News
The Real Difference Between Code Zeros and Reaching Spinnakers
Italia 11.98, CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, flying an A3 by UK Sailmakers Northeast. How to choose the right sail for your inventory—whether you race, cruise, or do a bit of both. In recent years, the Code Zero has become a go-to sail…
Back-to-Back Wins for OBSESSION
MAT 1245, OBSESSION, was powered to the podium this season by UK Sailmakers Titanium upwind sails and Matrix spinnakers by UK Sailmakers Fremantle. Photo Ⓒ TP72 Nautical Imagery. OBSESSION, a MAT 1245 designed by Mark Mills and owned by Paul…
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE SYDNEY HOBART
Join us for the eighteenth episode of Lessons Learned, UK Sailmakers’ podcast series. Listen as host, Buttons Padin, talks with Bill Henson about his thrilling experiences aboard his JPK 45 SIRENE. From purchasing the boat in Lorient, France, to participating…
SILVER AND GOLD FOR UK SAILMAKERS AT J/105 INVITATIONAL
J/105 INFINITY, charging downwind with their new UK Sailmakers spinnaker at the 2025 J/105 Invitational Boqueron Cup. Photo © Jim Miller. The 2025 J/105 Invitational Boqueron Cup, hosted at Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas, on March 22-23, saw fierce…
Leaving the Country
My first voyage that required clearing into a foreign country was the 24-hour sail from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to West End on Grand Bahama. I had been on many other boats that had gone through those clearing procedures, but I…
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: 2025 VOLVO LADIES HELM
GENERATIONS at the Volvo Ladies Helm 2025. Photo © RHKYC / Vivian Ngan. In celebration of International Women’s Day, female sailors took center stage at the Volvo Ladies Helm 2025 event, hosted by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC).…
CONTRAST COUNTS: MAKE YOUR SAIL NUMBERS SEEN
2025 L30 North American Championship. Photo © L30 International Class Association & Anastasia Kolesnichenko. Perhaps one of the more overlooked sections of the Racing Rules of Sailing is Appendix G1.2, which addresses the display of sail numbers. With the increasing…
The Perfect Day on the Water
For most of my sailing life, while I was racing, I always said, “Winning a sailboat race was the most fun you could have – with your clothes on.” There was performance sailing. There were all your friends. There were…
SOULMATES Design Details – How To Turn A Racer Into A Fast Ocean Cruiser
SOULMATES is a unique performance cruiser. Most cruising sailors would turn away from her because of her eight-foot draft, powerful sail plan, small tankage and tiller steering. She is spritely to sail and care has to be taken to adjust…
A NEW APPROACH TO DISTANCE RACE STARTS
A Different Way to Start a Distance Race is Needed–Here’s Why A different way to start a distance race is needed because distance racing is a completely different breed of cat than the average 8-10 mile around the buoys day…
FIVE DIVISION WINS FOR UK SAILMAKERS AT GBRW 2025
Geographe Bay Race Week 2025 was a resounding success, with UK Sailmakers Fremantle customers claiming victory in five divisions. Geoff Bishop, owner of UK Sailmakers Fremantle, was thrilled with the event, celebrating both the outstanding performance of UK sails and…
UK SAILMAKERS’ COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY
UK Sailmakers has been committed to supporting sustainable sailing and addressing the ecological aspects of our industry for decades. With passionate and experienced sailors at the helm of our lofts worldwide, it is only natural that we prioritize preserving our…
UPDATED IRC CALCULATOR AVAILABLE NOW
UK Sailmakers is excited to announce the release of a new and improved IRC Calculator, making it easier than ever to determine time corrections between competitors on the racecourse. This tool is designed to help racers calculate how much time…
Converting SOULMATES into a Blue Water Cruising Yacht
In this Part 1 out of 2 articles, I will explain how I turned my double-handed racer into a blue water cruising yacht for long distance, around the world sailing. SOULMATES was built in 1991 by Goetz Custom Sailboats and…
My Sailing Trip Begins
On November 6th, I started my round-the-world retirement cruise on SOULMATES with friends Perry Burgess and Andrew Graham when we sailed from New Rochelle, N.Y., to Florida. The non-stop 860-mile trip took five-and-three-quarters days. Just after noon, we departed western…