Yachting-Life Articles

The 80th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race

Long before foils, canting keels and weather routers, just nine yachts set off on that inaugural voyage south. None of those sailors could have imagined that their modest adventure would grow into a 628-nautical-mile institution, watched by millions worldwide and drawing fleets as large as 371 starters, as seen in the race’s 50th anniversary year in 1994. A moving tribute on Sydney Harbour On Boxing Day morning, classic yachts will assemble in Rose Bay, before beginning the Parade of Sail from 10:30am to 11:30am.
The 80th Sydney Hobart Yacht Race
© Michael Hodges

Before the race south begins, the past takes centre stage.

29-12-2025

Old Sea Dogs: One Year Afloat

Old Sea Dogs - One Year Afloat
© Michael Hodges
No grand launch fanfare. No corporate polish. Just a simple idea: tell boating stories properly — with salt still drying on the pages, with respect for tradition, and with curiosity for where the marine world is heading next. A place for sailors, powerboaters, dreamers, racers, refitters, dock-talk philosophers, and those who simply feel more at home when the horizon is visible. One year on, Old Sea Dogs has become a logbook of global boating life — stories gathered from harbours, racecourses, boatyards, show pontoons, and far-off seas.
25-12-2025

Round the Island Race 2026: One Race, One Thousand Stories

On Saturday 11 July 2026, the unmistakable spectacle returns as the Island Sailing Club once again stages one of the world’s largest and most iconic mass-participation sailing events. For thousands of sailors, the date is already inked into diaries, with race entries opening on 23 January 2026, including a limited early-bird entry period running until 13 February.
21-12-2025

A New Chapter in Australia’s Offshore Racing Story

Few names in Australian sailing carry as much recognition as Sean Langman. With a career that spans everything from skiffs and classic restorations to maxis and modern offshore campaigns, Langman has built a reputation for versatility, ingenuity, and relentless competitiveness. He is a sailor who never backs down from a challenge, whether that means taking on the Rolex Sydney Hobart in a home-built skiff, or rebuilding older yachts and wringing every ounce of performance out of them.
16-10-2025

Final Push to Montenegro: A Grand Mediterranean Showdown

The stage is set for a finale worthy of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. Seven hardened IMOCA crews, battle-tested from weeks of light-air duels, bone-shaking sprints, and sleepless nights, now line up for the ultimate test: a 2,000-nautical mile marathon from Genoa, Italy to Boka Bay, Montenegro.
13-09-2025

Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team Closes Out 44Cup Worlds, Sets Sights on Fuerteventura

Scheveningen, The Netherlands – The 44Cup World Championship came to a close in Scheveningen after four days of relentless North Sea racing that pushed crews and boats to their limits. Spain’s Lanzarote Calero Sailing Team emerged from the storm-lashed championship with a sense of pride, perspective, and determination — walking away with a hard-earned fifth place finish in one of the most brutal races of the series.
10-09-2025

Fleet Departs Nice in Glamour Conditions as Leg 4 of The Ocean Race Europe Gets Underway

The Ocean Race Europe 2025 has reached its penultimate chapter, and it opened today in pure Mediterranean style. Nice delivered a sun-splashed send-off, the Bay of Angels shimmering as seven IMOCA crews unfurled their Code Zero sails and slipped the lines for Leg 4, a 550-mile loop around Corsica before the grand finale in Genova.
09-09-2025

The 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race

The RORC Transatlantic Race in association with the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club de France will set sail from Marina Lanzarote on 11 January 2026.
06-09-2025

Hamilton Island Race Week 40th: Champions, Close Calls

As the 40th Hamilton Island Race Week, presented by AMEX, enters its final stretch, the scoreboard is beginning to reveal its champions. Some divisions are all but wrapped up, while others promise a nail-biting showdown in Saturday’s final island passage race.
02-09-2025

Mediterranean Chaos: Leaders Stumble, Fleet Closes In

The Mediterranean has once again lived up to its trickster reputation, turning the charge to Cartagena into a drifting match. Only hours after blasting through Gibraltar at 30 knots, Paprec Arkéa were wallowing along at barely one – watching Biotherm and Holcim-PRB slip north and the chasing pack roar back into contention.
31-08-2025

Fleet storms away from the Solent as Ocean Race Europe Leg 2

Portsmouth turned on the sunshine this evening as seven IMOCAs thundered off the Royal Yacht Squadron line at 17:00, launching the second leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025. Ahead lies 1,400 nautical miles of hard running to Cartagena, Spain, with a midweek fly-by off Matosinhos-Porto to keep things lively.
23-08-2025

Biotherm storms to Portsmouth as Malizia’s Dover gamble strikes gold

Bright skies, patchy breeze, and a finish line just off the Isle of Wight — Leg 1 of The Ocean Race Europe wrapped up with Biotherm banking a faultless win, and Malizia stealing second with a gutsy call off Dover.
19-08-2025

Collision drama rocks The Ocean Race Europe start

Collision drama as two boats forced back to Kiel minutes into The Ocean Race Europe. The Ocean Race Europe barely had time to catch its breath before chaos hit. Just one mile into Leg One, two of the IMOCA giants – Team Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing – collided side-to-side at high speed in the tight, jostling opening exchanges, sending both skippers and shore crews scrambling.
12-08-2025

Cowes Week began under a light north‑westerly breeze

Cowes Week began under a light north‑westerly breeze, with all eyes on the forecast: Storm Floris, emerging from Iceland, promised a dramatic shift in wind direction and intensity later in the day Due to the lighter airs and anticipated changes, race officials postponed the start for two hours and shifted larger Black‑Group yachts off the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) line to a committee‑boat start off Beaulieu, while smaller keelboats and one‑design fleets, including the J/70s, SB20s, Etchells, Dragons, Flying 15s and others, were held offshore near Thorness before any gun was fired
06-08-2025

SANCTUARY COVE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

Australia's Gold Coast hosted massive crowds that enjoyed the spectacular 36th Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show with a record number of boats delivering an unsurpassed display of marine innovation, luxury and lifestyle.
31-05-2025

Attitude Versus Training in Yachting: The Indomitable Spirit of Sailors Unearthed

In the unrelenting world of sailing, attitude often rules over training, redefining the survivalist spirit of seafarers amidst the unforgiving ocean tides.
19-12-2024