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Sailing News for July 15, 2025

At just 16, Will Farnell is making waves with offshore miles and a cool head beyond his years. In the Caribbean, cruisers are hitting new walls with rising fees and red tape. Martine Grael grabs the spotlight with Brazil’s first SailGP race win and becomes the league’s first female driver to do it. Olympic contenders braved classic SoCal breeze in Long Beach, and the Botin 52 Caro is armed with top names and fresh sails for the Admiral’s Cup.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Doyle-Powered Caro Locked and Loaded for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup (4 min read)
After tearing up the Fastnet and Hobart races, Caro is back with a vengeance for the 2025 Admiral’s Cup. Backed by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and packing a brand-new Doyle sail inventory, this Botin 52 is prepped for anything the offshore gods throw its way. With names like Adrian Stead, Jules Salter and Ryan Godfrey on board, Caro isn’t just showing up to compete. She’s showing up to win. Keep an eye on this one in August.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

Long Beach Delivers Breeze and Battles on Day 2 of Olympic Classes Regatta (4 min read)
Day 2 at the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta turned it up a notch, with solid southwest breeze and gusts hitting 18 knots. Kiteboarders tore it up on smaller kites, the 470s got up close to shore, and the ILCA fleets leaned into textbook SoCal conditions. Bib-wearers now include GBR’s Hannah Snellgrove and NZL’s George Gautrey, but with top fives separated by just a few points, it’s game on through Tuesday. Beach vibes, Olympic-level pressure, and kites flying like it’s finals.

Youth Sailing/Development

Offshore at 16: Will Farnell Named ORCV Youth Sailor of the Year (5 min read)
Will Farnell isn’t your average 16-year-old. While most teens are just getting their learner’s permit, he’s logging offshore miles, crewing TP52s, and delivering boats like a pro. Raised on Wednesday night sails with his grandpa, Will has gone from cadet dinghies to double-handed Hobart ambitions with calm focus and steady grit. From asking to join a crew in passing to becoming a key part of serious campaigns, he’s living proof that curiosity and saying yes can take you a long way offshore.

Young Talent Shines at the 2025 Leiter Trophy (4 min read)
Twenty-eight rising stars hit the waters of Lake Michigan for the 2025 U.S. Junior Women’s Singlehanded Championship, mixing three days of pro coaching with two days of tough racing in ILCA 4 and 6. Maia Lim Laurie and Noelani Li took top honors, but everyone got a shot at tricky currents, light winds, and serious skill-building. No private coaches, just shared knowledge and all-girls camaraderie. Think regatta meets summer camp, with a side of grit and growth.

Cruising

The Caribbean Is Gorgeous, Bureaucratic, and Brutally Expensive (6 min read)
Dreaming of cruising the Caribbean? Bring sunscreen, patience, and a fat wallet. From $800 anchoring fees in Venezuela to $600 entry costs in the Bahamas, the region’s red tape is as tangled as its mangroves. Even checking in and out of some countries can cost hundreds or take days. Throw in fishing permits, AIS fines and overtime charges, and “freedom” starts looking pricey. The water’s still turquoise and the rum still flows, but paradise now comes with a receipt.

Lightning, Logs, and Nurse Sharks: A Hair-Raising Passage to Paradise (6 min read)
Sailing through Colombia and Panama in June sounds like a bad idea because it absolutely is. Charlotte DC and JP Baudains dodged river debris, electric storms and near-hull-smashing logs in a passage that pushed them and their yacht Jacqeau to the limit. But after days of chaos, they reached the Guna Yala Islands and found bliss: reef-fringed anchorages, homemade focaccia, and two nurse sharks named Simon and Garfunkel. The risk was real, but so was the reward.

Island Packet’s New 42 Motor Sailer Blends Comfort and Classic Style (4 min read)
Island Packet just dropped the 42 Motor Sailer, a cozy cruiser that mixes trawler-like comfort with real sailing chops. Think enclosed deckhouse helm, electric winches, and a rig you can actually handle from inside while staying dry. It motors at 8.5 knots and packs serious tankage for long hauls, but it still sails like an Island Packet should. If you want to cross oceans in slippers with a coffee in hand, this one’s aimed squarely at you.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Against swirling wind, fleet crashes and a canceled home event in Rio, Martine Grael led Brazil to its first ever SailGP fleet race victory in New York. It was also the first win ever for a female driver in the league. In just six events, Grael went from rookie to serious contender, taking down teams like Australia, Canada and Great Britain. She didn’t make the final this time, but the message is clear: when given the same tools, women can win at the very top of the sport. This was a big moment, and it will not be the last.