Whitstable Shipwright and boat builder Ron Barton established R.S.J. Barton in 1948, and was one of the first to use the fabric based laminated plastic Tufnol and stainless steel to manufacture yachting blocks which were much lighter and stronger than previously achievable. Based at Whitstable, Kent in the UK, Barton Marine produces sailing and yachting fittings which are used around the world, and continues to innovate, also designing and manufacturing hardware used outside of the marine industry. CEO Suzanne Blaustone shows us around the factory, and we meet some of the team to find out about their roles and why they love working at Barton Marine. Find out more at https://bartonmarine.com/ #sailing #yachting #manufacturing #fittings

When some of Britain's best sailing coaches meet at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy for an RYA Continuous Professional Development Day, you can guarantee that the sailor's competitive instincts are going to be ignited! Coaches spend a lot of time on the water, but mostly in RIBs, so they were very happy to actually sail and race themselves in the Melges 15 dinghies, making for a lot of smiling faces. The Melges 15 fleet is available to charter from GP Watercraft in the UK. If you're interested then please contact the team via https://www.gpwatercraft.co.uk/ #sailing #coaching #melges15

It was on Wednesday 5th November at 22:13:58 local time, which was 03:13:58 on Thursday in Central European Time, that Tom Laperche and Franck Cammas crossed the ULTIM finish line in Fort-de-France, Martinique to become the first team to finish the 17th edition of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR. On a moody Caribbean night, they won the ULTIM division in a time of 10 days, 13 hours, 3 minutes, and 58 seconds. After finishing twice in succession, in 2021 and 2023, this is Laperche's first big Tranatlantic race Ultim win, while the legendary Cammas has now won the race five times. In one of the closest battles in the recent history of the race, the team of Baptiste Hulin and Thomas Rouxel on Viabilis Oceans grabbed victory in the OCEAN FIFTY division on Thursday afternoon, crossing the finish line off Fort-de-France, Martinique at 15:54 hours local time Martinique. Completing the race in 12 days 5 hours 24 minutes 30 seconds. In total they raced 5,709 nautical miles at an average speed of 19.46 knots. With 350 miles to the finish the team were more than 20 miles behind the leaders Pierre Quiroga and Gaston Morvan on Wewise, but they managed to claw their way past them in the closing stages. Jérémie Beyou and Morgan Lagravière on Charal 2 took victory in the IMOCA class when they crossed the finish line in Martinque on Friday morning. Their elapsed time for the course was 11 days 19 hours 45 minutes and 18 seconds. It is Beyou's first major ocean race win since 2020 whilst co-skipper Lagravière has won the IMOCA race for a record third successive edition. Thumbnail Photo (c) Jean-Marie Liot / Alea #sailing #imoca #transat

Shroud tensions on a dinghy are critical to performance, and being able to replicate those settings time and again is vital. The problem has always been that rig gauges wear as they get older, leading to decreased accuracy and you sailing with the wrong rig settings. Using another rig tension gauge, even if it’s of the same make and design, can often give two completely different numbers, which makes it near impossible to replicate settings from a tuning guide unless you have a brand-new rig gauge. This led Daniel Henderson and the team of engineers at Sea Sure to develop the Rig Gauge Pro. Designed to give you the same accurate readings time and time again, so that you can perform at your best and have confidence that your rig is set up right. Watch Daniel explain why the Rig Gauge Pro is so different. Now available from your local chandleries, including Marine Super Store, Force 4, Fox’s Chandlery, Pinnell & Bax, Hartley Boats.

