Yachts & Yachting magazine

WINTER MONTHS ARE the hardiest of sailors, but this one is exceptionally bleak for all but those who truly love utter solitude and dystopia. With the whole populus back in confinement I therefore felt it was a good time to run an excellent piece by

American Magic suffered a capsize and was close to sinking in a dramatic turn of events in the Prada Cup. The AC75, backed by the New York Yacht Club, was leading Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli on day three of racing in Auckland when it was caught by a sud

Cowes Week Limited has been selected by the UK Government to take part in a technology initiative that will see 50 yachts in the regatta fitted with cameras, to enhance spectator viewing. The high definition 360° cameras will enable live pictures to

American manufacturer J/Boats has been around for 45 years now and whether by accident or design, is marking that anniversary with the launch of their new flagship, the J/45. This is their biggest boat to date and, like the majority of their previous

Not quite one-level living, but with a table in a raised saloon giving exterior views. Semi customisable, even down to build material. Classic woody interior and high-quality finish by a reputed Danish yard. €413,000 ex-VAT nordshipyachts.co.uk Awar

A blue water passage is surely one of the reasons many of us go cruising. The idea of a yacht booming along before the balmy trade winds is the dream. Yet a happy pasage can only be achieved by good skippering and a sensible onboard routine Start yo

And this, I promise, will be the last Vendée Globe epistle, my postcard from locked down, everything- closed Les Sables d’Olonne. And though that has been oppressive, no more so than elsewhere in Europe, you have to give huge credit to the Vendée reg

Located on the picturesque banks of the River Hamble, a tributary of Southampton Water the elegant Royal Southern Yacht Club can trace its routes back to the 19th Century. Approached down a narrow winding cobbled street Hamble is ranked as second onl

When I put in for a test sail of Moody’s latest offering, I mistakenly referred to her as the ‘41DS’. ‘Of course you can test the boat,’ wrote back the contact from Moody owner Hanse Yachts, ‘but please note that the boat’s name is the ‘DS41’. It is

Plunge is a travel memoir of the sort that you stumble across from time to time written by free spirits. Ex Sailing Today deputy Emma Bamford’s Casting Off is another prime example. Anyway, Liesbet recounts various sailing vagabond adventures with he

Hanse’s engineers spent a lot of time and effort developing the sliding door system between the saloon and the cockpit. It has a really pleasing mechanism, where a twist of the handle levers the door an inch or so backwards, so it can slide to one si

Our boat is a heavy girl. She takes a lot of power to get going and build up her momentum and she hates to go in astern with any wind at all on her beam or her quarter. But, give her a quiet anchorage and a full moon and she suddenly becomes as nifty

LOA: 41ft 1in (12.52m) LWL: 37ft 6in (11.42m) Beam: 13ft 9in (4.20m) Draught: 1.85m (6ft 1in) Displacement: 11.2t (24,692lb) Sail area - main: 45 sqm (484sqft) jib: 38sqm (409sqft) Designer: Dixon Design Builder: Hanse Yachts UK agent: Inspir

Visitors to the virtual RYA Dinghy Show need not leave their own homes to enjoy a fantastic line-up of talks, interactive coaching sessions, kids’ treasure hunt and more, over the weekend of 27-28 February (10am - 5pm both days). Once registered for

You would be forgiven for thinking that yacht insurance premiums should be on the way down after a year of stifled sailing activity. But don’t hold your breath. Broker after broker tells me that the industry is still facing catch-up after years of ag

Piip Hare sounded tired but happy as she chatted over a Whatsapp call in January. Despite the fact that she was awaiting a 40-knot front, roughly 1,000 miles east of Cape Horn, lying in 17th place in the Vendée Globe, the Poole-based sailor had every

Don’t worry, we haven’t come to rob the place!” I said to the slightly bemused member of Keyhaven Yacht Club. The wearing of face coverings in shops had been mandatory for some time, but it wasn’t enforced in pubs, restaurants or clubhouses. With our

Sailors are facing a host of new restrictions post-Brexit, the Cruising Association and RYA warn. Both organisations are trying to get answers from the UK Government but they expect the coming season to throw up many unresolved issues on the water. T

