This is not exactly a news bulletin, but anytime Reichel/Pugh does something new, it is worth a look. So do so!
Vendée Globe Race Saturday Update
Saturday
Nov 30
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 30
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Less than 9 miles separates the top three Vendée Globe competitors after 20 days of racing, while fourth-placed Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) is only 20 miles adrift of the leading trio as the fleet heads south and west into the roaring 40s.
Vendée Globe Race Friday Update
Friday
Nov 29
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 29
2024
Posted by XS Editor
“I feel like I’ve been teleported here from the equator! It’s really impressive how quickly we have done this section to the Cape. I really have lose all sense of time and space.” Charlie Dalin today…
Vendée Globe Race Sunday Update
Sunday
Nov 24
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 24
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Anthony Marchand gives his take on the current situation in the South Atlantic and more generally on this tenth edition of the Vendée Globe…
SailGP: Day 1 Live – Dubai
Saturday
Nov 23
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 23
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Live mark by mark commentary from SailGP Dubai. Season 5 and first event gets underway in light winds and big rigs…
Vendee Globe – Charlie Dalin (MACIF) is the leader Saturday morning
Saturday
Nov 23
2024
Posted by deleteme
Nov 23
2024
Posted by deleteme
Of the 39 boats still racing in the Vendée Globe most are now out of the Doldrums and almost half are now across the Equator in the Southern Hemisphere…
400 sailors to compete in Palamós Christmas Race
Thursday
Nov 21
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 21
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Just one month to go until the 48th edition of the Palamós Christmas Race, a benchmark regatta for both Olympic and dinghy sailing in the winter season, to be held in the waters of the Bay of Palamós (Girona)…
Call for Bids
Thursday
Nov 21
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 21
2024
Posted by XS Editor
The 49er and Nacra 17 Classes invite expressions of interest from host cities, sailing clubs, and organizations to bid…
On the Record – The inside take from INEOS Britannia skipper Ben Ainslie
Thursday
Nov 21
2024
Posted by deleteme
Nov 21
2024
Posted by deleteme
Now the dust has settled on the 37th America’s Cup, it’s the perfect time to look back on how things played out both on and off the water with Ben Ainslie…
New leader in the Vendée Globe
Thursday
Nov 21
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 21
2024
Posted by XS Editor
(November 21, 2024; Day 12) – Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) took over the lead of the Vendée Globe solo race round the world very early this morning benefiting from his position to the west of his rivals which include his teammate British sailor Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) who holds second place.
Ruyant was first to emerge from the Doldrums and after a spell at more than double the speed of his British counterpart is about 6.5 miles ahead this afternoon.
The other skipper to have made a notable gain is Pip Hare (Medallia) who has profited from her position to the west also and over recent days has worked her way up to 13th, reducing her deficit of 250 nautical miles yesterday morning to be about 80 miles behind the leading duo this afternoon.
Crucially for the British skipper her gains might now possibly give her a chance of hooking into the first low pressure in the South Atlantic along with the main peloton but the actual time window to catch this system are not very clear.
It is now the first time that Ruyant has led this, his third Vendée Globe. Four years ago he chased British skipper Alex Thomson across the Equator about 80 miles behind. Both gained an immediate jump on the fleet in the South Atlantic when they caught a low pressure in a scenario which very much mirrors this year’s, and indeed 2016-17 when Thomson and Armel Le Cléac’h escaped the pack.
Although he blitzed a new 24 hour solo monohull distance record yesterday morning Yoann Richomme (PAPREC ARKÉA) has not been able to wriggle out of the Doldrums as efficiently as the likes of Switzerland’s Justine Mettraux (TeamWork-Team Snef) who is up in fifth now less than 40 miles behind Ruyant.
“It seems that we are now out of the Doldrums. It looks like it because everything is stabilizing! We were in there for 24 hours. For 12 to 15 hours, we were in a bit of a tough spot. We were really stuck but we have already all seen much worse scenarios than this one,” Richomme said this morning,
He added, “I had 12-15 hours in the hard stuff yesterday afternoon. It was really slow. We didn’t make much progress but last night it was good. It was quite a nice Doldrums in the end. There was just a big squall that came through yesterday afternoon. By tomorrow morning, we will have crossed the equator: it will be my first solo. Apparently that’s quite something!
“I’ve crossed it three times racing. It will be almost a formality. My team must have provided me with a small bottle of champagne. I have to see what day they had planned it for me because I haven’t eaten much since the beginning and I’m on day 5’s food bag. I’m 4-5 days behind. In the South Atlantic, it could be very fast, without being very violent.
“The situation allows us to cut across the South Atlantic fairly quickly. We could pass the Cape of Good Hope, which would put us back in slightly better timings compared to the reference times, which wouldn’t be bad. It’s a good prospect. It will work for a lot of people. We will break with the group behind of course but the whole group in front risks leaving with it.”
Ruyant’s gain may stabilize as Goodchild should initially have a faster angle to the wind and the sailor from the North of France is converging back east to his team-mate who sails his previous, older generation boat on which he finished sixth on the last Vendée Globe.
But the biggest gain has been to Hare, who enthused this morning, “I had quite a good night which I was kind of not expecting so much, I can’t touch the others on speed at reaching angles, I just can’t stay with any boats 2020 and newer I just can’t touch them in a straight line. So I need to take the opportunities to ‘think’ my way up the ranks, and I think last night was pretty good for me.
“Being in the west is the better option and yesterday all day I was really, really vigilant with clouds. I had a satellite image up all the time. It is incredible how accurate it is on my computer screen and then it would pop up on the radar and then I could skirt my way around things. And so I think that really helped me. I am feeling pretty good and am about to have a cup of tea this morning, which is often short lived as all hell will likely break loose.
