26/07/17: Dongfeng prepares for the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race

Setting off from the Solent on 6th August in the 2017 @rolex Fastnet Race will be three of the most prestigious classes in offshore racing.
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Significantly it will be the first occasion the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race fleet of VO65 one design will line up on the race’s ‘Leg Zero’. This is the first occasion the VO65s will get to race against one another in anger, in the build up to the start of the race proper from Alicante on 22 October.
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The line-up includes three teams which competed in the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race: Team Brunel, second last time and again skippered by Bouwe Bekking; Dongfeng Race Team, third last time and fourth placed MAPFRE, the Spanish team hoping to make it fifth time lucky. In one designs, experience is everything, giving these teams the edge, yet crew from the last race have been distributed across all of the new teams too.
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#rolexfastnetrace

Credit: rorcracing/Instagram

24/07/17: Porto Montenegro gains Platinum status

Porto Montenegro has become the first marina in the world to be awarded the prestigious 5 Gold Anchor Platinum accreditation by The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) and the Marina Industries Association (MIA). The accreditation has been designed to recognise a small but increasing number of marinas in the world which cater for a very discerning customer base. In many cases, these house facilities to cater for superyachts and importantly, owners and their crew

23/07/17: Sir Ben Ainslie receives RNLI escort

America’s Cup skipper Sir Ben Ainslie with fellow crew member Jono MacBeth visit Sea View Yacht Club onboard the Bembridge RNLI lifeboat. The pair held a Q&A for local children before Sir Ben took to the water, winning a race in the Seaview Mermaid class

Credit: RNLI/SVYC/Harriet Hadfield

21/07/17: Work starts on the first mega yacht harbour in Albania

With 690 berths, a 5-star hotel, luxury villas with their own moorings, apartments, a golf course, restaurants, shops and boutiques, Porto Albania is putting Albania on the map as the next luxury destination

20/07/17: Royal rivalry in the Heidelberg boat race

The Duchess of Cambridge cox a boat against her husband, the Duke of Cambridge, in a competitive race between the twinned town of Cambridge and Heidelberg, Germany during a visit to the country

Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

20/07/17: Royal rivalry in the Heidelberg boat race

The Duke of Cambridge checks if he is beating his wife in the Cambridge v Heidelberg Boat Race in Germany. The Prince went on to win the race

Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

19/07/17: Launch of Maxi Edmond de Rothschild

Capable of speeds of up to 50-knots, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild is the world’s first oceanic trimaran designed to foil offshore

Credit: ©Yvan Zedda

19/07/17: Motor yacht Andreika is launched

The 32-metre Andreika, which has a specially developed hull, has been launched at ICT Yachts in Istanbul. The motor yacht features naval architecture and structural design by Laurent Giles Naval Architects, with exterior and interior design by the London-based H2 Yacht Design

18/07/17: SUVA gets a Toplac Pink makeover

Suva, a Channel pilot boat owned by pilot Neil Streeter, has been painted ‘Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds’ pink after Streeter challenged his team to raise £30,000 for Cancer Research UK and Macmillan charities. The team of Suva, which escorts solo swimmers and relay teams across the Channel, set up a Virgin Money Giving Page and raised £13,000 so far, plus £1,000 from a private donation. Streeter decided to go ahead and paint the boat pink. Yacht paint brand, International rose to the challenged and painted the boat. The shade didn’t exist in their Topac range, so they decided to create one. Click on the next picture to see what Suva looked like before….

18/07/17: Channel pilot boat Suva before the makeover

This is what SUVA looked like before the makeover. She sure stands out now she’s been painted in Toplac Pink by International!

18/07/17: First pictures of the Hallberg-Rassy 340

Ahead of its launch next month, Hallberg-Rassy has released photos of the new 340

Credit: R Tomlinson/Hallberg-Rassy

14/07/17: Cristiano Ronaldo holidays like a celebrity on his yacht

Real Madrid’s superstar footballer takes a break from his busy schedule for a family and friends holiday in Ibiza. The Portuguese sportsman was seeing lounging on his yacht with his son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez

Credit: Europa Press via Getty Images

11/07/17: Queen Elizabeth liner sails out of Liverpool

Fireworks go off as the cruise liner Queen Elizabeth sails out of the Port of Liverpool after a short stopover.

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05/07/17: The Queen and Prince Philip unveil a plaque named after Elizabeth the II in Scotland

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh took a boat to visit The Kelpies sculpture near Falkirk and to unveil a plaque to name the Queen Elizabeth II Canal as part of the £43M Helix project

Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

05/07/17: The Queen unveils a plaque in Scotland to name a portion of the canal named after her

Queen Elizabeth II travels by boat to The Kelpies sculpture near Falkirk to unveil a plaque to name the Queen Elizabeth II Canal that runs through the Helix development

Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

05/07/17: The HydroHouse

Known for his interesting designs, Max Zhivov’s HydroHouse combines a houseboat, wharf, garage and even water parking for a hydroplane

01/07/17: Round the Island Race

The MOD70, Concise 10, has set a new Round the Island Race record, breaking the previous one set by Phaedo3 last year

Credit: Tom McCullagh

01/07/17: Round the Island Race

Spirit Walker in the IRC Division 1C round The Needles during the race

Credit: Paul Wyeth

02/07/17: Sir Peter Blake’s expedition schooner returns to Auckland

After 16 years we welcome back Sir Peter Blake’s old boat – Seamaster – now renamed Tara – to Auckland. @taraexpeditions #tarareturns

Credit: sirpeterblaketrust/Instagram

03/07/17: Macif wins the Bridge 2017 Centennial Transat

Crossing the finish line under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York, François Gabart and his Macif crew claim victory in the Bridge 2017 Centennial Transat – the transatlantic ‘race’ between the Queen Mary 2 and four of the world’s greatest trimarans

Credit: Tim Butt

05/07/17: Heesen Yachts delivers Home to its new owner

Following extensive sea trials in the North Sea, the world’s first Fast Displacement motor yacht equipped with hybrid propulsion – Home – has been delivered to its owner

01/07/17: Round the Island Race

At the start line, Free Spirit in the IRC Division 2B and Zig Zag in the IRC Division 2C

Credit: Paul Wyeth