Night sailing is bread and butter to an ocean sailor and often crucial to coastal passage making, be it to catch a tide, avoid bad weather or simply to eat…
How to
Handling & rowing a dinghy: a beginner’s guide
Dinghies and tenders might be small, but good seamanship is just as vital in these diminutive craft as it is in much larger boats, as Rachael Sprot explains
How to use a dinghy outboard
All sailors who use dinghies come across challenges such as the contortions required to get a dinghy outboard onto the transom. Rachael Sprot shares her advice and top tips
Sailing to France: what you need to know
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 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…