british steel yacht

Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Chay Blyth: 50 years since his Impossible Voyage

• Katy Stickland
• July 9, 2021

50 years ago Chay Blyth became the first person to sail solo, non-stop, westwards around the world. Dee Caffari, the first woman to emulate his record, looks back at his achievement

Chay Blyth finished his solo non-stop westwards circumnavigation around the world on 6 August 1971. Credit: Getty

Before the attempt, Sir Francis Chichester commented that he thought the voyage was impossible, and on completion it became known as ‘The Impossible Voyage’, writes Dee Caffari

The Times newspaper in London described it as, ‘The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone’.

It is still considered the toughest challenge in sailing; only five people have ever managed it, a number which becomes more significant when compared to the 12 people who have walked on the moon.

The plan began in earnest to sail the ‘wrong way’ round the world in 1969.

It was not until 18 October 1970 that Chay Blyth departed from Southampton on board the 59ft ketch, British Steel .

His voyage had never been done before: to sail single-handed, non-stop, westwards around the world.

Blyth returned to a hero’s welcome 292 days later .

Thousands cheered and their Royal Highnesses Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne were there to greet him as was the then prime minister, Edward Heath.

Chay Blyth had become the first person to sail non-stop, around the world against the prevailing winds and currents .

Chay Blyth’s record breaking 59ft yacht British Steel. Credit: Getty

In recognition of his impressive achievement, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Sponsorship was vital to the success of the venture and Chay secured the backing of The British Steel Corporation.

This experience of gaining and developing a relationship with a major corporation was to shape not only Chay’s personal exploits in the following years but also his business initiatives too.

Those skills were something he happily passed on and I remember receiving advice from Chay about business meetings and how the world of corporate sponsorship worked during regular chats when I was preparing for my solo voyage .

Preparation for such a voyage is an endless task with phone calls, meetings, challenges and hurdles all to be overcome.

There are infinite decisions that need making and as you are the only sailor involved, you are the only one that can make the final decision.

The hours of commuting from boatyard to boardroom and back again gives you plenty of time to think.

Continues below…

40th anniversary of Chay Blyth’s return

Sailed into Southampton in 1971

Dee Caffari makes history

First woman to sail solo round the world both ways

Dee Caffari: 6 times around the world; 600 times around the garden

Like all of us, Dee Caffari had to abandon her sailing plans when COVID-19 hit. Budding journalist Harry Sowerby talks…

Chay, and his wife Maureen, worked tirelessly through their tasks.

I also remember driving back and forth during my preparation, making calls and endless lists. It’s not something that can be done alone.

You need a support network and those closest to you are crucial in fulfilling that role.

Without their support the dream never becomes a reality.

As departure day came closer Chay talked about it being not possible to be completely ready as there was always last-minute organised chaos.

The final night ashore you are unable to relax, your mind racing through final checklists, mixed with nerves and anxiety.

No one can take any more days of tension and pressure – all you want is the start line.

Chay recalled his emotions at his start: ‘I think you are beyond feeling, you don’t feel anything.’

As mentor for my ‘Impossible Voyage’ in 2005/6 , his parting words to me as I set off, were to remind me not to cry – it had been done before.

Asked how I felt, I think, like Chay, I was too busy initially to feel anything.

Then it was overwhelming. I was heading towards the Lizard Lighthouse, the stopwatch started and I was swamped with the reality of what I had chosen to undertake.

It took a while to settle into a routine.

Calms and light airs were conditions that both Chay and I seemed to find most difficult to tolerate.

Chay often talked to himself, a trait I can relate to.

It is like giving yourself a running commentary or a set of instructions out loud to follow.

The benefits are two-fold.

First it gives you confidence in your decisions on what actions to take.

It also feels like you have some dialogue or company while you do it.

Both of us were plagued with autopilot issues and had to constantly fix or hand steer in certain conditions, testing our resolve.

Chay had his army and para training to draw upon, and I had my stubbornness and tenacity, but both of us were determined to see things through.

