In previous blog posts we have looked at how disability shouldn’t be an issue preventing you from competing among the best. This post will look at how women have routinely out competed men in offshore sailing – when racing offshore, it really doesn’t matter what gender you are, just as long as you can outfox […]
In the last Americas Cup the world was captivated by foiling 72ft sailing catamarans that blasted around the San Francisco race circuit at up to twice the speed of the wind. Though foiling boats have been around for many years – in the 70’s the Soviet Union began a hydrofoil passenger service through St Petersburg, […]
Last week we looked at disabled sailing as a great way for people with disabilities to get afloat and compete on a level playing field with able bodied sportsmen. It is one of the only sports where this happens on a regular basis. On Friday the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that sailing would be […]
FACT: You do not have to be able bodied to beat the fleet in sailing. The sport is one of the most egalitarian of all – as much a game of the mind as the body. Women can out sail men, and the disabled can beat able bodied sailors in most dinghy and yacht races. […]
When you see the €10 million team Volvo Ocean Race boats going around the world at speed, or the America’s Cup foiling catamarans screaming around San Francisco Bay, you may be forgiven for assuming that sailing is for rich people with nothing better to do with their time. When you realise that 99% of sailors […]
Lately you’ll have read a lot on this blog about elite racers blasting across the ocean in races such as the Volvo Ocean Race or around the buoys in the America’s Cup. A lot won’t even aspire to sail on one – they just like sailing for sailing’s sake. In general there are two types […]
When you think of sailing as a sport and a hobby, you tend to think of the physical skills learned, whether trimming sails, maintaining an engine or navigation. Research is increasingly showing that there is far more to learning to sail than the physical acts of taking a boat onto the water and sailing it […]
Chartering a boat and sailing with your children can be a fun family bonding experience. It can be great fun to teach your children about sailing and about maritime matters, and you get to spend some time in some breathtakingly beautiful places while you do it. There are many ways to ensure that you have […]
Last week I reported on the Volvo Ocean Team Vestas Wind running aground on shoals 270 miles off Mauritius. The team have admitted human error in the accident, discussing exactly what happened in a press conference you can listen to here. Essentially the navigator didn’t spot the shoal on his electronic charting system so plotted […]
The Danish Volvo Ocean Race competitor Team Vestas Wind hit a reef near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and has been abandoned. The vessel hit the coral reef at around 15 knots, and the stern was jammed on the reef, the impact having broken off her two rudders. The crew abandoned ship before dawn as […]