Henry, my grandson, and I decided to sail together for the Fowey Sailing Opal series, the last yacht race series of the season, as his dinghy season was complete and…
Specials
RNLI at 200: ‘We do things without prejudice. Our mission is to save lives and save everyone’
During the early evening of Sunday 10 October 1822, the revenue cutter Vigilant weighed anchor to evade a heavy sea being driven into Douglas Bay on the Isle of Man.…
Upcycling a boat: ‘I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but I do feel that recycling a boat makes a great deal of sense’
When it came to searching for a smaller yacht for upcycling, I was quite specific. I wanted a boat I could keep on my Chichester Harbour mooring while my other…
Sailing across the Irish Sea: ‘We had never seen such evocative scenery’
Bleary eyed, we stumbled out of our sleeping bags as the boat rocked gently on her berth. Fumbling around we clad ourselves with nautical attire, had some breakfast and prepared…
‘While we were out consuming the local delicacies, a stowaway was surreptitiously finding their way aboard’
Rat in Mi Kitchen, one of the greats by UB40, proved to have a whole new meaning when sailing in Greece this year. A rodent infestation was far from my…
How to learn to sail: Catching the sailing wave
When I signed up to improve my sailing knowledge via an RYA Competent Crew course, I didn’t realise it would involve gasping at fins breaking through the water. As I…
Maiden Skipper Heather Thomas: From dinghy lake to Ocean Globe Race winner
Heather Thomas is the first female British skipper to win a round the world race, and her team aboard Maiden, backed by Tracy Edwards MBE, are the first all-female crew…
Maiden crew’s First Mate Rachel Burgess: ‘The girls showed how tough they were’
I got the call while sitting in a little cafe in Horta in the Azores. Say ‘hell, yes’ first, think about the logistics second. So that’s how I became First…
Sailing square riggers: ‘You’re more appreciative of what sailing used to be’
Most cruising yacht sailors would agree that any field of knowledge that might sharpen their own skills is worthwhile learning about. But does Patrick O’Brian rattling on about thimbles and…
How are modern wooden boats built?
‘Building a wooden boat, you don’t need a new plug and mould for every boat you want to build, so there is much lower setup cost, and less waste,’ says…