Two big launches at opposite ends of the world. On top, the 32m Ultim trimaran Gitana 18 headed out from her base in Lorient on the west coast of France for her maiden sail. Down under the Kiwis slipped their dock lines in Auckland to take their newly reconfigured AC75 out for its first sail. Both are big steps forward, both were carefully choreographed affairs and both represent the first steps in two new generations at the very leading edge of the sport. Matt Sheahan reports on these and considers whether there may be a late entry into the 38th America's Cup. Plus, another helping of Docktalk.

Barely dry from a high speed lap of the planet, Dee Caffari talks to Matt Sheahan about how this year's RORC Caribbean 600 panned out for the fleet. From a needle match in the multihulls to another in the maxis, and again in the IRC classes too, this year may not have delivered a new course record but some subtle differences in the weather meant that was one of the trickiest to plan for and became one of the most intense Caribbean 600s of them all. Plus, how one boat did far more than just win. And in this episode we have another helping of Docktalk. CHAPTERS & LINKS - OnCourse Ep48 00:00 Intro 00:16 Nelson’s Cup - Setting the scene for a visual feast 01:50 The Caribbean 600 - The bucket list race, what is it and why? 02:19 Why Dee Caffari couldn’t resist 06:09 Line honours winners - Argo v Zoulou 08:22 Line honours winners - Black Jack v Leopard 10:02 - Powerful scow - Palanad 4 - Is this the future? 11:53 IRC 1 12:48 The standout performance of the Caribbean 600 16:24 Docktalk - Sevenstar Yacht Transport 17:36 Docktalk - The new Balance 502 Cat 18:49 Docktalk - Genoa International Boat Show

With many still reeling from the shock of a close call with tragedy in Auckland there were questions aplenty for SailGP. But as the fleet was shipped across the Tasman Sea to the third event of Season 6 there seemed to be more questions than answers. The summary findings of an internal investigation that was published ahead of Sydney didn't mention the experience of the Kiwi team that their driver said, 'definitely didn't help matters'. A similar wipeout took place on the following day in Auckland, thankfully with no collision. Were there similarities and how had the Italians lost control? Driver Phil Robertson explains. Midway through the first day's racing and during the live broadcast it appeared that the differences had been addressed with a new software upgrade. Peter Burling is also the first SailGP driver to receive penalty points on his sporting licence, a newly introduced system to ensure personal performance standards across the fleet, yet there was no mention of this and what it means going forward. So, what Sydney lacked in breeze it made up for in confusion and contrast with an impressive, noteworthy and well deserved victory for a team that has struggled for some time. We consider some of the issues at stake as well as talking to to the mast makers turned boat builders/miracle workers that were rebuilding the F50 wreckage.

It's a boat show like no other. New, old, big, small, foils, keels, kit and more....Many of the stands are manned by volunteers who are strong advocates for their class. Sharing the crammed aisles are boat builders, sail makers, sailing schools, chandleries and pretty much everyone else with a part to play in the dinghy and small boat world. The UK has led this scene for many years so it's perhaps of little surprise that the only show specifically aimed at this market should continue to be successful. And yet with renewed pressure on wallets and less than inspiring winter weather, it was encouraging to see the aisles rammed with buzz aplenty at the Farnborough based show. This show has long been a favourite for Team Sheahan and once again we headed up to get our pre-season fix. Here's some of what we found. CHAPTERS & LINKS 00:00 Intro 00:25 VX Air 02:32 IODA 05:00 Rascal 06:06 Merlin Rocket 12:56 Zen, Zenith & Zenith II 13:45 505 14:32 Team Sheahan’s views 21:49 Sailteck Compass

