24 hours of sailing news in 5 minutes.

Sailing News for November 26, 2025

The Flying Roos drop a star-powered SailGP launch with Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds firing up Australia’s title chase. Inshore, Sydney Hobart line-honours champ Christian Beck plays the underdog while eyeing a three-peat in a stacked 80th-edition fleet. Youth sailing delivers a dominant Manly Junior state title, and the cruising section brings a vital, unflinching look at predatory skippers exploiting crew platforms. Today’s highlight closes with the RM1180, a plywood-epoxy rocket that proves smart engineering still bends the rules of boatbuilding.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

BONDS Flying Roos Drop First Video Featuring Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (3 min read)
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds just made their SailGP co-owner debut, and it’s exactly the kind of chaotic Aussie-flavored hype the Flying Roos were hoping for. The pair riff through a punchy intro to 50-foot foiling madness, with Tom Slingsby jumping in to round out the trio. The launch also comes with two big new partners and a fanbase that’s blowing up fast. Australia’s gunning for the top of the leaderboard again, and this video plants a very loud flag.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Rolex Sydney Hobart Line Honours Champ Throws Down Gauntlet (4 min read)
Christian Beck is back doing what he does best before the Sydney Hobart: calling himself the underdog while quietly aiming for a three-peat. With 133 boats entered for the 80th edition and a stacked maxi field including Comanche and the newly renamed Palm Beach XI, he insists the odds are against LawConnect. The rest of the fleet brings its own intrigue, from Celestial’s title defense to an all-female Class 40 crew and even a 121-year-old contender hoping for a small-boat miracle. Boxing Day is shaping up spicy.

Youth Sailing/Development

Manly Junior 2025 State Championships (3 min read)
Manly packed a full weekend of racing into six heats, and the Thomas cousins absolutely owned it. Baden and Hunter won the first five races straight, wrapping up the state title before the finale even started. The family theme ran deep, with siblings and generations of Manly sailing royalty filling the results sheet and cheering from the deck. It was one of those classic weekends where the club vibe, the volunteer army and the next wave of sailors all clicked perfectly.

Cruising

Abused at Sea: Why Solo Female Sailors Are Speaking Out (6 min read)
This deep dive traces how female crew seeking adventure end up trapped with predatory skippers hiding behind legit platforms like Crewbay and Find a Crew. A Guardian investigation revealed repeat offenders using “hand for berth” deals to isolate victims offshore, where help is nearly impossible to reach. Survivors are now fighting back with a 350-name blacklist and a hard-hitting set of safety rules that’s spreading fast. It’s a sobering read, but an essential one for anyone moving around the cruising world.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

The RM1180 looks like a slick modern cruiser, but under the paint it’s built with CNC-cut marine plywood sealed in epoxy, making it lighter, stiffer and way better insulated than a typical fiberglass hull. The lower section is a plywood-epoxy composite while the topsides are molded glass, creating a hybrid that sails fast and shrugs off flex. It’s easier to repair in remote places too. If you like boats built with engineering purpose instead of tradition or shiny veneers, this one’s a fascinating outlier.