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Sailing News for February 03, 2026

Perth marked a clear step forward for the U.S. SailGP Team as Taylor Canfield pointed to stronger boat handling, calmer recoveries, and real gains in breeze, even as software-driven starting issues highlighted where consistency still needs work ahead of Auckland. Off the racecourse, American Magic confirmed it is stepping away from the America’s Cup for now, choosing to redirect energy and funding into long-term high-performance development across Olympic, youth, and women’s sailing rather than another expensive Cup cycle. Handicap racing gets a hard look with renewed criticism of one-size-fits-all systems, while one-design racing ticks along in Adelaide as the Fireball Nationals open with shifty, demanding conditions. The offshore imagination is stretched to its limit by Andrew Bedwell’s plan to cross the Atlantic in a one-metre boat, practical safety questions are raised around electric winches and modern seamanship, and the day closes with a glimpse of experimental solar technology aboard Sailing Yacht Zero that shows how far sailors are willing to push energy innovation at sea.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

Taylor Canfield: We Made Big Gains in Perth, But There’s Work to Do (4 min read)
Taylor Canfield says Perth was a step forward for the U.S. SailGP Team, especially in breeze where training finally paid off and Saturday clicked. Sunday exposed the gaps, with starting issues traced to software numbers that looked better than reality, leaving the team late off the line. The upside? Solid boat handling, calm resets when things went sideways, and proof they can fight forward through the fleet. Encouraging progress, but consistency and cleaner starts are the next targets heading into Auckland.

American Magic Shifts From the Cup to Cultivation (5 min read)
American Magic is officially stepping back from the America’s Cup, calling time on AC38 after deciding the financial and governance model just doesn’t add up. Instead of burning cash in Naples, the team is refocusing on something closer to home: building a long-term high-performance sailing pipeline in the U.S. That means Olympic support, youth and women’s programs, and keeping their Pensacola base busy with boats, brains, and data. The Cup door isn’t slammed shut, but for now, development beats another roll of the dice.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

When Dissimilar Boats Meet (3 min read)
Steve Grillon pulls no punches on handicap racing, calling PHRF cheap, easy, and a big reason participation keeps sliding. He argues rating wildly different boats on the same course is fundamentally broken, rewarding the wrong designs and often masking poor sailing. ORC and ORR do better, but conditions still skew results, whether it’s dying breeze or long overnight slogs. His take? Blend Time-on-Time and Time-on-Distance, re-rate boats more aggressively, and stop pretending one-size-fits-all handicaps actually work.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

Fireball Australia National Championship – Day 1 (3 min read)
Day 1 in Adelaide served up shifty breezes, patience-testing delays, and two very different races for the Fireball fleet. After a full-fleet general recall, Race 1 went left and rewarded the pin, with newcomers Rain Forbes and Pat Di Stefano briefly stealing the show before John Heywood and Daniel George closed it out. Race 2 softened and got twitchy, demanding constant gear changes and sharp calls. Chris Dance and Chris Payne nailed the final gybe to grab the win, proving consistency will be everything this week.

Cruising

The World’s Smallest Boat? Andrew Bedwell’s 100cm Atlantic Record Attempt (7 min read)
Andrew Bedwell is getting ready to sail across the Atlantic in a boat just one metre long, because apparently normal challenges are boring. After his original boat was literally dropped and destroyed, he rebuilt Big C V2 from aluminium, squeezing in solar power, twin sails, storm survival systems, and just enough room to stretch his legs. It’s part engineering obsession, part stubborn grit, and fully unhinged in the best possible way. If he pulls it off, it’ll be one of the wildest ocean records out there.

Tech & Gear

Do We Need to Rethink Our Relationship With Electric Winches? (5 min read)
After a fatal accident involving an electric winch, Nikki Henderson asks an uncomfortable but necessary question: have power winches outpaced our training and awareness? They make sailing more accessible, but they also hide loads, speed up mistakes, and remove crucial feedback sailors rely on. The scary part is how normal they feel, often treated no differently than manual winches. Henderson argues it’s time for better training, clearer warnings, smarter design, and a cultural reset before convenience costs more lives.

Win the Ultimate Sailing and Data Tech: PredictWind DataHub + Pro Subscription (3 min read)
PredictWind is celebrating 15 years by giving away a seriously stacked prize: a DataHub and a 12-month Professional subscription worth over $1,000. Think high-res forecasts, wave and current models, AI polars, long-range AIS, offshore messaging, and live boat tracking even when you’re off grid. One grand prize winner gets the full setup, plus three runners-up score Pro subs. Free to enter, open worldwide, and the kind of kit that actually makes a difference offshore.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Sailing Yacht Zero is turning its coachroof into a floating energy lab, using cutting-edge PVT panels that generate both electricity and usable heat. Built with Mito Solar, the system captures solar heat, stores it in phase-change tanks, and even feeds an absorption chiller, all on just 100 square metres. It’s complex, experimental, and very much not plug-and-play. But if it works at sea, it could change how boats, and maybe buildings, think about solar power and wasted heat.