Getting hi-tech designs like TP52s to achieve their peak performance requires more than top crew work, perfect sail trim and outstanding steering and tactics. Having the right spars is also absolutely essential. A case study of a successful Class 0 entry at the ORC World Championship in Sorrento, Italy shows how MC1 Spars rose to the challenge of designing, fabricating and delivering a replacement mast on time and on budget, for a high-profile team entered in this very competitive event, and then providing full commissioning support.

This story starts at the 2025 Admiral’s Cup where Carl-Peter Forster’s TP52 Red Bandit, part of the Bayerischer Yacht Club team, showed tremendous promise. They came into the Admiral’s Cup after an overall win in the 2024 Middle Sea Race and scored some solid results in the opening stages of the AC.

The team was earning attention for these results because Red Bandit Racing is not just another all-pro programme loaded with decades of elite talent and the very latest technologies, like a typical Admiral’s Cup campaign. In fact, the Forster Offshore Racing Foundation that supports Red Bandit Racing is a decidedly pro-am effort that provides ambitious young sailors with the chance to get the training from a few seasoned pros and to compete at a professional level in a variety of inshore and offshore racing events. The foundation’s mission is to train and develop young sailors from one-design and dinghy classes (such as, 420, 470, 49er) the opportunity to transition into the world of big-boat racing.

‘So far we have invited more than 70 young people to sail with us in this programme,’ says Forster, ‘and interest continues to grow’.

Yet this positive start to last year’s Admiral’s Cup took an unfortunate turn. On the first of the inshore races in the Solent, Red Bandit’s mast crumpled and broke, fortunately without injury to any of the crew, but taking them out of the event and cancelling all other planned racing for months to come.

Enter MC1 Spars
In the search for a replacement mast, Forster contacted MC1 Spars’ manager Trent Justice to find out what options were available to get them back on the water.

‘We first looked carefully at the team’s goals,’ says Justice. ‘Their programme has a primary focus on serious offshore racing, with occasional inshore races as well, so we agreed that a mast of exceptional strength was a priority, especially after their experience in the Solent.

‘Cost was also a consideration, so we suggested high-modulus carbon rather than ultra-high modulus because the small difference in weight and centre of gravity did not outweigh the extra expense for the type of racing they were anticipating.’

Justice then contacted Steve Wilson, who he calls “the godfather of rig design”. Wilson’s development of the SailPack software system has led to extensive experience in designing many dozens of successful high-performance spars.

Wilson routinely works with the team at MC1 Spars to determine the dimensions and composites layup needed to optimise a spar to meet the customer’s needs. In this capacity he works alongside other experts, such as project manager Wade Morgan, who was available for this job after finishing his role with the new Mills 56 Denali built in Valencia, another highperformance boat with an offshore focus.

‘Working with this team at MC1 Spars was a great pleasure,’ says Forster, whose background in the 505 and Star classes, as well as in offshore racing, gave him a strong personal insight on the importance of having exactly the right mast to match the boat.

‘Our TP 52 is an older judel/vrolijk design from 2008, which is a little heavier with a shorter keel than the current generation boats, but has less wetted surface in the hull form,’ Forster says. ‘So we can do quite well in winds less than 10 knots.’ The sailplan is slightly different as well, with a smaller mainsail but larger headsails and spinnakers. Other important features that needed consideration in the spar design were:

• the ability to increase headstay loads from 6.5 tons to 8 tons

• no less than six halyard locks to handle staysails and flying sails as well as the headsails and spinnakers

• while a new mainsail would be built for the new mast, the team wanted a workable deflector system to fine-tune the mast shape as needed throughout the range of conditions typical of most offshore races. This avoids the need to make too many luff curve adjustments in the new mainsail

• all other sails – headsails, spinnakers, staysails and code sails – would be from the existing inventory and used without immediate plans for replacement

Time to deliver... but also innovate
Another important target was to deliver the new mast to the boat in St-Tropez by early May 2026 in time for the ORC Worlds in Italy. Hopefully sooner, to have some time to check its fit and do some tuning before the event. This included ensuring the new set of composite rigging from Future Fibres was also arriving on time and on dimension to fit properly.

‘What also really impressed me about working with MC1 Spars,’ Forster says, ‘was the on-site commissioning service and how Trent and his team worked really hard to solve a few issues that came up in the commissioning. Their work was diligent and efficient so that we had time to not only make the event, but to have a few days of sailing before racing.’

The on-time delivery from the team at MC1 Spars started with completing the mast fabrication at its base in Zhuhai, China, ahead of schedule, allowing Forster to help find a shorter shipping route from the export location in Shanghai. He found a one-stop solution that landed the mast in Belgium and it was then transported by truck to St Tropez a few days earlier than the plan. In all, it was delivered four and a half weeks earlier than the contracted arrival date.

‘One thing we do for our customers is to maintain a constant flow of weekly reports that give not only the progress of what’s happened to date, but also a projection of completion targets in the next week,’ Justice says. This approach builds confidence and trust, effectively bring the client into the team to collaboratively arrive at outcomes that don’t just fulfil contract goals but provide an opportunity to exceed them, as happened with Red Bandit’s new mast.

‘We are deliberately careful in establishing timelines that may seem ambitious but are actually realistic,’ Justice says. ‘That avoids us having to rush at the end to meet deadlines, which is when mistakes can easily be made and we then fall behind in correcting them.’

Another interesting aspect of the Red Bandit mast project is the detailed innovations in spar assembly that make a difference in a variety of important ways, such as reducing weight and windage, increasing strength and adding useful functionality. Justice gives an example in the fabrication and installation of the diagonal shroud tangs.

‘When we were designing these we realised we could improve not only on reducing the weight from 510g to 397g by using titanium, but also reduce the fabrication time by building the tangs in one part and not three. We spoke about this with Carl-Peter and he said: ‘This is great, but how much more will it cost?’ When I said there was no charge for it, this is what we do, he could not believe it.’

Similar improvements in design were made to the six halyard locks by having the bullet travel over the sheave and positioning the flipper behind it. This makes the release under load more reliable when applied off-axis, which is typical when dousing even a furled sail while under way. For any foredeck team in modern offshore racing, a consistently reliable halyard lock system can be a game-changer.

Besides the full-service commissioning work performed by Justice and the MC1 Spars team, Forster was also impressed with the guidance they gave for an initial set of tuning numbers to get them started towards the ORC World Championships in Sorrento, which were fast approaching.

‘In our pro-am team we are without a specialist in rig tuning,’ Forster says. ‘Trent’s guidance was a tremendous help in getting us started. We would have been lost without that.’

At the ORC Worlds the Red Bandit team performed well considering that they were starting afresh. In Class 0, the toughest class at the event with 15 entries including eight seasoned, mostly all-pro TP52s and three Wallyrockets, Red Bandit finished fifth among the TPs and eighth overall. Included in their remaining season of four events are the always competitive Copa del Rey and a return to the Rolex Middle Sea Race.

Watch for this team as they grow in competitiveness while still completing their mission to also grow the sport.

More on MC1 Spars

A glance at the SailGP Season 6 leaderboard could lead the casual observer to think that Tom Slingsby’s three-time season championship winners the Bonds Flying Roos are already well on their way to a fourth overall victory in 2026. After all, the Australian crew holds a massive 12-point lead at the top of the table going into the ninth regatta of the 2026 season taking place in Sassnitz, Germany this coming weekend. But, while there’s no denying that the Roos are rock-solid favourites to contest the 2026 Grand Final in Abu Dhabi this November, the question of who the on-form team is right now is somewhat more complex.

A deeper dive into the Season 6 results shows that Diego Botín’s second-placed Spanish Los Gallos crew have also been having a stellar season, but one that has been marred by major technical breakdowns beyond their control.

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From performance cruisers to superyachts, many of the high-end vessels built in Italy, and increasingly beyond its borders, rely on components designed, engineered and produced by a remarkable supplier based in Ancona: Advanced Mechanical Solutions, or AMS.

The trajectory of this thriving firm is impossible to separate from the story of its founder and CEO, Francesco Pelizza. His approach to marine structural engineering began long before Finite Element Method (FEM) calculations, carbon laminates and composite load paths entered the picture. At the beginning there was simply the family boat: a Show 29 designed by Alain Jézéquel, one of the glassfibre yachts that introduced a generation to offshore sailing during the 1970s and ‘80s.

For Pelizza, that early exposure became a genuine apprenticeship. By the 1990s he had built extensive offshore racing experience, including a PHS division victory in the Sydney Hobart Race and line honours with a course record at both the Middle Sea Race and the Giraglia, as well as second place in the Fastnet Race. All of that he achieved before graduating from university and launching his own engineering company.

‘I started in the Optimist like everyone else, although only briefly,’ he recalls. ‘The real sea school was the family boat, cruising and long passages.’

At the same time came his first offshore races out of Ancona, which during the 1980s and ’90s was one of the most active offshore sailing hubs in Italy. Pelizza joined local crews and sailed alongside some of the best-known names in Italian sailing including Andrea Giorgetti, who was the bowman aboard the Italian America’s Cup 12 Metre Azzurra.

‘I was mainsail trimmer for these round-the-can races,’ Pelizza says. ‘I also did countless deliveries between regattas, thousands of miles between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas.’

In those years the sea was more than a sporting passion. Pelizza also worked as a commercial diver for an Ancona-based offshore contractor servicing oil platforms in the Adriatic, while simultaneously studying engineering and continuing to race. There were periods, he says, when he spent more hours at sea than ashore. His first big offshore campaigns were in the early 1990s with the 500 x 2, the historic double-handed Adriatic race. Despite its enclosed geography, the Adriatic is far from benign. Violent summer squalls descending from the Balkans and steep, short seas generated by southerly weather systems make it an unforgiving training ground.

Pelizza belongs to a generation of Italian offshore sailors raised in an era when campaigns were run on modest budgets. Technical preparation was largely self-taught and success depended heavily on practical ingenuity. It was common to arrive at the start line of a race after days of offshore delivery sailing with a reduced crew, little sleep and continuous boat preparation under way. The same mindset would later prove to be invaluable in his engineering career.