“All I need to do is keep in touch, keep in touch as long as I can and then when there is an opportunity to ‘think’ my way through things I will give it my best shot. But I am feeling pretty pleased this morning, it is good!”
Not quite the same story from the winner of the last race, La Rochelle’s Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V). “The Doldrums were intense, with quite a few squalls and very unstable winds, both in strength and direction, but they were relatively short lived. What was good was that there were several of us who saw each other at the AIS, which allowed us to understand a little bit what was happening, now I almost feel like it’s a new start!”
Next up? Crossing the equator tonight. From then on it is very much a drag race down the South Atlantic in the SE’ly trade winds, all the time eyes on the prize, a depression that they could catch a little to the north of Rio de Janeiro. The low pressure would be ideal to let them put the foot down and go full throttle to the south of the African continent.
If this scenario plays out it would similar to the system which propelled Alex Thomson and Armel Le Cléach’ to the Kerguelen Islands at full speed during the 2016-2017 edition. “It’s a good prospect. It will be a chance for a whole group of people but it will cause a real break with the group behind,” analyzed Richomme.
Meantime the entire fleet, with the exception of Oliver Heer (Tut Gut), Denis Van Weynbergh (D’Ieteren Group), Jingkun Xu (Singchain Team Haikou) and Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe) who also burned his hand yesterday while heating water, will only be out of the Doldrums in in about 36 hours.
Race updates – Tracker – Ranking – Facebook
Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne – ankle injury, mast damage
The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, holds the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.
Source: VG2024, SSN
Season opening SailGP Dubai event to feature newbies Mubadala Brazil and Red Bull Italy teams
Sunday
Nov 17
2024
Posted by deleteme
Nov 17
2024
Posted by deleteme
For the opening SailGP event of the season, the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas, 23-24 November 2024, the global racing will comprise of eleven F50 race teams.
America’s Cup competitor dies at 27
Sunday
Nov 17
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 17
2024
Posted by XS Editor
The 8-person crew on the AC75 for the 37th America’s Cup had four people sailing the boat, and four people on cycles to power the systems. The cyclors were mostly not known within the sailing community, having excelled outside of the sport, but tragedy has brought to life a unique contributor in the 2024 competition:
Austin Regier, a national champion rower for the University of Washington men’s rowing team who went on to compete in the America’s Cup, died in a free-diving accident in the Philippines on Friday (Nov. 15). Regier was 27.
Regier spent most of the past year in Barcelona, Spain, training for the America’s Cup competition and was on a six-week trip to Southeast Asia before planning to come back to Seattle.
Regier, often described as kind, engaging and humble, made friends everywhere he went, said his parents, Monte and Christie Regier.
“The easy thing would have been to go to Barcelona, do the America’s Cup and not engage in anything,” Monte said. “The first thing he did when he got there was go find a (church) youth group to get involved in and start talking with kids.” – Full report
Vendee Globe – Sam Goodchild speeds back into the Vendee race lead on Sunday
Sunday
Nov 17
2024
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Nov 17
2024
Posted by deleteme
British skipper Sam Goodchild took back the Vendee Globe lead in the 18:00 Ranking Sunday and continued to lead at the 22:00 Ranking…
New record set in Vendée Globe
Wednesday
Nov 13
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 13
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nicolas Lunven, the skipper of the IMOCA Holcim-PRB, broke the outright solo monohull 24-hour record on the second day of the 2024-25 Vendée Globe. Opting for a more westerly route than the fleet, he covered 546.60 nautical miles in 24 hours (pending official ratification).
Lunven’s pace would surpass the same record set by Thomas Ruyant during the 2024 Retour à la Base event (539.58 nm/ 22.48 knot avg.).
This boat also holds the outright monohull 24-hour record, with skipper Kevin Escoffier and crew covering 640.48 nm in the 5th leg of The Ocean Race 2022-23, with an average speed of 26.68 knots.
Race updates – Tracker – Ranking – Facebook
The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, holds the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.
Vendee Globe: Race favorite hits lead – Day 2
Monday
Nov 11
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 11
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Race favorite Charlie Dalin has taken the lead of the Vendee Globe single handed non-stop around the world race, on the morning of Day 2.
skaw skow
Monday
Nov 11
2024
Posted by deleteme
Nov 11
2024
Posted by deleteme
Well ok then. I mean sure, whatever floats your boat. It does look pretty cool inside though…
now it gets real
Monday
Nov 11
2024
Posted by deleteme
Nov 11
2024
Posted by deleteme
After a gentle start and a peaceful first night of the Vendee Globe, the entire fleet will begin this evening rounding Cape Finisterre. The conditions will be tough – 30 knots of wind, gusts of 40 knots – throughout the night. The objective: to get out of it without incident to continue the descent of the Atlantic. Read more here.
Racing home from Europe
Monday
Nov 11
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 11
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Racing yachts are meant to be raced, so rather than strapped to a shipping cradle for a trip to North America, the 2025 RORC Transatlantic Race departs from the Canary Islands on January 12 for the 3000nm course to Grenada, West Indies.
After competing in the 2024 Rolex Middle Sea Race in the central Mediterranean Sea, USA’s Bryon Ehrhart’s 88-foot Lucky will contend for monohull line and overal honours. The Juan K designed Lucky will have a stellar crew which includes navigator Juan Vila (ESP).
