On Sunday at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix there was a collision involving three teams in the final seconds before the Race 3 start. Approaching the start line there were two distinct groups, with Italy, Switzerland and Great Britain at the leeward end, while Canada, USA and Brazil were further to windward. Brazil were coming in from further back on a higher line at over 60 kph, whereas the other teams were all averaging around 30 to 40 kph, while the groups closer to the line were converging, so the gap for Brazil was rapidly diminishing. Phil Roberton on the Italian boat was at this point concerned with two things: crossing the line too early and the Swiss boat on his tail, accelerating towards the line and having to go progressively higher to avoid an OCS. Brazil by this point had an overlap to leeward of USA, who seemed unaware of the developing situation to their leeward side. With Italy continuing to go up, Brazil had nowhere to go, hitting both the USA and then Italy, causing them to turn further into the wind across the bow of the USA. Technically, Italy were allowed to luff up within the bounds of Rule 16, which defines what a right of way boat can do when changing course, however Rule 14 requires a right of way boat to avoid contact where reasonably possible, but only when it’s clear that others aren’t keeping clear. The Italian team should also be looking into the space they are about to occupy when turning right (like looking over your shoulder when overtaking on a motorway). The majority of the blame was placed on the U.S. Team with a 7 point penalty, while the Italians were given a 4 point penalty. The Brazilian team hadn’t broken Rule 14 so had no penalty points.

Swirling winds in New York caused major problems launching the fleet of F50s at the Mubadala Sail Grand Prix, so only four boats made it on to the water, and that was rapidly reduced to just three when the Bonds Flying Roos nosedived, causing significant damage. The racing went ahead with just three boats and points were scored. I am sure there will be significant disquiet amongst the teams who couldn't race through no fault of their own, and go into day two on zero points. Leave your thoughts in the comments... Thumbnail photo by Ricardo Pinto for SailGP #sailing #sailgp

On Monday in Lorient, Charles Caudrelier and the members of the Gitana Team cast off at dawn, heading out to sea in search of the breeze that would allow this 32-metre, 19-tonne giant to take to the air and make its first flights as the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. The latest addition to the Gitana fleet had received its first hydrofoil – the starboard one – last week. Since then, the whole team had been hard at work finalising its installation and testing this revolutionary appendage, with a total wingspan of over 10 metres, as quickly as possible. A few hours later, it was off the coast of Belle-Île that Gitana 18 took to the air. Read on at https://www.sail-world.com/news/296555/Maxi-Edmond-de-Rothschilds-debut-flight Video by PolaRYSE / GITANA S.A. Thumbnail photo by Yann Riou - polaRYSE / Gitana S.A. #sailng #ultim #foiling

At the International Paint Poole Regatta 2026 the class winners picked up their prizes, and then the winner of the prestigious Canford Cup was announced. This is amongst the oldest sailing trophies in the world, predating the America’s Cup by two years, and first awarded in 1849. The winner was announced as Sam Laidlaw and his team on ‘Aguila’, who became the first two-time winner of the trophy.

On Tuesday 21st April at Milan Design Week, Ferrari Hypersail reveals the livery of its 100-foot flying ocean monohull: innovation, aerodynamics and design research define a new frontier in ocean sailing. Read more and see more pictures at https://www.sail-world.com/news/295426/Ferrari-reveals-the-Hypersail-livery #ferrari #milandesignweek #sailing

SailGP finally got to land in South America, with the inaugural Rio Sail Grand Prix taking place over the weekend. The debut was supposed to be in 2025, but after the collapse of the Australia team's wingsail in San Francisco, structural improvements were needed throughout the entire fleet and it was judged that they couldn’t complete the work in time for the Brazilian event that year. There’s no doubt that Rio pulled out all the stops for the event, and the grandstand was buzzing with the famous samba atmosphere. SailGP has been revolutionary for sailing in many aspects, and provides a visual spectacle unlike any other in the sport. Seeing the fleet of thirteen F50s racing (the fourteenth, the New Zealand Black Foils, are having a new boat built after their catastrophic collision) is impressive regardless of whether you’re a sailor or not. The problem with ‘Grandstand’ sailing though, is the race area is defined well in advance of the event, as it has to take place in front of the spectators, regardless of the prevailing conditions. This is where the conflicts between sport and entertainment become complex, and with SailGP, it is the entertainment which is winning out. To purists, this is an anathema: Sailing should always be on as fair a racecourse as possible, and if the fleet needs to go offshore to get an even wind, then so be it. But let’s get this straight, SailGP is an entertainment product. Fair is very low down in the priority list for a venue, and well behind getting a suitable location for the spectators, corporate hospitality, and iconic backgrounds. For the TV producers, having Sugarloaf Mountain and the 30-metre tall Art Deco statue of Christ the Redeemer framing the fleet is the priority, regardless of whether half the fleet is in full send mode and the others are wallowing in no wind. Read on at https://www.sail-world.com/news/295185/SailGP-Venue-vs-Revenue #sailgp #f50 #riodejaneiro

