Solo Sailing and Circumavigation News
![The Transat CIC - Of the 48 sailors who took the start, 33 are competing in the IMOCA class, 13 in the Class40 class and 2 in the vintage class The Transat CIC - Of the 48 sailors who took the start, 33 are competing in the IMOCA class, 13 in the Class40 class and 2 in the vintage class](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000tQGxKF1IxlE/s/767/I0000tQGxKF1IxlE.jpg)
Top Solo Sailors Compete in The Transat CIC Race Across The North Atlantic
28th April 2024 Solo Sailing
The Transat CIC, the legendary solo race across the North Atlantic, commenced on Sunday with 48 sailors setting sail from Lorient, Brittany towards New York. Blessed with sunny skies, cumulus clouds, and a decent 10-15kts of Westerly wind, the sailors…
![Difficult Transatlantic race - Tom Dolan (right) was part of a three-strong international crew, skippered by top Figaro racer Gildas Mahé (centre). The team also included young Spanish racer Pep Costa Difficult Transatlantic race - Tom Dolan (right) was part of a three-strong international crew, skippered by top Figaro racer Gildas Mahé (centre). The team also included young Spanish racer Pep Costa](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000xxz9WlIciPA/s/767/I0000xxz9WlIciPA.jpg)
Despite Niji40 Class40 Race Setback, Tom Dolan Returns to France for Solo Maître CoQ race
25th April 2024 Tom Dolan
Irish skipper Tom Dolan is gearing up for his next challenge, the Solo Maître CoQ race, after finishing fourth in the new 3,430 miles Niji40 Class40 race between Belle-Ile-en-Mer, France and Marie-Galante Gaudeloupe. The 21st edition of the Solo Maître…
![Transat CIC route Transat CIC route](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000EERqZccDjdg/s/500/I0000EERqZccDjdg.jpg)
Transat CIC Is Coming to America With Race Finish Set for Heart of New York City
23rd April 2024 Class40
The Transat CIC is set to bring solo ocean racing’s biggest, most modern IMOCA and Class40 fleet to the very heart of New York City. The city of New York is inextricably linked to the long history of solo ocean…
![Tom Dolan (right) is a key member of a three-strong international crew, skippered by top Figaro racer Gildas Mahé (centre). The team, which also includes young Spanish racer Pep Costa, will compete in a 3,430 nautical mile Transatlantic course from the French Atlantic coast to reach Marie-Galante off the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe Tom Dolan (right) is a key member of a three-strong international crew, skippered by top Figaro racer Gildas Mahé (centre). The team, which also includes young Spanish racer Pep Costa, will compete in a 3,430 nautical mile Transatlantic course from the French Atlantic coast to reach Marie-Galante off the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000TuC6zvRmxIs/s/767/I0000TuC6zvRmxIs.jpg)
Irish Offshore Racer Tom Dolan to Compete in a Transatlantic Race on Class40 Boat Amarris
5th April 2024 Tom Dolan
Irish offshore solo racer Tom Dolan is taking advantage of a break in the Figaro circuit to participate in a new crewed Class40 race - the Niji 40. Dolan is a key member of a three-strong international crew, skippered by…
![The mighty John Alden schooner Puritan is just one chapter in Bob Fannin Jnr’s very varied history of sailing experience The mighty John Alden schooner Puritan is just one chapter in Bob Fannin Jnr’s very varied history of sailing experience](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000usBA6VpuvEk/s/767/I0000usBA6VpuvEk.jpg)
Bob Fannin Jnr feels most at home on the high seas. For as the Bristol-based writer, broadcaster and university lecturer told the members of the Cruising Group at his former club of Howth on Tuesday night, when sailing the sea,…
![Irish sailor Tom Dolan (pictured) and his French co-skipper Paul Morvan were fourth in France's Laura Vergne Trophy Irish sailor Tom Dolan (pictured) and his French co-skipper Paul Morvan were fourth in France's Laura Vergne Trophy](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Pv2qINKgCYg/s/767/I0000Pv2qINKgCYg.jpg)
Irish Sailor Tom Dolan and French Co-skipper Secure Fourth Place in Laura Vergne Trophy
27th March 2024 Tom Dolan
