It is important to have a correctly tuned rig. Boats that have poorly tuned rigs are slower, point lower, heel more, make more leeway and may be more difficult to…
Yachting Monthly
Cruising the Scillies and Gurnsey: ‘All was well in our little world’
Now in his 82nd year, my father Ewen reluctantly ended a nearly 50-year relationship with his much-loved and well-used succession of yachts as the last of four Black Velvets went…
Why trading your boat in for something smaller can make your sailing more fun
Downsizing. It’s what you do when your children leave home or when you retire. You decide to move to a smaller house and buy a smaller car. It’s also what…
‘We spent hours rowing and snorkelling along the edge of the islets’ – cruising the Galapagos in a yacht
The sound of bubbles playing over the hull woke us – a soft whoosh that felt at once mellow and playful. The source of the bubbles was soon discovered: two…
New Cornish regatta: A classic boatbuilding legacy
Fishermen in South East Cornwall have been venturing out to sea daily for centuries, departing on the morning tide and returning with the evening currents, sailing on beautifully crafted boats…
How we survived a storm and a heatwave in the eastern Mediterranean
Storm Daniel is, as I write, sending 45-knot Meltemi winds down through the Greek islands. We are sheltering aboard Celestine, an aluminium Carambola 38 masthead sloop, moored in Kalantos, a…
Is a yacht the best way to go seabird spotting in Scotland?
Braced against the rolling of the boat, I sipped scalding tea from the mug cradled in my cold hands and watched the misty blue hills of Scotland materialise ahead. Wandering…
Buying a boat ready for the Mediterranean: Retiring and finding maximum comfort
Our dream of buying a boat and cruising the Mediterranean could finally become reality. Now we just needed to turn fantasy into fact. Our new boat needed to be a…
East Coast Cruising: New York sightseeing by sea
Flying alone, I was due to meet our friends Janet and Richard in Rhode Island for east coast cruising, as our proposed UK crew had cancelled at short notice. Given…
How to optimise sail trim
It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by…