Expert insight and context into sail racing's latest stories.
This week’s announcement that the challenger line-up for the 38th America’s Cup will include a United States entry – in the form of the newly-formed American Racing Challenger Team USA syndicate – comes as a welcome breath of fresh air for yachting’s oldest and most prestigious competition.
French sailor Guirec Soudée has just broken a solo, non-stop record that has stood for 22 years for sailing around the world. Actually, strike that, he’s smashed it. Not only that but he’s done so on a boat that many would regard as singularly unsuited for the purpose.
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’.
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.
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?
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.
This weekend’s third event of the 2026 SailGP season in Sydney, Australia will see the 11 foiling F50 catamarans race as a single fleet as the event organisers look to put the Auckland France/New Zealand crash in the rear-view mirror.
This weekend’s SailGP event in Sydney, Australia looks set for near-perfect wind conditions for F50 racing, with forecasts for the Sydney Harbour racecourse adjacent to Shark Island calling for easterly winds in the eight-to-13 knot range on Saturday and slightly stronger northeasterlies on Sunday.
The initial findings from a technical review carried out by SailGP into the cause of the high speed crash between the New Zealand and French F50 catamarans at the last event in Auckland recently have ruled out any system failures aboard the Kiwi boat.
A past America’s Cup sailor has lodged a legal complaint with the New York Attorney General’s Charities Bureau alleging “serious violations of the America’s Cup Deed of Gift” by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club – current holders of the America’s Cup.
This weekend’s crash between the French and New Zealand boats competing in the Auckland SailGP event has set the sailing world alight online, as sailing fans around the world weighed in with their opinions on the shocking incident that saw both boats badly damaged and two sailors hospitalised.
A shocking high-speed collision between the New Zealand and French F50s on the first day of the SailGP Auckland regatta has forced event organisers to abandon racing after both boats were badly damaged and two Kiwi crew members were taken to hospital.
Heavy rain and an ominous forecast of thunderstorms for the Auckland area put paid to Friday’s scheduled SailGP practice session. Nevertheless, anticipation is high for a thrilling couple of days of racing action, with the tantalising possibility of a new SailGP speed record adding some extra spice.
Are Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa already way ahead in the 38th America’s Cup? These two teams look like the only ones anywhere close to being ready to launch their modified AC75s – and whoever does so first will be making a bold statement of intent about their AC38 campaign.
This weekend’s SailGP event in Auckland, New Zealand looks set to be an all-action affair with strong south-westerly winds predicted for both days. That’s great news for the fans watching onsite and around the world online – but which teams might the fresh-to-frightening forecast suit best?
After the first event of Season 6 in Perth saw both Los Gallos and the Black Foils sidelined by serious damage to their boats, SailGP’s technical teams have executed a remarkable turnaround – ensuring both teams will be back on the water for the Auckland Sail Grand Prix next weekend.
