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What is Yacht Racing? (Here’s All You Need To Know)

Have you ever watched a yacht race, with its colorful sails gliding across the water in a graceful dance? Have you ever wondered what it takes to participate in yacht racing? This article will take you through all you need to know about yacht racing, from the different types of yachts and races, to sailing clubs and regattas, technical knowledge and skills, safety, and the benefits of yacht racing.

We’ll also explore some of the most popular events and races.

So whether you’re an avid sailor or just curious about this exciting sport, you’ll find all the information you need here.

Table of Contents

Short Answer

Yacht racing is a competitive sport and recreational activity involving sailing yachts .

It is most popular in areas with strong maritime cultures, such as the UK, US and Australia.

Races typically involve a course that boats must follow, which can vary in length depending on the type of race.

Competitors often use advanced sailboat designs, and use tactics and strategy to try to outmaneuver their opponents in order to be the first to cross the finish line.

Types of Yachts Used in Racing

Yacht racing can be done with a wide variety of boats, from dinghies and keelboats to multihulls and offshore racing boats.

Dinghies are small, lightweight boats with a single sail and are often used in competitive racing.

Keelboats, on the other hand, are larger and heavier boats with a fixed keel and two or more sails.

Multihulls, like the popular catamaran, are boats with two or more hulls and are designed with speed and agility in mind.

Finally, offshore racing boats are designed for long-distance racing and are typically larger and more powerful than other types of yachts.

No matter what type of yacht you choose to race, they will all have common features that make them suitable for racing.

All yachts must have a mast, sails, hull and rigging, and will usually feature a deck, compass, and navigation equipment.

Additionally, racing yachts are often fitted with safety features such as life jackets, flares, and emergency radios.

Each type of yacht has its own unique characteristics, and some are better suited for certain types of racing than others.

For example, dinghies are better suited for short-course racing, while offshore racing boats are better for long-distance racing.

Additionally, keelboats and multihulls are often used for more challenging types of racing, such as distance racing or match racing.

No matter what type of yacht you choose for racing, it is important to remember that safety should always be your first priority.

Be sure to check the weather conditions before heading out and make sure that you have the proper safety equipment on board.

Additionally, it is important to get professional instruction or join a sailing club to ensure you have the necessary skills to race safely and enjoyably.

Types of Races

Yacht racing events can take place in a wide variety of forms and formats, from long-distance ocean racing to short-course inshore racing in protected bays and estuaries.

Each type of race requires different skills and equipment, and the type of race you choose to participate in will depend on your sailing experience, budget and the type of boat you have.

Long-distance ocean racing is a popular form of yacht racing, with races often taking place over several days and often involving multiple stages.

These races often have several classes of boat competing, with each boat competing in its own class.

These races may involve sailing around a set course or route, or they may be point-to-point races, where the boats sail from one point to another.

Inshore racing is the most common form of yacht racing, with races typically taking place over a few hours or a single day.

This type of racing is often conducted in protected waters, such as bays and estuaries, and generally involves shorter course lengths than ocean racing.

Inshore races may involve multiple classes of boat, or they may be one-design classes, where all boats are the same model and size.

Multi-hull racing is another popular type of yacht racing and involves boats with two or more hulls.

These boats are generally faster and more agile than monohulls, and races are often held over a short course.

These races can be highly competitive, with teams of experienced sailors vying for position and race victory.

Offshore racing is similar to ocean racing, but often involves much longer distances and more challenging conditions.

Races may take place over several days and multiple stages, and require a high level of experience and skill.

Offshore racing boats are usually specially designed for speed and agility, and may have multiple crew members on board to help manage the boat in challenging conditions.

Sailing Clubs and Regattas

Yacht racing is a popular sport around the world, with sailing clubs and regattas held in many countries.

Sailing clubs are organizations where members can come together to race, learn, and enjoy their shared passion for the sport.

Membership in a sailing club usually includes access to the clubs facilities, equipment, and training classes.

Regattas are large-scale yacht racing events, often hosted by a sailing club.

The regatta can be organized for any type of boat, from dinghys to offshore racing boats, and the races can be held over a series of days.

The goal of the regatta is to crown the winner of the overall race, or the individual class honours.

Sailing clubs and regattas are a great way for sailors of all levels to come together and compete.

They give sailors an opportunity to hone their skills, network, and make friends with other passionate sailors.

Additionally, these events are often open to the public, so they give the general public a chance to see the amazing spectacle of yacht racing up close.

If youre looking for an exciting and fun way to get involved with sailing, look no further than your local sailing club or regatta.

Technical Knowledge and Skills

Yacht racing is a sport that requires a great deal of technical knowledge and skill.

Competitors must be familiar with the physics and dynamics of sailing, including how to read the wind and manipulate their vessel to maximize speed and maneuverability.

They must also be able to understand the principles of navigation, so they can accurately plot a course and adjust it to take advantage of the prevailing wind and current conditions.

Furthermore, competitors must be able to read the weather and use that information to their advantage in the race.

Finally, competitors need to have a good understanding of the rules of the race and how to adhere to them.

Yacht racing is a complex sport with a steep learning curve, and it requires a great deal of experience and practice to master.

Safety is a key element of yacht racing, as it involves operating large vessels in often unpredictable and hazardous conditions.

All racers must be properly equipped with the appropriate safety gear, such as life jackets, flares, and a first aid kit.

It is also essential that all racers are familiar with the rules of the race, and have a good understanding of the safety protocols that must be followed in order to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

All yacht racing events must be properly insured, and there are often medical personnel on standby in case of an emergency.

Before any race, all participants must sign a waiver declaring that they understand the risks involved and accept responsibility for their own safety.

Benefits of Yacht Racing

Yacht racing is a great way to challenge yourself and take part in a thrilling sport.

It offers numerous benefits to those that participate, from improved physical health and mental well-being to an opportunity to travel and explore new places.

Whether youre a beginner or an experienced sailor, yacht racing provides an exciting and rewarding experience.

One of the main benefits of yacht racing is its impact on physical health.

It requires a great deal of strength and endurance, as the sailors must use their arms and legs to control the boats sails and rudder.

Its also a great way to get your heart rate up and improve your cardiovascular health.

Additionally, sailing is a low-impact sport, meaning theres less risk of injury than other more strenuous activities like running or cycling.

Yacht racing also has many mental benefits.

Its a great way to relax and take in the beauty of the ocean, as well as the camaraderie and excitement of competing in a team.

Additionally, it gives sailors the opportunity to put their problem-solving skills to the test, as they must think quickly and strategize in order to succeed.

Yacht racing also requires quick decision-making, which can help to improve mental acuity and develop a more acute awareness of ones surroundings.

Finally, yacht racing is a great way to explore new places and meet new people.

Races often take place in different locations around the world, meaning sailors can get a glimpse into different cultures and explore new destinations.

Additionally, yacht racing provides an opportunity to socialize with other sailors, as well as make connections in the sailing community.

Overall, yacht racing is a great way to challenge yourself and reap the numerous physical, mental, and social benefits that come with it.

With its exciting races and stunning locations, its no wonder that yacht racing has become a popular sport around the world.

Popular Events and Races

Yacht racing is an exciting and popular sport with events and races held all over the world.

From the world-famous Americas Cup to local regattas, there are races and events of all sizes and skill levels.

The Americas Cup is the oldest and most prestigious yacht race in the world, with the first race held in 1851.

Held every 3-4 years in a different location, the Americas Cup pits the worlds best sailors against each other in a battle of boat speed, tactics and teamwork.

The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is another major race, held annually in Australia.

The race begins in Sydney Harbour and ends in the port of Hobart, Tasmania and is known for its unpredictable and challenging conditions.

The Whitbread Round the World Race (now known as The Volvo Ocean Race) is a grueling nine-month, round-the-world yacht race.

This race is one of the most challenging and dangerous races in the world.

In addition to these larger races, there are many smaller local and national regattas and races that offer an opportunity for sailors of all skill levels to compete.

From small dinghy races to larger keelboat and offshore racing events, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved in yacht racing.

Yacht racing is a fun, competitive and rewarding sport and with so many events and races available, there is sure to be something for everyone.

Whether you are a competitive sailor or just looking to have some fun on the water, yacht racing is the perfect sport for you.

Final Thoughts

Yacht racing is an exciting and challenging sport that is enjoyed by many around the world.

With a variety of yacht types, races and events to choose from, there is something for everyone.

To get started, it is important to have a good understanding of the technical skills and knowledge needed, as well as the safety protocols associated with the sport.

With the right preparation and dedication, yacht racing can be an incredibly rewarding experience.

If you’re interested in taking up this exciting sport, make sure you check out your local sailing clubs and regattas to find out what’s on offer.

James Frami

At the age of 15, he and four other friends from his neighborhood constructed their first boat. He has been sailing for almost 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge that he wants to share with others.

The America's Cup: Everything you need to know about the sailing competition

Ahead of the 2021 America's Cup in New Zealand , Elaine Bunting explains everything you need to know about the sailing competition in our handy guide - from America's Cup racing rules and history, to detailing just how fast those hydrofoil boats can go...

The America’s Cup is considered the pinnacle of yacht racing. Every four years, teams compete for the oldest trophy in international sport in yachts that represent the cutting edge of yacht design and technology.

This is a magnet for the world’s most talented sailors. It is notoriously difficult to win, and the opportunity comes only once every four years. Yet the storied history of the Cup has always attracted brilliant minds and been backed by some of the world’s most ambitious and successful businessmen.

The America’s Cup match is held between only two teams, the defender and one challenger. The series that establishes the right to be that challenging team was held through January and February, and provided some genuinely shocking moments.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR?

Two of the four challengers were eliminated in the Prada Cup challenger series in January and February. The US team American Magic spectacularly spun out of control and capsized in a high-wind, high-speed mark rounding. Despite rapidly being rebuilt, the team was unable to get the boat fully functional again and was ousted from the Prada Cup without a single win.

The British team INEOS Team UK, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, won the opening round robin series handsomely and were regarded as favourites only to shock fans when they were thrashed 7-1 in the Prada Cup final by the clearly faster Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

So after several brutal gladiatorial rounds, the match is on between old rivals Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The stakes are sky-high: whoever wins the America’s Cup not only earns the historic America’s Cup ‘Auld Mug’ trophy, but they get to write the rule for 37th America’s Cup in four years, defining the yacht design, how it is sailed – and to choose the venue where it will all take place.

It is a winner-takes-all format. The America’s Cup is famously a race in which, as Queen Victoria was informed during the first contest in 1851, “there is no second.”

HOW IS THE AMERICA’S CUP WINNER DECIDED?

The challenger, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, will race against the defender, Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America’s Cup match series starting on 10 March.

There are two races each day on 12, 13 and 14 March with additional days on 15, 16 and 17 March if needed to conclude the first-to-seven wins series.

A choice of race course is decided each day depending on wind conditions, but the courses are all windward-leewards with around 3km between each end and around 1.5km from side to side.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TEAMS RACING FOR THE AMERICA’S CUP?

Emirates Team New Zealand, yacht Te Rehutai – The home team is the defender, having won the Cup in Bermuda in 2017. Heading it up is the steely Grant Dalton, with eight times America’s Cup campaigner Kevin Shoebridge capably in charge of the sailing side. The design team is also second to none – and between them they all set the rules this time.

The Kiwis boast some of the youngest sailors, who grew up in the era of foiling, notably the wildly gifted Pete Burling as helmsman and his Olympic champion crewmate Blair Tuke, who share a Gold and Silver Medal and six World Championship wins in the high performance 49er class.

The pair works in partnership with the team’s resident Australian Olympian, Glenn Ashby. This successful triumvirate was a crucial ingredient in Emirates Team New Zealand’s last Cup win. Ashby is key to tactical decisions, Blair Tuke is the so-called flight controller in charge of flaps on the foils and rudder, with Peter Burling is steering and coolly making those split-second decisions on the race course.

Their yacht Te Rehutai has many visible differences compared with Luna Rossa. It is a more brutal looking design beside the smooth shaped, elegant Italian boat, and has quite different shaped foils (see ‘How do the America’s Cup yacht work?’): New Zealand’s are almost flat across the wing base, while Luna Rossa’s foils are in a dihedral shape, sloping downwards from a central wing bulb.

These are just the most obvious differences, and there will be many more variations beneath the surface, especially in the complex control systems. Yet despite dissimilarities, the speed differential between teams in the Prada Cup varied only by fractions of a knot, putting the emphasis on dominating pre-start manoeuvres, reading the wind shifts and match racing the opponent. These will all play a part in the Cup match too.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, yacht Luna Rossa - The Italian team, backed by Patrizio Bertelli, is bristling with experience. Italian team boss Max Sirena has been involved in six America’s Cups.

At the wheel, the Italians have a set-up never seen before, with straight-talking Australian Jimmy Spithill helming on starboard and Italian Olympic sailor Francesco Bruni helming on port. When one is steering, the other acts as flight controller and trims the foils.

It is a formidable partnership. Spithill is the most successful Cup sailor in the line-up, having been part of seven campaigns and winning it twice in 2010 and 2013 for Larry Ellison’s US team Oracle. Bruni, meanwhile, has three Olympics behind him and several Cup campaigns himself.

While this unconventional division of control between the two helmsmen prompted observers to shake their heads at first, it has proved highly successful. Spithill has suggested that the arrangement allowed them both to accelerate their skills, while at a very practical level it means no one has to jump out of the cockpit and cross the boat during high-speed G-force tacks and gybes before settling back into continuity in a new position.

Indeed, it has been so successful that Emirates Team New Zealand have been experimenting with changing to the one-helmsman-per-side arrangement, split between Peter Burling and Glenn Ashby. Watch out, this may come into play at some point.

Meanwhile, they have increasingly brought into play the tactical skills of Pietro Sibello, an Olympic 49er sailor, who is to be seen popping up to read the wind and the race course and feed back into the strategy.

HOW TO WATCH THE AMERICA’S CUP

America’s Cup racing is split into two parts throughout February and March and you can watch them all free. All the racing will be streamed live on the official America’s Cup YouTube Channel , Facebook and on americascup.com .

It will also be on free-to-air and pay-to-view networks in 120 territories around the world, including TVNZ in New Zealand, RAI and Sky Italia in Italy, the BBC and Sky UK & Ireland in the UK, and NBC Sports in the USA and Caribbean.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE AMERICA’S CUP RACES

1. The pre-starts. This America’s Cup has traditional upwind starts. Each team must enter the start box from opposite ends at the two minute mark. They jostle for the best position with the aim of hitting the line powered up exactly as the clock counts down to 0:00 – and in front of their opponent.

To get an advantage, each team will look to dodge, weave, box out their opponent, put a penalty put on them, or execute some other perfectly legitimate but edge-of-the-seat manoeuvre. These minutes can be among the most exciting of a whole race, and may set the tactics and playbook for all that follows so are not to be missed.

2. Mark roundings. Teams can round either one of two marks at the top or bottom of the course, so watch for splits here, close overlaps and other tactical manoeuvres. As the boats bear away at the upwind mark rounding they head into a power zone, speeding up rapidly. This is where we have seen the AC75s exceed 50 knots of speed and get unstable and into trouble with flight control.

3. Light winds. The AC75s have sometimes struggled to foil in winds of under 8 knots. When they come off their foils they suddenly go from supersonic to super-slow. Comparatively huge distances can open up or disappear in a flash if one team finds a puff and gets flying while the other is floundering. On light days, everything can turn inside out in seconds.

4. Strong winds. The same is true in big winds. Mistakes in crewing and sailhandling can be punishing when these massively loaded boats are fully powered up. When the winds are up, the pre-starts and mark roundings are likely war zones.

5. Match race tactics. Some thought the equivalent of hand-to-hand combat could never happen in the AC75s, but they have turned out to be agile and the crews surprisingly willing to throw them into some very close quarter spots. They are also able to mark opponents tack for tack and gybe for gybe round the course to defend a lead and deny their opponent a passing lane. Watch for these clever displays of aggression and stealth. And do listen in the live audio feed from each of the boats that gives big clues as to what each skipper and tactician is doing, thinking and planning.

WHAT ARE THE AMERICA’S CUP YACHTS?

Teams are racing in the AC75 design, a radical 75ft long monohull with no keel that flies on foils at speeds of up to 50 knots.

Deciding the boat to be raced is one of the spoils of victory, and when Emirates Team New Zealand won the last America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017 they decided to create something never seen before, and where their knowledge of foiling could be a winning advantage.

The AC75 design rule is a so-called ‘box’ rule, which sets some key parameters such as hull length and overall length with bowsprit (75ft, hence the name AC75). The 62-page rule specification defines draught, minimum hull volume, number of sails, number of foils, even the number of boats – the teams have been allowed to build two and will all be racing with iteration No. 2 – but leaves other areas such as hull shape and foil flaps open for teams to develop.

As these yachts do not have keels, they rely for stability on a mere three tonnes of total ballast, plus 960-990kg allowed for 11 crew. The ballast is spread across two swivelling foils that look like arms (some say insect legs) on each side.

To keep some design costs down, the teams have one-design elements, such as the components and arms that move the foils up and down. However, the shape of the foils, the flaps and the control systems that operate them are absolutely key, and unique to each team.

The rule has also kept hull shape relatively open so we see quite striking differences in shapes. This reflects different teams’ thinking about the best way to promote foiling as early as possible in the wind range and slip as smoothly as possible between displacement and flying modes.

The sails are unique, too. The mainsails are twin-skinned soft wings, a new hybrid between a conventional sail and hard wing.

HOW DO THE AMERICA’S CUP YACHTS WORK?

The AC75s are designed to be able to fly in as little wind as possible, and as consistently as possible across the wind range up to the maximum of 23 knots allowable for the America’s Cup match.

