The race for the $2 million SailGP 2026 prize purse continues this weekend as the circuit heads to South America for the first time this weekend at the Enel Rio Sail Grand Prix.

Taking place on 11–12 April 2026, the SailGP fleet will compete on the iconic and tactically challenging waters of Guanabara Bay. Here is everything you need to know to catch the high-speed foiling action against the spectacular backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Rio SailGP 2026 Schedule & Times

Racing takes place on Saturday, 11 April and Sunday, 12 April. The broadcast window for both days is:

• Local Time (BRT): 15:00 – 16:30
• UK Time (BST): 19:00 – 20:30
• US East Coast (ET): 14:00 – 15:30
• Australia (AEST): 04:00 – 05:30 (Monday morning)

Watch SailGp from anywhere with a NordVPN subscription
Yachting World readers who are overseas when SailGP is taking place can pick u pa Nord VPN subscription and still get all the action. Nord VPN is ranked as the best VPN by our sister publications, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide.

View Deal

SailGP State of Play

The 2026 season is heating up with three different winners in the first three events. Heading into Rio:

• Emirates Great Britain leads the standings with 28 points.
• BONDS Flying Roos (Australia), co-owned by Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, sit in second with 25 points.
• The United States and Team France are tied for third with 20 points.

Team News: Returns and Absences

The fleet continues to feel the ripple effects of the catastrophic collision in Auckland.

• France Returns: After missing the Sydney event due to extensive boat damage, the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France is back on the starting line. However, the lineup is reshuffled: New Zealander Liv McKay replaces the injured Manon Audinet as strategist, and legendary sailor Glenn Ashby steps in as wing trimmer for Leigh McMillan.
• New Zealand Still Sidelined: Unfortunately, the New Zealand ‘Black Foils’ remain ruled out for Rio as their F50 catamaran was effectively destroyed in the Auckland incident.
• Home Heroes: All eyes will be on the Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team, led by two-time Olympic champion Martine Grael. This is their first time racing on home waters, adding a massive local narrative to the event.

Free SailGP Viewing Options & Geo-Restrictions

SailGP has a strong history of offering free coverage through digital platforms, but this is subject to local broadcast rights.

SailGP App: The official SailGP app (available on Apple and Android) often features live racing and replays. Access to the live feed is typically geo-blocked in territories where exclusive broadcasters (like TNT Sports in the UK or Sky Italia in Italy) have paid for the exclusive live rights.

YouTube & Facebook: Live streaming is commonly available on the official SailGP YouTube and Facebook channels in countries without an exclusive live broadcaster. Countries like the US and Canada have often enjoyed free live streams on YouTube, while countries like the UK might see restrictions due to their paid-for exclusive TV deals.

Free-to-Air Channels: In some territories, SailGP airs on free platforms. For example, in Australia, live races are often available on Kayo Freebies (a free tier of the Kayo Sports streaming service) and sometimes on SBS (which may show highlights or select live races).

Free-to-Air SailGP Broadcasters

• New Zealand: TVNZ (Check local listings for highlights and select coverage).
• Australia: SBS and SBS On Demand provide free-to-air coverage, including highlights and select live rounds.
• Germany: ZDF is the official free-to-air partner. It will broadcast events and highlights, including live coverage of the German event later this season.
• USA: CBS (the main network) will broadcast event highlights on key weekends. However, most live daily coverage has moved to the CBS Sports Network (subscription).
• Brazil: Globo provides free-to-air coverage, though for some sports properties in 2026, they are splitting the season between free broadcasts on TV Globo and paid coverage on SporTV.
• Global: YouTube and Facebook typically offer free live streams in many territories where exclusive broadcast rights do not prohibit it.

Subscription / Pay-TV Broadcasters

United Kingdom: TNT Sports is now the exclusive home of SailGP in the UK, meaning coverage is no longer free-to-air on ITV as it was in previous years.
Australia (Alternative): Fox Sports and Kayo Sports require a subscription, though they offer premium, ad-break-free coverage.
USA (Live): While the main CBS network shows highlights, the live daily racing is primarily on CBS Sports Network.
New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ is a subscription-based service.
Italy & Spain: Both Sky Italia and Movistar are premium pay-TV platforms.

How to watch SailGP from Anywhere Using a VPN

You don’t need to worry about missing any of the high-speed action, even if you’re travelling overseas while the races are taking place.

By using a VPN (or Virtual Private Network), you can avoid the geo-blocking restrictions that might otherwise get in the way of watching your usual streaming services or accessing the free live feeds when you’re in another country.

How a VPN Helps: VPNs have the useful ability to change your IP address, making your laptop, smartphone, or tablet appear to be back home. This means you can tune into the event, even when you’re thousands of miles away from your sitting room. If you are in a country with a restricted feed (like the UK or Italy), connecting to a VPN server in a country that offers a free YouTube stream (such as the US or Canada) can potentially allow you to watch the Grand Final for free.

There are plenty of VPNs out there, but the tech experts at TechRadar and Tom’s Guide both believe that NordVPN is top of the world rankings, with top-notch streaming and security features and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch SailGp from anywhere with a NordVPN subscription
Yachting World readers who are overseas when SailGP is taking place can pick u pa Nord VPN subscription and still get all the action. Nord VPN is ranked as the best VPN by our sister publications, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide.

View Deal

Final Viewing Tip

Due to the dynamic nature of broadcast agreements, the most definitive source for “How to Watch” in any specific country will always be the official SailGP website’s dedicated ‘How to Watch’ page closer to the event date. This page provides the final, up-to-date listings for every region.

The post How to watch Rio SailGP 2026 appeared first on Yachting World.

The mast on the trimaran The Famous Project CIC towers as high as a 10-story building. At 110ft, or 33.5m, it is a carbon skyscraper that carries the power of this massive yacht, the 250m2 mainsail. And this engine is suspended on a chunk of metal, a mainsail hook, which by a system of levers locks the sail in position onto the rig.

Two weeks after the crew of the 103ft tri set out on their Jules Verne Trophy bid, this vital component broke. The locking mechanism failed, the hook at times stubbornly sticking in position.

Deep in the South Atlantic, crew Bex Gmür Hornell climbed the giant mast – first inside the tube, as if scaling a pitch black bell tower, then outside to diagnose the problem.

A weather window opportunity meant a lumpy departure for The Famous Project CIC Jules Verne Trophy attempt. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/The Famous Project CIC

But the hook could not be reliably fixed, instead requiring coaxing, fiddling and force at every mainsail adjustment. And so the crew faced an impossible decision: continue into the Southern Ocean with a compromised boat, knowing record pace had almost certainly slipped from their grasp? Or stop in Cape Town, return to France, and pray that they could start again.

They continued, pointing south, pushing on and on until they arrived back at Ushant on 26 January. In doing so they did not set a Jules Verne Trophy record, but they did something else altogether.

The pioneering Famous Project

The Famous Project is the brainchild of French former Vendée Globe skipper Alexia Barrier. In 2022 Barrier announced plans for an all-female tilt at the non-stop, around the world record.

No all-female crew had ever completed a Jules Verne Trophy bid. In 1998 Tracy Edwards attempted it with Royal & SunAlliance, but dismasted in the Southern Ocean. Only a handful of women have crewed on the world-girdling multihulls alongside men: Dona Bertarelli completed the course with her team on Spindrift, but never claimed the record.

Photo: Mark Lloyd/Jmliot Images/CIC

Adrienne Cahalan navigated Steve Fossett’s 125ft cat Cheyenne to what was a record time of 58 days in 2004, but Fossett’s campaign was ineligible for the Trophy. Ellen MacArthur skippered a Jules Verne attempt which ended with a broken mast, before setting her solo record.

Barrier’s project to plug this glaring gap in sailing history swiftly gained momentum. The campaign attracted hundreds of applications, the crew training on a MOD 70 before taking delivery of IDEC Sport, at the time the boat that held the Jules Verne. They worked with coaches including Brian Thompson, who set the record in 2012. And Barrier locked in enough budget – just – to make an attempt in the winter of 2025/26.

One of Barrier’s first appointments was co-skipper Dee Caffari. Caffari brought experience not only of six previous circumnavigations, but skippering teams with very diverse levels of experience, from the Global Challenge to the Volvo Ocean Race.

Off Terceira Island in the Azores. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

“My job was to make life easier for Alexia,” Caffari explains. “This was her project, her brainchild, and I was to help facilitate it to happen. She asked my opinion. I challenged her a few times, but eventually we would be on the same page.”

By the time autumn arrived in Brittany, the crew had settled into eight. Joining Barrier and Caffari were offshore racers Annemieke Bes (NED) and Stacey Jackson (AUS); former Olympian and Ocean Race crew Támara Echegoyen (ESP); Rebecca Gmür Hornell (NZL) and Deborah Blair (GBR), both in their early 20s; and boat captain Molly Lambert LaPointe (USA), who had worked on everything from classic superyachts to the Maiden Project.

Accolades were less important than personality: so few women had maxi multihull experience. “I made the selection with Dee to get people who are able to be nice to each other, whatever the level of stress or fatigue, and also able to learn from each other,” recalls Barrier.

Layered up against the South Pacific cold – unlike modern Ultims, IDEC Sport’s cockpit is totally exposed. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

When to go

The decision on when to start a Jules Verne passage is critical. High budget campaigns will spend countless hours analysing polars against weather systems, running theoretical route after route to find the optimal time to go. Barrier’s team benefitted from the services of Christian Dumard – one of the very best in the business, who had worked with Joyon and IDEC Sport previously.

The crew, however, had just a fraction of time on the boat compared to most teams. “We’d probably done 10 days max training, which is ridiculous. But as Christian said, how else do you learn to sail a multihull around the world, but by sailing a multihull around the world? So we did,” recalls Caffari.

“I [worked] from what I knew of the boat before, because I’ve been routing this boat quite often in the past. And then we see what speed they really go, and we adapt it on a daily basis,” explains Dumard.

Up the mast for rig checks on Day 10 of the attempt. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

“So at the beginning, they were quite a bit slower than the potential of the boat. But later they sailed very fast, so they were using all the potential.”

The team identified a window at the very end of November. But it wasn’t a totally clear road – with high pressure systems in the North Atlantic which could cause speed bumps. Pre-departure, Barrier hinted that if they didn’t get past these systems, they could always return to Brest and restart. In reality, that wasn’t an option.

“Objectively, I knew we didn’t have a chance to come back and try again,” Barrier told me after the finish. “Just because we didn’t have the money. Coming back could have meant never going again. So it was the only chance.”

“The weather window is never going to be perfect,” says Caffari, “But actually, we weren’t looking for perfect. We were looking for an opportunity.”

Dee Caffari at the nav station. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

So, on 29 November, they set off. Initially the crew were still learning the boat, building confidence in the autopilot. They didn’t push too hard, and inevitably, hit some speed bumps. But they were on their way.

“And then everyone comes good. You do the miserable bit, and suddenly you can take a few layers off, and it gets a little bit easier,” recalls Caffari.

“But actually, the tradewinds were strong. There were quite big waves, and the boat is a big beast to manage that we weren’t used to. Then the Doldrums just seemed to go on forever.

“It wasn’t until the South Atlantic that we were like, ‘Oh, this is what Brian told us about.’ Flat water and easy miles. Suddenly we had the set up right. We were confident with the pilot. We were starting to increase our mileage each day. We were within a day [of the record] in the South Atlantic, and everyone was thinking, actually, we can do this.”

Steering repairs on Day 5. Photo: Photos: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

Heavy responsibility

Then, 13 days into their challenge, the hook failed. “I think anyone else would have stopped, because to go into the south not at 100% – that’s a big decision to make. I said to Alexia, ‘I’ll support you on anything,’” says Caffari.

“It took time to think it through and see all possible solutions that we could have,” recalls Barrier. “I said to the crew, there are other spots. We go and we’ll see. And if it’s a disaster, we will stop in Australia or in New Zealand. But we won’t stop now.”

For Caffari, the decision to continue was the right one, though she admits the process was difficult: “I think I was a bit disappointed that it took us so long to make that decision, because I felt like we’d waited three days. But it was what it was.”

Caffari – who has never not completed a circumnavigation – was also of the opinion that they weren’t looking for alternative ports. “It helps nobody for us to stop on the other side of the world. If we’re going, we’re going all the way around. I will make this happen!”

The Famous Project was the brainchild of Alexia Barrier, who was also skipper and CEO of the campaign. Photo: Alex Champy-McLean/The Famous Project CIC

She explained their decision to the crew, and initially everyone seemed in agreement.

“Then I could see Tamara really struggling. She’s got 20 years of Olympic campaigning behind her. For her, if we’re not at 100%, what’s the point? So we had to re-address it. And I was like, ‘Right, we’ve been doing 650-mile days easily. So 500 miles a day. We can get around in sub-50 days’. You could see everybody shift their mindset.”

“But I felt the pressure of the decision. Is this the most sensible thing to do?”

In the boat’s blog Barrier mused on the decision: “Because no one will remember a number… but everyone will remember an achievement.”

Article continues below…

The Famous Project becomes first all-female crew to sail non-stop around the world

Today, Monday 26 January 2026, the eight-person crew aboard The Famous Project became the first all-female team to sail non-stop…

Creative solutions

Committed, The Famous Project CIC plunged south, heading past Cape of Good Hope on 16 December.

“The Southern Indian Ocean wasn’t too bad. We were quite far north, so it didn’t feel cold. It was quite a nice introduction to the south,” recalls Caffari.

They developed different techniques to unjam the malfunctioning hook – heading up onto a reach to bounce it loose on waves, or gybing every time they wanted to shake out or put in a reef. If neither worked, boat captain LaPointe or Gmür Hornell would be dispatched up the rig to free it.

Challenging sea state in the final 24 hours before the finish. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

Besides being frustrating, they were often losing time or wasting miles sailing on the wrong heading. Unlike the established wisdom – that the time to put a reef in is when you first think about it – Caffari says they had to weigh up the risks of waiting. “Do you go for every reef a bit earlier in case it takes you longer? Or do you push it further so that you maybe could get away without doing it?”

“They never knew if they would be able to take the reef or not,” recalls Dumard, “So in the routing, we had to minimise the number of manoeuvres with the mainsail. And to be careful, at least in the Indian Ocean, not to go in winds which were increasing too quickly. Because if it’s 15 knots and they have full main, then it increases very rapidly to 35 knots, if it takes two or three hours to take the reef then we would have got into trouble.”

40-knot days

By the Pacific, boat speed was picking up. “It was enjoyable sailing and it delivered what I’d been promising the crew, with long waves. Sometimes the conditions were just so lovely, you wanted to drive. Everybody got to drive at 40-plus knots. We got comfortable at that pace,” recalls Caffari.

They clocked off major landmarks, crew birthdays.

Rounding Cape Horn. Not long after, the team found ghost netting had ripped off the starboard board. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

“The miles go fast in a big trimaran. The Kerguelen Islands to Cape Horn went really quickly. Point Nemo was quite emotionally charged. For four of us, the last time we were down there was when we’d lost John Fisher [from Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag in 2018]. And it was also really close to the point where Royal & Sun Alliance lost the rig – we actually had it marked on the chart. I sent Tracy [Edwards] a message at New Year, and she replied, ‘Just keep the stick in the air!’”

At higher speeds, the motion of the big trimaran was relentless. “You lie in your bunk and literally all your internal organs are being shaken. Sometimes it’s just impossible to sleep. The boat makes a certain noise above 30 knots, and it’s deafening down below.”

They rounded Cape Horn on 6 January. Not long after, they realised that an earlier collision with a ghost net had ripped the starboard board from under the hull. They continued.

The trimaran’s huge mainsail shredded irreparably just days from the finish, so they sailed trimming the wing rig. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

“The boat was born without foils, that’s what I said to the girls. So that was not an issue,” recalls Barrier. “The most important thing is telling the truth to the crew, so telling them that on port tack, we’d be 15% down on performance from the starboard tack. These numbers were enough to keep them confident.”

As Day 50 at sea loomed, some rationing was required – they had packed food for 49 days, but several crew members had eaten less than anticipated, so had enough meals, though treats and toiletries were in short supply.

War of attrition

But worse was to come. Three days from the finish, the mainsail tore above the second reef. Then it ripped again, from leech to luff. “At the end, it felt like we’d been through a war and we had the scars of battle. It just was one thing after the other,” recalls Caffari.

In the event, the reduced sail would barely impact them. A massive Atlantic depression, Storm Ingrid, stood between them and the finish. Both The Famous Project CIC and Thomas Coville’s Sodebo, just ahead, had to slow to let the worst pass in front of them.

Annemieke Bes working the pit. Photo: Deborah Blair/The Famous Project CIC

“It was 40-50 knots. We were on bare poles – our mast alone is 30m2, so we rotated that. That was our trim with our head car plugged in. Less than 24 hours from the finish I was thinking, this is questionable. We just need to finish.

“We had a moment where we were coming up too high, trying to point at the finish instead of waiting for the wind to shift. The faster you go around the world, the more you’re coming back in the winter storms into the Bay of Biscay, they all pile up onto the continental shelf. It’s all about sea state on a multihull. And 8-10m waves were just a little bit too much,” recalls Caffari.

Dumard estimates the peak wave height was probably 13-14m, though a buoy to the west of Brest measured one wave of 18m.

Departure from Ushant. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/The Famous Project CIC

“The boat could take it, but there was just one wave where I didn’t think we were coming back. I was going ‘Eeeek!’ We should have looked at the heel angle, but everyone had their eyes closed by then. The two outside were hanging on the winches and three inside had fallen out of their bunks. When waves are so high you can’t see the sky, and they start breaking, you don’t know where things are going next.”

But the bows popped up, they headed a little lower, the wind came around, and the finish was suddenly within reach. The Famous Project CIC crossed the line off Ushant on Monday 26 January 2026, becoming the first all-female team to sail non-stop around the world in a maxi multihull, and set a benchmark time of 57d 22h 20m in the Jules Verne.

Jules Verne record holder Thomas Coville congratulates Alexia Barrier at the finish. Photo: Vincent Curutchet/Jmliot Images/CIC

“I was just thinking, we’ve done it. It was relief. We’d had to really fight for those last miles,” remembers Caffari. “Alexia sat down next to me, and said, ‘I’m really proud’. We just hugged each other.”

So did The Famous Project CIC achieve what it set out to? There have, inevitably, been naysayers. But – on a boat that’s now 20 years old – their passage is the sixth fastest ever. Thomas Coville’s Sodebo finished the day before, taking 12 hours off a record that had stood for nine years.

“Everything he did exaggerated how hard ours was,” points out Caffari. “Did he do it on his first time? No. It’s taken three attempts. It’s taken years to work his boat up.

“If we can change perceptions by showing that you don’t have to wait for everything to be perfect, whether it’s finances, training time, weather window. Sometimes you’ve just got to go. You’ve got to show what’s possible.”

Celebration time for The Famous Project CIC crew. Photo: Fred Tanneau/AFP/Getty

Coville gave a generous speech to the Famous Project crew on the dock. “They said some lovely, lovely words for what we’d achieved, but also for the tenacity and resilience Alexia showed to put that project together and make it happen. That was my choke-up moment, to get those words from a peer who had just achieved something quite phenomenal himself,” says Caffari.

Barrier reflects: “Even more beautiful than our time and our record is this message that we want to pass on to everyone to just dare to realise your project, your dreams.

“It’s super scary to do the first step. But if you start, you will write your history.”

“Now, of course, the biggest fear is that we don’t continue the momentum because we’ve gained all this knowledge and experience,” adds Caffari, “and we’ve learnt so much that we want to use it again.”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post How the Famous Project set a new benchmark for all-female circumnavigation appeared first on Yachting World.

What should an Olympic medal represent? Is it still sport’s ultimate accolade? Is it a demonstration that you’re the best in the world and have dedicated your entire life to proving it? Or is it more of a blue Peter badge, a confirmation that you took part in a piece of sporting media entertainment that you should be proud of?

As we head towards the next Olympic Games regatta in San Diego there are a growing number of sailors who are extremely worried that the medals in 2028 will represent more of a memento for turning up rather than a celebration of being the world’s best.

It’s no secret that Olympic Sailing has had the sword of Damocles hanging over it for decades. An expensive, complicated sport that still isn’t as inclusive as the modern age requires has been a hard sell for a long time.

For years the sport has resisted a class cull to rationalise the overall fleet and bring the numbers down to more economically viable proportions. You could argue that it should have led the way and merged the genders for all of the double-handers to keep classes and disciplines while reducing the head count. And though this has happened in the 470s and Nacra cats, the sport has introduced the equivalent of BMX bike and skateboard categories in the foilers, in the hope these more street-style classes will draw in a huge new audience.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 1 August, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

I have nothing against foiling boards or kite foils – they’re exciting – but these new classes have not brought spectators and supporters in the kind of numbers that will turn around the economic fortunes of Olympic Sailing. And neither will changing the medal racing format by reducing it to a single, short, winner-take-all final race between the top four.

