Toby Heppell

Is 50 knots still the magic number? Or will the latest launches go through sailing's ‘sound barrier' for mile after mile offshore?

A change of plans while cruising Greece left Richard Thomson reflecting on a summer of extremes

We take a look at the latest blue-water focussed yacht launches this year which are growing in both length and volume with every season

Toby Hodges takes a look at three new multihulls coming to the the market this year. Is performance taking over the multihull market?

The start of this season is a tale of two boats with DMS Vinyl, a 50ft DazCat built out of Millbrook, shouldering Oddity aside as we work her up for a season of racing. Oddity is still on the hard as we have been caught up in the process of remaking the rudders for better balance and ticking off a few other jobs including replacement of a cracked window. All that remains is to remove the Webasto heater and pop it into the dealer for a bench service and run up. I have ordered a South and West Coast of Ireland pilot, for that is where we fancy cruising this summer. Time to get her in the water, methinks. The long-term plan for DMS Vinyl is to compete alongside Dave Summers, the owner, in next year’s two-handed Azores and back Race, otherwise known as the AZAB. It’s one of those races that I have always wanted to do but have never found the planets lining up. My father took me to see a start as a boy and I think that’s where it initially got under my skin. Over time I have watched it grow into an international race that caters for the full spectrum of entries from serious competitors to adventurers in run-of-the-mill boats. I am told the camaraderie is amazing and with a stop in the beautiful Azores it has a social element that many ocean races lack. Starting and finishing in Falmouth, it has a unique Cornish character and the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club is looking to expand the shoreside activities to draw in a wider public audience. To this end there will be a schools programme and an open festival day on Saturday 5 June 2027, prior to the off on Sunday 6 June. At 50ft, DMS Vinyl is a big boat and best described as a racer-cruiser for she leans into the performance arena but at the same time maintains a degree of comfort. Built in Cornwall by Multimarine she has quite the pedigree and is a pleasure to sail. Dave and I are strangers to her ways, so earlier in the year we decided to blow the winter cobwebs out, put her through her paces and start to build our confidence and knowledge bank. It’s quite the gear shift from Oddity with her gaff rig and everything held in place by lacing and heavier lashings. On DMS Vinyl we are looking at mast locks, a raft of deck jammers and a range of free-furling sails. With Starlink we have amazing communications which enable the latest in forecasting and routing software. Every time we go sailing all information is sucked into a database to continually hone real world polar curves. Amongst other things we have load cells on the rigging and so information nudges aside the simple but often underrated gut feel and instinct that Oddity thrives on. It takes a long time to work up a new boat, particularly one that is to be …Continue reading »

Ferrari Hypersail is a fully electric sailing boat with components from the controversial Ferrari Luce at the heart of this revolution

What can we learn from the late Charlie Dalin? The love of the sea and sailing… Sailing isn't just a means to an end or destination – so why on earth do we do it?

Simon Rowell explains everything you need to know about the development of sea breezes

Electric propulsion has arrived in the weekender market. But is it genuinely viable – or still something of a compromise waiting to catch up with the idea?

Brianna Randall explains how ten Hawaiian sailors navigated 1,600 miles of ocean with no GPS or compass, using only ancient Polynesian wayfinding