Dear readers,

It is almost 120 years since YACHT was first published. On 15 July 1904, the "Illustrierte Zeitschrift für Yachtwesen, Wassersport, Reisen, Motor- und Schiffbau" went on sale for the first time - for 50 pfennigs at the time. Number 1, of which exactly one copy still exists in our editorial archive, had 30 pages and was illustrated with 25 photos and a full-page painting.

Pleasure sailing", as our colleagues from the past so beautifully described our favourite hobby, was still reserved for the wealthy at the time and the number of private yachts was very limited. But the sport of sailing was already a source of admiration everywhere.

Thanks in part to the America's Cupwhich premiered more than 50 years before the first edition of YACHT. Since then, it has guaranteed top sailing performances, but also great spectacle, drama and scandalous headlines. This year we can look forward to can look forward to another exciting chapter in the battle for the famous silver jug.

Joshua Slocum also triggered a wave of enthusiasm a few years before the first issue of YACHT. The Canadian professional sailor sailed 46,000 nautical miles around the world single-handed in his "Spray" from 1895 to 1898, even against the prevailing wind direction. Without GPS, modern oilskins and any kind of communication - an unimaginable feat today! And what great material for exciting reports, portraits and background stories in printed form.

How times have changed. Today, America's Cuppers fly across the regatta course on razor-sharp foils at 80 kilometres per hour, driven by athletes clad in impact protection waistcoats, helmets, ski goggles and functional clothing that are more reminiscent of modern gladiators than sailors. And our cruising sailing has also long been accompanied by marine diesel engines and often sophisticated electrical systems. Plotters, GPS and autopilots have grown on us.

Does that diminish the fun of the sport, of travelling with the wind? Not at all.

The same applies to the way we inform ourselves about the wide world of sailing today: The stories we write about 120 years after the first issue of YACHT are different, but no less exciting. What remains unchanged, however, is our endeavour to take you, dear readers, into the diverse and exciting world of sailing. And we do this with our editorial team of experts full of passion. Every day.

Today, "Europe's biggest sailing magazine" is published 25 times a year and comprises an average of 116 pages - 2,900 pages per year! Added to this is our four-language online portal yacht.comwhich informs you daily about all relevant sailing news and provides you with a wide range of background analyses, test reports and area guides.

As a regular yacht.com-users, you will have noticed that something has changed. We have recently started offering you a YACHT premium package when you click on an article. There is a reason for this: more and more readers are switching from the printed to the digital YACHT or would like to benefit from both. That makes us very happy.

On the other hand, we are also looking forward to the many new opportunities that are available to us to produce even more high-quality, first-class and relevant sailing content even faster and in a wide variety of forms (articles, photo galleries, videos, podcasts, etc.).

For this we need your support.

For 2.49 euros per week, you can become a Premium subscriber and benefit twice over: in addition to access to all YACHT content, you can read largely ad-free. If you are already a YACHT subscriber, you can log in with your data and our digital content will be available to you immediately and in full. For the price of an espresso, you can get the whole spectrum of sailing on your tablet or smartphone. At any time and updated daily.

• Become a Premium subscriber now!

If, like me, you are still a fan of reading in print, I recommend our annual subscription: In addition to the 25 print issues, this includes access to all e-paper issues and the premium package. Not yet a subscriber? Then click here: YACHT | Delius Klasing SHOP (delius-klasing.de).

Even if times are changing, sailing is and remains the most beautiful thing in the world! The second most beautiful thing is to read about it.

If you have any editorial suggestions or requests for us, please let us know. You can reach us at mail@yacht.de. We look forward to the exchange.

Enjoy your weekend, hopefully on the water!

Martin Hager,

YACHT Editor-in-Chief

Click on it to see through:

The week in pictures

Recommended reading from the editorial team

• Click here for all previous "YACHT Week" columns