del Garda, with a nine-point lead over Britain’s John Greenwood, while Olof Lundqvist, from Sweden, moves up to third.
SailGP resumes fourth season in Europe
Thursday
Sep 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The third installment of Season 4 for SailGP brings ten teams to the France Sail Grand Prix taking place in Saint-Tropez on September 9-10.
The F50 fleet will go head to head for five qualifying fleet races with the top three-boat to face off in a winner-takes-all Final for the largest share of the $300,00.00USD event purse.
Light wind conditions are forecast, meaning the F50s are likely to be fitted with the largest 29m wing and light air foils – there’s even a possibility of reduced crews.
All eyes will be on home team France, which has had a slow start to the season and currently sits in 8th on the overall Championship leaderboard. But France will be trailing a new flight controller in Saint-Tropez, as Jason Saunders has transferred from the Swiss team…
54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec Stage 2 Finish
Thursday
Sep 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Under pressure from one of the title favourites, Corentin Horeau (Banque Populaire), the 21 year old youngest skipper on the race Basile Bourgnon (EDENRED) held his nerve in very light wind conditions this evening to win the very challenging second stage.
Sailing may be green, but not the sails
Thursday
Sep 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Sep 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
The extent of Naples Sabot racing is limited to about a 100-mile range in Southern California, with several prominent sailmakers getting their start in the Class. So it was with some surprise that my new sail came with a shipping charge, as it was not built locally but rather in Asia.
I hear how it is hard for sailmakers to find qualified workers, which makes sense when even sails for this 8-footer are manufactured overseas. But this idea of seeking cheap labor now comes with a shipping charge, let alone the environmental impact of transporting sails from across the globe. Sounds like regress, not progress.
To address this problem, the prominent offshore racing IMOCA Class enacted a rule implemented in 2023 for all teams to have one “Green Sail” among the eight sails authorized on board during races. There is a points-based scoring system, designed to minimize harmful emissions, with the reduction of air transport being a variable.
Nine months after being introduced, the rule has led to an average 30% reduction in CO2 emissions for every kilo of finished sail produced under its restrictions. I don’t know what this really means, but seems like some kind of progress to me. Maybe the Naples Sabot Class needs a similar rule.
Now the plan is to expand the rule and make it more stringent, as Imogen Dinham-Price, IMOCA’s Co-Sustainability Manager, explains: “Since January, we have had frequent round-table discussions with the sailmakers to see how to improve the rule and how it works within sail production. The mission now is to work towards a potential carbon cap for the Green Sail…
We cannot be what we cannot see
Thursday
Aug 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Olympic and Pan American Games athlete Lisa Ross reminds us how we all contribute to progress:
I recently revisited my contribution in 2019 to Lyndsay Doyle’s incredible #superROLEmodels project, which highlights women in sport – at all levels and in different disciplines.
I know that for years I had an unconscious bias towards male coaches, in large part as this was my reality coming up through sailing and sport. It took me a long time to recognise and work on addressing my biases.
Working with Kathy Foster in the lead up to the 2004 Olympic trails was the first time in my sailing career that I worked with a female coach in high performance, an experience which helped me believe there was a place in sport for me after my Olympic career was over, and that women could be coaches at the highest level.
I love that as a sport sector that we are embracing challenging the status quo, both at the individual and organisational level.
We cannot be what we cannot see.
With the explosion of coverage of women’s sports recently, we need to continue to push to ensure that we have representation across sport. Not just men coaching men and women coaching women, but equality in all aspects of our programming and leadership.
