Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Yachting World

A trip to Las Palmas to meet ARC participants is always worthwhile, and this year was special as it marked 40 years since the event launched, and of Yachting World’s involvement (see page 76). I spent a fascinating week walking the pontoons and talking to those about to set off. There’s something rather confessional about the interviews I do in cockpits and saloons ahead of the ARC, with sailors often sharing their deeply personal motivations for wanting to sail across an ocean. This year, unusually, several confided in me about how nervous they felt. The Atlantic has not got harder, so I initially put that down to the fact I was there a little earlier, and pre-start excitement levels hadn’t quite built up across the fleet. The weather has also…

Solo sailors Justine Mettraux and Charlie Dalin have been named Rolex World Sailors of the Year at the World Sailing Awards. French skipper Dalin was presented with the male award, after winning the 2024/25 Vendée Globe in a record-breaking time on Macif Santé Prévoyance. Swiss skipper Mettraux became the fastest woman to sail solo around the world in a monohull when she finished the Vendée Globe race in 8th on Teamwork-Team SNEF. Mettraux won the female award but was unable to accept it in person as she was competing in the Transat Cafe-L’Or at the time. Youth sailors were also honoured this year, with the Kuehne+Nagel Young World Sailor of the Year awards going to Greece’s Nikolaos Pappas, who won the 2025 Optimist World Championship aged 13, and Marta Cardona…

It’s transatlantic season, but would you cross an ocean like this? This is Matéo Lavauzelle finishing into Guadeloupe in 21st place in the modern-day solo Mini Transat. The Mini 6.50 has always been a hotbed of innovation, and the latest designs are now loaded with foils, solar panels, an enormous sail area and complex rig systems – all within just 21ft of yacht. Lavauzelle’s project, the ‘flying chip’, was named Prototype of the Year by the Mini Class and is fully foiling thanks to its outsize foils and twin T-foil rudders (considerably more extreme than its IMOCA bigger cousins). Due to Atlantic storms this year’s race came down to a single sprint from La Palma to Guadeloupe.…

Space is back in fashion, and with media interest at a level not seen since the days of the Apollo lunar missions it can be difficult to keep up. Whether it’s SpaceX’s seemingly hit-and-miss approach to flight testing, or NASA’s declared aim to return people to the moon, there’s plenty to take in. So, when details started to appear of a rival satellite-driven internet system to Elon Musk’s Starlink from Amazon guru Jeff Bezos in the form of Project Kuiper you could be forgiven for rolling your eyes at yet another display of wealth and ego. Or could a new, deep-pocketed player in the satcom scene provide more opportunities and a better deal for those of us down at sea level? Surely Musk has this market stitched up, with over…

Shortly after 10.30 in the evening on Saturday, 25 October, French team mates Erwan Le Draoulec and Tanguy Le Turquais found themselves upside down in a capsized trimaran in 30-knot winds with the waters of the English Channel rising inside their boat. Though Le Turquais says there was no panic on board, fear did momentarily take hold as air inside their smashed Ocean Fifty became scarce, and the pair realised the aft hatch was blocked by bags. “It lasted five or 10 seconds maybe, but they felt like hours,” recounted a shocked Le Turquais. “I was thinking: we’re going to drown here like a couple of idiots.” Fortunately, both were rescued safely, along with four more competitors, in a hectic few hours of incidents. THE COFFEE ROUTE If it’s an…

“At first I was ready for it. The sky had clouded over, and the wind was so strong I had taken down the large headsail and replaced it with the small, stronger, working jib. But the night grew blacker and blacker; the waves reared up high and Ilimo was being flung around this way and that. As I fought to control her, I wondered what effect mast-high seas could have on a 7.3m plywood Folkboat. I was soon to learn,” wrote Ann Gash, the Australian solo circumnavigator, in her memoir A Star to Steer Her By. “All that day the weather seemed to build and build. I tried to get some sunsights, but it was impossible – all I could see was the tops of the waves with their breaking,…

ANAHITA 100 The ‘world’s fastest cruiser’ is in build LOA 31m 101ft 9in • Beam 21m 68ft 11in • Displacement 34,000kg 74,956lb • Draught 2.00m 6ft 7in • Price €27m Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ‘cruise’ aboard an Ultim in comfort? This audacious new project, which is already being built for an owner, could be the closest thing yet. While the odd maxi cat has previously been retrofitted for minimalist fast cruising, this 100ft trimaran is designed from scratch to set a new bar of luxury performance sailing. The tri platform is also a more powerful, stable and safer one than a cat, its development team argues. Anahita 100 is a project born in, and utilising the high-performance skills of, Brittany’s famed Sailing Valley. Designed…