To do that, the yachts have a canting T-foil on each side that provides the lift to take the hull out of the water and fly.

The foils are ballasted to provide stability, and are set across a large beam, so the AC75s have a huge amount of righting moment. That means they can carry a very large and efficient sail area to drive the boat.

Once the leeward foil lifts the hull clear of the water, there is very little drag, with only one slender foil and the T-foil rudder in the water. That, in a nutshell, is how it is possible for these yachts to reach 50 knots of boat speed, and potentially more.

In the real world, there are lots of variables that will affect foiling. New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf sees a large wind range, often blustery conditions, and there are also waves to contend with. Keeping a large boat foiling efficiently and consistently on just two slender points is like juggling on a slackline, and the control systems for rapid adjustments will be a critical but largely invisible factor.

WHAT’S THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICA’S CUP?

Books could, and have, been written about the contentious history of the America’s Cup. It all began in 1851, when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic and beat a fleet of British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight, winning the 100 Guinea Cup.

Famously, Queen Victoria, who had watching the race, asked who was second and the reply came: “Your Majesty, there is no second.”

The 100 Guinea Cup was donated to the New York Yacht Club, renamed in honour of the schooner and a Deed of Gift drawn up for ‘a perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations’. The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport and arguably the most difficult (and expensive) to win.

For 160 years, Britain has been trying to win it back. Challengers have included the tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton, who challenged five times between 1899 and 1930.

After a golden era of racing in the J Class yachts, the Cup was raced for in the 12-metre design, then an evolving International America’s Cup Class. More recently it has been contested in much faster multihull designs.

The America’s Cup has always been defined by, and contested with, the backing of some of the world’s wealthiest businessmen. Winners have included Harold Vanderbilt (1930, 1934 and 1937) and Henry Sears (1958).

In the modern era, Ernesto Bertarelli’s team Alinghi won in 2003 and 2007 before losing to Larry Ellison’s Oracle Racing in 2010. Ellison’s US team successfully defended in 2013 before losing to New Zealand in 2017.

Both men retreated from the America’s Cup following their defeats, but Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of the Prada Group, is still trying to win it for Italy after five Cup campaigns with the Luna Rossa Challenge.

Since 1851, the US has defended or won the America’s Cup 30 times, New Zealand three times, Switzerland (Alinghi) twice, and Australia once (Alan Bond’s Australia II in 1983). Despite 16 challenges in a Cup match since 1870, Britain has never yet won back the trophy that left its shores in 1851.

WHAT IS THE AMERICA’S CUP TROPHY?

The America’s Cup , affectionately known as the ‘Auld Mug’ is an impressive piece of silverware. Including its pedestal, it stands 1.1m high and weighs over 14kg. It was made by London-based silver maker Robert Garrard & Co, the royal jeweller since 1735, and was originally a claret jug.

It was given an extra pedestal in 1958 to make room for more engraving, and when that ran out of space, another was added in 1992.

A little known fact (which says so much about America’s Cup rivalry) is that when Oracle won the trophy in 2010 the engraving marking rivals Alinghi’s victory was rotated round to the rear. A new base in carbon fibre was also made to replace the mahogany one.

When Louis Vuitton sponsored the challenger series, the America’s Cup was given its own large Vuitton trunk on its 150th birthday in 1998. With Oracle as the holder it was accompanied everywhere and closely guarded by white-gloved bodyguards.

On winning it in 2017, Emirates Team New Zealand took it to yacht clubs round its home country and let members and young sailors handle the famous silver trophy.

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Yachting Monthly

Digital edition

10 things to know about the 2022 Golden Globe Race

Katy Stickland
August 11, 2022

Follow the build-up to the 2022 Golden Globe Race as the skippers prepare to race solo around the world without the use of modern technology

The 2022 Golden Globe Race started on 4 September 2022. The 2018 race started on 1 July 2018. The change in the start date is to prevent boats entering the Southern Ocean too early. Credit: © Ville des Sables d'Olonne - Christophe Huchet Credit: © Ville des Sables d'Olonne - Christophe Huchet

What is the 2022 Golden Globe Race?

The 2022 Golden Globe Race is a solo, nonstop yacht race around the world with no assistance and without the use of modern technology.

This means the skippers can’t use GPS, chartplotters , electric winches , autopilots , mobile phones, iPads or use synthetic materials like Spectra, Kevlar or Vectron.

Their only means of communication is via registered, licensed maritime-approved HF Single Side Band (SSB) Radio , with discussions generally limited to the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) weather. They are allowed to listen to HAM radio, but are not allowed to transmit.

A man using a sextant to navigate on the deck of a boat

All of the Golden Globe Race skippers must use paper charts and sextants to navigate. Modern technology, like GPS and chartplotters, are banned. Credit: GGR

Each skipper is allowed a weather fax to receive weather charts.

They can only navigate using paper charts and a sextant, which is used to determine the angle between the horizon and a celestial body, such as the sun, moon or a star, to determine the boat’s longitude and latitude. All their calculations and celestial navigation notes need to be kept for inspection after the race. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

When does it start?

The 2022 Golden Globe Race will start on 4 September 2022 from the port of Les Sables d’Olonne on France ‘s Atlantic coast.

How many skippers are taking part?

To enter the 2022 Golden Globe Race, skippers must be over 18 and have at least 8,000 miles ocean sailing experience, another 2,000 miles singlehanded , in any boat, as well as an additional 2,000 miles solo in their Golden Globe Race boat.

There are 16 skippers who are confirmed for the start. Four of them are from the UK including professional skipper Guy Waites , 54, Mini Transat veteran, Simon Curwen , 62, and Clipper Round the World Race sailor, Ian Herbert-Jones , 52.

The UK has by far the most entries in the race. Pat Lawless , 65, is Ireland’s only entrant.

Kirsten Neuschäfer’s longest solo passage to date is a 67-day trip from Portugal to South Africa, with only windvane self-steering

Kirsten Neuschäfer has Southern Ocean experience, having worked for Skip Novak. Credit: Kirsten Neuschäfer

Kirsten Neuschafer , 39, will be representing South Africa, and is the only woman taking part in the race.

Guy DeBoer , 66, from the USA, France’s Damien Guillou , 39, and Austria’s Michael Guggenberger , 44, have previous race experience.

Others like Arnaud Gaist , 50, from France, and Edward Walentynowicz , 68, are long term cruisers.

The youngest skipper is Elliot Smith , 27, (USA) whilst Jeremy Bagshaw , 59, (South Africa) is racing in the race’s smallest yacht, the OE32.

A sailor on the deck of his boat before the 2022 Golden Globe Race. Credit: GGR/Ertan Beskardes

2018 skipper Ertan Beskardes will be on the start line for the 2022 Golden Globe Race. Credit: GGR/Ertan Beskardes

Some of the skippers who took part in the 2018 event are also back to race again – UK skipper Ertan Beskardes , 60, Finnish sailor Tapio Lehtinen , 64, who came fifth in 2018, Australian Mark Sinclair , 63, and Indian sailor Abhilash Tomy , 43, who was left with a broken back after his boat dismasted in the Southern Indian Ocean.

What boats will be raced during the event?

Skippers were allowed to choose from a range of pre-1988 yachts, with hull lengths from 32-36ft and full length keels with rudders attached to the trailing edge.

They include the Westsail 32, Tradewind 35, Saga 34, Saltram Saga 36, Vancouver 32, OE 32, Eric (sister ship to Suhaili), Aries 32, Baba 35, Biscay 36 , Bowman 36 , Cape Dory 36, Nicholson 32 MKX-XI, Rustler 36, Endurance 35 , Gaia 36, Hans Christian 33T, Tashiba 36, Cabo Rico 34, Hinckley Pilot 35, Lello 34 and Gale Force 34.

The Rustler 36, which won the 2018 Golden Globe Race, is the most popular, with four taking part.

A Rustler 36 which is taking part in the 2022 Golden Globe race

Four Rustler 36s will be taking part in the 2022 Golden Globe Race – the most popular boat chosen for the race. Credit: Yann Riou – polaRYSE / PRB

There are also two Biscay 36s and two Tradewind 35s.

Other yachts in the race include the Lello 34, OE32, Gale Force 34, Gaia 36, Cape George Cutter CG36, Tashiba 36, Barbican 33 Mk2 and Saltram Saga 36.

The suitability of the boats to survive the Golden Globe Race lies with the skippers.

All the boats have to undergo refits and survey to make sure they can stand up to the rigours of sailing offshore and ocean passages.

Most of the skippers in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, like Ian Herbert-Jones, have done much of the refit work on their boats themselves. Credit: Ian Herbert-Jones

The refit must stay true to the original design; mast height, boom length, bowsprits and ballast are not allowed to exceed original design specifications.

Owners are allowed to strengthen the vessel and have extra standing rigging .

What is the 2022 Golden Globe Race route?

The Golden Globe Race course for 2022. For this edition there will be four gates. Credit: Ocean Frontiers OGR/ GGR/CG580

The skippers will leave from Les Sables d’Olonne in France and have to sail around the world, returning to the French port.

