24 hours of sailing news in 5 minutes.

Sailing News for January 05, 2026

The 80th Sydney Hobart rewarded preparation and durability, with Doyle powered teams delivering standout results across line honours and handicap divisions in a race that punished mistakes. Reflections on seamanship highlighted judgement, communication, and respect under pressure, while the return of the Race Around Australia signaled serious ambition in offshore sailing. From maxis to foilers, performance and purpose were both on display.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Doyle-Powered Teams Shine at the 80th Rolex Sydney to Hobart (6 min read)
The 80th Sydney to Hobart was brutal, and Doyle-powered teams thrived in the carnage. Christian Beck’s LawConnect fought through damage to take second on line honours, while Cyan Moon scored a huge double with 1st Overall and Division 2 on PHS. Callisto won IRC Division 1 after a classic, punishing Hobart, and Bacchanal topped IRC Division 4. From maxis to double-handers, this was a masterclass in preparation, durability, and keeping boats moving when others broke.

Why seamanship is more than just the mastery of sailing – Nikki Henderson (5 min read)
Nikki Henderson argues that seamanship isn’t just about boat handling, it’s about judgement, character, and how you treat others on and off the water. A calm call at a crowded start line during the Rolex Middle Sea Race becomes a masterclass in respect under pressure. Skill still matters most, but reputation, communication, and courtesy now count too. In modern sailing, true seamanship is earned as much by behavior as by boat speed.

Race Around Australia returns forty years on from Bicentennial (5 min read)
The Race Around Australia is officially back, and it’s every bit as big and bold as it sounds. Launching in 2028, this doublehanded epic will cover 7,000 nautical miles around the continent, with five legs, four stopovers, and everything from tropical trades to the roaring forties. Inspired by the legendary 1988 Bicentennial Race, it blends serious adventure with modern safety standards and live tracking. Two sailors, one boat, three oceans, zero shortcuts.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

2026 ILCA Oceania & Australian Open & Youth Championship – Day 2 (5 min read)
Day 2 in Hobart delivered classic Derwent racing and plenty of drama. Hungary’s Maria Erdi leads the ILCA 6 after a wild day of recalls, black flags, and razor-thin margins, with women filling the entire top eight. In the ILCA 7s, Matt Wearn still leads, but Finn Lynch lit things up with two bullets to jump into second. Meanwhile, the ILCA 4 fleet is buzzing, stacked with talent and big future energy.

Cruising

The Excess Spirit (6 min read)
The new Excess 13 is basically a VW Bus for sailors, simple, sporty, and built to go a long way without fuss. Aimed squarely at younger, hands-on cruisers, it ditches floating-apartment vibes for light weight, clean design, and legit sailing performance. The interior goes full “less is more,” with smart storage, cork finishes, and loads of airflow instead of AC dependence. Fast, fun, and refreshingly un-fussy, this is a cruising cat that actually wants to sail.

Foiling

2025 Boat of the Year Best Foiler: BirdyFish S (6 min read)
The BirdyFish S just proved foiling doesn’t have to be terrifying. This scow-hulled, singlehanded foiler pops up smoothly, stays stable at rest, and lets first-timers fly within minutes. Reefable sail, preset rudder, forgiving crash-downs, and zero snorkel required make it wildly approachable. Fast when pushed, chill when not, it’s stress-free foiling that actually delivers on the promise. No wonder it took Boat of the Year honors.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Sodebo is absolutely flying around the planet and the numbers are getting ridiculous. After smashing the equator crossing record, Thomas Coville’s team has kept the hammer down, setting new benchmarks to Cape of Good Hope and now Cape Leeuwin. Averaging over 32 knots deep in the Southern Ocean, they’re trading speed for iceberg risk while still staying ahead of IDEC Sport’s reference time. If the Pacific plays nice, the Jules Verne Trophy is very much on the table.