Offshore Stories

Nonagenarian sailor still going strong

Offshore Online caught up with Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA) member George Girdis who, we might add, is well into his nineties, and remains a contender for a place on the podium.

Pretty Fly: How Ocean Racers Learned to Fly

Picture a 60-foot monohull in the middle of the ocean, 29 metres of mast above an enclosed cockpit, doing 35 knots with almost none of its hull touching the water. No crew on deck. No engine. Just wind, two thin carbon blades slicing through the surface, and a skipper below decks trusting their autopilot to steer their boat faster than most of us have ever dreamt going in a yacht.

Believe in Ghosts? Because Gweilo is back

Noun · Cantonese Slang gweilo /ˈɡweɪ.loʊ/ also gwailou; Cantonese: 鬼佬 1. Cantonese slang term, most common in Hong Kong and Guangdong, used to describe white…

Beyond the Boat: Building Better Sailors from the Ground Up

For many people, sailing doesn’t always look like a physically demanding sport.

From the shore, it can appear that a yacht does most of the work. But ask anyone who’s spent hours grinding a winch or moving sails, and they’ll tell you a different story.

Off the Shelf – Book Recommendations for Ocean and Adventure Lovers

In the 2010s, Offshore Magazine featured a popular column called ‘Off the Shelf’ — a collection of book recommendations for ocean lovers. More than a decade later, we’re bringing it back for Offshore Online, with an updated collection of books, old and new.

Lap of Tasmania

Anyone who has raced the Rolex Sydney to Hobart comes away struck by Tasmania’s beauty, even though we only glimpse a small part of it. During the race you’re usually too far offshore, it’s night, or you’re too busy racing to take much in. After ten Hobart races and almost as many delivery trips north, CYCA Member Patrick St John always wanted to explore the island properly. In 2026 he finally did—by sailing around it. Here’s his story.

The Last Safe Harbour: How Eden — and One Woman — Became the Heart of the Hobart

Just south of Batemans Bay, as the Rolex Sydney Hobart fleet braces for the gauntlet of Bass Strait, a quieter calculation is underway in the town of Eden. It isn’t about wind angles or sail changes. It’s about spare beds, hire cars, and whether there’s enough bacon and eggs for eighteen, or maybe more, extra mouths.

Inside Black Jack 100: 2026 Newport Bermuda Race

Across Newport Harbor, past Castle Hill, an obstacle course of lobster traps and a wind farm maze, crossing the Gulf Stream and 636 nautical miles later, paradise….

Offshore Online’s Ashley Dart was on board Black Jack 100 for the ride.

Where Time and Tide Meet: Rolex, the CYCA, and a Partnership Forged at Sea

As Rolex marks a century of the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, Offshore Online looks back at 24 years of partnership between Rolex and the CYCA, and the Club’s premier event, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.