One of the first significant results came in 1994 with victory in the Rimini-Corfù– Rimini aboard Pegaso, an Open-class yacht considered exceptionally quick for its time. But it was double-handed racing that truly defined that period. Pelizza competed in multiple editions of the 500 x 2 and Roma x 2 races, experiencing challenges that were central to both his technical and personal development.

One campaign in the 500 x 2 ended dramatically when, during a night return leg toward Italy, the 10m yacht he was racing double-handed – while lying second overall – was struck by a commercial ship. Nobody was injured but the race ended with a badly damaged bow and the boat dismasted. The following year he returned with Massimo Giacomozzi and won.

A long string of successes followed. Giacomozzi and Pelizza formed one of the most successful offshore partnerships of late 1990s Italian sailing and the two sailors also shared a Mini Transat project. Giacomozzi bought a Mini 6.50 that the pair prepared together for the 1997 race, while Pelizza competed in the 1999 edition, all while continuing their intensive offshore programmes in both the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian circuits.

One of the emblematic boats of that era was Vulcangas, a tiny but exceptionally quick Ami 30 designed by Alberto Fiorenzi. Spartan, light and aggressively optimised, the boat repeatedly defeated much larger rivals. With Vulcangas, Pelizza and Giacomozzi won the Roma per Due, the 500 x 2 and the Rimini–Corfù–Rimini, frequently beating yachts 10ft or even 20ft longer on real and corrected time.

Those involved in the Italian offshore scene at the time still remember that boat as a David-versus-Goliath project. Fifty and 60-footers regularly found themselves behind a stripped-out 30-footer prepared with obsessive care and sailed exceptionally well.

At the same time Pelizza joined the crew of Riviera di Rimini, the famous Andrea Vallicelli-designed 60ft design which was among the Mediterranean’s most competitive offshore platforms of the period. He raced in multiple editions of the Middle Sea Race aboard that yacht, including the particularly brutal 1998 race in which Riviera di Rimini established a record of 72 hours, 50 minutes and 42 seconds – a mark that stood for 12 years. In 1998, he also came second in the Fastnet Race aboard the same yacht. On board, Pelizza alternated between bow work, helmsman and watch captain duties. His résumé also includes the 1997 Sydney-Hobart aboard the Italian entry Orchidea, racing on the Farr 50 Seac Banche which the team had chartered in Australia. They won the PHS division.

Then came the 1999 Mini Transat and in many ways that was the moment when Pelizza chose his long-term direction.

He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Marche Polytechnic University in 1999 with a thesis dedicated to the structural analysis of a sailing yacht at sea. His experimental platform was none other than Vulcangas. Sensors, data acquisition systems and instrumentation were installed aboard to study real deformation and load cases during offshore sailing.

‘It was already an attempt to connect practical experience with structural analysis,’ he explains. ‘I wasn’t interested only in theoretical numbers. I wanted to understand what actually happens to a yacht at sea.’

The 1999 Mini Transat was meant to represent the natural culmination of that journey. His Mini, designed by the late Andrea Romanelli, had been heavily modified with a canting keel and revised systems to remain competitive in a class that was evolving at remarkable speed.

The campaign ended prematurely when the keel detached, causing the yacht to capsize. Pelizza escaped unharmed but the incident also marked the end of his top-level offshore racing career.

‘In reality I had already decided that after the Mini Transat I would dedicate myself entirely to engineering,’ he says. ‘Whether I finished first or last, that was going to be the moment I changed direction.’

The next step took him first to Rome, working in the office of marine structural engineer Giulio Ricci, before moving into the aerospace sector between Trieste and Rome with Aerostudi. Those years proved decisive. Advanced FEM analysis, carbon composite structures and aerospacederived calculation methodologies became his daily working environment. It was there that what later became the AMS method truly took shape: applying aerospace engineering principles to yacht design while retaining the perspective of someone who has deep and long experience of high-level offshore sailing.

In 2005 Pelizza returned to Ancona and founded AMS. One of the company’s first major commissions was the structural design work for the RC44 conceived by Russell Coutts and designed by Andrej Justin. That project became the company’s real turning point.

‘The RC44 was the project that made me realise I could build something of my own,’ says Pelizza. ‘Everything started from there.’

Today AMS operates as a multidisciplinary organisation comprising an in-house engineering office with more than 15 engineers and 30 people in the company, a composites division, a dedicated metalworking facility and a broad network of specialist external partners. In 2021 the company also launched AMS-Composites, a division dedicated to the direct production of in-house developed carbon components.

The company has worked and continues to work with many international shipyards and design offices across projects ranging from performance cruisers to full custom superyachts. Clients include Wally, Solaris Yachts, Cantiere del Pardo, Maxi Dolphin, YYachts and CRN. AMS is currently working on a 100ft superyacht project, the details of which cannot be disclosed.

Yet despite the company’s growth and the increasing sophistication of modern yacht engineering, Pelizza still sees a direct continuity between his offshore sailing background and the way AMS approaches structural design today.

‘When we size a component, we don’t think only about the numbers imposed by classification rules,’ he explains. ‘We think about the yacht slamming into waves, about real dynamic loads and what can happen during offshore sailing. Having lived through those situations helps enormously.’

According to Pelizza, the biggest change from the past lies not so much in structural principles themselves but in the design constraints that are imposed by the styling of contemporary yachts.

‘Today, structures have to coexist with far more extreme interior layouts,’ he says. ‘Yachts have greater internal volumes, fewer bulkheads and much more open interiors. Our job is to maintain stiffness and minimise weight within increasingly complex constraints.’

The AMS approach remains strongly focused on FEM optimisation and weight reduction, with a philosophy heavily influenced by the racing world even when applied to high-performance cruising yachts. It is no coincidence that many systems developed by AMS for large motor yachts are equally applicable to sailing superyachts: tender handling systems, retractable passerelles, automatic awnings, stern-door opening systems, anchor arms and numerous custom carbon-and-metal kinematic assemblies.

‘In the end the principle is always the same,’ says Pelizza. ‘It is to build structures that are light, reliable and as integrated as possible.’

In truth, the connection with yacht racing never entirely disappeared. In 2017 Pelizza won the ORC Corinthian World Championship aboard a Grand Soleil 43 whose structures had been engineered, a few years before, by AMS itself – a fitting full circle in which the designer returned to winning aboard a yacht shaped partly by his own engineering work.

In recent years he has returned to dinghy sailing, choosing the Contender.

‘When I was younger I sailed very few dinghies and always felt something was missing,’ he says with a smile. ‘The Contender is an extraordinary boat. It’s a 1967 design but it still feels completely modern in terms of acceleration, balance, sensitivity. Ben Lexcen really was a genius.’

And if he had to choose a yacht for a return to offshore racing today?

The answer comes immediately.

‘A modern Class40. I think it’s one of the most interesting offshore platforms in existence today. I would love to do a major ocean race aboard one of those boats – particularly the Musa 40, which is a completely Italian project.’

More information on AMS

I have long been an admirer of Paul’s achievements across the Olympics, America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, but what has particularly impressed me is his longevity at the very top end of some of yacht racing’s most competitive classes. In 2025 he won his second Star World Championship victory – a remarkable 37 years after his first in 1988. Then, earlier this year, he won the Etchells world title, too.

In what turned out to be a more than 90 minute conversation, Paul talks us through his illustrious sailing career: from his introduction to the sport at age eight, to his early successes, and his inevitable transition to professional sailing.

As well as his AC and around-the-world exploits, he also reflects on his Olympic experiences, including being an alternate in 1984 and competing in the Star class in 2004.

We talk about the physical and mental demands of sailing, his current fitness regimen, the importance of teamwork and strategy in his career, and mull over the evolution and challenges of sailing, and find out why he laments the shift from traditional sailing to more spectacle-driven competitions like SailGP, which prioritize speed and spectacle over strategy and teamwork.

Paul also highlights the camaraderie he enjoys so much in the Star class and mourns the loss of keelboat sailing in the Olympics. We also discuss his role at America One Racing, an initiative focused on youth development and Olympic preparation, with a $5 million annual budget.

All this and much more…

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If, like me, you had slightly lost track of France’s flagship offshore class, here’s a handy update to get you all caught up…

The IMOCA world has been a hive of activity in 2026 with a multitude of top-flight campaigns currently on the go in and around the epicentre of the development class – the bustling port city of Lorient on the northwest coast of France. The next edition of the Vendée Globe – IMOCA’s pinnacle solo nonstop around the world race – does not start until the winter of 2028, but the key campaigners are very well-advanced with their preparations.

The 2026 season has already seen two IMOCA Globe Series singlehanded races: May’s 1000 Race, which saw a seven-boat fleet race a diamond-shaped course from Concarneau and back and was won by British skipper Sam Goodchild (ninth in the Vendée Globe 2024-25) on MACIF Santé Prévoyance, and June’s action-packed Vendée Arctique - Les Sables d’Olonne, when Italian Ambrogio Beccaria on Allagrande Mapei pulled off a remarkable come-from-behind victory in light winds on the Bay of Biscay on the final night.

Next up on the 2026 schedule is the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Atlantic, a fully-crewed (two men/two women plus an OBR) transatlantic sprint from New York to Lorient, starting on September 1. Six teams are confirmed: France’s Paul Meilhat and Portugal’s Mariana Lobato’s United by the Ocean (previously Biotherm), Oliver Heer’s Swiss entry Embrace the Challenge, Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing (USA), Conrad Colman (21st in the 2024-25 Vendée Globe) and his New Zealand crew aboard MSIG Europe, along with Germany’s Boris Herrmann (twelfth in the 2024-25 Vendée Globe) on Team Malizia and Japan’s Kojiro Shiraishi (24th in the 2024-25 Vendée Globe) on DMG MORI GLOBAL ONE.

The first regatta of the 2026 52 Super Series had it all. Three new teams, all led by very different, very committed owners. From a fleet of 14 eight different boats won races, Alkedo Vitamina being the only boat to win two. And, nothing new here, the first regatta title went to the wire on the last day, the seemingly super-dependable Sled taking the win.

And in Puerto Portals the script wrote itself. The brand new Swedish boat, Trinity, steered by owner Joakim Sundberg – a rookie compared to others on the circuit – chalked up a win in the second race before a halyard issue forced them to sit out Race 3. After a solid opening, finishing third with No Way Back, new Dutch owner-driver Pieter Heerema also left Mallorca with a big smile.