Gitana 18 is afloat and it's a big deal. Why? Because if the team's radical ideas work, the latest Ultim to be launched could mark a big leap forward when it comes to foiling in bigger sea states while raising the speed bar to well over 50 knots at the same time. Following our first glimpse of Gitana 18 earlier this year we get to understand more about a project that took 250,000 hours to design and build. Now we see the real thing in the open. Plus, what does it take to get a solo sailor into a mindset where handling a 100ft trimaran on your own is OK? Gitana 18's skipper Charles Caudrelier explains how he has made the transition from a 36ft Figaro monohull to a giant 100ft foiling trimaran and why in his mind the two aren't that different. He also explains how and why he can sleep easy while doing 40 knots.....with no one else aboard. CHAPTERS & LINKS 00:00 Intro 02:00 Going it alone - Charles Caudrelier 06:28 The big technical gamble 07:05 How the foils work 09:29 What’s the process from here? 13:58 Long term goals Gitana 18 - Is this the world’s fastest offshore trimaran? https://youtu.be/sTS31Tpi6uM

Serious though it was, it wasn't just a single major collision in Auckland that sparked debate. Previous recent incidents have brought teams perilously close to serious harm forcing some to ask whether the stakes are now too high and whether it's time for more measures to be put in place.

SailGP’s second event of the 2026 season will be remembered for the wrong reasons, but given how serious the risks now appear to have become, Matt Sheahan considers whether this should and could this be the turning point for SailGP. So, rather than analysing the intense racing in a perfect setting, the talk around the event centred on how frighteningly close the latest collision came to tragedy. Having said that and given some very tricky, gusty conditions, the racing was fascinating to watch as this demanding race course highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of various teams. We report on who ended up with the champagne shower.

It's 6.5m long and when it flies it's doing almost double the speed of a 'normal' Mini 650, no wonder the focus of attention for the famous single handed race across the Atlantic, the Mini Transat, has been on Benoit Marie's foiling Nicomatic. But while the French skipper is leading the charge in this notoriously hard core racing scene, he's also plotting the future of performance cruising.......and the two are starting to look very similar. We take a look at Skaw [A] a radical new 12m performance cruiser. But could you live with a scow? Another class that knows all about scows it the Class 40 where the bluff bow configuration is unstoppable. And in the Globe 40 double handed race around the world the competition is tight at the top. So tight that after 7,000 miles of racing no one knew who had won. CHAPTERS & LINKS 00:00 Flying across the Atlantic 01:47 Skaw [A] The Future of Cruising? 04:37 Globe 40 - The Closest Finish Ever RELATED FEATURES Remote 40 footers and Flying Cats https://youtu.be/Q2MlaqK_U7o Lapping the Planet - From Ultim to Class 40 and Mini 5.80m https://youtu.be/9g_0Ax0JPAE

As crew of the The Famous Project headed towards the Southern Ocean they knew there was a question as to whether they could reef the mainsail or not. Making the call to go or bale was huge and agonising

When co-skipper Dee Caffari added a 7th lap of the planet to her sailing CV aboard The Famous Project she and the eight strong crew also entered the record books as they became the first all female team to complete a non-stop race around the planet as part of a Jules Verne campaign. It's always a pleasure to hear from Dee, but this exclusive one to one with Matt Sheahan was particularly special as she explained; just what it’s like to take a giant trimaran around the world when no one on board had done it before, how they made the crucial decision to head into the Southern Ocean when they weren't sure whether or not they could reef the mainsail and many other key points along their 57 day trip. Matt and Dee also discuss the future of global record breaking and where the next generation of machines is heading. CHAPTERS & LINKS 00:00 Intro 01:10 The mental & physical challenge 03:17 Getting to grips with a multihull 06:11 Dee’s sailing CV and why she keeps lapping the planet 12:37 Leaving for the start and down to the South 15:43 Mainsail lock problem and the big decision 21:30 Emotional times at Point Nemo 23:25 Cape Horn 25:29 Heading North 27:59 Damage, decisions and the approach to the finish 34:11 Crossing the finish line and why this trip was so special 42:52 What has the trip done for womens’ sailing? 44:59 The future of offshore record breaking ASSOCIATED FEATURES First Ever How an All-Female Crew Took on the Jules Verne Trophy - Lapping the Planet (Part 4) https://youtu.be/pHDyqlaMHco Game Changer How Sodebo-3 set a new record for a non-stop lap of the planet - The Jules Verne story - Part 3 https://youtu.be/ffqhFyaCUFA Southern Ocean Stress Lapping the Planet - Part 2 https://youtu.be/ZTkNGo2MTjQ From Ultim to Class 40 and Mini 5.80m Lapping the Planet - Part 1 https://youtu.be/9g_0Ax0JPAE