What has become the second leg for the Class 40 fleet started at 1300 hours local time on Saturday. The teams had taken an enforced break from racing in Spain after the organisers decided the conditions were set to be too rough for the smaller boats. This has split their race into two parts, where the cumulative time from both races decides the overall winner. After leaving the docks in La Coruña, the teams set off upwind in a brisk breeze on port tack, to exit the Bay of Biscay and start their Atlantic crossing towards the finish line in Martinique. Enjoy the footage of the departure, then we take a look at the trackers to see how the race is unfolding in the Ultim, Ocean50, IMOCA and Class 40 fleets. It was a week ago that we woke up to the dramatic news that three of the Ocean50 trimarans had capsized in the 12 hours after their start. They’d set off last Saturday, a day earlier than the other three fleets, trying to avoid the worst of the conditions. We’ve received incredible footage of the Lazare crew rescue, and also some video of Koesio being lifted off the beach in Guernsey, then righted with cranes, to be taken back to their home ports to assess the damage and make repairs. We finish today's update with an update from Francesca Clapcich and Will Harris on the IMOCA 11th Hour Racing. Thumbnail photo (c) Yann Riou / polaRYSE #sailing #ultim #imoca #class40 #ocean50

After having to make a pit-stop in Lorient to replace a rudder, Armel Le Cléac'h and Seb Josse on Banque Populaire XI could be back in the game in the Ultim class with a more westerly course. We take a look at their rudder change, and then tracker for them and the other fleets after two days at sea. You can track the fleet at https://www.transatcafelor.org/en/cartography Thumbnail photo (c) Martin Keruzoré #imoca #ultim #class40 #ocean50 #sailing

The Transat Café L’or is one of the biggest events in world offshore sailing, especially in France, and this year there are 74 yachts with 148 skippers taking part in four classes: The Class 40 monohulls, the OCEAN50 trimarans, the IMOCA monohull yachts, which we know well from the Vendee Globe, and the mighty Ultim trimarans, which are capable of covering over 900 nautical miles in a day. The race starts from Le Havre in the Normandy region, before rounding a mark off Étretat, then heading out of the English Channel and into the Atlantic where the classes have a selection of courses, depending on their speed. The finish is in Fort-de-France, Martinique as the race traditionally follows the historic coffee trading route between France and Brazil. The race will take between 10 and 16 days, depending as always on weather conditions, with the Ultim course 6,200 nautical miles, the Ocean50 4,600 nautical miles, the IMOCA course 4,350 nautical miles, and the Class40 course at 3,750 nautical miles. The biggest talking point pre-race has been the weather and an approaching system in the Atlantic which is set to hit the fleet. The Ocean Fifty class and all its skippers requested to advance their start to Saturday which the race organisers agreed to, and the fleet of 50 foot trimarans started at 16:30 hours on Saturday 25th October. They are sailing down to the Canary Islands, leaving the entire archipelago to starboard. They will then head to Cape Verde, the original course marker, which they will leave to starboard. A waypoint could also be set to correspond to the planned race time of around twelve days. The Ultim, IMOCA and Class 40 fleets started as scheduled on Sunday. You can track the fleet at https://www.transatcafelor.org/en/cartography Thumbnail photo (c) Jean-Marie Liot / Alea #imoca #ultim #class40 #ocean50 #sailing

The Allen factory, based in Southminster, Essex in the UK, makes many of the deck hardware and fittings that we use in our sailing, be that on dinghies or keelboats. The team are constantly innovating - designing new products, trying out cutting-edge manufacturing techniques - all with the aim of making our time on the water more enjoyable. On my tour around the factory with Ben Harden I met a passionate and dedicated workforce using a range of machinery, from the traditional to the latest in CNC machining and 3D printing. The team also support grass roots sailing, and I took a look at how they were helping Otter Week at nearby Burnham-on-Crouch. There were a few surprises along the way as well. For example, did you know that Allen made masts? They also work with the stuntman industry! Enjoy this look around, seeing how some very familiar fittings are produced, as well as some you may not have seen. #sailing #manufacturing #rigging #yachting

The Endeavour Trophy is one of the most coveted in UK sailing, gathering National Champions for each dinghy class to battle it out at the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club at Burnham-on-Crouch over an October weekend. This was the first time the Melges 15 dinghy was used for the event, and the sailors revelled in the high winds on Sunday, after Saturday's sailing had to be cancelled as the UK was blasted by Storm Amy. We bring you video from the racing and interviews with the sailors and organisers, as well as a chat with Keith Musto, the first ever winner of the Endeavour Trophy in 1961, who went on to win an Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo 1964 Games, and founded the famous clothing brand which bears his name. The full report and results, together with the link for the Vakaros Racesense tracking, can be found at https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/290647/505-champs-win-Endeavour-Trophy-2025 #sailing #dinghysailing