The Spaniard is one of the very few sailors to have won the Jules Verne Trophy, the Volvo Ocean Race, and the America’s Cup, yet this will be his first RORC Transatlantic Race.
“This is a race that I have always liked to do,” commented Vila. “I have done similar races in the past but a trade wind race in January across the Atlantic is very special for any navigator because it is always challenging; you have to adapt and use all your knowledge for this race. This is a very fast route across the Atlantic and Comanche’s record from 2022, at nearly 16 knots average, is very impressive.
“At the beginning of the race, we have to navigate through pretty much the whole Canary Islands, especially the lee of Tenerife. It is an early call in the race to decide whether to sail in the lee of islands or sail the extra distance to avoid them.
“In the open Atlantic, ideally for Lucky we will need broad reaching conditions; that is the boat’s fastest angle. Even with the huge improvement in satellite communications and accuracy of weather models, for forward planning you have to decide how long you can trust the weather model for.
“Maybe the routing is made because of a situation in the future which is not going to happen, or maybe the routing is not taking into account local affects; you have to adapt it. Local factors such as trade wind showers can be used to advantage to gain miles but they can be quite tricky. Overall, you have to make up your own mental picture of what is going to happen.
“The race starts in higher latitudes and goes to lower latitudes at the end, so transitions are very likely and dependent on how the Jet Stream is running. Getting the transitions right is where gains and losses can be made. The timing from where you jump from a North Atlantic type system to trade wind weather is crucial. If you delay too much the door closes, if you go too early, you might make a longer course.”
Details: https://www.rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/
The RORC Transatlantic Monohull Race Record was set by Comanche, skippered by Mitch Booth in 2022: 07 Days 22 Hrs 01 Mins 04 Secs.
18ft Skiff Sixt Spring Championship Race 4
Sunday
Nov 10
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 10
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Strong southerly winds, gusting to more than 30 knots, forced the cancellation of today’s Race 4 of the Sixt Spring 18 footer championship on Sydney Harbour…
10th Vendée Globe Underway!
Sunday
Nov 10
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 10
2024
Posted by XS Editor
The official start of the Vendée Globe took place today at 13:02. The skippers have now set off on the most famous and challenging of circumnavigations, with more than 24,000 nautical miles (45,000 km) to cover solo, non-stop, and without assistance.
Avoiding collision during Vendée Globe
Wednesday
Nov 06
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 06
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Based on the nine past editions of the Vendée Globe, on average only 60% of competitors finish. Most retirements are due to technical issues, while some are either forced to pull out or continue badly crippled following collision damage.
But when the 2024-25 non-stop singlehanded round the world race departs Les Sables d’Olonne on November 10, 25 of the 40e IMOCAs competing will be equipped with state of the art equipment – SEA.AI – to help identify and avoid floating objects.
This will be the second edition of the Vendée Globe in which SEA.AI will be used on the IMOCAs…
Meet the Vendée Globe Racing Fleet
Monday
Nov 04
2024
Posted by deleteme
Nov 04
2024
Posted by deleteme
The Vendée Globe is arguably the pinnacle of solo ocean racing. On November 10, 40 skippers will set out from Les Sables d’Olonne, France, with the aim of sailing nonstop, unassisted around the world. Many will not make it. In recent years, the race has had an attrition rate between 20 and 30%, with everything from sinking to electrical failures ending campaigns. While the podium always reflects the best of the best, in a race this tough, for most skippers just getting to the finish line is the ultimate goal, and no matter where you look in the fleet, inspirational stories of grit and passion abound. Winning the race is one thing, winning the hearts of spectators is another.
The fleet of IMOCA 60s is dominated by the French, but in total, this year’s 40 skippers will include 11 nationalities, among them Japan, China, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, and Hungary. Conrad Coleman will sail under the joint flags of the United States and New Zealand and will be the only American in the fleet. The fleet will also include six female skippers and two para-athletes.
In recent years, American offshore racing has really started to come into its own, as seen in particular with 11th Hour Ocean Racing’s victory in The Ocean Race, and Cole Brauer’s record-setting solo circumnavigation in the Global Solo Challenge. If this has put you in the mood to follow the Vendée Globe, but you’re not sure exactly where to start, here are some unsung campaigns to get excited about.
Kojiro Shiraishi
Though this will be Kojiro Shiraishi’s third Vendée Globe campaign, he’s been involved with offshore racing since before the Vendée Globe even existed. He worked on the shore crew for his mentor Yukoh Tada’s BOC Challenge-winning campaign, which still inspires his racing today. “Watching my first BOC Challenge was incredibly emotional. I made so many friends during the Newport stopover, and we’re still in touch today,” Shiraishi remembers. He was back in New England, this time for his own campaign, last spring when sailing the Transat CIC and NY-Vendée.
Shiraishi, who speaks neither English nor French, says being the only Japanese sailor in the fleet has never been a problem for him. “They have been very welcoming. There have never been any issues. The only difference between us is that they carry a fork with them, and I have chopsticks,” he jokes. There are a few other cultural nods aboard DMG Mori, such as the temple hanging on his bulkhead or the rope tunnels that bracket his helm station, which are painted red to evoke the image of a Shinto temple.
“Maybe it’s the Japanese thinking, but we want to make things that last a long time, not just things that go as fast as possible. The main goal isn’t necessarily to win, but to teach. We want to bring young sailors in,” he says. To that end, the team has two bases for emerging sailors, one that races a Mini 6.50 out of Japan, and a French location that has two more Minis and a Figaro. This provides a pathway for young Japanese sailors to compete against the European cohort that tends to dominate the offshore scene. Mentorship was a huge influence on Shiraishi, and giving back is an essential component of his campaign.