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, and Yachting World has been there since the start Back in 1985 Margaret Thatcher was in Downing Street, Mikhail Gorbachev in the Kremlin, and a world-famous pop star was airlifted off his capsized yacht when Drum – belonging to Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran fame – turned over during the Fastnet Race. It was, in every respect, a very different time. That autumn sailor and author Jimmy Cornell arrived in the Canary Islands on assignment for Yachting World (in those days a print magazine only, of course), tasked with finding sailors about to set off on an Atlantic crossing. Cornell had four years previously completed his own circumnavigation with his young family while also recording radio content…

British America’s Cup team Athena Racing has announced that legendary sailor and team boss Ian Walker MBE has been appointed chief executive officer. Walker joins Sir Ben Ainslie’s team for its Challenge for AC38, reuniting two of Britain’s most successful competitive sailors. Significantly for British fans, it also sends a strong signal that the Challenger of Record – which has not revealed any major backers since splitting from INEOS in January 2025 – is gearing up for a full-power attack on the 38th America’s Cup. Team principal Ainslie added fuel to that fire in an interview with news outlet Reuters on 14 November, saying that a backer would be announced within weeks. Ainslie also hinted that the team would be able to spend up to the newly enforced budget limitation,…

A bumper gathering of 126 ‘Cape Horners’ assembled in Southampton in November to induct new members into the Cape Horn Hall of Fame. Those recognised included five-time circumnavigator Paul Standbridge, photographer Rick Tomlinson, ocean racer Sam Davies, Vendée Globe winner Charlie Dalin, and trailblazing sailors Catherine Chabaud and Isabelle Autissier. Other award recipients included the Chilean lighthouse keepers based on Cape Horn who man this remote station 24 hours a day. Captain Patricio Concha, the Chilean Naval Attache was presented with an honorary membership certificate by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston on behalf of the lighthouse keepers. A new International Ocean Safety Award was presented jointly to the crews of RNLI Newhaven Lifeboat and the Lydd-based Coastguard rescue helicopter team for the successful rescue in a hazardous joint operation to save an…

What is seamanship? The Oxford dictionary defines seamanship as ‘the skill, technique or practice of handling a ship at sea’. But the more I’ve dug into it, I’ve realised seamanship has just about as many definitions as there are captains. The word seamanship has been used since the 1700s. Just as the ‘ship’ in leadership implies mastery, ‘seamanship’ is about being an expert seaman. If it was thought up today, I imagine it would be ‘sailor-ship’ – but don’t panic, this column isn’t about new-age terminology. A few centuries ago, seamanship was everything involved in getting from one port to another ‘shipshape and in Bristol fashion’ – keeping the crew alive, the decks scrubbed and the boat floating. Today the details have modernised but the basis remains. It’s about parking…

In 1981, Nautor launched its first German Frers design, a Swan 51 that sparked one of the most successful designer/builder relations in yachting. Yet today’s version (by the same team) is a world apart. Since that original design, with its traditional soft entry, compact aft cockpit, tucked-in stern sections and wineglass transom, volume has swelled astronomically. So much so that the new 51 could probably swallow its original ancestor twice over in a nautical game of Pac-Man. And yet the new 51 is still arguably one of the most elegant Swans in years, and looked every inch the fast cruiser of today as it made a fitting debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival before we boarded it for sea trials in Saint-Tropez. Times have changed, and while Swan is one…

What is it? Twin connected gennakers for running or reaching, which use structured luffs and integrated furling technology Who’s it for? Cruising sailors considering any long downwind passages What would be your ideal tradewind sail setup? Keep things simple with a poledout genoa, go more specialist with a Parasailor, or fly a combination of options? As we write this, during that time of year when hundreds of yachts are setting off across the pond on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC), we learn of this promising new, versatile solution from OneSails. Its IFS Multi Tradewind Sail is based on the age-old ‘wing on/and wing’ or ‘twins’ headsail setup, but using modern asymmetric spinnaker technology rather than headsails/genoas to make it potentially easier to handle, more versatile and performance oriented. It…

Starlink appeared near-ubiquitous on ARC yachts this year and the boom in affordable sat comms has resulted in an increasing number of younger cruisers who are taking their careers with them. Travis James and his partner, Tullia Hellyn, are part of this new liveboard tribe. “We were working in the nuclear industry as design engineers, and we’ve set up our own engineering consultancy that we do remotely. We’ve been busy with boat repairs and getting here, but we’ll take on some work when we get to the Caribbean,” explained Travis. PRIORITIES The British couple joined the ARC for multiple reasons – an insurance premium discount being one, as well as the safety and social element – though they are also typical of the Millennial generation by not drinking alcohol. “We…

The 40th edition of the ARC transatlantic rally set off on 24 November, with 820 sailors on 145 yachts ranging from 34-81ft making the passage to St Lucia in the Caribbean. Three weeks previously the World Cruising Club-run ARC+ also left Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with a further 56 boats and 400 crew, sailing the transatlantic via Mindelo in the Cape Verde islands and then on to Grenada. As ever, the fleets were wildly diverse. Crew aboard the smallest yacht in the ARC fleet, the 34ft JPK 10.30 Heartbeat2, were setting off with zero creature comforts, as skipper Marlene Hedwig Brudek explained. The three-man crew are taking freeze-dried food to be prepared on a jet-boil, and will be hot-bunking in the boat’s sole bed. By contrast the largest yacht…

