After a long hiatus, the epic Ocean Race is back – but this year the teams are gathering crucial data from places even research vessels rarely reach

An autonomous ship fitted with software developed by IBM is getting ready to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in the weeks ahead, according to the BBC. The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, which was completed and launched in September, is an artificial intelligence, solar-powered marine research vessel that will sail across oceans to collect environmental data. The ship commemorates the crossing of the original Mayflower 400 years ago.

The whaling story behind 'Soon May the Wellerman Come' reminds us of the crucial connections between Māori and Europeans that shaped early 19th century settlement.

When a shipload of puritan colonisers set sail for the New World, maritime science and navigation were fairly unsophisticated.

A boat, like a piece of writing, is first of all conceived as a structure. Whether it is a cargo ship, an ocean liner, a ferry, or a pleasure boat, each has a primary function, a part to play. Its purpose defines its size, its shape, and its overall dimensions. When I write, I proceed in the same manner. Each part, each chapter, has its own function. Just as the engine powers the boat, as the bow cleaves through the waves, and the keel ensures the stability, even the shortest paragraph fulfils a certain purpose. In my case, the engineer endows the writer with a desire for efficiency.

It's about time.

24-year-old Guirec Soudée from Brittany, France took a chicken named Monique on a 39ft boat with him on his trip around the world thinking she would be a good source of food (eggs, he meant eggs) but she soon proved to be much more than that - now she is the best companion he could ever have! Not only does she lay about 6 eggs a week, she also surfs and swims, catches flying fish that lands on deck or even skateboards (when on the ground) with Soudée.

Sailing is a perfect way to relax and watch the world slowly pass by, whether you are an experienced yachtsman or just someone who wants to have a good time. Where to sail is entirely up to you. In the USA, there is no shortage of choices. Here are some of the best places to sail in the USA.

I sailed from LA to Honolulu with Danish nonprofit Plastic Change to finish a global survey on ocean plastic. Short answer: The Pacific plastic problem is probably worse than you thought. It's 5:30 AM, the sky still pitch black, save for the glow of a waning crescent moon and a sprinkling of stars, when I take the wheel. I'm in the cockpit of a 64-year-old, 54-foot steel sailboat from Denmark called the S/Y Christianshavn.

Back in September I went to a harbour in the northern parts of Sealand with friends. One of the more spectacular "objects" was a boat on land being stripped from old paint, which this picture is an abstract of.

A project led by adventurer David Hempleman-Adams that aimed to sail the Arctic’s North East and North West passages in a single season has completed its quest.

For thousands of years, sailors in the Marshall Islands have navigated vast distances of open ocean without instruments. Can science explain their method before it’s lost forever?

Manfred Fritz Bajorat, 59, whose body was discovered by two fishermen, wrote a thirty two word memorium his beloved wife Claudia, who died from cancer aged 53 on 2 May 2010. [Warning: graphic photos in story]

Can Marshall Islanders’ unique heritage help them navigate a rising ocean? By Krista Langlois.

Satellites and GPS are vulnerable to cyber attack. The tools of yesteryear are not.

$83 million USD almost seems reasonable for this two-in-one deal.

The Hokule’a is circling the globe without modern navigation, drawing attention to climate change and to the seafaring skills of ancient Polynesians. By Laura Parker.

The rules: Pilot a boat 750 miles from Port Townsend, Washington, to Ketchikan, Alaska—no motors allowed. The prize: $10,000 nailed to a piece of wood. The result: Seven capsizings, four lifesaving Big Macs, one dramatic coast guard rescue, and a cast of oddball adventurers who reclaimed the salty heart of ocean racing. By Abe Streep.

The same techniques guided ancient Polynesians in the open Pacific and led Sir Ernest Shackleton to remote Antarctica, then oriented astronauts when the Apollo 12 was disabled by lightning, the techniques of celestial navigation.

Built for Russian billionaire Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko, 'Sailing Yacht A,' is taking its test voyage in Kiel, northern Germany.