Boat building, regardless of whether the main material used is wood, fibreglass, carbon fibre, or a combination of them all, relies on epoxy for laminating, bonding and infusion. PRO-SET® Epoxies have been developed since the mid-1980s, and offer enhanced handling characteristics, excellent cure profiles, and uniform mix ratios, making them the perfect choice from boat builders such as Ovington Boats. At the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026 I spoke to David Johnson and Hamish Cook of Wessex Resins & Adhesives, as well as Nathan Batchelor from Ovington Boats, to find out more about how the companies work together. #boatbuilding #dinghy #epoxy #epoxyresin

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race arrived to a huge ceremony in Qingdao, China at the end of Stage 7. Qingdao, the Sailing City of China, hosted the sailing events of the 2008 Olympic Games, and has turned into a major sailing destination, hosting the 2025 Women’s ILCA 6 and Men’s ILCA 7 World Championships which attracted over 230 athletes from 40 nations. The city is known as one of China’s most beautiful, and Fushan Bay is backed by the Loashan Mountains, which makes for a spectacular view as the Clipper Fleet arrived at the conclusion of Stage 7. The crowds were out in force to welcome the fleet, especially Qingdao Clipper which is sponsored by the city. We take a look at the route the fleet took from Subic Bay, The Philippines, and I spoke with Qingdao Clipper Skipper Phil Quinn, GOSH First Mate Otto Kulow and Clipper Race Manager Hannah Brewis, talking about the leg, the welcome, and their first sight of the new Clipper RX yacht, while will be used in the next edition of the race. We then take a look at the overall leaderboard, where GOSH, the team representing the Great Ormond Street Hospital, maintain a huge lead of 37 points at the top, despite a time penalty changing their Stage 7 result from first to fourth, meaning Tongyeong was awarded the Stage win. The battle for second overall is really tight, with Team Scotland on 60 points, London Business School on 56 points and Yacht Club Punta del Este just a point further back in fourth. Things are just as tight between Power of Seattle Sports and Qingdao, with a single point separating them in fifth and sixth respectively. You can track the fleet on Stage 8 and beyond, and replay previous stages, via the excellent tracker at https://clipperroundtheworld.geovoile.com/2025/tracker/ #sailing #clipperrace #qingdao #offshoresailing

The RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026 saw over 9,000 people visit Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre in the UK over the weekend of 21st & 22nd February to take in the feast of boats on display. There is a plethora of dinghy sailing classes in the UK, which is both a blessing and a curse for the sport, with some allowing restricted development over the years and others being almost completely open in design. Strict One Design classes have no change at all, whilst a few decide to make evolutionary changes, which can help the longevity of equipment, or make the boat easier to sail, without making existing boats uncompetitive. There were more classes celebrating significant anniversaries at the show than those we talked to, but a combination of time and availability led us the ones we feature here. Classes we speak to in this video are: - The B14 celebrating its 40th Anniversary - The Solo celebrating its 70th Anniversary - The Shearwater celebrating its 70th Anniversary - The Kestrel celebrating its 70th Anniversary - The Merlin Rocket celebrating its 80th Anniversary - The Firefly celebrating its 80th Anniversary - The National 12 celebrating its 90th Anniversary - The Norfolk Punt celebrating its 100th Anniversary Why is the number of dinghy classes both a blessing and a curse? The choice means there is something for everyone out there, but also means there is less 'One Design' racing at clubs and more racing using either the Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Great Lakes handicap systems. Take a look at https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/class/ to find out more about these classes, with many reports and photos, as well as links to the class association websites. Thumbnail photo (c) Paul Wyeth #sailing #dinghy #dinghysailing

Marlow's Fusion+ control lines are a evolution of the Excel Fusion line, with a wider core and refined cover, making it easier to splice and smoother to handle. Mark Jardine spoke with the British Sailing Team's Hannah Bristow and James Taylor to find out more, and how they'll be using Fusion+ on their 470 class dinghy. #sailing #rope #470 #dinghy

Harken UK's David Brown shows us round some of the features of the new Harken ILCA / Laser kicker / vang system at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026. The ILCA kicker / vang has come a long way from the original 3:1 purchase system, and this new kicker includes Harken Zircon blocks, Harken's most efficient, low-friction, and high-load small boat racing blocks, and various other design features to reduce friction and increase ease of use. #sailing #vang #kicker #ILCA #laser

We've seen how Cyclops load sensors are being used more and more by some of the top dinghy and keelboat sailors and campaigns, but it's actually the Weekend Warriors who could benefit most from them! Mark Jardine chatted with Adam Cockrill from Cyclops during the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show to find out why this is the case, and was horrified to find that some people are using them to measure how hard they are hiking! #cyclops #dinghy #weekendwarrior

It's the 80th Anniversary of the Merlin Rocket, and as a development class they come up with some pretty innovative ideas... and then proceed to give them wacky names! We take a look at Tom Low's new Rockatross design called 'Amuse-Bouche' and learn what Stuffers and Snodgers are, and how the complex one string rig controls mean you can rake the rig fore and aft, even when under full rig load.