Built by King Marine, the immaculate Trinity is a head-turner. She was also exceptionally fast for a new TP52 fresh out of the box. Ed Baird is doing a great job as tactician, with Ross Halcrow, having moved from Platoon Aviation, onboard as lynchpin trimmer.

Main picture: Left turn please, JC. Provezza helm John Cutler tacks away from new Brazilian Super Series team Caballo Loco to leeward at the series opener in Puerto Portals. To say Provezza is dripping with talent is an understatement. Cutler steering, Mariano Parada tactician, Nacho Postigo navigating, Santi Lange strategist and for 2026 with Paul ‘Flipper’ Westlake coming back to trim main. After missing the 2023 title by a single point, it’s fair to say that for 2026 skipper Ergin Imre is throwing the kitchen sink at this.

Halcrow: ‘We are pretty happy with the boat, it felt good! I was surprised, to be honest, at how good it felt. It is the same as Alegre and Platoon but with a different appendage package. Joakim shows great focus and concentration. We have a lot of room for improvement but it was an incredibly good start to the season.

‘The Trinity keel is of a more rectangular planform than what we have had in the past. The chord thickness is also greater than what we sailed with in the early days on Platoon, which right away gave us good grip upwind. But we have the standard Botín rudder which Platoon and Alegre both used last year.

‘We certainly felt we could hold a lane well off the startline – we even held Sled off the line with Adam Beashel driving which is encouraging. Upwind we were good generally. And as tactician Ed did his usual good job of keeping things nice and simple.’

Trinity starts with pretty much the ‘standard’ North Sails package and runs full Harken hardware including all of the hydraulics – which now also take in the jib functions. Mickey Costa, who master minded the layout, drew particular attention to the work ethic the Swedes have shown in the build-up to their TP52 programme. ‘This is TP52 number 12 for me and teams like Provezza and Azzurra are my family. But I have hardly ever seen a team work as hard as these guys! The performance of the boat is good and the team is already progressing well.

‘Ed Baird is the professor. His articulation onboard is exceptional. In terms of cool stuff, as on Provezza we have a Pro Trim system moving the traveller, but mounted at the companionway; most teams still have them by the traveller, on the cockpit floor or down in the hull. So when tacking in light air, for example, this system is driven by the front pedestal keeping weight forward.

‘All the jib systems are now hydraulic and I hope that one day the TP52 class allows electro valves in these layouts. What we do now is we pump the oil by hand and then open the valves with strings… but that could easily all be electronic.

‘Nevertheless, we have considerably simplified the system. We have created a simple suite of valves which control jib up and down, jib in and out, and jib tack all on the same system. Conceptually it is the same as on Platoon and Provezza, but this time Harken made everything for us.

‘Also we are trying a pivoting mainsheet track, a T-track that pivots fore and aft as on some of the maxis, instead of a fixed X-track bolted rigidly in place. Loads align better and it makes it easier for the main trimmer to ease down the traveller. We also have new line-spoolers from Morfrac in Brittany. Instead of shockcord, these suck in the line with a single pull like a lawnmower start. One pull and it’s done. We are very happy with those!’

Among those admiring the new Trinity is Gladiator trimmer Simon Fry. ‘Trinity is definitely a step on. What is impressive is that before with a new boat you would be two, three, four weeks minimum to get up close to speed. Even with really good people onboard. These guys lack TP52 experience and yet overall they were up to speed super quickly.’

Looking across the fleet, Fry also believes that the new keel fins are working well. ‘I think some of the new bigger fins have now given these boats different modes. On Gladiator we might now be slightly exposed as we are probably the smallest keel fin.

‘If we can sail targets on our own patch of water that is fine, but we definitely have to avoid setting up in skinny lanes with the likes of Alkedo, Platoon or Sled. They have a different grippier mode which we are not comfortable with. Downwind I did not see much difference but upwind these boats with more grip have a mode we can’t match.’

Fry also points to Sled’s consistently good sailing as the reason Takashi Okura’s team have won the last two regattas. ‘Three or so years ago they slightly rejigged and went straighter rig, less luff curve, more headstay in the breeze. Super good in heavier air, as we have seen.

‘However, I think most of us have now followed that, but then in lighter airs in Portals they just sailed super well! They never missed a shift and were relatively conservative in not putting themselves in a position of risk. And completing the last day with a broken main halyard lock was impressive.’

Thailand bound

Adhering to the 52 Super Series philosophy of trying to race outside Europe every two years or so, plans are advanced for the circuit to be hosted in Thailand in 2027, heading to Asia for the first time ever. The Whitcraft family, who campaign Vayu, are instrumental in advancing an exciting initiative that has already secured the required commitment from Super Series owners.

The first regatta will run in February as Thailand 52 Super Series Sailing Week. Then the Rolex TP52 World Championship Thailand 2027 will run in March. Both regattas will be hosted at Ocean Marina under the flag of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club. From the balmy winds of Thailand then it’s back to Europe in May starting in Sorrento, then staying in Italy for the fourth regatta in Scarlino in July with the finale in Puerto Portals in September.

More on 52 Super Series

Back then I had been unexpectedly called up to stand-in as the onboard reporter aboard the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing VO65 for what turned out to be a record setting lap of the British Isles.

My call-up didn’t come completely out of the blue. I was working for ADOR as the Volvo Ocean Race team’s communications officer in the 2014-15 edition of the fully-crewed race around the world. It was my second time working on the VOR – in the 2011-12 cycle I had been a member of the comms team at race HQ – and the race organisers had nominated the RBIR as a warm up for the then newly built fleet of one-design VO65s.

My role with the Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority-backed syndicate was very much shore-based, but I had been embedded with the team for the past several months as the boat was commissioned and I had enjoyed a number of days out on the race boat during the commissioning period. A few weeks prior to the RBIR, our original onboard reporter had resigned because of chronic debilitating seasickness. This was the early days of the OBR role and there weren’t as many obvious candidates to choose from as there are nowadays. So it had been a bit of a scramble to find a replacement, but we were happy we had found the perfect person in American videographer Matt Knighton.

Matt had trialled with the crew at our training base in Cascais, Portugal and everything had gone well. He clearly had the camera skills, he knew his way around a raceboat, and the crew – led by skipper Ian Walker – all seemed to like him. So there were ticks in all the boxes on the checklist, except for one. Matt had a totally-unmissable family event that clashed with the Round Britain and Ireland Race.

With the VOR Rules mandating that the team race with a functioning OBR – race management wanted to test out the onboard systems for sending back stills and video footage from at sea – we had to find someone to step in. I took the predicament to Ian Walker for his suggestions. “Well, you’ll just have to do it,” he said unemotionally, before turning away to another conversation.

I remember, in that instant, feeling first flummoxed, then elated, then petrified as I pictured myself carrying out the OBR role in an 1,800-nautical mile offshore race. Could I do this, I wondered? I wasn’t totally sure, but I was certain I wasn’t going to turn this amazing opportunity down. I don’t recall now how long I had to get myself ready for the race. I have a feeling it was a couple of weeks but it could have been much less. I spent that time familiarising myself, as best I could, with the handheld cameras (never my strong point), and the onboard systems for managing the boat’s remote cameras, as well as the Inmarsat high-bandwidth FleetBroadband satellite terminals used to beam the footage back to the VOR HQ in Alicante.

In the final few days before the race I sat in on the crew weather briefings delivered by our team meteorologist, the legendary Dutch navigator Marcel van Triest. Marcel is a towering figure of a man with the classic ‘Dutch-direct’ style of communication. He pulled no punches when he laid out the concerning weather scenario that was developing for the start of the race that coming Saturday. The tail-end of a once-hurricane called Bertha was making its way across the Atlantic and was set to bring heavy rain and violent storm force winds across the entire United Kingdom over the weekend. “It’s going to be heinous,” Marcel told us, as we huddled around his computer screen on the kitchen table of the team’s Portsmouth crew house. The first afternoon and night looked to be particularly bad, with the fleet having to crash its way upwind across the Irish Sea into 50-knot winds and huge seas.

Despite the storm warning, the RBIR fleet nevertheless assembled in the Solent on time on Saturday morning. However, as the fleet milled about under leaden skies, RORC made a late decision to put the start back to the next day, and to reverse the course so that we would set off to the east with the wind behind us and then reach up the North Sea on the way to Scotland. The pro sailors that made up the Abu Dhabi crew took the delay in their stride, of course. It was no biggie for them, but for me it meant another sleepless night, worrying about what was to come.

The following day the VO65 fleet scorched out of the Solent in close formation, flying No.3 asymmetrical headsails, and regularly breaking 20 knots. From my position at the very back of the boat, I braced myself against the aft stanchion, clung to the sail stack and tried not to get washed off. The VOR fleet made up the leading bunch as we passed the Forts off Portsmouth, but we were soon overtaken by Sidney Gavignet’s MOD70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail, which tore past us in a ball of spray and quickly disappeared into the distance.

The first afternoon and first night was spent short-gybing along the south coast of England in close company with the other Volvo boats, as the navigators squeezed the fleet through the gap between the shore and the huge English Channel shipping separation zone.

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When you hear the word “Swan”, what springs to mind? Is it the gold standard of performance cruising, or an enviable stable of instantly recognisable yachts drawn by legendary designers? Is it the iconic topside arrow running from stem to stern emphasising the sweeping sheerline? Is it bespoke events with competitive racing in wonderful locations followed by well-run social events for owners and crew? Perhaps you think of Sayula II, the Swan 65 that Mexican businessman Ramón Carlin and his crew sailed to an unlikely victory in the inaugural Whitbread Round the World Race 1973-74, a boat that Carlin’s family still owns?

Whatever “it” is, there’s no doubt it will be there because few marques cut through like this one. ‘Nautor Swan is a name deeply rooted in the public imagination, even beyond the sailing community – it is one of the very few yachting brands recognised outside our world,’ says Massimo Perotti, chairman and CEO of Sanlorenzo. ‘Swan is the yacht every sailor dreams of owning because it delivers tangible achievements: winning round-the-world races, enabling owners to sail anywhere or compete at the highest level, always without compromising on elegance or performance. We are proud to be custodians of this beautiful brand’.