A common topic that comes up no matter whose sailing memoirs you read are the constant references to food.

In the preparation phase the focus is all on performance, sails, navigation, boat systems and weather.

Sir Chay Blyth with Dee Caffari after finishing her own solo Impossible Voyage in 2006. Credit: Getty

But the reality is that when you are out there, it is the fuel you consume that keeps you going.

That, and sleep or rather the lack of it at times, and how that affects your mood in difficult circumstances.

Recognising how you react at these times, so you can do something about it, is something I probably underestimated in my voyage, despite having read about it in Chay’s book.

My relationship with Sir Chay Blyth started when I was one of his skippers in the 2004 Global Challenge Race – ‘The World’s Toughest Yacht Race’ .

He planted the solo non-stop seed in my mind during the Cape Town stop-over, while we were chatting after dinner.

Since his Impossible Voyage , only three men had followed in his footsteps, Mike Golding, Philippe Monnet and Jean-Luc Van den Heede.

In Chay’s opinion it was only a matter of time before a woman would do it, so why shouldn’t it be me?

Sir Chay Blyth may not have directly passed on his tips and techniques for dealing with mountainous seas and gale force headwinds, but the 14 years’ experience of sailing on Global Challenge races and the teams he put together to compete in them clearly benefited me .

I trusted their confidence and Blyth’s belief in me and my abilities.

When I crossed the finish line 15 years ago, having sailed myself into the history books following in Sir Chay Blyth’s footsteps, the first call I made was to Chay.

I was standing on deck in the rain with the wind blowing 50 knots and the phone inside my hood.

He had heard the news and had popped the Champagne cork and he sounded proud.

As he wrote in the foreword of my book published the following year: ‘The Impossible Voyage may no longer be impossible, but it remains hard, very, very hard.’

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The challenge : the official story of the British Steel Challenge

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Sir Chay Blyth

Adventurer, businessman – an inspiration.

1940  – Born – Hawick , Scotland.

1958  – Joined the Parachute Regiment.

1966  – Rowed across The Atlantic in 92 days in an open 20ft dory, “English Rose II” with Capt. John Ridgway.  Awarded the BEM and voted Man of the Year..

1968  – Attempted to sail around the world aboard the 30ft yacht “Dyfiscus”.

1970-71  – Became the first person to sail non-stop single handed westwards around the world, aboard the yacht “British Steel” , taking 292 days.

1971  – Was made a  Commander of the British Empire  (CBE). Voted Yachtsman of the Year and again Man of the Year.  Also awarded The Chichester Trophy and became an Honourary Member of the Royal Southern Yacht Club.

1973 -74  – Skippered a crew of paratroopers in the yacht “Great Britain II”, which took line honours in the  Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race .

1978  – Won the Two Handed Round Britain Race in the yacht “Great Britain IV” with Rob James. And came second in the Round the Island Race (IoW).

1981  – Entered the Whitbread race again in the yacht “United Friendly” and was the first British yacht to finish.

1981  – On the yacht “Brittany Ferries GB” won the Two Handed Trans Atlantic Race with Co Skipper Rob James in record time.  Came second again in the Round the Island Race (IoW).

1982  – Came second overall and first in class in The Round Britain and Ireland Race on “Brittany Ferries GB”.

1984  – Capsized off Cape Horn aboard the trimaran “Beefeater II” whilst attempting the New York – San Francisco record attempt with Eric Blunn. Rescued by passing fishing boat after 19 hours in the water.

1985  – Co Skipper of “Virgin Atlantic I” with Richard Branson on Blue Riband attempt.

1986  – Co Skipper of “Virgin Atlantic II” with Richard Branson on successful Blue Riband crossing of The Atlantic.

1989  – Chay Blyth founded Challenge Business which was to re-shape global yacht racing opening it up to ordinary people and raising millions for charity in the process.