“In the IMOCA class, even if we compete in the same race, all of the boats are really different, and the people are really different. But at the end of the day, there’s only one ranking. That’s what makes it unique.”
Follow along on Instagram @kojiro.shiraishi
Sam Goodchild
Sam Goodchild’s calm, understated way of talking about his campaign belies that this has been his dream since he was a teenager, reading about it in magazines at just 14 years old. He got his first taste of the Vendée Globe at 18 aboard Mike Golding’s boat and has never looked back, working on numerous other offshore campaigns, such as Phaedo and Spindrift. He then sailed the first three legs of The Ocean Race with Holcim-PRB, which gave him critical IMOCA experience. Now, 20 years after that first seed was planted (he will turn 35 about a week into the race), Goodchild will be headlining his own campaign. His team is part of a joint endeavor with French skipper Thomas Ruyant, and he will be sailing Ruyant’s former boat, built in 2019 (then called Linked Out).
“We’ll be the only boat ever to do a fully integrated two-boat campaign,” says Goodchild, adding that this arrangement lets the two sailors share resources and expertise, like their design and communications offices. Both boats are sponsored by cybersecurity company Advens, “but instead of putting their brand on the sail, they wanted to put their mission. We need to embrace our vulnerabilities in order to improve,” Goodchild says. “In the 21st century, we’re starting to ask ourselves what we’re doing with our lives and what impact we’re having. It’s nice to support something that’s got a goal and a meaning.” Both his boat and Ruyant’s are officially named Vulnerable, though his is green with “For the Planet” livery, while Ruyant’s is blue with “For People” livery.
Goodchild’s boat is an all-arounder, and though he days it will never be the fastest boat, it will also never be the slowest. He’s hoping that consistency will be the key to doing well in a race that lasts for months. His goal is to finish, and he foresees the biggest obstacle being finding a balance between pushing for performance and sailing conservatively enough to keep the boat healthy.
Follow Vulnerable on Instagram @goodchildsam
Clarisse Crémer
Clarisse Crémer is currently the fastest woman to solo circumnavigate unassisted, having finished the 2020 Vendée Globe in just 87 days. From the moment she finished, she says she had one goal: get back out there.
The path wasn’t easy, and when Crémer’s maternity leave impacted her ability to get the necessary qualifying miles and consequently her sponsorship deal, there was an international outcry. Fans demanded that the race organization reconsider systemic barriers that might affect female sailors more their male counterparts. Soon, she had a new sponsor in L’Occitane en Provence and was back on her way to the start line.
Crémer says she learned a lot with her previous campaign and has been able to outfit her IMOCA (formerly Apivia, which took line honors in 2021) better. She says the boat excels in light air, upwind, and in transition zones, while downwind and big seas can be a challenge. To make things more comfortable, she has added a proper bed, a bucket seat, and a fully enclosed cockpit. Making life onboard palatable is essential in a race this long, where it’s critical to keep both the mental and the competitive edge for months on end.
“I was struggling with my mental health at the start of the last Vendée Globe. I was standing at the bottom of a mountain looking up, and it took a full 15 days to get my head straight,” she says. This time, armed with more knowledge and confidence, she plans to be tactically more aggressive than last time.
“Every system that you cross, every mistake that you make, it teaches you something. It’s very hard to accept the technical issues. I really struggled last time with that uncertainty. As things break down, you’re constantly mourning for the boat you had yesterday,” she says. “But I’m more confident now. You learn a lot about the weather, the strategy, but the biggest thing you learn is how to deal with the mental side of it.”
Her first goal is to finish, but beyond that, she hopes to be in the top 10 and stay competitive with the other boats of the same generation.
Follow the campaign on Instagram @loccitane_sailing_team
Oliver Heer
A dismasting during the 2023 Transat Jacques Vabre set Oliver Heer back nearly 7,000 miles on his Vendée Globe qualifying track. The remaining events on his calendar became must-finish races.
Then, during the Transat CIC, disaster struck again. Heer’s boat rolled, and he suffered a complete electronic blackout. Unwilling to give up his chance at qualifying, he managed to rewire the solar panels so that he could use the autopilot for a few hours when it was sunniest. Even when it was bright out, this left him hand steering over 18 hours a day. He used paper charts to navigate. “I was so, so happy to arrive. There were times when I was not sure I would make it. The lesson is to never give up, there is always a way to get the boat to the finish line.”
The Swiss sailor approaches his racing with a humble optimism that distills down to pure grit when push comes to shove. Heer did not make a top 39 spot that would have guaranteed his position on the starting line of the 2024 Vendée Globe, and the 40th spot goes to a wild card team selected by the organizers. “It wasn’t an easy choice, as [all the remaining] skippers are extremely deserving…After careful consideration, I’ve decided between them in the order of the mileage rankings,” explained Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendée Department and the Vendée Globe. Because he dragged himself to the finish of the Transat CIC instead of retiring, Heer was the final addition to the fleet, securing the 40th spot.
His boat Tut gut., which is an older generation non-foiling IMOCA, can point a lot higher than the foiling boats, he says. It does well upwind and in light air but lags when reaching.
