Hopes of a strong result for Irish sailors competing at the Princess Sofia World Cup of Sailing regatta were set back today (Thursday 6th April 2023, Palma, Mallorca, Spain) when light winds and handling errors proved costly…
Posts in category Article
Golden Globe leaders in the tradewinds
Friday
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
(April 7, 2023) – In the northern hemisphere, it’s been tense for Golden Globe Race leader Kirsten Neuschäfer (RSA) who has been in less wind than her runner-up Abhilash Tomy (IND) for longer. However, every time it looks like she’s losing the lead, she finds the resources to grab some miles back, or clutch to the extra bit of wind to hold the lead.
The past week has been hard on Neuschäfer who has generally been in lighter weather for several weeks running, bleeding miles from her lead to Tomy, falling from 300 miles last week to 50 today. Worse, the eastern option she chose, while closer to the finish has brought an in-and-out of the doldrums scenario with more frustrating light winds and psychological trauma. But yesterday she was in fresh winds, now on a higher route at speed towards the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
The contrast with Tomy is notable. Choosing a closer route to Brazil, he had very narrow doldrums and found strong, consistent tradewinds earlier, allowing him to sail higher and faster for weeks. After several months of fixing/rebuilding equipment failures and rationing water to less than one litre a day, he is posting good speed with time to relax and hydrate…
Trofeo Princesa Sofía – Beckett wins ILCA 7 Gold ahead of Medal Race
Friday
Apr 07
2023
Posted by deleteme
Apr 07
2023
Posted by deleteme
Britain’s Micky Beckett wins the Trofeo Princesa Sofía ILCA 7 (Laser) event for the second year in a row…
The Future of Dinghy Racing in the UK
Friday
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Where is dinghy racing in the UK headed? Dinghy sailing in the UK is still the most vibrant and diverse small-boat racing circuit anywhere in the world, but can it do better?
Battling storm force conditions to save sailor
Friday
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A lone yachtsman was rescued off the coast of Devon as rescue teams battled Storm Mathis and wind speeds gusting over 50mph…
SP80’s location for the world speed record
Friday
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
SP80, the challenge chasing the World Sailing Speed Record, the town of Leucate and the Agglomeration of Grand Narbonne are officially announcing a partnership to make Leucate the official record base for the Swiss team…
Life-changing charity event on the water
Thursday
Apr 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The Moore Barlow Silicon Cup Regatta returns this September to The Solent. The IT industry’s biggest charity sailing event presents an exciting opportunity for companies to network with like-minded individuals while raising money…
America’s Cup: Emirates Team NZ does flypast
Thursday
Apr 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Emirates Team NZ finished Wednesday’s training session with a flypast North Head, giving still and video shooters a close-up view of the AC75 sailing at over 40kts. In a just released video ETNZ’s cyclors give their impressions of sailing at 50kts…
Rolex China Sea Race day 1
Thursday
Apr 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The first night of the Rolex China Race 2023 went well with the fleet continuing to beat upwind in their first 24 hours, in a fair south-easterly breeze…
INEOS Brittania drops-by Trofeo Princesa Sofia
Thursday
Apr 06
2023
Posted by deleteme
Apr 06
2023
Posted by deleteme
IINEOS Brittania is sharing the Bay of Palma this week with the near 1,000 boats competing in the Princess Sofia Olympic classes regatta and their session started with a fly-by of the ILCA/Laser race area…
11th Hour Racing Team completes the podium
Wednesday
Apr 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
At 08:20 UTC [05:20 local], 11th Hour Racing Team crossed the finish line of Leg 3 of The Ocean Race 2022-23, completing a Leg that was described by Skipper Charlie Enright (USA) as “gruelling”…
Longest leg done for The Ocean Race
Wednesday
Apr 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Itajaí, Brazil (April 5, 2023; Day 39) – The grueling 14,840 nautical mile Leg 3 of The Ocean Race came to a close as 11th Hour Racing Team crossed the finish in third this morning, followed two hours later by Biotherm. Both teams incurred damage which slowed their progress by over three days.
“It didn’t go the way we wanted it to go, and it tested our team, and it tested our platform, but the resilience that we all showed was absolutely outstanding,” commented 11th Hour Racing Team skipper Charlie Enright.
Setting off from Cape Town, South Africa on February 27, the team was beset by technical challenges from the very start, having to suspend racing after just 42 minutes due to broken battens in the mainsail.
