Make me smile
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
Smiles and cash can always do amazing things. No cash, no splash, after all… Manly's pathway to progress looked at a way to attract and keep youth in sailing. Nice. Really nice. Now, what to do when you cannot replicate such a successful model?
Posted on 15 Dec Firefly dinghy videos from the 1980s and 90s
by Magnus Smith
It's time to dig into the archives again, one year after our first ever video feature It's time to dig into the video archives a second time, a year after our first ever video feature, which happened to be on 1950s Firefly sailing. But this time all we can find is from the 1980s and 90s!
Posted on 15 Dec Vendée Globe Twists and Turns, Thrills and Spills
by Mark Jardine
I need to start with an admission... I'm addicted to the Vendée Globe I need to start with an admission... I'm addicted to the Vendée Globe. When I wake in the morning, I look at the tracker, and at each sked (it updates every four hours) I take a look.
Posted on 10 Dec Ways Into Sailing: GJW Direct's Luke Marsh
by Mark Jardine
From a phobia of water to sailor, an inspiring story from the marine industry When Luke Marsh joined GJW Direct to head up their Marketing Department he had no experience in sailing. In fact he had a phobia of water.
Posted on 5 Dec The Traditional Hobart
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
Interesting. You hear the term a bit, but what does it really mean? You hear the term a bit, but what does it really mean? One thing is for sure. It is not like we are hearing people saying they are buying up all the full-keelers to go to Hobart at six knots, no matter what direction the breeze is coming from.
Posted on 1 Dec New Products from Allen Brothers at METSTRADE 2024
by Mark Jardine
Swivel Blocks, Tii-Bones and Travellers! New and innovative products to make sailors' lives easier Swivel Blocks, Tii-Bones and Travellers! Allen Brothers never disappoint, with new and innovative products to make sailors' lives easier. We spoke to Ben Harden at METSTRADE 2024 to find out about three new products in their range.
Posted on 28 Nov Manly's pathway to progress
by Mark Jardine
A youth sailing success story in Australia The Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club is a success story against a background of dwindling support for youth sailing in Australia.
Posted on 26 Nov Gloves off! (Or is that actually gloves on?)
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
After last year's spectacular Hobart win, can LawConnect claim underdog status anymore? Well now... Isn't that actually a really good point. Normally, you'd say it was gloves off, time to get physical in a bare-knuckle street fighter sense.
Posted on 17 Nov So much more than tiller extensions
by Mark Jardine
Charting the incredible rise of GOAT Marine If you were at the Dinghy Show a couple of years back you may well have seen Steve Badham selling tiller extensions on a small stand. Those that picked them up would have noticed they were really light and immensely strong whilst also being shatterproof.
Posted on 14 Nov Saving the best for last
by Mark Jardine
2024 is being a veritable feast for big events in sailing 2024 is being a veritable feast for big events in sailing with SailGP giving us our hors d'oeuvre, Paris 2024 in Marseille as our starter, the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup the main course, and we're now enjoying the Vendée Globe for dessert.
Posted on 13 Nov Trust your instincts - Trust in Maverick
by John Curnow, Global Editor, SailWorldCruising.com
An amazing looking craft, full of interesting tech, and a brilliant project title How could you not get into this? An amazing looking craft, full of interesting tech, a brilliant project title, and the pedigree of two of the greatest names going around. Yes. I'm going to get my teeth into that, all right!
Posted on 8 Nov Kojiro Shiraishi - the IMOCA fleet's Obi-Wan!
by worldmarine.media
The Japanese sailor is set to start his third Vendée Globe on Sunday Kojiro Shiraishi is the skipper of the IMOCA DMG MORI in the Vendée Globe. At the age of 26 he became the youngest sailor to complete a non-stop single-handed circumnavigation, twice finished 2nd in the solo BOC Challenge.
Posted on 7 Nov Conrad Colman: From the Rockies to the Vendée
by worldmarine.media
Competing with a boat which is entirely fossil fuel free Conrad Colman grew up in New Zealand, went to High School and College in America, and then immediately went to Europe having fallen in love with the Vendée Globe.
