After 45 years of trying, Paul Cayard finally captured the Bacardi Cup alongside Frithjof Kleen in the fiercely competitive Star fleet on Biscayne Bay, winning on consistency with just 11 points while Robert Scheidt and Austin Sperry finished a single point behind and Mateusz Kusznierewicz with Bruno Prada completed a podium sweep for Doyle sails. In inland racing, Nick “The Colonel” Craig dominated the OK Dinghy Travellers Series opener at Burghfield, winning seven of eight sprint races in classic shifty lake conditions while Roger Tushingham fought back from an early OCS to take second and 86 year old Alan Atkin even threatened the fleet at times. The spotlight story goes offshore where veteran sailor Pete Hill survived a brutal Tasman Sea passage aboard his junk rigged catamaran China Moon after losing steering, destroying two drogues and climbing the mast in heavy weather to clear a jammed sail before finally reaching New Zealand, proving once again that seamanship and stubborn grit still matter when the ocean decides to test you. Meanwhile the next America’s Cup campaign is already stirring as Emirates Team New Zealand’s rebuilt AC75 Taihoro returns to the water in Auckland, marking the real beginning of the push toward the 2027 Cup.

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.

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.

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.

The United States is back on the top step in SailGP after Taylor Canfield’s crew bossed the start, owned Mark One and controlled the Sydney final to beat Emirates GBR and Spain for their first win since 2023, while Australia shockingly missed the three-boat showdown on home water. Offshore, the RORC Caribbean 600 proved worthy of the hype with Leopard 3 claiming overall IRC honors, Black Jack 100 taking monohull line honors after a heavyweight duel, and MOD70 Argo edging Final Final by minutes in a 36-hour blast that also included a sobering Class40 rescue. In winter dinghy land, Sam and Benjamin Pascoe’s Sailjuice campaign mixed swims, light-air frustration and real progress, capped by a win at Oxford Blue and a young helm already eyeing something faster. Shoreside, Ballard Sails’ move to Doyle Sails Seattle plugs Pacific Northwest sailors into a global design network without losing local know-how. Big wins, tight margins and momentum shifting fast.

The United States is back on the top step in SailGP after Taylor Canfield’s crew bossed the start, owned Mark One and controlled the Sydney final to beat Emirates GBR and Spain for their first win since 2023, while Australia shockingly missed the three-boat showdown on home water. Offshore, the RORC Caribbean 600 proved worthy of the hype with Leopard 3 claiming overall IRC honors, Black Jack 100 taking monohull line honors after a heavyweight duel, and MOD70 Argo edging Final Final by minutes in a 36-hour blast that also included a sobering Class40 rescue. In winter dinghy land, Sam and Benjamin Pascoe’s Sailjuice campaign mixed swims, light-air frustration and real progress, capped by a win at Oxford Blue and a young helm already eyeing something faster. Shoreside, Ballard Sails’ move to Doyle Sails Seattle plugs Pacific Northwest sailors into a global design network without losing local know-how. Big wins, tight margins and momentum shifting fast.

Sydney’s SailGP start line will look a little less crowded with New Zealand and France sidelined after the Auckland crash, the investigation confirming it was a brutal gust and foil ventilation at 90 km/h rather than hardware failure, while Tom Slingsby’s Flying Roos lean into trust and tight teamwork as their edge heading into home waters. Offshore, Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier pushed their Class40 scow CREDIT MUTUEL around Cape Horn in the GLOBE40, a milestone lap that proves the latest generation can handle the deep south, and in the Caribbean the 100 footers delivered a classic as Black Jack 100 edged Leopard 3 for monohull line honours in one of the closest finishes the RORC 600 has seen. Ashore, the used boat market refuses to blink, with tight 40 to 60 foot inventory and strong prices rewarding sellers with clean paperwork rather than bargain hunters, while Hyde Sails locked in the full wardrobe for the new Clipper RX fleet built to survive 45,000 miles of punishment. High speed, hard miles and margins measured in seconds.

