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Sailing News for July 30, 2025

This issue is packed with milestones and momentum. Elodie Bonafous just became the first woman skipper to win Fastnet in an IMOCA, capping a fierce offshore duel. Over in SailGP, Andrew Campbell is guiding Team USA through growing pains while Perth gears up for a stadium sailing spectacle. Meanwhile, foiling giants steal the spotlight as Banque Populaire XI gets an onboard reveal and Loch Ryan preps for high-speed action. We also honor Olympic dreams deferred, hear wild tales from a DIY charter skipper, and settle the debate over mainsheet traveller placement.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

Andrew Campbell: ‘I’m Here To Empower Everyone To Do Their Job Better’ (6 min read)
Andrew Campbell cut short his family vacation to rejoin the U.S. SailGP Team in Portsmouth, stepping in as the experienced hand on a still-green squad. With tech issues sidelining the team for two races, Campbell’s real impact came off the water. He’s focused on sharing wisdom, easing pressure, and helping the team connect the dots. He’s not chasing glory this time. He’s chasing cohesion. And if anyone can turn quiet conversations into fast sailing, it’s this guy.

“We need to acknowledge the milestones”: Brazil driver Grael positive after tricky outing in Portsmouth (4 min read)
Brazil’s SailGP squad hit a rough patch in Portsmouth, finishing ninth after a strong fourth in New York, but skipper Martine Grael isn’t losing sleep. She’s urging the team to celebrate the progress they’ve made since joining the league this season. Portsmouth’s sharp course threw them off, but with five events to go, it’s all about learning fast and staying optimistic. Grael’s keeping the vibes positive and the data analysts busy.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

France’s Bonafous becomes first woman skipper to win Fastnet in an IMOCA (2 min read)
History made. Elodie Bonafous just became the first woman to skipper an IMOCA to victory in the Rolex Fastnet Race, beating offshore legend Jérémie Beyou by just seven minutes. Her win aboard the brand-new Petits Princes–Queguiner, with Yann Eliès as co-skipper, caps off a brutal two-day duel in the world’s biggest offshore fleet. It’s fast, it’s fierce, and it’s a major milestone for women in offshore racing.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

Sailing’s Lost Olympic Dream – Honouring the 1980 Yachting Team (6 min read)
In 1980, twelve Australian sailors were Olympic-bound with boats packed and dreams intact, until the Moscow Games boycott shut it all down. Politics overruled sport, and while some athletes still went, sailing was left ashore. Now, 45 years later, those sidelined sailors are finally being recognized. This is a story of ambition, heartbreak, and long-overdue respect for a team that trained like Olympians because they were. They just never got their race.

Cruising

Confessions of a DIY Charter Skipper (7 min read)
Roger Hughes went from first-time charter guest to full-time skipper, learning the hard way that running your own charter is equal parts adventure and absurdity. From overboard guests in soggy ponchos to tangled drunks in Moroccan robes, clogged heads, and solar showers off the mast, it’s all here. His wild stories from the early days of Mediterranean chartering are funny, messy, and totally human. The boats are fancier now, but the sea still has its own way of calling the shots.

Tech & Gear

Should I move the mainsheet traveller? (5 min read)
Annoyed that the mainsheet traveller is hogging your cockpit? You’re not alone, but before you break out the drill, read this. OneSails’ Wilf Chaplin and surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies explain why moving it forward could wreck your trim, mess with the boom, or even damage the deck if you’re not careful. That “in-the-way” traveller might actually be right where it belongs. Sometimes, the boat’s design knows better than your knees do.

Foiling

Inside a Foiling Giant: An Onboard Tour of Ultime Banque Populaire XI (6 min read)
Step aboard Banque Populaire XI, the 100-foot foiling beast that just ripped through the Fastnet at 35 knots. Sam Goodchild gives us a rare tour, showing off the minimalist cockpit, hydraulic-powered everything, and a daggerboard flap system that fine-tunes the ride like a Formula 1 car. Tacks take muscle, sailing happens flat and fast, and even climbing out of the cabin is an aerodynamic puzzle. This isn’t a boat, it’s a flying machine disguised as a trimaran.

Another year of foiling fun set for Loch Ryan (4 min read)
The Scottish Fin and Foil Championships are back for a third year, bringing high-speed action to Loch Ryan from August 8 to 10. Expect windsurfers, wing foilers, hydrofoils, and now WASZPs tearing it up across the loch. With up to 100 competitors, daily races, and taster sessions for local kids, it’s part regatta, part festival. Throw in reliable breeze, scenic views, and a tight-knit volunteer crew, and you’ve got one of the UK’s most exciting wind-powered weekends.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Blackjack 100 survived a wild match race with Scallywag and held off late pressure to reach Cherbourg first in the big boat fleet, clocking 25 knots in the dark with water flying. Crosbie Lorimer catches up with crews dockside and breaks down shifting leaderboard drama, strong French showings in the Class 40s, and how this year is shaping up to be a small boat race. Also: surprise current tactics, rogue kanduras, and fast turnarounds as boats prep for the Sydney Hobart.