Nautor Swan occupies a unique niche in sailing, one crafted by a relentless focus on quality, performance, comfort and heritage, paired with vaulting ambition and sparkling creativity when it comes to promoting and developing its brand. And as the marque celebrates its 60th anniversary, those traits show no signs of diminishing. Indeed since joining the Sanlorenzo family in 2024, its plans are jaw-dropping.

The newly imagined Swanscape range, inaugurated by a 24-metre model developed with Rolf Vrolijk, takes them into the luxury blue water deck saloon space, while Swan Alloy sees the brand launch into the superyacht market with a 44m aluminium sloop designed by Malcolm McKeon and Studio Liaigre, scheduled for delivery in 2028. These are in addition to the existing performance cruiser Swan line, founded with the company in 1966 (soon to welcome a new Frers-drawn Swan 73), the Maxi Swan line, which began with the Sparkman & Stephens-designed Swan 65 in 1972 and will get a new entry-level model in 2026 with the new Swan 80, and ClubSwan, which features six one-design, all-out racing yachts including the Juan K-designed 28, 36, 43 and 50, and the Frers-designed 42 and 45.

For obvious reasons, ClubSwan Racing has been open only to the various one-design fleets – until now. In the interests of inclusivity and adding value for all Swan owners, two further divisions are being introduced: ClubSwan Legacy, for yachts designed and built up to the 1990s, and ClubSwan Spirit, for owners of post-1990 Swan yachts.

Nautor Swan was also the first boatbuilder to create an ecosystem of mono-branded events and racing to attract owners to the brand. These started with bucket-style regattas in Sardinia’s Porto Cervo, Guernsey in the UK’s Channel Islands and US ports like Newport, RI and Nantucket. Each featured entertaining racing by day, as competitive as the owner and crew choose to be, and slick, showpiece events ashore. These were well supported by owners looking to meet and compete with like-minded people and soon morphed into the Rolex Swan Cup, held every other year at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo. Again, it’s worth noting that Nautor Swan looks for premium partners and delivers experiences that make those partnerships thrive and endure: Rolex has been the Swan Cup’s title sponsor since 1984.

This year’s Rolex Swan Cup, taking place from 14-19 September in Porto Cervo, promises to be very special indeed, with a record entry list expected and a more family-oriented atmosphere ashore. It is an emotional bookending of Swan’s evolution that Tarantella, the S&Sdesigned Swan 36 #001, the first boat Nautor ever delivered in 1966, will be there, as will BeCool, the yard’s first Swan 128, which splashed in 2025. BeCool was designed to perform in 8-12kts, conditions typical in her home waters of Porto Cervo and will race alongside her sister, the dual energy Swan 128 Raijin, and the new Swan 80. To do so, the weight target demanded that the yard employed all of the knowledge it had gained in the build of the 125ft racing ClubSwan Skorpios, from carbon composite construction and resin infusion right through to foam-cored joinery and painting. As the yard itself has grown in size and output, so have the skills it has mastered.

Nautor Swan’s relationship with Sparkman & Stephens produced 824 yachts between 1967 and 1989, establishing the brand as a leading builder of performance cruising yachts. The partnership gave birth to designs including the Swan 48 in 1971, the yacht that introduced Swan’s iconic wedgeshaped coachroof, as well as the Swan 65, the world’s first production maxi. In 1981 Argentine designer Germán Frers’ star was rising fast and he was invited to draw the Swan 51. Over four decades, 24 designs and more than 2,000 yachts later, Frers continues to produce high-performance, easily-driven hulls, including the Swan 128, flagship of the Maxi Swan line, and the new Swan 80, due to debut at Cannes Yachting Festival later this year.

The Nautor Swan story began in 1966 in Pietarsaari, Finland, about 345 km south of the Arctic Circle. Shipwrights along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia had been famed for their wooden boatbuilding skills since the 16th century, but in the mid-1960s, having built a boat for himself in his father-in-law’s garage, Pekka Koskenkylä spotted the potential of another material. ‘At the time, several yards were building fibreglass boats but they relied on in-house designs and performance was modest,’ said Koskenkylä. ‘Olin Stephens understood the potential of fibreglass to create lighter, faster yachts. That’s how we started.’ The desire for Swans to deliver quality, performance and comfort were ingrained in the brand from the very origins of the company: ‘I had to build the best boat in the world,’ he adds, ‘and I wanted to combine a racing boat with a cruising boat.’

That insistence on quality and craft was enabled by the generations of boatbuilding talent, the centuries of skill in the surrounding Ostrobothnian region. It is a resource that has shaped the brand’s evolution and continues to do so. Being able to draw on know-how passed down through generations is an extraordinary asset, as it allows for experimentation and innovation built on a very solid foundation.

The continuity of tradition is most obviously seen in the multiple generations of boatbuilders working at Swan, fathers and sons, mothers and daughters.

‘I am a second-generation boatbuilder,’ says Stefan Lillqvist. ‘My father, Runar, joined Nautor in 1970, working with Pekka Koskenkylä, he was the first generation in our family. Today my son is here as well.

‘The development I have seen over 25 years at Nautor is remarkable. Earlier the teak surfaces were only varnished, but today the customers are able to choose the type of wood and the finish on the surface. What stands out is the quality, even in the smallest details. Even what you don’t see is perfectly made. That is how you recognise a truly high-quality boat.’

‘I am the third generation in my family to work here,’ says Ralf Brännbacka. ‘I started in June 1970, and today my sons, Tommy and Robert, work here as well. If you look at the standard Swans of the late 1960s, they were very simple boats. Since then, both style and equipment have evolved. Thanks to our chief designer, Germán Frers, we have been able to create and preserve the Swan DNA. Because a Swan is a Swan – you shouldn’t have to ask. That is the essence of our brand.’

That essence, distilled over 60 years, has endured while the brand itself has grown, changing hands and growing in ambition. In 1998, fashion supremo and Swan owner Leonardo Ferragamo became majority shareholder having bought the company from Finnish industrial group Kymmene. ‘My admiration and passion for Swan was so deep that I dedicated every effort to the brand’s success, preserving its core values while evolving it into a modern, forward-looking organisation.’

The next step came when Italian shipyard Sanlorenzo bought Nautor Swan. ‘We chose Swan because it represents an excellence we could not have developed internally,’ adds Massimo Perotti, who will also be the proud owner of the very first Swan Alloy yacht. ‘Swan and Sanlorenzo share common values: both brands speak to an elite clientele of experienced owners who are passionate about the sea and appreciate refined, high-quality products.

‘With a new generation of yachts, the introduction of advanced propulsion technologies and an expanding global community of owners and sailors,’ Perotti continues. ‘Swan’s 60th anniversary becomes a statement of intent. It’s proof that the Nautor Swan brand’s most defining moments lie ahead, where tradition meets progress and the future of sailing is written under full sail.’

Sixty years after the story began, the narrative has grown in leaps and bounds. A bold future awaits as Nautor Swan brings its expertise to bear on entirely new markets with a confidence earned over decades of success.

‘I am proud to be part of this story,’ Perotti concludes, ‘not only as a manager of the company, but also as a future Swan owner. It is a pleasure and a responsibility because Swan is a reference point for the entire market. We are celebrating a birthday, but our focus is firmly on the future. With the support of Sanlorenzo we are charting new horizons, evolving while never losing sight of our legacy.’

More information on Nautor Swan

Americans Lucas Calabrese, Harry Melges IV, Michael Menninger, Riley Gibbs, and Louisa Nordstrom were all members of the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic campaign, with the only newcomer being US Olympian and United States SailGP Team flight controller, Hans Henken.

Other squad members will be announced in due course, no doubt, but this core group looks to be a sensibly safe choice by sailing director Giles Scott and team CEO Ken Read – especially given the ultra-short runway the US team has in this latest Cup cycle.

In the 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona, Spain in 2024, Calabrese was famously thrust into the media spotlight when he was called up from his role as reserve/training helmsman to stand in for the injured Paul Goodison, who broke five ribs in a fall aboard the American AC75 on the way in from racing during the round-robin series.

Calabrese was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina – but is now a naturalised American citizen. Racing with crew Juan de la Fuente, he won a bronze medal in the 470 class at the London 2012 Olympic Games. As well as previously winning Optimist, J/70 and Melges 20, world titles, in 2025 Calabrese served as strategist in the TP52 World Championship-winning crew aboard Quantum Racing, where he worked closely with helmsman Harry Melges IV.

Calabrese was no stranger to sailing the AC75 when he got called off the subs bench in Barcelona to drive opposite Tom Slingsby. I had previously watched from the recon rib as he racked up plenty of hours on the wheel of Patriot while Slingsby was regularly away on SailGP duty, but he still lacked that critical heat-of-the-battle race experience – and that proved costly on several occasions in the semi-final series against the slick Italian Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli crew.

Nevertheless, Calabrese’s performance under such extreme pressure earned him huge respect from the other AC helmsmen after AC37. His experience and knowledge of the American AC75 make him an obvious choice for this new US campaign.

Likewise, Melges’ place on the ARC Team USA roster will have shocked nobody. The Melges family lineage is inextricably linked to American competitive sailing. His late grandfather, Buddy Melges, won Olympic gold (Soling) and bronze (Flying Dutchman) medals and was a key protagonist in Bill Koch’s successful 1992 defence of the America’s Cup aboard America³.

Quattro – as I’m told Harry IV once nicknamed himself – was named 2021 Rolex US Sailor of the Year and led the American Magic Youth Team to the final of the Youth America’s Cup in Barcelona during AC37. His season with Calabrese aboard the Quantum Racing TP52 must surely bode well for the communication loop aboard the ARC Team USA AC75, where the pair look like the logical choice in the helming roles. Melges is also a member of the United States SailGP Team, but has yet to make a competitive appearance.

Also likely to slot seamlessly into this new setup is the highly rated Michael Menninger, who raced in the trimmer/flight controller role aboard the American Magic AC75 in AC37. I first became aware of him at the 34th America’s Cup in San Francisco, where I interviewed him as a Red Bull Youth America’s Cup helmsman. Menninger has match racing and team racing world championships to his name, along with a victory as tactician at the 2017 Etchells worlds. After the last America’s Cup, he was recruited by the United States SailGP Team as wing trimmer, and is widely recognised as playing a key role in their significant improvement in performance since that time.

