More sailing news

The World Match Racing Tour, under new ownership since 1 January, has announced an extension to the 2018 season in order to complete the World Championship following its sale by Aston Harald in December. The revised 2018-2019 WMRT Final will take place in Marstrand, Sweden over 3-7 July, hosted by the GKSS Match Cup Sweden. The event will be sailed in M32 catamarans and the winner will be crowned 2018-2019 Match Racing World Champion, as sanctioned by World Sailing.

The  Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and l’Union Nationale pour la Course au Large (UNCL) are pleased to announce a brand new website for the International Rating Certificate (IRC) rating rule with an updated appearance and clear, simplified navigation to access information for owners, sailors, measurers and race organisers.

March is Antwerp Snipe Cup time. The popularity of the event is growing year after year. The 2019 edition was the most international ever with teams from Spain, Italy, Norway, Poland and the UK. They were joined by a good turnout from our local fleet.

In 2017, Nautor’s Swan launched the pivotal The Nations Trophy as a focal biennial event in the world of Swan One Design activity. It is an event which celebrates the history and spirit of international sailing, revitalizes the concept of competition between nations, reflects the camaraderie and competitiveness central to the success of the sport. A new model will join the family: ClubSwan 36.

World leader in marine antenna design, Shakespeare® Marine, has been announced as winner of Product of the Year at the HISWA Amsterdam Boat Show 2019 for its GALAXY-INFL8, the world’s first inflatable emergency VHF antenna.

The America’s Cup Arbitration Panel decision finding all three Late Entry challenges to be valid has been released today.

The inaugural edition of World Sailing’s Offshore World Championship will be held in October 2020 in Valletta, Malta alongside the Rolex Middle Sea Race.

In 2019 the International Maxi Association (IMA) celebrates the 40th anniversary of its establishment by notable maxi boat owners of the day, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Raul Gardini, John Kilroy and William Whitehouse-Vaux. From its modest, relatively low-key beginnings, today the Association, and the sport it represents, have grown beyond all recognition.

M32 racing resumes in Europe this month with new opportunities for aspiring teams to get involved.

Early this week, Thomas Ruyant visited the Persico yard in Bergamo (Italy) to see how work was going on his future IMOCA, a Verdier designed boat that is due to be transferred to Lorient in June before she is launched in late July. At the same time, the skipper from the North of France continues to search for more or one headline partners to accompany him during his second attempt at the Vendée Globe.