Pass any marina in the Balearics, and you’ll see yachts with a notice on the guardrail detailing who is responsible for their—usually highly polished—condition. Overseas gardiennage, or handing over responsibility…
Will Bruton
Do more complex yachts mean owners need to upskill?
What it takes to run a happy, safe – and hopefully fast – yacht demands a diverse range of skills, knowledge, and experience. As a baseline, RYA courses offer an…
Want to buy a yacht in 2024? Here’s what you need to know about the used boat market
For anyone who’s been holding off buying, or selling a yacht things have shifted. “The reality is that the market is not how it was this time last year. We’ve…
How to take on a Caribbean yacht charter for racing
Regatta organisers are reporting a boom in Caribbean yacht charter entries, and, with more yachts available than ever before, the opportunities to pay and play for some racing in the…
Is this the best way to test a yacht before you buy?
A typical first charter holiday, perhaps on a production boat in Greece or Turkey, holds a special place in most sailors’ memories, even if they go on to own their…
How Jasmine Harrison became the first woman to swim the length of the UK
Last month Jasmine Harrison, 23, became the first woman to swim the length of the UK from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Harrison lived aboard her Bavaria 38 support yacht…
Second hand boats: Buying a family yacht
Buying a family yacht with room to accommodate young and old means looking for some very specific characteristics. Having enough space for living, studying and – increasingly commonly – office…
Everything you need to know about commissioning a new yacht
A new yacht emerging from the yard can be far from ready to go to sea. What happens between the build finishing and handover to the new owner – known…
Second hand boats: buying a yacht in Europe
Double VAT, the Schengen zone, the 180-day rule; the list of considerations when considering buying a yacht in Europe is long and, in some cases, very complex. Crucial to understanding…
Second hand boats: buying big charter yachts
Small enough to sail without a large crew, but big enough to charter, pocket superyachts between 55-100ft have become increasingly popular. A compelling proposition for both owners and charterers; buying…
Second hand boats: getting a yacht survey
‘Subject to survey’ might be the most powerful caveat to a serious offer on a yacht, yet what a good yacht survey entails can be something of a mystery. The…
Buying a yacht: hassle-free shared ownership schemes
Neatly coiled lines, highly polished stainless steel and a sense of order tends to grace berths in marinas serving professionally maintained yachts, seemingly in a permanent state of readiness for…
Second hand yachts: Buying a high latitudes yacht
Merf Owen, of Owen Clarke Yacht Design, has designed many a high latitudes yacht for cruising, while his wife Ashley Perrin is a professional ice pilot, formerly working for the…
Second hand boats: buying an ex-charter yacht
Yacht charter companies increasingly own new yachts for only a few years, selling off sooner to ensure they can offer the latest models to customers. Meanwhile an older, heavily used…
Second hand boats: how to buy a ready to sail yacht
It’s no secret that if you want to buy a new yacht the wait is now likely to be two years or more. But what if you don’t want to…
Second hand boats: is a 10-year-old yacht the best age?
With new build waiting lists growing at an unprecedented rate, buyers are turning to the second hand boat market to get on the water without the wait. But if you’re…
Seasickness cure: Could VR be the future?
A true seasickness cure has long been hoped for as the debilitating problem has followed sailors for centuries. Charles Darwin gave a warning to any of his readers tempted to…
How to stay afloat: Top tips for rescuing a sinking yacht
Twenty miles south of Salcombe, in deteriorating weather, Timothy Meo realised that the new 36-footer he was helping to deliver to the Solent was sinking. “The engine compartment was flooded…
Marine diesel engines: Understanding your yacht’s power plant
When Rudolf Diesel unveiled his engine to the world in 1892, it was nothing short of a revelation. Today we reserve our excitement for batteries and electric power, the miracle…
How to train your crew for an emergency: Everything you need to know
I tried a more proactive approach to making sure both skipper and crew are equipped to deal with worst-case scenarios on board. While waiting to start a new emergency training…