major sailing news, commentary, opinions, features and dock talk . . . with a North American focus.
Live Last read · last published · next check
Thirty-nine boats are competing in the 2026 Palermo-Montecarlo - a 437nm course from the Sicilian city upwards to Monaco. While the fastest that started on August 18 are already enjoying a spritz on the French Riviera, a significant storm has led to a significant decision for the others. Here is the report: TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF THE RACE A painful, inevitable one, imposed by the consistent…
SailGP’s F50s return to competition on August 22-23 in Sassnitz, Germany. Here's what fans need to know before racing gets underway on the Baltic Sea: The championship race is tightening Tom Slingsby's Bonds Flying Roos (AUS) head into Sassnitz on top of the overall leaderboard on 66 points, but Diego Botin's Los Gallos (ESP) are closing fast. Back-to-back wins in Halifax and Portsmouth have…
Preparing for the Olympic Games is a full-time commitment, and when an accomplished athlete makes the decision to end the effort, their “retirement” statement always feels awkward. Sailing isn’t a sport you need to retire from, particularly when your boat of choice is the ILCA. This singlehander has fleets nearly everywhere, and when the 2026 ILCA 6 and 7 World Championship was to be held in her…
There are two kinds of sailors: those who have run aground, and those who will. The water is not always kind, and submerged obstacles can find our path. The Scuttlebutt community share their stories: At the eastern entrance to Mamaroneck Harbor is a well-known rock named Ship Rock. The rock is well marked, but as [&hellip
On The Better Boating Podcast , host Jack Warwick sat down with Steve Heese, President of Chris Craft. While this is a conversation with a powerboat manufacturer, the issues can pertain to all boating. Here is their summary: In 2005, around 10,000 cabin boats over 35-feet were sold in the US. Last year there were fewer than 1,000. It’s not because they suddenly became bad boats. They’re still…
Husband: “I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world.” Wife: “I’ll miss you.” Providing “insight” 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:…
Retail giant West Marine began modestly in 1968, with founder Randy Repass selling nylon rope from a garage in Sunnyvale, CA. With niche providers serving fragmented boating interests, West Marine soon covered the USA in large one-stop shop stores. As a publicly traded company since its 1993 IPO, that ended in 2017 when it was acquired by a New York-based private equity fund, followed then by…
by Nikki Henderson, Yachting World The sailing community around the world came together in mourning in June. The news of solo sailor Charlie Dalin’s death settled thick and heavy, as if moist winds of grief had rolled in from the south and condensed into a low-lying sea fog. A grey veil descended, obscuring harbour walls [&hellip
Bob Sevey passed away August 5, 2026, at the age of 95. Bob’s impact on scow sailing is far-reaching. As a competitor, he won his first MYC Class C Champion by 1973, the ILYA Class C Championship by 1979 and raced in over 20 Class C Blue Chip regattas. In the Mid-1980’s, Bob sold his C Boat. But, rather than retire from sailing, Bob began racing E Scows, then A Scows, then an MC and then a…
Brazilian Robert Scheidt was the first Olympic champion in the history of the Laser Class, winning gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games. He owned the Class for over two decades, beginning with the 1991 Junior World title before securing another gold and silver medal along with nine Class World Championships. Now it's his son's turn. The 2026 ILCA 6 Youth World Championship had 307 men competing…