Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från Yachting World

The first ever Women’s America’s Cup was won by Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli after a single, two-boat shoot-out final on 12 October. The preceding rounds were tough for all 12 teams, with long postponements and a technical breakdown of the AC40 shared by Australia and Athena Pathway which required a major rebuild. Two ‘group’ stages were held, for the six teams affiliated with Cup entries, and six ‘invited’ teams from other territories including Germany and Canada, the top three of each going through to the qualifiers. British Athena Pathway topped Group A, followed by Italy and Emirates Team New Zealand. Meanwhile the Swedish/Artemis Technologies crew led Group B, from Jajo Team DutchSail and the BCN Women Spanish squad. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and Athena Pathway then secured their spots in…

How to have the trip of a lifetime Cruising guru Jimmy Cornell distills the wisdom gained over five decades spent roaming the world’s oceans into key principles for making sure that you get the most out of your cruising trip of a lifetime. Don’t miss his rules on what to do – and what never to do! On test: J/40 An attractive, new, fast cruising yacht with an elegant hull shape that stands out against today’s voluminous cruisers – we sail this slippery new model in Palma. 20 years in the Cup David ‘Freddie’ Carr brought the 37th America’s Cup alive with his popular video debriefs. He’s been crewing in the Cup for over 20 years and shares what life is like on board these remarkable boats, plus the evolution…

Why we haven’t been matching the factory polars for our new boat? I just can’t work it out! That’s something almost every new boat owner has asked themselves at some point. Ever felt like your boat is sluggish? Or woken up for a watch offshore, thinking you were absolutely sending it, only to find your competition or nearby boats have left you in the dust? The speed issue is real. For racers, going faster means a trophy. For cruisers, being able to sail quickly means shorter passages, less strain on your boat, and a happier crew. And for all sailors, going fast is fun! So how to go faster? It’s easy to get sucked into the detail. You might pick up the North U Trim book and start thinking about…

We’re sailing through Phang Nga Bay between towering limestone spires. They’re so close in this deep squeeze of current that I can see long-tailed macaques scaling a rock pinnacle off to port. I post a clip to Instagram and a friend tells me it’s fake: “No way can that be real,” he says, and I shake my head in sheer wonder. We push on, ghosting across a giant bay so calm and protected that we could drop anchor just about anywhere. A handful of tourist speedboats make a beeline for the over-loved ‘James Bond’ Island, so we sail elsewhere and find our own patch of watery wild beneath Koh Phanak. ‘Koh’ means island in Thai and more than 100 are studded over the Andaman Sea. Deep within many of them…

Much of the credit for the numbers of restored classic yachts that are emblematic of this regatta must go to Éric Tabarly. In the late 1950s he restored his father’s William Fife-designed 15m cutter Pen Duick, encouraging and supporting many others to do the same, including fellow Fife owners. Before Pen Duick’s centenary birthday in 1998, he shared his dream that there might one day be a gathering of yachts of 100 years old or more. Though he was tragically lost at sea from his beloved yacht on the way to the Fife Regatta in Scotland that same year, the combined efforts of the Gstaad Yacht Club in Switzerland and the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez did much to encourage the Centenarian class at Les Voiles. This year 22 Centenarian yachts…

The First 30 was Beneteau’s first sailing yacht when it launched in 1977 and it has since built nearly 3,000 in its various guises. So this is a special model for the yard, which always heralds a big splash (remember the pink one designed by Juan K and Michel Desjoyeaux, which launched in 2010?). But this latest incarnation marks a step change for the yard. With less and less demand for racing or cruiser-racers, Beneteau is increasingly looking at the fast, fun cruising sector: “We feel the new sailing category is planing cruising,” announced Yann Masselot, chief sales officer of sail, at the Cannes Yachting Festival. Beneteau wants to get beginners comfortable with planing sailing. And crucial to this is keeping it to an accessible, entry-level price of €100,000. Such…

Receiving a limited edition Lego set is one of the most surprising (and best) ways I’ve seen to announce a new model (particularly for those with a Lego-obsessed child). Building something brick by brick forces you to appreciate the details, and while doing so I came to realise this 43-footer is a highly significant new model for the Groupe Beneteau brand. Cruising sailors are either drawn to or put off by aft helms. My impression is that monohull sailors used to direct rudder feedback gravitate towards them (while others used to bulkhead or flybridge helms seek that improved visibility). In the current era, Nautitech and Excess have been leading the charge with aft helm cats, so it is particularly pertinent to see Excess now engaging Marc Lombard Yacht Design’s services…

