Driving down to Greece this spring with a car full of bits for Skylax was a bit of a shock to the system. It was the first time we had…
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‘Suddenly we found ourselves in our child’s headmaster’s office asking if anyone’s ever taken a year off to go sailing?
Ever since James and I first met, we have fantasised about going on some kind of boat-based adventure. Every time we go on holiday, we lament the fact we can’t…
‘An orange glow lit up the horizon: an oil tanker had been torpedoed’ – Dick Durham
Inside an old jewellery box sits a yellowing fang set in a gold mount. It is the triangular molar wrenched from a shark jaw trolled for somewhere in the South…
Should there be both foiling and non-foiling classes in the next Vendée Globe? – Pete Goss
The Grand National of sailing that is the Vendée Globe has once again gifted an amazing romp around the globe, in which we were able to live alongside 40 sailors…
Can you use AI to make a decent passage plan at sea? Would you? – Lu Heikell
From time to time, we get asked for advice on cruising routes from those looking to explore a new area. We are generally happy to oblige, as it usually isn’t…
‘She went like a bronco, throwing her bow to the western sky’ – Dick Durham
There’s nothing like planning, and of course, it had all been planned a year in advance. Application forms filled in, a berth allocated, pilot book purchased. Documents of competence, proof…
‘Anything can be the beginning of another boating friendship’ – Libby Purves
Thirty years ago this spring I had my first novel published, Casting Off – apprentice-work, a bit chick-lit at times, but at least it was nautical. Inspired by watching couples…
‘Do people charter to go sailing, or to travel to interesting places by yacht?’ – Lu Heikell
When researching ports and anchorages to include in our pilot books, Rod and I tend to spend a lot of our time in some of the most popular places, making…
‘Why I’m embracing Starlink’ – Pete Goss on why he’s convinced by broadband anywhere
Admittedly I’m an old duffer, but it still amazes me how communications have developed over my lifetime. The budget for my first single-handed race couldn’t be described as tight; it…
Remembering the Great Tide 70 years on
Hundreds of laid-up yachts were holed, crushed or simply dashed to kindling in the Great Tide which flooded both sides of the North Sea 70 years ago this year, drowning…