Less high-profile perhaps, but still, in my opinion, a wise selection, is another ex-American Magic sailor, Riley Gibbs. To me, Gibbs was an under-appreciated talent in the previous US America’s Cup campaign. Despite racking up a huge number of training hours aboard the American Magic AC40s and AC75, he missed out on selection for the senior crew at AC37. Racing with crew Anna Weiss, Gibbs finished ninth in the Nacra 17 class at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and last year finished sixth at the 2025 International Moth World Championships. He has always struck me as an impressive talent, and I am happy to see him get another crack at the America’s Cup.

I have to confess to not having known much about Louisa Nordstrom, prior to this announcement. As a college sailor, she was a four-time All-American and went on – with crew Trevor Bornarth – to campaign in the 470 class for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She was a trimmer aboard the American Magic Women’s Team at the inaugural Women’s America’s Cup in Barcelona during AC37. This June she joined the US SailGP Team after three competitive appearances with the team during the 2025 season as part of its development programme.

Despite being a newcomer to the America’s Cup, Hans Henken should have no problem slotting into the ARC Team USA setup. Crewing for Ian Barrows, he won bronze in the 49er at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and races as flight controller alongside Menninger with the United States SailGP Team. Complementing his high-performance sailing skills and making him virtually the perfect America’s Cup candidate are his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from Stanford University.

Interestingly, no crew roles were allocated in today’s announcement by the American challenger. However, logical choices for helming must surely be Calabrese and Melges, with Menninger and Henken the likely frontrunners for the sail and foil trimming jobs, and Nordstrom in the strategist/systems monitoring slot. All that said, Gibbs would also be a very strong contender as driver or trimmer.

Perhaps we will learn more when we see who is chosen for the four-person AC40 crew at the upcoming second preliminary regatta, which is scheduled to take place in Naples from September 25–27.

‘Racing yacht design is advancing rapidly but the growing gap between mainstream production boats and more extreme specialist designs is putting pressure on handicap systems, event formats and participation,’ says Frédéric Bouvier of J/Composites. From low freeboard and shallow, beamy cockpits to sailplans with square-topped mainsails and giant asymmetric kites, each capable of creating a partial eclipse, through to specialist double-handed racing yachts that are designed to promote shorthanded crews, these are exciting times for the racing scene. The recent success of some scow hull configurations have been among the latest developments to challenge what we consider as normal, yet despite their unconventional looks their growing popularity in some areas suggests that the sport is on the verge of yet another new trend.

But at what price?
Bouvier, a lifelong racing sailor who has clocked up many sea miles both inshore and offshore, says he is the first to acknowledge and celebrate the rapid and exciting growth in design.

As J/Composites’ commercial director his day job takes him to the heart of the sport where their own models frequently go head-to-head with some of the most extreme designs on the racing circuit. And while he freely admits that his prime commercial focus is on J/Boats, the combination of this and his long and sustained involvement as a hands-on participant in the sport provides both perspective and a useful datum to understand and comment on where things are heading.

‘It is definitely an exciting world right now with one of the widest ranges of options for owners and crew that we’ve seen, but this rapid, and at times extreme development, also comes at a cost,’ he says. ‘The technical improvements within racing design have been fascinating but they have also been responsible for a polarisation of sailing. Supporters of more radical designs would argue that innovation has always driven the sport forward and that rating systems must evolve accordingly. However, the result is that it has become difficult if not impossible at times to provide equitable racing across a range of similarly sized boats that were designed to excel in different ways. The problem now is that often we’re asking our rating systems to compare bananas with carrots.

‘Take the current and growing trend in scow designs as an example. There is no question that they are capable of raising the performance bar, they’ve already proved it. The way in which the limitations of these designs, particularly upwind, have been overcome is fascinating. But this is also a configuration that is very hard to build competitively as a production boat for mainstream racing as the performance benefits depend on creating large, voluminous structures down to a weight.

‘This in turn leads to an expensive path with boats built from advanced lightweight materials which in turn pushes the price up, ‘he continues. ‘And in simple terms, extreme designs, exciting as they are, have never been a good way of attracting people in big numbers.’

It is easy to see his point, but surely the argument is that rating systems are there to even out those differences?

Bouvier believes that handicap systems are now being pushed harder than ever to provide equitable racing between boats with very different performance profiles across a wide range of conditions and disciplines. And while the argument isn’t a new one, he and many others are concerned at what effect this will have on the sport and where the solutions lie.

According to the J/Composites team there are ways of tackling the issues. They see advantages and opportunities in their long term and wide-ranging experience where they have been immersed in the thick of strong domestic racing in France and in the varied fleets on the international scene. The ability to make their own assessments in how different configurations could be catered for to provide close equitable racing, by studying their own fleet of almost 200 J/99s, is a good starting point.

‘One of our goals here is to see whether it would be possible to bring a standard J/99 with, say, an alloy mast, back into contention with the more advanced specifications by adapting a handicap. If we can, then our longer-term goal is to apply this to other areas of our range.

‘To achieve this, we will be focussing on the J/99 to start with as it is a very versatile design which has proved to be successful in both fully crewed and shorthanded events across both inshore and offshore racing.

‘The design has also been pushed hard by some stiff competition too, so we know the data is good and that the results prove consistently that the J/99 is a highly adaptable and competitive design. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised, after all it has smooth polar curves rather than those of more extreme designs that have performance spikes. Naturally, this is one of the clearest indicators to a good all-round performer.’

Making close comparisons across a varied fleet and establishing what works and why started at the Spi Ouest regatta in La Trinité this spring.

‘We had 10 closely matched J/99s in the middle of the IRC2 fleet which gave us a good datum,’ he continues. ‘All the boats in this class were of a similar overall concept and were separated by just a few points on rating which meant that the racing was about getting a good start, taking the right shifts, making good manoeuvres at the leeward mark and so on. Success was not defined by your handicap figure.

‘But what was particularly interesting was comparing our performance in the water and on handicap to boats of a similar size but with very different design concepts such as the new scows and others that were in IRC1. Because we had rolling starts on the same course we were able to look at the numbers and make good comparisons. And what was clear was that while they were quicker on the water we would have beaten them on corrected time by a big margin. And the reason is that these boats were having to race on a windward leeward course with a full crew which is at odds with what these offshore boats are designed for.

‘One of our main concerns is that in trying to account for this disparity with the more extreme, grand prix designs, that handicap systems forget about the bigger number of competitors in the mainstream classes. And when I say this, I mean we are afraid for the sport as a whole, not for our business because if that does happen it actually opens a door for companies like ours that have a strong following to do our own thing – but that’s not what we want.

‘The Admiral’s Cup is a good example. There is no doubt that it was a huge success, great to watch and I’m sure great to be a part of. But the risk is that it is driving IRC into a very professional, expensive area and away from the mainstream. The same can be highlighted under ORC with latest new design campaigns. The investment into development, especially AI assisted, has set another standard to challenge the loopholes of the handicap system’

J/Boats has another way of collecting data, making comparisons across an impressively wide range of models and making their point thanks to their own well-attended regattas such as the J/Cup Europe.

But Bouvier and J/Composites believe that the future of keelboat racing is not simply about the numbers. Events need to be fun too. And while you might think this is a case of stating the obvious and unrelated to the technical arguments, Bouvier and the team argue that they are linked. They argue that time, money and commitment that has been invested to refine grand prix designs and the way that they are sailed has increased pressure to succeed which in turn has raised expectations at the cost of general enjoyment.

‘The simple fact is that if a crew’s goal is solely to win, then only one crew will be happy,’ he says. ‘Aside from the social events which are important of course, the changes that have taken place in the way that events are structured plays into whether people enjoy their racing. Spi Ouest is a good example again as it is typical of other events. The total number of competitors has reduced but the number of classes has increased which dilutes the racing while making it more complex to run for the organisers. It doesn’t make sense on any front. We believe that the answer is to bring more competitors together in fewer classes, but this means addressing the format of the racing itself along with tackling handicap issues for boats that are of different concepts.

For Bouvier, the problem is not only technical. Once boats become harder to compare fairly, events become more fragmented, more expensive and, ultimately, less enjoyable for the majority of competitors.

‘No one here is pretending it is easy, but we do believe that it is necessary for the health of the sport.’

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First, she's a major badass – and second, her résumé is a breath of fresh air when it comes to America’s Cup sailor signings.

It will come as no surprise to readers that the 29-year-old’s background combines elite-level competition experience in the British Olympic Sailing Team (where she was understudy to gold-medal-winning kite surfer Ellie Aldridge at Paris 2024) with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (pretty much a prerequisite for any aspiring America’s Cup sailor in this current era of semi-automated, AI-driven, foiling boats).

What people probably were not expecting is the pure adventurer element of her résumé, which includes working as a basecamp guide on Everest, climbing mountains in Alaska and traversing Mongolian mountain ranges.

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The French syndicate has been a little quiet recently since flooding their AC75 during a capsize in Lorient a few weeks ago, so it seemed like an opportune time to revisit my interview with Jason, which I had begun by asking him about his impressive French language skills...

JC: I was impressed to hear you speaking to the local media here in fluent French. What’s the story behind that?

JS: Well, my partner, Manon Audinet, is French. She was the skipper of the French Women’s America’s Cup team in the last edition. We’ve been together for 11 years now. I’ve now got a French passport as well as my New Zealand one. Our son, Louis, was born in France. So we’ve definitely got a strong link with France, and it’s great to be able to continue that for another America’s Cup cycle.

JC: Can you tell us about what you expect your role to be in the French team for the 38th America’s Cup?

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For me and the many other race crew who spent much of March in the Caribbean, it was an unforgettable month of sunshine, smiles and strong winds, and a wonderful reminder of why the sport of superyacht racing is so important to this very special part of the industry

The Caribbean superyacht regatta season got under way in its usual style with the Antigua Superyacht Challenge, where a fleet of 10 sailing superyachts gathered at Nelson’s Dockyard. The programme began with an optional Round Antigua Race: a 46.8-mile anticlockwise lap of the island, or the shorter Part-Island Race. Pursuit-format series races filled the following days and rewarded precise timing, boat handling and strategic decision-making.

This four-day event remains proudly non-commercial, with the emphasis on safe, competitive racing and delivering an unforgettable experience that people want to come back to. Fleet diversity defines this regatta, from towering schooners to modern super-sloops, and devising a format that pitches these designs against one another on equal footing is exactly what the Superyacht Racing Association (SYRA) and the ORCsy rating system is about.