Mark Rushall’s recent article told you everything you needed to know about the 2021-2024 Rules changes, but if you’re keen to dive further in, three books are available from the RYA online shop, plus there is an app from World Sailing. The Racing Rul

Portishead is a Somerset town that for many fortysomethings will always be linked to the trip hop band hailing from the town which hit the charts with some pretty gloomy recordings in the late 90s. Aside from this though, it has long been a thriving

Without question, I can honestly say this has been the least thrilling edition of the Selden Sailjuice Winter Series. As I write, just the Datchet Flyer has taken place, with only the slimmest prospect of any other events taking place this season. At

With spring around the corner, thoughts turn once again to where to keep your boat. This can have a profound effect on the kind of cruising you end up doing. Sometimes the decision is simple as you may well have a favoured marina or mooring you have

There were dramatic scenes in the Prada Cup in Auckland on 17 January, as the US boat, American Magic, lost control in a tack while travelling at an estimated 47 knots. The crash ripped a huge hole in the hull and only the frantic efforts of the emer

Previously on this page…… Last month I was telling you about my lengthy and ultimately disappointing history when it comes to boat heaters. I’ve had the lot over the years; charcoal, paraffin, diesel, rubbing sticks together, dancing on the deck to g

I am, at the time of writing, working on an interim edition of The Shell Channel Pilot. Because of the Covid situation, I’ve been unable to research the usual full-blown new publication. Fortunately, the current volume was produced relatively recentl

The America’s Cup World Series Auckland gave the world its first glimpse of AC75 racing in December. And against the expectations of some, it produced real racing, with aggressive startline manoeuvring, high-speed tacking duels, fascinating tactical

Good time to go, winds will be force 2 or less through the Gibraltar Straits which is good as the Straits are very very busy so being under motor is fine. As we get away from the Straits the wind will gradually fill in at around 160 deg. Whilst under

Admiral Marine, admiralyacht.com Craftinsure, craftinsure.com Euromarine, astonlark.com Haven Knox Johnston, havenkj.com GJW, gjwdirect.com Noble Marine, noblemarine.co.uk Pantaenius, pantaenius.com Traffords, traffordsinsurance.co.uk

A stunning Blue Water cruiser from the drawing board of esteemed designer Peter Ibold, an American naval architect probably best known for his Enduance class of blue water cruisers. His designs have always married comfort with seaworthiness and Black

The Vendée Globe was set for an incredible photo finish in late January, with any one of nine boats capable of winning. After 65 days and 23,000 miles sailed, the race effectively restarted off Rio de Janeiro, with the top five yachts separated by ju

When looking for insurance, remember that the value of the yacht itself is a key component of the premium. In most cases, that means the current value, not the as-new replacement value. As a result, you should be prepared to adjust the insured value

Under German ownership, Moody has been very successful at carving out a niche in the deck saloon market. This unique design holds great appeal for older sailors, those with reluctant sailing partners or used to catamaran volumes. Don’t expect a thril

A little known classic here but definitely worth a read. James W Holmes was a sailor who learnt his craft in the great days of sail, working his way up from an apprentice in a selection of sailing ships and hitting his peak as commander of the wool c

‘Have you got any drugs with you’. It was 2am and I was crewing on a yacht delivery bound from Gibraltar to Edinburgh when I was rudely awoken by the skipper with this weird request. Initially, I thought this apparently straight laced man was after s

In a world that at times seems to be teetering on the brink of, well, something quite scary, it’s important to go to a happy place and where better than this tranquil anchorage on Loch Coriusk on the Isle of Skye. This is a freshwater loch that can b

The first thing we have to say is prevention is definitely better than cure. That is, it is better to be good at avoiding a poor start than being good at recovering from one! That said, every sailor gets a poor start from time to time, so both knowin

I had an email the other day from an old friend who was getting ready to set off across the Pacific. ‘What do you do for a watch system?’ he asked, ‘when there are only two of you.’ A lot of yachts making ocean passages are crewed by just two people,