Follow along on Instagram @oliverheeroceanracing
If none of these sound interesting to you, don’t worry. There are plenty of other skippers to root for. Consider Sam Davies, the Vendée veteran racing for a lifesaving children’s charity, or Boris Herrmann, The Ocean Race legend who won hearts in 2023. Other familiar faces from The Ocean Race will also be there, including Benjamin Dutreux, Paul Meilhat, Justine Mettraux, Damien Seguin, Charlie Dalin, and Sébastien Simon. Seguin and Jingkun Xu are each competing as para-athletes. Pip Hare’s honest, delightful social media is sure to charm spectators just as it did in 2020-21. Violette Dorange will be setting out on her first around-the-world race at just 23 years old. As is always the case in the Vendée Globe, it’s about more than who makes the podium. With so many inspiring stories, this is sure to be a race to remember.
Here’s the complete list of entrants:
Fabrice Amedeo (Nexans – Wewise) – FRA
Romain Attanasio (Fortinet – Best Western) – FRA
Eric Bellion (STAND AS ONE) – FRA
Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ V) – FRA
Jérémie Beyou (Charal) – FRA
Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline) – FRA
Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée) – FRA
Conrad Colman (MS Amlin) – USA/NZL
Antoine Cornic (Human Immobilier) – FRA
Manuel Cousin (Coup de Pouce) – FRA
Clarisse Crémer (L’Occitane en Provence) – FRA
Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance) – FRA
Samantha Davies (Initiatives-Cœur) – GBR
Violette Dorange (DeVenir) – FRA
Louis Duc (Fives Group – Lantana Environnement) – FRA
Benjamin Dutreux (GUYOT environnement – Water Family) – FRA
Benjamin Ferré (Monnoyeur – Duo for a Job) – FRA
Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) – GBR
Pip Hare (Medallia) – GBR
Oliver Heer (Oliver Heer Ocean Racing) – SUI
Boris Herrmann (Malizia – Seaexplorer) – GER
Isabelle Joschke (MACSF) – FRA/GER
Jean Le Cam (Tout commence en Finistère – Armor-lux) – FRA
Tanguy Le Turquais (Lazare) – FRA
Nicolas Lunven (Holcim – PRB) – FRA
Sébastien Marsset (Foussier) – FRA
Paul Meilhat (Biotherm) – FRA
Justine Mettraux (TeamWork – Team SNEF) – SUI
Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian) – ITA
Yoann Richomme (Paprec Arkéa) – FRA
Alan Roura (Hublot) – SUI
Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) – FRA
Damien Seguin (Groupe APICIL) – FRA
Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One) – JPN
Sébastien Simon (Groupe Dubreuil) – FRA
Maxime Sorel (V and B – Monbana – Mayenne) – FRA
Guirec Soudée (Freelance.com) – FRA
Denis Van Weynbergh (D’Ieteren Group) – BEL
Szabolcs Weöres (New Europe) – HUN
Jingkun Xu (Singchain Team Haikou) – CHN
November/December 2024
18ft Skiff Sixt Spring Championship Race 3
Sunday
Nov 03
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 03
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Another impressive performance by the talented Rag & Famish Hotel 18ft skiff crew of Harry Price, Max Paul and Finn Rodowicz secured the team their second win of the series when they took out Race 2 of the Australian 18 Footers League’s Club Championship…
The oldest footage of bizarre wind-powered craft
Sunday
Nov 03
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 03
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Last week we looked at craft which chased the wind speed record. Whilst they did not always look conventional, they still had a certain sanity about them. Our video archive has uncovered some designs which are way more unusual… or even, plain silly…
Massive design flaw caused tragedy
Sunday
Nov 03
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 03
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Peter Swanson’s Loose Cannon blog has been reviewing the Perini Navi built 184-foot luxury yacht which capsized at anchor, leading to seven of 22 people on board perishing. Here’s his latest report:
In an extraordinary effort, The New York Times has made the case that blame for the Bayesian disaster was not so much crew error—as alleged by the builder—but a massive design flaw that begat other design flaws.
You guessed it: The root of all evil was the boat’s 237-foot aluminum mast.
“The sheer size of the Bayesian’s mast and rigging made the yacht a wind-catcher even with the sails down,” The Times said in an October 30 article written by seven top-knotch reporters. – Full report
New standards set in historic 37th America’s Cup
Saturday
Nov 02
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 02
2024
Posted by XS Editor
On October 19th, 2024, Emirates Team New Zealand secured an historic victory in the America’s Cup match, defeating INEOS Britannia by 37 seconds in the final race, with a final scoreline of 7–2…
SailGP: Nationality rules changed for Season 5
Saturday
Nov 02
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 02
2024
Posted by XS Editor
With the privately owned teams cherry picking talent from the established teams and others, it is clear that the SailGP team rules have been amended since Season 4. The League explains the new nationality rules…
How to follow the Vendée Globe
Saturday
Nov 02
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Nov 02
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Next Sunday, that is the 10th of November, the 40 skippers of the Vendée Globe will start the 10th edition of the legendary solo non stop round the world race…
Foil and frolic in Pensacola
Wednesday
Oct 30
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 30
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Foiling Week, which hosts events dedicated to foiling boats, their sailors, designers and manufacturers, will be coming to the USA in 2025 for Foiling Week Pensacola on February 24-March 2 in Pensacola, FL. The event coincides with Pensacola Mardi Gras festivities – with over 100,000 people expected to be in attendance.
For the 12th edition of Foiling Week, anticipated participation is from Moth, WASZP, A-Class Catamaran, BirdyFish, and Nacra 15 FCS. Other boards, mono and multihull foiling classes will be announced soon. For the Moth, WASZP, and Nacra 15 FCS, the regatta will be their North American Championship.
Sailing races will take place on the Bay, while boards will foil the waves of the Gulf of Mexico in front of the Pensacola Beach Hilton Hotel. On-water organization will be managed by Foiling Week Principal Race Officer Tim Hancock and supported by both the Pensacola Yacht Club and Pensacola Beach Yacht Club.
