The second edition of the RORC Nelson’s Cup Series kicks off with racing from Tuesday 13th February. An international fleet of boats from 13 countries will be racing: Antigua; Australia; Canada; Cayman Islands; France; Germany; Great Britain; Monaco; Netherlands; South Africa; Sweden; Switzerland and the United States of America.
The World Sailing Open Team Racing World Championships make their return to the international sailing calendar in 2025 after a ten-year hiatus. The first Team Racing World Championships were held in West Kirby, Great Britain, in 1995 and was held every two to three years.
The 2024 Women’s World Match Racing Tour has cancelled the opening season events in Annapolis and San Francisco due to a shortage of registered teams. The updated 2024 schedule will have four events including the new women’s event in Bermuda to be held October 29-November 3.
Sailing upwind in the middle of the world’s oceans gave Chris Brooks plenty of experience handling big weather conditions. He shares his knowledge here with Andy Rice.
Spring has made its way to Lorient. The first flowers are blooming and the IMOCA racing boats are, just like the blossoms, gradually appearing, emerging one by one from their sheds after three months of winter refit. Yesterday, Team Malizia launched their Malizia - Seaexplorer and now she is back in her usual spot at La Base harbour. With a few adjustments and a new pair of foils, both the boat and team are ready to start the first training sessions and solo races of the year.
This year promises to be an epic Charleston Race Week experience for the VX One fleet. The event responded to the fleet's request to be moved farther out in the harbor away from the shallows so VX One racing will take place on the same course as the J70s and Melges 24s. Twenty-five boats are registered and the fleet hopes that there'll be at least 30 on the start line. It's not too late to register!
The official Cup racing may have paused until August when the third Preliminary Regatta gets under way, but the pressure is now building in other areas.
As well as maintaining their intense and relentless training programmes, America’s Cup teams are now making their final preparations for the arrival of their new AC75s as they take up residence in Barcelona.
Matt Sheahan heads down to the host venue to take a first look at the focal point for the 37th America’s Cup and provides an update on what the teams are up to as the clock counts down.
For the first time since 2018, the only dedicated Class40 race in the United States and the longest offshore race in the Western Atlantic returns. Once again, some of the best Class40 teams will compete in a three-stage race up the Atlantic seaboard from Charleston, SC to Portland, ME with a stop in Newport, RI.
After a series of races where the second stop-over was New York City, the 2022 race returns to its roots for a stop-over in Newport. Also new for 2022, once in Portland the race will feature two-days of coastal races.
The 2024 US National Championships and the WASZP Americas are unfolding under the radiant skies of Hawaii, setting the stage for a showcase of some of the best WASZP sailors in the world in an amazing venue.
This year's event has attracted an unparalleled fleet from across the globe, including the crème de la crème from Australia, Canada (coast to coast), the United States (spanning California, the Northeast, and the Southeast), as well as Denmark's world-number-two sailor and a strong contingent from Switzerland. A record-breaking fleet of 35 WASZPs for an Americas Championship, including 20% female competitors, among them the local sensation Pearl Lattanzi.
Happy Spring, Sailors!
And welcome to the second issue of your new favorite source of Gulf Coast/Galveston Bay-Focused sailing updates and general sailing news!
As the Ocean Globe Race fleet make their way up the Atlantic, some are finding the wind, while others are struggling with wind holes
Atlantic routing decisions have differed amongst the Ocean Globe Race fleet, with some winners and losers.
According to Ocean Passage for the World, the best route for sailing up the Atlantic at this time of year is to head 80 miles south of the Falklands and make for a point to the east of 35°S and 30°W.
Racing up the Brazilian coast has been frustrating for the entire Ocean Globe Race fleet, with fickle winds resulting in daily averages of just 118nm.
American Magic has joined the flow of AC75 America’s Cup boats heading to Barcelona, Spain.
The carefully packaged American Cup team boat was loaded into an Antonov AN124 to continue its way to Spain, and the American Magic teambase in Barcelona.
Once there it will be prepared for testing ahead of the first AC75 racing, scheduled for the third and final preliminary regatta, August 2024 in Barcelona.
A debate that may never be settled, which sailing movies top your list of favorites?
Offshore racing is a test of skill and endurance, and sometimes courage, with competitors facing challenging and changing conditions as they navigate their way across blue water. Unpleasant experiences can quickly put off new sailors, and cruiser-racers provide an option for those sailors who prefer a more comfortable and enjoyable ride across the China Sea than the die-hards in the Racing division.
Twenty-eight J/22 teams started Saturday on shore due to blustery conditions at the J/22 Midwinter Championship hosted by Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, LA.
2024 J/22 Midwinter Championship - photo © Christopher Howell
The breeze settled down to 16-18 knots and eventually to 8 knots, permitting four races on the day for six total. Factoring in the discard, Jeff Hayden moved to first overall with all top-five finishes and 12 net points. Michael Gemperline's Defiance scored a bullet in Saturday's last race to secure second place at 19 net points. Glenn Darden's Baby Doll notched two firsts to move into the podium and striking distance at 21 points.
2024 J/22 Midwinter Championship - photo © Christopher Howell
Teams stayed ashore for a couple hours while winds and waves settled down on Lake Pontchartrain, before Darden's Baby Doll won their first of two wins on the day. The top group was consistent for both contests including Hayden and Jeff Progelhof's Schitzen Giggles following Darden. Jeff Todd's Hot Toddy moved up the standings, winning race five and trailed by Boo Heausler's Second Line and Hayden. Day one leader Gemperline's Defiance maintained his stance on the regatta with Saturday's final victory, with two local boats following: Tommy Meric's Carnival Time and Chris Wientjes.
“I’m a lot different than a lot of professional sailors,” he said, referring to his peers in the America’s Cup and the upper strata of inshore and offshore sailboat racing. “I really like to sail.”
Are you a young match racer looking to hone your skills? Apply for the U.S. Match Racing Championship for the Rose Cup, June 26-30 at Corinthian Yacht Club in Marblehead, Mass.
The Rose Cup is an invitational event open to sailors who have reached their 16th birthday but not their 21st birthday during the calendar year in which the event is held (i.e., must be born between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2008). The Championship features world-class coaching and serves as an outstanding training ground for young sailors who are passionate about match racing and focused on competing at the next level…
