Dear readers,

2025 was a year in which sailing, especially on the Baltic Sea, felt strangely ambivalent. On the one hand, as always: freedom, space, the familiar sound of the waves on the bow, the whisper of the wind in the rigging. On the other hand, there was something like a slipstream, like the swirling air you feel when your own course takes you downwind of another yacht.

The dividing lines between our hobby, between leisure and freedom and the outside world, everyday life and big politics have suddenly become more blurred. Russian warship off Fehmarn, Sailing drones, GPS interference, Stricter reporting requirements in Norway - Such headlines have become landmarks of our own cruises. "The Russian has somehow come on board this year and always sails with us as soon as we approach a deep-water route," summarised a colleague. We still sail with the same boats, the same sails, the same rituals as before - but we do it with different images in our heads. The beloved feeling of being somewhere out there, far away from the world, has lost some of its innocence in 2025. If sailing was ever apolitical, it is now more political than it has been for decades.

At the same time, 2025 was a year in which the sporting side of our profession sent out more positive signals than it had for a long time. The revitalisation of the Admiral's Cupincluding the Mediterranean pendant Sardinia Cup, can almost be described as "sensational". The SailGP with its Held off Sassnitz German fans and showed that such a top-level event can also be held in Germany. And then, of course, there was the Ocean Race Europe, the start of which in Kiel was a highlight for many: speed runs in the preliminary programme, boats and crews within reach - and a Dramatic crash. Kiel was, once again, the centre of the sailing world for a long weekend.

These were joined by the quiet but important stories of individuals. The honouring of Cole Brauer as Seamaster 2025accompanied by a laudatory speech by the impressive Pip Hare. Two strong women who show how much passion there can be in our sport. Or Charlie Dalin, who not only shows his Victory at the Vendée Globe impressed him, but also with his open approach to Illness and vulnerability. He sailed the Vendée despite suffering from cancer.

Christian Sauer is another such silent hero. With his 5.80 metre plywood boat, he took to the starting line of the Mini Globe Racealthough he almost failed to complete his self-build on time, and is now travelling around the world with astonishing ease.

On the product side, 2025 was also extremely exciting. Unusual and innovative boats such as the Kat Tortue 147 or the MODX 70 have shown that the wealth of ideas in yacht building is far from exhausted. A Comparison test from 38-foot yachtsthe new HR 370, First 30, Dragonfly 36, XR 41 or small series such as the Woy 26 indicate that the range of concepts has become broader rather than narrower. At the same time, however, there is a growing feeling that the new boat business has lost touch with the centre: When a solid X-37 suddenly seems like a bargain because new boats are priced at a factor of three, then this has only a limited connection with the reality of life for many sailors.

Perhaps this is also one reason why 2025 has become the year of downsizing for some. The Deltania Mini as the smallest sailing yacht in the test, the Opti as a space-saving dinghy Some of our colleagues only sailed a few nautical miles, but there was a lot of anchoring, dinghy rides with the child to the beach or extended shore excursions on the programme. While foiling giants were battling for trophies somewhere in the world, personal happiness took place between the swim ladder and the beach café. And that too is sailing. Perhaps even the form that grounds us the most when everything gets more complicated on the outside.

2025 was also a year of freak weather, which not only felt like it had increased: For the Mediterranean region reports accumulated of sudden, violent thunderstorms and storms, on the Baltic Sea remained Classic wind conditions Most of the time, there wasn't much between calm and strong winds. Here, too, the big played into the small - climate change was reflected in the changing weather.

Perhaps that is precisely the lesson from this year and something of a resolution for 2026: Sailing is no longer an escape from reality, but a different way of dealing with it. As individuals, we can only change a few pixels in the big picture, but we can adopt our own perspective on it. It is almost impossible to look away, parts of the picture are constantly intruding into our everyday lives. But as long as people like Cole Brauer, Pip Hare, Charlie Dalin, Christian Sauer and all the lesser-known skippers are out and about, or a dad is chugging down to the beach with his little son in an Opti, this feeling of freedom will not be lost. We just need to be more aware of it. And, of course, that can still be the case on a long cruise.

On behalf of my colleagues and myself, I wish you a happy new year 2026 and a good balance between the tides of life.

Lars Bolle

Editor-in-chief watersports digital

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