It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by…
Yachting Monthly
Maiden’s all-female crew win the Ocean Globe Race
Maiden has beaten 14 teams to win the Ocean Globe Race on IRC handicap, becoming the first ever all-women crew to win an around-the-world yacht race, it was confirmed early…
Hallberg-Rassy 69 first look: bigger and better?
Go big or go home? Well Magnus Rassy has decreed that Hallberg-Rassy needed a new flagship, and this is it – the largest yacht that the Swedish has ever built,…
The sailing rules you can ignore… and those you can’t: an expert guide
Saying ‘International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea’ is something of a mouthful, let alone learning all of them verbatim. Commonly called the ‘Colregs’, they are a fine…
A Hebridean Swallows and Amazons experience
When I was age 12 , we went on a family holiday on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides off Scotland’s west coast. I was pottering around the…
Maiden poised to win Ocean Globe Race
The all-women crew crossed the Royal Yacht Squadron finish line shortly before midday to whoops and cheers from a large crowd gathered on the parade, then quickly hoisted the spinnaker…
‘Our boat was full of water’ – lessons learned from one sailor’s sinking
Britannia, my 45ft twin-masted schooner, almost sank, not from storm damage or from hitting rocks, but from within. A water pipe broke in her pressurised shore water supply system while…
French dominate Ocean Globe Race finish at Cowes
Lionel Regnier and his crew aboard the veteran French Whitbread Race yacht L’Esprit d’Equipe returned to Cowes late on Saturday 14 April to take second place on elapsed time for…
Marie Tabarly rewrites history, taking line honours in the Ocean Globe Race
Marie Tabarly rewrote history last night, surpassing her famous father’s record by taking line honours in the Ocean Globe Race, and in the days ahead could potentially win the OGR…
Jeanneau SO 350 first look: Simplicity without stealing space
The Sun Odyssey 349 sold 2,500 hulls but after 12 years of service it was due for replacement. The new Jeanneau SO 350 answers the call. The 350 follows her…