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24 hours of sailing news in 5 minutes.
Sailing News for January 28, 2026
SailGP is heading to Valencia for the first time on a multi-year deal starting in 2026, giving the U.S. SailGP Team and the rest of the fleet a proven, high-energy venue with reliable breeze and a city that knows elite sailing, while behind the scenes SailGP Technologies races the clock to repair the Black Foils’ battered F50 in time for Auckland after a heavy Perth collision. Inshore and offshore racing offer contrasting rhythms, from the slow-burn tactical grind of Seattle’s Round-the-County to recognition for scoring expert Huw Pearce, whose quiet work keeps regattas running smoothly worldwide. Cruising sailors get both ends of the seamanship spectrum with a classic sawdust trick for slowing wooden boat leaks and a gripping first-person account of abandoning a flooding catamaran offshore, while the day rounds out with a new SeaPeople and Doyle Sails partnership and a standout video chat with Glenn Ashby on going from farm chores to racing an F50 with almost no notice.
Sail GP/America’s Cup
U.S. SailGP Team Set For Maiden Visit To Valencia In September (3 min read)
SailGP is heading to Valencia for the first time, and it’s not a one-off. The U.S. team swaps Cádiz for Spain’s east coast as Valencia joins the calendar on a three-year deal starting September 5–6, 2026. Think proven breeze, race-ready waters, and a city that knows big-time sailing. Spain’s fresh SailGP title only adds fuel. New venue, familiar intensity, and a crowd that should bring serious noise.
SailGP Confirms Long-Term Commitment with Valencia (3 min read)
Valencia is officially locked in as a SailGP venue through 2028, with its debut Spain Sail Grand Prix set for September 5–6, 2026. The move shifts SailGP from Cádiz to Spain’s east coast, betting on reliable breeze, race-friendly waters, and a city with deep sailing roots. Sir Russell Coutts likes the multi-year stability, Diego Botín loves the homecoming vibe, and tickets drop in February. New city, same foiling chaos.
SailGP Technologies confident of Black Foils return in race to complete biggest ever repair (4 min read)
The Black Foils’ F50 got absolutely walloped in Perth after a high-speed tango with Switzerland, and the port hull paid the price. Now SailGP Technologies is basically doing composite surgery at sprint pace: new bulkhead work, new hull/deck/stern bits, plus steering components, built in Southampton and flown to Auckland. They say the core structure survived, so it’s repair not replacement, but it’s still “Brazil repair on steroids.” Clock’s ticking, confidence is high, and the home crowd wants a boat to cheer.
Inshore & Offshore Racing
The Allure and Agony of Seattle’s Round-the-County (6 min read)
Round the County is peak Pacific Northwest distance racing: stunning scenery, brutal currents, and long stretches of absolutely nothing happening. David Schmidt drops you onboard Ripple for a two-day slog through the San Juans, where success is measured in “10-minute victories” and finishing at all is optional. One day is glassy, the next delivers just enough breeze to tease you. Equal parts patience test, tactical puzzle, and dockside reunion. Hard sailing, great vibes, no rain.
Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing
RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award for Scoring Expert Huw Pearce (4 min read)
Behind every smooth regatta is someone buried in results spreadsheets, and this one’s for them. Huw Pearce just picked up an RYA Cymru Wales Impact Award for two decades of quietly powering Sailwave, the free scoring software used from club races to world championships. He rewrote the user guide, trains scorers worldwide, and still shows up early and leaves last. Proof that race wins are fleeting, but good scoring legends are forever.
Cruising
Using Sawdust to Plug Leaks on Wooden Boats (5 min read)
Wooden boats leak after launch. It’s normal, messy, and briefly alarming. This classic trick shows how fine sawdust can be used to slow leaks while dried planks swell back up. Toss it in the water and let suction do the work, or get precise with a perforated tin under the seam. It’s not a fix, just a clever pause button. Old-school, slightly weird, and still surprisingly effective if you know what you’re doing.
ABANDONING MAGIC BUS: First Person Viewpoint by Crew Member Dylan Flack (14 min read)
Five crew, a November gale, and a 54-foot cat suddenly filling up 280 miles off North Carolina. Pumps, buckets, and some very creative plumbing buy time until a jibsheet failure and dead engines leave them broadside in 50-knot chaos, so they launch the liferaft and call it. The Coast Guard pulls off a long-range helo rescue with a refuel stop, drops supplies, and even lands them on an aircraft carrier. Later photos suggest the port rudder skeg tore off, leaving a gaping hole below the waterline.
Tech & Gear
SeaPeople x Doyle Sails Partnership (4 min read)
SeaPeople and Doyle Sails are teaming up for 2026, linking one of sailing’s biggest sailmaking names with a fast-growing digital logbook app. Doyle becomes SeaPeople’s official sailmaker, while SeaPeople plugs in as Doyle’s digital logbook partner. The deal brings in-app access to Doyle lofts worldwide, plus new “Doyle Days” challenges that reward actually going sailing. Think Strava-for-boating vibes, backed by serious sailmaking pedigree.
Sailing Highlight of the Day
Glenn Ashby was literally feeding cows when Tom Slingsby rang asking if he could jump on an F50 the next morning. A red-eye flight, two practice starts, and suddenly he’s racing SailGP in Perth as Australia’s emergency sub. Ashby breaks down the brutal physical toll, information overload, and “supercharged” pace of F50 racing, then casually pivots to reuniting with Darren Bundock for the F18 Worlds. From farm chores to foiling chaos, no warm-up required.