You know times are tough when a picture is now only worth 500 words. Providing wisdom 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: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/newsletter-read-or-subscribe ..read more

Barcelona, Spain (April 24, 2024) – Each of the six America’s Cup teams have mapped out their training schedule, and for NYYC American Magic this was the final day of their two-boat race training program. Their AC40s will now move to Badalona where the Youth & Women’s teams will be based going forward. Out on the water, the team had a high intensity training day full of very close races, interesting pre-start tactics including the displacement wait until about a minute before the start when both boats pop onto the foils and then fight like banshees for position. “We’ve had a really product ..read more

Evan Aras After a new ownership group for United States SailGP Team made significant personnel changes when they took over the team during Season 4, more changes are coming following the team’s performance in four events. When the new team leadership did not initially retain America’s Cup winning coach Philippe Presti (FRA) who had been with the team since Season 2, they secured two-time U.S Sailing Coach of the Year and multi-world champion Mark Ivey (USA) as the new coach. Mike Buckley, U.S. SailGP Team CEO said at the time, “His ability to lead a team is unparalleled and I’ve long admired ..read more

The 76th Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race will commence on April 26, 2024. The 125nm course from Newport Beach, CA to Ensenada, Mexico has long been a rite of passage for Southern California sailors, with the more recent option of an 88 nm course to San Diego, CA The entry list has 164 boats going the full distance with 20 teams staying north of the international border. The 2023 race saw better-than-expected winds at the start, but dropped overnight, making for very close racing by morning’s light. For 2024, the Windy.com app is suggesting that westerly winds will carry the fleet ..read more

Sailing Hall of Famer Buddy Melges is famous for saying how “instruments are great, but you have to look at the water and present the boat to Mother Nature.” While it is computers that have created the latest batch of America’s Cup AC75s, Mother Nature will get the final vote on which team got it right. Here’s a glimpse of what she’ll be seeing: With four teams revealing their box-fresh AC75s, it’s abundantly clear that different solutions have been found for very similar questions. The design teams have worked feverishly to deliver their best and latest thinking whilst the electronics and mec ..read more

Seahorse magazine hosts a monthly poll to recognize recent achievement, and in May 2024 they matched the offshore talents of Cole Brauer (USA) against Chris Sherlock (GBR). As this is little more than a popularity contest, these polls are often not a fair fight, and pity for Sherlock to be up against the tidal wave that Brauer has been riding. Brauer won, and here are some of the comments submitted by her supporters: “Cole has changed the world for every woman sailor” – Cristy Erazo “An inspiration to women literally around the world” – Rachel Lake “How does she make the hard look so easy ..read more

My apathy is at an all-time whatever. Providing wisdom 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: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/newsletter-read-or-subscribe ..read more

While sailing may be green, building boats has gotten pretty dirty, particularly for the 60-foot IMOCAs. As the leading offshore class in the sport, the International Monohull Open Class Association is doing something about as they share in this report: An impact reduction rule limiting harmful emissions in boat construction has been the major goal of the sustainability work that IMOCA has been conducting over the last four years and now it is being implemented. At the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Class in Lorient, Brittany, the skippers and teams formally endorsed a new regime that will ..read more

The first major sailing event of 2024 in Marblehead Harbor, the Boston Yacht Club’s annual Jackson Cup, will be held April 27-28, celebrating its 25th anniversary. The New York Yacht Club will defend their 2023 title, and last year’s runners-up, the Royal Thames Yacht Club from the UK, are returning to renew their challenge. In addition to competitors from the Boston Yacht Club, Eastern Yacht Club, and the Corinthian, this year’s challengers include teams from Ida Lewis Yacht Club, Southern Yacht Club, and Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club. The Jackson Cup is named in honor of the late BYC Past ..read more

With entries closed for the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race, 171 boats have signed up to participate. The Official Program for the 53rd edition is available with articles and information regarding the 636nm race which starts on June 21. Held biennially, the 2022 race was first to urge captains to designate an “environmental steward” aboard each participating boat. The response had 50 e-stewards stepping up to the challenge, steering their crews towards conscientious planning and provisioning, mindful of ocean health. For some of their best practices and ideas, click here. Chan Reis, the Environmenta ..read more