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Sailing News for January 07, 2026

France head into SailGP 2026 with fresh investment, new muscle, and growing belief after a breakthrough season capped by a first win. Offshore seamanship took centre stage with a gripping solo knockdown survival story, while match racing delivered instant drama at the World Tour Final. From Olympic leadership changes to grassroots club growth, the early signals point to a busy and competitive season ahead.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

SailGP Team Guide: Everything You Need To Know About France (5 min read)
France are still very much in the SailGP mix heading into 2026, and they’re not standing still. Quentin Delapierre’s crew showed serious pace in 2025 with podiums in San Francisco and New York, then finally cracked a win in Sassnitz. A late-season Abu Dhabi podium sealed fifth overall, but the off-season was busy. New wing trimmer Leigh McMillan brings Olympic and America’s Cup pedigree, fresh grinders add muscle, and outside investment signals a team quietly gearing up for a real title push.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Sailing through a thunderstorm at Portland Bill: How I survived a solo knockdown (6 min read)
What starts as a relaxed solo sail quickly turns spicy when David Edgar rounds Portland Bill straight into a building gale and a full-on thunderstorm. Lightning crashes nearby, waves stand up like walls, and the tide slams the brakes on just when he needs speed most. Then comes the big moment. A brutal gust knocks the boat flat, mast in the water, before she self-rights. It’s gripping, humbling, and packed with hard-earned lessons about weather timing, tides, and not trusting a “maybe Force 6” forecast.

High drama marks opening day of World Match Racing Tour Final (5 min read)
The World Match Racing Tour Final kicked off in Shenzhen with instant chaos and zero warm-up laps. Twenty-year-old American Christian Prendergast stole the show, knocking off the world number one and topping his group on debut. Shifty breezes, port-starboard penalties, and even a brief man-overboard moment kept everyone honest. Meanwhile, the second group is wide open, with five teams locked on two wins. Early days, but this one already feels unpredictable and properly spicy.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

New leadership for US Sailing Team (4 min read)
US Sailing has hit reset again, naming Olympian Molly Vandemoer as Director of Olympic Sailing after Marcus Lynch steps away. Lynch’s two-year stint brought structure, clearer athlete tiers, and LA28 groundwork, but the revolving door at the top keeps spinning. Vandemoer brings serious credibility as a former Olympian, world champion, and youth sailing leader with real governance chops. With LA 2028 on home waters, this hire feels less like a placeholder and more like a statement. Stability, finally, would be the real win.

Howth Yacht Club Dinghy Frostbites Spring Series Day 1 (4 min read)
Sunshine, ice-cold hands, and sheets frozen solid set the tone for Day 1 of Howth’s Spring Frostbites. A shifty westerly and a punchy ebb tide stretched the beats and kept mark roundings spicy, but racing stayed clean. Dan O’Connell laid down an early marker with two wins in ILCA 7, while Peter Hassett matched that scoreline in ILCA 6. Add a parent-versus-child duel, a lone 49er flying around on handicap, and plenty of post-race shivering, and 2026 is officially underway.

Youth Sailing/Development

Victorian Government Grant Powers Growth at Apollo Bay Sailing Club (4 min read)
A Victorian Government grant has given Apollo Bay Sailing Club a serious boost, turning a small Surf Coast club into a growing Discover Sailing hub. Funding unlocked new boats, trained instructors, stronger governance, and a clearer junior pathway, helped along by a timely Opti donation from Mount Martha. The club is now converting tourists into sailors and building year-round local participation instead of relying on holiday traffic. It’s a textbook example of how smart funding, shared resources, and good planning can future-proof a regional sailing club.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

There’s a new group in sailing media, and it’s aiming straight at the sharp end of the sport. The Foil launches as an independent racing-focused platform covering SailGP, the America’s Cup, the Olympics, and offshore racing, with zero ties to teams or organisers. Expect opinionated analysis, tech deep dives, and proper insider perspective from people who’ve actually been there. Weekly videos, podcasts, and long reads are promised, starting with a SailGP Season 5 review. If you like your sailing coverage smarter, louder, and a bit braver, this is one to watch.