Posted on 6 Nov Justine Mettraux: Vendée Globe debut
by worldmarine.media
Ambre Hasson talks with the Swiss skipper of Teamwork-Team Snef This will be Justine Mettraux's first Vendée Globe, but she is no stranger to offshore racing, having competed in many singlehanded and crewed events, including the Figaro, three Ocean Races, the Mini Transat, Transat Jacques Vabre and the Route du Rhum.
Posted on 6 Nov Charlie Dalin - Vendée Globe favourite?
by worldmarine.media
Ambre Hasson chats with the skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance With just days to go until the start of the Vendée Globe 2024, Ambre Hasson talked to Charlie Dalin, skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance, about his disrupted build to the race, designing his new IMOCA, and his hopes for the race itself.
Posted on 5 Nov When diminutive is massive
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
Let there be light. Indeed. Elizabeth Tucker has acquired Cole Brauer's Class 40, First Light Let there be light. Indeed. Elizabeth Tucker has acquired Cole Brauer's Class 40, First Light. Come November 23(ish), the pair will undertake a 12,000nm journey from Spain to Australia via two of the Capes, thence under Tasmania and into Sydney.
Posted on 3 Nov Oliver Heer interview ahead of the Vendée Globe
by worldmarine.media
"The boat knows the way; I just have to make the right decisions." Ambre Hasson talked with Oliver Heer, the Swiss skipper of Tut gut, about his life before becoming a professional sailor, why he decided he needed to get out of the office, how he met Alex Thompson, which was his route into IMOCA sailing.
Posted on 3 Nov Preparing your boat for winter
by Mark Jardine
It is important to ensure that your boat is protected from the elements and ready for the cold As we head towards winter, the likelihood of storms increases, so it is important to ensure that your boat is protected from the elements and ready for the cold.
Posted on 30 Oct Ambre Hasson's unconventional path into sailing
by Mark Jardine
From 9-5 in New York to Classe Mini sailing in France! Ambre Hasson is a Classe Mini sailor who will be talking to sailors in the Vendée Globe race village ahead of the start on 10th November. Originally not into sailing, she was inspired by Pip Hare in the 2020/21 Vendée to get into the sport.
Posted on 29 Oct Savvy Navvy - making boating more accessible
by Mark Jardine
I spoke to founder Jelte Liebrand about his background, philosophy, the app itself The rise of Savvy Navvy in the world of boating navigation has been spectacular, with over 2 million downloads of the app.
Posted on 21 Oct Completely Polarised
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
Nothing splits the field quite like a discussion about the America's Cup Nothing splits the field quite like a discussion about the America's Cup. Good thing that is exactly what we are going to get straight into.
Posted on 20 Oct Eastern Promise
by Mark Jardine
A recent trip to China to attend the Shuifu Jinshajiang River Regatta proved to be enlightening Travelling around the world to see how sailing is practised is enlightening, and a recent trip to China to attend the Shuifu Jinshajiang River Regatta turned out to be one of the most interesting events I've ever seen.
Posted on 14 Oct Oldest videos of women's sailing
by Magnus Smith
In contrast to the newest event, the Puig Women's America's Cup With the inaugural Puig Women's America's Cup just finishing, it seemed that our weekly delve in to the video archives should focus on female sailors. With our goal always being to find the oldest footage, this immediately raised some concerns.
Posted on 13 Oct The King is in the all-together
by Dougal Henshall
Dougal Henshall is glad he did not travel to the Mediterranean A counter view of the never-ending summer of sport or, as the French once said, "C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la voile!"
Posted on 11 Oct Interview with Saskia Clark
by Mark Jardine
Sailing on the Athena Pathway AC40, reunited with 470 helm Hannah Mills I met up with Saskia Clark, Olympic gold medallist, pro sailor, and now racing in the PUIG Women's America's Cup together with her 470 helm Hannah Mills.
