They say that the definition of cruising is ‘fixing your boat in exotic locations’. Well, crouched, sweating, in the aft heads using a head torch and a mirror to extract…
Cruising guides
Sailing the Faroes: ‘It’s a challenging but very rewarding cruising area, with endless hills and fantastic views’
Our way of life on board is best described as “Vi tar det lugnt,” Swedish for “we take it easy.” We travel without a specific plan or target; the voyage…
Visiting the D-Day Normandy Beaches by boat
After the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in June 1940, Winston Churchill promised, ‘We will return’. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied landing operation which…
‘We passed no living creature apart from three cows and a lone sheep’
There aren’t many places where you can anchor so close to a mountain it breathes on you. In heavy weather the draughts of exhaled tempest that rush down the sheer…
10 hidden must-see destinations on the West Coast of Scotland
The sheer beauty of the Western Isles and the West Coast of Scotland draws many yachtsmen. Cruising on the west coast of Scotland may have a reputation for being for…
‘The outcrops of rounded pink granite and sandy beaches reminded me of the Scillies’ – exploring the Aegean
Arriving in late March at my partner’s home in Greece, I was expecting a few days at the house before sailing. But with a period of southerly winds forecast –…
‘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…
A guide to cruising England’s East Coast rivers
The East Coast is an acquired taste for sailing and, after fossicking about the creeks and swatchways of the estuaries over the past 65 years, I have acquired it. My…
The classic ocean race that’s open to anyone – taking on the AZAB
Some 38 boats from six European countries set off on 3 June 2023 to race 1,200 miles of open sea to the Azores and then race back to Falmouth a…
Sailing in the wake of Odysseus
Arriving in Meganisi, we were greeted by shouting and waving from the jetty. What had been one or two people had grown to five as those docked gathered to watch…