Irish sailor Tom Dolan and his French co-skipper Paul Morvan secured a commendable fourth-place finish in the Laura Vergne Trophy following a 270-mile offshore race that ended on Monday. Dolan and Morvan, who sailed Dolan’s Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan, held their own…
![Tom Dolan (left) and Paul Morvan will compete in the Laura Vergne Trophy Offshore Race Tom Dolan (left) and Paul Morvan will compete in the Laura Vergne Trophy Offshore Race](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00008yTRlklJ96I/s/767/I00008yTRlklJ96I.jpg)
Irish Sailor Tom Dolan Set to Compete in Laura Vergne Trophy Offshore Race
25th March 2024 Tom Dolan
Irish offshore sailor Tom Dolan is all set to take part in the Laura Vergne Trophy offshore race, which is a part of the 2024 French Elite Offshore Racing Championship. The event is named in memory of Laura Vergne, who…
![](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000Cm43hbPBJK8/s/767/I0000Cm43hbPBJK8.jpg)
Tom Dolan overcame a torn spinnaker to finish in 11th place on the 370-mile offshore race of the Solo Guy Cotten-Concarneau, the Irish solo skipper’s first offshore race of the 2024 season. The spinnaker tear happened within the first couple…
![Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan: “Staying fresh, hungry and focused are my targets this season.”
Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan: “Staying fresh, hungry and focused are my targets this season.”](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000zvHOtiwNNMU/s/767/I0000zvHOtiwNNMU.jpg)
Irish Solo Offshore Sailor, Tom Dolan, Prioritises Mental and Physical Preparation for 2024 Racing Season
11th March 2024 Tom Dolan
Irish solo offshore sailor, Tom Dolan, is starting his 2024 racing season with a new approach. Rather than spending most of his time on the water, the skipper of Smurfit Kappa-Kingspan has prioritised his physical and mental preparation. Dolan is…
![Irish Figaro star Tom Dolan will screen a documentary on his sailing record attempts Round Ireland this St. Patrick's weekend in Paris Irish Figaro star Tom Dolan will screen a documentary on his sailing record attempts Round Ireland this St. Patrick's weekend in Paris](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000rymCCy_wt6s/s/767/I0000rymCCy_wt6s.jpg)
Irish Solo Sailor Tom Dolan to Showcase "Around My Island" TV Documentary at Irish Cultural Centre in Paris
29th February 2024 Tom Dolan
Renowned Irish solo sailor Tom Dolan is set to showcase his upcoming documentary "Around my Island" this St. Patrick's weekend at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris. The documentary focuses on Dolan's record-breaking attempts to sail solo around Ireland's coastline.…
![Charles Caudrelier's elapsed time in the first Ultim Challenge Solo Multihull Race Around the World is 50 days 19 hours 07 minutes 47 seconds since leaving Brest in the six-boat fleet on Sunday, 7th January Charles Caudrelier's elapsed time in the first Ultim Challenge Solo Multihull Race Around the World is 50 days 19 hours 07 minutes 47 seconds since leaving Brest in the six-boat fleet on Sunday, 7th January](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000eTgEVKyTt9o/s/767/I0000eTgEVKyTt9o.jpg)
French Skipper Charles Caudrelier Wins First Ultim Challenge Solo Multihull Race Around the World
27th February 2024 Ultim Challenge
French sailor Charles Caudrelier has emerged victorious in the Ultim Challenge, the first-ever solo multihull race around the world. Caudrelier, skipper of the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, crossed the finish line off the coast of Brest on Tuesday morning at…
![Saoirse by moonlight off Ibiza at New Year, 1932. Saoirse was rigged as a brigantine when she sailed to Ibiza, but thanks to Conor O’Brien’s willingness to have a notably long main gaff boom aloft on the aft mast, the rig change had been done using the same compact ketch masts that sailed her round the world Saoirse by moonlight off Ibiza at New Year, 1932. Saoirse was rigged as a brigantine when she sailed to Ibiza, but thanks to Conor O’Brien’s willingness to have a notably long main gaff boom aloft on the aft mast, the rig change had been done using the same compact ketch masts that sailed her round the world](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000xaqEhyyuoEo/s/767/I0000xaqEhyyuoEo.jpg)