The issues onboard didn’t stop there, as the team had to contend with two damaged rudders, damaged foil downlines, as well as a huge tear in the mainsail.
“We always said it was going to be tough, but I don’t think we ever imagined it was going to be as challenging as it was,” said navigator Simon Fisher, as he undergoes his sixth circumnavigation of the planet.
Eager to finish, it was five days out from Itajaí when the team was knocked down by a 50 knot squall, and then just 10 hours later they crash gybed, with the boat knocked all the way down to the surface of the sea, and the mainsail incurred a massive tear, rendering it unusable without major repair…
Ocean Globe Race to start and finish at Southhampton
Wednesday
Apr 05
2023
Posted by deleteme
Apr 05
2023
Posted by deleteme
Ocean Village Southampton, home of several Whitbread races, is now home to the Ocean Globe Race! Credit: Ocean Village Southampton…
Route du Rhum Destination Guadeloupe debrief
Tuesday
Apr 04
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 04
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The 12th edition of the Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe delivered on all its promises when, last Autumn, it wrote yet another colourful and engaging chapter in the history of solo ocean racing and of French sport…
Team Malizia’s dream has come true
Tuesday
Apr 04
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 04
2023
Posted by XS Editor
It had been less than 24 hours and the news hadn’t fully sunk in in our minds just yet: Our team has won the third leg of The Ocean Race. Yesterday, we turned our Southern Ocean dream into reality…
The Ocean Race Leg 3 Day 37 update
Tuesday
Apr 04
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 04
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The podium battle promises to push the two teams still racing up the coast to the very end with Biotherm and 11th Hour Racing Team racing within less than 15 miles of each other on the leaderboard…
MOD70: World’s coolest yachts
Monday
Apr 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Yachting World has been asking top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times, and British offshore competitor Sam Goodchild nominated the MOD70 class trimaran. Here’s the report:
“In terms of complexity for speed, there isn’t anything else which has such a good ratio as a MOD70. We’ve been over 40 knots [boatspeed] on them, and with Phaedo we used to sail for up to 200 days a year, all around the world, with just two shore crew. We were sailing offshore with just five people, so you’ve got super high performance for relatively easy upkeep.
“We’d be doing the Caribbean regattas against boats like Comanche, they’d have 20-something people on the rail and we had five, doing circles around them! Then we did all the transatlantic races – for me it’s an amazing boat.
“The MOD70s are robustly built, but also fast. [designers VPLP] took learnings from the Orma 60 class, all the best bits, tamed them down a little so they’re a bit less dangerous, and came out with a boat which was simple and fast. We raced against the old Groupama Orma 60, and when you see how much more complicated the Ormas are, the MOD 70s definitely struck the right balance.”
Cup Spy Apr 3: Kiwis test in big breeze
Monday
Apr 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Emirates Team New Zealand put in a solid training session on the Waitemata Harbour and inner Hauraki Gulf today in offshore winds of 20-25kts, and gusting to just under 30kts…
Improving future for North American Finn Class
Monday
Apr 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
It was February 2021 when Peter Frissell, President of the USA Finn Association and Finn Foundation, made the pitch. “What if you could buy a brand-new, competitive, US-built Finn rather than paying a premium to ship a new Finn from overseas? The Finn Foundation is launching a project to make that a reality.”
The recent growth of the class in the USA was notable, but at that moment, it had mostly relied on cleaning up old used boats. Without a domestic supplier, the ceiling would be reached, so the fundraising mission began to purchase the Lemieux Finn molds and finance a reputable US boat builder’s start-up and development costs.
Two years later, the first boat ably competed at the 2023 Finn North American Masters Championship (above). Here’s an update from Rodion Mazin:
Cleaning the hull – what are these
Monday
Apr 03
2023
Posted by deleteme
Apr 03
2023
Posted by deleteme
I cleaned a portion of my hull and thousands of these small, wriggling things had to be washed from my skin, dive gear, and even ears. This picture is from my swimming shorts and doesn’t show their wriggling motion. What are they? I’ve googled a bit but haven’t found anything definitive. They are really irksome and I’m either going to have to get a wetsuit or hire divers to clean the hull.
