From a distance the Skellig Islands look like two shards of rock sticking out of the Atlantic. Skellig or Sceilg means ‘splinter of stone’. It was a calm, hot and…
Yachting Monthly
Two sailors go coral gardening in French Polynesia
Floris is on the lookout at the bow, as we are sailing in uncharted waters. Some of the coral heads rise almost to the surface but, thanks to the high…
How to winterise a yacht’s engine
When laying up for the winter, it’s important to prepare your diesel engine so it won’t suffer while remaining unused for an extended period. It helps to make a list…
Why Lefkas remains one of Greece’s best islands
Lefkas island in the Ionian Sea is one of my favourite places in Greece. For land travellers it is one of the few islands easily reached by car and represents…
Island hopping home from France post-pandemic
Jacob, my 15-year-old son and I made it to France in July 2021, still a time of Covid, to start the 400-mile journey from Port Bloc at the southern entrance…
How ancient navigation techniques can still help sailors today
Yacht navigation can be defined as knowing which way to go. This sounds simple, but to do it you need to process three complex pieces of information. Firstly, you need…
We sailed this historic yacht to Madeira and back to celebrate a 1923 voyage
During the afternoon of 20 March, 1923, following ‘a good lunch’ in the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Conor OBrien slipped the mooring of his yacht Saoirse (pronounced ‘Seershah’ and meaning…
I sailed across the pacific with one hand
Having reached Bora Bora, I was about to set off on the next leg of my circumnavigation, covering the 1,850 miles to Fiji on my own. There followed a series…
Your handy 10-point plan to prepare your yacht for winter
Winter is a great time to make a detailed assessment of your boat’s condition. Dennis O’Neill offers some handy reminders on areas that shouldn’t be overlooked. Standing rigging Check sheaves,…
Boatpoint to bring the first new Elan Impression 43 to the UK
The Impression 43 distils four decades of experience into a boat that combines razor-sharp Italian design and excellent performance with fantastic stability and interior comfort. Little wonder that it has…