The vast majority of production sailing boats these days are rigged as sloops and fitted with a genoa on a furling system. Many older boats, from before the advent of…
Sailing skills
How to humanely keep rodents off your boat
Among the many things that keep a skipper awake at night, few are as unwelcome as the pitter-patter of tiny feet scurrying across the deck. Discovering paw prints and droppings…
Essential tips to survive a sudden emergency: How to free a boat’s propeller from rope or fishing gear
Whether snagged suddenly in the middle of a channel, or a drifting target for shipping, or close to a lee shore, it’s a stressful situation and one that requires a…
How to deal with heat and cold at sea
Extremes of temperature whilst sailing affect not only our comfort but may have a significant effect on health and wellbeing. The scourge of hypothermia or, on the opposite end of…
‘There is no such thing as too much preparation’: Cruising the British Virgin Islands
During the spring of 2024, a friend of mine delivered my 41ft Moody sloop from Annapolis to American Yacht Harbor Marina (AYH) in Red Hook, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands…
What to do if someone anchors too close to your boat?
Clara, Fi and Ahmed are cruising north Brittany on Clara’s Rival 34, Grace. Clara is a recently-qualified Coastal Skipper, and Fi and Ahmed, who are both more experienced sailors, are…
How to deal with a prop wrap
Sadler 29, Nimbus, is on passage from North Shields to Grimsby when the engine falters and cuts out. Skipper, Tim, instantly suspects a prop wrap as they’ve already passed a…
How having a checklist could save you and your boat
Would it sound far-fetched if I told you a simple piece of paper could save your boat from expensive breakages and repair, or even peril, and in extremis, save the…
Without AIS, would you cross this line of shipping?
Mike and Linda are crossing the Channel from Poole to St Peter Port via the Alderney Race in their Bavaria 38, Isabel J. However, the AIS, which they usually rely…
‘We were battered by Force 7 winds for 24 hours’: The Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race
The Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle is a single- or double-handed offshore race from Falmouth to Kinsale (Eire) to Treguier (Brittany) and back to Falmouth. For me it was a new…