With the start of the Vendée Globe Race on November 8th, many skippers and fans alike will be worried about safety at sea for such a long length of time. Fortunately the risk of collision will be significantly reduced as many of the competing IMOCAs have been fitted with a pioneering new electronic safety aid called OSCAR. Using day and thermal cameras combined with artificial intelligence provides a second set of ‘eyes’ for the solo skipper both during the day and, crucially, at night time as well.
Category:
Sail
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From ages two to 82, South Africans of all ages, shapes and sizes took to the water in the Little Optimist Global Challenge. Dams, swimming pools and even fish tanks hosted the tiny boats and their over-sized occupants. The 10 day challenge involved people spending time in Optimists (boats designed for children), was all in aid of a good cause. And not just one good cause, but many.
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The 36th America’s Cup is pipped to be the most highly competitive in Cup history. The Defenders, Emirates Team New Zealand have an important legacy to uphold as respected and serious contenders with strong aims to raise the Cup once more.
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The Cape 31 is a South African-produced which has been developed for a fast, one-design racing circuit in strong winds, utilising a small crew. The C31 is the brainchild of Irvine Laidlaw, who wanted to develop a boat that would be built and assembled in Cape Town to support the local boat building industry. Designed by Mark Mills, this boat has taken the one-design 30 footer class by storm, leading to sales in the UK, USA and Australia. Choosing the correct sail inventory can improve the speeds and handling of these already fast-paced boats.
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Options to owning a boat can be varied and complicated. Fractional ownership is one solution, but where do you begin, what do you look for and what are the possible pitfalls? Bobby Jordan asked three brokers for their top tips on ownership plans.
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The Wynns packed up their boat and left her on the hard in Tonga to spend time with family, planning to be away for just a few months. On their return to Tonga, Covid hit! They were caught in Fiji, thinking that they would only have to stay there for a few weeks. But weeks turned into months……
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Things are hotting up for the teams competing in the 36th America’s Cup in New Zealand in 2021. With boats and teams arriving weekly, the Challenger on Record, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, is the latest team to deliver their 2nd boat to the competition venue. The Prada Cup – the Challenger selection series – takes place in Jan and Feb 2021 to determine who will challenge the Defender, ‘Emirates New Zealand’ in the America’s Cup Match in March 2021.
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Tracy Edwards was the skipper of the all-female entry Maiden in the 1989/1990 edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race. She was just 24 years old! Tracy and her crew broke barriers, and proved so many people wrong in the male-dominated sport. They weren’t even expected to finish the first leg, but they did just that, and went on to win both southern ocean legs too.
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Mark Mills, designer of the sporty Cape 31, has done it again! The Mark Mills MD75 Karma, built by Maxi Dolphin has been voted the Best Sailing Yacht at The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2020 held in Capri, Italy.
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Spirit Yachts recently unveiled their highly anticipated 34m sailing yacht, the Spirit 111. With eco-features throughout and a stand-out interior design that makes you wonder if you are indeed on a boat, this sloop-rigged yacht is the largest single-masted wooden sailing yacht to be built in the UK since Shamrock V in the 1930’s. At the request of her buyer, the Spirit 111 has been designed and built in-house by Spirit Yachts to be one of the most environmentally friendly sailing Superyachts ever created.
