Forty years ago this past September, in the waters of Rhode Island Sound just off the coastal city of Newport, a crew of Aussies shocked the sailing world. The 12 Metre Australia II defeated the American boat Liberty to win the 1983 America’s Cup and bring the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year defense of the Auld Mug to a conclusion. It’s safe to say the Cup, and my hometown of Newport, have never been the same.

I spent a lot of time on the sound that summer taking in the action, so when I signed up to volunteer on a marshal boat for the latest edition of the 12 Metre World Championship regatta in August, I found myself on the very same waters, which turned into a pretty nostalgic voyage down a nautical memory lane. But the graceful Twelve I couldn’t take my eyes off wasn’t the winner of the Modern Division, Challenge XII, or even the victor of the Traditional/Vintage Division, Columbia. Nope, I was more or less transfixed on the runner-up to Challenge XII, a striking-blue yacht called Freedom. Of all the entries in the 10-boat fleet, to me, Freedom was easily the most historic and memorable.

Three years before the Australians absconded with the Cup, in 1980, with the estimable Dennis Conner in command, Freedom won the contest in dominant fashion, and it seemed like the New York Yacht Club’s winning streak would go on forever. It was designed by the legendary naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens, which had drawn the lines of every Cup winner but one since 1936. Conner was back on the helm in the losing effort in ’83, but he would find redemption, winning the Cup back for the United States in Western Australia in 1987. But for S&S, Freedom marked the end of an illustrious era. The firm would never again create a Cup winner.

For the 12 Metre Worlds, ironically enough, the navigator aboard Freedom was a lanky old Aussie mate of mine called Grant Simmer, who’d served in the same capacity aboard Australia II for his country’s winning effort way back when. With the exception of the gray hair, he looked exactly the same.

This time, however, Simmer couldn’t work his magic. Unlike the America’s Cup, where boats compete in one-on-one match racing, the World Championship event is fleet racing, with everyone out on the track at the same time. It’s a different game. And Challenge XII had a ringer of its own: the president of North Sails, Ken Read, also a longtime America’s Cup veteran. As far as I was concerned, Freedom was easily the prettiest of all the Modern yachts. When push came to shove, though, it was no longer the fastest.

Today’s America’s Cup competition, conducted on closed-course race tracks in skittish foiling catamarans—about as far removed as possible from a stately 12 Metre racing in the open ocean—bears little resemblance to what the event looked like in the early 1980s. And Newport has undergone a radical makeover as well. The shipyards where the Cup boats used to reside between races have been replaced by condos and hotels, and the only real remaining trace of the America’s Cup is the boulevard of the same name. It’s a reminder that the only true constant in life is change.

But for a few afternoons last August, I could shut my eyes for a moment of reminiscence and open them up to see what I can only describe as a fleeting image of a bygone time. Freedom may be a footnote in the history of yacht racing, but the big, beautiful blue boat still looks powerful and fantastic all the same.

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“This yacht is going to turn some heads wherever she is, but particularly at the Bucket.”

So says Jim Pugh, co-founder of Reichel/Pugh Yacht Design in San Diego, one of the driving forces behind the 154-foot Nilaya that Royal Huisman built in the Netherlands. The yacht was delivered to its owners in June. It spent the summer in the Mediterranean “tuning up for racing,” according to the shipyard, and has now crossed the Atlantic. Nilaya arrived in Antigua in December—with about three months to prepare for the March 2024 St. Barths Bucket Regatta.

The fast Atlantic crossing, according to Royal Huisman, “gave her owner and pro race team captain Bouwe Bekking and skipper Romke Loopik plenty of all-conditions experience at the helm.” There are already 10,000 nautical miles under the yacht’s keel.

The owner says his previous yacht, a 112-foot Baltic, won many regattas during the 12 years he owned it, but for this Nilaya, he instructed the yard and designers to create “a fast yacht that can win in a superyacht regatta.”

To that end, Royal Huisman says it built Nilaya using European Space Agency methodology. Nilaya is an aluminum-carbon hybrid designed with finite element analysis to direct the right material, or combination of materials, and the right thicknesses of those materials to handle the exact stresses in every part of the hull and deck.