This marks another pivotal replacement model after South African yard Robertson and Caine built over 400 of the Leopard 45. Forward galleys and forward cockpits are synonymous with Leopard cruising cats and that format continues. With this 46 it also includes an abundance of seating in a large C-shape by connecting saloon and aft cockpit. To facilitate this, Leopard devised a sliding companionway door which retracts fully behind the helm station so that it can completely open out the space. It has also eradicated the forepeak crew cabin because crew didn’t use it on a skippered charter. This pushed accommodation forward and gives the option to offer a Pullman cabin for a family or skipper with layout options for three to five cabins and a utility cabin. Other options include…

With summers getting hotter, increasing numbers of tourists are heading for cooler climes: Sweden saw a 17% increase in visitor numbers in 2023, Finland 20%, Norway 29% and Denmark 14% Sweden offers cruisers a warm welcome for winter – Janneke Kuysters has advice on how to boost your sailing time in the region Sailing in the Baltic is increasingly popular, and for all the right reasons: beautiful cruising grounds, lovely weather, interesting history and hospitable countries. But the 90-day limit for non-Schengen passport holders makes it harder to explore destinations further away, such as Finland, the Baltic countries, the Gulf of Bothnia and Poland. More and more cruisers are looking for ways to extend their stay in Schengen and Sweden is offering the opportunity to do just that. SIX MONTHS…

‘It was a bit of a cowboy show foiling for the first time’ RAY DAVIES NOMINATES THE AC72 “I think one of the coolest boats were the AC72s,” says Davies who nominates the wingsail catamarans sailed in the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco. “Building one of those now would be terrifying – the speeds you could get! “It was at the infancy of foiling and a very radical stage because no one had done any foiling on a race boat. There’d been some straight line foiling boats, but nothing that tried to go around a windward/leeward course. So that was a very special campaign where we were basically inventing foiling at scale. The innovation in that campaign probably hasn’t been rivalled yet. “The AC75s are very, very cool, but…

Saudi Ocean Race finish The Ocean Race 2027 will finish in Amaala, Saudi Arabia, an under-construction resort on the Red Sea, after a final leg from Port Said, Egypt. The fleet will sail from the Med, via Suez, rather than the Gulf of Aden. Meanwhile rumours persist of a Saudi Arabian venue for the next America’s Cup (see page 33). More IMOCAs go crewed More IMOCAs look set to race in The Ocean Race 2027 and its spinoff, The Ocean Race Europe 2025. They include Yoann Richomme, who’ll be returning to the Europe race, and Thomas Ruyant, who’s taking part in both. Plus a new Swiss team founded by Alan Roura and Elodie Mettreaux, and a new build DMG Mori. Vinson sistership launched A sistership to the explorer vessel Vinson…

LETTER OF THE MONTH Three men in a boat? The introduction of the ‘protocol’ making cruising the French coast easier for visiting yachts is very welcome. However, this is not a return to plain sailing that is fondly remembered in pre-EU or pre-Brexit times. The new arrangements introduce a ‘parallel’ entry regime to the Schengen area and so, for three young men bent on cruising Brittany, some added complications. The three friends plan to set out together from the south coast, but Jerome is detained by urgent business. So, George and Harris fill in the Border Force form online, and then the Preavis for their first port of call, and cross the English Channel to France. George plans to stay aboard for entire trip and sail back to the UK…

Each morning of the 37th America’s Cup a reverential hush briefly fell in the Kiwi corner of Barcelona’s Port Vell, as Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei began the Defenders’ ‘dock out’ ritual with Maori cries and echoing horns, before paddling a hand carved ‘waka’ canoe alongside the AC75 Taihoro. Across the basin, the British team answered with a deafening cacophony of superyacht horns, Union Jack-waving crowds, and DJs pumping out ‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Fatboy Slim. Passion and patriotism, commitment and sheer hard cash – the essence of the America’s Cup. With each passing day the crowds on the dockside deepened with legions of black-shirted Emirates Team New Zealand fans who’d made the pilgrimage to Spain to cheer for a third historic win, while British supporters hurried to Barcelona to witness…

I’m looking up at an almost naked young man 60 feet in the air. He’s balancing on a platform built of sticks and branches, raised on a mountain top in the Vanuatuan jungle. All you can see from here is fluorescent green treetops covered in cascades of lush vines, while deep below us, far away in another world, lies the dark blue Pacific Ocean. Men and women wear traditional dress, penis sheaths and grass skirts, and chant and dance next to the tower. My eyes go back to the young man on the platform. He’s chanting now, spreading his arms out, his ankles tied to two vines cut to the exact length so when he jumps his shoulder will just touch the rich, dark volcanic soil below. We are about…

