The 10th edition of the Agora direct MidsummerSail, the longest sailing race on the Baltic Sea set off on the Summer Solstice, June 21st.
72 boats were fired into action by the cannon of the traditional ship, the Wissemarer, heading from Wismar, the southernmost point of the Baltic Sea, to Toere at its northern tip.
900 nautical miles lay ahead of the various classes of boat before they reach the famous Yellow Buoy that marks the finish line.
The start shot off with perfect sailing conditions, but a low-pressure system is building up for those racing to beat across the Baltic.
This month on the World Sailing Show there’s a French feast as the new 52 Super Series season gets underway in Saint-Tropez and the second round of the Sailing Grand Slam takes place in Hyeres with all the Olympic classes in action. We also follow the Transat Paprec offshore race from Brittany to St Barths in the Caribbean and we report from the 60th Congressional Cup in Long Beach as match racing’s elite compete for the famous crimson blazer.
This month on the World Sailing Show there’s a French feast as the new 52 Super Series season gets underway in Saint-Tropez and the second round of the Sailing Grand Slam takes place in Hyeres with all the Olympic classes in action. We also follow the Transat Paprec offshore race from Brittany to St Barths in the Caribbean and we report from the 60th Congressional Cup in Long Beach as match racing’s elite compete for the famous crimson blazer.
This month on the World Sailing Show we head to Mallorca for the Princess Sofia Trophy, the opening event of the Sailing Grand Slam 2025, with all the Olympic classes competing for medals in the Bay of Palma. There’s also high drama during SailGP’s San Francisco event, big wave action for the kites and wingfoils in Cape Verde and world titles are on the line at the Hansa and Para Worlds in Sydney.
This month on the World Sailing Show we look ahead to this summer’s Ocean Race Europe with race chairman Richard Brisius, join the sailors competing in the Lanzarote International Regatta at the start of the new Olympic cycle and there’s the best of the action from SailGP’s trip to Los Angeles. We also stop off in the Caribbean for the RC44 Cup Nanny Cay and the 16th edition of the RORC Caribbean 600.
In February, on the World Sailing Show we meet two young iQFOiLers dreaming of representing their country at LA28, Macau hosts the opening round of the 2025 World Match Racing Tour and SailGP Season 5 continues with events in Auckland and Sydney. We also report from the Moth and Etchells World Championships and, after Charlie Dalin’s victory, we catch up with the rest of the finishers in the Vendee Globe round-the-world race.
WEEK 12:
There are 22 skippers still competing on the Vendée Globe and eight of them are tightly packed in a group which is due to finish early next week. Deliverance should finally come for Boris Herrmann (Malizia Seaexplorer) and Sam Davies (Initiatives Coeur) tonight and early tomorrow when they cross the finish line in strong winds and big seas to take 12th and 13th places respectively.
WEEK 11:
In the space of 48 hours, no fewer than six skippers crossed the Vendée Globe finish line in Les Sables-d’Olonne. Jérémie Beyou (Charal), Paul Meilhat (Biotherm), Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB), Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE), Justine Mettraux (TeamWork – Team SNEF) and Sam Goodchild (VULNERABLE) followed one another, illustrating the intensity of the race right down to the final miles.
The World Sailing Show kicks off 2025 with the story of the 10th edition of the Vendee Globe round-the-world race, the best of the action from the World Match Racing Tour final in China and the racing highlights from the Musto Skiff World Championship in Sydney Harbour. We also report from the Rolex Sydney to Hobart off-shore race and the GKA Freestyle Kite World Tour finale in Qatar.
SÉBASTIEN SIMON, 3RD IN THE 2024 VENDÉE GLOBE
French skipper Sébastien Simon crossed the Vendée Globe finish line in third place at 00h27 (UTC) on Friday January 17, after 67 days, 12 hours and 25 minutes of racing, finishing 2 days and 17 hours behind the overall winner. It’s the first time a sailor from Les Sables d’Olonne, where the legendary solo round the world race starts and finishes has finished on the podium. The Groupe Dubreuil skipper’s race was marked by multiple challenges which contrasted sharply with moments of great success.