For its part, Reichel/Pugh analyzed 10 years of historical wave data from the Eastern Caribbean and Greece, ultimately testing 12 models before developing the final hull shape.

Royal Huisman’s sister company Rondal was brought in for carbon-fiber expertise. As just one example of Rondal’s contributions, it supplied a runner arrangement that reportedly saves 2,646 pounds of weight, keeping the yacht lighter for racing.

Racing pedigree aside, this yacht also has plenty of luxurious creature comforts, with Italian studio Nauta Design collaborating on the project ( Nilaya is the largest sailing yacht Nauta has completed). And yet, even with the interior, light weight for racing was top of mind. Some of the bulkheads and door frames are carbon. Instead of heavy insulation to reduce noise and vibration, Royal Huisman developed composite panels made of cork, foam, honeycomb and other materials.

According to Royal Huisman, Nilaya is “arguably the most advanced sailing yacht” the shipyard has ever delivered.

“Royal Huisman was not afraid to invest in research to explore and develop all manner of innovative weight-saving possibilities,” said the owners’ project manager, Nigel Ingram of MCM Newport. “They really chased the details.”

And now, we all shall see if Nilaya leaves other yachts chasing its transom on the regatta circuit.

How long did it take to create Nilaya? Three years, including one year of preparation and two years under construction.

Take the next step: go to royalhuisman.com

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You never forget your best day of sailing. Mine came in the waning miles of the 2005 Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, screeching down the Molokai Channel under spinnaker toward Diamond Head in 30 knots of pumping trade-wind breeze, hanging onto the tiller for dear, lovely life while surfing at 14 knots aboard a Cal 40 called Dancing Bear. The sun was searing, the wind was howling, and the deep, blue Pacific Ocean was all the more striking set against the stunning backdrop of the green volcanic islands.

This remembrance, however, is not about me. Instead, it honors the legendary Cal 40, a William Lapworth design originally launched in Southern California in 1963 that has provided scores of fellow offshore sailors with rides they’ll always hold dear. Though I do recall my first thoughts to a fellow shipmate soon after crossing the finish line: “God, I love a boat that’s better than I am.”

All this came back to me last summer, when I joined Dancing Bear’s owner and skipper, accomplished Pacific Northwest sailor Mark Schrader, for a cruise northward from Anacortes, Washington, and up the coast of Vancouver Island. It’s a far different venue and excursion than the Transpac, but one that made me appreciate the Cal 40 in a new light. This is one versatile vessel.

From the outset, the Cal 40 was considered a radical, ultra-light design, displacing just 15,000 pounds with 6,000 pounds of ballast and a flat, canoe-shaped hull that was ideal for prolonged downwind surfs. What really separated it from other boats of its era—hulls with long overhangs and deep, full keels from prominent East Coast yacht designers like Sparkman & Stephens—was the fin keel and detached spade rudder, greatly reducing the boat’s wetted surface. A similar appendage was employed in the winning America’s Cup 12-Metre Intrepid, but that was four years later.

Read Next: An Ocean Sailor Tries Freshwater Racing

The Cal 40’s production run lasted eight years and produced 108 boats, which are still highly sought-after. There’s no question that the boat has reached cult status and that it remains highly competitive. Indeed, the overall winner of the 108-boat fleet in the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race and the recipient of the coveted St. David’s Lighthouse Trophy was Sally and Stan Honey’s Cal 40, Illusion.

Yes, the Honeys are world-class sailors—Stan is a renowned professional offshore racer and navigator, and Sally is a two-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year—and they recruited an all-star crew after Illusion had undergone a full refit. Still, Illusion was almost 60 years old. The Honeys purchased the boat in 1988 and spent the ensuing decades racing and cruising it. They decided to campaign it one final time in 2022. Their victorious attempt, covering the 635-nautical-mile voyage in 87 hours, included a textbook crossing of the Gulf Stream and a top-speed burst of 22 knots, both of which were winning highlights.

My own trip last summer on Dancing Bear was a decidedly more mellow affair, but we also scored our own personal highlights. For me, one of those was taking the helm on a cold, funky overnight passage from the coast of British Columbia across the Hecate Strait to the archipelago known as Haida Gwaii, formerly the Queen Charlotte Islands. The sensation of driving a solid craft offshore, nestled deep in the cockpit on a tiller-steered boat, is rare and wonderful. In the wind and waves, everything balanced and in harmony, I fell in love with the Cal 40 all over again.