Apparently, this is what could be on the cards for Los Angeles. I’m told there are plans to reduce the fleet racing stages beforehand to just three days with no reserve or lay days – which surely doesn’t help to even out the spikes in weather and fortune that often influence our sport. And all in the name of creating a greater sense of jeopardy to make our sport more exciting.

Really? More of a lottery by the sounds of it. Imagine if you turned up at your national championships where you’d worked hard at consistently delivering the points during the week only to be told that the points buffer you’d accumulated counted for nothing when it came to a shot at the trophy.

That’s effectively what happened to British iQFoil sailor Emma Wilson, who was 31 points ahead in the games last year. We know how that played out for her… a bronze.

Surely what would help to get sailing back on track would be to take the racing to a venue that has a reputation for breeze on a stretch of water that can cope with a variety of wind directions and that isn’t hopelessly compromised by being too close to the shore where a few thousand people can watch.

Article continues below…

‘Teams don’t see The Ocean Race Europe as a walk in the park’ – Matt Sheahan

Given what the IMOCA 60 class was designed for – and the way in which blasting around the world non-stop,…

‘This America’s Cup dispute could lead down a difficult alley’ – Matt Sheahan

Unsightly and unnecessary public spat that has little to do with sailing… or another example of the extraordinary lengths some…

If we’re talking about sailing at the Olympics needing to be a sport that gets talked about and watched on TV for a global audience, a few thousand on the beach isn’t going to move the needle when it comes to balancing the costs of putting it on. It strikes me as odd that at a time when we can film sailing pretty much anywhere while relating the action with trackers and on-the-water commentary, we choose to move the racing to within shouting distance of the shore – why?

After what was clearly a disastrous sporting broadcast in Marseille for the last games it sounds like there are some pretty drastic changes being considered. But it also sounds like the Olympic broadcasters are having a big say in how the sport will look going forwards and, despite having worked in and seen the pressures that TV faces to bring sailing to our screens, I don’t think that’s the answer.

The television world itself is facing big challenges as audiences head to other platforms and media, and I don’t believe it’s in the right position to tell a sport how to conduct itself. Because you then risk creating something that bears little resemblance to the sport as its enthusiasts and grassroots participants know it – and then you risk losing the support of a community that should be the core supporters.

Imagine a future where we only have one race to decide the Olympic Games results. Is this really what winning an Olympic medal is all about, or are we gradually ensuring that sailing is driven out of the games?

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Is the Olympic Sailing medal becoming just a participation trophy? – Matt Sheahan appeared first on Yachting World.

This year’s Ocean Film Festival 2025, on tour in the UK through November, is a great night out for anyone interested in what goes on above, around, and under the water. Though it’s light on sailing, the programme brings powerful films about surfing, oceanography, cave diving, and more to the small screen.

Don’t miss ‘We the Surfers,’ (dir. Arthur Bourbon), the festival’s standout entry on the grassroots surfing community at the Robertsport Surf Club in Liberia.

The film reflects the transformative power of good storytelling for the wider ocean community, and shows the healing power of the oceans in its truest form.

Photo: Copyright © HAND STUDIO, Frechou, Bourbon, 2024.

‘We the Surfers’ was the Ocean Film Festival 2025’s best documentary

‘We the Surfers’ is the kind of storytelling other ocean-focused documentaries aspire to. It is well-paced, well-shot, and features compelling interviews.

More importantly, it doesn’t stop at being well-executed; it wants to be useful.

The crux of this film is the work happening off-screen, at the Robertsport Surf Club.

‘The Robertsport Surf Club is not just a sporting initiative, but also an economic and social project,’ says director Arthur Bourbon. ‘It helps the youth access surfing equipment, creates jobs and provides scholarships. This development around tourism and surfing is managed by locals, for locals.’

With the help of funds and equipment (mostly boards) from NGO Protect the Slide and other organisations, Robertsport Surf Club offers scholarships, equipment, and surf therapy to local youths.

It gives local surfers employment, organises beach clean-ups, and offers youth a place to gather and find community and healing through recreation.

The Robertsport Surf Club. Photo: Copyright © HAND STUDIO, Frechou, Bourbon, 2024.

‘Surfing is not war, it’s togetherness,’ says Eli Brown, who works and surfs at the club.

It’s also a space in which young girls can practice the sport alongside the boys, gain confidence, and feel empowered.

Liberian women still face marginalisation and rampant domestic abuse, says young surfer Faith Kulu in an interview. The waves are a place they can feel safe, and begin to carve out their own space.

‘We the Surfers,’ shows the ocean’s potential as a force for liberation, empowerment, and healing. Rarely is the transformative power of spending time on the water as clear as it is in this film.

Kaith Kulu of Robertsport Surf Club. Photo: Copyright © HAND STUDIO, Frechou, Bourbon, 2024.

Ocean stories on and off screen

Liberia’s recent history (1989-2003) is a complicated subject matter to integrate into a sports documentary, but ‘We the Surfers’ doesn’t shy away from the task.

It touches on the impact of 20 years of civil war, which devastated the country and saw a quarter of a million deaths and thousands of child soldiers involved.

Among these is Alfred Lomax, whose interviews highlight both the lasting trauma of the conflict, and how surfing has been an escape from it.

Youth members of the Robertsport Surf Club. Photo: Copyright © HAND STUDIO, Frechou, Bourbon, 2024.

Lomax has been included in other surfing documentaries (‘Sliding Liberia’ and ‘Water Get No Enemy,’ predecessor to ‘We the Surfers.’) He gave Anthony Bourdain a surfing lesson in a 2010 episode of Bourdain’s beloved series No Reservations, has appeared on CNN, and is widely recognised as the first surfer of Liberia.

Yet, as the film points out, there is a disconnect between the accolades and on-screen appearances and the reality of his daily life, where he still struggles with the enduring effects of his trauma.

Another on-screen / off-screen disconnect is reflected in Samon Commey, a talented Liberian surfer and hopeful champion, who at the time of filming did not own his own board and sold bracelets on the beach to get by.

Filmmaker Arthur x with Eli Brown and of the Robertsport Surf Club. Photo: Copyright © HAND STUDIO, Frechou, Bourbon, 2024.

Their interviews, like shots of the club’s one-to-watch youth prodigy, Raegan, surfing seamlessly on a plank of unshaped wood, highlight how heroic sports media narratives can often gloss over the daily realities of the very athletes they mean to showcase.

The strength of ‘We the Surfers’ lies exactly in its willingness to engage with this gap. In taking an honest look, the project hopes to support the growth and autonomy of Robertsport Surf Club and to invite surf tourism to Liberia.

It’s a documentary in service of its subject, and not the other way around.

‘We the surfers’ is also available to rent online. Get involved at wethesurfers.com

Other stories from the Ocean Film Festival 2025

The Ocean Film Festival 2025 also highlighted other voices from around the ocean community, and showed passionate individuals whose love for and lives on the ocean may resonate with sailors.

Two ‘outsider’ surfing narratives featuring kooky protagonists show how some surfers live the ocean on their own terms.

Cornish surfer Tom Lowe, from the film ‘Let Me Live’. Photo: Keith Malloy / Ocean Film Festival 2025.

In ‘Astronaut in the Ocean’ (Bimarian Films), bodyboarder Shane Ackerman balances his passion for big wave sand with being a crane-operator by day. ‘Let Me Live’ (Keith Malloy) show how big-wave surfer Tom Lowe got started in his small Cornish fishing town.

‘Souls’, featuring legends of the Ocean community like ‘Her Deepness’, oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and pioneering underwater photographer David Doubilet, got a bunch of big names on screen to talk about conservation, though it did little to add to the conversation. This entry is made for fans already familiar with their individual contributions to the ocean community.

‘Orcas in the Arctic’ (Alexandra Johnston & Harriet Murphy), which plays like an extended commercial for Napapijiri, who sponsored the short, nods to ongoing research activities about the animals.

‘Aquaballet’ (Alex Voyer) is unapologetically aesthetic. Freediver Marianne Aventurier dives gracefully with marine life, set to music.

Free diver Marianne Aventurier in ‘Aquaballet’. Photo: Alex Voyer.

The real story, however, is the time it must have taken to accumulate those shots of marine life, and to document Aventurier’s interactions with them.

‘Diving into Darkness’ (Nays Baghai) takes a biographical look at cave diving pioneer Jill Heinerth, who has spent her career exploring the earth’s underwater cave and tunnel systems, which she calls its ‘veins.

It’s a motivating spotlight on an eminent female explorer, though hair raising recounts of Heinerth’s close brushes with death do raise the classic question that comes with nature and extreme sports documentaries, of why we feel the need to put ourselves in that position in the first place.

Still from ‘Diving into Darkness’, dir. Nays Baghai. Photo: Nays Baghai / Ocean Film Festival 2025.

A possible answer comes from photographer David Doubilet in ‘Souls’.

‘It’s curiosity, insatiable curiosity,’ he says plainly. ‘That’s what motivates me, and everyone who works in the sea.’

Best sailing films on Netflix, Prime and more

Recent years have seen a proliferation of sailing films arriving on streaming platforms, with Netflix taking the lead on producing…

The ocean citizen science being carried out on yachts

There is a fierce and surprisingly passionate debate unfolding on the deck of Freeranger, our 50ft Beneteau. The question at…

Curious? Here’s how you can watch the Ocean Film Festival 2025

Catch the Ocean Film Festival 2025 programme to see what else is happening on the water.

The festival is touring the UK through the end of November. For dates near you, visit oceanfilmfestival.co.uk/tickets.

Previous editions of the festival are for rent online at oceanfilmfestival.co.uk/virtual.

If you enjoyed this article….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Don’t miss standout documentary ‘We the Surfers’ at the Ocean Film Festival 2025 appeared first on Yachting World.

Biotherm is the official victor of the Ocean Race Europe 2025 having crowned an impressive overall performance with yet another first place finish at the end of Leg 5, as well as a first place win in the Coastal Race held in Boka Bay, Montegnegro.

Throughout the seven week, 4,500 nautical mile race around Europe, Biotherm has maintained a consistent overall lead, winning the first, second, and third legs of the race and collecting Scoring Gate points in each instance.

The only mark in the team’s neat run is a third place finish in Leg 4, which was instead a homecoming victory for Italian sailor Ambrogio Beccaria’s Team Allagrande Mapei. After the dramatic collision with Team Holcim-PRB early in the race, for which they were not granted redress, Allagrande finished fifth overall.

In second and third place were Yoann Richomme‘s Paprec Arkéa and Rosalind Kuiper’s Team Holcim-PRB. Team Malizia came in fourth, with Canada Ocean Racing and Team Amaala bringing up the rear.

Photo: Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race.

Biotherm skipper Paul Meilhat credits all-around collaboration between the shore teams and racing crew, as well as the boat’s preparation, for their triumphant victory.

“There are two parts of this victory,” he said, naming the organisation on shore and the boat’s preparation.

“Biotherm is more designed for this sort of race because it is really fast in transitions – light winds and flat water. We did a lot of improvements on the boat this winter. Also the crew, the motivation – I think we are all focused, we all concentrated, and we all wanted to win the race – that was the case from Kiel.”

How did the Ocean Race Europe end?

Final overall ranking of the Ocean Race Europe:

1. Biotherm – 55 points
2. Paprec Arkéa – 40 points
3. Team Holcim-PRB – 38.5 points
4. Team Malizia – 27 points
5. Allagrande Mapei Racing – 26 points
6. Be Water Positive – 18 points
7. Team Amaala – 9 points

Article contiues below…

The Ocean Race Europe 2025: Everything you need to know

Seven teams, six weeks, five legs, one unforgettable race. For its 2025 edition, the Ocean Race Europe will bring together…

‘This one was special’ – Homecoming victory for Beccaria in The Ocean Race Europe Leg 4

Ambrogio Beccaria’s team Allagrande Mapei Racing made a triumphant finish to The Ocean Race Europe Leg 4 as they arrived…

The Ocean Race Europe Leg 5 at a glance:

• • Stopover events in Genoa highlighted the importance of ocean conservation, and how offshore racing can be a tool for environmental advocacy
  • The Ocean Race Europe Leg 5 started slow, with two days of light winds after the fleet left Genoa
  • Thunderstorms, lightning, and torrential rains hit on Day 3, with teams reaching foiling speeds of up to 34 knots
  • The fleet segmented off of Sicily, with five boats in the leading group sailing ahead of a stormy transition zone and two teams, Amaala and Canada Ocean Racing, trapped far behind
  • A momentary overtake from Holcim-PRB off of Sicily reshuffled the fleet order
  • Tactical gambles from Allagrande and Paprec Arkèa failed to pay off
  • Biotherm was first into Boka Bay, followed by Holcim-PRB
  • The Coastal Race in Boka Bay brought a fresh wave of excitement and gave teams a last-minute chance to rack up points before the race’s end

The Ocean Race Europe Stops in Genoa

Photo: Jean Louis Carli / The Ocean Race.

The Ocean Race Europe fleet stopped in Genoa’s Porto Antico after an exciting finish to Leg 4, which saw leg winners Allagrande Mapei snatch first place after pulling ahead of Paprec Arkèa.

Allagrande and Genoa’s home-grown skipper Ambrogio Beccaria were greeted by an outpouring of local support, with fans, family, and media alike flocking to the race village for photos, pit lane tours, and speed tests in the Golfo Paradiso.

The stopover was also a launch pad for another Italian sailor’s upcoming endeavours.

Double olympian and Women’s America’s Cup sailor Francesca Clapcich, who also won the 2022-23 Ocean Race with 11th Hour Racing, supported her bid for the 2028 Vendée Globe with a presentation at the local maritime museum. Following the Ocean Race Europe, she will take over Malizia from current skipper Boris Hermann.

Photo: Marie Lefloch I Team Malizia.

Over four days, talks, screenings, and workshops from local activists, sponsors, and grassroots environmental groups highlighted the Ocean Race Europe’s guiding theme of sustainability. With both sailors and race officials advocating for ocean health in real time, and teams gathering valuable water samples offshore, the commitment to Racing for the Ocean was clear.

In a panel discussion following a special showing of David Attenborough’s Oceans, Holcim-PRB’s on board report Georgia Schofield stressed,

“We cannot keep sailing, keep enjoying the sea, without protecting our playground.”

Head to our socials for a behind-the-scenes look at the events and the action, including an exclusive cockpit tour with Team Malizia!

Departure from Genoa for the end of the Ocean Race Europe

Photo: The Ocean Race Europe.

After the Genoa stopover, the Ocean Race Europe’s fleet of IMOCAs set off again for the race’s final leg, a 1,600 nm passage to Boka Bay, Montenegro that would take them down the volatile western side of Corsica and Sardinia, south of Sicily, and into the Adriatic Sea.

“It’s a long zig-zag of eight or nine days through the Med with a lot of curves and local effects and local winds – not a huge wind field but little patches here and there,” Boris Hermann explained.

Leg 4 winner Ambrogio Beccaria’s Allagrande Mapei Racing made an early running start off the coast of Ligury, but the whole fleet was soon subdued by breezes barely scraping five knots. They inched along at three to four knots of speed throughout the night. Not quite a nail-biter!

Photo: Pierre Bouras / The Ocean Race.

Thunder, lightning, and broaches (oh my!)

After a quiet start, the front of the fleet hit a low pressure weather system packing winds over 30 knots that sent them tearing downwind.

‘We were going so fast that we caught up to the thunderstorm and the clouds,’ said Yoann Richomme of Paprec Arkea.

Reports of broaching, loss of control, and footage of crew members getting jostled about abounded.

An involuntary gybe on Paprec Arkea caused damage to a headsail sheet, as well as ripping the radar unit off its bracket on the front of the mast, while Holcim-PRB ended up on its side.

Photo: Gauthier Lebec / The Ocean Race.

The fleet was segmented by a thunderstorm line delineating two different weather regions.

Ahead of it, the first four boats in the fleet powered along in 30 knots of northwest wind.

Behind, cut off from the fresh downwind breeze, Holcim-PRB, Canada Ocean Racing, and Team Amaala were left chasing the fleet at half speed in just 12 knots of southeast.

Photo: Anne Beaugé / The Ocean Race.

An exciting overnight speed test saw Paprec and Allagrande fighting neck-and-neck in an exciting drag race.

“Both boats were doing 35 knots with maybe 100-metres of distance between us,” said Allagrande skipper Ambrogio Beccaria. “It was quite scary, unreal – one of the best sailing moments of my life for sure.”

Unstable conditions, thunderstorms aplenty, and frequent wind turns saw a reshuffling of the Leg 5 leaderboard as the Ocean Race Europe fleet came up on Sicily.

“You always need to be careful in these conditions – always one hand for the boat and the other for whatever it is you are doing,” warned Francesca Clapcich.

Holcim-PRB makes a comeback off Sicily

As they hit lighter winds under Sicily, Holcim-PRB made straight for the waypoint instead of tacking to the North like Allagrande, Biotherm, Malizia, and Paprec.

Skipper Rosalin Kuiper’s gamble quickly paid off– Holcim-PRB jumped from fifth to first place.

Photo: Jean-Louis Carli / The Ocean Race Europe 2025.

Biotherm retakes the lead towards Boka Bay

After rounding the final ‘India’ waypoint, the leading pack rearranged once again.

With Biotherm again in the lead, followed by Allagrande Mapei, Malizia, Paprec, and Team Holcim-PRB, the compressed fleet proceeded North upwind.

“These are good Biotherm conditions – flat water, medium wind – it’s perfect,” said Meilhat. “We have a lot of upwind now as we head to the North.”

Beccaria said he hoped instead for downwind conditions, hoping to pass closer to Italian shores. Allagrande eventually broke away from the rest of the front of the pack in search of more favourable conditions, but the gamble dropped them from third to fifth when the expected wind proved elusive.

Photo: Adrien Cordier / The Ocean Race.

Meanwhile, Canada Ocean Racing and Team Amaala crawled on at the back of the fleet.

To facilitate stopover activities in Boka Bay (and the expected Coastal Race), the Race Committee offered an alternative waypoint to give the two teams the option of shortening the race course, which meant the fleet trailers would trade an earlier arrival for the possibility of placing higher than sixth for the leg.

The Ocean Race Europe sails into the Adriatic sea

Photo: Pierre Bouras / The Ocean Race.

As the fleet entered the Adriatic, Biotherm was still at the front and covering their closest rivals tack for tack.

Paprec Arkèa gambled on an eastern route along the Albanian coastline with little success.

Not far behind, Holcim-PRB and Malizia jostled in an upwind match race, with sailors on both boats keeping a close eye on each other’s sail choice, boat speed, and angle.

While touring the boats during the stopover in Genoa, we learned that some teams like to keep their tricks up their sleeve, even changing or disguising their sail bags to keep their tactical choices a secret until the last moment!

The conditions required teams to stay on high alert to not lose their ground.

“You would think these are pretty steady, similar conditions, but it is not easy,” explained Holcim-PRB sailor Carolijn Brouwer. “The wind is up and down between nine and 12 knots. When we are sailing upwind when we get to 12 knots we are at the upper range of the big sail we have on – the J0. The wind is incredibly shifty – 20 to 25 degrees sometimes.

You really need to be precise and on top of it all the time, to react to the differences in pressure and the shifts in the breeze. That requires a fair bit of concentration and you have to be paying attention all the time.”

Biotherm wins final leg of the Ocean Race Europe

Photo: Julien Champolion / The Ocean Race.

It hardly came as a surprise when Biotherm was first into Boka Bay, having completed the 1,600 nm leg in seven days, eight hours, 33 minutes, and 13 seconds.

Rosalin Kuiper’s Team Holcim-PRB took second place for Leg 5 after staging an impressive comeback to rejoin the leading pack. Third was Boris Herrmann’s Team Malizia; failed tactical experiments from Ambrogio Beccaria’s Allagrande Mapei and Yoann Richomme’s Paprec Arkea left them in fourth and fifth.

“It didn’t pay off,” Richomme commented. ‘But that’s racing sometimes.”

Nonetheless, Beccaria seemed satisfied with the sheer range of conditions teams faced during the Ocean Race Europe Leg 5.

“Leg 5 for us was a real Odyssey, a huge race where a lot of things happened. We had a lot of light wind and strong wind. All the way down to Corsica and Sardinia we had a lot of wind. On the way to Ustica we had a huge amount of wind and a super flat sea, so we were at 35 knots of steady boatspeed – it was unreal,” he commented.

The Ocean Race Europe’s Coastal Race in Boka Bay

Photo: Vincent Curutchet / The Ocean Race.

A Coastal Race upon the fleet’s arrival in Boka Bay closed out the racing events and gave teams a chance to grab last-minute points for their overall ranking.

The results of the Coastal Race pretty closely matched the overall leaderboard, with the only difference being team Allagrande Mapei edging out team Be Water Positive overall thanks to their Leg 4 win.

Even in close quarters, Biotherm once again came first, followed by Paprec Arkea, Holcim-PRB, and Team Malizia.

