Most sailing yachts don’t carry enough fuel to motor across an ocean. Even having a range of half the distance, so that you could reach one side or the other,…
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How to use deck chutes for improved spinnaker handling
Paul Larsen was converted to the appeal of deck chutes on a particular day aboard Sir Peter Harrison’s 35m maxi yacht Sojana. “You’d be racing into the leeward mark with…
How to recover a crew overboard with a rescue swimmer
Whether or not a rescue swimmer would be useful for a crew will depend on their sailing yacht’s emergency procedures. It can be very effective for larger crews operating in…
How sailors plan sleep routines at sea: An expert guide
Dee Caffari knows the importance of sleep to any offshore sailor, whether you’re racing solo, double-handed or fully-crewed. “Most sailors don’t understand how the lack of sleep can affect your…
How to ensure your yacht purchase is problem-free
Couldn’t it be wonderful to believe that the experience of buying a new yacht is never problematic? But as with anything and everything – from cars to new homes –…
The 10 modern and updated golden rules for line handling
They say that most accidents happen in the home, and I’d hazard a guess that the same is true for sailing. Of the accidents I’ve witnessed over the years, a…
How to use tides and tidal currents to your advantage
We all know the tide ebbs and flows. It’s as predictable as the sun rising or the seasons changing, but it’s also not an exact science. Getting the timing wrong…
Expert tips: how to sail multihulls downwind in big breezes
Pushing fast multihulls downwind in gnarly conditions can be a hazardous business. Knowing how hard you can push, and when you need to back off, mostly comes down to experience.…
How do you solve problems at sea? Learning from the best is a good way to start
Knowledge 2.0 tackles tricky questions such as: how much is survival in extreme situations down to chance? How much self-confidence is too much… and can lead to disaster? Each area…
Your expert guide to routing for multihulls
Over recent years there has been a big increase in the number of cruising catamarans making the transatlantic crossing. Of the 250 yachts crossing the Atlantic with the ARC and…
5 expert tips: Shorthanded mainsail reefing
The double-handed team of Deb Fish and Rob Craigie have got mainsail reefing down to a fine art. “Even when we’re really familiar with each other and we know our…
How to berth and anchor a yacht in the Baltic
The Baltic offers rich and extensive cruising grounds, but much of its appeal lies in the opportunity to anchor in remote archipelagos which require a few specialised techniques to confidently…
5 expert tips: How to use an asymmetric spinnaker in light airs
Just as the best teams seem to find an extra high mode on the upwind legs, often they’re also very good at eking out an extra-low mode on the downwind.…
Expert tips: how to sail downwind in windy weather
Pushing a boat close to the edge downwind is exhilarating and sometimes exhausting. Sailing hard downwind in waves requires 100% focus from the helmsman and trimmers, not to mention the…
How to weather forecast on passage
While it’s essential to monitor the conditions when choosing the best weather window for departure, equally important is being well-versed in obtaining and interpreting weather data while offshore – keeping…
How to find the right weather window
How do you pick the right departure date? One of the most critical aspects of planning for an offshore passage is choosing the right weather window for departure. A weather…
How to manoeuvre a yacht under power
When handling under power is done well, it’s like a black art. It wasn’t until I became an instructor that I realised it could be broken down into a few…
5 expert tips to improve your tacking
While a tack is one of the most fundamental manoeuvres, it’s also hard to execute well. The more crew on board, the harder it is to co-ordinate the timing of…
5 top tips: How to gybe in strong winds
Gybing any boat in strong wind can be loaded with jeopardy but it’s particularly risky on a powerful boat like a VO70. The boat that was originally constructed for US…
How to manage your mental health at sea
It’s a common misconception that ‘mental health’ only applies when we are experiencing a condition such as anxiety, depression or addiction. But one of the most important points about mental…