Gearing up for Clipper start
Wednesday
Aug 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The 14th Clipper Round the World Yacht race will start from a line off Southsea Castle in Portsmouth, UK, on September 3, 2023. The 11 identical 70 foot yachts, manned with 24 crew aboard each, coming from 63 different nationalities, (105 sailors from the USA,) will sail to Cadiz in Spain then to Punta del Este in Uruguay on the first leg of their 40,000 mile circumnavigation of the world. In the 27 years since the Clipper races started, some 6000 people have sailed in the previous Clipper races made up of people from all walks of life. – Full report
SailGP splashes down in London’s West End
Wednesday
Aug 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
SailGP, the world’s most exciting racing on water, officially launched its Season 4 ‘We Are Racing’ Global Brand Campaign with a week-long digital 3D OOH immersive full screen takeover at the world-renowned Piccadilly Lights
56th Shark World Championship
Tuesday
Aug 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The 56th Shark World Championship came to a close on Friday, August 25th with 48 crews and 10 races over six days with Niagara Sailors taking the top honours and also winning the Bill Metzger Trophy…
The World Sailing Show
Tuesday
Aug 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The World Sailing Show delivers 30-minute episodes which feature news, profiles, and racing highlights from across the world of sailing.
The August episode of the World Sailing Show is dedicated to the 2023 Allianz Sailing World Championships, The Hague, where athletes in all 10 of the Olympic sailing events competed for gold, Para Sailors made their debut at the event, and over 100 places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were on the line.
• Coverage of all 10 Olympic Classes
• Four Para Sailing events make impressive Sailing World Championship debut
• The 37th America’s Cup gets ready for its first event
• Fastnet Race conjures up a storm in the Irish Sea
• Round up of all the sailing action from around the world
Competitors from 81 countries descended on The Hague to crown new world champions. Boosted by the Emerging Nations Program and Para Sailing events, taking place in tandem with the 10 Olympic Classes at the Sailing World Championships for the first time. The World Sailing Show has all the action from The Hague and Braassemermeer and catches up with the winners as 1200 sailors battled it out over 10 days.
Four Para Sailing categories were featured at the Allianz Sailing World Championships for the first time, showing that sailing is a sport for all. Elite racing was held on Lake Braassemermeer, and the World Sailing Show has reactions from the sailors and a round up of all the action.
Meanwhile, it has been a busy few months in Barcelona as the boats and teams arrived ahead of the first of three preliminary regattas to kick off the 37th America’s Cup on 14 September in Vilanova, 45km along the coast from Barcelona. The first race will be contested in one-design AC 40s, and the World Sailing Show hears from the crews of Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa, Ineos Brittania and American Magic during practice as they prepare for kick off.
Elsewhere, the Rolex Fastnet Race celebrated its 50th edition with a record fleet of 420 yachts taking part in the 695 nautical mile race. Starting in Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Cherbourg, France, via the famous Fastnet Rock in Ireland. The event was not without drama, however, as conditions proved challenging for the Multihulls leading the way.
Strong winds and high winds forced a shift in tactics, but it was François Gabart and his team who emerged victorious, taking line honours and setting a new record in the process as they completed the race in 1 day 8 hours 38 minutes 27 seconds, breaking the time set by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier on Maxi Groupe Edmond de Rothschild two years ago by 36 minutes 27 seconds.
Could this be the last Ha-Ha?