The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) has announced the winners of its prestigious Marina of the Year Awards 2025, anchored by Haven Knox-Johnston, during a packed awards ceremony at the Southampton International Boat Show on Wednesday 24 September. The awards, now a highlight of the annual boat show calendar, celebrate the very best Gold Anchor accredited marinas from across the UK and worldwide, recognising outstanding customer service, facilities, environmental leadership, and the teams and individuals that go above and beyond for berth holders. More information and full list of winners at https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/290364/2025-TYHA-Marina-of-the-Year-Awards

I recently spoke to Oli Hawkins, one of the the Junior Offshore Group's Generation JOG sailors, together with Keith Lovett of Stoneways Marine Insurance on why they support JOG racing, as well as other types of participation yacht racing. Keith and Oli also discuss what happens when things go wrong, and how Stoneways Marine helped when Oli himself had a mishap with his yacht. Read the full report of the JOG Stoneways Marine Cowes-Poole Race Weekend at https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/290063/JOG-Stoneways-Marine-Cowes-Poole-Race-Weekend #sailing #yachting #insurance

Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm has won the fifth and final offshore stage of The Ocean Race Europe 2025, crossing the line in Boka Bay on Sunday night to seal overall victory in the five-week, 4,500-mile race around Europe. Completing the 1,600-mile passage from Genoa in just over seven days. It marks their fourth leg victory of the race, adding to their points at the scoring gates, and confirming their place as 2025 champions. The final stage saw a bit of everything, with light winds at the start, before being hammered by squalls, torrential rain and thunderstorms across the central Mediterranean, with boat speeds varying between nothing and 30-plus knots. Team Holcim-PRB staged a remarkable comeback after falling more than 100 miles behind the leading four boats when they were caught the wrong side of a thunderstorm, but a transition zone to the south of Sicily put them back in the mix and they took every opportunity after that to finish the leg in second. Two hours later Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia crossed the line in third place, with Allagrande Mapei Racing fourth, just ahead of Team Paprec Arkéa. The results leave Paprec Arkéa and Holcim - PRB locked in a fight for second overall, separated by just half a point with only Saturday’s coastal race in Montenegro left to decide the final podium. Things are nearly as tight in the battle for fourth, with Allagrande Mapei just a single point ahead of Team Malizia. Thumbnail Photo (c) Lloyd Images / The Ocean Race Europe 2025 #IMOCA #theoceanrace #sailing

After a day off on Saturday, due to huge swell in Torbay the easterly breeze kicked up, the Moth fleet were back in action on Sunday to conclude the battle for the UK Championship. It started in a very autumnal way, with rain, the odd clap of thunder, and a wait for the breeze to stabilise as a front approached from the west. Going into the day Henry Wetherell was in a commanding position at the top of the leaderboard on ten points, with Dylan Fletcher on 15 and Kyle Stoneham on 19. Top female sailor Hattie Rogers was in 4th. See how it all played out on the final day! The full report and results can be found at https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/289724/Wetsuit-Outlet-Moth-UK-Championship-overall @wetsuit @allensailing2284 #sailing #foiling MB01HE9PPD2LJYN

Foils have been shrinking for years as sailors continually try to reduce drag and increase speeds, but designers were reaching the limit of what they could do with carbon, so the latest foils have turned to steel for some parts. Alex Adams talks us through the changes and why the properties of steel can be advantageous. #sailing #foiling #carbon #steel

