The Aussies call it “The Bluewater Classic”. It starts the first weekday after Christmas, summertime in Sydney, and covers 1,170 kilometers from Sydney Harbor, in the waters of the Southern Pacific Ocean through the Bass Strait and then across the Tasman Sea to Hobart, Tasmania. The race is considered to be the most challenging yacht race in the world. Rou...

Vava’u, Tonga is a chain of islands between Tahiti and Fiji in the Pacific Ocean. The 41 islands of Vava’u are part of a larger archipelago comprised of a total of 171 islands spread among 4 distinct groups. New islands emerge occasionally as a result of continuing volcanic activity in the region with the most recent manifestation occurring in 2006. Vava&r...

The Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) is an offshore yacht race starting off Point Fermin, San Pedro, near Los Angeles, and ending off Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu, a distance of around 2,225 nautical miles (2,560 mi; 4,121 km). Started in 1906, it is one of yachting's premier offshore races and attracts entrants from all over the world. The race is organized ...

The US Virgin Islands (USVI) are comprised of 4 large islands: St.Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island. The islands are located approximately 1800 kilometers from Miami, Florida. The islands had previously been possessions of several European countries with the USA purchasing them in 1917. Tourism is the primary industry that drives the economic engine of USVI...

The Volvo Ocean Race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo. At this moment the Netherlands holds the record of three wins with the Dutch skipper Conny van Rietschoten being the only skipper to win the race twice. Though the route is changed to accommodate vario...

Off Australia’s Northeast coast in the state of Queensland, contained by the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea, are found the 74 islands of the Whitsundays. These picturesque and mostly uninhabited land masses dot clear aquamarine waters relatively close to the equator at the same latitude as Fiji and Vanuatu providing predictable, pleasant weather. The Whitsu...

A windjammer is a type of large sailing ship, with an iron or for the most part steel hull, built to carry cargo in the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Windjammers were the grandest of merchant sailing ships, with between three and five large masts and square sails, giving them a characteristic profile. A common incorrect explanation of the origin of the term ...