Mike Milner suspended for four months

Mike Milner suspended for four months Former Sail Canada high-performance director Mike Milner has been suspended for four months under the national Abuse-Free Sport Program. Milner’s sanction was posted January 8 on a public registry established by the Office of the Sports Integrity Commissioner. No specific incident was detailed in the Abuse-Free Sport Registry, stating only that Milner was sanctioned for “Aiding and Abetting, Neglect, Psychological Maltreatment.” Milner was hired in 2018 as the organization’s high-performance director before leaving in 2024. Sail Canada appointed Anders Gustafsson as its new High Performance Director in May 2025. In September 2025, a former Olympic hopeful alleged she was raped in July 2024 by one of her fellow sailing competitors and launched a lawsuit that named Sail Canada, Sail Nova Scotia, and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. Responsibility for the oversight of athlete safety has recently changed. For details, click here. America One Racing Performance Report America One Racing, as the largest private financial supporter of elite USA sailors, pivoted in 2023 to a hands-on organization with coaches and training plans. Here is their 2025 end-of-year report: 2025 has been a strong year for America One Racing. We continued to build real momentum across our programs—Project Podium and the Foiling Pipeline—delivering structured training, world-class coaching, and smarter operations that are making a difference on and off the water. Our athletes and coaches worked hard, pushed standards higher, and represented A1R with professionalism and purpose. The integration of sport science, technology, and performance planning has taken another big step forward. Our partnerships with clubs, foundations, and private supporters have been key to that progress. We’re in a good place—focused, efficient, and ready to take the next leap in 2026. - Full report Travel Medical Insurance by Risk Strategies The travel medical and trip insurance specialists at Risk Strategies, part of the Brown & Brown Team, understand the complexities and risks that come with domestic and worldwide vacations and adventures. We provide exclusive access to domestic and international medical insurance, and trip insurance policies designed for travelers in search of the highest available benefit limits and most extensive coverage options. Our solutions include options for all types of travel and travelers, including domestic and international trips, sailing charters, business travel, adventure travel, helicopter & backcountry skiing, vacations on yachts, and other types of luxury vacations and adventure travel. We also offer group coverage for employees in locations around the world, solutions for aircraft passengers and crew, and solutions for captains, passengers, and paid crew aboard vessels.  • Learn More & Online quote: www.risk-strategies.com/travelmedical • Connect with a Specialist: travelmedical@risk-strategies.com Shakespeare was wrong “What’s in a name?” is a famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, meaning a name is just an arbitrary label, and the true essence, character, or quality of a person or thing is what truly matters, not the sound or label itself But SpinSheet magazine reminded us that in ancient times, boats were given names of gods or saints to safely guide them to port. The habit today typically has little to do with this tradition, though billionaire yachtsman did once buy 191-foot superyacht named for a Shinto deity. The name Izanami was deeply rooted in Japanese mythology for giving birth to the Japanese islands, but that didn’t mean much when he learned what the name spelled backwards – I’m a Nazi. Ellison, who was Jewish, renamed the boat Ronin – a samurai without a master that often becomes a mercenary. What movie has the best sailing scene? American actor W.C. Fields famously said “Never work with kids and animals” due to their chaotic and uncontrollable nature, but movie sailing scenes must be a pain too. The question was asked on the Old Boat Sailor Facebook page: What movie has the best sailing scene? With over 300 comments, Captain Ron was very popular with plenty of additional submissions: • Caddyshack • Captains Courageous • Dead Calm • Dove • Master and Commander • Tenet • The Thomas Crown Affair • Top Gun: Maverick • Waterworld • What About Bob? • White Squall • Wind For full report, click here. MORE: It was in 2020 during COVID lockdown when Scuttlebutt also compiled a list. Great Britain win at SailGP Perth Dylan Fletcher and his Great Britain team didn’t miss a beat as they won the opening event of the 2026 SailGP season on January 17-18 in Perth, Australia. A strong day two got them in the Finals against Australia and France, and the defending champions led from the start for an easy win. Here are some notables from the event: • As teams practiced in the Perth waves, the Spanish broke a foil and hull, and Australian wing trimmer Iain Jensen injured his knee, keeping both on the sidelines. Glenn Ashby joined his Aussie mates the day before racing to fill-in. • On the first race, the Swiss gybed to starboard near the leeward mark, catching the Kiwis unprepared. The resultant collision took both out for the day, with the Swiss bow repaired for day two. New Zealand will need to repair their stern in time for the next event in Auckland. • Moderate waves and mid-teen winds on day one were not too much for either the new Swedish team, or USA which had typically struggled in those conditions, with both joining France in a three-way tie for first. However, more wind and bigger seastate on day two had both slide down the standings. For full results and video highlights, click here. Records fall in RORC Transatlantic Race The 2026 RORC Transatlantic Race was a fast edition with new multihull and monohull elapsed records set for the 3000 nm course from the Canary Islands to Antigua. First in was Jason Carroll’s MOD70 Argo (USA), taking Multihull Line Honors on January 16 with crew Chad Corning (skipper), Pete Cumming, Sam Goodchild, Charles Ogletree, Alister Richardson, Brian Thompson. They set a new Multihull Race Record of 04 Days 23 Hrs 51 Mins 15 Secs. “By Day Two, we were doing 30 to 32 knots in big seas,” said Corning. “The nights were long; 13 hours, very dark, very little moon. It felt like skiing a black diamond run with a blindfold on.” Helming rotations were reduced to 45-minute stints, with drivers stepping off soaked, exhausted and eyes stinging from constant spray. - Full report Jules Verne: Hot race against the