Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Sailing Today

Three trimarans capsize in dramatic start to Transat With competitors in the Transat Café l’Or essentially ejected out into the North Atlantic in late October, the event is noted for its dramatic starts but the 2025 edition trumped its predecessors with three Ocean 50 trimarans flipping during the first night of the race. The event, previously known as the Transat Jacques Vabre runs from Le Havre to Martinique in the Caribbean and features a fleet of Class 40s, IMOCAs, Ultims and Ocean 50s. The whole fleet had been scheduled to get away on 25 October but heavy weather meant this start was delayed until the 26 for three of the classes while, the Ocean 50s set out as planned on the 25 with the plan being to outrun the a…

I was shocked in a London hostelry recently to discover that our once-proud nation has been reduced to forming an orderly queue for drinks at the pub bar. It hasn’t happened in my local yet, and all is not lost because I was reassured by a quick stroll around the Internet to find the idea universally and roundly rubbished. The apparently disorderly scrum to get a drink is a uniquely British institution that works a lot better than a casual foreign visitor might imagine. As in our constitution, the secret lies in unwritten laws. Success depends on the professionalism of the guys and girls serving, coupled with the inherent decency of the thirsty public. Very occasionally, you’ll see a favourite customer being served out of order, but such frowned-on behaviour…

My motives for this trip were varied. I was on the committee that vetted applications for the Ocean Cruising Club’s Challenge Grant when Project Manaia had applied for a grant to support their environmental work in the Mediterranean. Then, my generation had no concept that there were dangers to the environment, so I am playing catch up on that score. There again, except for a short passage from Tierra-Veja in southeast Spain to Gibraltar I had never sailed in the Mediterranean – too crowded! And then I had never been back to Malta since I had been stationed there as a young officer in 45 Commando, Royal Marines in the 1950s. So, I joined Project Manaia for their end of season sea passage from Kefalonia to Malta. The heat hit…

Although the dreary northern hemisphere winter weather is well and truly upon us, it’s not all doom and gloom because this is the time of year for dreaming about the great escape and signing up for the ultimate sun-drenched, summer sailing holiday. According to the holiday companies we spoke to, the booking process for the 2026 season is well underway with many not only reporting higher than usual bookings, but also noticing a trend that clients are becoming more adventurous, which is opening the doors to new cruising options. Adi Tognarelli – co-founder, Plain Sailing – said there are new cruising grounds opening up in Albania for example: “Hopefully it won’t be too long before you can sail all the way from Italy to Greece, via Croatia and Montenegro. We’re…

RONAUTICA RO330 | RONDO The Ronautica RO330 was imported into the UK and marketed as the Europa RO330 for a while. The RO330 is primarily a fast family cruiser in the same vein as the First 310, First 31.7, First 33.7, Sun Fast 32 or X-302. She has a well-ballasted hull and high ballast ratio (40%) with a reasonably large sail area. Rondo is a very good example, presented in excellent condition, with the larger 29hp engine, feathering propeller, and recent sails. She has proved herself to be a competitive boat locally while still providing excellent accommodation with hot and cold water and central heating. For those wishing to do some competitive sailing, Rondo has a 2025 IRC rating of 0.919. She has six berths in two cabins plus saloon…

Say “Rainforest”, and the average sailor will conjure up an image of some exotic tropical landscape covered in jungle that is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. I first came across such a rainforest as a young man working on the Solomon Islands in the Coral Sea, a long way northeast of Australia. Since that time I have always loved trees and have had a yen to return to these forests – a yen tinged with regret that they are too far and too inaccessible for my type of boat (an Etap 32). Then, last summer, I suddenly realised I was in one. Not a tropical rainforest, but a temperate one – on the island of South Rona, next to Skye in the Hebrides. So how do…

What’s in a name? Quite a lot actually. As an example of the importance of a name, take the example of Royal Mail which, some years back, decided to re name itself as Consignia. I don’t need to tell UK readers that this is an example of a rebranding disaster. A simple name can be immensely evocative. Rolex, Rolls Royce these names ooze class. In the sailing world it’s Swan – Nautor’s Swan – or as it’s now known Nautor Swan. Not sure if that particular rebrand had any positive or negative affect but the fact is that the very name Swan is utterly evocative to any sailor. The Finnish company has been turning out beautiful yachts since 1966 and has become a watchword in quality and exclusivity. Why is…

