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…
Yachting Monthly
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…
A Hebridean Swallows and Amazons experience
When I was age 12 , we went on a family holiday on the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides off Scotland’s west coast. I was pottering around the…
‘Our boat was full of water’ – lessons learned from one sailor’s sinking
Britannia, my 45ft twin-masted schooner, almost sank, not from storm damage or from hitting rocks, but from within. A water pipe broke in her pressurised shore water supply system while…
French dominate Ocean Globe Race finish at Cowes
Lionel Regnier and his crew aboard the veteran French Whitbread Race yacht L’Esprit d’Equipe returned to Cowes late on Saturday 14 April to take second place on elapsed time for…
A classic American cruise: Sailing from British Columbia to San Francisco
It felt great to be heading out to sea once more on a classic American cruise. The forecast was for an enjoyable sail to San Francisco over the next few…