Yachting World December 2022

Yachting World is all about inspiring people to realise their dreams, but this issue begs the question: if you’ve ever wanted to sail away, what’s holding you back? If circumstances align and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go long-term cruising presents itself, could you seize it? Because to do so will mean overcoming some obstacles. A lack of time isn’t insurmountable, as Elaine Bunting explains in our Big Atlantic Countdown feature on page 26. If, like many of us, you look at this November’s ARC rally send-off and wish you could be on the startline next year… well, maybe you can. One year to a first ocean crossing is a tight deadline, but with smart decisions and the right boat it’s possible. Even a lack of funds – or prior experience…

Privilège sold French catamaran manufacturer Privilège Marine SAS has been bought by a consortium led by long-time CEO Gilles Wagner. Privilège Marine had been part of the HanseYachts Group since 2019, but HanseYachts AG sold its stake in the French catamaran manufacturer earlier this year as part of a shake-up of its portfolio. ARC and ARC+ Entries open Entries are open for the 2023 ARC and ARC+ rallies. The 2023 edition of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers will start from Las Palmas to St Lucia on 19 November, following its usual programme of pre-start activities from 6 November. The ARC+ starts two weeks earlier, on 5 November, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Mindelo Marina. The fleet then restarts on 17 November, heading to Grenada. 100-plus for Sydney-Hobart This…

Three French expedition sailors have completed a remarkable high latitude passage in a 23ft inflatable catamaran. Sébastien Roubinet, Jimmy Hery and Éric André set off from Banks Island, in the Arctic archipelago of Canada, at the end of June and spent three months covering more than 1,500 miles of Arctic sea and ice without assistance, before ending their voyage in Greenland’s Nares Strait in late October. The trio became the first to sail to the north of seven Canadian islands, also rounding Cape Columbia, the northernmost tip of Canadian land, on Ellesmere Island. The Nagalaqa expedition combined sailing close to the coastline or along narrow cracks of sea water in the ice for around 20% of their time, with the sailors also pushing, pulling, and sledding on the catamaran over more…

Foiling multihulls dominated at this year’s Rolex World Sailor of the Year awards, which were announced on 25 October. The Male and Female Sailors of the Year awards went to the all-conquering Nacra 17 duo of Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA). The pair took Gold at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, before winning both the Nacra 17 European Championships in July this year and the World Championships in September by impressive margins. Another unrivalled foiling catamaran performance secured the Australian SailGP team, headed up by Tom Slingsby, the Team of the Year award. Team Australia has won back-to-back SailGP titles, dominating the series since its inception. The Boat of the Year award went to the Vortex Pod Racer, a 17ft single-handed carbon trimaran designed to make high-performance foiling more accessible. The…

Momentum is building among the Challengers for the 37th America’s Cup, with activity increasing among all the teams, while the new official ‘recon’ programme means all the teams’ launches and sailing days are observed and recorded. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli was first to sail their LEQ12 test boat, a scaled down foiling monohull which may be used in addition to the AC40. Despite its ‘dazzle ship’ livery, it bears closest resemblance to the ETNZ winning AC75 from last year. It was swiftly followed by INEOS Britannia’s LEQ12 boat, code-named T6, built in the UK then launched at their new winter base in Palma. Meanwhile the New York Yacht Club Challengers American Magic have ordered two AC40 one-designs, which would give the team an opportunity to not only speed trial but…

Patience was required for competitors on the 118 yachts which set off for this year’s 606-mile Rolex Middle Sea Race, with competitors struggling for double-figure (or indeed single-figure) boat speeds at times. After a start on 22 October in zephyr-light conditions from Valetta’s Grand Harbour, some boats picked up marginal breezes, only for the winds to die on the first night approaching Messina Strait. The keenest racing was in the MOD70 fleet, which this year saw five of the former one-design trimarans taking part, many under new ownership and having undergone optimisation programmes. First home was Riccardo Pavoncelli’s Mana (formerly Spindrift), with an experienced MOD70 crew that included Paul Larsen, Jonny Malbon and Alexia Barrier. They were chased hard by Erik Maris’s Zoulou (formerly PowerPlay), which finished just 56 seconds…