For any sailor interested in single-handed racing, Jean-Luc Van Den Heede’s The Last Seadog, just published, is a more than welcome addition to the bookshelf. The ultimate French solo ‘navigateur’, Jean-Luc, now well on in years, stands out among the catalogue of remarkable characters who sign up for these gruelling events. After six circumnavigations, including two podiums in the Vendée Globe and two in the BOC Challenge, he crowned his career with outright victory in the 2018/19 Golden Globe Race. The book outlines his life, majoring on the Golden Globe event. As most of us know, this is a very different kettle of fish from the high-tech races in which he made his name. It is run for boats similar to those available when Sir Robin Knox-Johnston won the original…

Marking its first model update since its acquisition by Grand Large Yachting a year ago, Lorient-based catamaran builder ORC (formerly Marsaudon Composites) has modified and fine-tuned its superfast 50 (formerly the TS5), of which 26 launched. The new ORC 52.2 features the same aggressive hull and coachroof shapes, designed by Barreau-Neuman, albeit with a new window in the latter, larger windows aft and redesigned stern platforms. But the interior has seen the most changes, under Franck Darnet’s styling, who targeted a more welcoming and warm space – the original was too spartan for some. Slightly heavier and less extreme (some modified 50s capsized), the 52.2 will still weigh less than 10 tonnes and boasts one of the highest sail area:displacement ratios on the market, making for a super fast offshore…

FP has launched more than 4,000 catamarans over the last 40 years. The La Rochelle yard has just enjoyed its best year of trading ever, with over €300m turnover (up from €30m 10 years ago), and announced two new factories in build. A nice way to celebrate is by announcing this 40-footer, which it describes as ‘a new entry-level for catamarans’. Two years in development, the 41 also marks the start of a completely new Fountaine Pajot range. The 41 will be offered with hybrid and solar power. This comprises two 25kW motors, two 21kWh battery banks and 2,300W of panels – which can provide three to four days autonomy, or 12 hours with aircon, says deputy CEO Romain Motteau. FP has calculated such a vessel will produce 46% less…

What is it? A new rot-proof and sustainable alternative to marine plywood Who’s it for? Production boatbuilders Marine plywood has been a wonder material for boatbuilding for at least 75 years. In the early days it made possible the many dinghies and small cruising yachts that democratised sailing throughout Europe. And it wasn’t long before designers such as Van de Stadt were using the material for radical and ultra-fast offshore racing yachts. Today it is still used extensively, even by the big production boatbuilding yards, mainly for structural components such as bulkheads. A key reason for this is it has a weight to stiffness ratio that can only be bettered by the more expensive exotic composite materials now available. Historically marine plywood has been relatively cheap, but that has changed…

Sweden has an interesting coastline with many bays and inlets, in addition to thousands of islands. From the midsummer celebrations (around 25 June) up until 1 August most Swedes are on vacation and out and about on their boats. Marinas and anchorages tend to fill up quickly. Not all marinas have space for transient yachts, but there is an excellent system of guest harbours, indicated with a special flag: blue with a yellow anchor. These guest harbours (almost 500) can be found in the Gästhamnsguiden (gasthamnsguiden.se) or in the excellent app. Free Swedish harbour guides are available in all harbours. For cruising in the Baltic, the HarbourGuide app is very useful, as well as apps like Navily.…

As Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand came into this year’s 37th America’s Cup as clear favourites. But the Kiwi camp has far more than just the structural advantage of being the ones that wrote the Protocol for the competition, and the originators of the AC75 concept. To win in 2024, having defended in 2021 and won in 2017, would be a truly historic ‘three-peat’ (or ‘three-Pete’, as it would also be helmsman Peter Burling’s third win). It was American Magic that won the first Preliminary Regatta, the teams’ first outings in the smaller one-design AC40s just along the coast from Barcelona last September. But the Kiwi response was forceful, and at the next event in Jeddah they won five of the eight races. When their second generation AC75 Taihoro was…

The 45th running of the Mediterranean offshore, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, saw a spectacularly random mix of conditions – even for a race which is famed for its variable weather patterns. The 606-mile classic started from Malta’s spectacular harbour in sunshine and brisk winds. But it was swiftly followed by a vicious squall and thunderstorm on the first evening, as many boats approached the south-east corner of Sicily. Wind speeds rose rapidly from 12-15 knots to a sustained 40-45 knots sweeping across the fleet, some boats reporting 60 knots as the storm hit directly. Crews also had to contend with lightning, waterspouts and steep, potentially boat-breaking waves. Three boats were dismasted, several suffered severe sail damage and 29 teams retired. HEAD TO THE CLOUDS As the fleet spread out,…

