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Sailing News for September 16, 2025

Emirates GBR’s near-perfect flight stats sealed their Saint-Tropez SailGP win while Seb Schneiter eyes redemption as SailGP heads to Geneva. Offshore, Paul Meilhat and Biotherm claimed a career-defining Ocean Race Europe triumph, and the Globe40 fleet is blasting toward Cape Verde. Lake Garda hosted 212 sailors for an epic OK Dinghy Worlds opener, while Chicago preps for the Women’s Match Racing Worlds. Cruisers will love the Koropp family’s Tuamotu atoll adventures, and DIYers get a smart fix for lost in-mast halyards. And in San Francisco, the Rolex Big Boat Series delivered 20 knots, Bay Tours, and pure sailing spectacle.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

Data Dive: Saint-Tropez Sail Grand Prix (5 min read)
Emirates GBR walked away with the France Sail Grand Prix win after storms cut the weekend short, and the numbers show why. Dylan Fletcher’s crew flew 99 percent of the time, rode higher than anyone else, and nailed the shortest course in the fastest race of the day. Spain nearly cracked the 100 km/hr speed barrier with 99.9, while Red Bull Italy kept maneuvers to a minimum to snag their first fleet race victory. The stats prove Saint-Tropez was all about precision and pure pace.

Schneiter Eyes Redemption at Home Waters in Geneva (6 min read)
After finishing dead last in storm-shortened Saint-Tropez, Swiss skipper Seb Schneiter says the sting will fuel his team’s home debut in Geneva. Racing on Lake Geneva means tight courses, shifty winds, and the Alps as a backdrop, with the whole city turning out for a first-of-its-kind spectacle. The Swiss aren’t in the season title hunt, but Schneiter is clear: if they could win one event, this is it. Expect a fired-up team racing with nothing to lose in front of a hometown crowd.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Paul Meilhat and Biotherm Seal Ocean Race Europe Victory (5 min read)
Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm just owned the Ocean Race Europe, capping a 36-day, five-stage marathon with a dramatic queen-stage win into Montenegro. The leg had it all: capsizes, storms, wild comebacks, and Holcim PRB charging from 80 miles back to briefly lead. But Meilhat and crew stayed cool, fast, and ruthless, taking nine of eleven classifications overall. After years of setbacks and sponsor struggles, the French skipper finally gets his career-defining triumph, and the rest of the fleet is left chasing.

Globe40 Fleet Departs Cadiz for Cape Verde (6 min read)
After a festive send-off in Cadiz complete with drone shows and packed race village, the Globe40 fleet is now charging 1,500 miles south toward Cape Verde. The prologue showed the new-generation scow bows have the edge, but the pointed-nose Class40s are still snapping at their heels. Expect fast downwind surfing in the trades, tricky wind shadows near the Canaries, and plenty of lead changes. Adding heart to the adventure, crews are also carrying school supplies for children in storm-hit Mindelo, where the fleet will make landfall.

OK Dinghy Worlds Open with Wins for Craig, Mills, Flower and Edler (5 min read)
The OK Dinghy World Championship kicked off on Lake Garda with 212 sailors from 15 nations and near-perfect Ora breeze. Defending champ Nick Craig started strong with two wins, matched by fellow Brit Andrew Mills, while Canada’s Ben Flower and Sweden’s Niklas Edler also grabbed bullets. The level is sky-high with nearly all the world’s top-ranked sailors on the line, making every point count triple in the split fleets. Add pasta parties, beer, and Garda magic, and this is shaping into one epic week.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

All Set for Women’s Match Racing Worlds in Chicago (1 min read)
Chicago is about to host the 2025 Women’s Match Racing World Championship with twelve teams from seven nations lining up on Tom28s. The format is classic: round robin first, then knockouts to crown the champ. Local fans will be pulling for Nicole Breault and her all-American crew of Molly Vandemoer, Dana Hayes, McKenzie Wilson, and Hailey Thompson. Expect tight duels, quick tacks, and a lot of bow-to-bow drama on Lake Michigan starting September 17.

Cruising

Exploring the Tuamotu Atolls in French Polynesia (8 min read)
After eleven years circumnavigating, the Koropp family thought the Pacific would mark their grand finale, but the Tuamotu atolls gave them a fresh start. From deserted Amanu to wild Tahanea and festival-filled Fakarava, they found coral-ringed lagoons alive with manta rays, sharks, seabirds and culture. They snorkeled, dove, raced coconuts with locals, and shared lobster feasts under the stars. Remote, raw, and welcoming, the Tuamotus turned out to be less of a farewell and more of a reminder that adventure never really ends.

Tech & Gear

Re-reeving a Broken In-Mast Halyard (2 min read)
Losing a halyard inside your mast is every cruiser’s headache, but Steve Langton found a clever fix. Instead of a weight that kept snagging, he used a short length of stainless steel chain to snake past obstructions and pull a cord cleanly through. From there it is just a matter of tapering the join and hauling the new halyard back down. Simple, cheap, and proven on boats up to 50 feet, this is one to keep in your DIY toolkit.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

The 2025 Rolex Big Boat Series once again proved why it’s the crown jewel of U.S. keelboat racing. From blasting 20-knot breezes under the Golden Gate to a rare course out past Point Bonita, the fleet got a full tour of San Francisco Bay at its best. Crews raved about the heavy air, postcard scenery, and a Bay Tour that stole hearts. Seven bullets from the top team sealed the deal, capping a regatta that mixed grit, glamour, and a whole lot of spray flying off the rails.