THE DECADE THAT CHANGED SAILING?

In January 2010 the Yachting World cover shot was of the giant Alinghi catamaran. Our headline wondered if the America’s Cup Deed of Gift multihulls were ‘The World’s Most Advanced Sailboats?’

At the time they felt like a futuristic experiment. But today that 90ft cat, with its non-foiling daggerboards, straight rudders and soft sail, looks astonishingly retro.

When it comes to professional racing events, the years 2010-2019 were undoubtedly the decade of flight. Foiling technology has now filtered beyond inshore multihulls to offshore racers and even luxurious cruising yachts.

But most of us do not, nor ever intend to, sail a flying boat. So what of the rest of the sport?

There’s no question that sailing faced huge challenges over the past decade – the global downturn post-2008 was a tough market in which to sell yachts. The past few years have been peppered with news of yacht builders being merged, or sadly ceasing trading. The financial services industry virtually disappeared from sports sponsorship.

But other sectors are thriving. While some regattas have seen