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Contest Yachts has collaborated with Bentley Home to create a 67CS, whose interior is inspired by the look of Bentley Motors.

The Bentley team brought its experience from working with vehicles such as the Continental GT and the Bentayga. Contest Yachts combined those talents with its own interior designers, Wetzels Brown Partners, to create the interior aboard this custom 67CS.

“Prototyping methods such as 3D printing were harnessed to confirm the feasibility of individual components, extending to a full mock-up of items prior to fit-out, such as the bar and vanity unit created from scratch to the customer’s taste, to ensure the exacting finishes and demanding quality standards were met,” according to Contest Yachts.

Bentley’s diamond-quilted leather hides were book-matched across the yacht’s interior, with detailing that included the type of hand cross-stitching used to produce the Bentley steering wheel.

Contest Yachts CEO Arjen Conijn says it’s possible the builder could add a dedicated line of Bentley-featured yachts: “We hold so many of the same beliefs and ambitions; it totally makes sense bringing our two fantastic ranges of prestigious luxury yachts and autos together.”

Where is Contest Yachts located? In the Netherlands. The brand builds semicustom sailing cruisers for coastal, offshore and bluewater use.

Take the next step: go to contestyachts.com

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Back in the day, when I first started covering round-the-world races like the Volvo Ocean Race and the Vendée Globe for yachting magazines and newspapers, the most engrossing stories came from the Southern Ocean legs: the mystical, sometimes mythical waters spinning around the southern extremes of the planet. Known by the legendary nicknames of the bands of latitude they encompass—the roaring forties, furious fifties and screaming sixties—these locations tantalized me with tales of huge seas, big breeze and derring-do. I became personally obsessed with sailing there myself, a goal that was realized about 20 years ago when I joined an expedition to sail from Australia to Antarctica across the wild southern sea. It was a pretty epic trip, and, though we got seriously hammered down and back, I’ve always relished the experience. That said, I’ve never felt a huge need to return.

But I still love following the exploits of those sailors who test themselves in those grand, crazy conditions—which is why I was especially excited for the third leg of the current edition of The Ocean Race, the new title for the round-the-world contest formerly known as the Whitbread and then the Volvo. The roughly 14,000-nautical-mile voyage from Cape Town, South Africa, to Itajaí, Brazil, leaving to port the trio of great southern capes—South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin and the formidable Cape Horn off the tip of South America—was expected to take more than a month and represented the longest distance in the event’s combined 50-year history. For the four boats in the race, the expectations of a wild and woolly trip were sky-high. And they were realized.

In the end, there was also an unlikely, come-from-behind winner after five full weeks at sea: German skipper Boris Herrmann’s well-tested foiling 60-footer, Team Malizia.

For Herrmann and his four-person crew, it was a rocky beginning; Team Malizia lost a sail almost at the outset and then soon discovered a nearly foot-long crack near the top of its 90-foot spar. The team considered returning to Cape Town for a repair, but, after co-skipper Rosalin Kuiper was sent aloft to inspect the damage, they instead decided to fix the spar underway. In the meantime, however, on the strength of a record-breaking 24-hour run of 595.26 nautical miles, Team Holcim-PRB stretched out to a nearly 600 nm lead. The chase was on.

One of the most remarkable aspects of following this edition of The Ocean Race is the amazing video footage coming from the racecourse (each boat has a crewmember who supplies the stories and images). The drone shots, especially, in huge seas and with the boats in full foiling mode, are wildly impressive.

And as they sailed into calmer conditions, with the rest of the fleet bringing fresh breeze from astern, Team Holcim-PRB’s lead slowly began to evaporate. By the time the boats approached Cape Horn, Team Malizia had established a tenuous but impressive 30 nm lead.

The leaders clawed their way up the coast of South America to Brazil—almost always in sight of each other—but there was one last obstacle: a 60-knot gale on the leg’s penultimate night at sea. Team Holcim-PRB suffered rig damage in an accidental crash jibe, which gave Team Malizia an 80 nm advantage on the last day of racing to seal the victory.

