Yachts & Yachting magazine June 2019

This month I was out testing the new Melges 14 dinghy on Portland Harbour in Dorset, where I did much of my formative dinghy racing, from Castle Cove Sailing Club. Back then I was in a battered old Laser and an average weekend would see 30 other Lasers on the startline, most of whom lapped me at least once in every race. Sailing in the harbour again, for the first time since 2001, things have changed a bit, what with the Olympic centre and a large marina now in situ, but it reminded me of the invaluable experiences I had at Castle Cove, learning about boat handling, sail trim, crewing and racing rules from more experienced and extremely patient club members. This month’s Yachts & Yachting looks at how to start…

Simulator sessions for SailGP crews As the technology-packed SailGP championship gets into its stride this season, competing crews have been offered the chance to improve their skills on a multi-million pound simulator. The simulator is owned and operated by tech firm Artemis, who developed it as part of their own 2017 America’s Cup campaign. The new SailGP championship is raced using the fleet of former AC boats, and teams can buy hours on the Artemis simulator in order to top up the limited time their crews have on the water. The space-age set-up is tucked away in a corner of a Slough industrial estate – not a place you’d necessarily expect to find teams of elite international sailors in race gear and harnesses battling with the controls of a giant foiling catamaran at…

2,000 miles. The distance last-placed Golden Globe sailor Tapio Lehtinen had left to sail as the winner was crowned 40 years since the 1979 Fastnet Race was hit by a F11 storm, resulting in the deaths of 15 sailors, and 86 yachts finishing out of the fleet of 303 starters 41 knots. Speed attained by Thomas Coville’s foiling maxi trimaran – and 2019 Fastnet entrant – Sodebo 3 in early trials in France 143 minutes. (And 23 seconds.) The outight race record set by MOD70 mulithull Phaedo^3 in the 2016 Round the Island Race. Entries are currently open for the 2019 edition...…

“I’m super excited – there was a big build-up to this event so I’m really happy to have won it. We’ve had a massive mix of conditions, so I’ve just tried to get good starts and be as consistent as possible.” Matilda Nicholls, 17, from Durley, Hants, who took the top spot in the Laser Radial girls fleet at the biggest ever RYA Youth National Championships in Weymouth in April. “Normally Easter is a pretty tough event with a huge variety of conditions, but to have this high pressure system sitting over us just doesn’t work for sailing. The race management team has tried to be patient and do the best they can, but despite the cold water temperature and the hot temperature on the land, the northeasterly gradient has stopped any…

Cowes A new small boat channel has been dredged on the approach to Cowes harbour. It’s designed to help minimise the risk of leisure craft colliding with ferries and other commercial traffic. Proud Oscar Cawthorne and Joe Warwicker have joined NeilPryde Sailing as new ‘Young Guns’, campaigning a 420 and RS Feva respectively. Sailability This year’s RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta will be hosted at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on 5-7 July. Now the UK’s biggest disability sailing event of its kind, the event promises three days of racing and other activities on the protected waters of the harbour. Maxi mad At least 27 maxi yachts will take to the Bay of Naples and its surrounding waters over 10-18 May for Rolex Capri Sailing Week. Strategy The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has announced…

Hyde makes sails for a range of boats. Which is your biggest sector? Dinghies numerically. We make about 16,000 per year. But yacht sails are increasing steadily and account for a similar amount in value. We also make about 16,000 covers and accessories per yer, as well as an increasing number of kite sails. In total we make about 50,000 products per year. What advice do you offer a first time sail buyer? Look for value not price. The cost of your sail is the price divided by the number of times you use it. A sail that has a longer effective life can be cheaper in the long run, especially for cruising sails. Check the cloth – it is easy to make a cheaper sail with cheap cloth. Cloth is…