Propeller fouling causes a marked drop in performance, while electrolytic corrosion can cause serious propeller damage. Propellers should, therefore, be cleaned annually – but a quick clean of the prop…
Yachting Monthly
A cross-channel adventure from Suffolk to the Netherlands
With apologies to Shakespeare – our dilemma could hardly be compared to Hamlet’s, but it was real. Once again, though for the first time since Brexit, we were heading for…
How these mainsail modifications revolutionised my yacht’s performance
Our 1980s Yamazaki Yachts 34, Zen Again, is an IOR (International Offshore Rule) 3/4 tonner masthead cutter, with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder, displacing 6,000kg loaded for blue-water…
How transiting the Panama Canal is getting easier
The journey started two months before our transit date, logging on to the website of the canal’s Small Craft Service, ASEM, to register the boat and request a transit date.…
‘Do people charter to go sailing, or to travel to interesting places by yacht?’ – Lu Heikell
When researching ports and anchorages to include in our pilot books, Rod and I tend to spend a lot of our time in some of the most popular places, making…
Your complete guide to yacht pilotage (done properly)
Long ago, in the days when paper charts were precious, navigators would sketch out the relevant details in their notebook and take it on deck rather than risk the chart…
‘Mayday, Grandad overboard!’: A race turned lifeboat rescue
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…
Sailing to Haiti: ‘Visiting Haïti has been one of the most unique and rewarding experiences of my life’
Lordship, my Westerly Sealord, had been stranded in the Dominican Republic for two months. I had been sailing from Martinique towards Cuba with two friends. We were having trouble with…
Hallberg-Rassy 370 first look: Easy handling and good performance
Swedish yard, Hallberg-Rassy has continued the roll-out of its latest design philosophy across its range of yachts. Rather oddly, the yard claimed the new Hallberg-Rassy 370 does not replace any…
‘It should not be this hot’ – a scientific expedition to the Arctic Circle
Stepping aboard the 74-foot aluminium lifting keel expedition vessel in Bergen, I stroke the rugged pilothouse gently and whisper, ‘Hello, friend.’ I know that skippering Witness is going to be…