The Boka Bay Coastal Race results:

1. Biotherm
2. Paprec Arkéa
3. Team Holcim PRB
4. Team Malizia
5. Be Water Positive
6. Allagrande Mapei Racing
7. Team Amaala

What’s next for the Ocean Race?

Photo: Julien Champolion / The Ocean Race.

While the teams rest, reshuffle, and recover after their 7-week sprint around Europe, the Ocean Race events group is busy planning the upcoming calendar.

In November, The Ocean Race Summit Youth in Genova will explore how sport can be a platform for environmental change, and a tool to help build a more sustainable future for our world’s oceans.

In 2026, the first Ocean Race Atlantic will connect New York and Barcelona with a 3,200 nautical mile sprint. It will be the first point-to-point race in the 50-plus year history of The Ocean Race. Like the Ocean Race Europe, the event will feature mixed crews, though this time with a industry-first 50-50 gender split, as well as a focus on ocean conservation advocacy.

In 2027, the 15th edition of the iconic round-the-world Ocean Race will set off from Alicante, Spain.

“The Ocean Race is always on,” says Race Chairman of The Ocean Race Richard Brisius. “Our drive to protect and restore ocean health is a daily mission […] These events serve as inspirational touch points on the journey where we all get together with renewed focus and determination as we connect with the ocean.”

If you enjoyed this article on the Ocean Race Europe 2025…

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Biotherm wins the Ocean Race Europe Leg 5— and the rest of it appeared first on Yachting World.

Thirty-one Class 40s started the CIC Normandy Channel Race on Sunday, 25 May, one of the first big races of the season. It had been a tough test from the outset, with 25 knots and a building forecast. By Tuesday there had been several retirements, including a collision between two boats on the start, a dismasting and gear failures. But the Class 40 is one of the most competitive fleets around – entries included Vendée Globe legends Michel Desjoyeaux and Vincent Riou, such is the level of experience.

The double-handed pairings had rounded the Isle of Wight, and were zigzagging their way across the English Channel and its tough tidal races. Jay Thompson, an American who has spent much of the last decade in France working with big IMOCA teams, was racing #Empowher with Irish co-skipper Pamela Lee. He recalls: “It was quite a hard race. We’d had 25-35 knots of upwind, basically the entire race. So everyone was really tired.”

Faced with forecasts of 40+ knots in the Celtic Sea, race organisers had altered course to take the fleet back across the Ouessant Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS, or DST in French). This is common – the Class 40s, along with the Figaro and other classes, frequently race across the shipping areas, though the diversion meant this particular race would cross a TSS six times.

“We had just passed the most southern mark,” Thompson continues. “We were going upwind, but slightly open. It was like a tight reach, about 80° or so true wind angle. At that time, there was 25 knots, pretty steady, with 28 knot gusts sometimes. So mostly everybody was sailing with a J1 and one reef in the main. We were on port tack, sailing north – basically to Fastnet, which was going to be our last mark before we came back to Caen, to finish.

“There was pretty good visibility. And there were big waves, about 2.5m or so of swell because a large front had just passed through.”

Event map showing the original CIC Normandy Channel Race course

Busy traffic

Cédric de Kervenoaël and Thomas Jourdren were about a mile ahead of #Empowher on their sistership Pogo S4 NST Cabinet Z. Not all the Class 40 skippers are pro sailors – de Kervenoaël is a lawyer during the week, but has been offshore racing for 30 years, and in the Class 40 fleet for a decade. He is also class president. Co-skipper Jourdren, 25, is a préparateur for Class 40s and has competed in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

De Kervenoaël says: “It had been two days of really, really tough sailing because the boats are very hard now. The scows are not so difficult to sail, but difficult to live in. You cannot eat, you cannot sleep.

“We crossed the Channel very, very quickly. And when we rounded the buoy, near Ouessant, it was about 1800-1900. We were preparing for about 15 hours of very [high] speed [sailing] and the wind to be stronger when we arrived at the Fastnet.”

“I was not really sleeping inside, but I’d kept my oilskins on. Really I was wondering if I could put my oilskins out because everything was so wet, but I had no motivation to do that. That proved quite useful later.”

Thompson had a clear visual of NST Cabinet Z as they chased north. “We were slightly south and east of their position, just a bit to leeward. So I could see him quite well – well, I could see his navigation light as it was 0200 in the morning. We were on port tack, and so off to the port side is really clear. It’s really hard to see things that are on starboard because they’re underneath the sails and the waves and the spray.

Article continues below…

Coolest yachts: Class 40 Lift 2

The highly competitive Class 40 fleet has long been a proving ground for talent, both for designers and sailors, with…

Transat Jacques Vabre: lessons from the experts

Two boats achieved stunning victories in the latest edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, establishing leads before the halfway mark…

“We were crossing the DST off Ouessant, which is the turning point. And it’s quite a busy one. My skipper, Pamela, was relaxing inside, and I was out in the cockpit just racing the boat. We have a screen on the outside, so I’m able to see the AIS and also do the sail adjustments at the same time.

“I noticed two cargos that were coming westbound. They would have been east of us. So they’re in that zone that’s difficult to see. And I could see that the crossing was going to be quite close. At that point, you’re paying more attention, and I’m trying to understand how I’m going to go around these two ships as well. Both boats had about 16-18 knots of boat speed or so.”

On board NST Cabinet Z Cédric de Kervenoaël heard his co-skipper on the VHF radio. “He was calling the cargo, but he was speaking very low, so I didn’t hear exactly what he said. But I learned afterwards that 25 minutes before the collision, he tried to call the cargo. The cargo didn’t answer. And after that, they answered.

“[Thomas] told them that, on the AIS, we were crossing in front of the cargo and he wanted to be sure that the cargo had seen us. And the guy answered, ‘Okay, I move my course’.”

“And maybe five or seven minutes after, I heard the same guy saying, ‘Well, you’re not a sailing boat, you take me for a piece of shit.’”

31 Class 40s started the 2025 CIC Normandy Channel Race, an approximately 1,000-mile double-handed offshore race around the English Channel and Celtic Sea. Photo: Photos: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

Not clear

Monitoring the situation, Thompson recalls. “I heard 191 (NST Cabinet Z) call one of the cargo ships and ask if he can pass ahead. And the guy responds by saying, ‘Yeah, you can pass ahead.’

“I would say by then we’re quite close to the cargo, getting within a mile or so – I did a couple of degrees [adjustment] to just pass behind it, and he was going to try to pass in front of it, basically in between the two cargos, because one was going to be clear ahead.

“Then a few moments later, the guy [on the cargo] comes back on the radio and says, ‘You are the give-way vessel. YOU are the one that’s going to move out of the way.’ And he says it in a way that’s really kind of unprofessional. It was more in his intonation – angry or upset.” Thompson didn’t hear anything further in the VHF exchange.

On NST Cabinet Z de Kervenoaël got up in alarm.

Cédric de Kervenoaël (on left) and Thomas Jourdren. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

“I said to Thomas, ‘Did you understand what he said?’ He was not sure, but I understood very well. So I took the radio, and I told them, ‘Yes, we are a sailing racing boat. That’s why we are fast.’ Because I suppose those guys are used to crossing sailing boats at 6.5 knots – not when they’re going at 15 knots.

“But the guy [on the cargo] didn’t answer me. I looked at the chart and I asked Thomas, ‘Okay, look, look, where is the boat? Where is the boat?’ He went outside and said, ‘It doesn’t cross, it doesn’t cross, it doesn’t cross!’
“And then we were crushed by the ship.”

Hit and run

Thompson had heard the conversation and noted it as odd. Watching from #Empowher. “I could see the Class 40 and the cargo ship’s lights coming together. And then I see just the cargo lights, so I assume he passed in front.
“Then I hear on the VHF a guy comes back on – which I assume is the cargo ship because he says, ‘You need to call the Cross.’ I thought that’s a weird thing to say.

“I waited maybe 30 seconds, the cargo ship continues on, and I don’t see the lights of the Class 40 anymore. Then I look at my screen, and their AIS has disappeared on the screen. I pick up the VHF and I call NST. She doesn’t answer. And so I tell Pam, there might be a situation here. Then a radio call comes in. He says, ‘Mayday, the boat is cut in half. We’ve de-masted. Come and get us now.’

Cédric de Kervenoaël and Thomas Jourdren were racing NST Cabinet Z. Photo: Photos: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

“It was very crackly because it was just a handheld VHF. So I responded, ‘Okay, we’re going to come right away.’”

Thompson readied his Class 40 – furling the jib and starting the engine, while Lee relayed the Mayday to the Cross Corsen – the French maritime rescue service. Jourdren had also activated the EPIRB on NST.

It’s not totally clear what the cargo skipper meant when he said ‘You need to call the Cross,’ but Thompson believes he was telling the yacht they needed to call the rescue services themselves after the impact. The ship did not stop to offer assistance.

“When I saw the AIS disappear, I just put a very quick waypoint on the Adrena of where it happened,” recalls Thompson, “So we headed over to that zone. We were there within 10 minutes.

“We could see that the boat was in pieces. The bow was apart but attached, and the mast laying in the middle with the sail. The cockpit was slightly sticking out of the water, but most of the back half of the boat was underwater.”

Class 40 rules require each yacht to have large blocks of foam for flotation built-in both forward and aft. “With the keel, the aft section was barely floating, nearly vertical. The crew were on the starboard pushpit. It was the only section that was out of the water, but with the waves, it was still going in the water. We could just see their reflectives on their jackets because we had a big spotlight. That’s how we spotted them,” Thompson adds.

The Cross rescue confirmed that a helicopter could be with them in 40 minutes. They also halted all shipping traffic in the area around the disabled yacht.

“We asked Cédric and Thomas: ‘Do you have your TPS survival suits?’ They said, no, all they had was a handheld VHF. So we relayed that, and the Cross said, ‘Well, you really need to try to get them off because 40 minutes in the water is going to be a long time.’

Pamela Lee and Jay Thompson are campaigning the Pogo S4 #Empowher. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

“We instructed the crew to inflate their liferaft, get into the raft, then let it float behind the boat. Because with the wreckage and everything in the big swell, it would have been almost guaranteed that we would put a hole in our boat if we even got close. But when they tried to inflate the liferaft, the liferaft didn’t open.”

Next the crew of #Empowher tried a different plan – inflating their own raft, with the intention of letting it drift down to the stranded crew. “We went just upwind of the boat and opened the raft. This was when it got really crazy because I looked down for two seconds to help Pam get the liferaft out of the back. And when we looked up we couldn’t see the boat anywhere. It happens so quickly that you can lose somebody. It took a little moment for us to search around to find them again.

“Then Pam opened the liferaft, and everything went perfect. She was holding on to the rope at the back of the transom. I’m driving the boat, trying to hold station, just to windward so that she could let the raft down to them. And then Pam tells me “There’s nothing on the rope.”

The rope had detached from #Empowher’s liferaft. Having had the scare of losing sight of the Class 40, Jay and Pam decided not to attempt to recover the raft, but instead to keep eyes on the crew – not an easy task short-handed.

“The boats are not easy at all. In one moment, you’re going super fast because you’re going downwind and down swell, kind of surfing. Then the next, you’re trying to go upwind super slow. And you’re trying to stay close, but not too close.

Pamela Lee and Jay Thompson on #Empowher. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

Pam was handling all the communications, I was just driving and trying to always keep a visual on the boat, basically making anticlockwise loops around them, which was easiest for me because the port side is where the controls are for the motor.”

Cedric and Thomas confirmed that their situation on the disabled NST Cabinet Z was stable – not sinking, but cold, so #Empowher kept circling for another 20 minutes.

“I think the most stressful part for us was when there was about 10 minutes left to go for the helicopter to arrive,” recalls Thompson. “Every time we did a circle, we would check in with them. But after that 10-minute point, we could start to hear in their voices how they were in themselves [going downhill] a bit. They were asking, ‘Where are you? Where are you guys? I don’t see you anymore.’”

Fortunately the helicopter arrived from Brest shortly after, and the rescue divers swiftly lifted the two men to safety – Jourdren first, as he was suffering from severe cold, then de Kervenoaël, who had broken four ribs in the impact, but – remarkably – both were otherwise unharmed.

Lessons learned

Both Thompson and de Kervenoaël commented on how the Offshore Personal Survival training had helped in the moment. “It was a bit terrifying,” admits de Kervenoaël.

“But as soon as we crashed and saw that we were both still on the boat, we did the job we had to do. The sea survival training was very useful. When you are in this situation, you know exactly what you have to do. So there was no panic. We knew that someone would come and that it would be too stupid to die in that place! It was just a question of time.”

However, Thompson notes that one thing that could improve the training is more on boat-to-boat rescues.

In a separate incident two Class 40s collided at the race start. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

“Actually there’s quite a lot of scenarios where one boat is assisting another sailing boat, and that’s often not really taught too much. It’s mainly about what happens when the helicopter comes or a cargo ship.

“For example, something I’d never actually thought about before, was that the rafts have something like 300kg of water ballast. So you can’t just drag it wherever. You either have to get rid of the water ballast once you deploy the raft, or make sure that you don’t inflate it until you’re in the exact right area.”

That two rafts failed in an emergency situation is something the class is taking very seriously. Both boats were carrying Waypoint rafts, favoured by Class 40 skippers for their light weight. The class has since mandated an alternative Plastimo raft, which is around 12kg heavier. Waypoint is also investigating the cause of the failures – Thompson confirmed he was visited by the manufacturer to discuss what happened and view the liferaft on NST Cabinet Z (the Class 40 hull was salvaged).

Cédric de Kervenoaël speaks to the media after his dramatic rescue. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

De Kervenoaël says the class will also look into liferaft positioning (both the Pogo S4s had their raft stowed on the transom), and how grab bags can be best secured within reach. “Maybe it should be attached somewhere because I was very lucky to find it floating beside the boat. But if we hadn’t had the grab bag, with the VHF, it would have been another story.”

The collision itself is subject to a police investigation. The cargo ship Ital Bonny, which was Italian flagged, was intercepted by a French warship and escorted to shore.

“Clearly, a conversation was going on about taking avoiding action, and for some reason, that didn’t happen. In terms of the angle [crossing the TSS], there was no fault. The race crew did everything right,” an experienced Class 40 sailor told me, who didn’t want to be identified.

However, as the confusion on the VHF shows, calling a cargo ship is no guarantee of a safe outcome. “I basically never call the ships,” says Thompson, “just because in my experience, it’s very rare that it goes well. Often you have a lot of different nationalities so it’s quite difficult to speak with them. So I think that should be your secondary step – if you need to do it. The very first step should be to adjust your course early so that it doesn’t become an issue.

Cédric thanks Thompson and Lee for their part in saving him and his co-skipper. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot/CIC NCR

“When we’re crossing the lanes, closing speed starts to get so quick because we’re averaging between 16-18 knots, and the cargos are going anywhere from 12-18 normally. When you’re going 6 knots, you have so much more time.

“So it’s really important to get that visual – because the moment you get a visual, normally you can tell fairly easily how it’s going to cross. Sometimes it’s difficult, and you have to do that painful thing of letting the sheets go and the boat slow down a bit, or even turn downwind for a second to make sure that you can really see.

“Often, those decisions that we figure would be quite standard end up being really difficult when you haven’t slept for a couple of days. It’s definitely the most stressful and difficult thing on these races, because we’re basically crossing a freeway on a bicycle.”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post ‘Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! The boat is cut in half’ appeared first on Yachting World.

The opening leg of The Ocean Race Europe was rocked by drama within moments of the starting gun as two of the IMOCA 60s  — Team Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing — collided at speed, forcing both boats to suspend racing and return to the dock in Kiel.

The incident occurred just after the fleet set off in big conditions, with strong winds delivering fast-paced action from the gun. While Biotherm and Paprec Arkéa pulled into the early lead, a sudden side-on impact between Holcim PRB to leeward and Allagrande MAPEI to windward brought the two team’s race to a halt before they had even cleared the first mile.

Both teams are now dockside in Kiel, where shore crews are assessing damage and preparing for rapid repairs. Fortunately, all crew members were reported safe following the collision.

Skipper Ambrogio Beccaria of Allagrande MAPEI Racing expressed visible disappointment on the dock: “I’m sad to be back here now,” he said. “The team made a huge effort to be here and we only did one mile of the race. It’s super sad for our competitor also. We are not alone in this story… We are checking the boat. For sure we will not drop out until there is no chance. It doesn’t seem easy, but we will see.”

Team Holcim PRB, skippered by Rosalin Kuiper, also confirmed significant hull damage. “We had to retire from the race because of damage to our hull,” Kuiper said. “It is very disappointing for our entire team, and for Allagrande MAPEI and for The Ocean Race as well. We have to repair this damage and that is what we are going to do.”

Race Director Phil Lawrence confirmed that both boats had suspended racing and returned to port, and noted that Holcim PRB has lodged a formal protest against Allagrande MAPEI Racing. “This matter will be handled by the International Jury at a time to be determined,” he added.

While the two damaged teams regroup, the race pressed on with Biotherm leading the fleet through the Kiel Lighthouse scoring gate, earning the first two points of the race. Paprec Arkéa followed close behind to take one point. Canada Ocean Racing – Be Water Positive impressed with a strong showing in third, ahead of Team Malizia and Team Amaala.

With strong winds forecast and a challenging course ahead — including wind farms, current zones, and the iconic passage under the Great Belt Bridge — this edition of The Ocean Race Europe is already proving to be intense.

Both Holcim PRB and Allagrande MAPEI Racing hope to rejoin the race in time for the next stage, with further updates expected early in the week.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Note: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

The post Start Disaster as Two Boats Collide and Return Home In The Ocean Race Europe Leg One appeared first on Yachting World.

SailGP is about to kick off a US double-header, with back to back events in Los Angeles and San Francisco, starting in LA this weekend (March 15-16). Currently topping the leaderboard is Emirates GBR, ahead of previous series winners Australia and Spain.

It was little surprise that, after his history-making performance as co-helm to Ben Ainslie on INEOS Britannia in the 37th America’s Cup, the vacant helm seat on the British F50 catamaran went to Dylan Fletcher for the 2025 SailGP season.

Fletcher was originally the very first British SailGP helmsman (or ‘driver’, in SailGP parlance) having taken the wheel in the inaugural 2019 season. He was soon replaced by Ainslie, with a new team branded under INEOS sponsorship, and Fletcher didn’t return to the circuit as a sailor – though after last October’s Cup he told Yachting World that SailGP represented ‘unfinished business’.

After Ainslie retired from F50 sailing, and Giles Scott moved to the Canadian team, it was announced that Fletcher would helm, with Hannah Mills as strategist.

Fletcher and the British team hit the season running, taking podium finishes at the first two events in Dubai and an extremely windy Auckland, before winning a nailbiting final at Sydney. We sat down with Dylan ahead of the US events to get his thoughts on the SailGP season so far. Read on for the full interview:

Winners in Australia. Photo: Jason Ludlow for SailGP

So, how did you jump straight to the front of the fleet?

“I guess I still have Season One under my belt – although when you look back at Season One, it was so bad in terms of how we were sailing the boats, and it’s progressed so much. But everyone [else] in our team was consistent. It was just me stepping in and I’ve worked with a lot of them before.

“Me and Han, we’ve known each other forever. Her coach was my mentor [Joe Glanfield], so there’s so many similarities with how we talk.

“I was super-happy with the start of the season, but certainly none of us were expecting it. We also know that we will have our tough moments, but we’ve been, I guess, pleasantly surprised that in light winds, then windy, then medium, we seem to be up there in all three conditions, which is nice. AND we have plenty of mistakes that we’re making, especially myself, so it feels nice that there’s still some headroom.”

How much have the boats changed since that first season?

“The wings are new. There’s obviously three different sizes now, but the whole wing itself is new. So in Season One, we were basically using wings from the America’s Cup that were all different. So there were some performance differences in reality, whereas now they are all the same.

“The [wing] twist is much faster, so you can basically sail the boats better. It was quite hard for the two grinders in season one because the twist was really slow, so you’d struggle to ‘catch’. So you’d have to sail the boat quite differently.

Article continues below…

Dylan Fletcher-Scott Britain’s 2024 America’s Cup skipper

Dylan Fletcher-Scott is no stranger to high-stakes sailing. But even this Olympic gold medalist will be feeling the pressure as…

Paul Goodison on how to drive a foiling F50 in SailGP

Paul Goodison is one of the most talented foiling sailors around – he’s a three-time International Moth World Champion and…

“The other thing – outside of T-foils – has been lots under the hood. So the systems have massively stepped up. The way the accumulator and oil and pump and valves and all the technical sides have all improved massively, which you don’t see, but effectively allows us to sail the boat better and more accurately.

“As soon as I got on [a new generation F50], you can feel the difference. But in reality, I guess they’re all relatively minor changes compared to the T-foils. They really have – not exactly thrown a spanner in the works, but they are a big learning curve for everyone now.