Although many will remember the Royal Western Yacht Club-hosted Final Fling event from the 1980s and ’90s, its rejuvenation with title sponsor Allspars eight years ago has seen this two-day event go from strength to strength reaching a record entry of 81 at the 2025 edition last October. The event also continues to attract a huge array of classes from Mirrors and Devon Yawls to 505s, 49ers and many popular racing classes in between, so it really is an event where everyone is welcome. This year’s Final Fling also celebrated several special class events extracted from the overall results, with the final of the Merlin Rocket Silver Tiller series, the final B14 Travellers’ Trophy event, and also the Nacra 15 national championship. The success of the event however, is not…

Reflect as you drive to the marina in your electric car and it is clear that the pace of electrification in boats is lagging way behind the automotive world. For many sailors, the wind is the primary means of propulsion, with the diesel engine used just for manoeuvring and outrunning trouble. Perhaps small wonder that the focus has been more on the motorboat side. But there are plenty of sailors out there who want to reduce their impact on the ocean and eliminate the smell and noise of marine diesel. Major boatbuilders like Beneteau, Hanse and Dufour already offer electrification as an option on new builds. And a burgeoning refit scene has grown up around brands like Oceanvolt and Torqeedo. New electric projects are emerging all the time. Electrification requires…

Deck trainers are a relatively new phenomena but, certainly for racing sailors, they have become a crucial piece of kit. If the cruising sailor might content himself with a deck shoe then that simply won’t cut the mustard if you’re out racing where the need for improved grip, waterproofing or fast draining shoes mean that they have been long superseded. Nevertheless, the deck trainer did to some extent develop from the deck shoe as sailors looked for even lighter, grippier shoes. US-based shoe manufacturer Sperry was at the heart of this development. The shoemaker has a history going back to the 1930s and was the original pioneer of the deck shoe. Following on from this, the company introduced a range of canvas topped, white rubber soled trainers which also in…

“Suddenly things don’t seem so cordiale anymore” How can you have an America’s Cup if the Americans aren’t taking part?” It’s a question that I’ve been asked a couple of times by my non-sailing friends. Of course, you and I know – being the clever sailing intelligentsia that we are ;-) – that ‘America’ has nothing to do with the country. It’s the name of the yacht, silly! Even so, for American Magic to pull out of the 38th edition of the America’s Cup means it will be the first time there has been no USA team participating in the event’s 175-year history. How has it come to this? Three months ago in this column I gave a cautious thumbs-up to Grant Dalton and Sir Ben Ainslie’s ability to put…

The British Yachting Awards is an annual celebration of all things sailing; from the finest bits of kit, to the most extraordinary feats of endurance or skill out on the water. The shortlists for each category were published in our November 2025 issue and nominations included some of the biggest brands and most famous names in sailing, as well as burgeoning marine companies, along with amateur yachtsmen and youth sailors. What makes the awards so unique is that the winner in each category is decided exclusively by you, the reader – no outside influences or ‘expert’ panels, it’s all down to you. As ever, there was a healthy turnout, with over 17,000 casting a vote. We therefore thank you all for participating and for making a difference – categories can…

As Greek summers grow hotter in the face of climate change, the need for green air conditioning on yachts has become more important. Especially in bustling Ionian harbours, where large yachts run generators overnight, disturbing fellow sailors and polluting the atmosphere with noise and exhaust. I first wrote about solar battery air conditioning around 18 months ago in April 2024 in this magazine. At the time, Sail Ionian was trailing the system on two yachts to gauge customer feedback and uptake. As a leading charter company, we really feel we have a responsibility to push the envelope and drive the industry forward. I despair that so many companies lease old, badly maintained yachts, with decade-old equipment. The standard should not be the lowest common denominator. At Sail Ionian, we invest…

TRIED AND TESTED BioLite Dash 450 Rechargeable head torch I was sent this to test quite randomly but the timing could not have been more opportune as, with the night’s drawing in, I still had to sail my boat from Marseille to its home port some 60nm away, writes Sam Jefferson. This meant an early start and a gloomy end to the day. Usually I’m grovelling around with my mobile telephone torch in these circumstances – not this time though. The Dash 450 proved a very useful companion. I reckon the Dash is designed with early morning joggers in mind. I say this because the set up incorporates a small light at the rear of the headband where the battery pack is situated and I assume this is so that…

“They consider the general public in the UK to be somewhat aloof ” My kids are confused. Whenever we have a holiday away from the boat, visiting friends and family in the UK, it becomes very apparent to us that they have been raised quite differently from their land-dwelling counterparts. They simply have a singular frame of reference for things, a more diverse spectrum of experiences and what they consider to be ‘normal’ can definitely result in a raised eyebrow or two. Toasters, for example, flummox them. Sounds odd I know. They love toast and have a thing for sourdough bread. However, making toast onboard our sailboat involves using the grill of our oven, something that they know how to operate. So, when confronted with a shiny silver device atop…