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Sailing News for December 12, 2025

Riptide Racing has signed its first partner as the new US challenger builds momentum toward a late America’s Cup entry in Naples. Ben Ainslie speaks frankly about funding pressures and the need for change to keep the Cup alive. Cruising brings a powerful solo circumnavigation story and a tough Boreal 56 review while tech explores how sound shapes modern outboards and Gitana 18 aims to reset offshore speed records.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

America’s Cup: New US Challenger signs first partnership agreement (2 min read)
The newest American America’s Cup hopeful just ticked a big early box. Chris Poole’s Riptide Racing has signed its first official partner, logistics heavyweight Pindar by Manuport, as it pushes toward a late entry for AC38 in Naples. The team is chasing roughly $30m to hit the January 31, 2026 deadline, with a $50m campaign target overall. It’s a serious first move, and a clear signal this US challenge wants to be taken seriously.

America’s Cup: At Home with the Ainslies – looking to the future (6 min read)
Ben Ainslie gets candid on Georgie Ainslie’s podcast, hinting he likely won’t sail in Naples but will stay deeply involved in both SailGP and the America’s Cup. He makes the case for the new America’s Cup Partnership as a necessary shake-up to keep the Cup commercially alive, even as teams like American Magic and Alinghi raise red flags. Athena Racing is underfunded, playing catch-up, and embracing the underdog role. Ainslie’s message is blunt: evolve fast, or the Cup fades away.

Cruising

Barry Perrins: ‘I bought the boat and lived the dream’ (5 min read)
At 68, Barry Perrins has just wrapped up a nine-year, 30,000-mile solo circumnavigation aboard his steel Van de Stadt sloop White Shadow. Former RNLI crew, accidental influencer, and full-time realist, Barry shares the highs, the fear, the sleep deprivation, and even performing minor surgery on himself at sea. From mantas in the Marquesas to crocs in Australia and a hero’s welcome home to Plymouth, this is cruising life without filters. Gritty, honest, and deeply human.

Boreal 56 review: Aluminium explorer yacht with a scow-influenced shape (5 min read)
Boreal took its already tank-tough aluminium explorer formula and gave it a scow-style snout, then proved it wasn’t just a fashion statement. The 56 keeps the centreboard + doghouse DNA, adds clever twin aft daggerboards for extra grip, and still dries out on that beefy keel “embryo” like it’s no big deal. In ugly North Sea slop it stayed quiet, controlled, and weirdly comfy, hitting 11.5 knots surfing under a furling gennaker. Not the most thrilling helm, but it feels built for the end of the world.

Tech & Gear

The Sound of Mercury (5 min read)
Mercury Marine doesn’t just build outboards, it tunes them like instruments. In this deep dive, sound engineer Andrew Waisanen explains how engine noise is shaped through intake design, exhaust tuning, mounts, materials, and even software. The goal is not just quieter, but better. Sporty when you want it, calm when you don’t. From dockside gear shifts to full-throttle runs, Mercury is obsessing over how an engine feels to your ears and your body. Sound, apparently, is performance too.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Gitana 18 isn’t just a new Ultim, it’s a full-send attempt to rewrite offshore speed records. Built in near secrecy after 50,000 design hours, the Edmond de Rothschild team is betting on constant foiling, even in big seas, with a claimed 10–15% performance jump over Gitana 17. If they’re right, expect broken 24-hour records, jaw-dropping averages, and a trimaran that flies when others back off. This thing isn’t incremental. It’s aiming for domination.