Yachts & Yachting magazine February 2022

WHAT A WELCOME RELIEF it was that British Yachting Awards ceremony was able to go ahead at the Royal Thames Yacht Club this year. Virtual gatherings are all very well but nothing beats seeing people face to face again. The joy of that is hard to equal. I was also struck by how privileged we sailors are to have such an array of talent on show. Not only talent but also amazing events that we can enjoy at our leisure throughout the sailing season. We are indeed blessed and I feel very fortunate that I am part of a magazine that can provide recognition for achievements when they are deserved. Speaking of good fortune, I was in Las Palmas in late November to watch the latest iteration of the Atlantic Rally…

The Swiss team Alinghi is back in the America’s Cup, confirming one of the biggest rumours doing the rounds in Cup circles. Alinghi will partner with Red Bull – they are “friendly rivals” on the GC32 racing catamaran circuit – to form Alinghi Red Bull Racing, backed by the Société Nautique de Genève. The new team will be led by Alinghi’s GC32 co-skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis and mainsail trimmer Bryan Mettraux, who will begin training for the next America’s Cup over the winter with what is being labelled a “100% Swiss-made crew”. The Alinghi brand first became known to the wider sailing world when owner Ernesto Bertarelli challenged for and won the 2003 America’s Cup in Auckland, beating the Kiwis on their home waters with a crew made up largely of hired New…

Plymouth, Devon, will host a second successive SailGP event, it has been confirmed, as the global racing series announces its season three venues. Plymouth was a hugely successful venue for SailGP in July 2021, the city council getting behind the event and thousands of people watching ashore on the Hoe and afloat on their own boats or official spectator boats. The natural amphitheatre of Plymouth Sound made for a spectacular venue, with the race course easily viewable. Meanwhile SailGP’s wider initiatives benefited the local community including a donation of £20k for local youth sailors. SailGP Plymouth 2021 was voted runner-up in our British Yachting Awards in November, in the Event of the Year category (see page 19). SailGP announced its season three venues on 7 December, with season two meanwhile still to conclude. Season…

British Olympic 470 gold medalists Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre were voted Rolex World Sailors of the Year in a virtual ceremony broadcast on 2 December. Australia’s Tom Slingsby won the male 2021 Rolex World Sailor of the Year in celebration of his achievements in three competitive classes over the past two years (Moth, SailGP and offshore in the Rolex Middle Sea Race). The World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award went to the Sail Africa Youth Development Foundation for increasing the participation of ethnically diverse and female sailors in Durban, South Africa. Shortly afterwards, Mills announced her retirement from Olympic sailing, along with other members of the Tokyo squad. She said: “I’ll be working on my sustainability campaign which I’m really passionate about while exploring some exciting opportunities in women’s sailing.…

Boatbuilder Ashley Butler is selling Penpol Boatyard in Cornwall with an asking price of at least £2 million. The working yard, being sold through Savills, comes with a recently renovated four bedroom house and wooden boat workshop overlooking the Fal Estuary. The yard can accommodate 60 vessels with an additional six deep water moorings. Ashley, who has been on the site for six years, said: “There are not many freehold boatyards that are privately owned. It’s a very strong opportunity and we’re doing all we can to keep it an owner-operated boatyard. However, people don’t have to know boatyards – there’s enough expertise here to run that side of it – but you need the business sense to handle the finances. So it doesn’t have to be someone like myself who gets their…

What is Navily? Navily was born in 2014 out of a bad experience my co-founder Benjamin and I had: three nights in a row in different anchorages that seemed good but ended up costing us a good amount of sleep. We woke up and decided to create an app where people could share their experiences and warn others. Today, the core of Navily is a Tripadvisor-like experience. Every day, community members share information on anchorages and marinas: phone numbers, photos, amenities, fuel prices, comments on the attractiveness or the cleanliness of the spot, good restaurants nearby... Navily is also developing a network of marinas in which you can easily book a berth. With over 700 partner marinas in 10 countries, Navily is the leader in Europe. Can you guarantee the information you…