During their circumnavigation, they will have to sail around four compulsory rounding marks: Lanzarote, Cape Town in South Africa, Hobart in Australia and Punta del Este in Uruguay.

They will also have to keep the island of Trinidade to port as they sail down the South Atlantic.

This follows the Clipper route taken by Bernard Moitessier in the first Golden Globe Race in 1968-69.

Continues below…

Mark Sinclair - one of the skippers taking part in the Golden Globe Race 2022

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Some of the 23 skippers who are planning on taking part in the 2022 golden Globe Race standing on a pontoon in Les Sables d'Olonne

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Sailing singlehanded across oceans: lessons learned

Chris Ayres realised a childhood dream when he sailed from Britain to New Zealand, via Panama, in a 28ft yacht…

How do you sail non-stop for 9 months?

All the skippers will be relying heavily on their windvane steering , which is a non-electric device mounted on the transom which steers the boat.

The vane is directed into the wind, and as the wind hits the vane, it tips, transferring this action through the mechanism below to either a rudder or a servo pendulum which acts on the main rudder, altering the boat’s course.

Although windvane self-steering cannot hold a boat on a compass course, it does mean the skipper isn’t having to helm 24/7, giving them time to eat, sleep, prepare sails, make repairs, write up their log or just relax.

What happens in the case of an emergency?

All the skippers must carry a race pack on board which can be used in case of an emergency.

Inside is a stand-alone satellite tracking system, which the skippers can’t see, for web tracking updates, a two-way satellite short text paging unit which connects only to race headquarters, two handheld satellite phones for up to four short messages per day and a sealed box with two portable GPS chart plotters for emergency use only.

People wearing lifejackets while holding onto a liferaft

All skippers who enter the 2022 Golden Globe Race have to complete an approval survival training course. Credit: Paul Quaglian

All entrants will be tracked 24/7 by satellite, and will be able to use this information in an emergency by breaking open a sealed safety box containing a GPS and satellite phone. By doing this, they will be deemed to have retired from the race.

Prior to the start, all entrants must complete an approved survival course and be deemed medically fit to enter the race.

If a skipper is approaching a dangerous weather situation or drifting ice, then the race HQ will provide all the necessary information so the dangerous areas can be avoided.

How do you follow the 2022 Golden Globe Race?

The 2022 Golden Globe Race can be followed at www.yachtingmonthly.com/goldengloberace

All the boats will be fitted with three YB3 trackers so their positions can be followed.

What is the history of the Golden Globe Race?

Believed to be a ‘voyage for madmen’ when it was first announced, the first edition of the Golden Globe Race was held in 1968-69 and was sponsored by the Sunday Times, Initially, it was thought to be an impossible feat.

Nine set out including then novice sailor Chay Blyth , his former Atlantic rowing partner John Ridgway, British Navy submarine commander Bill King, Royal Navy officer Nigel Tetley, French sailor Bernard Moitessier, who famously kept sailing ‘to save my soul’, eventually sailing one and a half times around the world before stopping in Tahiti, and the ill-fated ‘weekend sailor’ Donald Crowhurst, who gave his life while trying to achieve what no-one had done before.

It was later found out that Donald Crowhurst had not left the Atlantic during the 243 days he was at sea. Credit: Getty

Robin Knox-Johnston was the only skipper to finish, arriving in Falmouth 312 days after leaving the Cornish port aboard his 32ft ketch, Suhaili .

It earned him fame, but the race had its own legacy.

Together with Blondie Hasler’s OSTAR , which started in 1960, yacht racing had captured the public’s imagination, with many going on to achieve their own offshore sailing adventures.

It nurtured the likes of the Whitbread Round the World Race , BOC Challenge and the Vendée Globe .

The 2022 Golden Globe Race will celebrate French sailor Bernard Moitessier, who took part in the 1968-69 Golden Globe Race. Credit: Getty

Two years after the 1968-69 Golden Globe Race, Blyth solo circumnavigated the world nonstop against the prevailing winds and currents, a feat repeated by Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, the winner of the 2018-19 Golden Globe Race, the second edition of this round the world solo yacht race.

Australian sailor Don McIntyre was responsible for founding the 2018 Golden Globe Race, which was held to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1968-69 race.

The 2022 Golden Globe Race is being held in celebration of Bernard Moitessier.

What happened in the 2018 race?

Only 18 skippers started the 2018 Golden Globe Race on 1 July 2018, with just five finishing.

French sailor, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede aboard his Rustler 36, Matmut was an early leader in the race and was the first entrant to round the Cape of Good Hope off South Africa, 53 days after the start. By this time, six skippers had retired from the race, either due to equipment failure or lack of experience to continue.

As the fleet headed down the Atlantic into the Southern Indian Ocean there were further casualties.

Norwegian sailor Are Wiig was dismasted 400 miles south west of Cape Town, and was forced to sail to port under jury rig.

Four skippers needed rescuing during the 2018 Golden Globe Race, including Abhilash Tomy, who broke his back after his boat dismasted in the Southern Indian Ocean. Credit: Australian Maritime Safety Authority

Irish skipper, Gregor McGuckin and Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy were both caught in the same southern Indian Ocean storm. Both of their boats were dismasted, with Tomy breaking his back in several places. Both were rescued by the French patrol vessel, Osiris .

French sailor Loïc Lepage’s Nicholson 32 Mk X was dismasted 600 miles south-west of Perth, Australia, and was rescued by the crew of the bulk carrier Shiosai after the yacht began sinking.

British sailor Susie Goodall was one of only six 2018 skippers to make it to the Hobart gate in Australia.

Her Rustler 36 was later pitchpoled and dismasted in a Southern Ocean storm, around 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn.

She set up a jury rig, but lost this in heavy weather, and had to be rescued by the crew of the Hong Kong-registered cargo ship, Tian Fu .

Jean Luc Van Den Heede celebrating after winning the 2018 Golden Globe Race

A triumphant Jean-Luc Van Dan Heede after coming first in the 2018 Golden Globe Race. Credit: Christophe Favreau/PPL/GGR

The 2018 Golden Globe Race was won Jean-Luc Van Den Heede, who finished after 211 days at sea. At 73, he also claimed the record for being the oldest person to complete a solo round the world yacht race.

Second place went to Dutch skipper Mark Slats , who finished in 216 days in his Rustler 36, and had been Van Den Heede’s greatest rival in the race.

Estonia’s Uku Radmaa crossed the finish line after 254 days at sea, having almost ran out of food during the race which left him 2okg lighter.

Istvan Kopar from the USA finished fourth, in 264 days.

The final skipper to cross the line was Tapio Lehtinen from Finland, who took even longer than Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in the original 1968-69 race.

Barnacle growth on the hull of his Gaia 36 meant he sailed around the world in 322 days; Sir Robin had done it in 313 days.

2018 Race Results

1 Jean- Luc VDH (FRA) Rustler 36 Matmut 2 Mark Slats (NED) Rustler 36 Ohpen Maverick 3 Uku Randmaa (EST) Rustler 36 One and All 4 Istvan Kopar (USA) Tradewind 35 Puffin 5 Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) Gaia 36 Asteria

6 Mark Sinclair (AUS) Lello 34, Coconut (Chichester Class)

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America’s Cup: When is it, who competes and everything you need to know about the famous race

All the info you need ahead of the america’s cup, article bookmarked.

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The America’s Cup is sailing’s most famous race

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The 37th America’s Cup is about to get underway, with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron aiming to defend the title they won four years ago in Auckland.

They will face determined challengers , though, as all eyes turn towards the most prestigious sailing competition and one of the world’s oldest sporting events.

Here is everything you need to know before things begin.

When is the America’s Cup?

The Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta - essentially a warm-up round - started on 22nd August, but the Louis Vuitton Cup (Challenger Selection Series) gets underway on Thursday 29th August and ends on 8th September.

That will be followed by the semi-finals, a best-of-nine competition which will take place between the 14th and 19th of September.

Then come the finals, a best-of-13 event between 26th September and 7th October. The winner of the finals will be rewarded with the opportunity to take New Zealand’s crown in the decisive America’s Cup Match, which will take place from the 12th to the 17th October.

Where is the America’s Cup?

This year’s America’s Cup will be held in Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain.

Teams will be based in the Port Vell area of the city, surrounded by the America’s Cup Race Village, where spectators will be able to watch the event.

Who is competing at the America’s Cup?

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will watch on as the challengers fight for a place in the America’s Cup Match. And they will need to be at their best given the standard of the opposition.

INEOS Britannia will represent the UK, while Alinghi Red Bull Racing from Switzerland, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli from Italy, American Magic New York Yacht Club from the USA and Orient Express Racing Team from France are the challengers.

What is the history of the America’s Cup?

The America’s Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy in the world and the oldest competition in international sport. The trophy itself was created in 1848 and the competition began in 1851, when the New York Yacht Club beat Great Britain’s Royal Yacht Squadron on the Isle of Wight, with Queen Victoria in attendance.