A voluntary check-in scheme for sailors in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific has been set up to improve safety for boats in the area. The scheme has been spearheaded by the Ocean Posse, a community of cruisers and rally sailors around the Caribbean, Central America and Pacific, together with US Southern Command, the US department of defence responsible for security in the region. Concerns have been expressed over the reduced search and rescue capabilities in Venezuelan waters. There has also been an increase in counter-narcotics operations by multiple government authorities in the region, and worries about the potential for sailing yachts to be mistakenly or maliciously identified as drug-running vessels. Ocean Posse founder Dietmar Petutschnig explained: “Concerns were raised on our weekly fleet calls by several Ocean Posse yachts in…

Seeing double? Excess 13 & Seawind 1170 We test two of the most promising new sporty family cruising catamarans. With the Lombard-designed 13, has Excess come of age, asks Toby Hodges? While François Tregouet steals the rare chance to sail a new 40ft cat from popular Australian brand Seawind. Gear of the Year Award-winning, innovative and eye-catching new products from this year’s DAME awards and Metstrade show – could one or more of them transform your sailing in the future? Unbridled ambition The Ultim class is the absolute pinnacle of ocean racing: Helen Fretter goes behind the scenes of the new Gitana 18, created to become the new world-beater. What can a no-limits foiling trimaran achieve next? Smart cruising skills A special report on all the latest guidance for cruising…

Many cruisers focus on the eastern Caribbean, but there are some amazing cruising options further north and north-east: the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the coastal waters of the US, and the paradise islands of the Bahamas. With the right yacht, you can even opt for America’s Great Loop: an adventure in itself. So many cruisers dive south to Panama on a tight time frame. But if you’re on a more relaxed schedule, once the warm Caribbean winds have blown you across the Caribbean Sea to Central America, where next? Perhaps you’ve spent the hurricane season in the Rio Dulce in Guatemala and are looking for an adventurous way to go north. Mexico makes for an interesting destination, and is also the starting point of a memorable season which takes you…

One foot east, one foot west. I stand on a line inscribed in stone: the Prime Meridian, longitude of zero. This threshold marks a rite of passage for becoming a celestial navigator. It’s April 2023 and I’ve journeyed a long way to the UK for my RYA Yachtmaster Ocean exam, where I’ll be extensively questioned on the South Atlantic passage I sailed the previous year with Vinson of Antarctica, and on the ins and outs of my navigational records. I’d spent six weeks aboard the expedition vessel, first learning the basics of wayfinding by sextant from shore, and then putting it into practice on a 4,000-mile downwind delivery strewn with storms and turbulent seas. I didn’t realise then, but I was embarking on an even bigger journey that would take…

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In an age where comfortable electric cars are capable of faster acceleration than any petrol supercar, where we have home solar power, house power banks and portable lithium power banks instead of noisy generator sets, it’s curious that many sailors still cling to their noisy, smelly petrol-powered outboard motors. I have used both petrol and electric motors regularly on my daily commute by tender so have had plenty of opportunity to investigate the pros and cons of each. WHAT ARE ELECTRIC MOTORS LIKE TO LIVE WITH? At no point did I consider what I might save on petrol as a consequence of switching to an electric outboard. That wasn’t part of my initial decision-making process, but it’s worth doing the sums anyway. I’d say I use between £7 (5lt/1gal) and…

Imagine you’ve just bought your dream yacht, but it’s floating thousands of miles away. Getting it delivered to its new berth often involves arranging taxes, registration and insurance, and possibly refitting. Hiring a skipper can help you with all of these things, not just sailing it. I was recently a delivery skipper for a new owner who needed a VAT-free bargain yacht in Finland sailed over to the Irish Republic, once a Jersey flag registration was obtained. There are well-trodden delivery paths, for example a thriving trade takes new or refitted Hallberg - Rassys from Ellos in Sweden to all points south, and Lagoon catamarans out from their base in Bordeaux, France. A newly-acquired yacht might not need anything retrofitted, but a delivery skipper will require some necessities for an…

‘In flat water and a breeze you can reach 25 knots’ FRANCESCA CLAPCICH NOMINATES THE 49ER FX “I did my last Olympic campaign on the 49erFX in Rio, 2016. Actually, that was the first Olympic Games where the 49er was also a women’s class, so we were a bit the pioneers of that era,” recalls Clapcich, who finished 5th at Rio representing Italy with Giulia Conti. The 49er was introduced as a women’s skiff class, with the FX rig giving lighter crews a shorter mast and reduced sail plan on the 49er platform. “The boat is really amazing. It’s a doublehanded boat with a double trapeze, and extremely physical. The physical preparation is a massive key to be able to sail the boat at the best of its performance,” says…