2013 Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards: In celebration of 50 years of Yachting Excellence Awards in New Zealand, Partridge Jewellers have put forward a special prize to find sailing’s most selfless contributors.

Its time to apply... PM Scholarships assist athletes who seek to do well on the international stage in Olympic class competition also gain a tertiary level education.

Both NZL Sailing Team crews competing at the opening regatta of the 2013-14 ISAF Sailing World Cup series for Olympic class sailors have medalled with Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie taking gold in the Women’s 470. Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox secured bronze in the Men’s 470.

The action will heat up on the final day of ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao with equations and what ifs running through sailors heads after an intriguing penultimate day of racing in Qingdao, China. Light winds and a strong current made racing a tricky affair for the six classes sailing at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition venue. The 470 and RS:X fleets enjoyed three races apiece and the Laser and Laser Radial two as the Medal Race spots were decided in a 5-6 knot breeze with an average current of 1.5 knots.

Starting at 10am on Friday 25 October, The PIC Insurance Brokers Coastal Classic is a 119 nautical mile sprint from Devonport Wharf in Auckland, to Russell Wharf in the Bay of Islands, and is regarded as one of the world's great yacht races.

Sailors focus and fitness were tested on the fourth day of racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao as a teasing light southerly breeze played its way across the race tracks. Qingdao has showcased a whole host of conditions taking the 131 sailors from 24 nations from extreme big breeze to patient light wind tests.

From Sailability Auckland: WE NEED YOUR HELP to help up to 5 of our Sailability Auckland members to embark on a once in a lifetime experience aboard the Lord Nelson 55m sailing ship. The Lord Nelson may never be in this part of the world again. The barriers faced by people with disabilities make it extremely difficult to spend time cruising the NZ coastline that so many people take for granted. So please support this truly unique once in a life time experience and give a person with a disability some memories to treasure forever.

Exciting close knit racing was the dish of the day in Qingdao, China as racing ramped up on the third day of ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao. The cool front that brought strong winds the day prior passed through enabling racing to commence at 11:00 local time. Northerly breeze at 16 knots at the start time slowly dropped down to 14 knots allowing three races across all fleets to be completed.

With spray flying and one hull lifted skyward, Sean Langman’s giant trimaran Team Australia sped through Sydney Heads at 12:09:58 this afternoon bound for Auckland, New Zealand, and the record books. News helicopters buzzed overhead as the 60-footer began the chase to set the fastest logged time for the 1,260 nautical miles across the Tasman Sea.

There are just 38 weeks until the start of the longest and the toughest coastal yacht race on the planet – the inaugural 'Ocean Race Around Australia – 2014. "People are busy at the 'Ocean Race Around Australia' headquarters preparing for the inaugural event due to start in Fremantle in first week of August in 2014,” said event chairman, Bob Williams, from Perth today.