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.

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.

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.

The RORC's annual classic was not only as popular as ever, but delivered some of the closest racing across the fleet that the event has seen in 17 editions. Hot foot from a round the world blast, Dee Caffari talks to Matt Sheahan about how this year's event panned out and what caught her eye.

The Caribbean season kicked off with a spectacular array of some of the biggest and best in the offshore racing world as they took on the RORC's double bill, the Nelson's Cup and the Caribbean 600.

The Caribbean season kicked off for those looking for a mixture of inshore and offshore racing with the RORC's double bill, the Nelson's Cup and the Caribbean 600. Both were not only spectacles but delivered some of the best racing the events have seen

Black Foils driver Peter Burling explains the part that the system limit played in the dramatic collision in the Auckland SailGP. A limit that hadn't previously been mentioned

The day after the dramatic crash the Italian team appeared to suffer a similar spin out on the same leg in gusty conditions. Fortunately the boat behind was sufficiently clear to avoid a collision. Driver Phil Robertson explains why these boats are tricky to handle, especially on a breezy reach

Southern Spars put their hand up to carry out the rebuilding of the French wreckage following the dramatic collision in Auckland in February. But why and how much of a challenge was it? Southern Spars boss Mark Hauser explains

After the dramatic collision that saw two crew hospitalised and two boats wrecked there were still plenty of unanswered questions as the fleet arrived in Sydney for the third event of SailGP's 6th season.

Wood, old and varnished, there was plenty at this year's show, where there's also always an anniversary

The world's best known one design gets a carbon cousin

For dinghies and small race boats there is no show like this anywhere else, and it's firmly in the PlanetSail diary every year

Gitana 18's skipper Charles Caudrelier explains how he sees the stepping up from his 36ft Figaro solo monohull to a giant 100ft trimaran

Team Gitana have produced a fascinating animation that highlights how the complex foil system works on the brand new Ultim Gitana 18.

Charles Caudrelier explains why sleep management is so important and why he feels happy sleeping when the boat is doing 40 knots

As Gitana 18 was craned into the water in Lorient we got the first look at her unusual hulls. If the radical ideas that the team have created work, Gitana 18 could be a game changer for the Ultim class.

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.

The Globe 40 double handed race around the world has not been short of stories, but the finish in Valparaiso, Chile was on another level and resulted in a very unusual result

Even if looks aren't the top reason for taking a look, there are plenty of good reasons why you should give it some thought.