Editor’s Picks

With shout-outs from around the world from top ocean racers like Chris Nicholson in the Caribbean, the new brand identity for The Ocean Race was launched. Formerly known as the Whitbread Round the World Race (1973 to 1997) and the Volvo Ocean Race (2001 to 2018), the next edition of The Ocean Race will start in 2021 from Alicante, Spain, with two classes of boats racing: the high-tech, foiling IMOCA 60’s and the one-design VO65 fleet that provided the closest race in the history of the event in the last edition.

This year’s launch of Panerai’s standalone Submersible collection has the diver’s professional watch as its core segment. The Panerai Submersible Bronzo, touted for modern heroes only, is the latest model in this category to be revealed to an eager fan base.

The Panerai Submersible Bronzo diving watch has just been launched as part of a collection. Sail + Leisure gets an exclusive sneak preview of this beautiful piece of workmanship.

Nationwide load-shedding and its negative economic impact across the entire country has fuelled the growing uncertainty regarding electricity supply and access, accelerating the need for reduced reliance on a single energy supplier. The WWF Nedbank Green Trust is currently funding an in-depth investigation into the existing electricity distribution system at metro and municipal level in South Africa. The 2019 investigation builds on previous work done by WWF-SA, the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies at Stellenbosch University and their partners, metros and municipalities.

Enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful canals from the comfort of your own boat. The cruising pace of a Le Boat holiday is a comfortable mosey… an amble at best. The setting is sublime with quaint villages, stunning Gothic cathedrals, ‘Tudoresque’ homes and vines gently passing by.

The experience of being at a St Maarten Heineken Regatta goes way beyond the adrenalin of yacht racing. It’s also about the boats jostling to get through the lifting bridge playing loud music and dancing, and crews wearing outrageous outfits. It’s the cheers, the jeers and water-pistol shooting from the crowds excitedly observing from the St Maarten Yacht Club. All of these elements combined are what make this Caribbean regatta so popular and so different.

The 29th edition of the Mykonos Offshore regatta took place over the weekend of 22 February 2019, featuring 76 entries with over 500 crew expected to pull up to the shores of Langebaan’s Club Mykonos.

Crossing the line in front of Christophe Harbour on Saturday Jan 26th at 3h30’31” (07h30’31” UTC), the 50-metre three-masted schooner Xarifa won line honours in the Panerai Transat Classique 2019, ahead of Stiren, Coch Y Bondhu and Hilaria.

Will the SailGP rival the America’s Cup as was hoped? The first ever edition of the SailGP was held in Sydney Harbour early in Feb. The GP is a spin off of the 35th America’s Cup, and is sailed on updated F50’s. The changes to the F50’s mainly include a revised hydraulics system making them the worlds world’s most technologically advanced catamarans. There’s no doubt that these ’50’s are fast, but is it a case of we’ve seen this before?

I don’t often get to go out on the committee boat during a regatta, and certainly not on one that is running a high-speed racing circuit similar to that of a grand prix. In the words of one competitor, “you could have sold tickets “. I had the privilege of being in the mix during the Cape 31 Invitational regatta run from the V&A Waterfront, all the while sitting comfortably on a catamaran.