What unites the fleet isn’t just scale or design, but a shared commitment to racing well, safely and fairly, plus an equally strong emphasis on the camaraderie that defines superyacht regatta participation, both on the water and ashore. It’s a unique environment – if you’ve not yet been a part of it, give it a go.

Participants and spectators were able to follow the fleet and on-water action with the recently updated TracTrac software, and we saw it used for the first time in Antigua. A collaboration between TracTrac, ORC and SYRA helped develop the system so sailors, owners and guests can see how they’re doing on the racecourse and against the opposition in real time. You can assess your projected ranking during racing and see provisional results as yachts cross the finish line. The software shows sailors where they’re gaining, and losing, with greater accuracy than ever before, and really adds another layer to the experience.

For ORC and SYRA, the improved software will be vital for data gathering, allow for better race monitoring, performance reviews and rule observance, and we’ll also be able to replay and study on-water situations.

Ashore in Antigua, over 300 sailors – owners, guests and crew – came together for the prize giving. The Gosnell Trophy, awarded to the yacht best representing the spirit of the regatta, went to the 65- metre schooner and SYRA-member Adix, racing in her first Superyacht Challenge.

‘It’s a real honour to receive the Gosnell Trophy,’ said Captain Oliver Bell. ‘For us this regatta has never just been about results, it’s about the spirit of the event and the people involved. To have the other teams vote for us makes it incredibly special… the atmosphere on the water and ashore has been brilliant. I’m incredibly proud of our crew. Everyone pulled together and pushed the boat hard in some demanding conditions.’

There was also a standout performance from the 66m Hetairos, another SYRA member, which not only won the Stan Pearson Trophy but set a new race and monohull course record for the Round Antigua, completing it in three hours, 20 minutes and 35 seconds. For the record achievement, the Hetairos team were awarded the captain’s weight in rum.

Another boat making an impression this season was Spirit 111 Geist, new to both the Caribbean circuit and to SYRA membership. Lymington local and ex- America’s Cup sailor Matt Cornwell was aboard, alongside several other faces from the Solent, and he summed up their experience: ‘For the owner, captain Justin Pope and the team, racing the boat in Caribbean waters was something we’d really been looking forward to. Racing two events back-to-back, starting with the Antigua Superyacht Challenge and then the St Barths Bucket, was a great way to maximise our adventure in the tropics. Both are longstanding events with pedigree, they’re well organised and managed, but individual in their styles. We had 15-25kts every day, big seas, warm winds, great courses, and enjoyed an incredible experience that only superyacht racing can provide.’

In St Barths, the Bucket Regatta had its largest fleet since 2015. Forty-one yachts were on the list, with 34 racing. The boats were split across nine classes, including two Corinthian Spirit (CS) non-spinnaker classes. The CS has really become popular - it’s a “turn up as you are” kind of thing, maybe flying in a couple of additional talents to help the permanent crew. It provides an entry level to the superyacht racing scene without the fullon commitment, and it’s encouraging how many boats have liked what they saw and come back fully race ready the next year.

There were a couple of notable additions to the Bucket. A schooner class made its debut, bringing together three striking three-masted gaff-rigged yachts – a first for the regatta. And there was an optional fourth day of racing, giving teams more racing time and a chance to assess the competition before things got serious. With Sunday’s racing ultimately abandoned due to strong winds, that extra day proved a good call and it looks likely to become a permanent fixture.

Racing followed the pursuit format under the ORCsy rule. Topping their classes at the end of the week were WallyCento V, Swan 90 Freya, Swan 100 Onyx, Geist, Whisper, M5, Perseus 3 and Adix.

This year’s coveted Bucket trophy went to the mighty Hetairos team, who narrowly took back victory on count after a fierce battle with, Aquarius 2 (Royal Huisman) and Maximus (Vitters Shipyard). The trio of behemoths spent much of the event with only seconds between them and provided a captivating spectacle.

The 2026 Bucket was the first event for Tony Rey in his new role as SYRA president and he joined Maximus for the action: ‘Simply sailing a 60m ketch in 15-20kts of breeze in the Caribbean feels like a spectacular dream. Racing in the Gazelles class with the three big ketches, along with three iconic monster sloops, all in close proximity around islands and marks, borders on unreasonable! Sometimes sailing these yachts feels like racing a school bus on a motocross track, but we got it done, and safely.’

For Rey, it was particularly valuable to see the ORCsy prove its worth. ‘Race one had Maximus, Aquarius 2 and Hetairos all finishing overlapped after 23 miles of hard racing. After two races, we were in a three-way tie for first. We’ll have to wait until Bucket 2027 to properly break the tie on the water!’

Undeniably, whether you are stepping onto a start line for the first time or returning after many seasons on the circuit, the world of superyacht racing offers something truly special. ‘And SYRA exists to support that world,’ says Rey, ‘It’s a privilege to see these regattas from both sides of the sail. At its heart, SYRA is about community. Membership is not merely about rules or administration; it is about having a say, contributing experience, and helping to shape the future of sailing superyacht racing.’

More about the SYRA

Everyone who follows competitive sailing will be aware of Carlo’s immense talent and the scope of his career that spanned four decades at the highest level.

I worked with Carlo many times in my – much shorter – career as a sailing journalist. I first met him at a Melges 32 regatta on Lake Garda in the mid-2000s. I was writing the daily race reports and he was the official class photographer. I remember being sweaty and tongue-tied as I hesitantly introduced myself in the tiny media room we had been given to work in. I needn’t have worried. Carlo – like always, as I came to learn over the years – greeted me with a warm smile and a handshake. “Just tell me what you need – it’s no problem,” he reassured me.

Later that day, out on our crowded media rib packed with other Italian photographers, we waited at the windward mark for the leaders to make their way up the beat. As the boats approached, cameras went up and autodrives began to whirr noisily. However, in the bow of the boat, Carlo was finishing off rolling one of his trademark cigarettes. His cameras were still in his Peli case, under his left foot. As the others gave excited – and often contradictory – instructions to the rib driver about where the boat needed to be in relation to the windward buoy, Carlo looked on placidly as he contentedly puffed away. Then, as the boats came properly into range, in an unrushed single motion he leaned down, opened the case and took out his camera. As the leaders rounded the mark, he took one, then two more shots, before putting his camera back in the case and shutting the lid. It was the same at every turning mark for the rest of the day. Later, back in the media room, he sent me his 10 favourite images for the press release – every one of them worthy of being framed and hung on a living room wall.

His workflow might have looked effortless, but what I learned over the years that followed was the massive amount of preparation Carlo put into researching the perfect vantage points ashore and afloat from which to capture his unique perspective of the racing. He and his team would arrive several days ahead of the racing to scope out the best shooting spots – be it headlands or mountain tops in venues like Sardinia or Mallorca for a Maxi regatta, or the roof of a skyscraper in Manhattan for an America’s Cup World Series event.

Carlo was as much at home hanging from the open door of a helicopter shooting the Fastnet or the Sydney to Hobart fleets, as he was capturing the America’s Cup trophy from a new and interesting angle in the trophy room of a swanky yacht club. I never once heard him complain about the assignments he was given. Racing action, prize-givings, sponsor parties – he treated every job in the same ultra-professional manner, and the results were always unmistakable as having come from the Studio Borlenghi.

A couple of years after I met him, he agreed to do an interview with me about his career. Sadly, I don’t have the transcript of our chat or the article any more, but I remember him telling me how he had got his start by turning up at Italian regattas with a camera and developing the images in a makeshift darkroom in the back of his van after racing. Then, he would seek out the yacht owners and offer the photos for sale. His reputation soon spread and commissions came thick and fast. The biggest surprise in what he told me was that, despite choosing a career that would involve him spending the majority of his time on the water, Carlo never learned to swim.

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to work closely with Carlo at the America’s Cup preliminary regatta in Jeddah, when I was driving the photo boat for him and Red Bull photographer Samo Vidic (see main image). Other than the TV cat – which is allowed inside the racecourse – the photo boats are the best seats in the house at America’s Cup events. I was in seventh heaven driving for two of my favourite photographers at an America’s Cup event, and I was loving listening to the pair of them swap photography ‘war stories’ as we waited for the fleet to make their way up to the first windward gate. I had lined myself up where they wanted me – in line with the leaders coming in on the starboard layline, but I was also nervously conscious of not drifting too close to the marks. As the boats approached, Carlo and Samo put their cameras up. I clicked the boat gently into reverse to stop its drift. Instantly, there came a growl from Carlo. “Hold the layline,” he said. His tone was uncharacteristically menacing, and I quickly returned the boat to neutral. I knew I was going to get told off later for being too close, but when I saw the shot Carlo got (above), it was well worth it.

Later in the regatta, I managed to get us up close to the Italian crew just after they crossed the finish line. Carlo put his camera up a split second before the Luna Rossa boat nosedived off its foils. Carlo got a great sequence of images of the crash. Delighted, he showed the images to me on the viewfinder of his camera. He slapped me on the back. “You took these photos,” he told me. “Right place, right time.” It took me a while to come down off the high from that, I can tell you.

Regattas will not be the same now that Carlo is no longer with us. Everyone in the media centres will miss his welcoming smile, his enthusiastic “Ciao” and always warm handshake. Thankfully, we have 40 years of amazing photos that we can continue to enjoy as we think kindly of our cherished friend and colleague. My heart goes out to Carlo’s wife, Alessandra, and the rest of his family and close friends, who will surely miss him the most.

Ciao for now, Carlo. You are irreplaceable. Thanks for inspiring us all with your incredible images – and with a life that was truly lived to the full.

For some further inspiration, check out Carlo’s sailing showcase here.

Although the 2026 edition of Cowes Week – which got underway over the weekend – may not have drawn the 1,000+ entry it reached at its peak in 2005, it has pulled in a title sponsor – North Sails – for the first time in a long time, and a very healthy fleet of more than 630 boats will be packing the Solent over the coming week.

