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Sailing News for February 11, 2026

Auckland is set for one of the most stacked SailGP weekends yet with all 13 F50s expected on the start line for the first time, France’s rolling starts shaking up strategy, Burling chasing redemption at home, and Slingsby’s crew under pressure in what looks like a punchy Waitematā forecast. Off the water, Germany’s SailGP team adds heavyweight investors to its ownership group as the league’s commercial arms race keeps accelerating, while Emirates Team New Zealand quietly rolls out an upgraded AC75 back into the shed, trimmed for the new crew rules and already eyeing Naples 2027. Cruising perspective comes from a £1 Sea Dog 30 that just completed a 6,000-mile solo Atlantic circuit on stubborn grit and simple systems, and foiling heads get their fix with Gitana 18 pushing 100-foot trimaran design into full sci-fi territory and a Flyte prototype popping cleanly onto the foils in early multicam tests. Fast, ambitious, and slightly unhinged in all the right ways.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

5 Things You Need To Know About The Auckland Sail Grand Prix (4 min read)
Auckland’s about to get loud. For the first time ever, all 13 F50s should hit the start line after a massive repair job gets the Kiwis back in action, which means tighter racing and zero breathing room. France’s rolling start strategy is turning heads, Burling wants payback on home water, and Slingsby’s crew won’t roll over. Add a few Olympic “super subs” on standby and a punchy Waitematā forecast, and Valentine’s weekend just got properly spicy.

Global sports heavyweights join Germany SailGP Team ownership group (3 min read)
Germany’s SailGP team just added some serious financial muscle. David Blitzer’s Bolt family office and Blue Pool Capital have joined as minority owners, teaming up with Thomas Riedel and F1 legend Sebastian Vettel. The squad, driven by double Olympic medalist Erik Heil, grabbed its first event win in Geneva last season and clearly isn’t thinking small. With fresh backing and a 13-boat league heating up, Germany’s aiming to be more than just midfield noise.

America’s Cup: An upgraded Emirates Team NZ’s AC75 returns to the team base (3 min read)
Emirates Team New Zealand just rolled their AC75 Taihoro back into the Wynyard Quarter shed after a hush-hush refit, and she’s been properly sharpened. The 37th Cup winner has been reworked to fit the new five-sailor rule, trimmed down inside, and even gained a wild “Guest Racer” pod for brave VIPs. Next stop is on-water testing in Auckland before the road to Naples 2027 kicks off. The Cup cycle never sleeps, and neither do the boatbuilders.

Cruising

6,000 miles solo in a £1 boat: lessons learned from an Atlantic Circuit (15 min read)
A 66-year-old sailor buys a blown-up Sea Dog 30 for £1, spends less than £4,800 getting her seaworthy, then sails 6,000 miles solo to the Caribbean and back. Along the way he fixes a split exhaust with a melted water bottle, survives Biscay curve balls, breaks his toes mid-Atlantic, and still calls it enjoyable. No fancy kit, no big budget, just grit, a Hydrovane, and a stubborn belief that simple, heavy boats can go anywhere. Honestly, it makes your excuse list look weak.

Foiling

The smartest boat ever built? 500 sensors, custom autopilots, and the future of foiling (13 min read)
Gitana 18 is a 100ft trimaran that looks like it escaped from a sci-fi lab and might fly at 55 knots. It packs 500 sensors, canting Y-foils with adjustable flaps, wild U-shaped rudders no one’s ever built before, and a custom autopilot that “sails” in 3D like a human helm. The mast bends on command, the central T-foil is metal to survive ocean abuse, and the goal is 40-knot averages around the planet. Not just fast. Properly unhinged.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

The Flyte pre-release prototype just got a proper shakedown on Attersee, and yep, it flies. In this first-look sail, the boat pops onto the foils, accelerates cleanly, and looks seriously composed for an early version. The test pilot usually sails Ynglings and A-Cats, so the grin says a lot. Light, twitchy, fast, and very 2026, this thing feels like a compact foiling cat built to hook sailors instantly. Keep an eye on it.