Sydney Harbour is next on the SailGP calendar with racing set for 5:30pm AEDT both days, which means late-night coffee for U.S. fans as Tom Slingsby hunts another home win and the U.S. crew looks to keep building momentum, while the official investigation into Auckland confirmed the NZL–FRA crash came down to a gust, foil ventilation and physics at 49 knots rather than system failure. Offshore, Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo scorched around the RORC Caribbean 600 in just over a day and a half with Final Final barely a mile behind after 600 miles of tradewind blast reaching, and in Mallorca the British Dragon fleet carried strong form onto the Copa del Mediterráneo podium. Youth sailing delivered its own wins with the Hardy Cup marking 25 years of launching match racing talent and Sea Scouts proving a week without phones still hooks the next generation, while cruisers get a timely reminder that proper rig tuning matters. And if you need pure horsepower to finish, Palm Beach XI’s new C-foils just helped the 100 footer touch 29 knots in a Sydney nor’easter, bow high and very much flying the big boat flag.

Sydney Harbour is next on the SailGP calendar with racing set for 5:30pm AEDT both days, which means late-night coffee for U.S. fans as Tom Slingsby hunts another home win and the U.S. crew looks to keep building momentum, while the official investigation into Auckland confirmed the NZL–FRA crash came down to a gust, foil ventilation and physics at 49 knots rather than system failure. Offshore, Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo scorched around the RORC Caribbean 600 in just over a day and a half with Final Final barely a mile behind after 600 miles of tradewind blast reaching, and in Mallorca the British Dragon fleet carried strong form onto the Copa del Mediterráneo podium. Youth sailing delivered its own wins with the Hardy Cup marking 25 years of launching match racing talent and Sea Scouts proving a week without phones still hooks the next generation, while cruisers get a timely reminder that proper rig tuning matters. And if you need pure horsepower to finish, Palm Beach XI’s new C-foils just helped the 100 footer touch 29 knots in a Sydney nor’easter, bow high and very much flying the big boat flag.

Long Beach is gearing up for high-stakes match racing as the 2026 Ficker Cup announces a stacked lineup with Congressional Cup spots on the line, while Sydney Harbour’s 18ft Skiff scene continues to hum with Yandoo wrapping up the Club Championship and firing a warning shot ahead of the JJ Giltinan Worlds. Offshore sailing delivered something far more sobering with the unforgettable final voyage of Magic Bus, a routine delivery that turned into a middle-of-the-night life raft rescue 280 miles offshore. Shoreside, nearly 9,000 sailors packed the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show to kickstart the season, and in Brisbane Brendan Casey set the early pace at the Finn World Masters against a massive fleet. The future looks bright too, with a first-ever Northern Territory sailor breaking into the Australian Youth Squad, and the RORC Caribbean 600 preview promising maxis, MOD70s and tradewind chaos around Antigua in what should be another full-send edition.

Sydney Harbour’s SailGP history reads like a highlight reel of capsizes, comebacks and heartbreak, and with two teams sidelined after Auckland the 2025 edition already feels wide open, while across the Pacific the Helly Hansen Sailing World Regatta Series in St. Pete flipped from light-air frustration to 25-knot fireworks with tight one-point wins and full-send downwind legs. Winter grit was on display at Medway RC as short, punchy Laser races in 20-plus knots reshuffled the leaderboard in a matter of minutes, and in Brisbane Alessandro Marega made history as the first Italian to win the Finn Gold Cup after a nerve-shredding final day. Cruisers get a dose of inspiration with the 21ft Kite proving classic looks can still move and the Excess 13 showing that performance and comfort can finally coexist in a production cat, before the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race update reminds everyone what long-haul amateur ocean racing really looks like when sleep is optional and the miles just keep coming.

Youth sailing stole the spotlight in Valencia as France’s Alexandre Mostini and Raphaël Allain dominated the 29er Eurocup with a flawless scoreline in big breeze, while San Diego’s Women’s Winter Invitational once again proved that high-level competition and an inclusive atmosphere can thrive on the same start line. Grassroots seamanship gets its moment with a detailed, no-nonsense guide to building a laminated wooden tiller that actually fits the boat and the helm, reminding us that good sailing often starts in the workshop. For those who like their boats loud and airborne, a look back at the Superfoiler revisits one of the boldest, fastest, and most chaotic foiling projects ever launched, and the day closes with the U.S. SailGP Team showing in Auckland that when they start clean and trust the process, they can fight their way straight to the front.