Team Holcim-PRB retain overall lead
Sunday
Apr 02
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 02
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The Ocean Race leaderboard is beginning to take shape after two teams crossed the finishing line in Itajaí on Sunday morning…
The Ocean Race – Biotherm hits unidentified floating object
Saturday
Apr 01
2023
Posted by deleteme
Apr 01
2023
Posted by deleteme
Biotherm has collided with an ‘unidentified floating object’ damaging the port foil as they head north to the finish in Itajaí, Brazil…
52 Trofeo Princesa Sofía – Stella Leads International 6M Class
Saturday
Apr 01
2023
Posted by deleteme
Apr 01
2023
Posted by deleteme
Ahead of the Olympic class racing starting on Monday, the keelboats and ORC racer-cruisers enjoyed excellent conditions for their races…
The Ocean Race Leg 3 Day 34
Saturday
Apr 01
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Apr 01
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A quick, deepening low pressure system bringing winds in excess of 40 knots, a sickening sea state, and another massive challenge for sailors operating on the 34th day of racing…
Allstate Sugar Bowl Viper 640 Worlds day 4
Friday
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
On a Chamber of Commerce sailing day on Lake Pontchartrain, Brad Boston of Windsor, Canada maintained a tie at the top with Jackson Benvenutti of New Orleans in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Viper 640 World Championship after four more races on Thursday…
The Emergency Antenna You Will Want to Use
Friday
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
You are at sea, and you find yourself in a rather unfortunate position with no primary antenna working on board. It’s time to step away from traditional backup antennas and meet the latest emergency technology on the market…
The Ocean Race Leg 3 Day 33
Friday
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Tension, exhaustion, and extreme emotional swings through elation and despair. That’s likely to be the mood on board Team Holcim-PRB and Team Malizia all the way to the finish now…
Sea Eagle II – The sea eagle soars
Friday
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 31
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A true sailing yacht, this 81m / 266ft beauty immediately earned her place alongside the shipyard’s Athena in the elite club of the world’s 10 largest sailing yachts…
It’s different in the dirt
Thursday
Mar 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
America’s Landsailing Cup, North America’s premier landsailing event, was held in 2023 on March 17-25 in Ivanpah Dry Lake, CA. Iceboat icon Daniel Hearn shares his experience on the dirt:
He called at exactly the right time. It appeared the Fat Lady was about to sing. (Oops, lack of wokeness. Much work to be done on my sensitivity. What I meant to say was, “that the perfectly round person, who is currently identifying as a female singer, was about to share a vocal performance”).
The ice sailing season was all but over. I’d had a good run but was intrigued with the idea that the solid surface action could be extended. Or maybe I’m just an addict. There are worse things.
“Just fly into Vegas,” the laid back, but highly convincing man said. “I’ll have the boat on the playa ready to go.”
A couple hours later, I’d purchased a ticket, rented a campervan, and confirmed that my buddy was still bringing Drifter v.1. Check—Mini Skeeter designer, John Eisenlohr is bringing me his fully sorted boat that no one else can beat. (I can fix that). Check—C-Skeeter Bubble Boat designer, Pat Heppert is driving west and bringing all the food. Check—All I have to do is show up with a helmet. I’ll never be closer to rock stardom.
It’s different in the dirt. You’re not a Skipper or Helm, you’re a Pilot. Most pilots use a pusher off the start line, but the pusher can’t cross the line. A boat not using a pusher can push for as long as they desire. Races last a specified period; usually 15 minutes. Scoring is a combination of laps completed and finishing position.
Start line is closed after the flag drops. Boats must pass through a “scoring line” adjacent to the start line on each lap, for that lap to be scored. The boat on the right always has right of way. Protests are rare. And get this—they sometimes round to starboard. Now that’s a mind bender!
Many ice sailing skills seem to transfer. But I was also reminded that old habits are, indeed, hard to break. Eighteen Mini Skeeters and I was feeling pretty good about myself finishing in the second position in my very first race. Back in the pits, however, race winner Dave Gluek, another long-time ice sailor, realized that the top three finishers had all rounded the bottom mark on each lap in the wrong direction.
We’d spent the entire training day rounding all marks to port. But on race day when it counted, everything was backwards for the ice sailors. We successfully rounded the top mark to starboard and opened a big lead on the rest of the fleet. Approaching the bottom mark, we were so focused on each other, we forgot it was a starboard hike we should be managing. Top three to DSQ. Ugh!
Since misery loves company, many others made us feel less stupid, repeating the same error. Our PRO remarked that he’d never seen so many DSQs across all the fleets in a single race. An anonymous, highly experienced dirt pilot, having committed the same rounding error, further magnified by failing to cross the scoring line on the first lap, succinctly summed up his performance: “fast boat, slow mind.”