Sunday
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The registration deadline is approaching for the “this could be the last time” 2023 Baja Ha-Ha. In the first 28 years, 3,500 boats and nearly 15,000 sailors have done the Baja Ha-Ha, the 750-mile cruisers’ rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, with R&R stops at fun and funky Turtle Bay and spectacular Bahia Santa Maria. For a combination of reasons, it’s very possible that this 29th edition will be the last of this unique rally. So if you want to be part of Ha-Ha history, be sure to sign up by September 10. – Details
Weymouth Speed Week 2023 entry now open
Sunday
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
With six weeks until the start of Weymouth Speed Week 2023 is now open. The first and the longest running speed sailing event open to all types of wind powered craft starts on Saturday 7th October…
Clipper Race: Dare to Lead returns
Sunday
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Team Partner Dare To Lead returns to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. Formed over ten years ago, and partnering with the Clipper Race since its 2013-14 edition, Dare To Lead is an initiative founded by former Clipper Race Crew member and entrepreneur Dirk van Daele. For the 2023-24 edition, which starts September 12, Dirk is joined by Alex Wilkinson, his business partner at global financial advisory Circlo 3. Dare To Lead focuses on personal and professional development, teamwork, and leadership in people of all ages, gender, backgrounds, and nationalities through the experience of ocean racing. – Full report
Brisk start to La Solitaire du Figaro first leg
Sunday
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 27
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Ouistreham beach, off Caen on France’s Normandy coast, this afternoon gave the 32 solo skippers starting first stage of the 54th La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec a purposeful but relatively straight forward send off on a 610 nautical miles leg…
Hamilton Island Race Week – IRC Downhill Start
Saturday
Aug 26
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 26
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Day Five at Hamilton Island Race Week saw the IRC classes and trailables start in Dent Passage. It was another fast downhill run for the starters in Dent Passage as they headed off in the Whitsunday Passage on another Island Race…
Rolex Middle Sea Race: Another good-looking fleet
Saturday
Aug 26
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 26
2023
Posted by XS Editor
With the news that last year’s monohull and multihull line honours winners have entered, entries at the 44th Rolex Middle Sea Race have shifted gears again…
SailGP: Gearing up for St. Tropez
Saturday
Aug 26
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 26
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Saint-Tropez could host the comeback of Quentin Delapierre’s French team after a shaky start to SailGP’s Season 4. The 10-strong F50 fleet will next meet for battle on the waters of Saint-Tropez when the France Sail Grand Prix gets underway on September 9-10, 2023. Ahead of the event, the crew and substitution line-ups for each team have been revealed…
Representing in the Mini Transat
Friday
Aug 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
On September 24, 90 singlehanded sailors will take off from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, racing 21-foot (6.5-meter) Classe Mini boats alone for 4,050 nautical miles to the Canary Islands and then Guadeloupe in the 2023 edition of the legendary Mini Transat.
They sail without chartplotters, laptops, or satellite communications. They race like their lives depend upon it. Renowned for its extreme challenges and the high-performance pocket rockets on which it takes place, the Mini Transat is largely the domain of French singlehanders.
This year, though, an American sailor has met the qualifying miles and races necessary to secure a start. Barring unforeseen circumstance, lifelong Annapolis sailor and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Peter Gibbons-Neff will be on the line with his Classe Mini 6.50, Terminal Leave, sailing to meet his own hopes and dreams and to spread the word about an organization that has played a key role in his life, U.S. Patriot Sailing. – Full story
17th Annual CRAB Cup reports record attendance
Friday
Aug 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Over 650 sailors and supporters of Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB) celebrated a successful pursuit race with 88 sailboats registered and seven powerboats in the poker pursuit on Saturday, August 19, 2023…
Hydrogen race boat enters final build phase
Thursday
Aug 24
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 24
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The structural assembly of the deck and hull of the 60-foot foiling OceansLab IMOCA, a third evolution Manuard design, has now completed at Pauger Carbon Composites boatyard…
Rolex TP52 World Championship day 3
Thursday
Aug 24
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 24
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Winners of two of the season’s three regattas so far, 2023’s circuit leaders Ergin Imré’s Turkish flagged Provezza made the strongest start to the Rolex TP52 World Championship today in Barcelona…
Australia’s sole Global Solo Challenge entrant
Wednesday
Aug 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The race is an East-about, solo, non-stop, and unassisted, pursuit style round-the-world event, starting and finishing in A Coruña, North West Spain…
Cup Spy Aug 23: Italians have a solid session
Wednesday
Aug 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Three Cup Challengers wanted to sail on Wednesday, but the breeze was a no-show for the third successive day. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, based in Cagliari, enjoyed a good four hour session. From a late report, the Swiss did get sailing late in the day…
WASZP Eurocup in Norway
Tuesday
Aug 22
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 22
2023
Posted by XS Editor
One of the most spectacular venues on the WASZP calendar came to life last week, with the 2024 European Games venue turning on an event for the ages…
Strong line-up expected at RORC Transatlantic Race
Monday
Aug 21
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Aug 21
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Starting on 7th January 2024, the 3,000-mile race across the Atlantic Ocean is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and supported by Calero Marinas and the International Maxi Association, along with Yacht Club de France…
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