“It changes [how you sail the boat] quite a lot. There’s some oil management we have to do. Because you’ve got the same amount of pumps and everything on the boat, but you are using more oil. You can move the cant in and out in the same way you could on an AC40 . So that certainly changes things.

“And the T-foil can pierce the waves occasionally. If you are below a certain boat speed and you pierce the waves, you crash. With the previous foils if you got a little bit too high, you just generally would slide sideways and then come back down. Whereas with these foils you crash. I think you see the helms flying the boats a little bit lower when the pilots are crossing. Just being more conservative, a bit more worried about not crashing – well, certainly I do.

“And because of the cant, we get more righting moment. As you cant out, you lower the bow effectively for the same rudder average. Generally speaking, all the teams are running more bow-down pitch than we were previously.”

Racing at SailGP Sydney. Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

Do you think the rankings – who’s got the hang of the T-foils and who hasn’t – will be changing a lot over the next events?

“I think it feels like it’s stabilised slightly. We’ve seen in the data that teams were not all sailing the boats the same. It was quite wild at the start in New Zealand when we did our training, and now there’s a reasonable amount of similarities.

“There’s also some different styles – like you see the Aussies obviously started incredibly well and sailed really well in all the qualifying races. But the flip side is you don’t need to win every race. You just need to win the last one.”

At events like Auckland – decent breeze, crazy small race tracks – how strategic are you being compared to just getting around the course?

“Yeah, really strategic. It’s almost slightly less reliance on the computer systems and that sort of thing because [everything] is changing so fast that you do have to just go off your gut effectively.

“But it is incredibly tight. We haven’t actually sailed with 12 boats yet, but it’s felt incredibly tight with 11, and there have been some moments that were scary, but in reality, so far, it’s been good and clean.

“The racing is, for me, incredible. I’ve really missed that tight fleet racing. Where you’re racing against Pete [Burling] and Diego [Botin], who I obviously raced very closely with [in the 49er]. But then also people like Ruggero Tita, who went to the Olympics in 2016 [sailing the Nacra]. For them all to be together, it’s really, really good fun.

Hannah Mills. Photo: C. Gregory / INEOS Britannia

And how do you run it with Hannah in terms of strategy calls? Presumably, you just have to be incredibly fast in terms of communicating?

“Yeah, I think what’s amazing with Hannah is we’ve got a lot of trust straight away with each other. There were some moments in Sydney, for example, when it was really hectic. And I was just trying to focus on managing the lane ahead, but I had an idea of what I wanted to do. It’s too hard to go and explain what I want. But I know I can just say to Hannah, ‘What do you think?’

“The other thing is because of her experience, in the final, we gybed, did a gybe turn-up, and I didn’t get to the other side. So she’s helming the boat in the round up, and I’ve got complete confidence that she can deal with that side. So, there’s a lot of trust with our roles and she can do a really good job.”

And when it comes to traffic management, how do you handle that? Because there are boats coming from every direction at some points.

“Well, we’ve got the coaching booth who are looking at ‘issue boats’, as we call them, on the 2D map. We got Ben Cornish and Rob Wilson. Ben Cornish is making sure that if there’s a port-starboard and they haven’t heard anything [from the boat], they might [tell us]: ‘There is an issue boat on port.’

“It’s Hannah’s responsibility to look, but then also the booth is a backup. Obviously, we don’t want to have a crash. So Han will say, ‘We’ve got an issue with this boat. Might be crossing. What do you think?’ Then, like any normal boat, I make the final call on a duck or a cross, basically.”

Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

Are those close calls as close as it looks?

“It’s incredibly close. The racing in Sydney, especially on the first day, where the first beat was very changeable with the shifts – then you’re coming into a boundary, you’re going to come out on port, and it’s like, ‘are we going to be in the zone of protection?’ It’s ever-changing very quickly.

“I think for me, that day in Sydney really highlighted how intense the season is going to be. Every day we get off the water and we are just like, ‘Wow, that was wild’.”

The penalty system really pushes avoiding collisions, doesn’t it?

“Yeah. So if the boats come together, then there’s penalty points. And if they believe that even the right of way boat could have done more to have kept clear, then you get penalty points, and they are severe.”

So keeping out of trouble becomes a huge part of the strategy?

“Yeah. In the last two races in the fleet racing, we’d almost guaranteed our spot for the final. We were 15, 16 points ahead of 4th. We were thinking, ‘Okay, just two solid races’. Just stay out of trouble because if you go and get a penalty point, then you’re not only out of the final, but then you’ve got the season penalty points. We see now the Germans with negative season points and the Americans and the Brazilians on nothing – going into the fourth event of the season. It’s unbelievable, right?

“And that this is something we’re discussing as a team – it’s a long season. It’s about managing risk, and the finals are going to be up and down. But if we can just try and keep plugging away and be in the final or thereabouts, then that’s where we need to be at the end of the season.”

A close finish at SailGP New Zealand. Photo: Bob Martin for SailGP

Going back to the coaching booth – is their primary role collision avoidance? Can they communicate much else to you?

“So they can communicate with us whenever they want. Some teams run it differently, so their booth might be a bit more of a strategist effectively, maybe depending on their experience.

“For us, we’ve got Rob who is obviously really experienced at coaching in SailGP. Then Ben and I actually did all of the two boating in AC40s together, so we’ve got a really great relationship. Their role is really to help us with the bias on the course or the gate bias, which changes quite a lot. I guess they’re almost a backup for anything that we’ve missed. They might turn around and tell us: ‘You must have left turn!’ Although they’ve never said that yet!

“Or there was an incident in Sydney where the software wasn’t working properly, and we didn’t have any laylines or anything, and they would be backing us up. So Hannah would go to leeward and have a little look, and we’d go back to [doing it the] old fashioned way – which is fine, but not knowing where the boundary was was quite concerning!”

“In between the races is where we really use it a lot. I guess it’s similar to the race engineers you’d have in Formula One. Ultimately, because it’s so fast-paced, it’s hard for them to actually have space to talk to us. They really struggle to get the time.”

Photo: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

Do you get information overload at some point? Where you just need to look at where you’re going?

“There are times like that. But I think we’re quite good as a team at trying to not talk too much. The team have done a really good job of integrating me because obviously there’s things that I’m not as good at or learning, and they’ve given me the space rather than going ‘Do this, do that’. Because then I’m just listening to them and I’m not doing what I’m actually quite good at. And so we don’t do anything well. They’ve allowed me the space to do what I do well and I will learn from my mistakes.”

Was it quite hard to adapt to sailing with another voice in your ear from the coaching booth?

“Not really! It’s quite interesting. It’s just another piece of information. You get used to it. But then with this [high performance] world, it slowly just builds up more and more and more, so you become more accustomed to it. But the flip side is I was out sailing my Moth last week and absolutely loved being on my own.”

Nobody to talk to!

“No, but I do occasionally talk to myself before the start of a race to go through my checklist. Otherwise, I sometimes forget things!”

Looking ahead to the US events, what are you expecting?

“I’m always hopeful of San Fran. That’s going to be good. And I’m really excited to be going to race in LA. I think a different venue, flatter water, then followed by San Francisco, where we’ll have maybe slightly longer courses, more open racetrack where we can see some longer runs, it will be interesting to see where teams are with the T-foils.”

The Rolex Los Angeles SailGP takes place from March 15-16, followed by the Oracle San Francisco SailGP from March 22-23. Visit SailGP.com
Tickets for the UK event, the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Portsmouth, are on sale now, with early bird pricing available until Monday, March 17. See sailgp.com/tickets

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post British star, Dylan Fletcher on jumping straight to the top of the SailGP leaderboard appeared first on Yachting World.

The great French sailor, Eric Tabarly, an instrumental figure in the origins of what is now Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, is reputed to have said that strolling along the quays of the riviera town during this regatta was like ‘flicking through the pages of a maritime history book’.

Tabarly’s words deftly distil the essence of this unique event held each year in the small town of Saint-Tropez, perched on a north facing promontory in the gulf to which it gives its name.

At first sight it seems inconceivable that this charming but pocket-sized fishing port could possibly accommodate the majority of the 250-boat fleet, representing almost 135 years of yacht design history, that descends on Saint-Tropez each year.

But remarkably, for the last 25 years the skilled RIB drivers of the Capitainerie (Saint-Tropez’s busy harbour master’s office) have somehow nudged, towed and coaxed everything from 130ft schooners and modern maxis to small engineless sloops into cheek-by-jowl order along the harbour’s modest walls and pontoons.

It’s perhaps that very concentration of yachting history, all in one place, that lends this event its charmed intensity, drawing huge crowds down the town’s narrow laneways to walk the quays or admire the scene from the numerous waterfront eateries.

The towering 210ft schooner Atlantic dominates the skyline outside the port of Saint-Tropez. Photo: Kurt Arrigo

Sir Richard Matthews, founder of Oyster Yachts, has sailed at Les Voiles for many years, returning for the event’s 25th anniversary in 2024 with his 12 Metre Crusader. He remains beguiled by the whole experience.

“It’s a magic place,” he said. “You walk the docks at Saint-Tropez, it’s yacht porn basically! It’s just unique in my experience with the bands playing in the streets. Everybody loves it and we certainly do, it’s fantastic.”

This relaxed end-of-season atmosphere at Les Voiles owes much to the conscious efforts of the host club Société Nautique Saint-Tropez (SNST) to preserve the spontaneous, quirky DNA of the event’s origins.

The spur-of-the-moment challenge in 1981 between American Dick Jayson’s Swan 44 Pride and Jean Redele’s 1964 12 Metre America’s Cup boat Ikra is well documented. But the twists and turns that SNST’s Patrice de Colmont took to evolve that mismatched challenge into Les Voiles’ popular precursor, La Nioulargue, is worthy of its own documentary.

Gaff and Bermudan rigs fill the horizon during racing for the Tradition yachts. Photo: Kurt Arrigo

For all the amicable ambience that pervades the regatta, the competition across the three classes and 19 divisions of Maxis, Moderns and Tradition is real enough, even when the fixed start line location off the town’s sea wall for the latter two classes can often add a random dimension to the results. Upwind or downwind, you take what comes on the day.

Short straw

With 15 divisions across these two classes sent off from the line at midday, the early divisions can also draw the short straw when the sea breeze makes a late appearance, as it did on several days in 2024; a particular challenge for the favourably rated boats in the Moderns class.

Crews on the smaller classics get a good dousing in champagne conditions. Photo: Tobias Stoerkle /www.blende64.com

But for the likes of Will Ryan, a regular on the TP52 Super Series circuit and strategist aboard King Frederik of Denmark’s chartered TP52 Nanoq at Les Voiles, it’s all part of the deal: “For one-design racing you’ll typically go to where the best wind is first and then do good quality racing there. Whereas here it’s all about the show. It’s fun to be part of the show, but it does come with the consequences that make it a challenging race course.”

It was, however, a challenge well met by Nanoq’s team, taking the North Sails Trophy for best IRC B boat in the Moderns, despite the King’s absence on royal duties.

Many of the sport’s best navigators also relish the challenge of the complex weather patterns at Les Voiles. Ocean racing meteorologist Will Oxley, the navigator aboard Nanoq, holds Les Voiles as one of his top three favourite regattas around the world. He explained that the Mistral, which has played havoc with many sailors and regattas in the summer of 2024, does not always impact Saint-Tropez.

“It’s interesting because just to the west of us we’ve got the Gulf of Lyon and the Mistral funnels down there, said Oxley. “But here we are in a bay and we’ll often see that the Mistral misses the bay in the morning.

“You typically get a light breeze coming down off the mountains and then you often get sea breezes setting up on each side of the bay, frequently from completely different directions.”

The distinctive restored 12 Metre Jenetta. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Unpredictable breezes

Those mercurial breezes were much in evidence during this year’s regatta, with the Moderns and Classics divisions struggling to get off the start line from the town’s Portalet Tower on several days.

But even for the four Maxi divisions which enjoyed a mix of coastal and windward/leeward races in the more reliable offshore breezes, meeting the race cut-off time proved a challenge on the Tuesday, while racing was abandoned across all fleets on the Thursday.

Among those Maxis, Black Jack 100 enjoyed consistent line honours wins in the Maxi A division under her new owner Remon Vos, but it was Peter Harrison’s Jolt that held off Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou to take both the Barons de Rothschild and IMA trophies.

For the professionals that sail at Les Voiles, this regatta is often seen as a welcome counterpoint to the intensity of fully professional events.

The 130ft modern classic Naema is an Alfred Mylne replica. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Dual Olympic medallist and multiple World Champion in the Tornado class, Mitch Booth, is these days usually to be found racing with all-professional crews on some of the fastest maxi yachts in the world.

At Les Voiles he was enjoying a changed role that he described as ‘tactician/coach’ with two other pros and a mixed crew of family and friends aboard Matthew Gander’s CNB 76 Playstation PS5, which is relatively new to racing.

Article continues below…

Extraordinary boats: Maluka – restoration of a 1932 classic

One thing you should do is take your watch off. If you start looking at your watch you’re going to…

Columbia: a completely reinvented stunning classic yacht

What particularly strikes you as you step on board Columbia is the atmosphere. Judging from the beaming owners and crew,…

He offered some insight into the role that professionals play on the mostly amateur-crewed day racer Maxi yachts at regattas like Les Voiles.

“Every race the owners want to win, but the atmosphere here is quite friendly and relaxed too. We call these boats cruiser-racers, but in fact they’re really cruisers that race and most of these boats are not raced on a regular basis.

“We typically go through the boat before the event, checking all the strops and blocks; they might say ‘Oh, we haven’t used that spinnaker for two years,’ or ‘We don’t know how it should be hoisted or how it sheets.’ It’s just applying the race mentality onto a non-racing boat.”

Sir Richard Matthews’s 12 Metre Crusader. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Danish sailor Nicolai Sehested is more typically seen wearing a helmet as the skipper of Rockwool, Denmark’s SailGP team. But as regular tactician on Terry Hui’s division-winning Wally 77 Lyra in the Maxi B division, Sehested enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of this event too.

“It’s probably most sailors’ favourite place in Europe to race for many reasons. There’s always just very varied conditions. And you get to see so many cool boats racing at the same time.

“But the main thing is the culture. You can even hear it now,” says Sehested as a trumpeter belts out a polished rendition of Verdi’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from a neighbouring classic.

Centenary Trophy winner Oriole. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Small but mighty

Les Voiles has evolved over the years. But should anyone try to subvert the competitive but friendly spirit of this invitation-only regatta, SNST’s president Pierre Roinson has some tongue-in-cheek words of warning: “Influence peddling is always a factor, as some people – and we have their names! – try to change things around so they can join a class more in their favour. That is just not possible.”

Determined to sail his 26ft Solent Sunbeam Dainty in the Tradition class at Saint-Tropez in the boat’s centenary year in 2022, Peter Nicholson pursued a long campaign with the SNST Committee to offer the boat an exemption to their minimum waterline length rule.

The ever-practical Committee eventually saved face for all by offering Dainty guest status, making her the smallest boat in the regatta.

Nicholson has spent almost 60 years sailing Sunbeams, finally calling it quits at the end of this year. But having broken Dainty’s boom at the Cannes regatta a fortnight before Les Voiles, he and his crew were counting their blessings that they made it all.

Some 250 yachts, mostly with family and amateur crews, competed at this year’s 25th anniversary regatta. Photo: Tobias Stoerkle /www.blende64.com

“There is nowhere in the Mediterranean they could mend it or replace it. So I phoned back home to Haines Boatyard in Itchenor who had a spare,” said Nicholson, having realised that the greater challenge was getting a 3.7m-long boom delivered to Saint-Tropez in time.

“I asked an old friend Viv Williams if his [grown-up] children – who regularly run deliveries – could help. Viv said they were all busy but he quite liked the idea of coming down himself. So he drove it the 900 miles and we were up and running for the first race – which we won!

Fittingly for her last appearance at Les Voiles, Dainty also won Best Yacht in Guest Category for the week.

Among the smaller boats in the Moderns class were five Cape 31s racing under IRC. Michael Wilson owns Shotgunn, the eventual winner of the BMW Trophy for the best IRC C Division boat, and said his crew loved the change of format to IRC rating against other yachts at Les Voiles.

Competitive racing in the Epoque Aurique class. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

“One-design racing in Cape 31s is superb, very intense. You can come here to an IRC event and be competitive but it’s just nice to do an event that’s a bit more relaxed.”

Jet set and art

For many, the name of Saint-Tropez is associated with the jet set celebrities of the 1960s and 70s, most notably Brigitte Bardot, whose 90th birthday in 2024 was celebrated with a wrapped image of her younger self on the lighthouse that marks the port’s entrance.

But Saint-Tropez’s appeal was first brought to popular attention by the post-impressionist artists of the late 19th Century, chief among them Paul Signac, whose colourful pointillist paintings of yachts in Saint-Tropez harbour reflected his own interests as a very accomplished sailor and owner of numerous yachts.

The 1907 yawl Veronique. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

The design of a number of the 19 yachts that competed in the Gstaad Centenarian Trophy pursuit race for classics over 100 years old would doubtless have been familiar to Signac, not least the 1905 Herreshoff-designed (gaff-rigged) Oriole, which won the race.

The age of a yacht has no bearing on its crew’s competitiveness, however, with Oriole’s Spanish team having bent on a new and stiffer mainsail that morning to best suit the light air conditions!
Against expectations the breeze lifted on the last day of racing to show off the whole Tradition class at its best. Being a weekend day, the locals came out in force on power boats and yachts, keeping the marshalls busy in their fast RIBs, corralling the numerous infringers of the No Go boundaries with piercing whistles.

As the mixed fleet of classics approached the port’s finish line in the late afternoon sun, the magnificent Fife-designed gaff cutter Tuiga – eventual winner of the Château Saint-Maur Trophy – was surrounded by the huge spectator flotilla.

Battling waves – the 1918 Eight Metre yacht Apache. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

Such is the almost venerated aura that surrounds the regatta-founding challenge between the Swan 44 Pride and the 12 metre Ikra (not present in 2024), that the former occupies the most prominent berth on Qaui de Jean Jaures each year, moored under the watchful eye of Admiral Suffren’s soaring statue, which fronts the popular Hotel Sube.

With so much of the regatta’s rich and well-documented history centred on Pride, it would be reasonable for Will and Gillian Graves (the third generation of the extended family to race Pride at les Voiles) to feel the weight of that storied heritage. But Will Graves sees it as a legacy to be embraced.

“I’ve been coming here for 14 years now and it’s an amazing event for a family. This is a heritage that Bill has from his father – Gillian’s grandfather – and I hope that our kids come and get to see this. It’s wonderful sailing, an incredible area of the world, it’s just really special.”

The new Carkeek-designed Daguet 5 retired after breaking one of her rudders during a collision with a spectator boat. Photo: Gilles Martin-Raget

The Pride/Ikra challenge has been re-enacted by both boats in previous years, while the SNST also continues the tradition by encouraging other yachts to issue their own match race challenges for the coveted Club 55 Paul Watson Cup.

In 2024 two Maxis, Filip Balcean’s Balthasar and Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s My Song threw down the gauntlet for a match race, with My Song winning across the line.

But at the officially described ‘boozy’ post-race lunch, which tradition dictates will take place among the challenge crews and SNST officials at Club 55 on Pampelonne Beach, there was obviously a shared concern about the result.

In light of the marked disparity in ratings between the two yachts the SNST committee later deemed My Song and Balthasar joint winners of the Club 55 Paul Watson Cup. Only at Les Voiles, surely!

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez: A maritime history book appeared first on Yachting World.

It’s undoubtedly the case that some long-running regattas, whatever their history and illustrious heritage, can on occasion become a bit ‘samey’, lacking surprise and the excitement of the unexpected. Having recently celebrated its 28th edition the Superyacht Cup Palma might seem a possible candidate for such an unwelcome label… But in reality in 2024? Not a chance!

On the ‘unexpected’ side there were one or two occurrences not predicted in the brochure, and the event once again delivered competitive racing and a jubilant social side ashore to maintain its ‘unique vibe’, as one skipper put it. In short: fun.

To start at the beginning, the first day of racing in the latest instalment of Europe’s longest-running superyacht regatta got off to a flying start with the trio of J Class competitors demonstrating their enduring appeal for sailors and spectators alike with two windward-leeward races out on the Bay of Palma. The always-competitive Svea took both race wins – ahead of the newly refitted Rainbow and the veteran Velsheda in each case – to make a clear declaration of intent.

“It was light out there today but there were two proper races and the race committee did a great job in getting us away,” said Grant Simmer, strategist on Velsheda. So far, so good.

Maximus in full flight with over 3,000m2 of sail set. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

However, the untypically overcast skies during Wednesday’s opener did prove to be something of a harbinger for what was to come.

During the afternoon photos of an increasingly orange sky over Palma filled social media, turning darker and browner into the evening and overnight. Welcome to Mallorca’s ‘Martian’ sky, aka ‘calima’ or dust in suspension. Unsurprisingly #SaharanDust was trending, and then falling in large quantities with rain to cover all below in a thin layer of mud.