• 1992-93 British Steel Challenge
• 1996-97 BT Global Challenge
• 2000-01 BT Global Challenge
• 2004-05 Global Challenge

Challenge Business also launched the Trans Atlantic Rowing Race in 1997 and the Transat for Open 60s.

1990  – Attended six month course at the London Business School.

1997  – Chay Blyth knighted by the Queen for his services to yachting.

1997  – Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Portsmouth.

1998  – Honorary Doctorate of Technology from the University of Plymouth.

2000  – Chartered Institute of Marketing awards Chay Blyth its prestigious Companion of Honour.

2006  – Appointed Non-Executive Chairman of First Great Western Railway.

2008  – Appointed Chairman of FirstScot Railway Stakeholder Advisory Board

2012  – Purchased a new yacht “Lazy Jacques” – renamed “Wullie Waught”.

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British Steel (yacht)

From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

British Steel is a 59 ft (18 m) ketch famous for a circumnavigation of the globe "the wrong way" (i.e. from east to west, against prevailing winds and currents) by Chay Blyth in 1970/71.

The entire race was completed in 292 days. Described by The Times as "The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone", under the headline "Boat of Steel - Man of Iron", [ citation needed ] the feat inspired two generations of ocean voyagers and adventurers, forming the basis of the 1992 British Steel Challenge and the subsequent BT Global Challenges . [ citation needed ]

British Steel is currently moored in Dartmouth , Devon and undergoing restoration.

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Transcription

British Steel was designed by Devon-based naval architect Robert Clark, and built in 1970 by Philip and Son , at Noss , on the River Dart . [1] Launched on 19 August of that year, after a record build time of four months, British Steel was described by Don Holme in his book The Circumnavigators as representing the absolute pinnacle of modern yacht design and construction at the time, particularly with regard to the use of steel in the building of her hull.

It was primarily for this reason, when approached by the erstwhile adventurer and "publicity-yachtist" Chay Blyth, then state-owned British Steel Corporation (later Corus) agreed to sponsor his plan.

Purpose-built to achieve what was widely regarded as impossible, the design and construction of British Steel cost £ 20,000. Boasting state-of-the-art electronics, she also featured a host of other innovative features to complete her voyage single-handed.

External links

• British Steel  website (archived)

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

Broken forestay in the Southern Ocean: Extract from Woman of Steel

• Toby Heppell
• January 26, 2021

Tom Cunliffe introduces a section from Vivien Cherry's book recalling when her British Steel challenge crew jury rigged a broken forestay in the unforgiving southern ocean

The first British Steel Challenge Race west-about around the world via the Great Capes was a one-off back in 1992. Most people thought it was crazy to sail ‘the wrong way’ around the world, but the event proved otherwise, though the various broken forestay stories do show how tough it was.

Four years on, it morphed into the BT Global Challenge and went on to great things. The race gave ordinary people – not highly paid professionals – the opportunity to find out what they were made of in the toughest school of all.

Woman of Steel by Vivien Cherry, Adlard Coles Nautical, online resellers

The ship-breaking windward passage around Cape Horn and the Southern Ocean tested skippers and crews to near-destruction and rig failure became endemic. In this account from her book, Woman of Steel , we hear from 32-year-old skipper Vivien Cherry about losing the main forestay on Coopers and Lybrand.

An engineer by trade, Cherry and her team worked out how to jury-rig the boat with almost zero suitable hardware so it could still be sailed hard. And sail hard they surely did, into a creditable fourth overall out of 10 boats. Great seamanship at its finest.

The story begins

Sunday 6 December found us tramping along making 9 knots. Robert, who was helming, got caught by a big, unavoidable wave. As he surged down its back with speed beginning to pick up, there was a bang followed by a scream of, ‘The forestay has gone!’

As we rushed on deck to assess the situation, Robert was already bearing away to ease the load from the forward rigging and the foredeck crew were in action grabbing wet flogging sails to prevent further damage.

Working with bare hands on wet, cold steel at a temperature of around zero limited the time spent on the foredeck. The crew had to take it in turns to go below to warm their hands.

