Orcas have now sunk three yachts off the Iberian coast in the past 18 months and have attacked over 100 other yachts in increasingly aggressive behaviour, with scientists speculating that…
Sailing news
EIA report points finger at US ‘blood teak’ importers breaking sanctions
Thousands of tonnes of ‘blood teak’ have been imported from Myanmar into the United States in the past two years in defiance of US sanctions, the watchdog Environmental Investigation Agency…
Kirsten Neuschafer wins 2022 Golden Globe Race and makes history
Kirsten Neuschafer has become the first woman to win a solo, round the world yacht race after winning the 2022 Golden Globe Race
£1.6bn investment to clean up rivers and coastlines
More than £1.6bn is to be invested by water companies in improving the industry’s infrastructure in England in the next two years, the water industry regulator Ofwat announced recently, in…
How yachts are disposed of – and why it’s so environmentally toxic
The annual volume of composite waste generated by the marine industry each year is a staggering 55,000 tonnes – and it’s predicted to increase by 10% every year in the…
Jet skis finally bound by ‘Rules of the Road’
The new Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order will apply existing ship operator rules to personal watercraft and will enable watercraft users to be prosecuted for dangerous and negligent use. The order…
Flare death in Pacific reignites pyrotechnic debate
The tragic death of a Dutch sailor on New Year’s Day after setting off a flare has reignited criticism about the use of pyrotechnic flares on yachts. The RYA is…
Second VAT payments for EU-VAT paid boats returning to the UK
UK residents who bought EU VAT paid boats and based them in the EU will still have to pay VAT again if they want to return their boats to the…
Backing sought for a solo Arctic circumnavigation by yacht
RYA Yachtmaster Instructor Ella Hibbert is looking for sponsors for a singlehanded circumnavigation of the Arctic in her 38ft ketch
VAT warning for boats visiting Portugal
A boat owner, who is facing a VAT bill and fine from Customs in Portugal, is warning skippers to avoid sailing there from any non-EU country