Velsheda is made to feel small crossing Maximus. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Mud wrestling

While not a disaster the rare, though not unknown, deluge inevitably gave all the Superyacht Cup Palma crews a large chore to complete before racing resumed on the Thursday, when brighter skies and a bigger breeze greeted the arrival of the full SYC fleet to the action.

In Class A the 39m cruiser-racer Cervo marked her SYC debut appearance with a first race win, albeit benefitting from an early start penalty given to the mighty 59m ketch Maximus, which dropped her and her 50-strong crew to second just in front of the Hoek Truly Classics Vijonara and Atalante.

The Wally 80 Rose maintained her winning ways. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Defending SYC title holder Rose maintained her winning ways in Class B, ahead of the Nautor Swan pair Umiko and Dark Horse – who were only 51 seconds apart after more than two and a half hours of racing – with the new Y8 Calabash rounding up the group. All change in the J Class though, with Velsheda taking the win in front of Rainbow and Svea to leave everything to play for.

And then came a second twist of fate. One of SYC’s most enduring and endearing features has always been the seemingly uber-reliability of the Palma sea breeze, ever-present, built-in, a racing certainty. And in fairness to the wind gods, in 2024 the sea breeze was there. Aboard the camera RIB we found a solid 12-15 knots in the south of the Bay of Palma. Unfortunately, a northerly Mistral gradient wind, which is extremely rare for the time of year, stopped it going any further into the bay for the racing fleet.

‘The trio of J Class demonstrated their enduring appeal for sailors and spectators alike’. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

And so it was for the first time since Superyacht Cup Palma moved to its now familiar June schedule 17 years ago, a day of racing was lost.

“We have perhaps been very fortunate over many, many years,” said SYC event director Kate Branagh. “We’ve had to shorten a couple of courses since we moved to June dates back in 2007, but this is the first time we had a day without racing results.”

Classic finale

Perhaps predictably, classic conditions returned for the finale of Superyacht Cup Palma 2024, with bright sunshine and a steady 10-knot sea breeze helping to deliver a pair of noteworthy outcomes – all set in motion with an unusual downwind start.

Beamy! The new Y8 Calabash made its racing and SY Cup debut. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Firstly, the nimble and well-sailed 24m Wally Rose became the first successful SYC title defender since 2002, a tribute to the level playing field and fair competition the regatta relentlessly delivers. Her skipper, the affable and splendidly bearded Ben Potter, commented: “The whole day was magic and we could not have asked for better conditions, and the downwind start was something a bit different and really exciting.

“Of course it was great to be able to defend our title. We knew we had a lot to do and the rest of the fleet did not make it easy, but we got away well and it was just a case of making up time around the course. We’ll be back at the Superyacht Cup Palma next year I’m sure – we love the vibe and the organisation, which is great.”

Secondly, a remarkably close finish saw the giant new Vitters ketch Maximus take the Class A win from Cervo thanks to a win by a single second in the second and final race, the tie decided on countback. Evidence for the efficacy of the ORCsy rating rule doesn’t come much stronger than that outcome.

Rose’s crew celebrate the successful defence of their Superyacht Cup title. Photo: Sailing Energy/The Superyacht Cup

Over the moon

“Everyone is over the moon, it was fantastic,” said Maximus’s delighted skipper Lars Loftus. “We had a plan to sail the boat hard and clean, and we stuck to the plan and it paid off. There wasn’t one leg we weren’t pushing and I said to the guys ‘it isn’t over until it’s over, keep pushing’, and we did.

“It’s a testament to the guys who we brought on the boat that we have had the success we have had – a cast of thousands,” he joked in reference to the 15 permanent and 35 additional SYC crew on board. Given that racing Maximus is akin to having two superyacht sloops bolted together, you can see the need for the number of crew.

For the record, Svea recorded her third win to take the J Class in front of Velsheda and Rainbow. Level on points Velsheda went ahead of Rainbow on countback, though the latter’s welcome return to racing after a lengthy layoff was celebrated with the Spirit of the Event award.

So ‘unexpected’ aside, Superyacht Cup Palma again showed it has the knack of delivering a celebration of sail that owners, captains and crews just enjoy taking part in. Maybe the enduring appeal really is that simple – it’s fun.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post The enduring appeal of Palma for superyacht owners appeared first on Yachting World.

Sadly, no Paralympic sailing will be on our screens between the August 28 to September 8 Paralympic Games. With so many other Paralympic events making the cut, I was left wondering why sailing missed out on a spot at Paris 2024.

Paralympic sailing debuted in Atlanta 1996 as a demonstration sport and gained full status in Sydney 2000. Paralympic Sailing remained in the Paralympics until its last appearance at the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016.

Why isn’t there Paralympic sailing?

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said it removed sailing due to its lack of global reach and competitors’ participation.

In 2015, the IPC commented sailing ‘did not fulfil the IPC Handbook’s minimum criteria for worldwide reach.’ According to the IPC Handbook, the IPC only considered teams broadly and regularly practising a sport in at least 24 countries and three IPC regions. For individual sports, the requirements were a minimum of 32 countries in three IPC regions. Sadly, sailing fell short.

The ‘Back the Bid’ #SailtoLA campaign sadly failed to bring sailing to the LA 2028 Paralympics. Photo: Wold Sailing

In 2015, Sir Philip Craven, IPC President until 2017, said, ‘To reach this decision, the IPC undertook the most extensive and rigorous review process ever of all the sports which started in November 2013.’

Our next hope to see sailing at the Paralympics is Brisbane 2032, with the IPC saying the sport will miss out on LA 2028. There’s already a campaign underway from Australian Sailing to see the Aussies reinstate the sport at their home Paralympics. Australian Sailing’s CEO Ben Houston promised, ‘We will work with World Sailing to promote Diversity and Inclusion and want to see sailing reinstated for the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics.’

Article continues below…

Bid to reinstate Paralympic Sailing

The ‘Back the Bid’ #SailtoLA campaign, launched today, hopes to see sailing return to the Paralympic Games. Sailing was first…

Hilary Lister, 1972-2018 Record-breaking disabled yachtswoman dies age 46

“When I’m sailing I go into a different world…it’s like flying.” This is how Hilary Lister described sailing, a sport…

Response from Paralympic sailing community

As you might expect, those in the Paralympic sailing world protested the IPC axing the sport.

Legendary sailor Sir Robin Knox Johnson responded after the IPC announced their decision, saying he has ‘a very personal connection to Paralympic sailing.’ Sir Knox Johnson explained, ‘In 1995, I was able to persuade the Sports Lottery to fund the UK with money to buy two of the Sonar class keelboats in readiness for sailing’s first ever inclusion in a Paralympic games in 1996 in Atlanta. The UK team went on to win the gold medal.

‘Although it was only a demonstration event, it proved to the International Paralympic Committee sailing was not only a truly fully inclusive sport, but the sailors who took part from around the world are true athletes. Since then I have followed every Paralympic games and watched with amazement as these incredible athletes sail their boats to the highest of standards. I would be proud to sail with any one of them.’

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Photo: Jasper Fry

Sailor Geoff Holt MBE, who lobbied for the original inclusion of sailing in the 1996 Paralympics, responded to the IPC excluding sailing by stating on his website, ‘These athletes are more than just sailors, they are role models. As a disabled person myself, we need role models who we can identify with. Role models inspire the next generation of sailors, be they just recreational sailors or whether they choose to be competitive and who knows, ultimately represent their country.

‘This has all gone now. There will be no more sailing role models. Grassroots sailing will suffer as fewer disabled people choose it as a sport of choice. I am totally heartbroken for everyone involved.’

Geoff Holt explained his passion for the sport’s inclusion, ‘I was Chairman and member of the Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) Paralympic Steering Group (PSG), which oversaw the selection of our Paralympic sailors in the UK.’

Australian Sailing’s CEO Ben Houston commented, ‘Our Paralympic sailors have won Gold for Australia and have been an inspiration to the nation,’ … ‘The decision not to reinstate sailing in the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 was a setback for the next generation of young Para Sailors in Australia who won’t have the chance to represent Australia at the Games.’

Speaking out on 23 January 2023, the day the IPC announced they wouldn’t include sailing at LA 2028, World Sailing CEO David Graham said, ‘We fully respect the verdict of the IPC and recognise the difficulty the IPC Board faced throughout this process. However, we must also acknowledge that this is an extremely disappointing day for our whole sport and, particularly, Para Sailors around the world.

‘We know a life on water unlocks so many opportunities for disabled people, we know how inclusive Para Sailing is, and we are determined that Para Sailing will continue to go from strength to strength.’

Inclusive sailing events go from ‘strength-to-strength’ elsewhere

Despite the disappointment of not having Paralympic sailing, World Sailing states, ‘Para Sailing is open to athletes with many types of physical, sensory, or intellectual impairments, including high support needs athletes.’

The organisation has a once-every-four-year competition calendar of Para Inclusive events for delivering Para Inclusive disciplines at the World Sailing Championships in Valencia in 2026 and Gdynia in 2027.

Sailing was represented in the Paralympics for many years. Photo: World Sailing

And if you don’t want to wait that long, from 30th September to 3rd October 2024 Rutland Sailing Club is hosting the RS Venture Connect World Championship and the International Inclusive Keelboat Championship on England’s largest reservoir, Rutland Water.

RS Venture Connect World Championship

In a genuinely inclusive move, the 2024 RS Venture Connect World Championship features a new ‘Open’ category, offering participation by all, including non-disabled teams.  The 2024 World Championship features a World Sailing-approved ‘Para’ category for teams of two sailors both with World Sailing Minimal Disability (MD) Para Classification status at the time of the event.

The classification process works by allocating sailors according to a points system. Points range from 1 to 7, with 7 indicating the least severe eligible impairment and one the most acute. For example, sailors who are classed as quadriplegic receive 1 point, whereas those with a single below-knee amputation without a prosthesis (excluding Syme’s Amputation or equivalent) get 7 points.

A new ‘Open’ category in the 2024 RS Venture Connect World Championship offers participation to all, including non-disabled competitors. Photo: World Sailing

This event uses modular boat adaptations, allowing retrofitting changes to suit various sailing styles due to disability. In these vessels, all controls lead towards the cockpit. They also have a weighted keel and masthead float, the latter giving self-righting for added safety. 

‘For sailing to be truly inclusive and for disabled sailors to feel that they are not being treated differently to those sailors without disabilities, we need to ensure that everyone can sail and compete side-by-side, with the equipment being the ‘leveller’ and not the disability,’ commented Dan Jaspers, Manufacturer Representative for the RS Venture Connect Class.

International Inclusive Keelboat Championship

New for 2024, the International Inclusive Keelboat Championship involves racing on a one-design keelboat; the RS21. As part of the wider RS Venture Connect World Championship, this event is for sailors whose impairment doesn’t meet the Para Classification ‘Minimal Disability’ (MD) criteria.

All sailors will compete in identical RS21s, which British Marine said are becoming more popular due to lending themselves to close, tactical racing prowess. ‘Success on the racecourse, therefore, is determined by the skill and strategy of the crew rather than the difference in equipment.’

Hannah Stodel, Para World Sailing Manager at World Sailing, said, ‘As we step forward into a new World Sailing strategy that focuses on inclusivity, it is really positive to see classes like the RS21 embracing this new direction, putting in fantastic efforts to support and grow inclusive sailing through their class activities.’ 

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Why is there no Paralympic Sailing at Paris 2024? appeared first on Yachting World.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know to watch an Olympic canoe sprint live stream, as the action concludes at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on the outskirts of Paris.

Olympics live streams are available for free on 9Now in Australia, CBC in Canada and BBC iPlayer in the UK. And if you’re going to be away from home during the competition, you can use a VPN to tune into your usual service from anywhere in the world.

Unlike the canoe slalom, which takes place on white water, the canoe sprint events are held on a flat water course. Races consist of a head-to-head race to get to the finish line first, over distances of 200, 500 and 1000 metres. In the kayak events competitors sit down and use a double paddle, while in the canoe events, competitors kneel and use a single paddle.

It’s the final day of the Olympics canoe sprint competition, and medals will be decided in the women’s kayak single 500m, men’s kayak single 1000m and women’s canoe single 200m finals.

Read on to find out how to watch Olympic canoe sprint live streams in Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada and beyond. You’ll find the schedule for today at the end of the article, while you can also check out our guides to watching sailing events.

How to watch Olympics canoe sprint live streams in Australia FOR FREE

The 9Network is set to deliver arguably the most comprehensive free Olympics coverage on the planet. Its offering includes two dedicated Olympics channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD, while the 9Now streaming service will feature more than 40 streams of Olympics action, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event. They’re also offering VOD highlights and full replays.

The service is available on desktop, mobile, tablet, Android, iOS and Smart TV.

How to use a VPN to watch Olympics canoe sprint from anywhere

If you’re travelling overseas and try to watch your domestic coverage as you would at home, you’ll soon encounter a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad.

There is a way to take your regular broadcaster with you, however. By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. The tech experts at our sister title, TechRadar, have done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

• Check out NordVPN 100% risk-free

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to the experts at TechRadar is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic canoe sprint live streams in the UK

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic canoeing live you will need to head to Discovery+. Thanks to a special Olympics offer you can subscribe to the Standard plan for £3.99 per month (a huge saving on the usual £6.99) until 11 August. This will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the canoeing taking place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

There is also a free option. As is traditionally the case, you’ll be able to watch Olympics live streams for free on the BBC via BBC One, BBC Two, the BBC Red Button and the BBC iPlayer – as long as you have a valid TV Licence. Unfortunately, BBC coverage is limited to two streams at any one time, so if the broadcaster’s eyes are on other sports, you’ll have to watch Olympic canoeing live streams elsewhere.

How to watch Olympic canoe sprint live streams in the US

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage spread across its suite of TV channels (including NBC, USA Network and CNBC) and the Peacock TV streaming service.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of Premier League soccer, WWE, golf and plenty of other sports.

Watch men’s Olympic canoe sprint in Canada

How to live stream Olympic canoe sprint in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcaster for the Olympic Games in 2024 is Sky Sport. A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week, while a special Sky Sport Olympic pass (which will give you 12 Olympic channels for the duration of the Games) is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

Paris 2024 Olympic canoe sprint: Saturday schedule

(All times BST)

• 9.30am Women’s kayak single 500m semi-final 1
• 9.40am Women’s kayak single 500m semi-final 2
• 9.50am Women’s kayak single 500m semi-final 3
• 10.00am Women’s kayak single 500m semi-final 4
• 10.10am Men’s kayak single 1000m semi-final 1
• 10.20am Men’s kayak single 1000m semi-final 2
• 10.40am Women’s canoe single 200m semi-final 1
• 10.50am Women’s canoe single 200m semi-final 2
• 11.40am Women’s kayak single 500m final C
• 11.50am Women’s kayak single 500m final B
• 12.00pm Women’s kayak single 500m final A MEDAL
• 12.10pm Men’s kayak single 1000m final B
• 12.20pm Men’s kayak single 1000m final A MEDAL
• 12.40pm Women’s canoe single 200m final B
• 12.50pm Women’s canoe single 200m final A MEDAL

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The post How to watch Olympics 2024 canoe sprint live streams today from anywhere appeared first on Yachting World.

Britain’s Ellie Aldridge closed the Olympic Sailing at Paris 2024 for Team GB on a huge high, saving the best performance of her career so far for kiting’s Olympic medal debut. In a thrilling Final – which in itself proved exactly why Formula Kite fully deserves its place among the Olympic disciplines – Aldridge took the Gold medal.

After Emma Wilson’s bronze, Aldridge secured GBR’s second sailing medal of Paris 2024, when she got the better of France’s Lauriane Nolot for the first time in a Final since 2021.

With the host nation France looking to their red hot favourite Nolot to single-handedly save France from the embarrassment of just the one bronze medal in the Women’s Skiff at a home games where they expected between four and six, Aldridge was on imperious form.

Thanks to her speed and accurate layline calls she won her first Finals race comfortably, and then when she absolutely needed to she ground out the second consecutive victory, earned after the French hope put herself at an immediate disadvantage with a port tack start. Nolot takes silver and the Netherlands Annelous Lammerts bronze. The USA’s Daniela Moroz finishes fourth.

Aldridge grinned, “As soon as we knew the Olympics were going to be in Marseille we knew it was going to be a tricky venue we knew it was going to be light, and it has been, possibly one of the worst places we have ever kited. But we have just had to learn how to adapt and to deal with it, how to be consistent when the conditions aren’t good and how to excel when It really matters. It really all did come down to today and winning these two races. I am so happy I managed to hold it together.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

“I was on the small kite which I prefer. On the shorter course I prefer the smaller kite as you are more manoeuvrable. I felt more comfortable. I knew the smaller kite would be faster upwind and the bigger kite faster downwind. As soon as I went round the leeward mark in that first race I knew I had to make the overtake move and I was higher and faster inside.

She added, “I know we have such a strong team even if the (GBR) medal count doesn’t show it. But I hope this gold brightens everyone’s spirit a bit after the week we had. My goal was to medal. I knew I could win if everything aligned, I felt I did not have a great week as a few races I was leading were abandoned half way through. My luck was good today in that I was on the right kite for the conditions. I have a level of determination and focus. Out there I am just thinking of exactly what I am doing at that exact moment. I have that ability to switch everything else off.”

Aldridge’s gold elevates Team GB to fourth on the Medal Table with only the rescheduled Men’s Olympic Kitesurfing Final expected to be completed Friday, the reserve day. With two golds, in the Women’s Dinghy and the Women’s Skiff and Lammerts’ Formula Kite bronze this afternoon, the Netherlands top the international Medal table for the first time.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Italy take gold in the Olympic Mixed Multihull

Becoming Italy’s most successful sailing medallists ever when they secured back to back gold in the Mixed Multihull, Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti fulfilled their ranking as pre-Olympic favourites, a success which has not been always as easy as they made it look.

Now with Tita’s almost full time commitment to his role as one of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s America’s Cup helmsmen in Barcelona, time and logistical management has this time been a fundamental challenge for the duo who have sailed together since 2016.

Not renowned for her patience, it was Banti’s pantomime eye rolls at the victory press conference as helm ‘Ruggi’ explained how they had made it all work which spoke volumes.

With a second in the Medal Race behind the young French duo Tim Mourniac and Lou Berthomieu, Tita and Banti took gold by 24 points ahead of Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco.

Toughened by a long selection battle against Santi Lange and Vicky Trasvacio, the Argentine duo made a virtue of spending months training and learning the Marseille venue. Majdalani was Lange and Cecilia Carranza’s coach during the 2016 Rio gold medal winning campaign.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Called OCS there was devastating heartbreak for the soon-to-be-married GBR couple John Gimson and Anna Burnett whose early start handed New Zealand their first multihull Olympic medal since 1988 Seoul when Rex Sellars and Chris Timms won Tornado silver.

Gimson grimaced, “OCS is probably the most brutal way to lose because it’s so out of our control. I’m so proud if this week, how we sailed.” Due to get married with Gimson next month Burnett noted, “Obviously, there’s no one I’d rather be
here with on this whole journey, and we’re so, so lucky that we get to do this together. The highs and lows we’re riding together. There’s life and there’s sport and in this moment, I suppose, life and sport are a little bit separate to us. The sport’s more brutal but life goes on and we’ll get married and, you know, life will be great.”

Tied on points with the Brits going into the deciding finale, Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson finished ninth to leave Gimson and Burnett six points short of adding bronze to their Tokyo silver which they won behind their regular training partners Tita and Banti.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Surprise Gold for Austria in Mixed Dinghy

Not really featuring on any lists of medal favourites outside of their landlocked home country, Austria’s new Mixed Dinghy gold medallists Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maeher put together a really solid, mature series and kept their heads until the finish line. They even waited for a few minutes until their 470 super coach Morgan Reeser double checked the math before the celebrations erupted.

After disappointment in Rio, past double 470 world champion (in 2014 in Santander and 2015 Haifa) Vadlau took five years away from Olympic sailing to complete a medical degree before deciding to make a comeback when she watched the Tokyo Olympics. She paired up with Lukas Maeher and worked hard and methodically.

In the months leading up to Games they did serve notice of their form taking two third places and one win in coaches warm up regattas on the Marseille race areas.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

After BFD in the first race of the series the Austrian duo have maintained a high level of consistency, attributable in part to having a clear plan for each day as prepared with coach Reeser and their ace Italian meteo specialist Elena Christo – who also worked with Men’s Dinghy silver medallist. She provided the team with very accurate, well presented historic detailed data which allowed them to have a higher confidence in their choices.

Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka take the silver medal whilst Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Lovisa Karlsson take bronze. An unnecessarily combative attack on the Austrian duo at the start cost the Spanish world champions Jordi Xammer and Nora Brugman a probable bronze.

