Yachting Monthly May 2023 – on sale 30 March

Inside the March 2023 issue of Yachting Monthly: we take a look at just how problematic the teak trade is and ask if it is time to give up the traditional decking material once and for all. We also take a look at some new technology that is helping to ease the environmental burden of GRP boats being sent to landfill.

Out on the water, Theo Stocker spends 24 hours on the new Arcona 345 to see if the smallest boat in Arcona’s range has what it takes for some serious cruising; Sophie Dingwall looks at the practicalities of setting off for a liveaboard life with the kids in tow; and we bring you one couples experience of cruising the Arctic in an electric yacht.

All this plus our usual gear, technology and cruising community stories and much more.

Sailing Skills

Spring checklist: A yacht surveyor’s guide to getting ready for the season

Children of the ocean: More families are choosing to sail away, and it is getting easier to do, discovers Sophie Dingwall

Skippers’ tips: Deviation trick | Local tides knowledge | Angle of dangle

A question of seamanship: Would you set off for France in fog?

Learning Curve: Caught in a 60-knot squall on passage to Bermuda

Climate change means boats can now explore even deeper into the Arctic and Antarctic. Credit: Jeff Wrinch

Cruising

Electric Arctic: One couple sail the high Arctic in winter in an electric boat

Biscay rally: Sailing in company to Spain through rough seas and flat calms

Cruising log: Swapping the Greek Mediterranean for the Cornish Riviera

Gear and boats

Arcona 345 on test: Could this be the ideal performance cruiser? We spend a day and a night aboard for a 24-hour test

Scanmar 40 tested: A stylish and beautifully finished Scandi cruiser

Head torch group test: We put 6 head torches to the test to find out which one really is the best for sailing

Life after death: As old GRP boats increasingly head for landfill, can technology offer a glimmer of hope?

Boats: We look aboard the Tide 25, Pointer 25 and Bente 24

How it works: How engines stop, so you can stop (and start) yours

Calling time on teak: Why it’s time to leave teak behind

Regulars

Editor’s letter: Blood timber
News: £4,000 in YM competition | UN High Seas Treaty | Electric ferry
Letters: Digital passage planning | Carbon monoxide | Used boats VAT
Pete Goss: No in-mast furling for me
Dick Durham: Tracking down owners
Lu Heikell: Plans written in sand
Cruising community: YM Cup for model yachts | West Country classics
Books: Gunboat Command, Hichens
Confessional: Planets collide