St. Pete-Clearwater to host The Ocean Race 2027
by David Schmidt
The Ocean Race 2027 route and stopover in St. Pete-Clearwater, Florida Time and distance have ways of playing with one's mind, especially when the most valuable currency—wind—can be such an unpredictable actor.
Posted on 24 Mar Jay Leon on his new role Velocitek's CEO
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Jay Leon about his new role as Velocitek's CEO On March 9, 2026, Velocitek named my friend Jay Leon, a longtime Seattle-based dinghy and big-boat sailor (and wing-foiling addict), as their new CEO. I pinged Leon, via email, to learn more about RTK GPS technology and his new role.
Posted on 24 Mar Angela Margolit on the GSC's St. Patrick's Regatta
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Angela Margolit on the Geechee Sailing Club's St. Patrick's Regatta Not every regatta enjoys the luck of the Irish, but then not every regatta endures long enough to reach its 47th edition. The Geechee Sailing Club, in beautiful Savannah, Georgia, seems to have plenty of the former.
Posted on 17 Mar MGR: Tiny boats, massive adventure
by David Schmidt
The MGR delivered big adventure aboard tiny boats There's something about tiny boats and massive oceans that stirs the heart. Take, for example, the Mini Globe Race 2025, a circumnavigation stage race that began on Sunday, February 23, 2025, on the waters off of Antigua, aboard 19-footers.
Posted on 10 Mar A Q&A on the Thistle Midwinters East Championship
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Tommy Glenn and Suzie Domagala on the 2026 Thistle Midwinters East Championship Some sailboat designs just look right, and in ways that sometimes portend future trends in yacht design. Such is the case with the Thistle, a 17-foot centerboard dinghy that was designed by Gorden “Sandy” Douglass in 1945.
Posted on 2 Mar Caribbean 600, MGR, Bacardi Winter Series
by David Schmidt
Trade-winds racing at the Caribbean 600 and Mini Globe Race, Miami buoy racing As the world adjusts its gaze from the Winter Olympics to non-quadrennial sports, and as the Northeast weathers yet more snowfall while many ski areas out West endure their worst season in years, the sailing world enjoys a world-class event.
Posted on 24 Feb Bill Johnsen on the Sarasota Bay Multihull Regatta
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Bill Johnsen on the 2026 Sarasota Bay Multihull Regatta Some things simply pair better than others, especially in the sometimes-frozen depths of February in North America. Forget about peanut butter and chocolate—we're talking about multihulls, racecourses, and Florida's warm and inviting waters.
Posted on 17 Feb Checking in on the Mini Globe Race
by David Schmidt
As the sailors prepare for their final challenge The Mini Globe Race began on February 23, 2025, off Antigua and saw a starting fleet of 15 singlehanded sailors from eight countries embark on a six-leg circumnavigation adventure aboard 19-foot one designs. It's now just 2,500 miles from the finish.
Posted on 10 Feb Jen Glass discusses Team Cascadia
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Jen Glass on Team Cascadia and the NYYC's Women's International Championships Cascadia Sailing is a cross-border American-Canadian team that earned one of 20 coveted invitations to the New York Yacht Club's Women's International Championships this September.
Posted on 3 Feb Circumnavigation and transatlantic records fall
by David Schmidt
New Jules Verne Trophy and Transatlantic Race records established January's cold may be icing-up sailing aspirations in much of North America right now, but the international sailing news cycle has been lit-up of late with tales of adventure, record-breaking circumnavigations, and proud racing efforts on the high seas.
Posted on 27 Jan Erden Eruç on his 2026 GGR campaign
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Erden Eruç on his 2026 Golden Globe Race campaign Everyone's path to sailing is a unique journey, however few involve as much solo time at sea as that of my longtime friend Erden Eruç. He plans to race alone around the world in this year's Golden Globe Race, which starts in September in France.