The loose forestay was tied off and all available foresail halyards were attached to the foredeck to support the mast. As a further precaution, a third reef was put in to bring the mainsail load below the next mast support.

Coopers and Lybrand heads out past the Needles just after the Southampton start of the 1992/3 British Steel Challenge. Photo:David Ashdown/Getty

With three reefs in, it was possible to tension both runners without interfering with the sail and therefore stabilise the bottom two thirds of the mast.

We surveyed the damage: the bottom rigging screw – a 20mm threaded metal bar – had sheared. The sail appeared to be intact though two hanks had broken off.

A subdued atmosphere pervaded the yacht. The two previous yachts that had suffered rigging damage had both gone to land for assistance. Initially there was a somewhat natural expectation that we would too, but the thought filled us with despondency.

We didn’t carry any rigging spares and were 1,000 miles from land. This was the same failure that had occurred on Group 4 at the beginning of this leg. A brainstorming session was needed. All suitable spares, shackles, lines and anchor chain were assembled. Consideration was given to cannibalising other rigging, namely the baby stay; although it was a bit smaller, we thought it would do the job.

Working at the bow on a forestay jury rig

The option of returning to land was hardly considered. It was apparent to me that we had to effect an immediate repair and then decide where we were going. Valparaiso was the only feasible contingency port and this was half way up the Chilean coast, not in the southern section.

We would be closing an unfriendly lee shore with a damaged yacht, and spares flown out from England could take a considerable time to reach us. On consideration, I firmly believed that if we went back to Chile we would not catch up with the fleet, we would never make it to Australia and would be effectively out of the race.

However, we still had to make a repair before we went anywhere.

Matt inspected the baby stay and inner shrouds and recommended the aft lower fitting as suitable. Arnie, Bertie and Titch took it in turns to dismantle the port leeward lower (it was not loaded because we were on starboard tack) and rebuild the forestay with the bottom fork and the threaded screw.

Article continues below…

Southern Ocean DIY

David Scully explains how team Cheyenne carried out major repairs to the mast track

BT Global Challenge

As crews make their final preparations...

Once it was reassembled, Matt and Arnie put the tension back on the forestay. It was an extremely wet, cold job to carry out right on the bow of the yacht whilst we were still sailing, digging into these Southern Ocean waves.

The repair to the forestay proved 100% effective on this tack – we were amazed and delighted as we’d not thought it would be possible to sail on at maximum efficiency. With all the crew clear of the foredeck we set the yacht back on course.

We were able to resume our track with only a two-hour delay.

The crew didn’t know it, but Coopers and Lybrand’s mast was in a perilous state

We surprised the fleet at the speed of our repair, as similar damage had cost Group 4 a two-day delay and had forced one of our competitors to head for land. It called for a celebration – a mid morning beer, chilled of course.

The true cost of our misfortune was to lose approximately 20 miles to our competitors. We managed to hold on to third place, but the race was getting closer and there was still 4,400 miles to Hobart.

However pleased we were with our quick repair, we still had to find a suitable way of tensioning the aft lower shroud. Shortly, we were going to have to make some northing, which meant tacking to port. We were already at 59° south – as far as we wanted to go.

It was therefore pressing to get the aft lowers tensioned. We weren’t convinced the temporary lash-up would hold, but until we needed to tack it could not be tested. We tried further modifications to achieve suitable tension on this shroud.

Attaching block shackles and lines in the conditions that prevailed was an acrobatic feat. Harnessed on to the leeward side with the sidedeck awash, icy waves swept over crew struggling to work. Half an hour was the absolute maximum before fingers became too numb and stiff with cold to function properly; many of the crew couldn’t manage that long.

We had reached our seventh jury rig design and were still convinced that taking the rigging screw from the aft lower to the forestay was the best answer, so we persevered. However, we began to doubt our conclusions after two attempted tacks resulted in failure.

