Are we now able to rely on an electric drive as an auxiliary engine for a sailing cruiser? Having mused over this for a few years, my husband Niall and…
cruising
Through the French Canals to the Med in a yacht
One thing everyone knows about taking a sailing yacht into the French canals is that you have to take the mast – or masts – down first. Yet, while we…
Yacht deliveries: How to get your yacht from A to B
Perhaps your treasured yacht is in the wrong place at the wrong time? Does it need to be somewhere else, soon? Don’t have the time, crew, or experience to remedy…
Escaping the crowds in Northeast Greece
The islands in northeast Greece immediately have a different feel from the west and south. Not only do the flotillas fade away but the western tourists are replaced by eastern…
Sailing east beyond the Berlin Wall
Shortly after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, I moved abroad from Germany. On the occasions I did return I rarely ventured further than Hamburg where my family lived.…
Is a trip up the west coast of Scotland by yacht the ultimate honeymoon?
Adventures that start with a party are some of the best. After the formalities of saying ‘I do’ and celebrating with family and friends, Stuart and I were now married.…
Kenichi Horie: ‘I want to sail across the Pacific at 100 years old’
This sounds like one of those puzzles that do the rounds on social media: Kenichi Horie held the record for being both the youngest and the oldest person to sail…
Exploring New Zealand by catamaran
The thing about Covid is that it upsets the best-laid plans, as it did for the Island Cruising Club, a New Zealand-based outfit that organises flotillas to sail to the…
‘The shaking of the rig was horrific’
Our nadir was approaching. Our home port of Fremantle, Australia would be 6,880 miles away – straight down. From Bermuda our yacht Zen Again would need to literally fly to…
‘Why I would never have in-mast furling’ Pete Goss
One of my pleasures in life is to wander round marinas nosing at what’s afloat and I’ve started to notice in-mast furling systems are becoming a lot more common. Now…