“Push like your pants are on fire,” read the starting tip in the Mini Manual. Taking that to heart in another race, I gave it my best Usain Bolt. From either the tremendous thrust I generated, or the fact that my steering dampener had loosened a bit (not sure which), my steering flopped to leeward just as I was jumping into the cockpit.
I found myself on a fast-closing collision course with the pilot below, unable to grab the steering bar in time. So, after laying some rubber on him, apologizing profusely, and confirming no damage, I pushed off sheepishly hoping to chase down some of the fleet. DFL at the first mark…lots of work to do. Fortunately for me, the breeze was up and down, and shifty. I was able to keep MS1 in the pressure, recovering to a sixth place finish. Not bad considering my embarrassing start…
Cape Horn is now behind them
Thursday
Mar 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Cape Horn is now well behind the sailors in this edition of The Ocean Race, as leader Team Malizia battles Holcim-PRB for the stage win at Itajaí..
2023 Foiling Awards
Thursday
Mar 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 30
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The prize-giving ceremony of the sixth edition of the Foiling Awards took place at the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, in front of an audience of more than 250 guests…
The Sailors Log: Dave Perry
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Tom Darling, host of the Conversations with Classic Boats podcast series, has launched a new production, The Sailors Log, which brings the listener classic conversation with the most interesting people in the sport.
Episode One features Dave Perry, noted college sailing ace, match racer, and author of the book, now in its 10th edition, Understanding the Racing Rules of Sailing through 2024.
Dave is well known for his entertaining presentations on the rules and is enthused about being the rules advisor for the US Olympic Team at the 2024 Olympics. With episodes released every six weeks, candidates to feature can be nominated by clicking here.
Rolex Fastnet Race: The two-handed revolution
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Offshore yacht racing’s greatest evolution recently has been the rise of doublehanding. No better demonstration of this is there than the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s 50th Rolex Fastnet Race…
A Guide to Bowsprit Configuration
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A bowsprit is now an almost inevitable feature of a racing yacht or performance cruiser and there are also a number of off-the-shelf retrofit options available. The uptake is due in part to the popularity of asymmetric downwind sails…
WBV and New York Yacht Club American Magic
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
We spoke to Daniel Henderson of WBV about their seat suspension system specifically designed, tested and manufactured in the UK, to significantly reduce wave shock…
An opportunity to try something new
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The 2023 US Sailing Championship of Champions will be held October 22-23, with the invitees competing in Radio Controlled DragonFlite 95s on White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX. As the use of an RC boat for the event has stirred opinion, Committee Chair Shannon Bush provides background on the decision.
Historically, the event is raced in fleets of 20 boats that are evenly matched, to offer sailors who qualify the opportunity to apply from winning of their own one design National, North American, or World championship to compete against the best of the best.
With the challenges that come with finding evenly matched fleets and clubs willing to take on hosting the championship, 2023 presented an exciting opportunity to do something new and showcase a popular and growing side of our sport that is inclusive, technical, affordable, and regarded as tough to win by many of the names we regularly see at the top of regatta scoresheets.
Is it experimental and ground-breaking? Yes. Will some people be outside their comfort zone? Yes. Will it be a challenge? Yes. Will it be the same fun factor as year’s past? ABSOLUTELY! Competitors will still have to use their sailing smarts and the rules to race these boats. Change is not always a bad thing. Sometimes, you have to mix it up to make everything you know and love about sailing “new” again. Careful, you may actually enjoy it!
The DF95 class, (a member of US Sailing and a recognized one-design class with thousands of members), is excited to share with one design sailors why this class is so fast growing and provide the opportunity for traditional one-design sailors to try something new…
11th Hour Racing Team begins race to north
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Rounding Cape Horn is one of the great moments of any sailor’s career, although the enjoyment tends to come later, a few weeks, months, or even years later, according to skipper Charlie Enright (USA)…
The Ocean Race Leg 3 Day 31
Wednesday
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 29
2023
Posted by XS Editor
After passing Cape Horn and escaping the south, the big weather challenges haven’t quite ended for The Ocean Race sailors yet…
Joanna wins Cervia Winter J/24 Championship
Tuesday
Mar 28
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 28
2023
Posted by XS Editor
With the last three races held last Saturday and nothing happening on Sunday due to adverse weather conditions, the curtain fell on the XVI Winter Championship – XVII Stefano Pirini Memoria hosted by the Circolo Nautico Cervia…
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