Table of contents for Yachting Year 2025 in Sailing Today

WAUQUIEZ 55 Wauquiez is a marque that has been much revered in cruising circles since it first started building elegant cruisers back in the 1960s. Its new 55 is definitely intriguing and one of the striking features is the centre cockpit with the helm offset to port under a well protected solid plexiglass sprayhood. Another interesting feature is the option of a swing keel which gives you an almighty 4.2m of draft when lowered and 1.6m when raised. Aside from that, the boat dares to be different by supplying two Volvo D2 engines as standard. The interior looks extremely spacious and full forward sections plus plenty of beam to ensure that there is a huge interior space. In addition, the centre cockpit allows for a huge aft owner’s cabin. ⬤…

Given the growth in the sailing holiday charter market in Croatia in recent years, you’ll find most charter companies operate from this destination, including Sailing Holidays with no less than nine charter bases spread throughout Croatia, The Globe Sailor, Nautilus, Activity Yachting, Seafarer, Dream Yacht Worldwide, Plain Sailing, The Moorings, Silver Sail, and Sunsail. With a flight time of approximately two and a half hours, and four main airports – Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zadar – logistically travelling there is relatively straightforward. To make it even easier, you’ll also find that some companies have direct flights to places like Pula in the north which are more closely located to their sailing bases. Having minimal transfer times is a particularly good feature if you are travelling to Croatia from the UK…

Following a year when the cost of living was never far from the headlines, you would be forgiven for expecting boat insurance premiums to skyrocket. Inflation was hovering stubbornly around the 10 per cent mark this time last year, reflecting higher prices across the board. But as some of the hot air has escaped from the economy, that figure slipped to less than 4 per cent in November, and the major insurers canvassed by Sailing Today all forecast below-inflation premium rises in the new year. We won’t know what that means until the spring, when insurers traditionally set the year’s premiums. Icy conditions currently grip much of the continent, and there is the prospect of further named storms before the weather starts to improve and thoughts turn again to boating.…

Jeanneau Yachts has a proud history of racing going back to 1976 when a Jeanneau Melody battled against the Atlantic greybeards to complete the OSTAR. Since then the company has been one of the leading forces in making racing more accessible by producing genuinely rapid mass produced racing yachts. Models such as the Rush Royale, Selection 37 and the JOD 35 when they came out in the ’80s and ’90s, while the latest iterations of the Sun Fast range have been at the forefront of the offshore racing scene. It was therefore welcome news when the French manufacturer announced that it was going to bolster its Sun Fast range – already represented by the excellent and successful Sun Fast 3300 – with a smaller 30’ offshore racer. Just to add…

The Caribbean is one of the preferred destinations for winter sun yacht charter not least because of the guaranteed climate, which offers consistent tropical temperatures, good sailing winds, and some of the most spectacular cruising grounds in the world. The allure of the warm trade winds, the breathtaking vistas of palm fringed islands and vibrant clear blue waters create an idyllic setting for a dreamy escape, although remember, the best time to travel there is December to late April to avoid the hurricane season. Another reason why the Caribbean has become so popular over the last decade or so is the relative ease of access. Destinations such as Antigua, Grenada and St Lucia have regular non-stop 8–10-hour flights from the UK, while even with flight changes to places like the…

2024 truly has delivered a seemingly relentless selection of treats for sailors of all stripes but it must be said that if you follow racing in any shape or form then 2024 was a year when the action was almost unrelenting. The action kicked off in January 2024 with the extraordinary Ultim Challenge which saw six French skippers set out from Brest with the aim of sailing solo, singlehanded in the monstrous Ultim class trimarans. These huge 32m monsters are capable of speeds of over 40kn and can make 24 hour runs of over 800nm. To handle them single-handed is truly a feat worthy of respect. Just 50 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds later, Charles Caudrelier became the first to complete the 22,460 mile course only a…

It wasn’t the first time I’d ridden on a speedboat at over 20kts. As a yachting journalist, I’ve spent untold hours in RIBs chasing classic yachts around the course at regattas from Ajaccio to Langkawi. It’s at once exhilarating, often uncomfortable, and occasionally scary. So when I was invited to ride on board the new electric foiler from Spirit Yachts, with its top speed of 32kts, I was quite prepared for a thrilling white-knuckle ride across the Solent. After all, just a few days before she had beaten the speed record for an electric boat going around the Isle of Wight, slashing four hours off the previous record holder by completing the 51-mile course in just 1 hour 56 minutes. I had butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.…

In the winter of 1907, when Alden was 23, he made a voyage that would define his yacht designs. The schooner Fame, owned by the Eastern Fishing company, had to be returned to Boston when her crew of 23 men went down with smallpox and there was no one left to sail her. Alden put together a crew of four inexperienced young men and one old salt to undertake the journey. During the weeks that followed, they experienced extreme winter storms with over 50kt winds turning salt spray to ice. The boat and the crew completed the voyage and it’s said that as a result of this, Alden learned what was important when a vessel was short-handed, and learned how to design a boat that would be resilient in heavy…

Integrity set sail from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on June 1, bound for Alaska via Greenland and Arctic Canada. Having mis-diagnosed one of several narrow channel entrances passing between two low lying islands and out onto the sea, we almost encountered the sea bed within a mile of departure port. Running aground on mud is not too bad, rocks tend to have a more serious impact. Having overseen various sailing mishaps and therefore accustomed as I am to general embarrassment and small scale humiliation, a call for help so close to the start would have been a little difficult to wear with grace. The navigational misadventure was soon forgotten and given what came afterwards, perhaps had I not mentioned it here, the incident may never have been remembered. By dark we…

