The sh*tbox that won by 51 seconds

ARKEA Ultim Challenge

The idea was cooked up in the corner of a bar, as many sailing events are, but the stakes are significantly higher than most. The latest in single handed high-speed circumnavigation kicks off january 7th, with the race village opening today at 10am. The starting point is Brest, France and will be the first round the world solo challenge on Ultim Trimarans, the biggest and fastest boats in the racing world.

There are six skippers competing to beat the current non stop record, set in 2017 by François Gabart (FRA) on a 100ft Macif Trimaran of 42d 16h 40m 35s. The attempt will be made sailing West to East, via the 3 capes (Good Hope, Leeuwin, and Horn).

So far, this challenge has not been getting much press state side, and the ultra-risky nature of racing Ultims single handed might be why. Earlier this year, Donald Lawson was lost at sea while attempting a record solo circumnavigation. The Mexican Navy discovered his trimaran capsized off of Acapulco, after he lost contact during a storm.

Race Updates

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race: LawConnect won line honors on Thursday in the 78th Sydney to Hobart race, beating out defending champion Andoo Comanche by 51 seconds, after a 628 nautical mile race. “The boat, I jokingly call a shitbox,” skipper Christian Beck hilariously said in the winners press conference “but compared to Comanche it honestly is a shitbox. I know it looks good on TV, but if you go up close to that boat, it’s as rough as anything, and Comanche is a beautiful boat that’s better in every way.” The sh*tbox-underdogs eked out their narrow win in a final light wind maneuver right at the finish line. Beck then added that now would be a great time to sell her, if there were anyone was interested.

All Paws on Deck: Braving the wild winds which caused 11 yachts to retire from the race early, thick sea fog, multiple damages, and one man-overboard, was SC Oli. In this case, SC stands for Ship’s Cat, since Oli is in fact a cat. This was the first time a cat has partaken in the Sydney Hobart Race, which the organizers supported wholeheartedly. Cats have long been part of maritime history, and the race has a tendency to attract colorful characters - from media magnates to Prime Ministers. While this was Oli’s first race, he’s no old salt, having recently circumnavigated with his owner Bob Williams. Oli is racing in the 2 handed (single pawed) division, aboard Sylf VI.

Sailing Snippets

Mystery of the Patanela: In 1988, a bright yellow hulled 75’ schooner disappeared near Botany Bay, off the coast of Australia. The Patanela sent out a cryptic last message before before vanishing, leaving behind a trail covered up by corruption, and theories of piracy and drug trafficking. Read that story here. 

Flipping an F50: Two North Shore surfers take a ride along on a SailGP F50 in the San Francisco Bay, and things get a little gnarly. The first part of the video is their safety instructor trying to drown them in preparation for a capsize. The second part of the video is them doing the maybe-accidental capsizing. Check that out here.

Sailing to Surf: Speaking of surfers on boats… Here’s a recent blog post from the guys over at Almond Surfboards on the art of sailing to secret surf breaks off the California coast. They even give some landmarks on a secret anchorage with world class surf, which of course we immediately went and searched for in our Nav software… happy hunting.

2024 Boat of the Year: Spoiler alert, it’s the Jeanneau 55, according to Cruising World. Check out the rest of their top pics here, and see what you think of the lineup.