While a conventional spinnaker drop (kite down and pole away) may seem the safe option at a leeward mark, when a gybe is needed to complete the rounding a float…
Yachting World
December issue
Take a look at what's inside the latest issue of Yachting World magazine
Skip Novak takes a trip down Memory Lane – aka Hamble River
On a summer Sunday a sailing friend of mine suggested we take our families for a spin on the Hamble River on his motor boat (he is a sailing friend…
Cruising Georgia – the wilderness coast of the eastern USA
I felt the urge to roar “Ho, ho, break out the grog boys, this is it!” but it wasn’t 1720 and there was just Nancy and me. Our Mason 44,…
Taking the northerly route across the Atlantic; our meteorologist explains
In the 2012 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers the winning boats, the Class 40 Vaquita and the maxi Rán-Leopard, followed a similar route, which was suggested by routeing programs and made…
How to choose the right asymmetric spinnaker for your kind of racing
What should you be looking for in an A-sail for your boat when the bulk of your season’s racing is a mix of inshore racing round the cans and windward-leeward…
Seabung review
Sometimes products come along that make you question why no one has thought of them before. And that was definitely my first impression when I got hold of a Seabung…
Dismasted in the Southern Ocean, with three small children aboard
It was early morning aboard Anasazi Girl. As I exhaled, I could see my breath curl like smoke through the cold air. I was lying with our three children in…
Skip Novak: Setting out on sea trials inadequately prepared? Been there, done that
Anyone who owns a boat knows the subject. We’ve all done it, setting out to sea on an extended voyage, with little or no sea trials. I can consider my…
Quant 23 – on board the first foiling keelboat, created by Hugh Welbourn
Winner of the Special Yacht category of the European Yacht of the Year Awards 2015. Read more here Flying multihulls may be grabbing the headlines, but the next development in…
5 tips: the gybe set spinnaker hoist – when to use it and how
There is always a temptation to keep things simple on the racecourse and opt for a bear away spinnaker set. However, some basic compass and tide checks can reveal how…
‘Did you sail that thing here?’ – solo across the Atlantic in a Folkboat
It’s a funny thing, the further I sailed away from northern Europe, the more attention my boat attracted in marinas and anchorages. In Cornwall, people barely noticed the little Folkboat…
100 years old and going strong – sailing Mariette across the Atlantic
This year the 138ft gaff schooner Mariette is 100 and to celebrate, her owner and her captain, Charlie Wroe, decided to take part in the Transatlantic Race. As she was…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 2: Navigating in coral
Discover how to nagivate coral reefs in the second installment of our Bluewater Sailing Techniques series
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 3: Coping with squalls
Discover the best way to cope with squalls and weather them safely in the latest instalment of our Bluewater Sailing Techniques series
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 4: sailing downwind with a poled out headsail
Discover how to sail with a poled out headsail in our latest Bluewater Sailing Techniques video
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 5: How to set up a spinnaker safely for long downwind passages
In the fifth instalment of our bluewater sailing videos, we explain how to set up a spinnaker safely for long downwind passages when offshore cruising or ocean crossing
A new life for a classic boat – 37ft Misty is remodelled for the classic circuit
Many of us dream of one day swapping the discomforts of a performance boat for the more sedate experience of racing an exquisite and well-sorted classic boat. This was just…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 6: anchoring in coral
Anchoring in coral is illegal in many places and should certainly be avoided if at all possible. A nice patch of sand is better for holding, better for your ground…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 7: man overboard under spinnaker
Man overboard at sea is thankfully a very rare occurrence. But with any risk assessment, you have to consider the likelihood with the consequence and an MOB on an ocean…