Anchoring is one of the greatest joys of sailing, yet for many people the sound of the chain rattling over the bow-roller is the start of an anxious night. Will…
Sailing skills
Broken mast in the North Atlantic: one solo sailor’s story
They say bad things happen in threes. Sailing solo in the North Atlantic, Rob Henshall loses windvane self steering, then electronic autopilot and wonders what’s next
Canal cruising in France: how to prepare the boat & crew
When Nic Compton decided to take his family and their boat to the Mediterranean ‘as the crow flies’, he embarked on a steep learning curve to get boat and crew…
Practical guide to life at sea for sailors
Navigation and boat handling are all well and good, but overlook the practicalities of keeping your crew fed, warm, safe and healthy and you risk putting a big hole in…
Apparent wind: How to predict it and use it to your advantage
Predicting changes in apparent wind will make you a safer, faster sailor, says Martin Watts
‘We were within seconds of striking rocks in the Swinge’
Octogenarian adventurer Peter Baylis gets a scare in the Channel Islands when sailing to Alderney via the Swinge
Expert advice: boating food
When it comes to boating food what you are likely to eat, or plan on eating, will depend entirely on the sort of sailing or boating you are planning on…
Why twin headsails are best downwind
Crossing the Atlantic from Cape Verde to Barbados took us just 13 days in our 1998 Lagoon 410, Cushla Na Mara. In preparation for this trip, I spent time experimenting…
Sailing the English Channel for the first time
Sailing the English Channel for the first time can be a daunting prospect, especially if your sailing experience so far has been in local waters, mostly remaining within a few…
Expert advice: improvements below decks
For all that owning a cruising yacht brings up ideas of cruising under blue skies over azure waters on deck in full sunshine, in truth, a significant amount of time…