The New York Yacht Club held the trophy for a remarkable 132 years after that, eventually losing out to Australia in 1983. Teams from the USA, Switzerland and New Zealand have won the America’s Cup in the decades since.

How to watch the America’s Cup

If you haven’t managed to get a ticket for the event in Barcelona, live coverage can be watched on the official America’s Cup website and on YouTube.

The America’s Cup social media channels will also provide regular updates and clips from the racing.

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The 77th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race

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The 76th annual Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race is in the books with sailors enjoying excellent sailing conditions over the three-day event.

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Here is your ultimate guide with all the information you need to follow the 2024 Races.

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This year we will celebrate a 50th N2E for one sailor with many others celebrating big anniversaries but also many newcomers.

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Newport Ocean Sailing Association is a non-profit organization run by a board of directors filled with highly experienced sailboat racers and U.S. Sailing Certified Race Officials who, along with a large group of volunteers, are the premier race management team who host the iconic Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race and others all-the-while promoting yacht racing in Southern California. NOSA provides financial assistance to junior sailing programs and other non-profit organizations that encourage and develop amateur watersports with an emphasis on sailing, boating and seamanship.

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7 Global Sailing Races to Follow

By: Zeke Quezada, ASA Destinations , Event , Inside Sailing , Sailing Fun

As American Sailing evolves our curriculum to offer more racing options through North U, I am attempting to learn more about sailboat racing. If you are following along with my journey to become a racer, you know that I am a neophyte when it comes to racing. I am a cruiser. I am a self-described “lazy sailor” that does not focus on trimming my sails and instead works on not dropping my chips and salsa while sailing.

You can get an idea of my journey in my last two pieces on sailing and racing:

SAIL TRIM FOR CRUISERS: WHY TRIM YOUR SAILS?

HOW TO GRADUATE FROM CRUISER TO RACER — STEPS TO START RACING SAILBOATS

I plan to find out more about the serious and not-so-serious side of sailboat racing. Many people, even non-sailors, know what the America’s Cup is, and may have even turned on a sports network to catch a SailGP race. But there is far more to sailing races than those two.

Here’s an overview of seven of the big races, regattas, and race series that occur regularly around the world. These are iconic events, both old and new, that shape the world of racing and have inspired sailors for generations to challenge themselves to new heights, both on and off the water.

Cowes Week is one of the oldest and most prestigious sailing regattas in the world, held every August in the Solent waters off Cowes, UK. The event has been around since 1826, and it’s known for attracting some of the best sailors from around the globe. It’s the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world, with up to 1,000 boats and 8,000 competitors taking part in the 40 daily sailing races.

Whether you’re an Olympic or world-class pro, or just a weekend sailor, Cowes Week is an event that has something for everyone. And even if you’re not into sailing, the regatta is still a spectacle to behold – with stunning views of the coastline and plenty of festivities both on and off the water.

Once you discover the allure of racing it appears that Cowes Week might be worthy of a sailing vacation that includes either participating in a race or just being involved as a spectator. I am not there yet, but it could happen.

Next Race Date: July 29 – Aug 4, 2023 Cowes Week Website

The Ocean Race

I do know about The Ocean Race only because prior to the new owner taking over, it was the Volvo Ocean Race for twenty years and that is how they got me to buy a Volvo. I walked into the dealership and saw some mesmerizing sailboat pictures and I signed the contract and drove away. I am a sucker.

The Ocean Race is a round-the-world yacht race that occurs every three years. It’s known as one of the most challenging sailing races globally, spanning over 45,000 nautical miles. The race consists of multiple legs and lasts about nine months. The race starts in Europe and ends in Asia or Oceania. The exact route changes with each edition of the race.

Both professional sailors and amateur sailors can participate in this race. The teams are composed of eight sailors, all racing on the same boats. These boats are specially designed to be fast and robust, capable of enduring the tough conditions of the open ocean.

This race used to be known as the Whitbread Round the World Race until it was renamed the Volvo Ocean Race and now is known as The Ocean Race.

Next Race Date: Currently in progress at the time of the post! The Ocean Race Website

America’s Cup

My first foray into sailing racing was when Dennis Conner won the America’s Cup. I was a kid watching the news and learned about sailing through this huge event on the vessel, Stars and Stripes. Years later I took a ride on what I was told was the same boat. I was skeptical about the origin of the vessel I was on but that day I learned a lot about how much I loved the idea of sailing. A couple of years later I bought a boat.

The America’s Cup is held every few years on dates agreed between the defender and the challenger. There is no fixed schedule, but the races have generally been held every three to four years. The most recent America’s Cup match took place in March 2021.

The 37th America’s Cup Official Opening Ceremony will be held in Barcelona on 22 August 2024. The Final Preliminary Event and the Challenger Selection Series will follow, leading up to the America’s Cup Match that will start on 12 October 2024. During 2023/early 2024, there is potential for up to three preliminary events. By June 2023, all the teams will have their base set up and be training in Barcelona.

The competition takes place between teams representing different countries or yacht clubs. The event involves a series of races where high-tech racing yachts, known as America’s Cup Class boats, compete in head-to-head races that test their speed, agility, and teamwork.

The competition dates back to 1851 when a schooner called America won a race around the Isle of Wight. The trophy, now known as the America’s Cup, was donated to the New York Yacht Club and has since become one of the most prestigious prizes in sailing.

Next Race Date: October 12, 2024 The America’s Cup Website

Vendée Globe

If I was a racer I am sure that The Vendée Globe would be the race that would inspire me to go hard into this type of adventure. The Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop yacht race around the world without assistance. It takes place every four years and is an extreme form of sailing. It is said that more people have been into space than have finished the Vendee Globe. First held in 1989, the race starts and ends in Les Sables-d’Olonne, a small town on the west coast of France, and covers a distance of approximately 45,000 km.

Sailors must navigate their way through some of the most treacherous waters on the planet, including the Southern Ocean and the Cape Horn. Sailors must rely solely on their own skills, knowledge, and experience to complete the race. They face extreme weather conditions, sleep deprivation, and the constant threat of danger as they navigate their way around the world.

The boats are designed specifically for the event and are some of the most advanced sailing vessels in the world, capable of speeds of up to 30 knots.

Next Race Date: November 10, 2024 The Vend é e Globe Website

St. Maarten Heineken Regatta

I must confess that I had a very nice t-shirt from this regatta that I purchased at the St. Maarten airport. I was leaving the country and realized that I had not bought any souvenirs so I found this shirt in the terminal and wore it like a proud sailboat racer. I was an imposter, I had never even seen any of the race and I did not know it existed.

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is a massive sailing event that takes place on the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. It’s actually the biggest regatta in the Caribbean and the largest warm water regatta in the world.

The event attracts top sailors from 37 countries, who compete in a series of races over four days. The competition draws in sailors that are both professionals and passionate amateurs who just love to sail.

Next Race Date: Feb 29 – Mar 3, 2024 St. Maarten Regatta Website

Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac)

If you live and sail in Southern California, you will hear about Transpac. I have heard about it, and I did not realize it was a race. I always figured it was a group of sailors who sailed across the Pacific to Hawaii in a large caravan, like a large flotilla, without any daily stops. I will confess that when I sailed my Catalina 27 five times a week, I had a few fantasies about tagging along in my boat and stopping over in Hawaii with the Transpac crowd. But, unfortunately, I was misguided.

The Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) is a biennial offshore yacht race held in odd-numbered years starting off the Pt. Fermin buoy in San Pedro, California, and ending off Diamond Head in Hawaii, a distance of around 2,225 nautical miles (2,560 mi; 4,121 km). It is one of the world’s oldest major ocean races for sailing yachts. The race was first held in 1906 and made a biennial event in 1939 to alternate with the Bermuda Race.

Next Race Date: June 27, 2023 TransPac Website

Now in its 4th season, SailGP is a newer series race held as a competition between nations on identical F50 catamarans. Currently the nations competing include Australia, New Zealand, Emirates Great Britain, France, Canada, Denmark, United States, Switzerland, and Spain. The race is held on weekends in iconic locations around the world modeled in a grand prix format similar to Formula 1 in which points accumulate throughout the season based on winnings from each race and contribute toward a championship.

The race series has a really great app you can use to follow along and watch live, or on YouTube, and they are doing wonderful work expanding the sport’s impact initiatives through their second championship leaderboard that tracks the positive actions the teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing. The coverage of this series is great to watch – it has a high production value including live mics on the sailors and post race interviews with the sailors. The commentators do a good job educating the audience as to the basics of sailboat racing as well as explaining the racing rules.

Season 4 Opening Race: June 16-17, 2023 Chicago Sail GP Website

So which race strikes your fancy? Here’s hoping you enjoy some of these and find some new inspiration in your sailing journey!

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IMOCA Route

IMOCA - The Ocean Race 2022-23 visits nine iconic international cities over the six-month period, starting from Alicante, Spain in January 2023 and finishing in Genova, Italy at the end of June.

