Discovering the unknown and finding places you have never been to before is one of the greatest appeals of sailing beyond our home waters. Entering unfamiliar harbours can, however, be…
Yachting Monthly
The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race
Hundreds of spectator boats cheered the start of the Ocean Globe Race on Sunday 10 September, as 14 iconic yachts raced through the line off Cowes, at the start of…
‘Spectacular thunderstorms should not be on the meteorological menu at this time’
There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats – as Ratty said in The Wind in the Willows, and with…
Is this the most beautiful regatta in the world? West Highland Yachting Week
Stunningly beautiful yet infinitely tricky, with Atlantic weather fronts rolling in, variable winds that veer around outlying islands, tide races, rain showers and bursts of sunshine through racing clouds. These…
How to fly a drone from a boat
You won’t have failed to notice the familiar whine of a drone buzzing over an otherwise peaceful anchorage as these machines become an ever more affordable cruising accessory. Annoying as…
How this novice couple sailed to the Scilly Isles and back
They say ‘do something that scares you a little bit every day’, and while we weren’t looking for fear, we did seek new challenges. Late to the sailing life, we…
‘Strange sticky fuel gummed up my engine’
Having a breakdown at sea, and especially in the Bristol Channel, would be extremely scary, with very strong tides, navigational hazards and shipping movements, but we were suddenly confronted with…
Discovering Easter Island and Pitcairn by boat
Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) is the most remote inhabited island in the world. Sailing there confirmed it for us. True, we took a detour, sailing north for a few…
Exploring the Stockholm archipelago on an electric yacht
Are we now able to rely on an electric drive as an auxiliary engine for a sailing cruiser? Having mused over this for a few years, my husband Niall and…
Cruising in the beautiful Baltic
When I was a young boy, barely having learnt how to swim, I would stand by the sea in my speedos with goggles tightly strapped around my head and I…