When fellow sailing instructor Liz Le Mare invited me aboard her recently acquired boat, I didn’t need much persuading. She’d recently married a fiercely competitive dinghy sailor, Richard, and their…
Boat test
Parker 325 review: a plethora of benefits at low cost
Sometimes you find sailors who seem so well suited to their boat that it’s hard to imagine them owning anything else. Take Barry and Orla Tiernan with Sulito, their Parker…
Scanmar 40 review – Scandinavian appeal
All too often it’s easy to think of today’s mainstream production cruisers as being designed for mass appeal and built to a strict (or sometimes restrictive) budget. While such commercial…
Arcona 345 review: 24 hours onboard Arcona’s latest
Bigger isn’t always better. Yes, the longer the boat the faster you go, theoretically, and the more space you get on board, but the bills go up exponentially, and the…
Sigma 38 review: a sheep in wolf’s clothing?
The Sigma 38 plays tricks on me. No matter how long I look, I can’t decide whether it’s a sharp-nosed racer or a gently curved cruiser. Seen from the bow…
Dehler 46SQ review: improvements all round
Powering to windward in one of the breeziest starts to a winter I can remember, it was hard to tell what was rain and what was spray. Sunshine and a…
Astus 22.5 review: sporty little trimaran for the weekend?
Small multihulls like the Astus 22.5 can be remarkable boats in which you can do remarkable things. Like Richard and Lilian Woods: each sailing one of their own Woods-designed Strider…
Hallberg-Rassy 340 review: 2017 model put to the test
At first glance the Hallberg-Rassy 340 is not a Hallberg-Rassy as we know it. Twin rudders, a deep fin and bulb keel, square ends and a bowsprit give her a…
Arcona 385 review – evolution not revolution
Plenty has changed in the last 10 years. We’ve come through Brexit, Covid and TikTok dance crazes. Some things haven’t changed much though. Swedish yard Arcona has just launched its…
Island Packet 380: The best liveaboard cruiser out there?
When it comes to liveaboard credentials, is the Island Packet the cream of the crop? Rachael Sprot went to find out...