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The Solent Has Its Own Stay!

A stay that gets its name from a strait separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland of southern England, the Solent. This traditionally windy place with strong currents can cause rough sea conditions and can make for some interesting sailing, to say the least. This body of water is also famous for hosting one of sailing’s largest events known as Cowes Week. These…

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Volvo Ocean Race LIVE!

Tomorrow early afternoon begins my favorite event in sailing, the Volvo Ocean Race….. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY4iT1nGegc&w=560&h=315] Alicante, Spain will host tomorrow’s in-port race as well as the start of the world’s most epic ’round the world battle….. and this time it’s one design baby! Be sure to catch all of the action LIVE on the official www.volvooceanrace.com website. I…

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No Rudder, No Problem!

Ever wonder, “what if we lose steerage”? Well this little video, brought to you by our friends at Yachting Monthly, covers a few concepts to help allow you to get your boat back under control. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99KSZ3mEoKQ&w=420&h=315]   They say that they took a rudderless GK29 and tried 3 different ways of steering it. Maybe…

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Team Groupama Dismasted!

In typical Extreme Sailing Series fashion, Act 1 kicks off with no shortage of collisions and wipeouts. The race took place in Singapore Harbor last weekend. Day 3 delivered possibly one of the event’s most dramatic moments in its eight-year history. The home Team Aberdeen Singapore caught a huge gust near the finish line and plowed…

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Classic Lines, Modern Comforts, and…

…easy to handle. The Tofinou 12 is hard to be outdone as far looks and ease of sail handling are concerned. I really like the sort of “Dragon-ish” foredeck design which puts the headstay several feet in from the very point of the boat. This allows the asymmetrical spinnaker to be flown via an internal tack…

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Boxing Day…

… December 26th, is also the start of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race 2013. This race marks the 68th anniversary for the event; continuing the tradition of racing from Australia’s Port Jackson/Sydney Harbour, south across the Bass Strait, along the east coast of the historic island of Tasmania and into Hobart. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhMjlcE_UxQ&w=420&h=315] This epic event has…

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Vitters Carbon #whatayacht

Vitters Shipyard does it again. “Sarissa” a 42.6 m (140.58′) carbon fiber spectacle, is the largest carbon sloop built in the Netherlands, maybe even in the world, to date. Check out the Vitters Shipyard YouTube feed for more super yacht footage. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POFjB0mIaBc&w=560&h=315] This design oozes modern style, remarkable speed (it cruises at 11 knots) and offers…

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One Boat Closer….V.O.R.

I can hardly wait any longer for this race to kick off. Since hydro-foiling catamaran’s with fixed wings are still not safe to sail around the world, the Volvo Ocean 65 will have to do ;-0) Although it does look like they have integrated the wave piercing bow into the design……. These boats are obviously…

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Oh to Dream

Sometimes it nice just to see what the world’s financially elite are up to. Apparently being an architect pays well… Behold the beautiful 44.7m (147ft) lift keel sloop “Lady B”. Built and launched by Vitters Shipyard who design some pretty incredible boats. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86aVYZMZuxA&w=560&h=315] “Lady B” is a sleek performance yacht with the ever-sought-after low-slung lines of…