Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i Yachting World

‘Passion’ is one of those words that has seen its meaning diluted through over-use as a corporate buzzword. So it was interesting to watch the finishers of the revived Admiral’s Cup come into Cherbourg at the end of the Rolex Fastnet Race. Because, for many crews, it was clear that this event really meant something. There were stony faces on some boats, yells of joy for others, while a few teams were clearly approaching the weeping level of exhaustion. Afterwards there were rousing crew parties, and emotional speeches from heavily invested owners and skippers. The Yacht Club de Monaco’s jaw-dropping clubhouse is currently draped in a 100ft flag, celebrating the winners, just as a champion football team might. Inspiring this type of passion requires a magic type of alchemy. Some…

Spanish sailor Dani Pich, who is completely blind, set a remarkable achievement when he sailed around the Isle of Wight on 24 July on a rudderless catamaran known as a Pati Català. Pich, who is from Catalonia, completed the around-the-island circumnavigation of 50-plus miles in 13 hours and 8 minutes. The Pati Català is a design unique to the Barcelona region. It has no rudder, centreboard or boom, and is controlled through rig rake, body position, and sail trim. Pich lost his sight in an industrial accident while working in the merchant navy and has no vision whatsoever. He and his team had developed a high-tech vest which connected to a wind sensor on the top of the rig, and transmitted information on wind and course direction via vibrating sensor…

The World Cruising Club is hosting a panel discussion during the Southampton Boat Show, on 20 September, that’s ideal for any sailors considering a bluewater or transocean cruise. Topics will include weather and routing, finding the ‘right’ boat, gear, and choosing and managing crew. A panel of experienced cruising skippers and the World Cruising Club team will answer questions and share their knowledge and experience. Sign up for the event, which will be held at Harbour Lights Picturehouse, Ocean Village, Southampton, via worldcruising.com/training. Though you can sign up for free, a £10 ‘upgrade’ includes a ticket to Southampton Boat Show and six month basic membership of Noonsite.com. Questions can be submitted in advance (email media@worldcruising.com), or asked on the day.…

The plan is simple: buy a boat and seek out your best life. You’ve decided you want a multihull, for the space and stability that offers. Your other key requirements are comfort – a yacht you can live aboard for months – and a boat that’s bluewater capable so you can explore wild remote places. It has to be safe, of course. And spacious enough for you, your partner, maybe your kids (and perhaps someone to help look after them sometimes), or a few friends and family. After all, adventures are better shared. Bonus items? If the budget allows – performance, please! A fast boat means less time at sea (critical for keeping the non-sailors happy). Faster means more fun, but also the faster you sail the more flexibility you…

Autumn 2025 is set to be a bumper season for new yacht launches. From Sweden to Genoa, and Southampton to Annapolis, there are International boat shows all across the north Atlantic and Med seaboards where you can view them in person. However, if you just want to attend one show in person, then Cannes has the pick of the premieres – and of course the glamour. And there really are some glam new yachts on the lineup this year. The Italians will steal the monohull show with their latest launches at Cannes, including the (Solaris-built) CNB 62, three from Ice Yachts, the Mylius 66RS, Grand Soleil’s latest 65 Performance and the (Italian-owned) Swan 51. And given this Yachting World is a multihull special edition, some really exciting large cats are…

SPECIFICATION LOA 21.33m 70ft 0in Beam 10.00m 32ft 10in Draught 2.00m 6ft 7in Air draught 4.60m 15ft 1in Wing area 2 x 125m2 2 x 1,345ft2 Displacement 30,000kg 66,138lb Electric motors 2 x 20kW 2 x 27hp The MODX is a 70ft catamaran with fully automated twin inflatable rotating wingsails set on telescopic retractable masts and powered by electric motors with variable pitch, hydrogenerating propellers. Every now and again something really different comes along, and this was one of those concepts you don’t think will come to reality. I say that, having spoken to the design team about it years ago, and seen plenty of renderings of what it might look like. So, the curiosity of such a venture we expected. The fact that our video tour from its launch at…

‘The Ultim is the ultimate sailing machine in the world’ ALAN ROBERTS NOMINATES THE ULTIM ACTUAL 4 “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve sailed on a lot of really cool boats, modern boats, but also my background’s from dinghy sailing. So up until recently I probably would have said the International 14, which is an absolute classic, or the Merlin Rocket in the UK. But without a doubt, the Ultim is the coolest boat I’ve sailed on.” Roberts was part of the Actual Ultim 4 crew for the Rolex Fastnet Race. “This was the old Gitana, it’s the new Actual 4. We put the boat in the water a week before the race, and when you buy these boats, you don’t get given all the information – or even all the…