Given that this was the second Cup cycle for the AC75 design rule it seemed fair to assume ahead of the event that the racing would be closer than last time, as teams’ designers focussed on a similar area of the rule. We saw this trend back in 1995 with the second generation of the IACC monohulls, in a class that ultimately saw 100 boats built over a 15-year period. Since 2007 Cup design has been bouncing off the walls with giant cats, foiling cats, and wing-masted cats, before heading to foiling monohulls. Each iteration of the Cup has seen radically different designs leaving no opportunity for refinement. But now there’s been some stability in the rule, albeit just for two cycles, we are starting to see what the future…

One of the most memorable views of this America’s Cup has been the ‘sweat cam’ footage taken inside the cyclors’ pods. The four cyclors on each yacht generate the hydraulic power which moves everything above deck on the AC75s (battery power moves the foils). Their wattage output was impressive – at times individuals peaked at over 1200W – while their power to weight ratio doesn’t fit traditional cyclist body types with 90kg athletes producing 5.5W per kilogram at a steady rate. American Magic had aft-facing cyclors on recumbent stations – a position Giles Scott best described as ‘grisly’. Unlike the Kiwis, INEOS Britannia mixed rowers and cyclists with ‘sailor-cyclors’ who often had a performance role on the yacht as well. British cyclor Freddie Carr explained: “We’re loaded into a little…

Only one thing is confirmed for AC38 at this stage: the British will be Challenger of Record. It will be Ainslie’s eighth campaign, his fourth consecutive British Challenge. He is not giving up easily. “We set this thing up 10 years ago to win the Cup. And I’m not a quitter, so we’ll keep going until we get that job done.” Ainslie, now 47, wouldn’t be drawn on whether he would be on the boat, quipping “[Age] is just a number.” “For me, I’m committed to the team,” he continued. “Whatever my role is with the team, it’s how I can serve the team best. So I don’t know, ultimately, I don’t know next time if I’m going to be on the wheel or not.” Team backer Sir Jim Ratcliffe…

The great French sailor, Eric Tabarly, an instrumental figure in the origins of what is now Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, is reputed to have said that strolling along the quays of the riviera town during this regatta was like ‘flicking through the pages of a maritime history book’. Tabarly’s words deftly distil the essence of this unique event held each year in the small town of Saint-Tropez, perched on a north facing promontory in the gulf to which it gives its name. At first sight it seems inconceivable that this charming but pocket-sized fishing port could possibly accommodate the majority of the 250-boat fleet, representing almost 135 years of yacht design history, that descends on Saint-Tropez each year. But remarkably, for the last 25 years the skilled RIB drivers of…

Think about it relative to houses, and it makes more sense. After all, who would choose to put their kitchens and living rooms in the cellar or basement? Especially if you have a sea view! Yet to the layman, that is what happens on conventional monohulls. You walk through the nice views of the cockpit, and down a flight of stairs to the living and accommodation in the bowels of the boat, on the lower floor. And what about entertaining? When friends visit you want to be able to host and socialise with them in the best space and comfort. Of course, cruising multihulls have long addressed this issue, by placing the living accommodation on top of the hulls where the prime viewing’s on offer. But pilothouse monohulls have done…

Celebrations are ongoing for Dufour’s 60th anniversary year, which includes the announcement of a new 48 to replace its 470. The Felci design boasts a 10% larger cockpit than its predecessor on a broad hull with plenty of space for sunpads and even an optional skipper’s cabin. It promotes a ‘forward cockpit’, which looks like extra sunbed space in front of the mast. A hard top version offers up to 2,000W of solar cells. A voluminous yacht with a bright interior available with three or four cabins including Pullman and office options, it is planned to launch in spring 2025. Price: €355,000 ex VAT. dufour-yachts.com…

Lagoon continues its 40th-anniversary celebrations by announcing its largest model yet, a mighty 80-footer that is sure to have the crowds queuing for an ogle at boat shows. The Bordeaux brand has form here, having already built 88 catamarans over 75ft, including 52 of its Seventy7. Designed by Lagoon’s stronghold team of VPLP, Nauta and Patrick Le Quément, this new flagship retains the prize feature of the Seventy7 – a hull door which opens out of the topsides to create a private terrace for the master cabin. Stepping out from the king-sized berth and diving straight into the sea must be a heightened level of luxury. The layout of the first model sees three other guest cabins and a lower galley connecting to crew quarters. This is a yacht for…