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Sailing News for December 05, 2025

Riptide Racing is making a late push for the 38th America’s Cup with a bold plan to buy into the AC75 game while Tom Slingsby and the Aussies turn Grand Final pain into Perth motivation. Ian Thorpe joins LawConnect for a headline Sydney Hobart entry and cruising fans get a charming Holy Island guide charting tight channels porpoises and slow travel joy.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

Riptide Racing Aims for the 38th America’s Cup (4 min read)
World Match Racing Tour powerhouse Riptide Racing is making a late push to join the 2027 America’s Cup, backed by Seawanhaka Corinthian YC and led by World #1 match racer Chris Poole. The plan is bold: raise $50 million, buy a proven AC75 package, and jump straight into big-league foiling. With no confirmed American team on the starting line, Riptide sees an opening to bring the Auld Mug home. It’s an underdog shot, but the ambition is real and the clock is ticking to the Jan 31 entry deadline.

Slingsby: Bonds Flying Roos already locked on to Perth fightback (3 min read)
Tom Slingsby is still stinging from losing the $2 million Grand Final after the Aussies dropped off the foils in a freak light patch, handing Emirates GBR the title. But instead of sulking, the three-time champs are already flipping the switch to attack mode ahead of Perth. Slingsby says the hurt will fuel a full-throttle reset on home waters, where conditions promise the exact opposite of Abu Dhabi’s glass-off. If you want carnage, speed and a fired-up Australian squad, Perth in January is the place.

‘Sail Our Way’ Women and Girls Participation RS Feva Project (2 min read)
Australian Sailing and Sailing Raceboats are using RS Fevas to supercharge female participation, with government-backed subsidies helping Discover Sailing Centres get more double-handed dinghies on the water. The boats plug straight into social sailing, coaching programs and racing, so clubs can build proper pathways rather than one-off “have a go” days. Round 2 funding is still open, so centres that move fast can grab discounted boats and grow their girls’ fleets. It is a neat blend of gear support and long term class development.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Australian swimming great Thorpe to take part in Sydney–Hobart yacht race (3 min read)
Five-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe is swapping the pool for a supermaxi, joining LawConnect as it hunts a three-peat in the Sydney–Hobart. His first test comes in the Cabbage Tree Island Race, a warm-up for the 630-mile Boxing Day classic. Thorpe calls it a totally new mental and physical challenge, but he’s leaning into the chance to be part of a huge Aussie sporting tradition. LawConnect enters as the defending champ and clear headline magnet with Thorpe now on board.

Thorpedo set to launch into Rolex Sydney Hobart (4 min read)
Ian “Thorpedo” Thorpe is trading lanes for swell, joining supermaxi LawConnect as the team chases a historic three-peat in the 80th Rolex Sydney Hobart. His first taste of offshore life comes in the overnight Cabbage Tree Island Race before stepping into the big show on Boxing Day. Owner-skipper Christian Beck says Thorpe brings star power and helps make the race more accessible as LawConnect keeps pushing fan engagement. It’s a fun crossover: Australia’s most decorated Olympian jumping straight into one of the sport’s toughest classics.

Cruising

Your Holy Island cruising guide: coastal hopping in a trailer-sailer (12 min read)
A retired farmer takes his tiny Etap 22i on a four-day micro-cruise from Seahouses to Dunbar, threading through rocky channels, drying harbours and some seriously punchy tidal streams. Holy Island serves up narrow dog-leg entries, sandpipers and a snug night with the ship’s dog stealing the skipper’s bunk. Berwick and Eyemouth add porpoises, wind-farm traffic and friendly harbour masters. It’s a love letter to slow cruising, careful navigation and the quirky joys of life aboard a 20-foot trailer-sailer.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Saffier lifts the curtain on the new SE 28 Leopard, a slick, custom-friendly daysailer built for speed and simplicity. Junior designer and Fastnet winner Twirre Bogaard explains the forward-pushed hull volume, reverse bow and wide cockpit that make the boat plane earlier and feel fast but forgiving. Seldén steps the mast and shows off new hardware, including a compact furler and electric E40 winches, while North Sails maps the rig in 3D to dial in square-top mains and furling downwind options. It’s a polished look at a premium daysailer gearing up for its Düsseldorf debut.