The start of the 14th edition of The Ocean Race will follow the Reyes holiday period in Spain, and sees the foiling IMOCA fleet departing on a 32,000 nautical mile (60,000 km) race around the world.

The first leg is a 1,900 nautical mile sprint from Alicante to Cabo Verde, the first time the Race has stopped at the African archipelago. Historically, the fleet has sailed past the islands as they head south down the Atlantic. Whilst in Cabo Verde, The Ocean Race will take part in its famed Ocean Week, with a focus on local and international sustainability issues.

Leg 2 will start on 25 January and see the fleet racing across the equator, south to Cape Town, the 12th time the Race has stopped in the southern tip of Africa, making it the most visited stopover in this edition of the event. This will also be the first of three ‘haul-out’ stops, where the boats will be lifted from the water for maintenance.

Next up is a record-breaking leg - the longest racing distance in the 50-year history of the event - a 12,750 nautical mile, one-month marathon to Itajaí, Brazil.

In the finest tradition of The Ocean Race, this leg takes the IMOCA sailors down to the Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties of the Southern Ocean. Antarctica is to the right and the fleet will need to pass all three great southern Capes - the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, and Cape Horn - to port, without stopping, for the first time.

There will be another extended, haul-out stopover in Itajaí, Brazil, following this epic southern leg before racing resumes heading north, through the doldrums, across the equator and up to Newport, Rhode Island, on the east coast of the United States.

From there, the Race returns to Europe, with a transatlantic leg to Aarhus, Denmark, followed by a Fly-By of Kiel, Germany en route to a stop in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Then, it’s the final offshore leg - the Grand Finale - to Genova, Italy, for a Mediterranean finish to the race.

Kiel fly-by

Genova the grand finale.

Yachting World

Digital Edition

The Ocean Race 2023 preview: What’s in store for the new race

Matthew Sheahan
January 4, 2023

Finally the new crewed lap of the planet, The Ocean Race is set to start this month, with 5 fully-crewed IMOCA 60s on the startline

It’s been a long wait for the next fully crewed lap of the planet since the last one finished in 2018, but finally The Ocean Race will start from Alicante on 15 January. The total fleet is expected to comprise 11 boats in two classes, including the VO65 one-designs from the previous two events and a fleet of five fully crewed IMOCA 60 s.

Compared to the previous race around the world under former sponsors Volvo, there have been several key changes. The course now has fewer stopovers and some significantly longer ocean legs. But the most recent alteration is that not all the boats are going all the way round.

While the IMOCA 60s will complete a full lap of the planet, including seven legs to finish in Genoa, Italy, the VO65s will sail just the first and last two legs in what the organisers have called The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup .

A new trophy will be awarded to the VO65 team which accumulates the best score across three legs of the race; Alicante, Spain, to Cape Verde; Aarhus, Denmark, to The Hague, the Netherlands; and The Hague to the overall finish in Genoa, Italy.

The VO65 and IMOCA 60 fleets will both compete in the in-port races scheduled in those cities, although points scored in the in-port racing will only come into play for the overall trophy in the event of a tie-break.

IMOCA 60s go crewed

The last two years have been particularly difficult for the organisers of The Ocean Race. Finding a title sponsor has proved elusive, while enticing existing IMOCA 60 teams to consider reconfiguring their boats for a fully crewed round the world race has been challenging.

The biggest hurdle has been the global pandemic and the year long postponement that was required. This not only created a huge level of uncertainty for the organisation and teams alike, but the delay presented a potential clash between The Ocean Race and the single-handed French classic, the Route du Rhum , in which 38 IMOCA 60s took part.

Even with the will to do so, competing in both races was always going to be difficult for teams given the short time frame between the Route du Rhum finish in Guadeloupe and the start of The Ocean Race just a few weeks later. Getting the boat back across the Atlantic and correctly configured for a full crew was seen by many as being ambitious at the least.

However, four of the five-boat fleet, including three of the newest IMOCA 60s – Paul Meilhat ’s Biotherm Racing , Boris Herrmann ’s Team Malizia and Kevin Escoffier ’s Holcim PRB – returned relatively unscathed from the solo transat and headed straight to Alicante to be made ready for their circumnavigation.

The fourth was Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek’s GUYOT Environment-Team Europe , formerly Hugo Boss from the 2016-17 Vendée Globe Race and therefore more proven, which has helped to shuffle the odds in this fleet.

Previously, having been first in the water and having completed far more sea miles than any of the others, Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team was considered the outright favourite. But having not competed in the Route du Rhum means that the boat has not lined up against those that it will face from January onwards in a long offshore race.

The IMOCAs are sailed by a complement of five crew, including an onboard reporter (OBR) that takes no part in the sailing. Each IMOCA 60 team has to include at least one female sailor.

VO65s no longer go for a third lap of the planet. Photo: Robin Christol

VO65s Sprint

Although not delivering the original objective of getting two fleets around the world, the late addition of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup has provided incentive to teams that had been in the wings for some time but unable to commit to a full circumnavigation. A flurry of activity in recent months has resulted in six teams signing up.

The 65s will have a crew of 11 including an OBR. At least three of the crew must be female and at least three of the crew has to be under 30 – the youngest, Polish sailor Mateusz Gwóźdź who is just 17 and competed in the Ocean Race Europe , is returning with the Wind Whisper Racing Team .

The Ocean Race 2023 teams IMOCA 60s

Photo: Amory Ross/11th Hour Racing

11th Hour Racing Team

First to sign up and with way more current sea miles under the keel than any of the other teams, 11th Hour Racing Team skippered by Charlie Enright has been the favourite for some time. Designed specifically for this race and with plenty of runway to refine and develop the boat including four transatlantic crossings, this is the best prepared team. The crew line up is impressive too.

Photo: Malizia – Seaexplorer

Team Malizia

Skippered by Boris Herrmann, who finished 5th in the 2020 Vendée Globe on his first attempt, his team launched their brand new, radical 60 with its distinctive central accommodation area last July.

The boat was designed by VPLP to not only compete in the Ocean Race but also for Herrmann’s 2024 Vendée Globe campaign. Little is known about the true potential of this boat as Herrmann was forced to nurse the boat across the Atlantic after a problem with the mountings for one of the daggerboards.

Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut/polaRYSE

Biotherm Racing

Another brand new boat is Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm Racing , which launched in August 2022. Having co-skippered with Charlie Dalin, Sam Davies and others, Meilhat is fully up to speed with the latest generations of IMOCA 60.

While Meilhat and his crew, which includes Paralympic champion and IMOCA sailor Damien Seguin , have had little time to refine the new Biotherm , they will have gained a great deal of confidence in the boat following Meilhat’s 6th in the Route du Rhum.

Team Holcim – PRB

Designed by Guillaume Verdier for an Ocean Race team that fizzled out, Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim PRB is a modified version of the original design that Escoffier will also solo race in the Vendée Globe. Finishing 4th in the Route du Rhum has not only validated the boat’s potential in a very competitive fleet, but has underlined Escoffier’s credentials as a skipper.

Having finished 3rd and 1st in his two previous fully crewed round the world races with Dongfeng , Escoffier also knows how to get to the front in this long-haul competition.

Photo: ILP Vision/Charles Drapeau

Guyot Environment Team Europe

Winning the Ocean Race Europe in 2021 in an older, non-foiling IMOCA 60 provided the catalyst for Robert Stanjek and crew to compete in The Ocean Race.

Co-skippered with Benjamin Dutreux their boat may not be the latest but as the former Hugo Boss it finished 2nd in the 2016-17 Vendée Globe and is widely considered to be both quick and proven.

The Ocean Race 2023 Sprint teams – VO65s

Ocean Race Europe winners Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team return with an all-Portuguese team skippered by António Fontes who competed as a sailor in the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo.

Dutch Team Jajo is led by 27-year-old Jelmer van Beek with offshore legend Bouwe Bekking as a watch leader, an addition that must surely increase expectations.

Polish Wind Whisper Racing Team is skippered by Pablo Arrarte.

Viva Mexico is led by Erik Brockmann – aiming for a Mexican comeback of sorts after Sayula II ‘s historic win in the first edition of the race in 1973.

Austrian Ocean Racing also returns, along with the Lithuanian Ambersail 2 team, led by London 2012 Olympian sailor Rokas Milevičius.

The Ocean Race Course

The course for The Ocean Race has a new first stopover mid-Atlantic at the Cape Verdes, before an extra long Southern Ocean leg of 12,750 miles from Cape Town, South Africa, to Itajai, Brazil. This new stage passes south of all three Great Capes and is expected to take 34 days.

After this mammoth Southern Ocean leg, the fleet then moves onto a series of much shorter legs. From Brazil they head to Newport, USA. They then cross the Atlantic to Aarhus, DEN. After that a very short hop from Aarhus to The Hague, NED fore a race from The Hague back to Genova, ITA.

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The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Is a Regatta of Heart-Stopping Challenges

In Bomb Alley, the winds can change in an instant. And then there are the rocks.

By David Schmidt

Sailors call it Bomb Alley for good reason.