Posted on 19 Jan Pete Hill receives the CCA's highest honor
by David Schmidt
UK sailor Pete Hill receives the CCA's 2025 Blue Water Medal While we love racing at Sail-World, we also have a soft-spot for cruising, ideally of the adventure-minded variety. Because of this, we always eagerly await word from the Cruising Club of America regarding the recipient of their annual Blue Water Medal.
Posted on 13 Jan Mike Rutledge on the 2026 LOCR
by David Schmidt
Mike Rutledge discusses the 2026 Lauderdale Olympic Classes Regatta The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and the Brisbane 2032 Olympics might still be years over the horizon for most sailing fans, but for Olympic hopefuls, these are important times to be honing one's craft.
Posted on 13 Jan Celebrating the Great Race from half a world away
by David Schmidt
The Rolex Sydney Hobart delivers a tough test While early winter isn't exactly a great time for sailing in the Pacific Northwest, this year I reeled my family into the Great Race's Boxing Day drama.
Posted on 30 Dec 2025 Ambre Hasson on her 2025 Mini Transat adventure
by David Schmidt
Classe Mini skipper Ambre Hasson debriefs her 2025 Mini Transat adventure Six years ago, Ambre Hasson was living in New York City and enjoying the trappings of city life. Sailing wasn't part of her world view or skillset, nor was the thought of racing across the North Atlantic, alone, aboard a 21-foot offshore speedster.
Posted on 18 Dec 2025 Debriefing the inaugural Inclusion Championships
by David Schmidt
With luck, the IPC was paying very close attention In January 2015, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC}) made the misguided decision to drop sailing from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Sports Program. This began a series of bad decisions that the sailing world hopes to see reversed.
Posted on 16 Dec 2025 Brits win two SailGP titles, Jules Verne attempt
by David Schmidt
Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team wins two SailGP trophies, Jules Verne Trophy news The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team made history on the waters off of Abu Dhabi, in the UAE, last weekend when they became the third team in SailGP's five-season history to win the league's championship title and its accompanying $2M-plus prize purse.
Posted on 2 Dec 2025 Chris Wessels on the FWC's Regional Wave Regatta
by David Schmidt
Chris Wessels discusses the FWC Florida Keys Regional Wave Regatta As December washes its way across North America, it's only natural to turn one's thoughts to warm waters, warm breezes, and the chance to indulge in some early season escapism.
Posted on 2 Dec 2025 Chris Hancock on the Wild Turkey Classic Plastic
by David Schmidt
Chris Hancock discusses the 21st Annual Wild Turkey Classic Plastic While sailors in many northern climes are either tuning their skis or packing many extra layers of fleece and puffy jackets into their seabags, SoCal sailors are often still enjoying user-friendly sailing weather.
Posted on 21 Nov 2025 ILCA goes green, Melges 24s and A Class Cats news
by David Schmidt
The ILCA joins forces with Greenboats, Melges 24s, A Class Cats, Cup news While boats are a fantastic way to get out on the water, explore one's environment, and likely return with a greater appreciation for our natural world, building composite vessels has its environmental tolls. The ILCA and Greenboats want to change this.
Posted on 18 Nov 2025 Ken Read on his recent induction into the NSHOF
by David Schmidt
Ken Read on his recent induction into the National Sailing Hall of Fame Eighteen years is a long time, but I can still recall the sounds of carbon-fiber skins grinding on each other aboard PUMA's Volvo Open 70 Avanti as we pound into small chop on the waters of Block Island Sound.
Posted on 11 Nov 2025 Transat Café L'OR and Mini Globe Race news
by David Schmidt
Updates from the Transat Café L'OR and the McIntyre Mini Globe Race 2025 The realities of shorter days and cooler temperatures might be sweeping over most of North America these days, but that hasn't stopped a flurry of offshore-racing news of late.
Posted on 4 Nov 2025 Offshore news from minis to monsters
by David Schmidt
Mini Transat, the Mini Globe Race, and Transat Café L'OR news Sailing headlines of late might be dominated by big monohulls or foiling multihulls (we'll get there), but there are two interesting races afoot involving big oceans and small boats, namely the Mini Transat and the Mini Globe Race.
