Samuel Pepys mentions oysters in his diaries 68 times, but that was when they were as common as winkles along the banks of the Thames and when they were a…
Sailing Blogs
‘Being stuck in a lifeboat with a tiger is, to say the least, untypical’ – Libby Purves
I won’t be in theatres with a notebook as much as usual this month – time for some wider, wetter horizons – but may be musing, as I often do,…
‘Pip Hare has always impressed me with her grit, determination and ability’ – Pete Goss
The flexing of spring’s muscles calls for a dusting down of my jobs list. I never intend winter boat maintenance to become last minute but a busy life creates a…
‘Sardines cook over charcoal, sea shanties are sung and cider is swigged’ – Lu Heikell
There is a narrow street leading up from Port du Rosmeur to the town centre of Douarnenez, in the Finisterre region of Brittany. Rue Obscure is paved with cobbles and…
‘My experience of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race’
Dirty, wet and hungry; riding 30ft waves on a boat which was permanently tilted at 45°, I realised that this experience wasn’t quite what I’d been sold on that induction…
‘The best thing about a concrete boat? The worst ones are at the bottom of the sea’
Circumnavigator, Rob Hart, poked the glowing embers of his coal stove, set a cup of tea in front of me and said: ‘You know the best thing about a concrete…
Deadlines and sailing? Oh how the wind gods laughed!
Passage planning is more a leap of faith than hard fact. Yes, we study the passage charts, tides and currents, prevailing winds as well as the forecasts and use a…
Libby Purves on child-friendly cruising skills
Wisely, a recent issue of Yachting Monthly addressed the practicalities of making your boat child-friendly: indeed many sensible adjustments are good for all, since adult humans too get clumsy and…
Remembering the Great Tide 70 years on
Hundreds of laid-up yachts were holed, crushed or simply dashed to kindling in the Great Tide which flooded both sides of the North Sea 70 years ago this year, drowning…
Why the old skills belong in a museum – Libby Purves
The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood gave me a shock when I went there to interview curators and admire the ancient toys and equipment of bygone infancy. There, in a…