Please select your home edition
Edition
Ovington 2021 - ILCA 3 - LEADERBOARD

Calling all boat bimblers! Show us what you've been up to

by The YachtsandYachting.com team 26 Mar 2020 11:30 GMT
'Innuendo' after many layers of varnish © Andrew Wilford

If you have spent the winter engrossed in boat DIY, whether it was small modifications or massive rebuilds, YachtsandYachting.com would love to hear from you. We think it's time to share your story with the world. We'd like to encourage you to submit photos and a few words about what you have been up to in your workshop during the off season. We'd like to publish news of what sailors have been up to.

With racing cancelled, and many of us having time on our hands, it may be that you are just starting to contemplate some work on your pride and joy. Thoughts naturally turn to the boats in our garages, and a few ideas offer themselves up! Please do consider taking some good before-and-after photos, and letting the sailing community know that you've got your hands dirty or how you've solved a problem in a cunning way. It's almost guaranteed you will find a receptive audience at this time.

Your submission can be as simple as a few photos emailed to but ideally we'd love you to write a little about what you've done and the challenges you faced. If writing makes you feel daunted then please leave your phone number so we can have a chat to get some information to accompany your photos.

Videos are always welcomed - it's not a contest to be the fanciest, but it's great to show your hard work from every angle. Or perhaps the photos belie the hard work that was required to get to the end result, so do explain this to us, and we can edit your story if you worry that your writing skills are not immediately publishable.

If you have gone so far as to write your own blog all about your repairs, renovations or inventions, we'd love to see that too. Last year we followed James Sainsbury building his foiling Moth Valkyrie, but you don't have to be getting fancy with carbon fibre to deserve a mention; we'd love to see all levels of work, on all sorts of boats both faster and slower.

If you want to get started on a new project, don't despair at the lack of chandlers open for browsing. Internet orders are still being processed by the main companies you are familiar with, although some have a small delay due to staffing problems.

So, please, email photos/videos/links and a little explanation to and we'd love to share your hard work to the nation.

Get your hands dirty, pimp that ride, and tell us all about it!

Related Articles

At the mercy of the elements?
Forecast fear, broadcast windows, and even mountains Possibly more than any other sport, sailing demands the right conditions to take place, specifically with the wind. Both too much and too little cause their own issues, but there are more factors at play... Posted on 10 Jun
The New York Sail Grand Prix Start Collision
Video Analysis and Reaction On Sunday at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix there was a collision involving three teams in the final seconds before the Race 3 start. Posted on 2 Jun
The tech curve…
It just marches on. Slide rule and Hewlett Packard be damned, these vessels are a tour de force It just marches on. The latest launchings for solo/crewed, mono/multi masterpieces are a tour de force when it comes to material science, electronics, engineering, physics, especially hydro and aerodynamics. Slide rule and Hewlett Packard be damned. Posted on 2 Jun
Video: Bizarre first day at the New York SailGP
Swirling Winds, Crane Issues, 3 Boats Racing Swirling winds in New York caused major problems launching the fleet of F50s at the Mubadala Sail Grand Prix, so only 4 boats made it on to the water, and that was rapidly reduced to just 3 when the Bonds Flying Roos nosedived, causing significant damage. Posted on 31 May
Championships shine, AC wakes, SailGP adapts
So much has been going on that it's tricky to even know where to start What a week for sailing! So much has been going on that it's tricky to even know where to start. There have been so many highlights, both in terms of the events I attended in the UK and what has been happening further afield. Posted on 26 May
Australia's back!
Like, did we ever leave? Not really… Like, did we ever leave? Not really… Ever since Sir Frank Packer KBE kicked it off, we've been there, or thereabouts. For instance, Grant Simmer OAM has been involved with every one of them since winning it in 1983. Posted on 17 May
Team Australia America's Cup launch videos
Videos with key members of the team, Grant Simmer OAM, Glenn Ashby, and Tash Bryant Team Australia's challenge for the 38th America's Cup was launched yesterday at the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club. Posted on 14 May
The Same, But Different
A packed schedule coming up with a diverse range of events I am so enjoying reading all the event news now the season has begun in earnest in the UK. The sun has been plentiful throughout April and May, encouraging everyone to get back out on the water. Posted on 12 May
Sunsail Funding the Future Initiative
Now in its third year of supporting grassroots sailing clubs Sunsail has launched this year's Funding the Future Initiative, now in its third year of supporting grassroots sailing clubs. Previous winners include West Lancashire Yacht Club (2024) and Otley Sailing Club (2025). Posted on 7 May
Close Encounters…
Of the Jimbo kind. To know Jim Close is to have an experience. To know Jim Close, aka Jimbo, or Mumbles, is to have an experience (Boom. Boom. Basil Brush). It's not a reflection. It's a casting of vision. Yes. What a trip. Part acid. Part journey through space. Part adventure in existentialism. Posted on 4 May