Rooster have been a staple of the dinghy scene since 1999, and have attended the Dinghy Show every year since 2001. This was the 25th time they'd physically exhibited (the 2021 show was virtual), so Mark Jardine chatted with Steve Cockerill to find out about the journey, and the newly-updated iconic Aquafleece which was launched at the 2026 show. Want to find out more about Steve and the Rooster journey? Read my two-part interview from 2016: https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/193115/From-Cockerill-to-Rooster-part-1 and https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/193116/From-Cockerill-to-Rooster-part-2 #sailing #dinghy #roosterkit

Mark Jardine chatted with ILCA Olympian Micky Beckett at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026 about why he sails the Switch One Design foiling dinghy when he's not campaigning for the LA 2028 Olympics. The foiler is a strict one design dinghy, and many of the British Sailing Team ILCA Squad now have a Switch, and are regularly racing that as well.

Mark Jardine chats with Allen's Ben Harden about the blocks and fittings on Midas, the stunning Hadron H2 which won the Concours d'Elegance at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026, including XHL blocks, dogbones, deck bushes, a ratchet block, and custom rudder stock.

We speak to Marlow's Jack Ginty to find out what makes Fusion+ different and how it can help you with your sailing. #sailing #dinghy #rope #rigging

The Concours d'Elegance at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2026 has been won by Richard Le Mare's Hadron H2 'Midas'. In what was a truly exceptional line-up of dinghies, the H2 stood head and shoulders above the competition with a liberal sprinkling of gold and, almost unbelievably 312 diamonds, painstakingly hand-set at the aft of the centreboard case, into the shape of the H2 insignia. See the full judging video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcYWhSNnSr8 Read the report at https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/293842/Le-Mare-has-the-Midas-touch #sailing #dinghy #diamonds #gold

The Clipper Round the World Race is what many regard as true ocean racing. Exposed to the elements on deck in traditionally shaped displacement yachts. Ten identical 70 foot yachts are taking part with 20 professionals – two on each yacht – while the rest of the crew are amateurs who have chosen to take part, sometimes to complete a single leg, while others are completing the full circumnavigation. It’s a true test of endurance; 40,000 nautical miles enduring anything and everything Mother Nature can throw at you. Founded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first solo non-stop circumnavigator, the Clipper Race began in 1996. Since then, over 6,000 crew from 60+ nations have participated in this global challenge. Becoming an ocean racer demands rigorous training. Every crew member, regardless of experience, completes four levels of Clipper Race training to tackle the world's most challenging conditions. We take a look at the race so far after Stage 6, hear from Oli Irvine, skipper of GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital), the overall leader of the race, and also Dylan Kotze, skipper of Warrant who won Stage 6 into Subic Bay, The Philippines. We then talk to Max Rivers, Deputy Race Director, about the race so far, the logistical challenges, and the excitement building for the future of the Clipper Race with the new RX 72-foot fleet of yachts being build for the next edition. You can track the fleet via https://clipperroundtheworld.geovoile.com/2025/tracker/

Gitana 18 is the trimaran which has been designed and built to take the great offshore records, including the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe, to another world. The crowds were out in force on Saturday 14th February 2026 to catch a glimpse of this incredible machine as it was wheeled out of the yard and towards the awaiting crane to put her into the water. The innovations are massive on this yacht, and it has the potential to take the Ultim class to a whole new level of speed, so the anticipation of seeing the yacht sailing in the next few weeks, once they’ve added and tested the rest of the systems, is huge. At 32 metres long and 23 metres wide, Ultim trimarans always look extraordinary, but there is something other-worldly about Gitana 18. The aerodynamics have been taken to the next level and the graphics, which will look even more striking with the rig, are fantastic. The 38-metre-tall mast was then gently escorted along the dock and stepped in the yacht, marking a milestone in this three-year project. The main foils have to be fitted while the yacht is in the water and are just one of the processes that needs to be completed as she’s carefully commissioned. We then take a look at a fantastic animation which shows us how the yacht will work in its different modes, and hear from Charles Caudrelier, Skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Gitana 18 Ultim. Thumbnail photo (c) Adrien Nivet - PolaRYSE - GITANA S.A. #sailing #trimaran #ultim #julesverne