In the first, the lashing cord between the bottlescrew and the deck clevis pin snapped and in the second, an 18mm Spectra line broke in two places. The importance of this piece of rigging was becoming more and more apparent, as was the side bend in the mast. Since the aft lower was the same size as the forestay it must be carrying a big load and we were fully aware of how vital it was to keep the mast straight.

Eventually, to enable us to tack safely, we dismantled the repaired forestay, returned the vital bits to the lower shroud and tacked. We went back to the drawing board or, in our case, the chart table, to come up with a solution. A lot of the other skippers called us on the radio offering ideas and suggestions.

Turn for the worst

Southern Ocean conditions are rarely benign for racing

Gloomy Monday took a turn for the worst when Group 4 , who’d had the same problem two weeks ago, lost their forestay again. Six hours later Hofbrau joined the ‘forestay club’. We were going slowly – not really in the right direction – and had lost our third place to drop to a dismal sixth.

I was becoming convinced that a jury-rigged forestay had to be a better solution. Robert, Matt, Titch and I bounced ideas around before we came up with a sound scheme. Further thought produced a sketch and a plan, but it was now late in the evening. Tomorrow would be the day to put it into action.

On Tuesday, the plan was set and all procedures written down in the order they needed to be carried out. To jury-rig the forestay, all the rigging tension needed to be released to allow the mast to go straight and forward; once the forestay was tied up, the mast could then be moved back again to tension it.

We began at 0830 and eventually finished 4.5 hours later. We kept the deep-reefed mainsail up to ease the motion because these jobs were time-consuming enough without having to concentrate on keeping your balance. We still had to prove that our jury rig would hold.

If we had lots of breeze we’d be happy as we wouldn’t need to carry any sail on the forestay to make up the boat speed. We were still in touch with the fleet but there was another 4,000 miles to go.

The final jury rig plan for the forestay

It was the following day that we first had a sail on the repaired forestay. We hoisted the No2 yankee and there was no noticeable sag, although the cap shrouds and the lowers still needed tightening. We again took the No2 yankee down to effect this adjustment, which took another three hours.

The other problem, when we got as far as trying to put the full mainsail up, was that the mast was obviously more raked and the boom was sitting on the kicker strut, so we had to shorten the kicker strut to maintain the correct sail shape. My private concern was that I knew we’d damaged the mast, it was certainly bent and there was the possibility that further damage had been done.

We therefore worked very hard at keeping the mast straight and in column. It also became apparent from below that the mast was actually moving at deck level. As long as that movement stayed within the boundaries that I had set myself, we would continue.

If these boundaries had been exceeded prior to reaching the waypoint at 120° west and 52° south, then I would have turned the boat round and headed back to Chile.

Those were the thoughts in my mind. Every other day we were making some adjustment to the rig. It was also coming out that people were seeing icebergs around the waypoint.

It was cold, hard work, racing while trying to effect a repair in the Southern Ocean

Mast movement

As I began to realise how badly the mast was damaged I resolved to keep the knowledge to myself. I hated the awful prospect of having to stop racing and run for Chile, and the last thing I wanted was for the crew to be as worried as I was.

I would sit at the chart table lining up the edge of the mast with the bar in the forepeak, squinting at it to see if it was moving more than yesterday.

If it was going to break it would go either at deck level or close to the gooseneck fitting. On the same day that we went round the waypoint, Heath Insured ’s forestay had broken and the final act of the Great Bottlescrew Saga was the news that British Steel II had lost her mast.

Reflecting on this mishap made me glad that I had stuck to the jury-rigged forestay, even though it appeared I was bucking the trend and acting against advice from base. I was convinced that our method was the best one, but I still had to keep justifying it to the crew.

I would say to them: “The forestay can break, but at least the rig will stay up. So we’ll just jury-rig another forestay until we get there.” I was determined that we would carry on racing.

When the mast was finally pulled in Hobart we found a crack from the track almost two thirds of the way round. The spar had a distinctive kink and bend in the lower half section.

All credit to the integrity of the repairs and the faith of the crew that we were able to sail in with the kite flying.