Posted on 20 Oct 2025 A Q&A with Chris Alexander on the 2025 VX One NAs
by David Schmidt
Chris Alexander on the 2025 VX One North American Championship This year's VX One North American Championship will be hosted by the Gulfport Yacht Club, in Gulfport, Mississippi from October 16-18, and will feature eleven scheduled races on the waters of the Mississippi Sound, near the GYC.
Posted on 14 Oct 2025 SailGP rolls through Cadiz, One Design racing news
by David Schmidt
F50s in Cadiz, Formula Kites, J/22s, Hobie 16s, and GL52s SailGP has enjoyed a fine tour of the United Kingdom and Europe of late. This wrapped up this past weekend in Cadiz, Spain, where the DP World Spain Sail Grand Prix was contested using the league's 24-meter wingsails and the light-air T-foils and rudders.
Posted on 7 Oct 2025 A Q&A with Steven Mikes on the 2025 J/80 NAs
by David Schmidt
Steven Mikes on the 2025 J/80 North American Championship The J/80 class has long delivered great racing. Take, for example, the 2025 J/80 North American Championship (October 7-12), which is being hosted at the Southern Yacht Club, and which will be contested on the waters of Lake Pontchartrain.
Posted on 2 Oct 2025 SailGP, TOR Europe, Women's Match Racing Worlds
by David Schmidt
Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity. Such was the case for the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank squad when they notched their first-ever SailGP event win at last weekend's Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix.
Posted on 23 Sep 2025 A Q&A about the 2025 Hobie 16 North Americans
by David Schmidt
Tom Pace, Hal Smith, and Michael McNeir discuss the 2025 Hobie 16 North American Championship Spoiler alert: The Hobie 16 is far from a new design. But that doesn't matter: When Hobie Alter's first 16-foot fiberglass catamaran hit the Southern California beach scene in 1970, the sailing world was forever changed
Posted on 23 Sep 2025 Dr. Peter Puskic on TOC's Pacific Data Expedition
by David Schmidt
Dr. Peter Puskic discusses The Ocean Cleanup's Pacific Data Expedition This year, The Ocean Cleanup teamed up with some of the returning Transpac fleet to gather data on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch using innovative camera technology and AI that the organization developed.
Posted on 16 Sep 2025 Globe40 and La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec
by David Schmidt
A look at the Globe40 and the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec It's always an encouraging sign when a round-the-world race begins its second edition, especially when the steeds in question are approachable boats for most serious sailors.
Posted on 9 Sep 2025 Sail now, and sail often
by David Schmidt
Some thoughts on capturing as much sailing time as possible I'll admit it had been too long. Way too long, if I'm being honest.
Posted on 26 Aug 2025 Dale Dunning on the TBird PNW Championship Regatta
by David Schmidt
Dale Dunning discusses the 2025 Thunderbird PNW Championship Regatta While there are plenty of different boats that are actively raced on Pacific Northwest waters, few designs are as regionally classic—or as regionally respected—as the “T-Bird”.
Posted on 20 Aug 2025 Ambre Hasson on her 2025 Mini Transat campaign
by David Schmidt
Classe Mini skipper Ambre Hasson discusses her 2025 Mini Transat campaign Sail-World checked in with Ambre Hasson, the skipper of Mini 618, about a month before she embarks on the Mini Transat.
Posted on 19 Aug 2025 Some thoughts on “Asteria's Final Voyage”
by David Schmidt
Tapio Lehti's rescue story in the GGR film “Asteria's Final Voyage” If you've sailed offshore, you understand how dependent you are on your boat, its systems, and your own seamanship. Finnish sailor Tapio Lehti discovered this firsthand in the Golden Globe Race 2022.
Posted on 12 Aug 2025 Fastnet Race, RS Aeros, Isle of Wight
by David Schmidt
Fastnet Race, RS Aero Worlds, GL50s, Isle of Wight circumnavigation When the conversation turns to the world's greatest middle-distance bluewater races, talk tends to linger on the Rolex Fastnet Race, which started on Saturday, July 26, and for great reason.
