Well-prepared boats have dealt with half the battle when it comes to emergencies and challenges at sea. But beyond the boat and equipment, the mindset, experience and knowledge of skipper…
Caribbean sailing: Top tips from two years exploring this cruising paradise
My partner Nick and I spent two years sailing in the Lesser Antilles on our Southerly 38, Ruby Rose, after crossing the Atlantic in November 2015. Entering St Lucia after…
Voyage of Integrity: Sailing to Jan Mayen island on a modern classic cutter
“Please could you come up on deck,” accompanied the gentle nudge that breached the cocoon of deep, warm sleep. Into this warmth flooded the unwelcome feelings that accompany sailing in…
Sailing the North West Passage: An extract from Graeme Kendall’s To the Ice and Beyond
Every so often, a book appears that blows preconceptions clean out of the porthole. To the Ice and Beyond by Graeme Kendall is such a work. Many authorities, myself included,…
Monitoring apps: How the Internet of Things can turn your boat into a smart boat
What is it? Real time boat monitoring that allows remote checking of a vessel’s status and essential systems. Who is it for? Any owner who wants to know how their…
Bavaria C42 yacht tour: Inside the boat they queued for hours to see
Bavaria’s C-series, first launched two years ago, marked a step change in design thinking and styling for the company, some of whose models had arguably started to look staid. Cossutti…
Sailing Greenland: An ice-bound voyage through Prince Christian Sound
“Can you see a way through?” Perched on the spreaders, binoculars in hand, Magnus shook his head. “It looks like it’s completely blocked with ice,” he replied. Down in the…
Night fall: An extract from Cully Pettigrew’s Yachting Journal of a Hebridean Sailor
Yachting Journal of a Hebridean Sailor by Cully Pettigrew offers an unusual insight into the mind of a deep-thinking man. His relationship with a small yacht over 30 years and…
New Fastnet course: How the changes will affect this offshore classic
Discovering that the Rolex Fastnet Race will finish in Cherbourg for 2021 and 2023, I was initially very open minded about the change, although it always seems a risky move…
Pip Hare’s top tips for preventing chafe on lines, sails and hardware
Chafe on sails and ropes is something we should expect as part of the general wear and tear on passage, but equally it is something we can protect against. Here…
When is the best time to sail away? The 9 key X factors to consider
I spend much of my time chatting with aspiring bluewater cruisers at boat shows and the seminars we organise, about all aspects of ‘living the dream’. Some have a well…
Sailing Alaska: A family adventure around the blissfully remote Admiralty Island
Standing on the bow of our borrowed 36ft steel cutter, I watched as my four children paddled the inflatable kayak through the iceberg-laden water. The sea had been busy with…
Tidal streams: How to predict them and use them to your advantage
Whether racing or cruising, our first thoughts are always: ‘What is the tide doing?’ When I grew up sailing in Scotland, leaving anchorages before dawn to catch a tide was…
Yacht shipping: How to prepare your boat for a trip on a transporter ship
Bypassing seasonal weather restrictions and being able to relocate quickly are among the factors making yacht shipping more popular than ever. Cargo ships cruise well in excess of the speeds…
Boom preventers: How to use one and why they’re worth the hassle to rig
Rigging a boom preventer will allow you to sail a true downwind course without a constant worry about crew safety. I also use it to pin the boom in its…
Francis Joyon sets new Hong Kong-London record on IDEC Sport
IDEC Sport sailed under the QE2 bridge at 0737 GMT to set a new Hong Kong to London record of 31 days, 23 hours, 36 minutes and 46 seconds, shaving…
Battle of the giants: The inside story of the Brest Atlantiques Race
On Tuesday 5 November four giant trimarans – Maxi Edmond de Rothschild, Macif, Sodebo and Actual Leader, and their double-handed crews – left a grey and sodden Brest on Brittany’s…
Ester: The classic Swedish racing yacht that came back from the dead
The phrase ‘ahead of its time’ is over-used, but in the case of Ester, a remarkable 50ft racing yacht built in 1901, it couldn’t be more apt. For a yacht…
Solo overboard: An extract from Miles Hordern’s Sailing The Pacific
Back in the early 1990s, a young man called Miles Hordern sailed his 28ft Kim Holman-designed Twister single-handed from the UK to New Zealand. He lived aboard in Auckland for…
The inside story of Greta Thunberg’s upwind Atlantic crossing on La Vagabonde
The sky flashed a blinding white light and a spark came down just a few hundred metres to port. We were going fast, and getting faster: that kind of fast…