If you are sailing to France, here is what you need to know to avoid immigration and customs headaches for a smooth entry and exit from the country
How to
How to upgrade your boat fridge
A fridge is considered essential for a cruising yacht these days, but what is the most efficient system to install? Duncan Kent investigates the options
Anchoring skills: expert advice to improve your knowledge
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…
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…
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…
Yacht Radar: How to find your way in any weather
To the uninitiated, radar can seem like a dark art. The splurge of blobs would look more at home in the Tate Modern than the nav station. Recent advances in…
Troubleshooting problems with your yacht rigging
Yacht rigging is a dark art and no one will ever convince me otherwise. I have yet to meet two riggers who agree on anything – and there is no…
The Seamanship of going aground
Going aground, I suspect,is far more common than we think. It’s one of those things that falls into the category where the measure isn’t the cock-up itself but the number…