Posted on 8 Oct 50% is no mere pass mark
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
We're talking about half the planet here Some parts already in place, and others that needed much more time on low heat, in order for them to distil down. Make the grand sauce, and all that...
Posted on 7 Oct Interview with Hannah Mills
by Mark Jardine
On the Athena Pathway, the Women's America's Cup and what an AC40 is really like I spoke with Hannah Mills in Barcelona ahead of the 37th America's Cup to find out more about the Athena Pathway, the PUIG Women's America's Cup, how she put the team together, and what sailing an AC40 is really like.
Posted on 6 Oct Tension, Temperament and Trust
by Mark Jardine
What makes a modern America's Cup sailor tick? Sailing an AC75 is not something every sailor can do. The myriad of controls, the split roles and the incredible speeds all make it a tricky proposition, but when you're sailing against an evenly-matched opponent, the difficulty goes to a whole new level.
Posted on 1 Oct Should you install load sensors on a new yacht?
by Mark Jardine
I spoke to Cyclops Marine's Ben Hazeldine to find out Understanding the rig on your yacht and how it is set up is critical, all the way from when it is brand new. I spoke to Cyclops Marine's Ben Hazeldine to find out more about how their load cells can help with this.
Posted on 1 Oct Why Luna Rossa weren't penalised in R4 pre-start
by Mark Jardine
An AC75 may have 'gybed' far earlier than we think! Race 4 between Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and INEOS Britannia in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final was full of drama, but one moment had had sailors asking questions on social media groups more than any other, and clearly riled Ben Ainslie and Dylan Fletcher.
Posted on 29 Sep Look familiar?
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
OK. So the delivery system is different, to say nothing of the overall mission parameters OK. So the delivery system is different, to say nothing of the overall mission parameters, but the AC75 and the Soviet, Cold War era Lun-class Ekranoplan do both use ground effect. Both are designed to be combatants. Both get the job done smartly.
Posted on 25 Sep Should the British start dreaming?
by Mark Jardine
Can INEOS Britannia actually win the America's Cup? I remember back in 1996 England hosted the football European Championship and, ahead of this, comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner with the band the Lightning Seeds released the song 'Three Lions', with the refrain, "It's coming home."
Posted on 17 Sep How hard can it be?
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
PredictWind really has a coming-of-age event at this 37th America's Cup Regatta PredictWind really has a coming-of-age event at this 37th America's Cup Regatta. Their Founder, Jon Bilger, explains “PredictWind was born out of the America's Cup, and the three challenges over 10 years that I did with Alinghi."
Posted on 8 Sep America's Cup yacht tracking, data & graphics
by A+T Instruments
The story of how it all began in 1987! We have all got used to the ever improving and impressive graphics, tracking and analysis used for America's Cup TV coverage and that of SailGP. But when, where and how did this all start?
Posted on 6 Sep Glorious Race Weeks
by Mark Jardine
Bumper participation is an indicator for the health of sailing It would be so easy to write about the Olympics and America's Cup this week in my newsletter but, in all honesty, we're writing and talking enough about those on Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com already. Instead let's focus on Race Weeks.
Posted on 3 Sep Xc 47: eXtraordinary attention to detail
by Mark Jardine
Transforming bluewater cruising from ordinary to sublime A bluewater cruising yacht is lived on and lived in, and in today's world there are a plethora of systems required to provide the creature comforts which make living at sea transform from ordinary to sublime.
Posted on 29 Aug Stevie Morrison, gold medal winning coach
by Andi Robertson
The double 49er Olympian coached Ellie Aldridge to Britain's only sailing gold medal at Paris 2024 Double 49er Olympian and past world champion Stevie Morrison coached Ellie Aldridge to Britain's only sailing gold medal at Paris 2024.
Posted on 28 Aug Architect of the grand design
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
You're talking about one hell of a journey, thus far, and there are a few things that could help I have had several conversations with one, Mick Miller, in the last few weeks. Typically, they've lasted around 40 to 60 minutes. An interesting guy, for sure. Now did I just hear a collective 'Whoop-de-do'? It's OK. I got it.
