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Podcast: Sébastien Sainson – Gitana Team technical director
My guest on the latest edition of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast is Sébastien Sainson – technical director of the French Gitana Team, which recently launched its latest generation Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Ultim trimaran – Gitana 18.
Guirec Soudée’s incredible around the world record bid against the prevailing winds and currents looks set to deliver
To race around the world alone non-stop is pretty special and those that succeed enter an elite club. But when it comes to lapping the planet against the prevailing winds and currents, non-stop and alone the list stops way short of double figures.
PlanetSail: Next Gen Beasts
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.
PlanetSail: Maxi showdown
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.
PlanetSail: SailGP rolls into Sydney with more questions than answers
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. PlanetSail's Matt Sheahan breaks it all down...
Taylor Canfield on the US SailGP Team’s breakthrough event in Sydney
The US SailGP Team’s event win last weekend in Sydney was more than just a big result. After a bruising Season 5 and months of criticism, the Americans have started Season 6 looking sharper, calmer, and faster around the racecourse. According to the US skipper, there is plenty more yet to come.
Is Charles Caudrelier the happiest racing skipper on the planet?
If you were ever wondering who is the happiest person in the Grand Prix sail racing world right now, might I suggest France’s Charles Caudrelier – skipper of the newly launched Gitana 18 Ultim trimaran – as a top contender?
Inside 11th Hour Racing's Transat Café L’OR podium performance
Francesca Clapcich & Will Harris’ second place finish in the 2025 Transat Café L’OR is all the more impressive given that it was Clapcich’s first race in charge of the boat she will use in the 2028 Vendée Globe. We checked in with Harris recently to get his take on how the race played out.
Kevin Shoebridge: ‘We feel confident within the team’
Although it’s often Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton’s shoot-from-the-lip soundbites making the headlines, chief operating officer Kevin Shoebridge has also been key to the team's many America’s Cup successes. I caught up with him in Naples to get his take on the latest Kiwi campaign.
Podcast: Sébastien Sainson – Gitana Team technical director
My guest on the latest edition of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast is Sébastien Sainson – technical director of the French Gitana Team, which recently launched its latest generation Maxi Edmond de Rothschild Ultim trimaran – Gitana 18.
Podcast: James Pleasance - World Match Racing Tour
On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined by James Pleasance – executive director of the World Match Racing Tour, as we discuss the history, evolution, and future of one of sailing's most iconic competitions.
Podcast: SailGP Sydney analysis
On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined once again by fellow British yachting journalist Magnus Wheatley to chew over the goings on at the third event of SailGP Season 6, which took place in Sydney, Australia over the past weekend.
Podcast: ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP skipper Nicolai Sehested
On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined by Danish SailGP skipper Nicolai Sehested from the ROCKWOOL Racing Team for a catch-up on the Danish team's journey since joining SailGP back in 2020 at the start of the international circuit's second season.
Side by side across the Atlantic
How Sevenstar Yacht Transport turns fierce rivals into temporary neighbours. The toughest part of any major offshore race isn’t always the start. Often, it’s simply getting there.
Part of the team
Doyle Sails has been a key supplier to the SailGP circuit since its inception. With the award of a new five-year contract, the success story continues.
Next level ocean voyager
Building on the success of their 50ft debut model, Pegasus Yachts is now developing a larger version of the concept with yet more innovative thinking.
Maximum performance cruiser
A true icon of modern ocean sailing, the 100ft Nomad IV was designed as the ultimate yacht for a fast-paced, exhilarating and comfortable cruise around the world. Now she’s ready for another circumnavigation.
Editors’ Picks
Making sense of Grand Prix sailing’s fragmented landscape
Sailing’s Olympic classes, SailGP, the America’s Cup and the Vendée Globe, all showcase our sport at its highest level. But they rarely interconnect. Is sailing missing a chance to dramatically grow its audience by failing to align its biggest competitions?
Podcast: James Pleasance - World Match Racing Tour
On the latest episode of the Yacht Racing Life Podcast I'm joined by James Pleasance – executive director of the World Match Racing Tour, as we discuss the history, evolution, and future of one of sailing's most iconic competitions.
No magic bullet: why AC38 will be a game of marginal gains
Performance improvements under the new rules for the 38th America’s Cup are more likely to come from a multitude of incremental gains, rather than from a radical design breakthrough that would turn AC design thinking on its head.
Comment & Analysis
See allMeet the international challengers aiming to take on the French offshore elite
France’s dominance of singlehanded offshore racing can be traced back to one event: the proving ground known as La Solitaire du Figaro. Check the list of Vendée Globe winners and you will struggle to find one that did not establish their singlehanded racing credentials with a win in ‘the Figaro’.
The French are back in the America's Cup – and this time they mean business
With a new title sponsor and a slew of new talent on the sailing team, the French America’s Cup campaigners are looking to shake off their mantle of plucky underdogs, and have set their sights on going the distance in the Challenger selection series at the 38th America’s Cup.
Making sense of Grand Prix sailing’s fragmented landscape
Sailing’s Olympic classes, SailGP, the America’s Cup and the Vendée Globe, all showcase our sport at its highest level. But they rarely interconnect. Is sailing missing a chance to dramatically grow its audience by failing to align its biggest competitions?
Is it time for SailGP to shake things up?
Maybe it was the 07:30 start time in Europe. Maybe it was the light winds on Sydney Harbour turning racing into a driftathon. Or maybe it was that I was watching in between bingeing episodes of Drive to Survive. Whatever the reason, I found myself yawning my way through both days of SailGP Sydney.