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British Steel (yacht)

British Steel is a 59 ft (18 m) ketch famous for a circumnavigation of the globe "the wrong way" (i.e. from east to west, against prevailing winds and currents) by Sir Chay Blyth in 1970/71.

The entire race was completed in 292 days. Described by The Times as "The most outstanding passage ever made by one man alone", under the headline "Boat of Steel - Man of Iron", [ citation needed ] the feat inspired two generations of ocean voyagers and adventurers, forming the basis of the 1992 British Steel Challenge and the subsequent BT Global Challenges . [ citation needed ]

British Steel is currently moored in Dartmouth, Devon and undergoing restoration.

British Steel was designed by Devon-based naval architect Robert Clark , and built in 1970 by George Phillip and Son , at Noss , on the River Dart . [1] Launched on August 19 of that year, after a record build time of four months, British Steel was described by Don Holme in his book, "The Circumnavigators", as representing the absolute pinnacle of modern yacht design and construction at the time, particularly with regard to the use of steel in the building of her hull.

It was primarily for this reason, when approached by the erstwhile adventurer and "publicity-yachtist" Chay Blyth, then state-owned British Steel Corporation (now Corus) agreed to sponsor his plan.

Purpose-built to achieve what was widely regarded as impossible, the design and construction of British Steel cost £ 20,000. Boasting state-of-the-art electronics, she also featured a host of other innovative features to complete her voyage single-handed.

External links

• http://www.britishsteelsailing.co.uk
• ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

• Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010
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• 1970s sailing yachts
• Sailing yachts built in the United Kingdom
• Maritime incidents in 1976
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BOAT STORIES British Steel, a great boat for a great enterprise

• October 6, 2022
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British Steel is the boat in which Chay Blyth made history as the first man to circumnavigate the globe no-stop from west to east, against prevailing winds. Special boat.

For the time, the boat designed by Robert Clark, a naval architect from Devon, was cutting-edge, designed for solo sailing and with futuristic electronics. She was built by the George Phillip & Son shipyard, located on the Dart River: she was built in the record time of four months, and was described by Don Holme in his book “The Circumnavigators” as a state-of-the-art boat, especially in terms of the use of steel in the hull.

Instead. Instead Blyth succeeded in his feat, to him all the glories . The boat had been donated to him, but was later sold and changed hands among several owners, including adventurer Pete Goss. It is currently docked at Dartmouth.

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The 8 Best New British Yachts on the Water, From Sunseeker to Fairline

Quality among the top u.k. builders is always a given. it's the range of yacht designs that may surprise you..

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As an island, boats have always been the lifeblood of Great Britain. And many British yacht builders continue to uphold the country’s proud naval and maritime traditions. While there are a handful of superyacht builders, the UK isn’t known for eye-wateringly huge megayachts or avant-garde design—though that has changed as its largest international brands compete with the style-obsessed Ferretti Group and Azimut brands.

But what you do find with the Brits is well engineered vessels with a high level of attention to detail in both the interior and exterior design. From semi-custom motoryacht builders like Princess and Sunseeker to the rarefied realm of a highly sought-after Pascoe limousine, there’s something here for nearly every yachtsman.

And thanks to enduring popularity, there is nearly always a British-built sailboat from the Oyster yard, somewhere just over the horizon. In fact, whether you’re cruising the waters of the Caribbean, New England, or the South of France, you’ll find U.K. brands along with the highest luxury offerings from Italy and Northern Europe.

Here are seven of Britain’s finest, newest, and most noteworthy vessels on the water.

Project Fox, Pendennis Shipyard

This 114-foot explorer yacht, overseen by project manager Burgess and in build at the Pendennis shipyard in Falmouth, was designed around the owner’s wishes. It has a rugged exterior that will be paired with a bright, contemporary interior by QLondon Design. The owner told Robb Report that he plans to cruise off-grid to remote areas like Norway for heli-skiing with his family and friends (thus necessitating five large staterooms). But he also wanted family-friendly features like a sun terrace, wine lobby, open-air barbecue, and DJ station. Of course, the real breakthrough here: The open stern, measuring more than 1,100 square feet can carry a large complement of toys and tenders, but also scientific equipment (the interior has space for a modular lab) for when the yacht is hosting research scientists. “Flexible cabins and connectivity are key,” said the owner.

