World on Water May 23 25Launch Swan 128 BE COOL, RORC, Kites, IMOCA Banque Populaire/Paprec Arkea

This is the weekly Global Sailing Highlights show, World on Water, May 23, 2025. Our videos have been published in the last seven days, and the World on water has been on YouTube, weekly, since 2008.

Construction on the Swan 128 yacht began in 2022, with the yacht seen for the first time in 2024. In October 2024, Be Cool entered the painting stage of her construction, where her carbon-composite was coated to further augment her sleek lines.
As the largest inNautor Swan’s Maxi range, the Swan 128 yacht features exterior design byMicheletti + Partners, interior design byMisa Poggiand naval architecture penned by long-standing collaboratorGerman Frers."We consider the new Swan 128 the ultimate expression of our evolution," said Giovanni Pomati, CEO of Nautor Swan. "She combines the purity of our design lines with comfortable interiors and a wide use of advanced technologies. We are truly proud and see this yacht as a benchmark in the world of maxi sailing."

TheSwan 128 takes inspiration from her smaller sistership the Swan 108, with optimised qualities. She features a streamlined and sculpted deckhouse, with a semi-raised saloon to provide a sporty feel.German Frers has further enhanced the yacht’s performance through a detailed CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis. This study, conducted by industry leader Cape Horn Engineering, allowed for the optimisation of the canoe body’s shape under all dynamic sailing conditions, ensuring exceptional handling and speed.

Be Cool boasts a cockpit with a three-area division. The front area is located in close proximity to her deckhouse and is shielded by a sprayhood and a bimini top, while a retractable model with rigid structure is also an option.Her central section of the cockpit is dedicated to yacht operations, featuring all primary controls, including panoramic helm stations and sheet winches. A secondary companionway in this zone offers direct access from the crew quarters to the helm positions, streamlining movement and improving overall efficiency onboard.
Be Cool is heading to the Mediterranean for cruising, racing, before eventually reaching her home port in Porto Chervo.

The Royal Ocean Raceing Club De Guingand Bowl Race, marked the fifth race of the 2025 RORC Season’s Points Championship,—the world’s largest offshore racing series. It also served as Round One of the I R C Two-Handed National Championship, and the second event in the newly launched RORC Cowes Offshore Racing Series. With the hottest May in over 30 years, 71 teams took part in the race in sparkling conditions.

With the construction of this new-generation IMOCA, the entire Team Banque Populaire is mobilizing to design a boat at the forefront of innovation, ready to shine on all the oceans with Lois Berrehar at the next Vendée Globe.
Together with Team Malizia and TR Racing to pool their know-how and pool certain construction parts and tools, the engineers of Team Banque Populaire are working to make Banque Populaire a powerful and innovative boat, which will be distinguished in particular by its internal ergonomics and bridge plan.

The 2025 edition of Hong Kong’s premier international regatta for dinghies and invited classes, Sun Hung Kai & Co. Hong Kong Race Week. Raced on Hong Kong’s renowned world class racetracks, invited classes included 29er, 2.4mR, ILCA 4, 6 and 7, Optimist, RS Tera, RS Feva, along with development classes of Optimist and Fusion Green Fleets. As a significant event on the Asian youth dinghy scene, the event continues to be a major foundation regatta for promising Asian sailors.

Two months from the launch, things accelerate behind the scenes of Team Actual. These are the first images of the project after several months of intensive work and collective commitment.
On the sports side, skipper, Anthony Marchand, Navigator, is intensifying his preparation, with passion, rigour and ambition to meet the challenges ahead. "At Actual, this project is not just a boat. It is a vision, a human and technological adventure, driven by strong values.

2025 Formula Kite European Championships in Urla, Türkiye where
Racing couldn't have been more dramatic in the medal series day of the 2025 Formula Kite European Championships. With too many passes to count, a steady eight knots and smooth, turquoise water provided a perfect playing field in Urla.
Two titles, two champions
The march through the quarter finals and semi finals was do or die for the 16 finalists on Monday, the top two moved on, other two went home.

After weeks of collective effort at the project, it is time to start putting it into practice.
First navigation scheduled for Wednesday: "It's going to be very interesting to see if the optimizations have borne fruit and allow us to be more efficient at certain speeds. We can't wait to test it at sea. - Yoann
The season promises to be particularly dense and rich with a total of 115 days of sailing, and the firm intention to continue to shine.