Some evenings, when we’re simply not in a mood for watching a sloppy romance, old sitcoms or the latest modish-sadistic thriller, we indulge in putting on ancient BBC Archive programmes…
Opinion
Zoonie Sails Home: A phlegmatic odyssey
I’ve often wondered why people give names to inanimate objects, why they feel the need to christen cold steel, personalise plastic or anthropomorphise auxiliaries. Perhaps it’s superstition – a belief…
‘One electronic fault shouldn’t be enough to cripple your entire boat’ – Lu Heikell
Electrical fumes and smoke billowed out of my computer the other day, and soon after my busy screen turned BIOS black. A full-on fire was only prevented when I switched…
Pete Goss on conquering the Southern Ocean
Gazing out of the window at 36,000ft, with a glass of bubbly in hand, is the perfect time for reflection. Were we really in the Southern Ocean glorying in the…
The master mariner’s tale: Why experience trumps preparation
Some years ago, I arrived at a chilly sports centre in the Midlands to give a talk to some yachtsfolk keen enough to turn up on a winter’s night. One…
Winter jobs and frozen fingers – Libby Purves
Here in Suffolk, on a frosty new year’s morning, a walk across the common always takes me to the river, its fast tides churning and tugging at the row of…
Hauling out and heading south: Pete Goss on the unexpected call of the deep
Whilst the sun makes its way south to drown us in clouds of leaves and darkening skies, so we have had cause to shut down for the winter. Logs, seasoned…
Priced out: Are the days of the ordinary owner-cruiser numbered? – Lu Heikel
A few years ago we were at the Istanbul boatshow giving a talk for the wonderful Gezgin Korsan. The ‘Sailing Pirates’ are a group of keen cruising sailors who took…
Mooring mayhem: How a two-hour limit led to a close encounter with a high-vis bailiff – Dick Durham
A hot weekday morning heralded the arrival of Betty II alongside the floating pontoon at Rowhedge, near Colchester. A sign warned that mooring was limited to two hours – a…
Getting away from it all? How the relentless news cycle follows you even when sailing offshore
A new factor in this modern age of cruising is the relationship between the rolling news cycle and crews at sea. Ashore, news is now a relentless, inescapable 24/7 battering…