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Sailing News for March 04, 2026

Sydney’s SailGP fallout is still rippling through the fleet after the BONDS Flying Roos missed the Final for the first time on home water, with Tom Slingsby’s crew openly frustrated after a messy last race dumped them to tenth but still holding second overall as the circuit heads to Rio. Offshore, the Globe40 fleet delivered a proper milestone day as multiple teams rounded Cape Horn within hours of each other, turning the race south of the continent into a tight scrap while the sailors celebrated earning one of offshore sailing’s toughest badges. Back in the U.S., Gary Jobson’s frostbite campaign in Annapolis proved winter racing rewards the basics as his Sonar crew clawed from early struggles to finish just a point shy of the series win. The season also feels fully awake after a packed RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show and a flashy concours-winning dinghy stealing the spotlight, while cruisers keep dreaming big with routes linking the Bahamas, the Great Loop and beyond. And offshore bragging rights from the Caribbean 600 ultimately went to Leopard 3 on corrected time, showing once again that the cleanest race often beats the fastest boat.

Sail GP/America’s Cup

BONDS Flying Roos promise regroup after Sydney upset (3 min read)
The BONDS Flying Roos came into the Sydney Sail Grand Prix expecting another hometown win. Instead, light winds and messy decision-making knocked Tom Slingsby’s crew out of the Final for the first time ever in Sydney. A brutal last race and a 10th-place finish sealed their fate, leaving the team openly frustrated. The silver lining? They’re still sitting second in the season standings and already promising a deep debrief before SailGP heads to Rio. Expect a fired-up Aussie squad next time out.

Inshore & Offshore Racing

Getting Hotter As It Gets Colder (6 min read)
Gary Jobson jumped into Annapolis Yacht Club’s winter frostbite series with big hopes and immediately got humbled. Bad starts, cold hands, missing gear, the whole rookie package. Instead of sulking, he treated each race like a mini post-mortem. Better prep, warmer gloves, cleaner starts, and a simple rule to avoid pointless boat-to-boat fights slowly turned things around. By the end of the series his team was charging, finishing second overall and just one point shy of the win. Turns out the fastest upgrade was fixing the basics.

Globe40 – Cape Horn Day (2 min read)
Cape Horn delivered a big moment for the Globe40 fleet as six teams rounded the legendary landmark within a single dramatic day. CREDIT MUTUEL led the charge earlier, but the chasing pack blasted through the Horn within hours of each other, turning the leaderboard into a proper knife fight. Belgium Ocean Racing is charging hard and has already cut the leader’s advantage nearly in half. For the crews, though, the real prize is simpler. They’re now officially Cape Horners, one of offshore sailing’s toughest badges of honor.

Olympic Class/Dinghy Sailing

Shows, Spectating and Season Highlights (5 min read)
The UK sailing season basically fired its starting gun at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, and the place was packed. The standout? A jaw-dropping Hadron H2 dinghy covered in real gold and 312 diamonds that stole the Concours d’Elegance award. Meanwhile the sailing world keeps spinning: SailGP regrouping after Sydney, the wild 18ft Skiff Worlds about to kick off in Sydney Harbour, and the Bacardi Cup bringing Star class legends like Paul Cayard back into the spotlight. Basically, winter’s over and sailors everywhere are itching to get back on the water.

Cruising

Cruising the Great Loop: Whatever you decide, the ocean currents will help you on your way (9 min read)
Not every cruiser needs to beeline for Panama. This route heads the opposite way, starting in Mexico’s Yucatán, hopping to Florida and the Bahamas, then potentially tackling the legendary 5,200-mile Great Loop around the eastern U.S. Think reef anchorages, Maya ruins, swimming pigs in the Exumas, and eventually river systems and the Great Lakes. Some sailors do it in a year, others chip away over several seasons. Either way, the currents literally push you along, and the adventure gets bigger the farther north you go.

Tech & Gear

Doyle Sails expands presence in the Pacific Northwest with Doyle Sails Seattle (3 min read)
Ballard Sails in Seattle just leveled up by officially joining the Doyle Sails network, rebranding as Doyle Sails Seattle. The same crew is still running the loft, but now they’ve got the backing of Doyle’s global design team and tech. The shop at Shilshole Marina can handle everything from one-design repairs to full Grand Prix race sails, and they’re literally building a TP52 main in-house right now. For Pacific Northwest sailors, it means local sailmakers with serious global horsepower behind them.

Sailing Highlight of the Day

Leopard 3 just pulled off another Caribbean 600 win, grabbing overall victory on corrected time after 600 miles around 11 islands. Black Jack blasted across the line first, but Leopard’s clean, mistake-free race and some smart upgrades (new rudders, interceptor, and slicker sails) paid off under IRC. The crew kept it tidy the whole way, no gear failures, no major slipups. When the corrected times finally shook out, Leopard 3 had done it again, repeating their 2024 win and proving that consistency still beats raw speed.