Dick Pitman sails among elephants on Zimbabwe's...

Features

  • Cruise on the wild side
    Dick Pitman sails among elephants on Zimbabwe?s stunning Lake Kariba

  • Calendar girls
    Yottie Tottie?s marine belles bare nearly all as they follow in the wake of those celebrated WI calendar girls

  • Staying the course
    Jim Little has a rough ride on his RYA Coastal Skipper course in Majorca

  • Whale attack!
    ?We were dismasted by a 10-tonne humpback whale?: the eyewitness account

  • In Dulcibella?s wake
    Alastair Buchan cruises the East Frisian coast made famous as the backdrop for Erskine Childers? fictional yacht Dulcibella in The Riddle of the Sands

  • Christmas gifts
    Peek inside Santa?s grab bag and discover computerised knifes, gaff-rigged dinghies, board-games, bunkside books, and more

  • Destinations: Brighton
    Brighton has a unique buzz, Britain?s biggest marina and much-improved facilities for yachts, says Dick Durham PLUS: your free pull-out chart

  • Steering clear of Sailor Murphy
    Blue water cruisers Adrian and Lot Sparham find that Murphy?s Law brings out the best in people

  • Search for a dream cruiser
    In this month?s Survey! Survey! Survey! Paul Jeffes searches for the perfect cruiser for an adventurous couple

  • Turn on the heat
    Simon Jinks explains how to fit a heater and looks at the range of models available

Sailing Skills

  • A Question of Seamanship
    The snuffer is jammed, the spinnaker won?t come down and that lee shore is getting closer. What would you do?

  • Learning Curve
    Bill and Laurel Cooper find themselves high and dry when they neaped in the Med

  • Yachtmaster Class
    Tom Cunliffe says that GPS has earned its position at the heart of modern navigation, especially when sailing in fog

  • Sailing Quiz
    Prove your yachting knowledge and you could win a Magellan SporTrak ProMarine GPS, plus `191 charts

  • Better Boat Handling
    Simon Jinks explains how to go alongside a quayside or harbour wall while keeping your nerves and topsides intact

  • Any Questions?
    Storm tactics, and can moisture absorption bags damage your instruments?

On Test

  • Broadblue 42
    James Jermain enjoys great off-wind performance and all-weather safety features on this cruising catamaran

  • New Gear
    Gill gloves and floating lightbulbs

  • Boathooks
    No longer just a wooden pole with a brass hook on the end, YM tests a new generation of boat hook

  • Essential Buyers? Guide
    Bringing you the pick of the gear that came out best in YM?s equipment tests

Every Month

  • Editorial
    View from the helm

  • On Watch
    The fast-track Yachtmaster debate; Tracy Edwards causes maxi-cat mayhem, plus an Atlantic record is shattered

  • Next month/YM Books
    Sneak preview of next month?s YM

  • Readers? Letters
    Debate rages about Yachtmaster qualifications, and is there a case for introducing marine driving licences?

  • This Cruising Life
    Spend time behind the wheel of a Tall Ship under sail and you may soon find yourself addicted, warns Libby Purves

  • YM subscriptions
    Save up to 30% each month

  • Blue Water Letter
    Colin Lowe overdoses on bananas in the Galapagos Islands before setting sail on a 3,000-mile voyage westward

  • A-Z of Second-hand Boats
    The alphabetical odyssey continues with stable Sovereigns, sprightly Springs and the story of the sophisticated Swans

  • Around the Coast
    Local news round-up from our coastal correspondents nationwide

  • Property
    From Cornish clifftop retreats to modern flats in Napoleonic forts

  • Confessional
    Forgive me father for I have sailed?