Electronic navigation comes in all shapes and sizes these days, from an app on your phone to a purpose-made top-end marine chartplotting and instrument system costing multiple thousands, and from…
Gear
Your ultimate pre-season marine electronics checklist
We are all familiar with the list of things we need to do to get our boats ready for the coming season, but one area often overlooked is our electronics.…
Sailing’s dirty secret (and the innovators solving the GRP landfill crisis)
We may never know the origin of the phrase: ‘Where there’s muck, there’s brass’ – but as a southerner, I feel it in my bones that it’s best understood spoken…
Solving yacht engine trouble: ‘Water had got in through the filler cap’
A year or so ago I was helping a friend, Monty Halls, bring his boat Sobek, around from Plymouth to Dartmouth. As we were leaving Plymouth breakwater, the engine died.…
How to work out the strength of a piece of rope
Rope strength is measured in a variety of ways but it is important that the end user understands what that strength is in order to decide whether the rope is…
The best VPN deal for sailors in 2026? Save 73% on NordVPN
There are a wide array of things to consider when looking the options for internet connectivity at sea. And one key thing to think about for those wanting to secure…
The connected yacht: Best marine internet solutions for 2026
For many sailors, the dream of getting away from it all no longer includes leaving the internet behind. Whether it’s for downloading GRIB files, remote working, or keeping the kids…
How smart technology is finally fixing the humble bilge pump
Bilge pumps are such a simple, standard piece of equipment that very little has changed about them in decades, but now their shortcomings are being dealt with by a range…
Navigating medical emergencies at sea
Why do accidents happen at the most inopportune times? Occurring when you least need them and potentially putting a crew member out of action or more. Accidents vary from the…
Why now might be the time to upgrade your yacht’s toilet
Efficient use of power is rarely far from a skipper’s mind, so building in capacity to flush toilets using battery power when the tried-and-tested mechanical option is so much less…