Vadlau said “We started this campaign together with one goal and that was to win gold at the Olympic Games. We found out early in the campaign that we have fast material and we wanted to use that. We put it aside as the material we use and that did not make it easy at World Championships and European Championships and so on as we did not always have the speed we wanted but we have stuck with this gold medal winning material right through.”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Olympic Sailing Penultimate Day Highlights: Golds for Britain, Italy, and Austria appeared first on Yachting World.

Formula Kite (Olympic Kitesurfing) will make its Olympic debut in 2024 having been selected by World Sailing to effectively replace two Olympic Dinghy events. The class features a soft, foil kite and a board with a hydrofoil.

Yesterday was supposed to see Finals racing for both the Men’s Olympic Kitesurfing and Women’s Olympic Kitesurfing fleets. However, although the Women’s Kitesurfing completed their event (with a Kitesurfing Gold for Great Britain) a lack of wind saw the Men’s Final delayed until today, Friday 9 August – although Semi-Final racing was concluded for the men.

Today will see Finals Racing start at 11:13 Local and continue until a winner is selected – as below.

How does Olympic Kitesurfing Medal Day work?

• For the Medal Race day, the top 10 competitors go through to a Semi-Final and Final format. The top two competitors go straight through to the Final while the two Semi-Finals are made up of four competitors each in alternating rankings.
• Each Semi-Final group races until a competitor has won three races and the first competitor to do so in each Semi-Final goes through to the Final.
• However, the sailors who qualified in third and fourth start the Semi-Finals with two race wins already on the board. And the sailors in fifth and sixth start with one race win.
• For the Finals, the format is once again first to three race wins, with the sailors who qualified for the Final in first and second starting the final with two and one race wins respectively.
• Read on to find out how to watch Olympic Kitesurfing live streams in Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada – and beyond.

Racing today for both the Men’s Olymypic Kitesurfing Medal Day and Women’s Olympic Kitesurfing Medal Day is due to begin at 12:00 Local, with Finals racing currently planned to take place around 14:30 Local.

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics Kitesurfing live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympic Kitesurfing live stream just below.

How to stream Olympic Kitesurfing in Australia for free

The 9Network broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympic channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD filled with Olympic content 24 hours a day. Plus, 9Now will stream 40 individual channels live and on-demand, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event, as well as extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.

The best way to watch the Kitesurfing will be via the 9Now app, which will feature: Over 40 channels LIVE, FREE and in HD, Replays, highlights and ‘Minis’ for the best action on-demand. Multi-language captions, Event guide and much more

For those on a desktop, simply visit the 9Network

You can also download the 9Now app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your Smart TV, mobile or tablet.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic Kitesurfing in the UK for free

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic Kitesurfing live you will need to head to Discovery+. A £3.99 special Olympic offer subscription will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the Kitesurfing taking place on the Marseille and Corniche racecourses and all medal races – but you will need to sign up before 11 August to access the deal.

However the BBC will usually run a decent chunk of live coverage plus daily highlights shows, as per Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, so you might be better served to go with that BBC iPlayer free option if don’t feel the need to watch every last second of every race.

How to watch Olympic Kitesurfing in the USA

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month  for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage

How to watch Olympic Kitesurfing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or a special Olympic subscription deal is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

What is the Paris 2024 Olympic Kitesurfing schedule?

Olympic Kitesurfing in Paris 2024 begins on 4 August and continues until 8 August.

August 4

Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 5

Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 6

Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 7

Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 8

Men’s Kite – Medal Series
Women’s Kite – Medal Series

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The post How to watch Olympic Kitesurfing Men’s Final live today appeared first on Yachting World.

The Olympic Sailing competitions in Marseille faced delays once again yesterday as the Medal Races for the Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy were postponed due to a lack of wind. However, the events that did take place provided plenty of excitement and historical achievements.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Dinghy: Bouwmeester Secures Historic Gold

Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands clinched her second Olympic gold in the Women’s Dinghy, solidifying her status as the most successful female sailor in Olympic history. Despite having already secured gold after consistent top-five finishes in the Opening Series, persistent light wind delayed her victory lap.

Bouwmeester, who now holds two golds, a silver, and a bronze from four Olympics, crossed the line fourth in the Medal Race. Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom took silver, and Norway’s Line Flem Hoest captured bronze.

Bouwmeester reflected on her achievement, “In the build-up to the Medal Race, I tried to stay focused, but being a mum as well, I had to be there for Jessie Mae. It’s nice to finally finish it off, it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Rindom added, “It’s huge just to get to an Olympic Games, so to secure a medal is amazing. It’s been nerve-wracking, but I kept fighting right to the end.”

Photo: World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli

Men’s Dinghy: Wearn Defends His Title

Australia’s Matt Wearn successfully defended his Olympic title in the Men’s Dinghy with a decisive performance in the Medal Race. Holding a 14-point lead, Wearn executed a brilliant race strategy to secure gold, extending Australia’s dominance in the event with their fourth consecutive Olympic gold.

Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides took silver, echoing his London 2012 success, while Peru’s Stefano Peschiera earned a historic bronze, marking Peru’s first Olympic medal in 32 years.

Wearn expressed his relief and joy, “The last three years have been an up-and-down ride, but we kept ticking boxes. It’s been quite hard to deal with the waiting at times, luckily we didn’t have to wait for another day and now we can celebrate.”

Kontides shared his emotions, “I’m over the moon. A second Olympic medal for my country, and it came from myself.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Formula Kite: Medal Series Line-Up Set

Due to light wind, no Formula Kite races took place, leaving the standings unchanged heading into the Medal Series. The top ten athletes from both the men’s and women’s sides will compete in the Semi-Finals, divided into two groups of four. The top overall seeds, Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek for the men and France’s Lauriane Nolot for the women, will start the Final with two wins each.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy: Medal Races Await

The Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy Medal Races were postponed due to the lack of wind, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown once conditions permit.

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti lead the Mixed Multihull standings, while Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr top the Mixed Dinghy rankings. Competitors will have to wait for favourable winds to determine the final medalists.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Olympic Sailing 2024 Highlights: Light Winds Delay Medal Races, Record Breaking Dinghy Medallists appeared first on Yachting World.

Winning the Men’s Olympic Dinghy medal race in an assured fashion, Matt Wearn today not only continued his nation’s extraordinary run of gold medal titles to four but became the first Australian to win two Olympic Sailing gold medals in a row.

Wearn emerged victorious from what was an especially tough day for all top ten Men’s ILCA 7 medal contenders. A first Medal Race attempt was abandoned on the final run when the fickle breeze shifted in direction and died when the leaders were within sight of the finish line with Briton Micky Beckett in bronze medal position after profiting from Wearn’s need to sail Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides back into the fleet.

The breeze hovered around six knots for the second attempt. Wearn worked his way to the front pursued by Kontides, the 2012 silver medallist, whilst ninth – ahead of Beckett – was enough to secure Peru’s Stefano Pescheira his nation’s first medal of Paris 2024, his bronze being only their fifth ever Olympic medal. Two penalties for kinetics – for rocking the boat – relegated Beckett to a disappointing tenth in the medal race, sixth overall.

While Wearn’s second successive gold extends the Australian powerhouse’s run started in 2012 with Tom Slingsby and followed by Tom Burton in 2016 the ILCA 7 has again proven its value as an accessible, true one design in which medal success is down to the athlete.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Wearn said, “It was tougher this time. The expectation was higher here. There was pressure last time to make selection and this time once I was here it was just a matter of competing. This time being the reigning champion and winning the last two world championships that pressure this time was super high, I don’t think there were many people out there who did not want to beat me, I felt like I had that target on my back.”

He added, “Today I really had to dig deep and do all the stuff we had done in the lead up to this. It was super tough. I had had to be mentally tough and pull through and then just execute again on the third try.”

And of the combative duel with Kontides who he had to despatch and keep behind him, “It is part of the sport. We have seen it in the past and these things happen. I would be a silly guy to let Pavlos off the leash he is a fantastic competitor, give him an inch and he will take a mile. It was a matter of locking out that gold medal and he understands that too. He came away with a second silver.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

“I doubt he is going to stop. He is looking younger all the time. Micky Beckett I rate so highly, he did not come away with a medal this time, but if he does not win world championships he will definitely win a medal next time. The fleet is so strong, this fleet the top ten were just going up and down all the time, anyone could have won a medal here.”

This is the second silver medal for the remarkable Kontides who also took home a silver in London 2012. It is incredible record for a small programme, which he shares with Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic – who also won back to back silvers in 2016 and 2020. Third place here in Marseille also strengthens the global nature of the ILCA class as Pescheira came into the Olympic scene directly from World Sailing’s Emerging Nations programme.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Bronze claimed in Women’s Olympic Dinghy Medal Race

The only medal to be decided in the Women’s Dinghy was bronze. Gold and silver were locked up two days ago by Marit Bouwmeester – who today hobbled into the Press Conference after damaging her ankle during the in the water celebrations – and Denmark’s Anne Marie Rindom. After a spirited, full hiking scrap in 9-12kts, Norway’s Line Flem Hoest took second across the line to secure bronze.

Has this been an overly tough venue? The Netherlands G.O.A.T, Bouwmeester does not think so. “I felt people said Marseille was hard to read and unpredictable but I did not find it so bad. Through my pregnancy I did a lot of studies of meteorology and also knowing how the Mediterranean is different, I found that you could read the course and it just switches a lot. You just have to know when. I felt my coach and myself came up with some very good tactics while allowed me to produce my stable results.”

And the 2020 gold medallist Rindom, who today added silver but refused to be drawn on if she would pursue Bouwmeester’s record, also agreed, “I was here in August in 2022 and it was basically the same. I don’t think we had any days when we saw over nine or ten knots. And it was very hot then too.”

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Unstoppable Australia: Wearn takes fourth-straight Olympic Sailing Dinghy gold appeared first on Yachting World.

As is often the case for sailing at the Olympics, the sailing is actually taking place away from the main Olympic site for Paris 2024. The Olympic Sailing regatta will actually take place in Marseille’s newly revamped Roucas-Blanc Marina, renamed Marseille Marina for the games.

The competition venue caters for 14 thousand spectators. Those of us not lucky enough to have grabbed up tickets for the games will have to be content with watching the Olympic sailing competition on TV. And depending on where you are located this might mean watching for free or paying for a streaming service.

Light winds have dogged this Olympic Sailing event, and yesterday saw the schedule disrupted once again with rescheduled Men’s and Women’s Dinghy Medal Races completed – and some historic results.

However, the Mixed Olympic Multihull and Mixed Olympic Dinghy Medal Races where not able to be run after the wind dies off in the afternoon.

The schedule for today’s Olympic Sailing Medal Races is: 

Mixed Dinghy Medal Race – 10:43 Local
Mixed Multihull Medal Race – 11:18 Local

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics Sailing live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing live stream just below.

How to stream Olympic sailing in Australia for free

The 9Network broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympic channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD filled with Olympic content 24 hours a day. Plus, 9Now will stream 40 individual channels live and on-demand, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event, as well as extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.

The best way to watch the sailing will be via the 9Now app, which will feature: Over 40 channels LIVE, FREE and in HD, Replays, highlights and ‘Minis’ for the best action on-demand. Multi-language captions, Event guide and much more

For those on a desktop, simply visit the 9Network

You can also download the 9Now app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your Smart TV, mobile or tablet.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic sailing in the UK for free

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic sailing live you will need to head to Discovery+. A £3.99 special Olympic offer subscription will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the sailing taking place on the Marseille and Corniche racecourses and all medal races – but you will need to sign up before 11 August to access the deal.

However the BBC will usually run a decent chunk of live coverage plus daily highlights shows, as per Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, so you might be better served to go with that BBC iPlayer free option if don’t feel the need to watch every last second of every race.

How to watch Olympic sailing in the USA

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month  for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage

How to watch Olympic sailing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or a special Olympic subscription deal is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

What is the Paris 2024 Olympic sailing schedule?

Olympic sailing in Paris 2024 begins on 28 July and continues until 8 August.

July 28

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

July 29

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

July 30

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

July 31

Men’s Skiff – Opening Series
Women’s Skiff – Opening Series

August 1

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon
Men’s Skiff – Medal Race
Women’s Skiff – Medal Race
Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series

August 2

Men’s Windsurfing – Medal Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Medal Series
Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series

August 3

Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series

August 4

Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 5

Men’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Women’s Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 6

Men’s Dinghy – Medal Race
Women’s Dinghy – Medal Race
Mixed Dinghy – Opening Series
Mixed Multihull – Opening Series
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 7

Mixed Dinghy – Medal Race
Mixed Multihull – Medal Race
Men’s Kite – Opening Series
Women’s Kite – Opening Series

August 8

Men’s Kite – Medal Series
Women’s Kite – Medal Series

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The post How to watch Olympic sailing Multihull and Mixed Dinghy Medal Races appeared first on Yachting World.

The planned Medal Races for the Women’s and Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 6 and ILCA 7) could not take place due to a lack of wind yesterday, so Wednesday will see four Olympic Sailing events conclude as Medal Racing for these Dinghies takes place in addition to Medal Races for the Olympic Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) and Olympic Mixed Dinghy (470).

Australia’s Matt Wearn, who leads the Men’s Dinghy standings, will have to wait to see if he can secure gold, while Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides remains his closest challenger. In the Women’s Dinghy, the dominant Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands stands on the brink of becoming the most successful female sailor in Olympic history, with Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom poised for silver.

For the Mixed Multihull and Mixed Dinghy fleets, the penultimate day of Olympic Sailing in Marseille was marked by light winds and high stakes as competitors completed the final races of the Opening Series. Here’s a roundup of the key events and standings ahead of the decisive Medal Races.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Multihull: Tita and Banti Secure Lead Despite Disqualification

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti have guaranteed themselves at least a silver medal heading into the Mixed Multihull Medal Race. Despite a disqualification in race ten due to an early start, they bounced back with a strong second-place finish in race eleven, maintaining a 14-point lead.

Tita remarked, “There’s not going to be a match race. We are going to try and control the situation based on the points we have. Second, third, and fourth will have a big battle, and we aim to stay out of that and focus on our race.”

Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco sit in second, having delivered a consistent performance with a first and second place in the day’s races. Great Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet, who climbed to third after a race win, are level on points with New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson.

Bosco said, “We had a really good day and we’re really happy. The conditions were tricky and unstable, but we managed well.”

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Dinghy: Tight Contest Heading into Medal Race

Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr surged to the top of the Mixed Dinghy standings with a fifth and second place in the final races of the Opening Series. They hold a seven-point lead over Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman, who remain in second. Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka are close behind in third.

Vadlau emphasised the importance of strategy, “We have to sail smart tomorrow. We have almost no advantage, but we are here to win a medal.”

Maehr added, “It’s nice to start with a little bit of a point advantage. We will talk with our coach about the plan and enjoy going into the Medal Race in first position.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Formula Kite: Vodisek and Nolot Take the Lead

Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek reclaimed the lead in the Men’s Olympic Kitesurfing with a win in race six. Despite a fourth-place finish in race seven, he edged ahead of Singapore’s Max Maeder, who struggled with an 11th place finish in the first race of the day. Austria’s Valentin Bontus held onto third despite a challenging 20th place finish in race seven.

In the Women’s Kite, France’s Lauriane Nolot surged to the top after winning the only race of the day. Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler dropped out of the top three following a DNS, while Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge held onto second overall despite also receiving a DNS. USA’s Daniela Moroz sits in third after a seventh-place finish.

Vodisek expressed his enthusiasm, “My girlfriend’s coming soon, which will make everything easier. There’s going to be another level when she turns up.”

Nolot highlighted the tricky conditions, “It’s the light wind Olympic Games. Every race matters, which is why I’m super focused in every single race.”

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Olympic Sailing 2024: Shifting Winds and Tight Battles As Medal Race Day Looms for Most appeared first on Yachting World.

The Olympic Sailing competition continues to deliver impressive performances as the challenging conditions in Marseille continue to push the sailors to their limits. With several races cancelled due to light winds, some fleets have seen significant changes in rankings, setting the stage for an exciting finale.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Dinghy: Bouwmeester Poised for Historic Gold

Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands is on the brink of making history by becoming the most successful female Olympic sailor of all time. After a dominant performance throughout the competition, Bouwmeester secured her position at the top with consistent top-five finishes, despite a 20th place in race nine. The final race of the day was canceled, ensuring that Bouwmeester could not be overtaken in tomorrow’s Medal Race.

Reflecting on her journey, Bouwmeester said, “It was a crazy day. I’ve been building towards this after a tough World Championships and finding balance with my family life. I’m just going to enjoy this one and thank my family for their support.”

Anne-Marie Rindom of Denmark, the reigning gold medalist from Tokyo, will likely settle for silver. She expressed mixed feelings about her performance, stating, “I felt like I underperformed this week, but securing a silver medal is still an achievement. It’s tough competing in these conditions, especially after dealing with an injury.”

The battle for bronze is still open, with Norway’s Line Flem Hoest currently holding third, five points ahead of Switzerland’s Maud Jayet.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s Dinghy: Wearn Awaits Final Race for Gold Decision

In the Men’s Dinghy, Matt Wearn of Australia remains in a commanding position despite no races taking place due to insufficient wind. Wearn is assured of at least a silver medal, with only Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides posing a threat to his gold aspirations.

Kontides, currently in second, faces a delicate balance in the Medal Race, theoretically he can beat Wearn to gold, but will need to be mindful of taking significant risks with Peru’s Stefano Peschiera in third place, just ten points behind.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Multihull: Tita and Banti Maintain Lead

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti continue to lead the Mixed Multihull category, despite experiencing their weakest day. They managed to secure a win in one race but followed it with two sixth-place finishes.

Tita commented on their performance, “It was tough conditions, but we’re still at the top, and that’s what matters. We’re staying focused and will keep pushing.” Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco rose to second place, showing consistent form, while New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson slipped to third but remain tied on points with the Argentinians.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Mixed Dinghy: Status Quo Amid Abandoned Race

The Mixed Dinghy standings remained unchanged as the race was abandoned midway due to light winds. Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr continue to lead, with Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman in second, and Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka in third.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Formula Kite: Maeder and Lengwiler Climb to the Top

In the Olympic kitesurfing, Max Maeder of Singapore moved into the lead after finishing third in the only race of the day. Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek dropped to second, while Austria’s Valentin Bontus slipped to third.

In the Women’s Kite, Switzerland’s Elena Lengwiler surged to the top with a victory in the sole race of the day. Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge held onto second place, with USA’s Daniela Moroz closely following in third.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Olympic Sailing: Bouwmeester Olympic Greatest plus other Highlights from Day 9 appeared first on Yachting World.

As the capricious, fitful breezes finally expired in the intense late afternoon heat on the Bay of Marseille, when Race 10 for the Women’s Olympic Dinghy (ILCA 6) was abandoned Marit Bouwmeester effectively secured her second gold medal to become sailing’s most successful ever female Olympian.

Adding to gold in Rio 2016, silver in London 2012 and bronze in Beijing 2008, Holland’s 36-year old sailing superstar today surpasses Briton Hannah Mills’s two successive golds from Rio and Tokyo and silver in London, Italian windsurfer Alessandra Sensini gold in 2000, silver in Beijing and pair of bronzes from 1996 and 2004 as well as Kiwi windsurfer Barbara Kendall’s ‘full set’ earned consecutively from 1996-2004.

Marit Bouwmeester took time off after the 2021 Olympics after giving birth to her daughter Jessie Mae two years ago and since then has ensured that her role as a mother comes first and foremost. Lately she travels with her brother – a former sailor – and their combined families as is the case here.

“Here I often get back and she is asleep. I get a kiss and she tells me what a great day she has had with her cousins.” She said this week. In so doing today she has now fulfilled an aggrieved teenage assertion – started in 2005 after she was told by her National Authority that she was too young and too slight to represent at the Laser Worlds that year in Brazil – that she would be the best in the world one day.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

She recalled, again, this afternoon this was what ignited the fire inside her. “It feels incredible now because as a youngster my spot was taken away from me because I was told I was not good enough, that is when I said I am going to be the best of all time. So it feels good now.

“Then they told me I was too young, too light they were going to send Lisa Westerhof. That has spurred me all the time to be the best female sailor of all time. I have always chased that dream. When you get setbacks you get the chance to be the victim or to come back stronger.”

And she pointed to her recent 11th at January’s ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship in Argentina as the final catalyst, another time not to be a victim. “For me to be down at the worlds in Argentina was the best thing to happen because I chose to keep the grind, when I thought this is the biggest challenge for me to win the gold medal, to always come back stronger.”

Article continues below…

Hannah Mills becomes greatest female Olympic sailor with gold

Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) have won gold in the 470 Women. Along with an Olympic Sailing silver from…

Who looks set to win the Olympic Sailing medals in Paris 2024?

Could Paris 2024 be one of the best Olympic sailing regattas yet? Hosted by a country truly passionate about sailing,…

Her work rate and ethic are second to none whilst on the water her superior downwind speed is attributable to her sheer athleticism and an innate feel for the boat.

