Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Sailing Today

“The [viewing] data shows us that light wind racing isn’t as interesting to the general racing fan” I’ve just come back from SailGP in St Tropez. Practice day was cancelled because the Mistral was blowing hard and it was a bit too much of a risk sending the boats out. The first day of racing was fantastic, four back-to-back races producing four different winners and plenty of drama and excitement in the gusting, shifty breeze. The second and the final day were cancelled due to the threat of thunderstorms and lightning. All in the space of three days we saw the best and worst of our weather-dependent sport. When you’re trying to create a ‘made for TV’ product, you can’t afford to lose days to bad weather. It’s always going…

There’s something of history repeating itself as I make my way to the test sail of Grand Soleil’s radical new Blue on the shores of Lake Garda in Italy. Five hundred years earlier, the Venetians dragged dozens of boats through the mountains on tree-trunk rollers to confront the Duke of Milan on the lake. Today, the shipyard has driven its 33-footer (9.99m) from Forli near the east coast to the town of Malcesine, clinging to the skirts of the 2,000m high mountains. Given the difficulty of reaching the place even with modern transport solutions, it is an eye-opener. But the journey is undoubtedly worth it, bringing me eye-to-eye with the first of a new concept for the Italian yard. Where the well-established long cruise (LC) and performance lines stretch from…

A bit of history The concept of shoes made specifically for sailing is actually a relatively modern one – back in the great days of commercial sail, any self respecting mariner would don a pair of seaboots. It wasn’t until the dawn of leisure sailing that people began to seriously think about footwear custom made for the job, and it was an American chap by the name of Paul Sperry, a dedicated sailor who came up with the idea. Sperry got fed up with slipping around on decks and was mulling over the problem while out on a walk with his dog, one icy day. He noted that his dog did not slip on the ice even when running and, on close inspection of the dog’s paws, he remarked that,…

It has been 95 years since the publication of the first book in the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome. Despite the passage of time, it is generally acknowledged as the most well-renowned children’s book series where sailing is a key element of the plots and character development. In the series, which focuses primarily on the Walker, Blackett and Callum children, readers follow the characters on a wide range of boats including sailing dinghies, cutters, punts and wherries. Their nautical adventures feature a fascinating range of settings, from the Lake District and Norfolk Broads to the South China Sea, North Sea and a deserted Caribbean island. A huge appeal of the series for Ransome fans is the children’s independence (no parents!) while sailing and pursuing other outdoor adventures such…

“Any route or plan is a case of joining a series of dot-to-dots of stops and pauses ” Cruising gives the impression of being a life of complete and utter freedom. To many, the idea of that type of freedom is a huge motivator, a life goal, an idyllic retirement plan, or buzzword for a lifestyle that they aspire to. For others, such wide open liberty implies chaos, disorder; they are repelled by what they perceive must be a life without routines, with feral children running wild. Conversely, if you talk about the sailing life being one of great discipline, that’s a concept that can make people bristle somewhat. It’s possible to think of discipline as another word for control or restriction, it conjures up a world of rules, of…

I’ve had Constance – an American Mason 44 – for 13 years. We’re getting to know each other bit by bit and I’d like to report that she’s everything a yacht should be. Excellent though she is, as the sage observed, only God is perfect. She’s sweetness itself to look at, passing the rowing-away-in-the-dinghy test with flying colours; her accommodation, like that of many a quality craft from across the pond, is beautifully finished and spot-on in layout for Roz and me; she’s mystically good under power and has bottomless fuel tanks that would enable me to motor from the Solent to Norway and back if it took my fancy. Tempting perhaps, but that’s not what floats my boat. Sailing’s the thing, and she can show a nice turn of…

In conversation, Harald is a modest, mild-mannered man and to hear him outlining his 2022 cruise is the perfect expression of that. “It was mid-May that I left Medemblik for Den Oever and then to Texel.” Sounds quite normal to this point, doesn’t it? “But I didn’tstop, I went straight on to the Orkneys.” Think on this. Harald, turned-70, single-handing just a typically specified 15m Contest 50CS Steppingstone right up through the North Sea and beyond into the high Atlantic, alone. In Harald’s tone there is nothing that suggests this might perhaps be a little unusual. “I had wanted to go straight to the Faroe area but there was a storm coming up between the Faroes and Orkneys, so instead I sailed into Kirkwall in the Orkneys, stayed a couple…

As we settled into our charter boat, a Beneteau 42, on its Newport, Rhode Island mooring, I checked the weather forecast and feared we might not make our planned destination of Nantucket island. Verity and I had chartered the boat for seven days, but it was scheduled to be back in Newport on the sixth night, and a large weather system was inconveniently forecast to sweep into the region on day five. The planned itinerary was very simple – depart Newport for Martha’s Vineyard, and then onwards to Nantucket before retracing our steps. The distances – and tides – involved, however, were greater than I had anticipated, and we would have to time our passage-making (which would be confined to daylight hours) carefully. Departing at first light the next day,…

In the grand tradition of Baltic boatbuilding, Saare Yachts doesn’t often update or replace one of its models. They are designed to provide a lifetime of sailing – at a price to match, unbending to fleeting trends and fads. So, ever since the German-owned brand launched its new 41.2 in 2023, we have been keen to get a look. Our chance finally came this spring. Though the boats are entirely built on the large Estonian island of Saaremaa (hence the name), they are sold by Yachtsport Eckernförde based on Schleswig-Holstein’s Baltic coast. I tell you this purely to illustrate the fact that all the Saare boats I see gleaming in Eckernförde marina on the sunny spring day of my test have already completed a 300nm passage through tricky waters. As…

