While listening to a programme on BBC Radio 4, I heard a historian quoting a medieval mystery play. These 14th- century spectacles always had a bit of low comedy alongside…
Opinion
‘Astral was rolled and lost her mast as the wind increased to 80 knots’ – Dick Durham
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the world’s second worst yacht-racing disaster, and yet most sailors have never heard of it. It has gone unremarked for all these years…
Ocean with David Attenborough: ‘This film is really about how to create abundance…’
The ocean is our planet’s life support system, covering over 70 per cent of the Earth, constituting over 90 per cent of its habitable space, producing more than half the…
How the smartphone quietly conquered marine photography… eventually – Pete Goss
Writing will always be something I enjoy but there is no denying that ‘a picture says a thousand words’. With its many moods this seems particularly so when at sea.…
‘Give me the patient strategy of offshore racing over the spectacle of SailGP’ – Lu Heikell
I have been following three offshore yacht races in recent months, which allows me to vicariously scratch the itch of sailing whilst at my desk. The Mini Globe is unapologetically…
How can we future-proof the Solent against climate change?
Climate change is driving sea level rises, and over the next 100 years, our seas are expected to continue rising by over one metre. In some areas with high, rocky…
Why robots and AI will never capture the truth of the sea – Dick Durham
The log of a ship – date, time, position, course – are the vital statistics of her story. The ‘comment’ section should be the vital statistics of yours. For stark,…
Why every sailor eventually starts singing to their boat – Libby Purves
During the romantic wedding season, let us muse on the emotional attachments we yachtspeople have, not all of them human. The obvious grand affair of the heart is with the…
The desalination dilemma: Why our thirst for fresh water is changing the sea
Visions of the parched ground of last summer feel very distant as we look back on an extremely wet winter, both in the UK and in many Med regions. The…
Boat Building’s Last Stand: A Visit to the Academy
Grinding through January and February underlines how much I hate the winter. Indeed, we have just booked a cheap and cheery week in the Canaries to soak up a bit…