I fell in love with Cowes Week the first time I attended, some time in the late ‘80s. I can recall as clear as day gasping as the fast ferry from Southampton weaved its way through the masses of racing boats packing the Solent. My sailing experience at that time was largely limited to dinghy sailing on the lakes and reservoirs of the north-west of England. This was something completely alien to me. I had never seen so many yachts in one place at one time. Ashore that afternoon, it seemed that everyone was a racing sailor. Cowes’ narrow high street was thronged with people in Musto, Henri Lloyd, and Helly Hansen kit. Every bar and restaurant was packed out with yacht crews reliving the on-the-water action from the day. It was a whole new world for me, and I thought it was all just fantastic.

I returned to Cowes Week regularly after that. I was there in 1996, racing aboard a new Humphreys 30 called Men Behaving Badly. The boat was yet to have its saildrive propulsion system fitted, so we somehow cobbled together a Heath Robinson-style transom bracket to hang an outboard borrowed from my J24.

The engine was just about powerful enough to get us off the dock and out of the Medina River, but had nothing like the poke we needed when the breeze dropped after racing and we had to motor against several knots of tide. That was the year of ‘Big Tuesday’, when the entire fleet got caught out in stormy conditions and the Bashford Howison 41 Silk II famously nosedived on the way downwind – a scene immortalised by the lens of Beken of Cowes.

We were having our own issues aboard Men Behaving Badly as the breeze ramped up. I had tripped during our first tack after the start and had snapped off the tiller extension. That meant I spent the rest of the race steering from a kneeling position. The wind strength got steadily higher and higher. We didn’t have a reefing point in the mainsail and we were on our smallest number four headsail as we approached the windward mark at Gurnard Ledge. Unbeknown to us, the 40-foot one-off sportsboat Camp Freddie had ended up on its side aground after trying to tack around, rather than gybe. They had fluffed the tack and ended up in irons before sliding sideways on to the bricks.

Happily, we managed to get our boat through the tack somewhat more successfully, albeit losing the wind instruments from the top of the mast as we did so. With me still kneeling on the cockpit floor, we scorched off across the Solent in a ball of spray, weaving our way between capsized and dismasted boats, as the breeze (we found out later) ramped up to a peak of 43 knots – still, I think, the windiest conditions I have raced in. On board that day, huddled at the back of the boat behind me with the rest of the crew, was the boat’s designer, Rob Humphreys. I ran into Rob recently at the Palma Superyacht Cup, and reminded him of his not-so-useful comment to me back then as I fought with gritted teeth to keep the boat from spinning out. “It’s not supposed to go this fast downwind,” he’d told me, grimly.

Somehow, we finished that race – one of just a handful of boats that did, as I recall – but not before we were blown flat several times on the final upwind with just the headsail up and a full crew on the rail. As we struggled across the finish line, it had got so windy that the Royal Yacht Britannia was being moved from its mooring off the Royal Yacht Squadron to avoid the risk of it breaking loose on its own.

After surviving the tumult – and then successfully managing to get the outboard on to its makeshift mount in pounding seas off the mouth of the Medina – we were all happy to get back to our crew house for hot showers, warm food, and some reviving beverages. I think our whole contingent was asleep by 2100.

So it came as something of a surprise the following morning to be woken early by our panicked landlord banging on the door. His wife had read a story in The Times newspaper about the crew of a boat with the same name as ours wreaking havoc in their rented accommodation. Having conducted a hasty inspection of the premises to find the place – as he put it – “tidier than it normally is”, the relieved property owner left us, apologising profusely as he went.

Sadly, I will not be in Cowes for this year’s two-hundredth edition, but trust me that I will be following along vicariously via the excellent website, on which I have already spent more than a sensible amount of time scanning the entry lists across the 37 (!) classes.

I see from the list of news stories that keen sailor HRH Princess Anne fired the first starting cannon from the Royal Yacht Squadron on Sunday. Cowes Week and the British Royal family have a longstanding relationship – Prince Philip was a regular competitor – and the Princess’s presence in Cowes guarantees some valuable mainstream media exposure for the regatta. That’s good news for the event and great return on investment for the sponsors.

Speaking of sponsors, it is great to hear the news that the 300-year-old rum distillery Mount Gay has renewed its partnership with sailing at this year’s Cowes Week. Red Mount Gay hats used to be the ultimate badge of honour for competitive sailors. I have owned a few in my time – Antigua Race Week and Key West Race Week being two I remember clearly, but sadly both now long gone. It is 43 years since the first ones were produced for the 1983 Admiral’s Cup, and I’m sure the Cowes Week 2026 versions will be as sought after and long cherished as ever. A very warm welcome back, Mount Gay!

Good luck and fair winds to all who are competing on the Solent this week – and here’s to another 200 years of Cowes Week!

The café next to the RORC office in Antigua buzzes all morning. Sailors stop by for coffee, conversations blend together and race talk moves easily from table to table. Over the course of an hour, Deborah Fish shares her thoughts on offshore racing, leadership, and the realities behind international events like the RORC Caribbean 600, speaking as both commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and as an active, successful offshore sailor.

Fish did not grow up sailing. She started the sport later than most, in her early 30s, when she finally had the chance to race offshore. ‘I started quite late,’ she says. ‘But once I did the Fastnet Race I was completely hooked.’ Since then, offshore racing has remained a major part of her life. She first raced with the RORC in 1999 and has completed the Rolex Fastnet Race 13 times, as well as many of the other major offshore events, including the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the Sydney Hobart, and the Caribbean 600.

That offshore background shapes how Fish approaches her role as commodore. Elected in January 2024, she became the first woman to hold the position. She describes it as a role that found her rather than the other way around, at a moment when the club was entering an important phase with the long-awaited return of the Admiral’s Cup and a strong international racing calendar.

Despite the title of commodore, Fish remains deeply connected to the sailor’s perspective. She continues to race actively, often double-handed, and believes that leadership credibility comes from understanding what competitors experience on the water.

‘You have to be a commodore for everyone,’ she explains. ‘From the maxi owners to the Contessa 32s. You need to understand the whole fleet.’ That understanding is not abstract. It comes from listening, conversations on the dock, racing the same courses and recognising that decisions made ashore directly affect those made at sea.

Balancing feedback is not always easy. ‘There will always be someone who wants one thing and someone who wants the opposite,’ she says. ‘The challenge for me is to work out what’s best for the fleet as a whole.’

‘As captain of the whole crew, I also have a team behind me within the RORC. It comes down to how you build a great working relationship between the committee and the staff. This allows us to balance the racer’s perspective, the customer’s point of view and to the staff’s professional perspective. Bounce between those. Take your knowledge and experience, your views, and try to do what’s best for everyone.’

Nowhere is that more visible than in the Caribbean. ‘Here you really see it,’ Fish explains. ‘There’s a small army of staff and volunteers.’ The RORC team makes a point of meeting every boat, creating a welcoming atmosphere both on and off the water. ‘That’s why people love it,’ she says. ‘There’s so much going on and the volunteers are a huge part of that experience. They’re the people you interact with.’

Antigua itself plays a key role in fostering that feeling. Fish describes it as welcoming and safe, with a racecourse that is as beautiful as it is demanding. Fourteen islands, each with its own wind effects, create a race that is never straightforward.

‘It’s constantly interesting,’ she says. ‘And it’s exactly that combination, the challenge on the water and the people behind the scenes, that makes this race what it is.’

The Caribbean 600 is a race that Fish knows well and describes as ‘the most enjoyable 600-mile race’. Now sailing it for the fourth time, she knows its rhythm intimately. ‘You move from one navigation decision to the next, island after island. And with very little sleep.’

‘Offshore racing teaches you how to make decisions under pressure,’ she says. ‘Do you put more sail up to go faster, or do you hold back because the risk is too high? You’re always balancing performance, safety and consequences. It’s a very good life skill.’

This year, Fish is racing aboard Sedem, a Pegasus 50 owned by Dutch sailors Astrid de Vin and Roeland Franssens. The team’s journey to Antigua already reflects the broader logistics behind the race. Sedem arrived in the Caribbean via the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC ), sailing down through the Canaries before crossing the Atlantic. After the race, the yacht will return to Europe by ship.

‘They’ve been cruising the Caribbean,’ Fish explains, ‘and the boat will go back on transport with Sevenstar to Europe.’ Time, wear and tear, safety and predictability all play a role in the decision to ship a yacht rather than sail it back across an ocean. ‘Sailing a boat back can take weeks,’ Fish says. ‘It puts a lot of strain on the boat and there’s often pressure to be somewhere by a certain date.’

Offshore races like the Caribbean 600 depend on international participation, which in turn depends on reliable yacht transport. With only a handful of yachts based permanently in the Caribbean, shipping is essential to keeping the event truly international. ‘And that’s not just about moving a boat,’ she says. A modern offshore racing programme travels with containers full of sails, spare parts, tools and safety equipment. It often includes support boats such as RIBs and, in larger programmes, entire teams. At the top end of the fleet, the scale increases dramatically.

‘Some campaigns involve 45 people,’ Fish says. ‘That’s a whole organisation on the move.’ From feeding and housing the crew to managing equipment and maintaining schedules, the logistical challenge is significant. She smiles as she explains what that really means in practice. ‘Even something as simple as feeding the crew becomes a logistical exercise. There’s always someone who’s allergic to something, someone who doesn’t eat tomatoes, someone who needs to be somewhere else the next day.’

Transport offers certainty, not only that the yacht arrives safely, but that the entire campaign arrives together and on schedule. Without that certainty, Fish believes international offshore racing would look very different. For races like the Caribbean 600, where only a small number of yachts are based locally, transport is not an optional extra but a fundamental part of making the race possible. International participation is what gives races like the Caribbean 600 their character and that internationalism depends heavily on logistics. ‘Yacht transport is absolutely key,’ she says. Time constraints, wear and tear, safety and the sheer reality of modern life mean that very few owners can afford to sail their boats back and forth across oceans between seasons.

Long-term planning is also evident in the partnership between the RORC and Sevenstar Yacht Transport. From Fish’s perspective the interests align naturally. ‘We have a common goal,’ she says. ‘Making the events the best they can be for sailors.’

While a race might begin a week before the start for organisers and competitors, Sevenstar’s involvement and planning begin months earlier and continue beyond the finish line, when yachts, containers and teams move on to the next stage of their season.