This notorious, roughly 15-mile stretch of water separates northeast Sardinia from the Maddalena archipelago and is an important feature of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which will be held Sept. 5-11. During the strong northwesterly winds that blow from southern France across the northern Mediterranean Sea, this narrow passage has a reputation for unpredictability.

“You can be sailing in five knots, round a corner, and it’s blowing 25 knots,” said Jonathan McKee, a two-time Olympic medalist and a Maxi Cup veteran.

Those lively conditions are caused by the Venturi Effect, in which winds moving through constrained passages increase in velocity and decrease in pressure.

But that is just one of the problems that these huge yachts, with their deep drafts, face. Along with Bomb Alley, there are the rocks.

“The rocks are the nightmare,” said Andrea Caracci, an aeronautical engineer and a highly experienced sailor who is navigating the 100-foot ARCA sgr in the regatta. “It’s a fast boat — we can sail at 12 or 13 knots upwind and 20 knots downwind, so there’s little time to avoid damage.”

McKee called the rocks unnerving: “Because the water is so clear, you can actually see the rocks beneath the keel.”

These obstacles are compounded by the giant boats, which are what the race attracts; hence the name maxi. The regatta, which will be hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Sardinia, is open to yachts 60 feet or longer, with the largest contenders sometimes exceeding 200 feet. This year’s largest competitor is the J Class yacht Topaz, which measures just over 140 feet.

Topaz requires more that 15 feet of draft, or underwater clearance, from the waterline to the bottom of the keel, while other boats, such as the Rambler 88 and the 100-foot Comanche , require 23 feet of water. The boat Caracci requires just over 20 feet.

The regatta features two types of racing: shorter maneuver-intensive races around inflatable markers, which typically take place off Porto Cervo, and the coastal races in which the boats predominantly use the area’s northern islands as natural turning marks. This year, the regatta’s biggest boats and the smaller maxi classes will contest a maximum of five of these competitions while the smaller classes will contest five coastal races or a mix that includes four coastal races and two of the shorter ones.

While all crews need to be sharp for the maneuver-intensive windward-leeward racing, navigators, in particular, need to know exactly where the rocks are on the coastal courses. They will be threading multimillion-dollar needles that weigh tens of thousands of pounds, and that are sometimes traveling at over 20 knots, through rock gardens that might grant only a few feet of keel clearance. Provided, of course, that the navigator perfectly positions the boat relative to the rocks.

While Caracci said that the rocks near the Isolotto Monaci Lighthouse were well known, others were more elusive.

For high-level teams, often with the biggest boats, the deepest keels and the biggest budgets, one tactic involves taking preregatta water-depth measurements at critical turns, adding yacht-specific information to their charts, and sometimes even donning scuba equipment to take a closer look.

“Some of the navigators check the rocks and measure their position and depths,” Caracci said. “The charts say the rocks are in one place, but we check anyway. The risk is too high — there could be big damage to the boat.”

Stu Bannatyne, a four-time winner of the Ocean Race and a Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup veteran, said it was challenging navigation.

“There are gains to be made by cutting between rocks where the charts say you can’t sail,” he said. “Many boats have run aground.”

Caracci has seen this happen on these waters. Twice. “Once was dramatic,” he said. “The boat was 100 meters in front of us, and its keel was one meter deeper than ours. It hit rocks that the charts said shouldn’t be there.”

Navigators also have access to information from their boat’s networked navigation instruments, including water depth, wind speed and direction, compass, and — critically — GPS. “Some [GPS] antennas can show you what the accuracy of the information is,” Caracci said. “There can be a differential based on the number of tracked satellites. If you’ve only got a precision of one meter, you need to stay away from the rocks.”

Another consideration is that the boat’s draft and leeway requirements can change depending on its underwater appendages. Maxi yachts commonly have heavy, torpedolike keel bulbs that are hung from skinny struts to keep the boat from capsizing. On some boats, these keels can be swung from side to side using hydraulic rams to keep the boat sailing flat and fast.

“Sometimes the maximum risk is when you’re heeled over with a canting keel that’s out to the side, so you need to make a calculation,” Caracci said about deciding when it is safe to sail over the rocks.

“When you’re heeled over, the boat might only draw four meters, but you might pass over water that’s only six meters deep. I really hate that.”

Another challenge for navigators, Caracci said, involves working closely with the boat’s senior crew members to make the best decisions. “The tactician always pushes, so the navigator needs to manage their aggressive approach,” he said, adding that racing over dense and sometimes unmarked hazards requires accepting risks that could give a boat an advantage.

While the regatta’s shorter races require rapid and highly choreographed maneuvers, the coastal races — for which the regatta’s organizers have more than 50 courses to choose from, depending on the wind’s strength and direction — are the most complex.

“This is definitely one of the events where local knowledge is tremendously important,” said Peter Holmberg , an Olympic silver medalist and the helmsman of Topaz at this regatta . “Although conditions change every day, there are definitely characteristics that are consistent and reward previous experience.

“Since you’re rounding islands and rocks, and not an anchored buoy in open water, one’s local knowledge and level of risk-taking determines how close they can round that mark and shave valuable distance with an inside track,” he said.

The complexities can be further compounded by the winds. In early September, racers can usually expect either 10- to 15-knot winds, or the stiffer northwesterly breezes — called the mistral winds — which typically hit 18 to 25 knots.

Winning, of course, requires actually finishing the regatta without a race-ending mistake.

“In mistral conditions, getting around the track isn’t trivial,” McKee said, pointing to the necessity of proper seamanship and tightly choreographed crew work, especially in Bomb Alley. “You can go for hours and, at the finish, only have 10 seconds separating the first and second boat. It comes down to the precision of the navigator’s routing.”

An earlier version of this article misstated how heavy the racing yachts are. They weigh tens of thousands of pounds, not tens of thousands of tons.

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27th Waller-Harris Two-handed Triangle Race at the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club

Pos	Boat Name	Skipper	Crew	Jersey to Granville	Granville to St Cast	St Cast to Jersey	Pts
Class 1 & 2
1	Jack Rabbit	Robin Jenkins	Steve Pearl	1	1	2	4
2	Abracadabra	Rhys Perkins	Bob De la Haye	2	2	1	5
3	Arctic Tern	P Burton	David De Carteret	3	3	3	9
Class 3
1	Knight Star	Arthur Manning	Steve Manning	1	1	1	3
2	Anderica	Andy Ravenscroft	Harris Collie	4	5	2	11
3	Jabot	Daniel & Sophie Le Marquand		2	4	5	11
4	Rico	Tom Vallois	Luke Pallot	3	6	3	12
5	Fillipene	Nick Bailhache	Malcolm Coles	Ret	2	4	13
6	Divergence	James Wilding	Bill Harris	Ret	3	6	16

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Inside the shocking Sicily yacht tragedy that left 7 people dead

There was a violent storm, but even then, luxury yachts are built to weather such events. so why did this boat sink off the coast of sicily, leaving seven people dead, by natalie finn | e news • published august 24, 2024 • updated on august 24, 2024 at 9:34 am.

Originally appeared on E! Online

Nobody was trying to reach the lowest depths of the ocean or otherwise test the boundaries of human endurance .

Streaming 24/7: Watch NBC 5 local news and weather for free wherever you are

But what was supposed to be a routine pleasure cruise aboard a superyacht turned deadly all the same on the morning of Aug. 19 when the 184-foot Bayesian got caught in a storm and sank off the coast of Sicily .

"I can't remember the last time I read about a vessel going down quickly like that," Stephen Richter of SAR Marine Consulting told NBC News . "You know, completely capsizing and going down that quickly, a vessel of that nature, a yacht of that size."

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Of the 22 people onboard, including crew, seven people died. The last of the bodies was recovered Aug. 23, an expectedly sad coda to what had already been a tragic week as the search for answers as to how this happened got underway.

And to be sure, every minute of the Bayesian's ill-fated outing is being fiercely scrutinized, starting with the general seaworthiness of the vessel itself.

Because, frankly, this was a freak occurrence.

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"Boats of this size, they’re taking passengers on an excursion or a holiday," Richter explained. "They are not going to put them in situations where it may be dangerous or it may be uncomfortable, so this storm that popped up was obviously an anomaly. These vessels that carry passengers, they’re typically very well-maintained, very well-appointed."

But in this case, a $40 million yacht sank, seven people are dead—including a billionaire tech mogul and his 18-year-old daughter—and morbid fascination doesn't need a second wind.

Here is how the story of the Sicily yacht tragedy has unfolded so far:

What happened to the yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily?

The Bayesian had set off from the Sicilian port of Milazzo on Aug. 14 at capacity with 12 guests and 10 crewmembers aboard.

The aluminum-hulled vessel was built in 2008 by Italian shipbuilder Perini Navi and registered in the U.K. Cruise sites listed it as available for charter at $215,000 per week, per the Associated Press.

On the morning of Aug. 19, the superyacht was anchored off the coast of Porticello, a small fishing village in the Sicilian province of Palermo (also the name of Sicily's capital city), when a violent storm hit.