Back in my cozy armchair, like many fans, I breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, I cherished my own time in the Southern Ocean. This time, I was happy to take it all in from the bleachers.

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Grand Soleil Yachts says its new flagship model—the Grand Soleil 72 Long Cruise version—is on track for its premiere in September at the Cannes Yachting Festival.

The model was announced last year, in addition to a Performance version of the Grand Soleil 72. The yacht is a collaboration with Cantiere del Pardo; Franco Corazza, the project manager for the entire Grand Soleil range over 60 feet; Matteo Polli; Marco Lostuzzi; and Nauta Design.

According to Grand Soleil Yachts, the distinguishing feature of the Grand Soleil 72 Long Cruise is its deckhouse, which has a window offering 270-degree views (it’s raised and widened compared to the Performance version). In the cockpit, the companionway and ladder are moved to the side to allow for more seating. And the dinette is raised, allowing broader views of the outdoors.

Similar to the Performance version, the Grand Soleil 72 Long Cruise has its owner’s stateroom forward. The galley layout, however, is different. On the new model, it can be positioned forward or aft, and the guest staterooms and crew cabins can be rearranged.

What else is in build at Grand Soleil Yachts? Two hulls of the Performance version of the Grand Soleil 72, as well as the Grand Soleil 65 that is also scheduled to debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival this autumn.

Take the next step: go to grandsoleil.net

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The iconic, 288-foot Perini Navi Maltese Falcon has completed a six-month refit at the Lusben refit yard in Italy. Some 80 people joined the yacht’s crew on the project.

The refit included repainting the yacht’s hull in its distinctive “Perini blue” color. Maintenance was done on the main engines and propellers, and the mast-handling system was overhauled.

New generators were installed to increase efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. For similarly eco-friendly reasons, main-engine mufflers were changed out—also helping to reduce noise.

Work also was done on the rig, and teak decking was replaced. Interiors were refurbished, and lighting was replaced with LED technology for energy savings.

“It was challenging project for all of us, not least because the sheer size of this sailing yacht required us to design and build a special system to accommodate the vessel in dry dock,”

Gianni Paladino, Lusben’s commercial director, stated in a press release. “We worked in synergy with the various teams involved in the refit work and with the customer, satisfying their wishes and at the same time suggesting improvements with a view to increasing efficiency and energy savings.”

Where is the Maltese Falcon headed next? Back “to the sea in all her splendor, regaling her guests with new and unforgettable experiences,” according to Capt. Pierfrancesco Cafaro.

Take the next step: go to lusben.com

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Wally has launched the wally101 Full Custom, a yacht inspired by the Wallycento box-rule design.  

“Following Baron D, Nahita and the Wally 144 Full Custom of the last few years, this is the 48th full-carbon sailing superyacht built by Wally, continuing the company’s remarkable contribution to the advancement of sailing design and technology,” Stefano de Vivo, Wally managing director, stated in a press release. “Launching a fully custom 101-footer is a great milestone for us, which demonstrates once again the ability of Wally and Ferretti Group to always place themselves at the forefront, even in the competitive market of sailing superyachts.”

According to the builder, the yacht displaces 55 tons, almost 15 percent less than similar-size yachts. Carbon-fiber technology, including a high-tech sandwich composite with pre-preg carbon fiber, helps to keep weight down.

Naval architecture is by judel/vrolijk & co., with exterior and interior design by Wally and Studio Santa Maria Magnolfi.

Features include the Wally Enhanced Hydraulic System, which has multiple hydraulic pumps to speed up sail handling.

How fast will the wally101 Full Custom go? According to Wally, under sail, the boat can “easily reach high performance.” Under power with the 425-horsepower engine, top speed is reportedly 11.5 knots.

Take the next step: go to wally.com

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If Hollywood made a movie about Ronnie Simpson’s life—and some director with a sense of adventure, empathy and accomplishment should do exactly that—it’s difficult to determine who would play the titular role. A younger Brad Pitt might’ve pulled it off; Ethan Hawke could deliver the necessary intensity; Matt Damon would probably get the nod from today’s ranks of leading men.