Another “First” For Conor O'Brien: His Alternative Image of An Unknown Ibiza
14th February 2024 Conor O'Brien
Conor O'Brien’s outstanding pioneering achievement was in demonstrating that a sailing vessel as small as his own-designed 42ft Baltimore-built ketch Saoirse could complete a global circumnavigation through the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean, south of the Great Capes. The…
![Thomas Coville has sailed around the world eight times, five times on a multihull Thomas Coville has sailed around the world eight times, five times on a multihull](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00003cWAIBzJ8O0/s/767/I00003cWAIBzJ8O0.jpg)
Thomas Coville on This Weekend's Ultim Challenge Solo Multihull Race Around the World
4th January 2024 Ultim Challenge
More than any other skipper on the Ultim Challenge-Brest, at 55 years old, Thomas Coville knows what lies ahead. He has sailed around the world eight times, five times on a multihull and in 2016 broke the solo round the…
![The Arkea Ultim Challenge - Brest will be the first-ever solo race around the world on giant Ultim trimarans, the biggest and fastest ocean-going sailboats in the world., The race starts from Brest, France, on Sunday, 7th, January The Arkea Ultim Challenge - Brest will be the first-ever solo race around the world on giant Ultim trimarans, the biggest and fastest ocean-going sailboats in the world., The race starts from Brest, France, on Sunday, 7th, January](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000maDGZAXoOJI/s/767/I0000maDGZAXoOJI.jpg)
The Ultim Challenge: The Next Big Step in the History of Sailing Round the World
30th December 2023 Ultim Challenge
The Arkea Ultim Challenge - Brest, which starts from Brest, France, on Sunday, 7th, January, will be the first-ever solo race around the world on giant Ultim trimarans, the biggest and fastest ocean-going sailboats in the world. There are many…
![The first boat ever to be awarded a major perpetual cruising trophy was Royal Ulster YC member Dr Howard Sinclair’s 26ft Brenda, which received the new Challenge Cup of the Cruising Club in 1895 for a Round Ireland cruise. Built as a straight-stemmed racing boat to W E Paton’s designs in Belfast in 1886, Brenda was converted for cruising in 1891, and in 1894 she was lengthened forward with a “modern” stem to Dr Sinclair’s own designs by John Hilditch of Carrickfergus The first boat ever to be awarded a major perpetual cruising trophy was Royal Ulster YC member Dr Howard Sinclair’s 26ft Brenda, which received the new Challenge Cup of the Cruising Club in 1895 for a Round Ireland cruise. Built as a straight-stemmed racing boat to W E Paton’s designs in Belfast in 1886, Brenda was converted for cruising in 1891, and in 1894 she was lengthened forward with a “modern” stem to Dr Sinclair’s own designs by John Hilditch of Carrickfergus](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000oT0O9Ugg5yE/s/767/I0000oT0O9Ugg5yE.jpg)
Ireland’s Cruising And Voyaging Continues To Develop The Rich Legacy And International Friendship Radiating From Cork
16th December 2023 W M Nixon
In a week’s time, Sailing on Saturday will resume normal service with a preview on December 23rd of the up-coming Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race on December 26th, both generally and from an Irish angle, for we…
![Imoca Paprec Arkea skipper Yoann Richomme taking first place on the Retour à la Base, in Lorient, France, on December 09, 2023 Imoca Paprec Arkea skipper Yoann Richomme taking first place on the Retour à la Base, in Lorient, France, on December 09, 2023](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000W.axY8Jb2uU/s/767/I0000W.axY8Jb2uU.jpg)
Yoann Richomme Wins inaugural Retour à La Base Solo Transatlantic Race
9th December 2023 Solo Sailing
When he crossed the finish line off Lorient, Brittany at 16:03:48hrs UTC today (Saturday 9th December) to win the inaugural 3,500 miles Retour à La Base, this afternoon French skipper Yoann Richomme marked himself as a sailor worth watching on…