Looking beyond individual races, Fish is deeply invested in the future of offshore sailing. One of the initiatives she is most proud of is the Griffin Project, a youth programme designed to bring young sailors into offshore racing. Open to sailors aged 18 to 30, the programme has already attracted hundreds of applicants from around the world. Selection is based on merit, attitude and willingness to learn, not gender. ‘When you select on that,’ Fish says, ‘you forget gender and you end up 50-50.’ The aim is simple: the long-term health of the sport. ‘Our average member is older,’ she explains. ‘If we want offshore racing to thrive, we need young people coming through.’

That same thinking extends to diversity more broadly. Visible role models matter. ‘If everyone you see in a sport is male, you think: this isn’t for me. A good mix changes that.’

For Deborah Fish, leadership remains inseparable from participation. ‘You only need two boats to make a race,’ she says with a smile. But to keep those races alive, international, competitive and meaningful requires far more than what happens between the start gun and the finish line. It requires planning, trust, logistics and people who understand the sport inside and out.

Deborah Fish is one of them.

More on Sevenstar Yacht Transport

In the video, GB1 CEO Ian Walker makes his first visit to review progress on the refit of the GB1 AC75. It’s hard not to contrast that visit with the content coming out of Luna Rossa and the Kiwis, who have both been racking up valuable days on the water since much earlier this year. The French La Roche-Posay Racing Team have also sailed their modified AC75 from their base in Lorient – although a capsize and subsequent battery fire three weeks ago have seen the boat back in the hangar for repairs since then.

In the British video, the GB1 AC75 is described as being hidden away at a ‘secret location’. (For what it’s worth, a quick Google image search of the aerial view of the city in the video suggests that it’s Avellino – about 50 kilometres from next year’s AC38 venue Naples. That shot, of course, could be stock footage intended to put nosy journalists off the scent.)

When Walker climbs down below on the old Britannia, he is heard to remark: “Everything’s out”, suggesting that the boat is, at this stage, very much an empty shell.

“This is my first visit to see the boat today,” he continues. “The first stage of what they are doing here is cutting out any unnecessary parts of the boat that won’t be required under the new rules. Then as the drawings come along, they’re starting to work up to adapt the boat. The principal visible change people will see will be getting rid of the cyclors and the reduction in the crew numbers.”

Walker – who joined the British campaign as CEO for AC38 – comments on how impressed he is with the way the boat had been built.

“It’s a work of art down below,” he says. “And, actually, having spent the last few months around the AC40s, it’s a useful reminder of the scale and power of these [AC75] boats.”

The video also features GB1’s 35-strong design team that works out of offices in Portsmouth on the south coast of England. According to technical director Nick Holroyd – a veteran of several British AC campaigns – that group is made up of software engineers, modelling engineers “who model the physics of the boat”, computational fluids engineers, and mechanical engineers. “The range of skills required in our design group to execute on these boats is quite remarkable,” he says.

Holroyd sums up his team’s challenge as ‘making the boat fundamentally more efficient’.

“The foil has to carry the weight of the boat,” he says. “If we can do that with just a little bit less drag, then we are going faster, right? Likewise, the sails have to produce a certain amount of side force to keep the boat foiling. If we can do that with a little bit less drag, then, again, we are faster.

“If the stars align, I think we can pull off something exceptional here – but we are going to have to work incredibly hard and be incredibly focused,” Holroyd concludes.

Although there is no hint of stress or panic in the video, having a shell of a boat still needing to undergo the deck modifications must be putting pressure on all aspects of the British campaign. Just how much of a delay has resulted from the looming court case with former sponsor INEOS is impossible to say. The team does now, however, appear to be pressing ahead with the modifications, and there is surely some significance in them releasing this video.

“We have to make our deadlines, we have to get the boat on the water in time and in the condition we need it to be, in order to bring the cycles of sails through, to have systems out there tested and reliable for the racing season next year,” Holroyd says. “Eventually we get to the stage of putting the electrical, hydraulic, and computer systems back into that boat, and then aim to launch at the end of this year.”

It’s worth noting that GB1 is not the only team from AC37 playing catch-up. At another hidden location – perhaps in Switzerland – the Tudor Team Alinghi AC75 is also undergoing a major overhaul to bring it up to code for AC38. In many ways the Swiss campaign has a bigger mountain to climb, having suffered damage to their boat after racing concluded at AC37 and also having broken two masts during the Barcelona campaign.

Meanwhile, the two newcomer teams, Team Australia and America Racing Challenger, are also heads down working on modifying their respective boats – although the Australians have contracted that work out to Emirates Team New Zealand, with the Americans doing the same with American Magic. Neither is expected to be on the water before early 2027.

In a much appreciated break from what has become the norm for me these days – mostly writing about ultra-fast foiling boats – I recently spent a happy fortnight reporting on a spectacularly beautiful traditional class that originated back in the early 1900s.

The 2026 International Six Metre Swiss and European Championships took place on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, and were hosted by the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) – Team Tudor Alinghi’s long-term America’s Cup partner. I was there working for the class association – a vibrant organisation that organises a World and European championship each alternate year.

Dating back to 1907 and the introduction of the International Rule – a.k.a. the Metre Rule – the Sixes are some of the world’s most beautiful and elegant racing yachts. For those who have never seen one, just imagine a scaled-down 12 Metre and you will get the idea. An Olympic class from 1908 to 1952, the world’s leading yacht designers often used Sixes as a test bed for their America’s Cup 12 Metre designs.

The class rules have been updated periodically and 1975 saw the introduction of an updated Modern design. The cut off date between a Classic and a Modern boat is January 1, 1966.

This year’s Swiss and European Championships attracted 20 entries in the Open (Modern) fleet, with 30 boats racing in the Classic fleet. There are few better host yacht clubs for a class like the Six Metres than the SNG. The club’s facilities include an excellent restaurant and bar, a close to 1,000-berth marina, an air-conditioned gym, a rowing club, and a highly active junior sailing school.

For the International Six Metre Europeans the club had cleared the waterfront outside the clubhouse to enable the 50-boat fleet to tie up stern-to in age order. Every boat’s berth was marked with a blue plaque giving details about the boat: name, sail number, designer, year of construction etc. That was a nice touch that worked really well during the event, with spectators and competitors alike strolling slowly along the long line of yachts taking in their elegance and beauty.

Swiss entries dominated the regatta, with more than half the 50-boat entry coming from the home nation. However a strong travelling contingent made up the remainder of the entries, with crews coming in from Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.

The event was my first experience of working with the class and I have to say I was very taken by how friendly and welcoming everyone was. It has been a while since I worked on a major championship and it was nice to experience the atmosphere of anticipation as the sailors worked their way through measurement and scrutineering ahead of the start of racing. There was a classic yacht regatta feel to the event, but it was also very clear that the level of preparation across both fleets was extremely high.

Whilst the Classics are undoubtedly the prettier of the two divisions, the Modern fleet also had its attraction. Viewed from a distance on the water it is hard to tell the two fleets apart. Both sport huge overlapping headsails and have over-sized fractional spinnakers. Under the water is where the biggest differences are. The Classics have full length keels and keel hung rudders, while the Moderns are allowed fin keels with bulbs and winglets, and separate rudders. I’m sure there are many more differences between the two fleets – and I look forward to learning all about them as my relationship with the class develops.

When it came to the racing the Lake Geneva weather gods didn’t really play ball. The three-day Swiss Championships – which acted as a warm-up for the Europeans – was badly affected by thundery conditions that made for some very unpredictable scenarios on the lake.

Just four races of a possible eight were completed in the Open Championship, where renowned Swiss match racer Eric Monnin on the red-hulled SUI100 Duclop emerged as the new Swiss champion. Unfortunately, the final race in the Classic Championship had to be thrown out after the winning boat was found to be outside the time limit by a little over a minute. That denied Violetta Alvarez’s immaculately renovated GBR57 Erica being awarded the overall victory as a minimum of four races was required for a series.

When it came to the Europeans the storm systems had moved away, allowing a more ‘normal’ northerly breeze to develop in the mornings. The race committee managed to get all eight races in the series completed, albeit in breezes that peaked at 10-12 knots early in the morning and typically died away to sub-five-knots over the two-lap windward-leeward races. These tricky conditions put a premium on keeping your eyes out of the boat and meant that the final podium positions in both fleets were not decided until the very last race. Challenging and often frustrating racing for the competitors, but fascinating to watch as an onlooker.

In the end, it was Monnin once again who closed out the Open division with a win in the final race, that saw him relegate Jamie Hilton on the helm of SUI144 Eau Vive to second place. Third was the newest boat in the fleet: Dieter Schön’s IVB145 Momo. In the Classics, a win in the last race for His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain’s ESP16 Bribon, helmed by Canadian Olympic medallist Ross MacDonald, sealed a remarkable fifth European Championship victory for the royal yacht. His Majesty was not sailing on the boat, but was on the water every day watching the action intently from a large support rib. Second in the Classics was Erica, with Reinhard Suhner’s SUI45 Mecara taking third overall.

I watched both championships play out from the best seat in the house: behind the wheel a small, but zippy rib capable of getting me to the windward and leeward marks ahead of the leaders in both fleets. One aspect I really appreciated was watching racing without any artificial boundaries. The crews were only constrained by the breadth of Lake Geneva making for some huge leverage opportunities both upwind and down – a welcome change from the grandstand sailing courses I have become accustomed to in SailGP and the America’s Cup.

You can get a real taste of what the atmosphere was like at the Europeans in this video by class videographer Jacobo Bastos – and there are lots more great images from the championships from class photographer María Muiña, here.

Meanwhile, I’m already looking forwards to the 2027 International Six
Metre World championships taking place in Helsinki, Finland next August.

For more information on the International Six Metre Class, check their truly excellent Archive website.

The weather gods looking down on the harbour in Halifax might not have made things easy for SailGP race director Iain Murray and his team, but this weekend’s seventh event of Season 6 produced some great split-fleet racing – and culminated in an exciting four-way event final that saw Diego Botín’s Spanish Los Gallos take their first event win of this season ahead of Artemis (SWE), Explora Journeys Swiss, and the overall season leaders the BONDS Flying Roos.

As well as diving into a few of the team performances that caught our eye, Magnus and Justin also talk through the key moments of the event, and try to work out what the re-shuffled standings at the top of the leaderboard mean for the rest of the season and the run-in to the Season 6 Grand Final this November.