But the fact of the matter is that only Ronnie could star in an epic Ronnie biopic. He is nothing less than an American original: a Marine Corps veteran who was nearly blown to smithereens in the first Iraq war and later found solace, healing and purpose in sailing. Now, at 37, he hopes to up the ante and become America’s top single-handed offshore racer. He wants to compete in the sport’s showcase event, the nonstop Vendée Globe solo around-the-world race, which sets forth from France in 2024.

This I learned last fall when he sailed into Newport, Rhode Island, on a well-traveled Open 50 war horse of a yacht called Sparrow. He plans to compete on that boat in another nonstop solo marathon: the Global Solo Challenge, which will start from Spain this fall. But Ronnie is clear that it’s merely a steppingstone, one he hopes will attract a title sponsor for his ultimate goal of competing on a world-class Open 60. “I’m rolling the dice here in a really huge manner,” he told me. “If doing [the GSC] on an Open 50 was the endgame, I probably wouldn’t be here. I consider this my shot for the Vendée. I don’t know why I’m so driven to do that race, but I wake up every day, and I want to do it, and I go to sleep every night, and I want to do it.”

I’ve known Ronnie for several years, in a professional sense, as his former editor at Cruising World magazine. His most remarkable article was called “From Fallujah to Fiji,” a detailed account of a decade-long odyssey that began with his enlistment in the Marines, just days after graduating from high school. Then came the day in Iraq when his Humvee fell under attack and he was seriously injured. While recovering, he learned online about sailing, and he purchased a 41-footer, which he later abandoned at sea in a Pacific hurricane. He then picked up the pieces after his rescue, and he purchased a succession of small boats that he raced alone to Hawaii and rambled across the Pacific to Fiji, becoming a professional sailor, rigger and delivery skipper. Ronnie notched over 130,000 nautical miles and gained the skills necessary for a Vendée campaign.

Ronnie was preparing to return to Fiji on his recently purchased 43-footer to relaunch a charter business that had become a COVID casualty, generating the funds to bankroll his own Vendée project. That’s when his friend Whitall Stokes offered up Sparrow, a two-time veteran of round-the-world races, for the Global Solo Challenge. Ronnie sold his cruiser, set up a GoFundMe page, launched a website (ronniesimpsonracing.com) and sailed to Newport to begin his quest.

That is where I joined him on a breezy afternoon with a pumping southwesterly on Rhode Island Sound for his ongoing shakedown sails. “Learning,” he said, time and again, tack after tack, spray flying, as we put the boat through its paces. “We’re doing a lot of learning here today.” Clearly, he was in his element.

Yet the question remains: Will Ronnie Simpson fulfill his dream of being on the Vendée starting line off Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, on November 10, 2024, to test himself against the planet’s best single-handers? If any story deserves a happy ending, Ronnie’s does.

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The city of Newport, Rhode Island, has long been synonymous with 12 Metre boats, given how many of them competed there for the America’s Cup between 1958 and 1983. Quite a few of the boats still spend a great deal of their time in Newport, but there’s also a strong global fleet whose most recent World Championship was held in Helsinki, Finland, in 2021.

This summer, that racing is coming back to Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, with on-water action scheduled to take place from July 31 through August 5. Many of the yachts expected to race have ties to the America’s Cup competitions, setting the stage for some of the highest-caliber racing that can be seen anywhere in the world.

“It’s very special that this event is returning to Newport, especially because of the rich history this city shares with the America’s Cup,” said Peggy Hersam, executive director of the 12 Metre Yacht Club Newport Station, which is organizing the World Championship event in partnership with the Ida Lewis Yacht Club. “A large concentration of 12 Metres, many of which have ties to the Cup, make their home in Newport; however, the fleet is worldwide and going strong. It will be amazing for visitors and locals alike to encounter these iconic boats tuning up for and competing in this most important event.”

Some of the yachts expected to compete include Columbia, Challenge XII, American Eagle, Courageous, Defender, Enterprise, Freedom, Gleam, Intrepid, Nefertiti, Onawa and Weatherly. Each of these boats has amazing stories of their own: Columbia, for instance, never once trailed her challenger in the 1958 America’s Cup and is still out on the water winning races today.

Base camp for the World Championship will be established at the International Yacht Restoration School, with class-sanctioned regattas planned in June and early July, leading up to the main event. And some of the boats, including Columbia, are available for charter, giving racing enthusiasts a chance to sail aboard the historic vessels.

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