When Alexia Barrier's giant trimaran, The Famous Project crossed the Ushant finishing line off the Brittany coast after 57 days at sea, she and her crew entered the record books. The eight strong crew were now the first all female crew to complete a non-stop circumnavigation. Their initial target was to make an assault on the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest fully crewed lap of the planet in the trimaran that had set the record that has only just fallen back in 2017. And while they knew this target was ambitious, they were also aiming to set a new reference time for an all female crew. And that is now done. The only previous all female campaign was by Tracy Edwards aboard Royal & Sun Alliance back in 1998 which ended in the Southern Ocean after the cat was dismasted. And when you look at the overall stats for the race it's easy to see what a challenge this has been for anyone that has taken it on. Until 2025 there had been 30 Jules Verne attempts in total and only 14 had successfully circumnavigated the globe. Of these, only 9 had achieved a record. So, as The Famous Project became the 16th to complete the course they entered the record book too. Having followed their progress in our three previous Jules Verne reports, in this episode we look at how their race around the world played out.

Thomas Coville and his team aboard the foiling Ultim trimaran Sodebo-3 have set a new non-stop record around the world and in doing so has taken the Jules Verne Trophy. The team's new record pace takes over 12 hours off the previous record and yet impressive though it is, the achievement represents a great deal more. In the closing stages severe weather came close to derailing the campaign and put huge amounts of pressure on the team. Since the record was set in 2017 there have been 13 unsuccessful attempts at beating it, Coville accounted for three of them, that's how hard this record is to achieve and why Coville's success is seen as such a major achievement. But still there is more to this Jules Verne season - This is a story of not one but two campaigns. The second trimaran, IDEC Sport had set the previous record and now known as The Famous Project, was attempting its own non-stop lap. If successful they too would enter the record books as the first ever all women crew to complete a non-stop lap pf the planet. But they too were facing a serious dilemma as to how best to handle the weather that was threatening to block their path at best and derail their entire campaign at worst. So, in part 3 of our Jules Verne coverage we look at how the final stages of the two Jules Verne attempts played out. Sodebo 3 - Crew Thomas Coville - skipper Benjamin Schwartz - co skipper Frédéric Denis Pierre Leboucher Léonard Legrand Guillaume Pirouelle Nicolas Troussel New Record time: 40 days, 10 hours, 45 minutes and 50 seconds

The first official gathering of the 38th America's Cup was a glitzy affair as five teams and the America's Cup entourage rolled into Naples, Italy. To many this event, set in the prestigious surroundings of the Palazzo Reale marked the start of the 38th Cup cycle. And as with pretty much every start to a Cup there were smiles all round and talk of big things to come. Justin Chisholm was there on behalf of PlanetSail and thrust his microphone under the chins of the key players to find out how they felt about the road to the Cup, while Matt Sheahan gives his take on what we have learned at the start of the 38th America's Cup cycle.

When the conditions align it's the dream trade winds trip and this year the Royal Ocean Club's Transatlantic Race was a stunner. Perfect conditions saw flat out performances across the board and records tumbled. Here's what it was like aboard two of the front runners who both set new course records from the crews themselves starting with the crew of the MOD 70 Argo who demolished the multihull record while locking horns with their familiar competitor and sister ship Zoulou. Plus, we gain a fascinating an insight into one of the most secret yet advanced monohulls on the planet, the stunning 111ft Raven. We covered the launch of this boat two years ago and her story was extremely popular. If you want to know more about the background to a racing superyacht project that was extreme in every way from the start you can find the two features we ran here. The Foiling Superyacht https://youtu.be/wxeBv5TWiMA Superyacht Raven Takes Flight - OnCourse Ep29 https://youtu.be/7uhelqmwyDM?t=27 Facebook - @planetsail.org Website - www.planetsail.co.uk Twitter - matthewsheahan Linkedin - www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-sheahan