The vessel "suddenly sank" at around 5 a.m. local time, seemingly due to "the terrible weather conditions," the City Council of Bagheria announced shortly afterward, per NBC News .

At the time, only one person was confirmed dead—the ship's chef—but six others were said to be missing. The 15 survivors—who managed to make it onto an inflatable life boat, according to emergency officials—were rescued that morning by the crew of another yacht that had been nearby when the storm hit.

"Fifteen people inside," Karsten Borner, the Dutch captain of the ship that was able to help (the Sir Robert Baden Powell), told reporters afterward, per Reuters. "Four people were injured, three heavily injured, and we brought them to our ship. Then we communicated with the coast guard, and after some time, the coast guard came and later picked up injured people."

When the storm hit, his boat ran into "a strong hurricane gust," Borner said, "and we had to start the engine to keep the ship in an angled position."

They "managed to keep the ship in position," he continued, but once the storm died down, they realized the other boat that had been behind them—the Bayesian—was gone.

The wreck ended up settling 165 feet below the surface, according to Italy's national fire department.

Fire officials said that divers, a motorboat and a helicopter were deployed to search for the missing.

Meanwhile, footage was captured of the ship capsizing on closed-circuit TV about a half-mile away from where it was anchored.

In the video obtained by NBC News, the illuminated 250-foot aluminum mast of the ship appears to list severely to one side before disappearing completely. Survivors recalled having just a few minutes to literally abandon ship.

Who were the seven people who died when the yacht Bayesian sank?

The tragedy initially became headline news because billionaire tech mogul Mike Lynch—"Britain's Bill Gates," some U.K. media called him—was among the missing. His body was ultimately recovered Aug. 22 .

"They told me that suddenly they found themselves catapulted into the water without even understanding how they had got there," Dr. Fabio Genco, head of the Palermo Emergency Medical Services, told NBC News Aug. 22. "And that the whole thing seems to have lasted from 3 to 5 minutes."

Genco said he got to Porticello about an hour after the Bayesian capsized.

Survivors "told me that it was all dark, that the yacht hoisted itself up and then went down," he said. "All the objects were falling on them. That’s why I immediately made sure, by asking them questions, if they had any internal injuries."

Why did the yacht sink?

Italian prosecutors are investigating to determine what transpired before the boat went down, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, the CEO of shipbuilder Perini's parent company The Italian Sea Group defended the vessel itself as "unsinkable."

Perini boats "are the safest in the most absolute sense," Giovanni Costantino told Sky News Aug. 22 . What happened to the Bayesian "put me in a state of sadness on one side and of disbelief on the other," he continued. "This incident sounds like an unbelievable story, both technically and as a fact."

Costantino said it had to have been human error that led to the boat sinking, declaring, "Mistakes were made."

"Everything that was done reveals a very long summation of errors," he told newspaper Corriere della Sera Aug. 21, in an interview translated from Italian. "The people should not have been in the cabins, the boat should not have been at anchor."

The weather was "all predictable," he continued, adding that the storm "was fully legible in all the weather charts. It couldn't have been ignored."

The yacht's captain, identified as James Cutfield of New Zealand, was taken to Termini Imerese hospital for treatment. From there, he told La Repubblica, per Sky News , that he didn't see the storm coming.

Borner, the captain of the ship that rescued the 15 Bayesian survivors, told NBC News that he noticed the storm come in at 4 a.m. local time, and saw what looked to him like a waterspout, a type of tornado that forms above water.

The International Centre for Waterspout Research posted on X Aug. 19 that it had "confirmed 18 waterspouts today off the coasts of Italy. Some were powerful waterspouts, one of which may have been responsible for the sinking of a large yacht off of Sicily."

Borner said he didn't know why the Bayesian sank so quickly, guessing "it may have something to do with the mast, which was incredibly long." (A tall mast, even with its sails down, means there's more surface area exposed to wind, which can result in tipping.)

Confirming that one person was dead and six unaccounted for immediately following the wreck on Aug. 19, Salvo Cocina of Sicily's civil protection agency told reporters that a waterspout had struck the area overnight.

"They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said.

The 59-year-old founder of software firm Autonomy had been on the trip with his wife Angela Bacares and their 18-year-old, Oxford-bound daughter Hannah to celebrate his recent acquittal in the U.S. on fraud and conspiracy charges stemming from the $11.7 billion purchase of his company by Hewlett-Packard in 2011.

In a bizarre turn of events, Lynch's co-defendant at trial, Stephen Chamberlain, the former vice president of finance at Autonomy, died after being taken off life support following a road accident on Aug. 17. Chamberlain's attorney told Reuters Aug. 20 that his friend and client had been out for a run when he was "fatally struck" by a car.

Meanwhile, multiple people who contributed to Lynch's defense were on the cruise with him and his family.

The bodies of Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer—who testified on Lynch's behalf—and his wife Judy Bloomer, as well as lawyer Chris Morvillo, a partner at the U.S. firm Clifford Chance, and his wife Neda Morvillo, a jewelry designer, were recovered on Aug. 21 .

In a LinkedIn post thanking the team that successfully defended Lynch, Morvillo wrote, per Sky News , "And, finally, a huge thank you to my patient and incredible wife, Neda Morvillo, and my two strong, brilliant, and beautiful daughters, Sabrina Morvillo and Sophia Morvillo. None of this would have been possible without your love and support. I am so glad to be home. And they all lived happily ever after…"

The first casualty confirmed Aug. 19 was the ship's Canadian-Antiguan chef, later identified as Recaldo Thomas.

"He was a one-of-a-kind special human being," a friend of Thomas told The Independent . "Incredibly talented, contagious smile and laugh, an incredible voice with a deep love of the ocean and the moon. I spoke to him nearly every day. He loved his life his friends and his job."

Hannah's body was the last of the missing six to be found , with divers bringing her remains ashore on Aug. 23.

Lynch and Bacares, who was rescued, also shared a 21-year-old daughter, according to The Times.

While awaiting trial, Lynch—who maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings—had spent 13 months under house arrest in San Francisco. Back home in London afterward, he admitted to The Times in July that he'd been afraid of dying in prison if he'd been found guilty. (He faced a possible 25-year sentence.)

"It's bizarre, but now you have a second life," he reflected. "The question is, what do you want to do with it?"

(E!, NBC News and Sky News are all members of the Comcast family.)

Race to save the Florida Lake

Rapidly falling water levels at the florida lake has residents and other users of the lake concerned..

Water levels at the Florida Lake have fallen to alarming levels in the past few months.

The Roodepoort Record has received complaints from several community members including members of the Florida Lake Specimen Angling Club, the Florida Lake Yacht Club, and others, all claiming that the fall in water levels is due to damage to the dam wall.

A visit to the dam wall with Florida South Residents Association chairperson Rodney Churchyard not only confirmed the low water level but revealed water flowing out underneath the dam wall under such pressure that it forms what looks like small water fountains on the other side of the wall.

During a visit to the Florida Yacht Club, it was clear that their activities are completely stifled by the low water levels as their launching pads, usually submerged, are completely dry.

According to club member Nichol Hakkesteeg, the water level is the lowest he has ever seen.

“There are usually seasonal changes in the water level,” he says. “But this is by far lower than anything we’ve ever experienced before. I’ve visited the dam on most days for the past few weeks, and by my calculations, the water level is receding by about a foot (30cm) per week.

“We are, at this point, unable to launch any boats in the dam because the water has receded to such an extent that doing so would likely damage our boats.”

Hakkesteeg is concerned about the fast-approaching rainy season, saying that, while it may help with water levels, chances are that the dam wall could further deteriorate.

“Should water levels rise, the added pressure on the dam wall could result in further erosion, which would likely spell trouble for areas downstream.”

The Record posed questions to Johannesburg City Parks and Zoos (JCPZ) spokesperson Jenny Moodley, who says that, since Florida Lake is not a registered dam, it is viewed as a stormwater catchment, which would fall under the ambit of Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

JRA’s head of infrastructure planning Musa Mkhacane, confirmed that Florida Lake does not meet the risk criteria for a registered dam.

“Notwithstanding this fact, the JRA does assist in the management of unregistered dams when budgets are available,” he says, adding that it is not as high up on the priority list as it does not meet the risk criteria regulated by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

“We had budget available to do the planning and design phases of Florida Lake for now and so we initiated the structural assessments, geotechnical and environmental assessment which are critical to design a sustainable solution.”

Mkhacane explains that this is why it was necessary to drill core samples to determine the cause of the problem and recommend a design that is sustainable for the long term and that at the same time is feasible for the City.

“The JRA follows the Engineering Council of South Africa’s professional guidelines for design and construction, which can take time and seem like deliberate delays to the general public, but it is not. We are currently in the concept design stage.”

Mkhacane cautions that there are currently no funds committed for the construction of the recommended designs once they are completed, but adds that the JRA and JCPZ will engage on how to collaborate in their efforts to rehabilitate the structure and environment.

CoJ hosts community engagement

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