The ubiquitous model of the Pearl lineup, the 72 received a creative new interior design earlier this year with the addition of a stateroom that gives it two master suites. The U.K. yard has always been high on haute design, offering different palettes by British interior designer Kelly Hoppen, but this double-master suite idea is a first for this size of motoryacht. The yard has recently won awards for the naval architecture of its 95, which approaches superyacht status, and it will be launching a new 85-foot flybridge next year.

Fairline Targa 40

Fairline is also among England’s internationally renowned yacht brands, famous for seaworthy hulls and top-tier creature comforts. It hasn’t built yachts as large as competitors Princess and Sunseeker but has been equally creative with the design. The new Targa 40’s cockpit is a case in point. It has an enticing exterior layout, with the cockpit featuring a foldout terrace to starboard and a U-shaped dining settee to port facing the rest of the deck, not to mention the two sun lounges on the stern. The 40 is effectively a dayboat, but with two staterooms, it also works as a family weekender. There’s a master in the forepeak and guest cabin amidships which is best suited for children. The galley below decks is also very functional. Top speed for the Targa is 36 knots with the optional Volvo Penta D6-380 upgrades.

Princess Y80

Along with Sunseeker, Princess Yachts is the other heavyweight of British yacht building. These cruisers and motoryachts have proven to be perennial favorites on both sides of the Atlantic. The Y80 debuting at this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival looks to continue the tradition. The Y80 brings to the table an “infinity cockpit” with a glass transom and modular furniture for multiple setups. It also has a flybridge that spans about two-thirds of the yacht’s nearly 84-foot length, effectively creating a legitimate third deck. The Y80’s owner’s stateroom is amidships and full beam, while it has a VIP in the forepeak. Two other guest cabins are to port and starboard. The Y80 has an impressive top speed of 30 knots, but at 10 knots the range is an even more impressive 1,000 nautical miles.

Cockwells Duchy Sport

The 37-foot Duchy Sport from the Cockwells’ yard in Cornwall, famous internationally for its custom tenders, is designed for watersports enthusiasts. This Sport offers multiple towing points for waterskiing, wakeboarding, wakesurfing and tubing, with interior space for nine guests. Bow and cockpit sunpads will be popular spots for tanning, while a Bimini covers the amidships. Standout features include a wetbar, retractable swim ladder, bowthruster with joystick control, and of course ample water-toy stowage. The Duchy Sport comes with twin 370 hp Yanmar 8LVs which can get it up to a top speed of 42 knots—a speed befitting of this model’s name. Cockwells is also building a new Duchy 60, a stylized motoryacht that should rival Downeast offerings from U.S. builders Hinckley and Malaysian builder Grand Banks.

The Oyster 495 is a 52-foot, 8-inch sailing yacht that entered the U.S. market earlier this year. A new design from the keel up, the U.K. builder was thinking global circumnavigation, or at least serious offshore cruising, from the onset. The yacht is also meant to be able to be singlehanded by a capable sailor. The plumb bow and teak decks imbue the 495 with a definite saltiness with performance and aesthetics. The cabin is noteworthy for being both ergonomic and well-lit. Reported top speeds for the 495 crest the 10-knot mark under sail, while a 100 hp Yanmar diesel pushes it along happily at 9.5 knots.

