WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF SAILING IN 2024
Welcome to Yachting Year, our once-a-year blast of everything sailing has to o er, from wooden ga ers, to family cruisers, to 50-knot America’s Cup foilers. We intend Yachting Year to be a snapshot of sailing as it is – a state of the nation publication, if you like, and as you peruse the next 130 pages I’m sure you’ll agree that in 2023/24, sailing could not be in ruder health. e lockdown-inspired boom in boat ownership may have quietened down a little, but manufacturers are still reporting a buoyant market and our articles on the latest boats and kit show there is no pause in innovation. As we go to press, the Southampton International Boat Show has been a recent gauge of general optimism – the atmosphere there in September 2023 was palpably upbeat, a re ection of the global marine industry, as well as being a great day out.
So what does the Yachting Year ahead look like? Well, there’s the small matter of the Olympics (with the sailing in Marseille) in late July; then the 37th America’s Cup (just across the bay in Barcelona) from August to October; and then the Vendée Globe starting in November from Les Sables d’Olonne, which this time hopefully will be running a ‘normal’ race village, no social distancing required. Each of those brilliant events, no doubt, will set social media ablaze and give us plenty to savour from the comfort of our armchairs.
e Yachting Year ahead may bring bigger and more important things, though. Sailing has been undergoing a late but welcome process of promoting diversity and gender equality. e professional arena has led the way and despite some setbacks, such as Clarisse Cremer’s unhappy experience (see Year in Review, p16), the number of female role models in leading sailing positions is growing and there’s a sea-change in attitude. Here’s hoping that sailing magazine editorials in 10 years’ time will be writing about this overdue correction only in the past tense.
And, of course, we hope the Yachting Year ahead includes plenty of time on the water for you. We’ve done our best to cram these pages with advice and inspiration for your own sailing, be that on an RS400, a TP52 or a Westerly Centaur. Is it an e ect of the pandemic that we savour our time on the water all the more? Probably, but then sailing’s always been the best hobby known to mankind. Have a great Yachting Year!