The Yacht Club de Monaco team of Jolt 6, skippered by Pierre Casiraghi and Jolt 3, skippered by Peter Harrison, has won the revived Admiral’s Cup after a high tension finish with the event’s conclusion in the Rolex Fastnet Race. Going into the Fastnet, after one double-scoring Channel race and three days of inshore racing, the Royal Hong Kong YC team led on 36 points, ahead of Monaco on 44, with the Italian team of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in third on 59 points, and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at 76 points in fourth. The Fastnet counted for triple points, non-discardable. The Monaco team won the smaller AC2 class to overtake Hong Kong for the event overall prize. Jolt 6 skipper Casiraghi said: “Honestly, I still can’t believe…

The 2025 Moth World Championships were held during Foiling Week, from 7-13 July on Lake Garda, and attracted a truly stellar entry of high performance sailors. French sailor Enzo Ballanger came out on top, taking an incredible four wins in the uber-competitive 130-boat fleet. Ballanger finished 12 points ahead of Tom Slingsby in 2nd, ‘foiling’ the Australian’s bid for a third Moth worlds title. Other previous class champions, America’s Cup sailors and multiple medallists included Mathias Coutts (son of Russell), who finished in 12th, British Cup team member Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen in 11th, Paul Goodison in 15th, and Dylan Fletcher in 27th, such was the level of the fleet. Ballanger was skipper of the French Orient Express Racing team in the Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona last year. The Foiling…

Whether you’re part of a dinghy class that has seen its fleet size for the open meeting circuit collapse, or a high profile keelboat regatta that is struggling to attract crews to the start line and the parties, the debates in the dinghy park and committee rooms all centre on the same question: what have we got to do to restore attendances? For event organisers, class associations and sailors trying to figure out what is happening to the sport it’s a very real problem. Yet I’d argue that this summer has been exceptional when it comes to showing some of the possible answers. Clues have been hidden in plain sight. Based on what I’ve seen in my own backyard of the Solent, I’ll admit I’m talking from a parochial position.…

“Mom, wake up! We're approaching Cabo Frio.” My daughter’s voice cut through my drowsy thoughts as I dozed in the starboard cabin. I got up immediately, not wanting to miss it. In our 14 years of sailing as a family, it was our fifth time rounding this cape – but the first time we’d see it clearly in daylight with good visibility. Aboard Thunderbird, our 15m performance cruising trimaran, was my husband, James, and our six children: Tormi (16), Raivo (14), Pearl (12), Zan (9), Jade (6), and Atlas (4). Time has passed quickly since we last rounded Cabo Frio in 2020. I was pregnant then with my youngest child, heavy with a growing baby and uncertainty. We were sailing south-east from Vitória to Ilhabela, riding the early waves of…

‘It’s a superlight cruiser with serious gas’ Tuesday 12 May 2025 in Skaerbaek, Denmark, was a special day, a defining moment in my sailing career. I’m normally deliberately objective when testing, but I admit to really falling for this quirky winged beast – in that fresh phase, infatuated sort of way. I fully accept a rapid cruising trimaran won’t suit everyone, and I’ll list the reasons why. But, after two exceptional days spent aboard, I also feel confident in highlighting the many reasons why this is the most successful new yacht this year – with 28 ordered before this first one launched! Dragonfly has been building trimarans near Kolding since 1967 and remains a Quorning family-run yard. Its new 36 marries modern design and engineering ingenuity, including buoyant, wave-piercing bows…

It’s 0230 in the morning and we’re sailing close-hauled mid-Channel with the breeze gusting to 30 knots. In the strongest puffs our heading feathers up a little into the wind to avoid excess heel, while simultaneously maximising VMG. Equally, in the lulls we bear away a little to power the boat up and build speed. This is exactly what you’d expect of a skilled helmsman, but I’m alone on deck, focusing on sail trim and maintaining a look out, rather than driving, while racing a Class 40 equipped with a B&G H5000 pilot system, plus additional overlays from Pixel sur Mer’s Exocet Essential system. The latter is a multifunction device that includes data logging, sophisticated sensor management and improved autopilot functionality, with both safety and performance overlays. It’s among a…