“Foiling sailors and enthusiasts alike will get to experience what we already know,” noted NYYC American Magic AC Team Skipper and President of Sailing Operations Terry Hutchinson. “Pensacola Bay is a great spot to develop sailboats of all types. American Magic looks forward to supporting this event and watching this development.”
The Public Village at Pensacola’s Maritime Park will give the opportunity to watch close racing, visit an expo showcasing the latest in high-tech nautical equipment and apparel, and listen to discussions on the evolution of foiling. Sustainability, inclusivity, clinics, youth and women’s coaching and technical workshops will be the highlights of the program.
“Foiling isn’t just about the excitement of competition; it’s a symbol of innovation that leads to progress in maritime transport, ecological ventures and our beautiful and very strong bond with the sea,” observed Luca Rizzotti, Foiling Week organizer.
Throughout the event, enthusiasts will have the opportunity to try out boards and boats on the water under the supervision of experienced instructors.
In keeping with the event’s tradition of dedicating each edition to a socially relevant theme, Foiling Week Pensacola 2025 will be inspired by #regeneration, a global approach to sustainability that aims to end the climate crisis by 2030.
Foiling Week Pensacola is supported by: City of Pensacola – Florida, Escambia County, Pensacola Yacht Club, Pensacola Beach Yacht Club, and Sail Pensacola which promotes competitive sailing, technology, and economic development to Pensacola Bay.
Vendee Globe: Crazy Kiwi racing on renewables
Wednesday
Oct 30
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 30
2024
Posted by XS Editor
In the 2016 Vendee Globe, Conrad Colman became the first competitor in Vendee Globe history to finish without using a drop of fossil fuel during his circumnavigation. He plans on repeating the feat in the upcoming Vendee Globe race…
Can America’s Cup tech save the world?
Tuesday
Oct 29
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 29
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Is the America’s Cup a futures influencer? Or just a billionaire’s playground and a big waste of money? Jan Pehrson looks for answers following the4 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona, Spain:
Some people feel the money spent around the America’s Cup should be better spent helping humanity instead of on sailboat racing. They argue, “How about spending the mega money that it costs to host and compete in the America’s Cups on education, for example, or medicine, or lifting people out of poverty?”
But let’s consider an America’s Cup cost/benefit analysis – what if the benefits to humanity of the America’s Cup trickle down into our global culture, and exceed, over time, the cost of the event?
What if there are spin-offs from the America’s Cup that produce something additional, something not originally planned? The space program has spun off many new commercial applications. Why not the America’s Cup?
Since its inception in 1851, the America’s Cup, the oldest competition in international sport, has been the research and development arm of the sport of sailboat racing. Innovations do not necessarily originate at the America’s Cups, but due to the prominence of the event, experimental technologies are refined here and made visible to the public.
Sometimes, unexpected spin-offs from these innovations happen, both in and out of the realm of sailboat racing.
Many new technologies have been tried in the America’s Cups, some successfully and some not. New technologies that increase boat speed are easy to spot – they translate into which boat wins the 173-year-old America’s Cup.
Twelve Metre Class boats were the rule used in the America’s Cup from 1958 to 1987. In the 1987 America’s Cup in Freemantle, Australia, Tom Blackaller entered an experimental design with fore-and-aft rudders USA (US-61), nicknamed “R-1” for “Revolutionary.” The boat was fast, although it could be difficult to control, and did not win.
After 1987, the America’s Cup moved away from the 12 Metre Class, leaving even more room for innovation, and since then we have seen America’s Cup boats with various designs made of various materials. Permutations, to name just a few, included large catamarans, small catamarans, monohulls, winged keels, canting keels, hard wingsails, and soft sails of composite fibers.
Team New Zealand was the first to foil an America’s Cup boat in 2012, a huge innovation. The Kiwis say that a big reason their team has won the last three America’s Cups is that creativity is in their DNA. Right from the first challenge for the America’s Cup in 1987, New Zealand designers have always been thinking outside the box. Travel back in time and their ancestors came up with equally radical designs to conquer the mighty Pacific!
Since 2012, foiling technology has evolved, with today’s AC75 Class boats using hydraulic foil cant systems which enable the boats to rise up on hydrofoils, minimizing drag and allowing for unprecedented speeds.
In between America’s Cups, teams continually experiment with ideas that are permitted within the rules in effect at the time. During the actual sailing competition of the America’s Cups, shore teams and data engineers work day-and-night, pouring over data continually fed from the boats on the water, looking for ways to make their boats faster.
AC75s can sail at more than 50 knots of boat speed — boats have managed 40 knots of boat speed upwind in 7-10 knots of wind — so even the tiniest addition to boat speed can make the difference between victory or defeat.
Advancements made through America’s Cup research and development over the years are trickling down and changing traditional sailboat racing and cruising.
The popularization of foiling technology has transformed the world of high-performance dinghies and high-performance superyachts. Carbon fiber rigs and Dyneema for running rigging have enhanced performance by reducing weight while maintaining strength and durability.
So, back to the original question – all these America’s Cup innovations are exciting, but expensive. Are there spin-offs, and do they affect only sailboat racing and cruising, or do they reach into other realms?
I asked futurist, rocket scientist and fluid dynamics expert Dr. Jack Bacon for his opinion about spin-offs from America’s Cup research and development.
Dr. Bacon has written three books on technology and its impact on society. He has lectured on these topics in 33 countries on all seven continents. A 31-year veteran rocket scientist at NASA, he spent his career as a key technical integrator of the International Space Station, coordinating national and global practices to reduce the production of orbital debris.