Sunseeker Superhawk 55

Sunseeker is one of England’s brands that has a global following. For good reason. The Poole builder has a range of vessels that extend from 38 to 161 feet. Sunseeker is known for good oceangoing performance and creative design. The Superhawk 55 is a reimagining of the Superhawks that enjoyed popularity with performance enthusiasts in the 1990s and Aughts before being discontinued in 2009. Sunseeker introduced the Superhawk 38 in 2020, which had echoes of its go-fast past. This 55, however, is more of a performance cruiser than a day boat. With twin Volvo Penta IPS950s the new Superhawk has a very respectable top end of 38 knots and a feature even Miami Vice hot-boat aficionados will appreciate—slow-speed maneuverability offered by pod propulsion. An aggressively raked profile complemented by stiletto-sharp hullside windows augment the Superhawk’s sporty vibe.

Pascoe E-Limousine Electric Tender

Pascoe tenders reside in the garages of some of the world’s biggest and most glamorous superyachts, thanks to the yard’s dedication to customization. The E-Limousine is the builder’s first fully electric vessel, the result of six years of R&D. Top speed is reported to be an impressive 40 knots, with a range of 60 nautical miles at a fast cruise of 20 knots. The builder says not only is this boat greener than a traditional tender but will also offer a smoother, quieter ride thanks to the construction used to mitigate vibration.

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INEOS Britannia Team Profile: Royal Yacht Squadron

The 37th America’s Cup racing is underway, and here’s a full team profile on INEOS Britannia, the crew and their yacht club, the Royal Yacht Squadron…

Team profile.

Nationality: Great Britain

Representing: Royal Yacht Squadron

Key people: Ben Ainslie, CEO; James Allison, CTO; Martin Fischer, Chief Designer.

Key sailors: Ben Ainslie (skipper) , Giles Scott (helmsman) ; Freddie Carr; Dylan Fletcher; Leigh McMillan; Neil Hunter.

About INEOS Britannia

This is Ainslie’ third attempt to win the Cup for Great Britain, and it’s a team that is all about the tech. Backing from Sir Jim Ratcliffe gives the team access as part of the INEOS Sport Group to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team , with live data link-ups to the Mercedes Applied Science team in Brackley, as well as working with the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team .

The Formation of INEOS Britannia

The British team was formed in 2014, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron, with Ben Ainslie leading the charge.

After winning the America’s Cup with Oracle Team USA in San Francisco (2013), Ben Ainslie set out to win another, but this time with a British Team. The British Team made it to the semi-final in Bermuda (2017), but were knocked out by Emirates Team New Zealand . 

In 2018, the British Team joined forces with British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe and became INEOS Britannia. 

The 2024 37th edition of the America’s Cup in Barcelona marks the first time a British team has competed in 3 consecutive America’s Cups since Sir Thomas Lipton and the Royal Ulster YC bids between 1899 to 1930.

The America’s Cup began in 1851 in Cowes, Isle of Wight, organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron, and predating the modern Olympic Games by 45 years. Since losing the first competition 173 years ago against the Americans (New York Yacht Club), the British (Royal Yacht Squadron) are still yet to win…

The Royal Yacht Squadron

The Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes, Isle of Wight, is a highly prestigious and exclusive yacht club with over 200 years of rich history . They host a wide range of events and races throughout the year, including Cowes Week and the Round the Island Race , as well as marking the finish line for elite offshore competitions like the Ocean Globe Race . 

Founded in 1815, the Royal Yacht Squadron, or “The Yacht Club” as it was then known, was situated at Thatched House Tavern in St James’s, London.

The Prince Regent was welcomed as a member in 1817, and in his later ascension to the throne as George IV, Royal was added to the club’s name. The club kept a close association with the Royal Navy, with early honorary members including Nelson’s Captain at Trafalgar, Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy. 

The RYS Clubhouse: Cowes Castle

Built in 1539 as part of Henry VIII’s chain of coastal defences, Cowes Castle has a long royal naval history . After being decommissioned in 1855, the Castle was taken over by the Royal Yacht Squadron and became their clubhouse.

More on the America’s Cup

• America’s Cup Boats: What it’s like helming an AC75
• 37th America’s Cup: Key Info, Dates & How to Watch
• Ben Ainslie’s Team Update: America’s Cup Countdown

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