Pete Cumming shares tips for being a great watch leader with Andy Rice Although he’s the crew boss and watch captain of 100ft Maxi yacht Scallywag in his own right, Pete Cumming is always eager to learn from the best. After operating as a driver/trimmer on board Volvo 70 Tschüss 2’s line honours victory in the Transatlantic Race 2025 in June, he was inspired by the calm leadership of watch captains Neal McDonald and Stu Bannatyne. “Neal and Stu are really good at making sure everyone on the boat is connected with the decision-making process, which keeps everyone motivated and all pushing towards the same objective. Which might seem really obvious, but I’ve been on plenty of boats where the front end of the boat has no idea what the…

As we went to press, the overall IRC winner of the centenary edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2025 was confirmed as Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert’s JPK 1050 Léon. Loison and Kelbert won the Fastnet Challenge Cup, for IRC overall on corrected time, as well as the double-handed division and IRC 2. For Loison this is a remarkable second overall Rolex Fastnet Race win, having won sailing double-handed with his father in 2013. Léon beat 379 IRC yachts for the trophy, while the race had a record fleet of 444, including multihulls, IMOCAs and Class 40s. “We pushed the boat really hard throughout,” said Loison. “To win again in double-handed, 12 years later, it’s incredible. “For me, the Fastnet is the very best race in the world. It’s a…

The Magenta Project, the charity which focuses on equity for women in sailing, has launched an ambitious survey to review the state of the sport and wider marine industry. The ‘2x25’ global survey builds on the 2019 Women in Sailing Strategic Review, where 59% of women reported personal discrimination and 80% said gender imbalance was a problem. The 2x25 will see if progress has been made to redress those imbalances – and also widen the survey to research race discrimination, ableism and age-related barriers. The survey runs until September 2025, with findings to be presented at the World Sailing AGM in November 2025, and publicly launched at METS and the Yacht Racing Forum. Magenta Project CEO Victoria Low said: “Our sport and the wider marine industry are built on data.…

‘Overcoming challenges’ was a keynote talk I gave recently, which came with the brief to ‘be motivating and uplifting’. So I told a story about one of the most testing leadership moments I’ve had at sea. We were three weeks into a tragic leg of the Clipper Race, sailing from South Africa to Fremantle. One boat had been abandoned off the Cape of Good Hope. Another had suffered a fatality following a (tethered) Man Overboard. In the wake of all this, we had found ourselves becalmed in a massive wind hole. I was emotionally and physically drained, and now we were stuck. It’s fair to say, I wasn’t in the best mood. Eventually, one of my crew spoke up: “Nikki, you’re stressed and taking it out on us. It’s affecting…

It’s early morning on 25 June, and last night was tough. The wind peaked at 32 knots and up on deck the mood was a little sombre. Down in the galley area was the A4 gennaker, soaking wet after being recovered from the sea. The heavy air sail had burst its zippers before it was on the halyard lock, filling prematurely and loading the halyard. As the on-watch crew tried to winch it up the final metre, the halyard snapped. After I’d shouted for assistance, the soggy sail was recovered back on board, but was in two pieces. I ran the tapes to see if it was repairable, but sadly the A4 was done. I glanced at the nav computer, we needed that sail to stay with the fleet riding…

INFLATABLE WINGSAIL MODX • RUNNING A WATCH • BUYING A YACHT FOR £100,000-£250,000 How do you prepare for every first aid eventuality? We get expert advice on how to prevent medical incidents offshore, and what to do if you need help Without medical services, how do you keep yourself, your crew, or your family healthy? It’s one of the most daunting elements of sailing offshore. We joined crews preparing for the Grand Large Odyssey: a three-year, 35,000-mile round the world rally organised by Grand Large Yachting, builders of Outremer, Gunboat, ORC, RM, Allures and Garcia brands, for owners of those boats (the next edition starts in November this year). Ahead of the rally start, GLY held a ‘World Odyssey University’; a week-long series of seminars and networking events crammed with…

From £100,000 to £250,000 might not buy you a large boat new, but you can make your money go a long way with the same amount on the used yacht market Visit any of the major boat shows with a view to placing an order and a budget of around £100,000 to £250,000 will put you in the production-built yacht market, perhaps up to around 40ft at a stretch. It won’t buy you even the smallest Hallberg-Rassy new. But take the same amount into the used market and a lot of options open up if you’re prepared to buy an older yacht. A TRICKY PRICE POINT? Buying an older yacht is not without complications. It can be hard to predict what will need to be spent, even after having a…