Dr. Bacon compares the America’s Cup campaigns to the space race.
“Any technological development effort that strives to push beyond past limits will, of necessity, bring some new capabilities into the human experience,” he replied. “In the space race, the USA and Russia were challenged to reduce the weight and to improve the reliability of every facet of human life—-food, waste management, energy generation and storage, insulation and thermal control, navigation, optics, materials and more.
“People marveled at the cost and wondered if it was worth it. Consider that the printed circuit board originated within the space program as a way to survive launch loads and eliminate most of the mass in electrical systems. Examine how it now permeates every facet of our lives. An untold multitude of improvements have evolved from our challenging the limits of space travel.
“Today, America’s Cup technological developments are filtering up to the space industry, for example, in the design of space suit fabrics and forms and carbon fiber space launch systems.”
The America’s Cup of recent years is often compared to Formula 1 auto racing.
Formula 1 has led to spin-offs into all facets of road travel, as described by Dr. Bacon: “In high performance motor sports, the heavily financed racing syndicates have pioneered new materials and techniques, including fuel injection, piston design, aerodynamics, transmissions, tire manufacture, and perhaps most importantly, safety.”
There is overlap in personnel and sharing of information between the America’s Cup and Formula 1. For example, The Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli includes Pirelli racing as a key part of their development team. Also, the British team INEOS Britannia has partnered with Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science with the objective of bringing together the best of the world’s high-performance marine and automotive engineers.
In the America’s Cup AC75 boats, airflow is harnessed efficiently for speed. Can this apply to the world of maritime transport?
“Yes,” says Dr. Bacon. “Many people dismiss sailboat racing (in particular, the America’s Cup) as a rich man’s pastime. However, the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in each Cup campaign inevitably evolve new technologies, materials, and techniques that can someday become important to overall maritime practice. Consider that the wing sails of past Cup campaigns have evolved to significantly reduce the fuel requirement of the European Space Agency’s large MV Canopée.”
The MV Canopée, a pioneer in the energy transition of maritime transport, is the world’s first hybrid industrial cargo ship powered by wind, using both wind and fuel to propel itself across the oceans.
Launched in 2022, MV Canopée is 121meters long, 22 meters wide, and is operating today under the flag of France. It has four wind-powered Oceanwings that can cut fuel consumption of the engine in half. Additionally, Roll-On, Roll-Off cargo transports are currently under construction using this same technology, at enormous fuel savings and a reduced carbon footprint.
Dr. Bacon looks into the future and envisions a potential America’s Cup spin-off that may advance one of the greatest maritime engineering challenges – how to reduce cavitation, a limiting factor in marine performance that slows boat speed. Cavitation mitigation has been the subject of major maritime research for decades as scientists seek positive environmental impacts by increasing efficiency and reducing fuel.
“Cavitation is an unwanted feature of propellers and any other fast object in water, where pressures in the accelerated water can drop below its vapor pressure, resulting in disruptive vapor pockets that ruin performance. Cavitation is the limiting factor in America’s Cup foiling yachts. In such a fiercely competitive environment as the America’s Cup, it is possible, and maybe even probable, that advancements in this area will spin-off to the marine industry.”
As to what spin-offs the future may bring, we can only speculate because the future isn’t here yet.
One thing is for sure – boats are getting faster with each America’s Cup cycle, and these performance changes will likely trickle down and spin-off to advance other fields. Do these improvements justify the cost? Only time will tell!
Photo of Canopée. © Jifmar Group Library / Tom Van Oossanen
Jan Pehrson is a sailing photojournalist who spends summers in San Francisco, California and winters in St. Pete Beach, Florida. As a racing and cruising sailor and Coast Guard licensed skipper, Jan’s familiarity with sailing and the sailing community lends an in-depth element to her prolific array of photographs and articles. Contact her at www.janpehrson.com.
done and dusted
Tuesday
Oct 29
2024
Posted by deleteme
Oct 29
2024
Posted by deleteme
The final word on the America’s Cup!
When the decision to move away from Auckland because the then New Zealand government reckoned the America’s Cup wasn’t worth supporting to the required level. Many people criticized Grant Dalton and Emirates Team New Zealand with talk that Barcelona wouldn’t work for one reason or another.
Well after the crowds that attended the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona spending multiple millions of Euro in the city, I am sure the powers that be in New Zealand are regretting that it wasn’t New Zealand Dollars being injected into their tourism industry and economy in general.
There, that’s got the politics out of the way, what about the event itself? We don’t know if the two European teams from France and Switzerland and France would have found competing on the other side of the world rather than on relatively home waters, but the event attracted a healthy number of challengers, the city and its citizens appear to have welcomed them and the event with open arms, and it was good to see crowds of people lining the foreshore on each of the race days.
Of course the venue was much more accessible by the fans of all the teams than Auckland would have been, except for the defender’s supporters but they too were there in their droves.
Picture ©Job Vermeulen/ America’s Cup.
got an extra 5 hours?
Wednesday
Oct 23
2024
Posted by deleteme
Oct 23
2024
Posted by deleteme
And you’re an IOM freak? Then here ya go!
Red Bandit steals home
Wednesday
Oct 23
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 23
2024
Posted by XS Editor
At 17:00 CEST on Wednesday, 23 October, the winner of the 45th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race was announced as the German TP52 Red Bandit, skippered by Carl-Peter Forster…
British return as Challenger of Record
Sunday
Oct 20
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 20
2024
Posted by XS Editor
by Tom Cary, Telegraph UK
Not only is the America’s Cup the oldest competition in international sport, it is also one of the most idiosyncratic.
