From supercars and pointy shoes to novel pasta shapes, Italian design is lauded the world over. But it can lack practicality – there’s no room for the kids in a…
Reviews
Broadblue Rapier 550 boat test – Are you ready for a 54ft catamaran that steers like a car?
Marty McFly, Michael J Fox’s lead character in the 1980s film Back to the Future, breaks into a wild electric guitar solo while playing a Chuck Berry number during a…
Rustler 37 boat test – Just your cup of tea?
They say the key to the perfect cup of tea is to use a good old-fashioned teapot. It brews the leaves properly and provides an altogether different tasting cuppa, more…
£262,500.00
Jeanneau Sun Fast 3600 on test – a multi-purpose cruiser-racer
For all the meticulous market analysis and detailed planning behind a new production boat launch, sometimes even the big players can get caught unawares and stumble upon a recipe for…
£112,000.00
Pogo 30 on test – pocket performer with cruising aspirations
Let me come clean: the Pogo 30 is the most enjoyable boat I have ever sailed. I’ve certainly never returned from a boat test so excited or pumped before. Nor…
Exposure Marine X2 marine torch
Why would you need a marine torch that costs £200, particularly if it needs recharging rather than using batteries? Although I had been impressed with Exposure Marine’s innovative and extremely…
£200.00
Spinlock Deckvest LITE
The Spinlock Deckvest LITE is one of the best lifejackets I have used, principally because it feels the least cumbersome. I am not going to argue that it’s the best…
£139.24
Karver KJH Handle tested
Who’s it for? Any sailor who wants added purchase when hand-pulling a rope of 8mm or less. Tested by Matthew Sheahan
£125.00
B&G H5000 review – instrument package for all sailors
B&G is the only company that currently produces a range of instruments specifically designed for sailing. It became clear during two days trialling its new equipment aboard three yachts in…
£10,000.00
Velocitek Shift tactical compass
The Velocitek Shift is an interesting new product that can help make the decision about when best to tack. It uses changes in compass heading to let you know if…
£560.00
PROtect Tapes: Skid and LoopX reviewed
PROtect Tapes specialises in making products to combat chafing, friction, abrasion, scratches, damage, ageing and wear on board boats by working with specialists in polymers, technical films and adhesives, as…
£17.50
Squid weather software program
This is an exciting new weather program that collates online weather information. Developed by experienced offshore sailors and navigators, Squid weather software has been designed as a tool to download…
£455.00
Vaavud Mjolnir Wind Meter for smartphones
You can stand on the shore and guess, you can log onto the many live weather data sites or you can plug in a set of whirling cups to your…
£37.00
Garmin Quatix watch
Apart from telling the time, one of the most useful functions on the ground-breaking Garmin Quatix sailing watch is the tidal data, which allows you to find HW and LW…
£380.00
D Splicer fid and scissors reviewed
When faced with a splicing job where a fid won’t work I, like most innovative sailors, will reach for a cable tie, or bent wire and electrical tape to find…
£35.99
Review: Iridium GO satellite wifi
The Iridium GO satellite wifi device is an appealing alternative to a satellite phone is a compact device that functions in much the same way as a MiFi hub for…
Plan2Nav iPad app
Despite being one of the major players in vector cartography, using the well-established CMaps, the Plan2Nav iPad app is old-fashioned, clunky and slow. We found it short on functions and…
Garmin iPad app
Edit: Feb 2017 – This test is superseded by Garmin BlueChart test by Pip Hare. The Garmin iPad app has big clear buttons and is easy to use –…
iNavx iPad app
Edit: Feb 2017 – This test is superseded by iNavX review by Pip Hare. The ability of the iNavx iPad app to read both raster scanned and vector charts makes…
iSailor iPad app
Edit: Feb 2017 – This test is superseded by iSailor review by Pip Hare. iSailor iPad app has clear, easily viewed charts with optional boxes to display lat and long,…