Offshore Sailing - Ocean Navigator

03 Jan

Vendée Globe Sailors Spot Icebergs

Eric ColbyOcean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing

For the first time since 2008, sailors in the Vendée Globe around-the-world solo sailboat race on Jan. 2 encountered an iceberg in the middle of the Pacific ocean. For many days leading up to the start of the new year, sailors had been informed by race management that they were in an ice zone in the Pacific. Two icebergs were spotted by satellite outside the Antarctic Exclusion Zone and their position put them closer to the course the sailors in the race were on. “My radar alarm went off: I had an echo four miles ahead,” Sébastien Marsset, skipper of…

27 Dec

Tragedy Strikes Sydney Hobart Race

Eric ColbyBoat Accidents, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing

Two sailors competing in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race were killed in separate incidents. The race started on December 26 in Sydney, Australia. Roy Quaden, 55, from Western Australia, was a crew member on Flying Fish Arctos. According to a new release from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, he was struck by the vessel’s boom when the boat was about 30 nautical miles east/southeast of Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia. Crew members tried to revive Quaden with CPR, but were not successful. Additionally, Nick Smith, 65, from South Australia, was a crew member on Bowline, when he was…

24 Dec

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Starts December 26

Eric ColbyOcean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing

A fleet of 108 sailing yachts is ready to tackle the 79th Rolex Sydney Hobart Race on Dec. 16 at 1 p.m. local Australia time. Previous Tattersall Cup winners including defending champion Alive, Centennial 7, Love & War and Unicoin will be competing. Love & War is one of a trio of boats that has won the race three times. This year, Phillip Kurts, son of boat owner Simon Kurts, will be at the helm for the first time. The Kurts family is the first to have three generations compete in the race and on the same vessel at the…

18 Dec

Nominees Announced for Rolex Sailors of the Year

Eric ColbyOffshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing

US Sailing has announced the nominees for the 2024 US Sailing Rolex Yachtsmen and Yachtswomen of the Year. Sailors who are U.S. citizens and have demonstrated on-the-water excellence at national and international events are encouraged to apply. Nominations close Dec. 18. To nominate for Yachtsman of the Year, click here. To nominate a candidate for Yachtswoman of the Year, click here. New this year, US Sailing opened the nomination period in the spring instead of the fall, as had been done previously. The decision was made to create a larger nomination pool and acknowledge year-round participation in the sport. 2024…

13 Dec

Cornell Announces High Latitude Challenge

Eric ColbyNavigation, Ocean Navigator, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Seamanship & Navigation, Voyaging Skills, Voyaging Skills, Voyaging Tips

Offshore sailing legend Jimmy Cornell has announced a sailing flotilla around the American continents including voyages to the Arctic and Antarctic. It starts in 2026 and registration is open. Cornell founded the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers nearly 40 years ago and followed that up with other flotillas around the world. Greenland, the Northwest Passage, the North and South Pacific, Cape Horn and the Antarctic peninsula are all planned to be part of the High Latitude Challenge. “In recent years, high-latitude voyages have become increasingly popular with sailors interested in more remote destinations,” Cornell Sailing said in a press release. “The…

09 Dec

Contenders Sustain Damage in Vendée Globe

Eric ColbyBoat Accidents, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing

On the 29th day of competition in the Vendée Globe around the world sailboat race, rough seas took their toll on a pair of competitors. At 5 p.m. local time on Dec. 7, while sailing in the southern Indian Ocean in second place, solo sailor Sébastien Simon told his shore team that the starboard foil had broken on his boat. The captain of Groupe Dubreuil was sailing between the Kerguelen Islands and the south of Australia at night, in 16-foot seas and 25-knot winds, Simon said, “the boat suddenly went to pieces,” while he was sleeping. Once awakened, he eased…

05 Dec

Rough Weather Takes Toll on Vendée Globe Racers

Eric ColbyOcean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing

Sailing ahead of a weather depression, competitors in the Vendée Globe around the world sailboat race encountered rough seas in the Great South that took their toll on equipment. At approximately 1 p.m. French time on Dec. 4, competitor Louis Burton told race officials and his support team that he had taken on serious damage to the rigging on his 60-foot monohull, Bureau Vallée. For 10 hours, the Burton tried in vain to make a repair. After carefully analyzing the situation, he abandoned the race and headed for Cape Town, South Africa. The rigging issue was the second significant breakdown…

05 Dec

Sailor Lost at Sea During ARC Rally

Theresa NicholsonBoat Accidents, Cruising Rallies, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing, Seamanship & Navigation

Second vessel abandoned after taking on water. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers community, along with the extended sailing community, is mourning the loss of Swedish sailor Dag Eresund, who was lost overboard from Volvo 70 racing yacht Ocean Breeze on Monday. A mayday call went out at 2:30 UTC on December 2 from Ocean Breeze, sailing approximately 1,300 nautical miles east of Bermuda in challenging conditions with winds gusting more than 30 knots. A search was initiated by the vessel. The U.S. Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) in Norfolk, Va., (MRCC) put out an emergency alert to all shipping for…

19 Nov

Imray to Phase out Chart Publishing

Eric ColbyElectronic charting, Navigation, Ocean Navigator, Ocean Voyaging, Offshore Sailing, Seamanship & Navigation

On November 18, longtime British navigation chart publisher Imray announced that it is starting a gradual shutdown of chart publishing operations. The company said the decision reflects the growing shift toward digital nautical navigation. Imray will continue to serve the maritime community with pilot books, cruising guides and the “Explore with Imray” digital product. Chart production and support, including Imray Notices to Mariners, will continue through the 2025 season. Beyond that, new editions will cease. Imray says the lead time will provide an opportunity for captains to acquire paper charts while they are still available. The company is one of…

18 Nov

AEON School Named Official US Sailing Educator

Eric ColbyOffshore Sailing, Racing News, Sailboat Racing, Uncategorized, Voyaging Skills

US Sailing has named the AEON School its official school. The partnership will provide young sailors with an opportunity to pursue an academic education and follow their passion for the water. AEON School offers a digital learning platform designed to meet the needs of student-athletes, helping them balance schedules between sailing and an education. “AEON and US Sailing are committed to fostering the next generation of leaders, both on the water and in the classroom,” Eric Krasnoo, SVP of membership, partnerships and marketing at US Sailing, said in a statement. “This partnership ensures that sailors can continue that sailors can…