So it was that, as New Zealand crossed the finish line in Barcelona, to seal an ultimately comprehensive 7-2 victory over Ben Ainslie’s Ineos Britannia and lift the Auld Mug for the third time in a row, an official letter was being passed by Bertie Bickett, chairman of the Royal Yacht Squadron, under whose flag Ineos Britannia race, to his opposite number in the New Zealand Royal Yacht Squadron, challenging the Kiwis to another match.
The challenge was accepted and Ineos are, as a consequence, official Challenger of Record for the 38th America’s Cup. The race for the next Cup has already started.
‘A football score’
There will be those who will look at the final scoreline here and laugh at that statement, imagining this to be some sort of drubbing, as if it was a football score. Who will consider the millions spent as money down the drain. The truth is, the America’s Cup match is a two-horse race. And in a two-horse race, the fastest horse usually wins. New Zealand were definitely the faster horse.
The America’s Cup is so hard to win precisely because it is not fair. The odds are always stacked in favour of the defender. They set the rules, they decide the class of boat, they decide the venue, the challengers. They even run the event itself. That is why only four countries have ever won it in 173 years.
That is why the New York Yacht Club retained it for the first 130-odd years of the Cup’s existence.
Ultimately, Ineos were unable to upset the odds. New Zealand, who were able to spend two months longer designing their boat as they knew they were already in the final, who tested out different foils during the challenger series before deciding on their final package, who spent three weeks making refinements to their boat while assessing the opposition in the knockout rounds, were just too good. As Ainslie was happy to admit. – Full report
Viewing details – Race information – Results – Weather forecast
Following the publication of the AC37 Protocol and AC75 Class Rule on November 17, 2021, the AC75 Class Rule and AC Technical Regulations were finalized on March 17, 2022. The entry period was from December 1, 2021 until July 31, 2022, but late entries for the 37th America’s Cup could be accepted until May 31, 2023. The Defender was to announce the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the reveal, finally confirming Barcelona on March 30, 2022. The 37th America’s Cup begins October 12, 2024.
Teams revealed to challenge defender Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
• INEOS Britannia (GBR)
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing (SUI)
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team (ITA)
• NYYC American Magic (USA)
• Orient Express Racing Team (FRA)
2023-24 Preliminary Regattas
September 14-17, 2023 (AC40): Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain
November 30-December 2 (AC40): Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
August 22-25, 2024 (AC75): Barcelona, Spain
2024 Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Selection Series*
August 29-September 9: Double Round Robin
September 14-19: Semi Finals (Best of 9)
September 26-October 7: Finals (Best of 13)
*Team New Zealand competes in the round robin stage only, but the results of their races were not included in the challenger leaderboard.
2024 America’s Cup
October 12-27: 37th Match (Best of 13)
For competition details, click here.
Additionally, 12 teams will compete in the Youth America’s Cup and Women’s America’s Cup.
Noticeboard: https://ac37noticeboard.acofficials.org/
Event details: www.americascup.com/en/home
Relive the action of 2024 Rolex Big Boat Series
Friday
Oct 18
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 18
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Sixty years, one excellent regatta! Take a moment to watch a recap video from the 2024 Rolex Big Boat Series, and mark your calendars for next year. We look forward to seeing you on the water September 10-14, 2025, at St. Francis Yacht Club!
America’s Cup: Two big steps forward for ETNZ
Friday
Oct 18
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 18
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Emirates Team New Zealand reached match point after an exciting day of racing off Barceloneta Beach, packed with thousands of Kiwi and British fans, following the nail-biting action…
Ineos Britannia back in contention with 2 wins on Day 4 of the 37th America’s Cup
Wednesday
Oct 16
2024
Posted by deleteme
Oct 16
2024
Posted by deleteme
Ineos Britannia started their fightback with two race wins an day 4 of the 37th America’s Cup to finish the day 2 – 4 down to Emirates Team NZ…
Cup Spy – Am Cup: Day 4 -Brits’ finest hour?
Wednesday
Oct 16
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 16
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Wednesday was make or break for INEOS Britannia to stay as a serious threat in the America’s Cup regatta. Ashore officials were quite openly talking about a proposed race schedule if the Emirates Team NZ juggernaut rolled on to score six wins…
Exploring the final days of America
Wednesday
Oct 16
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Oct 16
2024
Posted by XS Editor
Near daily on San Diego Bay, charter yacht America will ply the waters in which the America’s Cup was defended in 1988, 1992, and 1995. Of the yachts that sought this iconic trophy, little then and now resemble this near-perfect replica built in 1995 that reminds us of what transpired in 1851.
Author and researcher David Gendell explores the dark final days of the original yacht that launched sailing’s legendary regatta:
The schooner yacht America was a child star and a technological marvel. Arguably the most famous yacht ever built, she won the silver cup in August 1851, and now she represents the pinnacle of yacht racing.
The story of America’s design, build, and her first 16 weeks afloat are the stuff of legend, and for good reason: The schooner’s origin story is irresistible and watertight. The yacht was funded by New York’s wealthiest sportsmen and created specifically for international competition; an invitation to compete had been extended to the Americans from British yachtsmen based at Cowes, on England’s southern coast.
The resultant design brief was ambitious: The new yacht must possess the ability to safely and swiftly cross the ocean but also to win nearshore races against yachts specifically built for that purpose. Her given name reflected the aspirations of her owners: America. About 100 feet long on deck, America was constructed on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the winter of 1850 and into 1851. – Full report
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