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  by Richard Crockett Clipper Ventures who stage the Clipper round the world yacht race take safety at sea matters very seriously, as does MAIB – the Marine Accident Investigation Branch in the UK. In November 2017 a crewman fell overboard and was lost. The investigation and report into this incident have just been published, and to me anyway, are compulsory reading for anyone who ventures to see in a sailing vessel, whether simply for a day sail, overnight passage …

Proud Kiwi Ray Davies has a long and storied sailing CV including winning the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001-2 with Illbruck as well as six America’s Cups campaigns. He played a key role in the development of the victorious Emirates Team New Zealand boat as well as being back up helmsman and coach. He has been involved in bringing the new America’s Cup foiling monohull class from concept to reality. Ray remains a sailing team member, but more and more …

By Richard Crockett Having had a tough four days of racing with results that hardly inspired, Tina Plattner and her ‘Phoenix 11′ team won race 8 yesterday, a result that will give them much confidence going into the final races today. But yesterday the glory lay with ‘Bronenosec’, the newest boat in the fleet steered by the youngest helmsman. They go into today’s final reckoning with a one point lead over the 2017 circuit champions ‘Azzurra’. Vladimir Liubomirov’s Russian-flagged team …

by Richard Crockett 5 different winners so far in the 6 races sailed is an indication that it’s very tough out there on the race course which is why the heading to the press release I received stating that “Every Day is a School Day in Puerto Sherry” certainly rings true. And it was certainly a tough day for the RSA entry sailing ‘Phoenix 11′ who have persevered so far and were trumped their 7th place in race 5 with …

The thought of sailing non-stop for 3-4 weeks around the whole of Great Britain in a 16ft/5m Wayfarer Sailing Dinghy may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for British adventurers and life long friends Will Hodshon and Richard Mitchell it’s the next great challenge to add to their list of expeditions. They aim to complete the first non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of mainland Britain in an “open sailing vessel” – their 60-year old family boat, a wooden Wayfarer dinghy. …

by Richard Crockett Yesterday was a day Tina Plattner and her ‘Phoenix 11′ crew would, I am sure, rather forget as the challenging conditions saw them sink to the bottom of the leader board in this tough star-studded fleet. Hopefully a new day will bring renewed energy to the team – so let’s wait and see and wish them well. It was places gained on successive runs during the second race yesterday that keep ‘Azzurra’ and ‘Bronenosec’ in the top …

Two Oceans Marine Manufacturing has launched South Africa’s biggest composite and leisure catamaran, the Two Oceans 110 Day Charter Catamaran. Named ‘Le Cerf’, she is owned by Mason’s Travel. Established in 1972, Masons Travel is a leading destination management company in Seychelles. This 110′ catamaran is designed for commercial day charters and for large groups of people. She will be based in Mahé, and can carry 275 people. She has both an upper and lower deck and a flybridge. The …

by Richard Crockett Yesterday was a day that the RSA contingent may rather forget, although on reflection it may not have been that forgettable – as many of the top boats had ‘iffy’ results. The press release headline simply said this: “Provezza Decipher Puerto Sherry’s Opening Day Puzzles to Earn the Early Lead” which pretty much sums it up as there was little consistency in the results for anyone – bar possibly the RSA guys on ‘Phoenix 11′ especially in …

by Richard Crockett Despite having been booted from the Olympics as a Class by World Sailing, the Star class is as strong, if not stronger than ever. That’s assuming you agree that 65 teams from 20 nations, plus a star-studded line-up of champions, is a good enough! The event was last held in Porto Cervo exactly thirty years ago, and is organised by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The double-handed crews will compete in fleet regattas on the race course off …

“After Mahón we reset to zero and start here with a clean sheet,” smiled Phoenix’s Italian strategist Michele Ivaldi just before the South-African-flagged team went out and won today’s Official Practice Race for the Puerto Sherry 52 Royal Cup, the final warm up before Tuesday’s first points race as the circuit visits the new Andalucian venue for the first time. In just the kind of solid sea breeze that this corner of the Bay of Cádiz is renowned for, Tina …

Young sailors from the greater Cape Town metropole gathered at the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) this weekend to celebrate Youth Day with a unique maritime twist. Situated in Table Bay Harbour, the RCYC houses its own sailing academy, which trains youngsters from all walks of life to sail, with a strong focus of enabling youth from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to learn the necessary skills of not only sailing as a sport, but also how to work as a team, …

by Richard Crockett It seems as if our RSA contingent, or most of them anyway, left their best results for the final day as Philip Baum, Alan Serritslev and Leon Ferreira all posted their best individual races. Not anywhere close to being on the podium, their results collectively and individually, showed that these guys are still tough, fit and determined enough to head out for 5 consecutive days of racing in what has always been a demanding singlehanded dinghy to …

by Richard Crockett Again the RSA contingent continue to hide from the cameras, so no pics of ‘our boys’ yet! The best performance of the day from the RSA guys was a 6th in his grouping in race 4 from Greg Davis who has now moved into the top 50 of this 241 boat fleet. The RSA Results so far: 46 Greg Davis – GGM 25; (58); 25; 6; 31 92 Philip Baum – GGM 46; 23; 61; 46; (75) …

Despite several attempts at a start, no racing was possible on the third day at the Finn World Masters at Skovshoved, Denmark. With three races sailed out of a scheduled five so far, one more race is needed to have a valid championship. Two days are left, with reasonable forecasts on both days. Forecasting Danish weather seems to be a thankless task. While most forecasts showed strong winds, heavy rain and even the occasional thunderstorm, the reality was in stark …

by Richard Crockett The fleet has completed 3 races, so one is now able to get some idea as to how our local RSA contingent are faring. Greg Davis is 58th. Philip Baum is 72. Arend Van Wamelen is 107. Alan Serritslev is 169. Leon Ferreira is 209. David Kitchen, a former South African is sailing under the UK flag, is 152. Now bear in mind that this is a fleet of 236 boats, so Grand Grand Masters Davis and …