And there is no doubt that here on Marseille’s very demanding, challenging race arenas her Olympic Sailing experience has probably been her decisive experience. As athlete and commentator British double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson has seen how Bouwmeester operates through her entire career.

“She is really competitive. She is fierce and she has the Olympic experience. A difficult venue like this does not phase her, hence her dominance this week. I think she is more confident in her performance, there is even a little bit of ‘get out of the way’.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

“She is fierce, no nonsense, fast. She was helped here by a really difficult venue. It is hard to forecast, it is difficult to read and the harder it got the more she has excelled. I don’t think she is way faster than anyone else, I just think that around her they make errors and she doesn’t. She knows how to put a series together and win a medal. It has been a privilege to see her all the way through her career.”

China’s Xu Lila, (Lily) won the gold in Weymouth in 2012 ahead of Marit Bouwmeester, “She is so fast downwind. I think one of the things generally is that she trained a lot at home in Medemblik where there is a chop. But this time she has had a clear aim and spent a lot of time here and dominated the coaches’ races.”

And renowned British super ILCA coach Jon Emmet coached and sailed as a training partner with Marit Bouwmeester during the lead up to the Beijing games and has known her well ever since, “I was much more of a training partner for speed work coming into the China Games going to Lake Garda and Hyères.

“Marit was just one of the most motivated people I have ever worked with. The interesting thing she said to me after she had her daughter, Jessie, was that she was then the most keen to go sailing and actually forced her and Jaap (her coach) to focus their time on the water as real life took over.”

Anne Marie-Rindom celebrates here silver. Photo: World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli

Emmet adds, “She has a mental toughness and that stands out. She is an incredible hard worker. Quite often when I was not working with her I would go to the gym and she’d be there. But when she was very young it was very clear what her ambitions were. She was always in there for the long haul with that mindset thing.

“As a sailor kinesthetically she is the best in the world in terms of that boat feel. If you look at her she is always looking one and a half waves ahead. I hate to use the word ‘natural’ but she was a very natural downwind sailor.”

After nine races Marit Bouwmeester goes into Tuesday’s Medal Race with a 21 points lead over Denmark’s 2021 Olympic champion Anne Marie Rindom who is assured of silver. The reigning world champion has been unable to race for the last three months because of a problem with her hand. “The Olympics, it is huge to even be here for the fourth time and to now secure medal. But it is a little bit disappointing because I felt I have underperformed a little bit this week.” Said Rindom.

“It hasn’t been the preparation I wanted, that has been tough. It is one of these things, the more you race and win the more confident you become, so it has been nerve racking, but I had to keep fighting and believe in myself.”

Tuesday’s medal race sees a battle for bronze between Norway’s Line Flem Hoest, Switzerland’s Maud Jayet and Croatia’s Elena Vorobeva.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Marit Bouwmeester secures second gold becoming greatest Olympic Female Sailor appeared first on Yachting World.

The 2024 Olympic Sailing competition continued with notable performances across multiple categories. The poor conditions might have seen some surprise winners so far, but the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion in Marseille for the many classes still racing.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s and Women’s Dinghy: Wearn and Bouwmeester Hold Strong

Australia’s Matt Wearn maintained his lead in the Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 7) despite a challenging day, marked by two tenth-place finishes. He remains 14 points clear of Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides, who moved into second with steady performances. Kontides emphasised the variability of conditions, noting, “The wind was very up and down, offering many chances to gain or lose.”

In the Women’s Dinghy (ILCA 6), Marit Bouwmeester of the Netherlands remains in a strong position despite an 11th-place finish in race eight, her weakest result so far. She leads by 28 points over Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom, who had a mixed day but recovered well in the second race. Switzerland’s Maud Jayet follows in third, continuing her consistent form.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der

Mixed Dinghy: Austrian Pair Takes the Lead

Lara Vadlau and Lukas Maehr of Austria climbed to the top of the Mixed Dinghy (470) rankings after a strong showing in race six. The duo managed to navigate the light, tricky winds effectively, finishing the day with a race victory and solidifying their position at the top.

Reflecting on their day, Vadlau remarked, “It was quite challenging with a super tricky wind. We are happy we had a good day.” Maehr added, “We’ve trained a lot here in Marseille, and each day is different. It’s wonderful to sail here, but it’s also very tough.”

Meanwhile, Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Nora Brugman displayed consistency, moving up to second overall, while Japan’s Keiju Okada and Miho Yoshioka dropped to third after a series of tactical missteps. Brugman noted the importance of consistency, saying, “It was really easy to commit big errors today, so we’re happy with our consistent performance.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Mixed Multihull: Italian Duo Dominates

Italy’s Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti continued their commanding run in the Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17) class, securing three consecutive wins. The duo has shown remarkable consistency and skill, making them the team to beat.

New Zealand’s Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson moved up the rankings with two second-place finishes, while Argentina’s Mateo Majdalani and Eugenia Bosco rounded out the top three.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Formula Kite: Historic Wins in Debut Event

The debut of Formula Kite at the Olympics saw impressive performances, with Austria’s Valentin Bontus and Great Britain’s Ellie Aldridge making history by winning the first races in their respective categories.

Bontus expressed his excitement, saying, “Crossing that finish line of the first race in the lead was an amazing feeling.” Slovenia’s Toni Vodisek topped the Men’s standings with consistent performances, while teenage sensation Max Maeder finished third despite a DNF in one race.

In the Women’s Kite, Aldridge was edged out in the overall standings by France’s Lauriane Nolot, who won race two and matched Aldridge on points. Nolot described the experience as a long-awaited moment, sharing, “It’s quite a good feeling to be leading after day one.” The USA’s Daniela Moroz also performed well, winning race four.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Olympic Sailing 2024: Highlights from Day 8 in Marseille appeared first on Yachting World.

Britain’s iQFOiL windsurfer Emma Wilson failed to beat Olympic sailing’s cruellest, toughest made-for- TV medal format again as she landed the bronze medal finishing behind Italy’s Martta Magetti and Israel’s Sharon Kantor in the first ever Olympic Medal Race for the new foiling windsurfing class.

After building a huge lead – counting seven firsts, two seconds and two thirds – over the 14 initial series races Wilson qualified directly – as the new format dictates – for the three board Medal Race. But after leading on the first circuit Italy’s 2022 world champion Magetti tacked early on the second upwind, achieving a better, higher angle and was able to close down Wilson and current world champion Kantor.

Initially Wilson was inconsolable. At consecutive world championships in The Hague and this year in Lanzarote, despite dominating the preliminary series, coming in ‘cold’ to the sudden death both times she has not been able to convert to gold.

But today after realising the depth of her achievements and meeting the legions of family, friends and British supporters on the beach in Marseille she said, “I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to carry on with this. It’s so hard. As a person, I love it so much, that’s why I do it, but I’m not sure I can carry on with the format like this.

Marta Maggetti wrapped up a memorable gold medal for Italy. Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

“I’m really proud of my performance this week. I did it at the Worlds the same, like a 60 point lead, just dominated that. Maybe a medal doesn’t mean anything, maybe it’s just how you go about the sport. How you approach it in life.”

She added, “As a kid, if you’d told me [I’d be a double Olympic medallist] I’d be really happy. In a while I’ll be really proud, but it’s so hard, and I think I’ve made some mistakes today. “

Of the supportive crowds she said, “It’s so nice to have support. In Tokyo we didn’t have anything, so it’s so cool to have my family and friends here. I turned off my phone all week but I think it might blow up when I turn it back on. I’m so grateful for everyone supporting me.”

For Magetti who grew up in Cagliari, Sardinia and finished fourth in the RS:X behind Wilson in Tokyo it is Italy’s first Olympic windsurfing gold since the legendary Alessandra Sensini who collected four medals between 1996 and 2008, winning gold in Sydney in 2000, silver in 2008 in Qingdao and bronzes in Atlanta and Athens.

Whilst Kantor who only secured her selection to the Olympics by winning the 2024 worlds – ahead of her third and eighth placed compatriots, Israel highlighted the continued depth of their windsurfing talent as Tom Reuveny took gold ahead of Australia’s Grae Morris in silver and the Netherland’s Luc van Opzeeland. After a tough start to his Olympics in the light winds GBR’s Sam Sills took a creditable fifth overall.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Italy’s Magetti secures gold but it’s heartbreak for British Olympic windsurfing star appeared first on Yachting World.

This guide contains all the information you need to watch an Olympic rowing live stream as the 2024 regatta comes to a close.

Olympics live streams are available for free on 9Now in Australia, CBC in Canada and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Viewers in the US, meanwhile, can get their Olympics fix courtesy of NBC and its Peacock streaming service. If you’re away from home today, you can use a VPN to tune into your usual service to watch Olympic rowing live streams from anywhere in the world.

While the Olympic sailing is taking place off the coast of Marseille in the south of France, the rowers will be based at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on the outskirts of Paris, along with the canoeing competition.

Today’s the final day of this year’s rowing competition, and there’ll be no shortage of medals being decided on the water – starting the men’s and women’s single sculls and finishing with the men’s and women’s eights. Read on to find out how to watch Olympic rowing live streams in Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada – and beyond. Scroll down to the end of the article for today’s full schedule.

How to watch Olympics rowing live streams in Australia FOR FREE

The 9Network is set to deliver arguably the most comprehensive free-to-air Olympics coverage on the planet. Its offering includes two dedicated Olympics channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD, while the 9Now streaming service will feature more than 40 streams of Olympics action, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event. They’re also offering VOD highlights and full replays.

The service is available on desktop, mobile, tablet, Android, iOS and Smart TV.

How to use a VPN to watch Olympics rowing from anywhere

If you’re travelling overseas and try to watch your domestic coverage as you would at home, you’ll soon encounter a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad.

There is a way to take your regular broadcaster with you, however. By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back on home turf. The tech experts at our sister title, TechRadar, have done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

• Check out NordVPN 100% risk-free

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to the experts at TechRadar is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic rowing live streams in the UK

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic rowing live you will need to head to Discovery+. Thanks to a special Olympics offer you can subscribe to the Standard plan for £3.99 per month (a huge saving on the usual £6.99) until 11 August. This will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the rowing taking place at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

There is also a free option. As is traditionally the case, you’ll be able to watch Olympics live streams for free on the BBC via BBC One, BBC Two, the BBC Red Button and the BBC iPlayer – as long as you have a valid TV Licence. Unfortunately, BBC coverage is limited to two streams at any one time, so if the broadcaster’s cameras are on other sports, you’ll have to watch Olympic rowing live streams elsewhere.

How to watch Olympic rowing live streams in the US

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage spread across its suite of TV channels (including NBC, USA Network and CNBC) and the Peacock TV streaming service.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of Premier League soccer, WWE, golf and plenty of other sports. The ad-free Peacock Premium Plus will set you back $13.99 per month

Watch men’s Olympic rowing in Canada

How to live stream Olympic rowing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcaster for the Olympic Games in 2024 is Sky Sport. A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week, while a special Sky Sport Olympic pass (which will give you 12 Olympic channels for the duration of the Games) is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

Paris 2024 Olympic rowing: Saturday schedule

(All times BST)

• 8.30am Women’s single sculls final C
• 8.42am Men’s single sculls final C
• 8.54am Women’s single sculls final B
• 9.06am Men’s single sculls final B
• 9.18am Women’s single sculls final A MEDAL
• 9.30am Men’s single sculls final A MEDAL
• 9.50am Women’s eights final A MEDAL
• 10.10am Men’s eights final A MEDAL

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The post How to watch Olympics 2024 rowing live streams today from anywhere appeared first on Yachting World.

Windsurfing has been a part of the Olympic sailing competition since the 1980s, but Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 is the first time we will see a foiling windsurfer take part in the Olympic regatta. The windsurfing is the first of the Olympic sailing events to start and takes place from 28 July – 2 August 2024.

The IQFoil is a windsurfing class selected by World Sailing to replace the previous olympic windsurfer, the RS:X, for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Sailors competing in the IQFoil fleet may only use a single sail – a notable difference from many windsurfing events, where multiple sails sizes may be used. The sail size for the men’s class is 9m2.

The women’s Olympic windsurfer features a slightly smaller sail than the men’s class at 8m2. For both the men’s and women’s classes, the rider has a choice between using a hydrofoil or a conventional 68 cm fin, with the former being used in all but the lightest of conditions.

After the cancellation of racing yesterday due to a lack of wind, the Olympic windsurfing competition competitors are set to conclude their regatta today, Saturday 3 August.

For those new to Olympic Windsurfing, the format is slightly different to other Olympic Sailing Medal Race Days.

At the end of the Opening Series, the top ten athletes will qualify for the Medal Series. Those ranked fourth to tenth compete in a Quarter-Final, with the top two reaching the Semi-Final.

They will then face the athletes that finished second and third in the Opening Series. Two will progress from the Semi-Final, joining the top overall athlete in the Final.

The three athletes in the Final are all guaranteed a medal, so the finishing order in the Final race will determine who wins what medal.

Olympic windsurfing schedule for Medal Racing is: 

• Women’s Olympic Windsurfer Quarter-Final – 11:13 local
• Men’s Olympic Windsurfer Quarter-Final – 11:33 local
• Women’s Olympic Windsurfer Semi-Final – 11:53 local
• Men’s Olympic Windsurfer Semi-Final – 12:18 local
• Women’s Olympic Windsurfer Final – 12:33 local
• Men’s Olympic Windsurfer Final – 13:03 local

Read on to find out how to watch Olympic windsurfing live streams in Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada – and beyond.

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics Sailing live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing live stream just below.

How to stream Olympic windsurfing in Australia for free

The 9Network broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympic channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD filled with Olympic content 24 hours a day. Plus, 9Now will stream 40 individual channels live and on-demand, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event, as well as extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.

The best way to watch the sailing will be via the 9Now app, which will feature: Over 40 channels LIVE, FREE and in HD, Replays, highlights and ‘Minis’ for the best action on-demand. Multi-language captions, Event guide and much more

For those on a desktop, simply visit the 9Network

You can also download the 9Now app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your Smart TV, mobile or tablet.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic windsurfing in the UK for free

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic sailing live you will need to head to Discovery+. A £3.99 special Olympic offer subscription will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the sailing taking place on the Marseille and Corniche racecourses and all medal races – but you will need to sign up before 11 August to access the deal.

However the BBC will usually run a decent chunk of live coverage plus daily highlights shows, as per Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, so you might be better served to go with that BBC iPlayer free option if don’t feel the need to watch every last second of every race.

How to watch Olympic windsurfing in the USA

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month  for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage

How to watch Olympic windsurfing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or a special Olympic subscription deal is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

What is the Paris 2024 Olympic windsurfing schedule?

Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 begins on 28 July and continues until 2 August.

July 28

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series

July 29

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series

July 30

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series

August 1

Men’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon
Women’s Windsurfing – Opening Series Marathon

August 2

Men’s Windsurfing – Medal Series
Women’s Windsurfing – Medal Series

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The post How to watch Olympic windsurfing Medal Racing live streams from anywhere appeared first on Yachting World.

Riding a huge wave of confidence after guiding Spain to victory as underdogs in Sail GP’s grand final in San Francisco, Diego Botin and Florian Trittel produced a gun-to-gun medal race victory to clinch the Olympic Skiff gold medal at Paris 2024.

Young Kiwi pair Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie took silver to extend their nations run of skiff medal successes which goes back to 2012 whilst the USA’s Ian Barrows and Hans Henken grabbed bronze.

Probably ranked as joint gold medal favourites along with the Dutch world champions Bart Lambriex and Floris van der Verken, the Spanish 49er duo managed to maintain the highest level of consistency though an Olympic Sailing regatta of very mixed, often light conditions.

They led the fleet into today’s medal race whilst the Dutch only scraped in at the 11th hour after the Chinese pairing were disqualified for a technical rules infringement on their boat.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

In the 10-11 knots of SW’ly breeze the Spanish duo timed their start best and were quickly powered up and in the lead. Among the four Olympic Skiff teams which jumped the gun were Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove. After going into the medal race in second position they finished ninth to drop to fourth overall.

It is a bitter double Olympic disappointment for the Irish pair who were cruelly disqualified from two races in Tokyo for a trapeze harness which was 90 grammes too heavy.

Helm Botin told waiting journalists, “It is such an honour to have won the first gold medal for Spain, it is an indescribable feeling. It has been a very tough week, our weather conditions have not been great, and yet we have managed to do it.

“But we have spent many years preparing for this moment. We have failed many times but without those failures and the accumulated experiences it would have been impossible to achieve what we have achieved today. Today we have combined all that experience, all that work, and we have achieved the gold, the best that can be achieved. To have done it with all our team and our families here is to do it in the best scenario.”

Trittel added, “For us there was no other result, we had visualised this situation many times and there was no other result. These have been long days, and yesterday not being able to win the Medal… it has seemed eternal. But everything has turned out perfectly.

“It has been a tough week physically and also mentally. The key was to stay focused until the last day, which was costly and difficult, but once again, when push came to shove, we managed to handle the pressure, put in a great Medal Race and take this victory. This victory belongs to everyone who supported us and without them, we would certainly not be here.”

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Dutch team takes the Women’s Olympic Skiff win

A minor aberration – sailing low when leading to where they thought the finish line was – cost Dutch world champions Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz certain victory in the Medal Race and dropped them to third, but they landed the first sailing gold medal of Paris 2024.

Whilst France’s Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon – overall leaders by a point – started by the signal boat and struggled for wind pressure early on the first upwind, the Dutch duo were fastest and smoothest round the course until they misplaced the finish line.

Their mistake allowed Sweden’s powerhouse duo Vilma Bobeck and Rebecca Netzler to win the silver.

For three times 49er FX World Champion Duetz it is her second medal after winning bronze with Annemiek Bekkering at Tokyo 2020.

Van Aanholt summed up their feelings, “We are kind of used to the changes in the weather we always just look to control what we can control, but it is has been quite a tough week with so many changes in the weather. But it showcases all the different faces of our sport and it also showcases you cannot just be a one trick pony. We were upset about some days and proud at others, we are so especially very proud of how we sailed today, it is how you want to sail a race. We would have wished the boys better because they are such great sailors. It is what it is.”

Photo: World Sailing / Jean-Louis Carli

Inspirational Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon were ecstatic to deliver France their first sailing medal of Paris 2024, taking bronze in front of the huge partisan crowd. Steyaert had taken a five year break after her sixth in the Laser Radial in Rio 2016 before joining up with double Olympic windsurfing medallist Picon in the Women’s Skiff.

With their very young families they set up camp in La Rochelle. The support of their family, team and friends has been key but their success owes as much to their ability to still thrive whilst training and at major events balancing domestic and competitive requirements.

Taking silver at the last European Championships gave them the final element of self belief required coming into these Olympics. Their tactical nous, maturity under pressure and speed in the light served them well, but giving 10 kilos away to the more powerful duos saw them struggle for speed at times, especially against the Dutch world champions and the Swedes who took silver.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Favourites take top Olympic Skiff Sailing medals after dramatic Marseille Medal Races appeared first on Yachting World.

Google continues honouring the Paris 2024 Olympic games on its homepage by showcasing a sailing illustration for today’s Google Doodle. The GIF shows a white dog pulling along a bird bobbing in a boat. Adding to the light-hearted charm are a marina backdrop and two seagulls popping up for a peek. Foliage illustrations like the laurel leaves used in Ancient Greek Olympic games as victory symbols frame the main animation.

The sailing Google Doodle is the latest in Google’s series paying homage to this summer’s Olympic games in France. It continues the homepage’s water-sports theme, following on from yesterday’s surfing animation. Other sports Google Doodles featured in the past week are Artistic Gymnastics, Football, and Skateboarding.

Article continues below…

8 bite-sized lessons I needed to understand how Olympic sailing works

What I love about the Olympics is that I find myself leaning forward in anticipation when watching sports I wouldn’t…

Olympic Sailing boats: Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing events explained

There have been many changes to the Olympic Sailing boats – or Olympic sailing classes – since the last, Covid…

Sailing and gender equity at Paris 2024 Olympics

Sailing events first featured in the Olympics during the first modern-day Olympic games in Athens in April 1896. Despite weather conditions initially causing officials to cancel the sailing, the sport has been a familiar sight in every Olympics since, aside from those in 1904 and 1916.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 30 July, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

For the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing at the Marseille Marina, sailing started on July 28th and finished on August 8th. Several new sailing events this year include Olympic Windsurfing, Olympic Kitesurfing, and Olympic Dingy Racing. At this summer Olympics, organisers ensured equal numbers of men and women participating in the sailing by reducing the number of sailors allowed to compete from 350 to 330.

The global governing body for sailing sports, World Sailing, echoed the Olympic focus on gender equity by announcing its plan in May to make the events more accessible for women. As part of its campaign, ‘Steering the Course,’ World Sailing set out its aim to ‘achieve 50% representation for female race officials at the 2026/27 World Sailing Championships and at the LA28 Olympic Games, as well as as well as achieving 25% of registered women International Race Officials.’