Misunderstood and little used, the kicking strap or vang is often largely ignored by cruising sailors. It is an important sail control, however, helping you to flatten or open the main as required. Racers use it to fine-tune the depth of the sail and to introduce greater twist as required. How does it work? Well, the kicker is usually a line that you can tighten to exert downward force on the boom. When the sail is well tensioned and filled with a healthy breeze, there can be a lot of power pulling the other way, so kickers usually employ a cascade of blocks, or a high-purchase block system. All the same, you’ll probably still need the additional purchase of a winch to apply extra tension. On many smaller or older…

As October comes round, it feels like I can breathe again! When the crowds set sail, the Ionian finally returns to its usual calm self. Harbours empty and queues disappear, waiters have time to chat, and suddenly there’s not just one but a veritable choice of berths in each port. Whilst it’s still hot under the midday sun, and long lunches spent swimming in deserted coves are the order of the day, in the evenings some of the larger, well-sheltered harbours really come into their own. It’s true that the beach tavernas start to close for the season, but there’s still a huge choice available – you will not go hungry! Once the high-pressure systems disappear, the stifling heat recedes, and the occasional storm helps to clear the air. It…

In a week of mixed wind conditions peaking at 28-30kts on the first day, and then ranging from 12-13kts to the low 20s for the rest of the week, the WASZP Games at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) – which saw a record-breaking 248-strong entry – was deemed a huge success. After an immensely close-fought series, it was Italian sailor Federico Bergamasco, and American Pearl Lattanzi who stole the show to take overall wins in the Men’s and Women’s Gold Fleet finals respectively, thus deeming them the 2025 WASZP Games overall champions. In the Gold fleet Bergamasco also proved that consistency was the name of the game because he won the title without winning a single race! Commenting on his overall win after the final race, a delighted…

On each side of Sydney Harbour there is a club which is home to an 18ft class of boat, and while both classes have common historical roots, they could hardly be more different. To the south is the 18 Footers League where the modern 18ft skiffs – super-fast, lightweight boats with three crew trapezing on racks – are based; while on the north shore at the Sydney Flying Squadron there are the replicas of 18 footers which were originally built between 1906 and 1950. For most of the past quarter of a century, one man – John ‘Woody’ Winning – has regularly sailed both types of boats, the replicas on Saturdays and the modern ones on Sundays. Woody acquired his nickname while he was serving an apprenticeship as a carpenter.…

Like all good things that happen to us, it was an accident I started writing pilots for the Mediterranean. It all began when I was skippering a flotilla around the Saronic and eastern Peloponnese in Greece. On the first flotilla I had to take my little fleet around to harbours and anchorages I had never been to. Giving the morning briefing was a nightmare. From the old fathoms charts I gleaned enough information to suggest courses, bearings, dangers to navigation to be avoided and then announced I would definitely be in the harbour or anchorage I had never been to. The little engine on the Cobra 850 lead boat was red-lined so I could get in first and assume a pseudo-knowledgeable insouciance on the quay as I helped them to…

50°51ʹ7.8ʺN 1° 18ʹ41.8ʺW If your priority when choosing a south coast marina is ease of access and top notch facilities, you can’t go far wrong with MDL’s recently re-vamped Hamble Point Marina. Its location, virtually at the mouth of the Hamble River in Southampton, makes it particularly convenient because not only does it offer access at all states of the tide (no locking in or out) but it also means direct access to Southampton Water and the Solent, which makes it an ideal base for racing teams, as well as dedicated year-round cruising sailors. As far as facilities go, its brand-new, £500,000 state-of-the-art facilities (toilets and showers) are impressive and are just part of a wider £1.2 million investment in this particular marina. The new marina office, which opened recently,…

Winter sun sailing in the Caribbean has become a top choice for yacht charter enthusiasts thanks to its reliable climate, which generally offers steady trade winds, warm tropical temperatures, and some of the world’s most breathtaking cruising grounds. The ideal time to visit is between December and April, which is comfortably outside the hurricane season. Thanks to the Caribbean’s popularity for on-the-water holidays, it is home to a wide variety of charter options, including flotilla adventures, skippered, and bareboat charters. Companies like Nautilus which covers destinations such as British Virgin Islands (BVIs), Antigua, Grenada and St Vincent, St Lucia, Martinique, St Martin, Guadeloupe, Bahamas, Belize, also offer last minute bookings, which is a good incentive if you have the opportunity to just ‘book and go’. Jonathan Shears – Managing Director…

X-YACHTS X332 | HYSTERIX Discover the perfect balance of speed, handling, and Scandinavian craftsmanship with this exceptional X-Yachts X-332 – a true classic in performance cruiser-racers. Designed by Niels Jeppesen and built in Denmark to the highest standards, the X-332 delivers exhilarating sailing performance without compromising on comfort or style. Hysterix is a superb example of these ever-popular boats. She is presented in what appears to be a lovely condition and must be viewed to be appreciated. The current owner has continuously maintained and upgraded her, and she is ready to be launched and enjoyed by her future owner. Year: 2002 LOA: 10.310m (33.79') Beam: 3.300m (10.83') Draft: 1.800m (5.91') Displacement: 4,350kg Hull Construction: Glassfibre Keel: Fin Engine: Yanmar 2GM 18hp Designer: Niels Jeppesen Accommodation: 6 berths in 3 cabins…