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Sailing News for January 19, 2026

Emirates GBR have defended their SailGP Impact League title for the second year running and now head into Abu Dhabi with a chance to complete an unprecedented on-water and off-water double, while the racing picture is shifting fast as Peter Burling is sidelined through injury, substitute drivers step in across multiple teams and new wings and foils promise an unpredictable $2 million Grand Final. Away from SailGP, today’s lineup delivers practical value for everyday sailors, from smart and often funny real-world advice on keeping insects and rats off your boat to a critical new lithium battery fire safety checklist following several high-profile incidents, alongside a spotlight on Great Lakes standout Bob Hughes and a deep-dive wingsail masterclass that pulls back the curtain on how SailGP’s F50s really work.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

Hannah Mills: “Best day ever” as Emirates GBR start 2026 with a bang (3 min read)
Emirates GBR wasted zero time reminding everyone why they’re the reigning champs, kicking off 2026 with a statement win in Perth. After a shaky opening day, Hannah Mills and crew flipped the switch in full Fremantle Doctor conditions, nailed the Final, and controlled the race from the front. New wing trimmer Stuart Bithell slotted in seamlessly, pressure didn’t crack them, and Mills summed it up perfectly: best day ever. Season on.

New Zealand’s Burling simmers after SailGP collision in Perth (4 min read)
SailGP 2026 kicked off in Perth with instant chaos as the Black Foils were wiped out less than two minutes into Race 1 after a heavy port-starboard collision with Switzerland. Pete Burling narrowly avoided serious injury and was clearly rattled, but New Zealand still copped the penalty, a call that’s already stirring debate in the paddock. While two boats were sidelined, the racing stayed wild, with the USA, France, and Sweden ending Day 1 locked on points. Brutal breeze, bold starts, and controversy straight out of the gate.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Records fall in RORC Transatlantic Race (3 min read)
The Atlantic got absolutely hammered in the 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race, with both multihull and monohull records smashed on the 3,000-mile sprint to Antigua. Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo ripped across in under five days, crews hanging on at 30-plus knots in pitch-black nights that felt like blindfolded downhill skiing. Not to be outdone, the foil-assisted Baltic 111 Raven reset the monohull mark, proving this new generation of offshore maxis is fast, frightening, and surprisingly controlled. Atlantic racing just leveled up.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

ILCA NZ Nationals: Beckett and Reineke crowned champions (4 min read)
The wind won the final day at the NZ ILCA Nationals, with 45-knot gusts forcing an early pin and locking in results after eight punchy races. World No.1 Micky Beckett topped a stacked ILCA 7 fleet, edging out Duko Bos and Finn Lynch by a single point margin. In ILCA 6, Erika Reineke took the title ahead of Olympic rep Greta Pilkington, while youth and masters racing was just as fierce. No final-day drama, but a seriously high-quality regatta all round.

Cruising

Pure 42: Aluminum Muscle for Serious Miles (10 min read)
Germany just launched its first production-series aluminum cruiser, and it’s anything but a tank. The Pure 42 pairs a lightweight alloy hull with a hydraulic lifting keel that goes from skinny-water cruising to three-meter upwind weapon mode. Think 12-plus knots, twin rudders, deck-saloon visibility, and an interior built to survive real ocean miles. It’s fast, clever, repairable anywhere, and unapologetically niche. Pricey, yes. But this is aluminum done with intent.

Best Yachts of 2026: The European Yacht of the Year 2026 Winners (9 min read)
Boot Düsseldorf fired the starting gun for boatshow season by crowning the European Yacht of the Year 2026 winners, picked after 12 judges sea-trialled 21 new designs. Highlights: the Pure 42 took Best Bluewater Cruiser, proving aluminum can be quick and seriously refined, not just “go-anywhere tough.” The Dragonfly 36 won Performance Multihull (yes, the folding trimaran is still the chaos gremlin of speed), while the Beneteau First 30 snagged Performance Monohull by making planing fun feel vaguely affordable.

Tech & Gear

Latest lithium-ion battery installation advice that every boat owner needs to know (10 min read)
Lithium on a boat is awesome right up until it tries to turn your battery locker into a toxic gas cannon. This piece hammers home that “thermal runaway” is heat and vapour first, fire second, so ventilation and smart battery placement (not under berths, not venting into cabins) really matter. A BMS helps, but it won’t stop a runaway once it starts, especially with older cells. Skip repurposed EV packs, avoid “drop-in” complacency, and add real monitoring plus alarms you can’t ignore.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

SailGP 2026 kicked off in Perth with instant chaos as the Black Foils were wiped out less than two minutes into Race 1 after a heavy port-starboard collision with Switzerland. Pete Burling narrowly avoided serious injury and was clearly rattled, but New Zealand still copped the penalty, a call that’s already stirring debate in the paddock. While two boats were sidelined, the racing stayed wild, with the USA, France, and Sweden ending Day 1 locked on points. Brutal breeze, bold starts, and controversy straight out of the gate.