Duver Marina – part Bembridge harbour – which is privately owned and managed by Fiona and Malcolm Thorpe, and Bembridge Harbour team, is on the starboard side along the buoyed channel at the eastern corner of the Isle of Wight. This recently revamped marina in the heart of the harbour offers a well-equipped, safe haven not only for permanent berth holders, but also visitors. Given its location at the ‘gateway to the Solent’, Bembridge Harbour is a particularly popular choice for those seeking respite after a tough west-bound passage up the Channel. It is also a popular venue for rallies, with groups of yachts turning up en-mass to enjoy spectacular sailing on the Solent as well the fun social element in the friendly setting within the harbour. For permanent berth…

Conwy Marina is located on the north west coast of Wales, which makes it the ideal base to locate yourself if cruising the area. This much-loved Welsh beauty spot in the heart of Conwy has so much to offer onshore too including the imposing 700-year-old Conwy Castle – one of Wales’ UNESCO World Heritage Sites – which stands proud overlooking the town just a bit further upstream from the marina. Beyond that, the craggy mountains of Snowdonia form the perfect backdrop, and over to the east, on the other side of the Great Orme, is Llandudno – another popular summer holiday resort. The fact the whole area, including the approach to the river is surrounded by sand, there are loads of beaches close by and, for the convenience of basing…

The yachting year ahead promises to be a vintage one packed with events that you simply cannot afford to miss and if there is one that really stands out it is the Fastnet Race. This yachting classic is held every two years and is a standout in the sailing calendar yet what makes the 2025 event all the more special is the fact that this will mark the 100th anniversary of the race. From its humble beginnings, the race has grown to become the world’s biggest offshore race, with 430 yachts competing in 2023. The 2025 edition will start from Cowes on 26th July 2025 and finish, for a third time, in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France; a course of 695 miles. The history of the race is fascinating: In 1925, before offshore…

Moody Yachts is a British icon that, back in the early 2000s, went all continental on us after being taken over by German manufacturer Hanse. While prior to this Moody had made a broad range of yachts, its new owners opted to specialise in deck saloon yachts – thereby carving a very specific niche for the marque. Thankfully, although production of the yachts was moved to Germany, the services of designer Bill Dixon were retained. Dixon had been involved with Moody since the beginning and his input was part of the very DNA of the company. That remains the case right up to the present day, with the new Moody DS48, launched earlier this year. As with all the Moody range, the new 48 has its own distinctive style that…

Cities around the British coastline are often some way up an estuary or river which makes them a superficially unattractive proposition for cruising yachtsmen, even more so for others hurrying from their home-port to some distant cruising ground. Nonetheless they provide welcome surprises as well as interesting things to see and do. Of course, these days you don’t have to dry out against their slimy and abrasive harbour walls, instead there are marinas which are mostly in redeveloped docks behind lock gates and surrounded by historic buildings. And of course with their road, rail (and air if you must) connections, cities are good places for changing crew while the skipper takes a rest, cleans the boat, and does the shopping. Don’t begrudge the marina fees, they pale into insignificance compared…

With 15,000 kilometres of coastline and around 6,000 Islands to explore, the cruising area of Greece is vast and offers a huge range of conditions to suit all levels of ability. If you are looking to escape the madding crowds, don’t be put off by the popularity of Greece because one of the reasons why it remains a charter holiday hot spot is because there are plenty of places to explore in areas such as the Saronic Gulf, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Sea. Most charter bases in Greece are in prime positions, which means you don’t need to sail for days to find tranquil anchorages off the beaten track, or quaint harbour towns with waterside cafes and restaurants. There are plenty of opportunities to embrace the rich and diverse…

With the launch of its 2024/25 Yachting and Boating collection, Henri-Lloyd is marking 60 years of sailing apparel innovation with a new forward-facing vision. Headquartered in Manchester, Henri-Lloyd is enjoying a resurgence, as the brand re-establishes itself under new owners, Monte Rosa Capital, alongside its sister company Odlo, the Norwegian base layer specialist brand. With a thriving retail base through chandleries, as well as shops in Cowes, Lymington, Dartmouth and Salcombe, manufacturer is largely European-based, including at the company’s wholly-owned factory in Brodnica, Poland – the home-town of Henri Strzelecki, who founded the company in 1963 after moving to the UK to study fabric technology in Manchester. The fledgling Henri-Lloyd quickly gained renown for its innovation in the use of waterproof seams, Velcro and non-corrosive zips in producing waterproofs for…

Man overboard recovery is a topic that inspires healthy respect among sailors. For many, in fact, it is a question that provokes outright fear, and it’s not hard to see why. Offshore, far from help, or even for shorthanded coastal outings, the prospect of finding and re-embarking a member of the crew lost over the side, is daunting. Now, my intention here is not to explore the best MOB technique to use. I’ve asked Simon Jinks of SeaRegs Training in Plymouth to provide a brief step-by-step guide instead. He outlines the RYA’s official drill for handling an MOB situation below. The focus of this article is on the equipment you need to accomplish a successful recovery. We’ll tackle two scenarios: recovering a conscious and able MOB and getting an unconscious…