Yachting World February 2020

As cruising events such as the annual ARC rally make very plain, the popularity of multihulls for bluewater sailing is growing, and fast. It is the biggest trend, in the literal sense, but far from the only notable one. There has been a steady move away from complex machinery to simpler and lighter systems for self-sufficiency. Using solar power as the principal or even exclusive source of energy has become commonplace and is taking over from the once ubiquitous (and noisy) wind turbine. Shipping back home after a one-way trip is also on the rise. It is an option that seems to have been costed into people’s bluewater plans from the outset, and allows owners to consider buying different types of yachts and designs, since they won’t need to battle their way…

As cruising events such as the annual ARC rally make very plain, the popularity of multihulls for bluewater sailing is growing, and fast. It is the biggest trend, in the literal sense, but far from the only notable one. There has been a steady move away from complex machinery to simpler and lighter systems for self-sufficiency. Using solar power as the principal or even exclusive source of energy has become commonplace and is taking over from the once ubiquitous (and noisy) wind turbine. Shipping back home after a one-way trip is also on the rise. It is an option that seems to have been costed into people’s bluewater plans from the outset, and allows owners to consider buying different types of yachts and designs, since they won’t need to battle…

Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier have won the first big test of the new generation Ultime foiling trimarans, the Brest Atlantiques Race, with the Gitana team’s Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. The Brest Atlantiques was a double-handed 14,000-mile race around the Atlantic, from Brest in France to Rio, then Cape Town, and back to Brest. Four Ultime 32/23 trimarans (the box rule for trimarans of up to 32m LOA and 23m beam, with foiling appendages allowed) lined up: Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, François Gabart’s Macif, Thomas Coville’s brand new Sodebo, and Actual Leader (ex-Sodebo). The race was a significant test for the trimarans as they build up to around the world races, and three of the four completed the course. Despite some potentially boat-breaking conditions as they left Biscay and in the early…

Oyster expands A full order book means that Oyster Yachts is looking to recruit an additional 150 tradespeople for its Wroxham and Southampton yards, the company has announced. Scaramouche is Cowes charity Cowes Week Limited has announced that the official charity for the 2020 regatta will be the Greig City Academy’s Scaramouche Sailing Trust, which enables pupils from the inner-London school to compete at events including Cowes Week and the Fastnet as well as restore their own keelboat. Percy wins Stars Britain’s Iain Percy, teaming up with Sweden’s Anders Ekström, has won the Star Sailors League. Percy, an Olympic Gold Medallist, and Ekström, a former World Champion and Bronze Medallist, proved an unbeatable combination in one of racing’s most demanding and technical classes at the league’s final in Nassau, Bahamas. Lifetime award for Janet Grosvenor A well-deserved…

Oyster expands A full order book means that Oyster Yachts is looking to recruit an additional 150 tradespeople for its Wroxham and Southampton yards, the company has announced. Scaramouche is Cowes charity Cowes Week Limited has announced that the official charity for the 2020 regatta will be the Greig City Academy’s Scaramouche Sailing Trust, which enables pupils from the inner-London school to compete at events including Cowes Week and the Fastnet as well as restore their own keelboat. Percy wins Stars Britain’s Iain Percy, teaming up with Sweden’s Anders Ekström, has won the Star Sailors League. Percy, an Olympic Gold Medallist, and Ekström, a former World Champion and Bronze Medallist, proved an unbeatable combination in one of racing’s most demanding and technical classes at the league’s final in Nassau, Bahamas.…

World Sailing has released a ‘strategic review’ looking at the representation of women in sailing, particularly racing. The review was underwritten by Andrew Pindar, after he was frustrated by how women in sailing were represented at the World Sailing Annual Conference. The survey elicited over 4,500 responses from 75 countries, and highlighted that there is still a great deal of work to do to achieve some sort of gender parity in sailing: 59% of female respondents reported that they had experienced gender discrimination in the sport, which increased to over 89% for female offshore sailors. Reported incidents ranged from cases of serious sexual harassment to racing protests going unacknowledged, as well as being passed over for crewing roles. One of the biggest areas for concern was among the youth classes, where many reported…