I’ve never understood the whole idea of unboxing videos, but apparently they’re a thing and are very popular, so when we took the lid off Kyle Stoneham's Bieker International Moth to see how the hidden rigging systems work, unboxing seemed to be an apt title! So why are all the ropes hidden on all the latest International Moths? It’s all about aerodynamic efficiency as the boats get faster and faster. As we find out with Kyle, there are also some very clever systems under the carbon covers. Non-foiling sailors will understand the terms like vang, cunningham and outhall, but gearing, prodder and the bias adjuster will be new terms, all tied in with the foil control systems, and we attempt to explain what they do. We also take a look at the extraordinary loads the Allen blocks have to handle on the vang, which are measured with a tiny Cyclops load sensor. @allensailing2284 @cyclopsmarine8576 #foiling #unboxing #sailing

The Moth fleet have had their fair share of bad luck over the past couple of years, with a lack of wind at some major events, but so far the UK Nationals at Torbay have been close to perfect. The second day saw lighter winds than on Thursday, for which I think everyone was thankful, but still provided an ideal race track for the Moths to get up and fly. Full report at https://www.sail-world.com/news/289683/Wetsuit-Outlet-Moth-UK-Championship-Day-2 @wetsuit @allensailing2284 #foiling #sailing #sendit MB01NFDVKA6C7V9

An extraordinary first day at the Wetsuit Outlet International Moth UK Championship 2025 saw four races held and some very tired sailors wondering how they were going to get through three more days of the same. Conditions were at the top end at times in Torbay, pushing the foiling Moths and their helms to the limit, with race three being especially demanding and described by more than one sailor as 'biblical' downwind. Full report at https://www.sail-world.com/news/289661/Wetsuit-Outlet-Moth-UK-Championship-Day-1 Results so far to follow, as are three more days of epic foiling! @wetsuit @allensailing2284 #foiling #sailing #sendit MB01LKJ3MRSXAPE

Ambrogio Beccaria’s (ITA) Allagrande Mapei Racing (ITA) delivered a spectacular home-team triumph in the early hours of Wednesday morning, taking first place on Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 into Genoa. Beccaria and his crew of Thomas Ruyant (FRA), Morgan Lagravière (FRA) and Manon Peyre (FRA) crossed the line in the early hours of Wednesday morning after two days of relentless racing from Nice. The win marks a career highlight for Beccaria, who called it “a dream come true” to claim victory on Italian waters. Behind them, Team Paprec Arkéa (FRA), skippered by Yoann Richomme (FRA), secured second after an intense duel in the final approach to the Gulf of Genoa. Race leaders Biotherm (FRA), with skipper Paul Meilhat (FRA), completed the podium in third place. The 600-nautical-mile course delivered everything the Mediterranean can throw at sailors with slow and tactical light-wind nights, fierce downwind sprints at over 20 knots, and the notorious Strait of Bonifacio’s swirling currents. #imoca #theoceanrace

The Ocean Race Europe’s relentless schedule continues, and while it was a party atmosphere in Nice, for the sailors and shore crews there was hardly any down time between the finish of Leg 3 and the start of Leg 4 on Sunday. The yachts were beautifully lined up along the harbour front for the passers-by and hats off to the logistics team for getting the event village set up so quickly at each of the stopovers. They’ll all now be hot footing it to Genova, Italy for the Leg 4 finish on Wednesday. The previous leg was described as brutal, exhausting, and the most intensive yet, but it’s unlikely this one is being any easier as the sweltering heat continues. A loop around Corsica, through the gap between the island and Sardinia, back up north along the Tuscan coast, and then around a couple of marks to finish on Wednesday 3rd September. Thumbnail photo (c) Jean-Louis Carli / The Ocean Race Europe 2025 #IMOCA #theoceanrace

The race from Cartagena, Spain to Nice, France, may have taken just 2 days, 16 hours, 12 minutes, and 14 seconds for Biotherm, but the exhausted group of sailors described it as the most intense leg yet. We take a look at the options the sailors took, stunning drone footage of Biotherm off the Ibiza coast, some of the conditions they encountered, interviews with Paul Meilhat and Franck Cammas after the finish, and how the leaderboard is looking after Leg 3. Thumbnail photo (c) Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race Europe 2025 #IMOCA #theoceanrace #mediterranean