Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo M600

Warm-Water Sailing

by David Schmidt on 15 Jul 2010
Close your eyes and imagine perfect ocean sailing. It probably goes something like this: tropical air with water temps to match, steady breeze on the beam and surfing-friendly ocean rollers. Factor in long days and short, pleasant nights and you're talking the stuff of dreams.

While many of the boats sailing in the 'Vic-Maui Race' are dealing with some squalls, both big and small, they're certainly into better conditions than they were a week ago. Depending on how well the race leaders play these squalls, the RC should have some scoring to do in the next several days.

And in the Pacific Cup, Philippe Kahn's IMOCA Open 50 Pegasus Motion X-50 set a new 24-hour distance record of 403+ nautical miles (not yet ratified by the Word Sailing Speed Record Council). Impressively, the team broke the IMOCA 50 24-hour record by more than 80 miles!



Chances are excellent that these guys have been seriously enjoying themselves out there, hopefully savoring some perfect ocean sailing conditions for the rest of us less fortunate souls. We will get more on this shortly.

Switching gears from offshore sailing to match racing, TeamOrigin has been busy. While the Defender has yet to announce the class of boat for the next Cup (we'll check back on that in late September, hopefully at the latest), it's looking as though their design work with the brilliant Argentinean designer Juan Kouyoumdjian isn't progressing. Instead, TeamOrigin will likely move its design work in-house.

Of course its summer in Europe too and in Largs, Scotland, the Laser Radial World Championships were shut out of their last two days due to no breeze.



The Delta Lloyd 470 Worlds have also been facing tough conditions (first a wind famine, then a feast), but they finally got in some great racing. Americans Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving Farrar scored an impeccable 1-1-1, putting them solidly in control of the leader board at that stage. And finally, ace lensman Dave Kneale has provided us with some great shots from the Volvo ISAF Youth Worlds in Istanbul.

Fair winds and following seas,

X-Yachts X4.0North Sails Loft 57 PodcastSydney Boat Show 2025 - Apply to Exhibit

Related Articles

A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more...
Posted on 25 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom.
Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality.
Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season.
Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s.
Posted on 15 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features.
Posted on 12 Jun
The X-Yachts Gold Cup Experience
A celebration of sailing, of X-Yachts and, most importantly of all, people Having just returned from Haderslev, Denmark - which is the home of X-Yachts and played host to the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2025 - I was left wondering if this was a racing event, a rally or a social celebration amongst close friends.
Posted on 10 Jun
Video Interview: Onboard the Excess 14
At the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show 2025 Excess have moved forward their designs with the Excess 13 and 14 cruising catamarans, so seeing the Excess 14 was high on the priority list, as well as talking to some exceptional high performance sailors on board to learn their thoughts.
Posted on 3 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits.
Posted on 3 Jun
The call of the mighty
See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action, braving the elements, and glory for the victorious. As an Australian, you have King Louie (the late Lou Abrahams), and the late Sir Jim Hardy as the poster boys.
Posted on 1 Jun