Flying start to 2025
by Mark Jardine 6 Jan 2025 18:00 GMT
Yoann Richomme on Paprec Arkéa - 2024 Vendée Globe © Eloi Stichelbaut / Polaryse
Happy New Year to you all! The beginning of 2025 is an embarrassment of riches for sailing fans, with a cornucopia of events to follow, ranging from offshore yachts around the world to traditional dinghies.
If I thought things were going to slow down after the epic 2024, I was very much mistaken. Let's have a look at what's currently going on.
It's hard not to start with the Vendée Globe. The tracker and updates from the skippers have become a huge part of my daily life since the race began on Sunday 10th November, and I've been producing daily videos on the @Sail-World YouTube channel which have been popular. Since the start they've now racked up over 3 million views, which represents a bit of a breakthrough for the channel. I am enjoying creating these updates, and following the race itself is highly addictive.
At the front, either Charlie Dalin on MACIF Santé Prévoyance or Yoann Richomme on PAPREC ARKÉA are going to set a new record for the race, likely shaving over a week off the previous record, set by Armel Le Cléac'h in the 2016-17 edition. They've both now crossed the equator and are back in the northern hemisphere, safely through the doldrums, leaving them with a light wind section to the west of the Canary Islands and one of the North Atlantic storms common at this time of year to navigate before reaching Les Sables d'Olonne.
For international sailing fans, as the Vendée Globe is traditionally dominated by the French, there is a fascinating battle going on between 4th and 10th place. Less than 200 miles separate the seven yachts after 19,000 nautical miles sailed. Great Britain's Sam Goodchild is 6th in the 10:00 UTC update on Monday with Germany's Boris Herrmann in 7th, just 8 nautical miles behind. It couldn't be tighter!
Oceania is unsurprisingly the place to be in January for major dinghy and keelboat events, with the 505 World Championships taking place in Adelaide, the Musto Skiff and B14 Worlds are on in Sydney Harbour, the Etchells Pre-Worlds have just concluded in Melbourne, and the International Moth Worlds at Whangaparaoa, just north of Auckland.
The Moths deserved a decent breeze after the near-windless 2023 Worlds in Weymouth, UK, and they've been served it in abundance so far in New Zealand.
When the fleet did get sailing back then we saw glimpses of the advances that young guns Jacob Pye and Mattias Coutts had made, and the 18 months since then have seen them take another quantum leap forward in performance.
Both Jacob and Mattias came through the O'pen Skiff (a youth class championed by Mattias's dad Russell) finishing first and second respectively in the 2018 Worlds.
Technology plays a major role in the Moths, and I've heard that the latest SailGP technology has been utilized to help create the foils for these youngsters and they're taking their flying to the next level. Jacob Pye clocked a staggering 37.8 knots on Saturday, averaging 36.4 knots over 10 seconds. This is to take nothing away from their sheer talent - you need to be 100% on your game to sail a Moth, and to send it at those speeds means you're continually on the edge of control. We are witnessing two generational talents emerge.
Moving on to more traditional dinghies, the 505 Worlds have had a range of conditions so far at Adelaide. A combination of Australian, US and British sailors make up the top ten, with the home nation leading the way. The 505 was designed in 1954 by John Westell and looks as good today as it did back then, and it's great to see the event well supported with a strong range of Antipodean, European and North American nations represented.
In the non-foiling world, there are few classes which can match the Musto Skiff for excitement and style, and Sydney Harbour is proving to be a spectacular setting for their world championship. They may not be foilers, but they certainly get airborne on the waves, and the first two days have provided exceptional photos and video. The home nation also lead the way, with a South African and Brits making up the rest of the top ten after six races.
Alongside the Musto Skiffs are the B14s, and in the Pre-Worlds Nick Craig and Toby Lewis triumphed in a close-fought series.
The Etchells Pre-Worlds have also just concluded, with the defending World Champions on Magpie (Graeme "GT" Taylor, James Mayo, teaming up with Ben Lamb) taking the win and confirming their status as favourites for the Worlds.
Moving back to the offshore world, Sodebo Ultim 3 has been forced to abandon their Jules Verne Trophy record attempt after losing their central rudder today in the Indian Ocean. The record, set by Francis Joyon's IDEC Sport in 2017 of 40 days 23 hours 30 minutes 30 seconds, looks set to stand for the time being, but there is no doubt the latest generation of foiling Ultim trimarans are capable of setting a new benchmark.
Many more events are happening around the world at local and international level, and our aim on Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com is to cover as many as we can. There is no doubt that the media landscape is evolving rapidly, with social media - love it or hate it - playing its part, and video content becoming more and more part of the mix.
How we present the sailing news continues to evolve with the times, and the growth of our YouTube channel will be a major part of that. While the current traffic levels are primarily down to our daily reports from the Vendée Globe, the format means we can supplement any event's coverage with footage, analysis and interviews, so please do subscribe to the channel to receive alerts when new videos go live.
Wherever you are in the world, I hope you've got a great year of sailing lined up. In an uncertain world, getting out on the water is the perfect form of escapism and freedom, so when you get the chance, seize it with both hands.
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor