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Scuttlebutt Sailing News

major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.

  1. Learning from the ‘near-miss’

    by Nikki Henderson, Yachting World Back in December, I reminded myself what ‘too close for comfort’ feels like. After 18 days at sea, my crew and I finished an Atlantic crossing and parked up in Rodney Bay, St Lucia, with around 5 litres of usable diesel left – barely a couple of hours run time [&hellip

  2. Filling the void left by US Sailing

    The 2028 Olympic Games are in the USA, which presents a massive opportunity for the nation. While a successful US Olympic Sailing Program is a priority for new President Henry Brauer, execution remains in question. Dean Brenner, who led the program for the 2008 and 2012 Games, shares his thoughts in this essay:

    I was pleased to hear the news of the launch of Project Podium, led by America1 Racing, Sailing Foundation of New York, The Schoonmaker Foundation, American Magic, and Oakcliff Sailing. This is a significant development for the top Olympic Sailing athletes in our country. The support is significant, targeted, and long overdue.

    Project Podium was constructed by a strong group of business leaders and sailors who understand what is required for success. And the organizations behind Project Podium have come together to form a powerful partnership that our sport desperately needs if we are going to return to relevance in the world of Olympic Sailing.

    These nine athletes will be fully funded through the next Games, including modest salaries, so that they can eliminate all distractions and fully focus on being the best sailors they can be.

    Without this level of support, the 18–24-year-old athletes - who tend to make up our program - have a massive uphill battle, unless of course they come from significant wealth and can afford to fund a program themselves. Project Podium levels that part of the playing field.

    The world of Olympic Sailing has continued to change dramatically, in several key ways, over the last 15-20 years. It has always been a tough game. But as with all highly competitive arenas, the bar keeps getting raised. In Olympic sailing, the need for a hyper-focused effort has done nothing but increase.

    Success requires resources, of course — money, time, equipment, personnel. That’s always been true. But success also now requires a deep, dedicated focus on the most important tasks, day in and day out, week after week, month after month, year after year. Any energy spent on anything not related to Olympic success is a waste, a distraction, and ultimately a road block.

    Success requires intense focus and a relentless elimination of distractions. The people behind Project Podium understand this, and have followed a model that exists in other US Olympic sports, as well as in other countries. - Read on

  3. First woman to lead International Olympic Committee

    (March 20, 2025) – Kirsty Coventry has been elected the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee. The 41-year-old Zimbabwean was chosen in a secret ballot of seven candidates at the 144th IOC Session being held in Costa Navarino, Greece for an eight-year term of office. President-elect Coventry replaces outgoing President Thomas Bach, who was [&hellip

  4. SailGP: Danish damage too extensive

    It is never good to hit marks, and especially not good for the SailGP teams this season. With the change to T-foil daggerboards that extend outboard of the hull, the Danish passed too closely to a mark during the Los Angeles event, and the significant foil damage kept them from racing.

    The team got more bad news that the damage sustained in Los Angeles was deemed too extensive to repair in time for the San Francisco event on March 22-23. The collision damaged the F50's foil and casing, and caused significant structural damage to the port hull. - Full report

  5. New challenge for Francesca Clapcich

    Francesca Clapcich, two-time Olympian and on 11th Hour Racing Team when they won The Ocean Race 2022-23, has launched her campaign for the 2028-29 Vendée Globe. Using the 60-foot IMOCA, the Italian-American will take on this elite offshore race held every four years.

    While her announcement claims she will become the first person in the world to compete in the Olympics, America’s Cup, The Ocean Race, and Vendée Globe, she has yet to compete in the America's Cup, though was on the USA team that did not qualify for the 2024 Women's America's Cup. So much for the snappy sound bite. Here's the update:

    Francesca Clapcich, along with her Title Sponsor 11th Hour Racing, have announced their ambition to see the Italian American on the start line of the 2028 Vendée Globe. The race has a formidable reputation - solo, non-stop around the world and is seen as the pinnacle of solo offshore yacht racing.

    Team Francesca Clapcich Powered By 11th Hour Racing will purchase Malizia-Seaexplorer, the 60-foot IMOCA race boat that Boris Herrmann has just sailed around the world in the 2024-25 Vendée Globe. Clapcich will set up the team’s base in Lorient, France, the home of offshore yacht racing, alongside Herrmann’s Team Malizia, which will act as Technical Partner for the new campaign. - Full report

  6. VIDEO: 2025 RORC Caribbean 600

    The 2025 RORC Caribbean 600 brought together a world-class fleet for one of the most challenging and exhilarating offshore races on the calendar. A 600-mile course weaving through 11 stunning Caribbean islands, with record-breaking Maxis, professionally crewed teams, and Corinthian sailors lining up on the same start line. Watch the full story of the 16th [&hellip

  7. Keys to the personal safety kit

    A successful rescue is always rooted in preparation which George Day has us thinking about in this report for the Cruising Compass: We’re soon going to be in the spring and early summer migration and offshore event season so our thoughts turn to the gear we’ll need to be safe out there. We’ll need the [&hellip

  8. Curmudgeon’s Observation

    You know you’re old when it takes a couple of tries to get over a speed bump. Providing wisdom since 1997, the Curmudgeon’s Observation has been a hallmark of the Scuttlebutt Newsletter which delivers a digest of major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk…with a North American focus. For newsletter information: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/newsletter-read-or-subscribe

  9. About 50% fun and 50% racing

    by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
    It was the 1970s when I witnessed the early days of windsurfing as Hoyle and Diane Schweitzer cajoled their beach buddies to race boards in Marina del Rey, CA. Their nearby factory soon energized this newly created segment of the sport, and us kids got to experience the best way to learn sailing. These were exciting times.

    But soon equipment development would focus on high speed and wave sailing, and high-performance windsurfing got all the attention. This soon killed off the flat water one design crowd, and when the constant cost of ‘new and improved’ equipment exceeded the fun, the elite end of the sport faded too.

    Such was an example of my mantra, “We are capable of evolving toward extinction.”

    But over time the mood had changed, and with so many parts of the sport going off the rails, the Windsurfer LT brand launched an updated version of the original in 2018. It has since been on a roll, first gaining traction in eastern USA, with the vibe now returning to the west where it all began. - Full report

  10. Five Tips: Pro guide to weather routing

    Whether you’re preparing for a race or even just a leg of a longer race, there’s always a process for planning your routing, says professional navigator Simon ‘Si Fi’ Fisher. “I’ll start looking at the forecast and the different weather models about five to six days out from the start. It’s vital to do some [&hellip
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