clock Ever since Francis Joyon and crew on the 103-foot trimaran IDEC Sport were awarded the Jules Verne Trophy in 2017, there have been many failed attempts to better their record time around the world. Some efforts were abandoned early when wind conditions proved insufficient, while others conceded to damage. If a team is in the final ascent of the Atlantic Ocean to the finish off western France, they are in a hot race against the clock. That’s the case for Thomas Coville and his crew on the 105-foot Sodebo Ultim 3 which got underway on December 15. They crossed the equator on January 19 with a 300+ nm lead over Joyon, and will need to complete the final 3000+nm before 20:31 on January 25 to win. Also on the course is Alexia Barrier and her crew of The Famous Project CIC on the record holder IDEC Sport. While ahead of Coville, their start on November 29 has them over 2000 nm behind record pace. Their goal is to finish and establish a reference time for an all-female team. North Sails welcomes Dave Hughes as NA One Design Manager Elite performance starts with expertise. North Sails welcomes longtime North Sails collaborator Dave Hughes, a multiple-time Olympian and World Champion, to lead our One Design program in North America. With decades of racing and coaching experience, Hughes brings a clear vision: continue delivering the fastest sails on the water and help sailors dominate every start line. As the season heats up with regattas like the Bacardi Cup on the horizon, now is the time to choose sails engineered for speed. Hughes says it best: “North Sails wins more regattas than any other sailmaker.” Shop North One Design sails online today for podium-ready results and unmatched reliability. Performance starts here. Order now. DOCK TALK European Yacht Of The Year 2026 Advancing from the nominees for the European Yacht Of The Year 2026, there has not been such a promising year in yacht building for a long time. Instead of focusing primarily on increasing volume and living space or, worse still, cutting costs in production, most shipyards have now refocused on core values. The six award-winning models in particular epitomize the return to the essentials. - Full report Match Racing Tours finish in Middle East The 2026 finale for the World Match Racing Tour and the Women’s World Match Racing Tour will be hosted by AMAALA Yacht Club on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast. Additionally, for the first time in the history of the Tours, prize money for the Open and Women’s finals will be equalized. - Full report New 72-footer for 2027 Clipper Race When the 15th edition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race gets underway in 2027, the crews will be competing on a newly launched fleet of 72-footers. Over 7000 crew have participated since the first biennial event was staged in 1996, with ten teams now racing the Clipper 70s in the 14th edition. - Full report Eight Bells: Lydia Jewell Lydia Edes Jewell, 96, crossed the final bar on January 12, 2026, closing a remarkable life defined by adventure, curiosity, and a lifelong love of the sea. Born March 7, 1929, in Boston, MA to Oliver L. and Della S. Edes, she grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts where her relationship with the water began. At the age of 12, she got her first boat, a Duxbury Duck. Learning to sail sparked a passion that would chart the rest of her life. Growing up amid the Second World War led to a keen interest in Military History and the Battle of the Bulge, in particular. She spent hours listening to her parents and their friends discuss politics at the dinner table and followed U.S. Politics her entire life. - Full report GUEST COMMENTARY Scuttlebutt strongly encourages feedback from the Scuttlebutt community. You can add your comments directly to stories on the website or submit commentary by email. Please save your bashing and personal attacks for elsewhere. US SAILING: BUILDING A STRONGER FUTURE (#6496) I read Charlie’s account and his desire to give back to the sport and all the trials and tribulations, but did not see anything about the grass roots.  We need support of the hundreds of small clubs that support US Sailing. There is a desperate need for Umpires and Craig Daniels has been alone in his efforts to increase the number of volunteers to support Match and Team Racing, and Sarah Ashton has just taken the helm of the Judges Committee. There are a small number of judges to cover all these venues, and it’s Mark Townsend that chairs the Judge’s training, making sure that we have properly trained judges. I fielded several complaints from venues (College and High School) about bad Rule 42 calls, and the first 42 seminar is about to be offered.  PROs are needed to run races and they too are few and far between.  Without this group of dedicated volunteers, we would not have quality Olympics, Trials, Regional, National, and World Championships. Judie McCann and Matt Hill at US sailing provide support but it stops there. For the past two years, dedicated volunteers have to pay for their own liability insurance. I understand that Charlie has bigger fish to fry, but without supporting the grass roots, our sport would crumble. - Richard P Sullivan, US Sailing National Judge and Umpire OLYMPIC SAILING NEEDS A LE MANS START (#6496) St. Croix used to have a Le Mans start on its annual Boxing Day regatta. There was a 100-yard slot between downtown Christiansted and Hotel on the Cay.  Classes would come in and anchor. Pick your spot. Then at the horn, one swimmer dove in.  Main can’t go up until the swimmer touched the boat. The “key” was to give yourself some headway on the anchor pull.  Different yet so interesting.  On the other end of the island, the yacht club would occasionally have “down wind” starts, which were also cool. - Maurice Cusick SEXISM AND INSPIRING GENERATION OF GIRLS (#6496) Oh barf! I raced sailboats in Seattle starting 1966 and was team captain for both men's and women's sailboat racing teams at Western Washington University. In 1976, I bought a San Juan 24 and successfully competed in the one-design fleet. Sailing is a sport where we compete on the water and cooperate with the community when we come back to the dock. Is it necessary to provide a platform for these sexist broadcast? - Shannon Morris CURMUDGEON'S OBSERVATION “I told the dentist how my teeth are going yellow. He told me to wear a brown tie.” - Rodney Dangerfield SPONSORS THIS WEEK Sail To Prevail - Risk Strategies - North Sails - UK Sailmakers - FOILFAST - Lex Risks Need Stuff? Check out our Sailing Suppliers and Resources page.