'Absolutely amazing!'.....'The best conditions!'.......'Phenomenal Racing'! It was clear what the sailors thought as they stepped ashore at the end of the opening event of the 2026 SailGP season. Expectations leading into the event had been high, thanks largely to the reputation of the notorious local sea breeze, The Freemantle Doctor. And from the moment teams went out to practice in the days before it was obvious that the chatter hadn't been hype. Injuries, breakages and high speed dramas had been delivered before the racing had event started, and when it did, the competition was explosive. Fleet racing at speeds of 30knots upwind and 45 downwind made for some hair raising mark roundings and plenty of stress. Here's the PlanetSail review of a spectacular opening weekend.

From winning nine world titles to heading deep into the Southern Ocean aboard a 40 footer, from taking an F50 foiling cat fully airborne to the next generation of round the world racing for everyone, this week we take a look at four very different corners of the sport, starting with Ian Williams’ incredible ninth win in the World Match Racing Tour. How did the defining day play out? Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the scale the fleet of Class 40’s competing in the Globe 40 race are heading to the most remote point at sea where the International Space Station provides the closest access to other humans. We take a quick look at SailGP’s opening event where the local ‘doctor’ has been causing a few breakages, injuries and hairy moments, before turning our attention to the new 72 footer that you could be racing around the world in 2027. Could this be your new ride? CHAPTERS & LINKS 00:29 World Match Racing Tour 04:30 Globe 40 race 06:08 SailGP in Perth 07:00 New Clipper Yacht

Be it Sodebo 3, or The Famous Project, both have their heads down as they try to achieve two separate records. Their passages through the Southern Ocean have been fascinating. Here's a taste of why and a link to part 2 of our Lapping the Planet feature

Two teams are on the verge of setting two new records. For Alexia Barrier's team on The Famous Project and Thomas Coville's crew aboard Sodebo 3, charging through the Southern Ocean and past the three great Capes has been a stressful and emotional experience. And while both have succeeded in running the gauntlet to head back into the South Atlantic, both teams know that even though their bows are pointing at the finish, they are still a long way off sealing the deal. Whatever happens next, their trips since crossing the start line in Ushant have been outstanding to follow. In part 2 of our Lapping the Planet feature, Matt Sheahan takes a close look at what their long trips through the Southern Ocean have been like. Both provide a fascinating insight into two very different campaigns. Both have been candid about what it's like and what it means to them - This is not to be missed! Plus, if you haven't done so already you can see how the opening stages played out in part 1.

The recent signing of the AC38 protocol created a flurry of news stories and speculation as to how the next Cup would play out. And while the governance of the Cup is a big deal, the news that followed has been more of a drip feed than the start of a new chapter for the 175 year old trophy. But don't be fooled, the 38th Cup is a big deal, not least of all because the runway is now pretty short with teams moving into completely new territory when it comes to how this Cup will be run. The first event is in just a few months time with the Cup Match itself taking place next year. The closing date for entries is the end of January 2026 and yet there's still talk of more teams taking part and the Kiwis are about to get their AC75 back on the water. The fact is we're underway already, so what's going on? In our latest update Matt Sheahan pulls together the various news stories, inside chatter and gossip to put together his personal analysis of what's going on to explain what state the Cup is in and where we should be looking. We also hear from the chief architect of the AC75 Emirates Team New Zealand's Dan Bernasconi about how this generation of AC75s will differ from the previous machines. Plus, if you thought that talk of a collaboration among Cup teams with the ACP sounded familiar, we've dug out some great clips from 2017 where some of the key players in the sport talk about the biggest change for the Cup......If nothing else it should produce a wry smile or two!