Cruising life

  • August 31, 2015

More and bigger ships were using the river, and once or twice I spent my spare hours walking the banks of the lower reaches, watching the interminable stream of traffic…

  • August 26, 2015

The coast of Southern Africa can be a cold, windy, inhospitable place, so we decided to tour South Africa and then Namibia by land. But first, we needed a safe,…

  • August 25, 2015

For several decades I have acted as Medical Officer for our local steam fair. I have no doubt that my lifelong love of steam was inherited from my father, who…

Martyn Mackrill illustration

  • August 24, 2015

I reported for duty and found myself aboard a Trinity steamer, which was to put me aboard a ‘fog-ship’, the North Sand Head light vessel, stationed on the Goodwin Sands.…

  • August 18, 2015

I was amused to read an advert by Berthon for a Southerly 110 which suggested that the yacht came ‘from the wizards of variable draft, with a Tardis like interior,…

  • August 11, 2015

My mate, Simon, called me for advice on anchor chains. Perhaps stung by my accusation that he was anchor-shy, he and Sue have decided to update Navassa’s ground tackle. They…

  • August 4, 2015

As a yachtsman there is nothing more frustrating than not being well enough to sail, especially if you are a doctor. Having had a small battle with a hernia that…

  • July 28, 2015

I first met Dick Durham when he came aboard for a ‘Me and My Boat’ session, during which I jokingly referred to Aurial as ‘HMS Ebay’. It tickled his fancy…

  • July 14, 2015

Carol and I are both admirers of the ketch rig. Some Yachting Monthly readers may have seen my article on the rig (Six reasons to sail a ketch, May 2014)…