Posted on 29 Jul 2025 A Q&A on the 2025 Corsair Nationals and the BBMHR
by David Schmidt
Peter Vakhutinsky and Andy Houlding discuss the 2025 Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Re If you race, sail, or love multihulls and live in New England (or the Northeast), the Corsair Nationals and Buzzards Bay Multihull Regatta should be on your radar.
Posted on 16 Jul 2025 The Ocean Cleanup's 30 Cities Program
by David Schmidt
A look at The Ocean Cleanup and its the 30 Cities Program The cliche goes that one should avoid meeting one's heroes, as there's always a chance that the flesh-and-blood person might not live up to expectations. While I've never met Boyan Slat, I'd gladly take this risk.
Posted on 15 Jul 2025 Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
by David Schmidt
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago.
Posted on 1 Jul 2025 Bill Guilfoyle on the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race
by David Schmidt
Bill Guilfoyle discusses the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race When it comes to offshore sailing in the United States, the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race reigns supreme for its distance and promise of off-the-breeze sailing angles.
Posted on 1 Jul 2025 Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend
by David Schmidt
A Q&A with Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend When it comes to racing sailboats on the East Coast of the United States in the summer months, few places are as classic as the waters surrounding Martha's Vineyard's northwestern flank.
Posted on 18 Jun 2025 Sailing and the summer solstice
by David Schmidt
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom.
Posted on 17 Jun 2025 Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
by David Schmidt
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features.
Posted on 12 Jun 2025 Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
by David Schmidt
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits.
Posted on 3 Jun 2025 Robert Burke on HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility
by David Schmidt
Robert Burke discusses the upcoming closure of HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility Community sailing organizations are a fantastic and affordable way of drawing new sailors into the sport. Unfortunately, the Hudson River Community Sailing is being forced to close one of its two locations in January.
Posted on 3 Jun 2025 Puget Sound sailing, Etchells, J/70s, Cup news
by David Schmidt
Seeking Goldilocks conditions on Puget Sound, Etchells NAs, J/70 U.S. Nationals, AC38 news As the saying goes, 'you don't know unless you go'. While I've mostly heard this phrase applied to climbing, skiing, and mountaineering, four late-winter and springtime races on Puget Sound this year exemplified the fact that this line.
Posted on 20 May 2025 Touching base with Francesca Clapcich
by David Schmidt
Francesca Clapcich on her 2028-2029 Vendee Globe campaign In late March, Italian-American sailor Francesca “Frankie” Clapcich announced that her Team Francesca Clapcich Powered by 11th Hour Racing will campaign for the 2028-2029 edition of the Vendee Globe race.
Posted on 13 May 2025 Night sailing, Transat Paprec, Congressional Cup
by David Schmidt
Night sailing, encountering light airs in the Transat Paprec, Congressional Cup We bundled up as the last of the rays sunlight dipped below the Olympic Mountains and night quietly fell on Puget Sound. We'd been racing for about twelve hours in the Seattle Yacht Club's Protection Island Race (April 26), and we were getting tired.
Posted on 6 May 2025 Touching base with Erden Eruç
by David Schmidt
Erden Eruç on his 2026 Golden Globe Race campaign Adventures come in all sizes, scales, speeds, and price tags. My longtime friend and sometimes shipmate Erden Eruç was the first person to complete a human-powered solo circumnavigation. He's now turning his attention to the 2026 Golden Globe Race.
Posted on 1 May 2025 Transat Paprec, Classics, US Sailing, Cup news
by David Schmidt
Some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others While some parts of North America are experiencing a faster approach of spring's warm tidings than others, the offshore racing action is plenty hot in the Transat Paprec.
Posted on 22 Apr 2025 Bill Crane and Karl Ziegler discuss the Storm 18
by David Schmidt
Checking in with Bill Crane and Karl Ziegler about the Storm 18 Sail-World checked in with Bill Crane and Karl Ziegler, of the Storm Marine Group, via email, to learn more about the new Storm 18 one design keelboat.
Posted on 10 Apr 2025