Posted on 25 Aug Oldest footage of 12 Metre yachts part 2
by Magnus Smith
A look back into our video archive, with an America's Cup focus Some America's Cup fans still wish the event was contested in 12 Metres, but we are in the foiling age now. However, whatever class you think should be used to contest the Cup, it can still be wonderful to look back at the beauties of the past.
Posted on 25 Aug Interview with Cadet Worlds event coordinator
by Magnus Smith
It sounds stressful - why do it? It sounds stressful - why do all the organisation for a World Championship you cannot even compete in? Alan Krailing explains why the Cadet class gives people a huge appetite to come back.
Posted on 21 Aug Chris Gowers looks back at Paris 2024
by Andi Robertson
The long-serving British Sailing Team coach talks to Andi Robertson Long-serving British Sailing Team coach Chris Gowers was in Marseille as 'Rules Adviser' - in essence a role which not only looked after all of the administration and application of all the rules, but also, as he describes, as the 'backstop' for the team.
Posted on 21 Aug America's Cup: Can you pick a winner?
by Mark Jardine
Thursday sees the start of racing in the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta We've hardly drawn breath after the Olympics, and already the America's Cup is upon us. Thursday sees the start of racing in the Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta, where each of the teams will get to face off against one another.
Posted on 20 Aug The INEOS Interviews: Rob Wilson
by Mark Jardine
How a coach works with the team to sail an AC75 tactically, and control a 50 knot yacht As a sailing coach, Rob Wilson works with the team on the water to help hone their skills in the AC75. How the team sail tactically, and how they control these insanely fast yachts, will be key to winning the America's Cup.
Posted on 19 Aug The INEOS Interviews: Ben Cornish
by Mark Jardine
Including why it's critical to have sailors amongst the power generation team The Exe Estuary in Devon has been a hotbed of sailing talent for many years. Ben Cornish grew up seeing the exploits of fellow Exmouth sailors Joe Glanfield, Stevie Morrison, Ben Rhodes and Conrad Humphries, and wanted to become an Olympian himself.
Posted on 19 Aug The INEOS Interviews: David 'Freddie' Carr
by Mark Jardine
There are certain people you want on your team no matter what There are certain people you want on your team no matter what. Freddie is one of those people. He has transitioned from grinder to cyclor for his sixth America's Cup campaign, but does so much more for the team behind the scenes.
Posted on 19 Aug The INEOS Interviews: Bleddyn Mon
by Mark Jardine
We find out more about his route into the America's Cup world and his role within the team The vast experience that Bleddyn Mon has in sailing seems impossible considering he is just 31 years old. Here we find out more about his route into the America's Cup world and his role within the team.
Posted on 19 Aug The INEOS Interviews: Ben Ainslie
by Mark Jardine
The Skipper and CEO who is aiming to 'Bring the Cup home' Sir Ben Ainslie is the most successful Olympic sailor ever, as well as winning countless championships, and an America's Cup with ORACLE Team USA. But his obsession for over a decade has been bringing the Cup home to Great Britain.
Posted on 19 Aug The oldest footage of J Class racing
by Magnus Smith
A look back into our video archive, ahead of the America's Cup The America's Cup starts next week so it is a good moment to dig through our huge video archive to see the oldest footage from the beautiful class used for this competition between 1930 and 1937.
Posted on 18 Aug eXquisite detail - it's about what you don't see
by Mark Jardine
True quality comes from within True quality comes from within. Beneath the beautiful veneers, the flowing lines, the glossy gelcoat and the gleaming brightwork is the precision engineering and craftsmanship which separates the outstanding from the regular.
Posted on 15 Aug A man called Dingo
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor
Australia has just sent its largest ever team to the Olympics. Now it is time to look at the AC Australia has just sent its largest ever team to the Olympics. They have competed in more events than we have before. We have also had our best ever medal haul (In terms of Gold and overall count for an away Games). Nice. Very nice. Well done all.
Posted on 12 Aug