Global Solo Challenge Skippers Meet in Vigo, 28 February 2026
Francois Gouin – Kawan3 Unicancer @globalsolochallenge On Saturday 28 February, the Global Solo Challenge will gather at the Real Club Náutico de Vigo for a public event marking two moments in the life of the race: the closing ceremony and prize giving of the 2023–2024 edition and the presentation of the 2027–2028 edition, which will […]
Marcello Queirolo completes his Global Solo Challenge qualifier
Italian sailor Marcello Queirolo has completed his 2000 miles passage on his boat IAIAI, an Elan 37, successfully qualifying for the Global Solo Challenge 2027-2028. The planned route was due to take Marcello from the North Adriatic through the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas in the Central Mediterranean, however one of the worst storms in recent […]
Names of the winds: knowing them to understand the life of a depression
The earliest historical references to the names of the winds date back to the Odyssey, where Homer mentions four principal winds. Their names were Boreas, Eurus, Notus and Zephyrus, and they accompanied Ulysses on his journeys. As for the Wind Rose, the oldest known representation that has survived to the present day dates back to […]
Raymarine Evolution Autopilot for sailboat EV100-400
In this second section about sailboat autopilots, we take into consideration a typical installation of a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot for sailboats. First of all as a standalone pilot, then in the context of a full installation on board a typical sailing yacht. The Raymarine product range, compared to other brands that do not offer products […]
The boatyards of the most popular sailboats in Italian ports
To talk about the most common shipyards and sailing boats in Italy, we must first give a general overview of Italian boating. After a peak in registrations in 2011, Italian boating has experienced a continuous contraction. This is observable from the data published by the CNA in its annual report on Italian boating. The number […]
Comparison of Raymarine, NKE, and B&G autopilots – cruising and racing
Comparison of Raymarine, NKE, B&G Autopilots The autopilot comparison table we’ll present at the end of this article aims to compare similar solutions with respect to performance and functionality. For example, I believe that the NKE Cruise Pack is not comparable with the Raymarine Evolution and B&G Triton2 options. The B&G Triton 2 cruising options […]
Severe storm in the coming hours: how to deal with it?
It was the final leg of the Global Ocean Race 2011/2012, the shortest, but not the easiest. Just a few hours after the start we were hit by a tropical storm with winds over 50 knots. Then we finally sailed with the Gulf Stream, which deceitfully branched off with contrary eddies, and finally a nasty […]
B&G Autopilot: Triton2 Series for cruising and H5000 for racing
Brookes and Gatehouse of Lymington are the names behind the B&G autopilot brand. Now owned by the Norwegian company Navico, it’s hard to imagine anything more British than Sir Francis Chichester on his first Circumnavigation in 1967 (with a single stop in Australia). His boat, Gipsy Moth IV, was equipped with Brookes and Gatehouse instruments. […]
NKE Marine Electronics Autopilot: many advantages and some drawbacks
When we talk about the NKE Marine Electronics autopilot, we’re facing a completely different world compared to simple cockpit actuators or autopilots for cruising boats. The NKE autopilot is complex, at times delicate—they are extraordinary in performance as much as in the care we must take of them. They are capable of keeping a planing […]
Solo sailing maneuvers: tacking, gybing, hoisting, lowering
Single-handed maneuvers are often quite challenging, especially when a spinnaker is involved. First of all, it must be said that having a good autopilot is essential. The videos we will analyze are taken from courses personally held on the Mini 650. All people in the videos are students, so don’t be too harsh. The single-handed […]