The encouragement for gender parity in sailing events reflects wins for female representation in the broader sporting landscape, with the Paris 2024 Olympics being the first to achieve gender equality.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 1 August, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

The 10 Olympic Sailing events taking place in Paris 2024:

• Men’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – New for 2024
• Women’s Windsurfing – iQFOiL – New for 2024
• Men’s Kite – Formula Kite – New for 2024
• Women’s Kite – Formula Kite – New for 2024
• Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
• Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
• Men’s Skiff – 49er
• Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
• Mixed Dinghy – 470 – New for 2024
• Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Google Doodle Today: Celebrating Olympic Sailing on Day 7 appeared first on Yachting World.

Britain’s Emma Wilson has dominated the Women’s Olympic Windsurfing event at Paris 2024 securing a medal with a day to spare. She adds this second medal to the bronze she won in Tokyo. From the outside that might seem like a simple repeat of medal success in windsurfing but in the three years since Tokyo the Windsurfing event has undergone a complete overhaul with the racing taking place on completely different equipment and with an entirely new race format.

Despite these significant changes to her event, Emma Wilson was expected to podium after a consistent season which saw her take silver or bronze at all the major class events – iQFOiL medal races see just three sailors fight it out for gold and we picked her out as a medal prospect in our Olympic Sailing form guide.

25-year-old Emma Wilson has swiftly risen through the ranks of international windsurfing, establishing herself as one of Britain’s premier sailors. Hailing from a sporting family in Christchurch, Dorset, Wilson’s journey has been marked by dedication, resilience, and passion for the sport.

Photo: Sander Van Der Borsch / World Sailing

Wilson’s mother, Penny Wilson (née Way), also competed in Olympic windsurfing in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and her brother, Dan Wilson, is also a professional sailor.

Emma’s early promise was evident when she clinched the U15 Techno 293 World Championships and the U15 RS event at just 12 years old. This success set the stage for a flourishing career, highlighted by her victories at the Youth Sailing World Championships in 2016 and 2017.

Article continues below…

How to watch Olympic windsurfing Medal Racing live streams from anywhere

Windsurfing has been a part of the Olympic sailing competition since the 1980s, but Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 is…

Who looks set to win the Olympic Sailing medals in Paris 2024?

Could Paris 2024 be one of the best Olympic sailing regattas yet? Hosted by a country truly passionate about sailing,…

Emma Wilson secured her first major senior medal at the 2018 RS:X European Championships, where she finished third. She continued to build on this momentum, placing third overall at the 2019 RS:X European Championships and narrowly missing a podium finish at the 2020 RS:X World Championships.

Photo: Sander Van Der Borsch / World Sailing

During much of this time she was pushing the then incumbent British Olympic Windsurfing representative Bryony Shaw whose Bronze was Team GB’s first ever women’s windsurfing medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing

Having won a bronze medal in Tokyo, Emma Wilson faced a significant challenge as the RS:X class was replaced by the iQFOIL, a newer, faster board that foils above the water. Reflecting on this transition, Wilson told TeamGB that, “It was pretty hard at the start. There was a lot of crashing and quite a few injuries along the way. I broke my toe, had surgery on my arm, and tore a ligament in my hand”. Despite these setbacks, she embraced the challenge, giving herself three months to adapt to the new equipment. Her perseverance paid off as she found herself excelling in the new class, winning silver and bronze at the 2022 and 2023 European Championships, respectively.

Wilson’s achievements in the iQFOIL class have been remarkable. She medaled in every event in 2023 and she has carried this dominance into the Olympic windsurfing in Paris 2024 being the clear leader in the Opening Series, which was enough to guarantee her at least a bronze medal before the final day of competition.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Emma Wilson: Team GB Olympic Windsurfing double-medallist appeared first on Yachting World.

Olympic Surfing has the slightly dubious honour of being the competition furthest from the main Paris 2024 competition. The Olympic Surfing events are taking place in Tahiti where competitors will be surfing the legendary ‘Wave at the end of the road’. At a little over 15,000km away from Paris, this event sets a new record for distance between an event and the host city of an Olympics.

What that distance means in practical terms for those of us watching Olympic surfing from the comfort of our own homes, is that the competition largely takes place on the middle of the night for Europeans and early evening for ,much of the USA.

With the Men’s and Women’s Quater Finals now concluded the surfers making it through to the Semi-Finals are:

Men’s Olympic Surfing Semi-Finalists

Alonso Correa (Peru)
Kauli Vaast (France)
Gabriel Medina (Brazil)
Jack Robinson (Australia)

Women’s Olympic Surfing Semi-Finalists

Caroline Marks (USA)
Johanne Defay (France)
Tatiana Weston-Webb (Brazil)
Brisa Hennessy (Costa Rica)

There is now a short break in competition before the Semi Final and Finals all take place on Saturday 4 August.

Olympic Surfing Semi-Final and Final Schedule:

Men’s Olympic Surfing Semi-Finals – 18:00 CEST
Women’s Olympic Surfing Semi-Finals – 19:12 CEST
Men’s Olympic Surfing Bronze Medal Match – 20:24 CEST
Women’s Olympic Surfing Bronze Medal Match – 21:00 CEST
Men’s Olympic Sufring Gold Medal Match – 21:36 CEST
Women’s Olympic Sufring Gold Medal Match – 22:12 CEST

Read on to find out how to watch Olympic canoe live streams in Australia, the UK, the US, New Zealand, Canada – and beyond.

Looking for a free Paris 2024 Olympics Surfing live stream? The event will be free on 9Now in Australia, and BBC iPlayer in the UK. Full details on how to watch a Paris 2024 Olympic Surfing live stream just below.

How to stream Olympic Surfing in Australia for free

The 9Network broadcast will feature two dedicated Olympic channels on Channel 9HD and 9GemHD filled with Olympic content 24 hours a day. Plus, 9Now will stream 40 individual channels live and on-demand, ensuring Australians do not miss a second of any event, as well as extensive curation of VOD highlights and full replays.

The best way to watch the surfing will be via the 9Now app, which will feature: Over 40 channels LIVE, FREE and in HD, Replays, highlights and ‘Minis’ for the best action on-demand. Multi-language captions, Event guide and much more

For those on a desktop, simply visit the 9Network

You can also download the 9Now app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store for your Smart TV, mobile or tablet.

If you try to watch your domestic coverage from anywhere outside your home country, you’ll soon find a problem – geo-blocking. That’s where the broadcaster prevents you from watching your usual feed from abroad. It’s a common problem for sports fans all over the world.

By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s back at home. Our sister title, TechRadar has done extensive testing of the best VPN service and Nord VPN consistently comes out on top.

How to use a VPN to watch Paris 2024 Olympics

Using a VPN is as easy as one-two-three…

1. Download and install a VPN – as we say, the top choice according to our sister title is NordVPN.
2. Connect to the appropriate server location – open the VPN app, hit ‘choose location’ and select the appropriate location, eg: ‘Australia’ for 9Now.
3. Go to the broadcaster’s stream – head to your home broadcaster’s site or app and watch as if you were at home – 9Now for Aussies abroad.

How to watch Olympic Surfing in the UK for free

If you live in the UK and want to watch every single bit of the action from the Olympic Surfing live you will need to head to Discovery+. A £3.99 special Olympic offer subscription will get you access to every moment of Paris 2024, including all of the Surfing taking place on the Marseille and Corniche racecourses and all medal races – but you will need to sign up before 11 August to access the deal.

However the BBC will usually run a decent chunk of live coverage plus daily highlights shows, as per Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, so you might be better served to go with that BBC iPlayer free option if don’t feel the need to watch every last second of every race.

How to watch Olympic Surfing in the USA

NBCUniversal is the Olympic broadcasting rights holder in the USA for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with coverage likely to be spread across Peacock TV and its suite of TV channels.

This includes NBC, USA Network and MSNBC.

Peacock costs just $7.99 per month  for an ad-supported version of the service that also offers live coverage of EPL soccer, every big WWE event, Premiership Rugby, plus plenty more live sports. You also have the option of paying $10 a month for commercial-free coverage

How to watch Olympic Surfing in New Zealand

In New Zealand, the official broadcasters for the last Olympics were TVNZ, which is free to watch, and Sky Sport, which is available as part of a range of pay TV packages. That looks likely to be the case for Paris 2024 too.

A Sky Sport Now subscription costs $19.99 per week or a special Olympic subscription deal is available at $34.99. The monthly package comes with a 7-day free trial.

What is the Paris 2024 Olympic Surfing schedule?

1 August

18:00 Women’s Olympic Surfing Round 3
22:30 Men’s Olympic Surfing Quarter-Finals

2 August

01:10 Women’s Olympic Surfing Quarter-Finals

3 August

18:00 Men’s Olympic Surfing Semi-Finals
19:10 Women’s Olympic surfing Semi-Finals
20:20 Men’s Olympic Surfing Bronze Medal Match
21:00 Men’s Olympic Surfing Gold Medal Match
21:30 Women’s Olympic Surfing Bronze Medal Match
22:10 Women’s Olympic Surfing Gold Medal Match

4-5 August

Reserve Day

We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:

1 – Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
2 – Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad

We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The post How to watch Olympic Surfing Semi Finals and Final live streams appeared first on Yachting World.

Thursday was supposed to see Medal Racing for the Men’s Olympic Skiff, the 49er and Women’s Olympic Skiff, the 49er FX. However despite the Men getting their race started on two occasions, the wind disappeared mid-race both times and the racing had to be halted. The Skiff racers – male and female – are hoping the forecast for better breeze today, Friday, actually comes to pass on the Bay of Marseille.

Racing may not have got underway for the Olympic Skiff classes, but elsewhere the Olympic Sailing competition continued on Thursday in Marseille, as athletes across various classes are positioning themselves for potential podium finishes. The day’s events showcased consistency, skill, and strategy under challenging conditions.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Windsurfing: Emma Wilson Secures Medal, Eyes Gold

Great Britain’s Emma Wilson has guaranteed herself a Women’s Olympic Windsurfing medal after finishing at the top of the Windsurfing standings in the Opening Series. Wilson’s strong performance, including a win in the final race of the day, left her 31 points ahead of her competitors, securing her a spot in the Final where she will compete for gold.

Reflecting on her achievement, Wilson said, “It’s really cool to be guaranteed a medal. Just to perform how I’ve done this week at the Olympics is pretty cool. I don’t approach tomorrow differently; I’ll just keep following my routine.”

Israel’s Sharon Kantor, who secured a place in the Semi-Final with a solid second-place finish in the final race, and Italy’s Marta Maggetti will be closely watching the Quarter-Final results to determine their opponents.

For those new to Olympic Windsurfing, the format is slightly different to other Olympic Sailing Medal Race Days.

At the end of the Opening Series, the top ten athletes will qualify for the Medal Series. Those ranked fourth to tenth compete in a Quarter-Final, with the top two reaching the Semi-Final.

They will then face the athletes that finished second and third in the Opening Series. Two will progress from the Semi-Final, joining the top overall athlete in the Final.

The three athletes in the Final are all guaranteed a medal, so the finishing order in the Final race will determine who wins what medal.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Men’s Windsurfing: Morris Leads, Gold Within Reach

Australia’s Grae Morris clinched a medal in Men’s Windsurfing, topping the leaderboard after a series of consistent finishes. He now faces the pressure of maintaining his lead in the Final race. Morris reflected on the challenge, stating, “It feels good now, but knowing that you have to pull off the next best thing tomorrow makes it a bit nerve-wracking. The gold medal is still in play and that won’t leave my mind tonight.”

Close behind Morris are Israel’s Tom Reuveny and New Zealand’s Josh Armit, both securing spots in the Semi-Final. Poland’s Pawel Tarnowski, finishing fourth, noted the difficulty of the conditions and the upcoming challenge in the Quarter-Final.

Article continues below…

Olympic Sailing boats: Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing events explained

There have been many changes to the Olympic Sailing boats – or Olympic sailing classes – since the last, Covid…

How to watch Olympic sailing Multihull and Mixed Dinghy Medal Races

As is often the case for sailing at the Olympics, the sailing is actually taking place away from the main…

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

Men’s Dinghy: Peschiera Takes Early Lead

Peru’s Stefano Peschiera made a strong start in the Men’s Olympic Dinghy, finishing first in the second race and establishing an early seven-point lead in the ILCA 7 class. Peschiera, a veteran of the Rio and Tokyo Games, leveraged his experience to navigate the tricky conditions in Marseille.

“It was tricky. There were really patchy conditions out there,” Peschiera commented. “We’re going to take away all the good things and learn from any mistakes.”

Reigning Olympic champion Matt Wearn of Australia remains a close contender, finishing second in the day’s races, with Portugal’s Eduardo Marques following in third.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Women’s Dinghy: Cervera Shines in Debut

France’s Louise Cervera made an impressive debut in the Women’s Dinghy, winning the first race of the ILCA 6 class. Cervera managed the shifting winds expertly, taking an early lead and securing the first yellow jersey of her Olympic career.

“It’s nice to start with a victory,” Cervera said. “Taking the first yellow jersey at my first Olympic Games gives me confidence.”

China’s Min Gu and Italy’s Chiara Benini Floriani also had strong starts, finishing second and third respectively. With a second race postponed due to lack of wind, the competitors will face a packed schedule as they continue to vie for medals.

As the competition progresses, the athletes’ strategies and adaptability will be tested under Marseille’s unpredictable conditions.

Keep up to date with all our Olympic Sailing 2024 coverage.
You can find all the Olympic sailing results at the World Sailing Olympic results page

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post Olympic Sailing: Medals Guaranteed & Other Highlights from Day Six in Marseille appeared first on Yachting World.

What I love about the Olympics is that I find myself leaning forward in anticipation when watching sports I wouldn’t usually do. The Olympics is like a buffet with food from lots of different cultures; we can try things to see if they’re to our taste. And if something doesn’t keep us wanting to return for more, we can try digesting something else. After sitting down to absorb Olympic sailing, I questioned the ingredients of these sports.

So, here are some queries I had and their answers for those who want to get their teeth into Olympic sailing.

Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

How does the start work in Olympic Sailing?

All races have a 5 minute countdown to the start. During this time, competitors slowly jockey for position, aiming to reach the most favourable spot. Depending on conditions, it may look like the boats will not make it to the start line in time! However, I discovered how quickly the sailors can prepare themselves when the timer runs low.

The start is a crucial part of the Olympic Sailing competition.

Typically the startline is at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the wind with one end called the ‘pin end’ and the other the ‘committee boat end’ or simply ‘boat end’. The ‘boat end’ will have a vessel with flags o, which officials raise as they count down to the start. Whereas the ‘pin end’ is just a small floating buoy or mark.

Sailing boats can’t sail straight into the wind, so they start zig-zagging towards the first mark, which is directly upwind of the start. At the start, sailors choose whether to be on the course’s left or right side and pick their spot on the startline accordingly.

The startline may be ‘biased’, with one end slightly closer to the first mark than the other end. Understandably, this bias factors into competitors’ position decision-making.

Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing in Marseille, France on 1 August, 2024. Photo: World Sailing / Sander van der Borch

Why might Olympic Sailing be delayed?

Sailing is fairly unusual as a sport in that it relies heavily on the wind. Perhaps Olympic surfing is the only other sport at that Games that relies so much on the weather. Due to this symbiotic relationship with the wind, occasionally, organisers delay Olympic sailing events.

Both wind direction stability and wind force can affect whether sailing events occur. Very little wind will mean no one makes a start due to organisers postponing the race. At the other end of the scale, extreme wind is another cause for sailors to wait longer before crossing the starting line. If the wind isn’t flowing in a steady direction, race officials aren’t able to set a course for competition as they require the wind to come from one way. So, wind frequently changing direction causes race delays.

Thankfully for sailing fans, wide-ranging conditions can allow these races to happen.

Article continues below…

How to watch Olympic sailing Multihull and Mixed Dinghy Medal Races

As is often the case for sailing at the Olympics, the sailing is actually taking place away from the main…

Olympic Sailing boats: Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing events explained

There have been many changes to the Olympic Sailing boats – or Olympic sailing classes – since the last, Covid…

How much is enough Knots for a sailing race?

Sailors typically measure windspeed in Knots. One knot is equal to one nautical mile per hour, which is roughly 1.15 miles per hour (mph) or 1.85 kilometers per hour (kph).

Different boat types can sail in various weather conditions. However, a rough rule for racing is that a wind below 5 knots is too light, and above 30 knots is too windy.

What does wind “filling in” mean?

The wind is a fickle force. It doesn’t flow consistently everywhere, meaning the wind is stronger in certain sailing course areas than others. And these strong wind patches will change.

With the strongest wind comes the potential for boats to sail the fastest. And as sailing races work on a first-to-finish basis, the strong wind is where sailors want to be.

Part of the skill of Olympic Sailing is spotting and anticipating where the best wind is. Sailors analyse wind conditions by looking at the water as darker coloured water means more wind, lighter less.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

When a commentator says the wind is ‘filling in’, they usually mean the wind is increasing in a certain section or evening out across the course. So the phrase ‘the wind is filling in where they are on the left of the course’ refers to the wind becoming stronger there (and therefore, the sailors there will be moving faster).

Perhaps slightly confusingly, sailors often refer to the wind as ‘pressure’. So you might hear a commentator mention, ‘they are sailing in more pressure here,’ which is saying the competitors are sailing in more wind and, therefore, going faster.

Why are the boats always changing direction?

Boats can’t sail directly into the wind; they zig-zag to make their way upwind (towards the wind). Most races start with the boats zig-zagging upwind from the start to the first mark.

A boat will sail ‘close hauled’ and then tack by steering the boat through the wind before sailing ‘close hauled’ in the other direction.

After tacking, boats sail around a series of course marks. The course shape varies. However, usually, competitors sail upwind and then downwind (sailing in the direction the wind is blowing) for a few laps. When boats sail downwind, they usually zig-zag again to sail quickly.

Due to the zig-zagging, there is a lot of changing direction in Olympic Sailing. The sailors will mostly find their way to the next mark, choosing the best course area for sailing on. Sailors meet at the marks, all changing direction at the same time.

What is the sail that disappears?

Depending on the wind direction and the type of boat, you may see a colourful sail that is sometimes on the boat and gets pulled back in. This sail is called a spinnaker. At the Olympic Sailing events, the 49er, 49er FX, 470 and Nacra 17 boats all have a spinnaker.

Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

This big balloon-shaped sail makes the boats go faster. However, sailors can’t use the spinnaker when the vessels sails upwind (close-hauled). So when athletes turn around a mark and start going downwind, one sailor pulls on a rope that yanks this sail up.

When the competitors reach the next mark and are about to go upwind again, they tug another rope to haul the sail back into its storage bag inside the boat. It reminds me of a disappearing magician’s handkerchief!

What is a layline?

In Olympic Sailing racing terms, a layline is an imaginary line extending from the mark closest to the sailors down the course. The layline indicates the point where it’s ideal for a boat to change direction to get to the mark the quickest.

When a boat is sailing close hauled while zig-zagging upwind (into the wind) they are at about a 45º angle from the wind. So a layline for a mark upwind extends away from an upwind mark at about 45º from the wind in either direction.

To reach the mark the fastest and most efficiently, sailors try to tack or gybe (change direction by zig-zagging) at the right point on the layline.

Competitors in the Women’s Skiff (49er FX) class both trapezing. Photo: World Sailing / Lloyd Images

What does trapezing mean?

Olympic Sailing classes require the athletes to counter balance the wind on their sails. On a yacht sailors do this with a big, heavy keel under the water. However, there are no yachts in Olympic Sailing, so none have this stability tool. Instead the competitors use their weight to balance against the wind’s force in the sails. The further out from the boat the sailors can get, the more wind they can counter-balance and therefore the faster they go.

There are three primary ways athletes counter-balance, which are:

• Trapezing – For this manoeuvre, sailors stand on the side of the boat, dangling off ropes from the mast (a vertical pole holding up the sails). Athletes have a special harness with a hook, which they attach to ropes hanging down whenever they change direction. Trapezing is a bit like hiking, however, the rope support allows sailors to get further away from the boat’s middle. Therefore, using this technique sailors can counter balance more wind.
• Hiking – Where the sailors lean over their vessel’s side with their feet hooked under a strap in the boat. This skill targets the stomach muscles and is highly tiring over lengthy periods. The position is like getting to a sit-up’s middle point and holding it for a long while.
• Direct counter balance – This isn’t a commonly used phrase. However, it is a sufficient summary for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Here the athlete attaches the sail, or kite directly to the athlete (either by handles or a harness) and the competitors lean against the sail forces. Again, the more the competitors lean, the more power they can counter balance and faster they travel.

If you enjoyed this….

Yachting World is the world’s leading magazine for bluewater cruisers and offshore sailors. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

The post 8 bite-sized lessons I needed to understand how Olympic sailing works appeared first on Yachting World.