Yachting World September 2022

What does the word ‘yachtsman’ mean to you? Does it automatically mean a male sailor – or can it apply to both men and women (certainly that is Yachting World’s long-standing usage)? While we’re committed to increasing female representation in the magazine (quick name check for Nikki Henderson, Emma Sanderson and Janneke Kuysters ‘s great features in this issue), should female sailors be referred to as ‘yachtswomen’, or is that more archaic? If a neutral term is better – then what? ‘Sailor’ fits the bill in many situations, but is all-encompassing. Yachtsman is, to my mind at least, specific to skippering or crewing a yacht, with connotations of skills and seamanship, and that can be an important distinction. An alternative is ‘yachtsperson’. This is subjective territory, but one of the…

Details of the first ever Women’s America’s Cup, and a relaunched Youth America’s Cup series, have been announced. The concept for the events was revealed in the Protocol for the 37th America’s Cup in November 2021, including the fact that both events would be sailed in the AC40, a smaller version of the AC75 which will also be used as a technical test bed by the teams. Now the format of the events has also been confirmed. Both the Women’s and Youth America’s Cup regattas will be contested between 12 teams, split into two pools of six for an initial fleet racing series. The first pool will be fielded by teams that are also entered in the America’s Cup. The second pool will be made up of entries by independent…

Like buses, new IMOCAs are coming along three at once in France at the moment. Hot on the heels of Kevin Escoffier’s new PRB launched earlier this summer (see August issue), three brand new IMOCAs have also splashed in quick succession, with skippers and their teams getting increasingly inventive in their launch party presentations. First to debut his new boat was Maxime Sorel in late June, with the dragon liveried V&B-Monbana-Mayenne (complete with fire breathing smoke effects). Sorel finished 10th in his first Vendée Globe, competing in a non-foiling design from 2007 last time. His new IMOCA is a sistership of Charlie Dalin’s well-proven Apivia by Guillaume Verdier with a modified bow and latest generation foils, built by MerConcept. Next was Jérémie Beyou’s new Charal 2, a radical Sam Manuard…

The first edition of a brand new offshore race organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), the Roschier Baltic Sea Race, took place in July. The 635-mile race saw a compact but competitive fleet of 26 boats starting the inaugural edition, including TP52s, VO65s and IRC designs with teams from Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Great Britain and Spain. The race started and finished in Helsinki, Finland, taking in a looping course around the Baltic Sea and Stockholm archipelago, rounding the Swedish island of Gotland. Helsinki is north of 60°N and in July there is near-constant daylight, so the fleet set off from the early evening start in still-warm sunshine and a zephyr light southerly breeze, which filled in as the fleet rounded the Helsinki Lighthouse 12 miles south…

Entries are now open for the 16th edition of the Transat Paprec (formerly Transat AG2R-La Mondiale), which for the next edition will be the first ever transatlantic race for mixed male/female double-handed crews. The 2023 race starts on 30 April on a 3,900-mile course from Concarneau in Brittany, France, to Saint-Barthélemy in the Caribbean and will be raced in one-design Figaro Bénéteau 3 yachts. The move to a male/female format reflects a joint commitment to increase the opportunities for female skippers by event organisers OC Sport Pen Duick, title partner Paprec and the Figaro class. OC Sport Pen Duick CEO Hervé Favre said: “The double-handed transat – now the Transat Paprec – has always been a race for both professional skippers and young talents in the making. This new format…

Plans to dismantle a 95-year-old railway bridge in Rotterdam in order to allow the launch of a new 400ft superyacht commissioned by Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos have reportedly been cancelled. The Koningshavenbrug bridge, known as ‘De Hef’, was opened in 1927 and is the first lifting bridge of its kind in Europe. Although the railway line over it was removed in 1993, the bridge was restored in 2017 and designated a national heritage monument. A request lodged earlier this year to take down – then rebuild – the bridge in order to allow the 417ft yacht code-named Y721 to exit the Oceanco yard, caused an outcry, with activists calling for people to throw eggs at the yacht as it passed. Rotterdam officials have since said the request has been cancelled,…