Ed is skipper of a 10m production cruiser racer Aurora, which he keeps in Weymouth. He is returning from a West Country cruise with three friends and preparing to round…
How to
Heavy weather sailing: How and when to run for shelter
Previously we’ve looked at how to prepare your boat for heavy weather sailing, including how to rig and fit your boat for storm sails and how to reduce sail in…
Heavy weather sailing: Essential boathandling skills
Coastal sailors usually have the luxury of waiting out bad weather safely tucked up in harbour, but sail for long enough and eventually an unexpected squall, front or storm will…
How it works: lubricating engine oil
Lubricating oil in a marine diesel engine fulfils several functions. Whilst lubricating the working parts of the engine in order to reduce friction and wear, it also cools the parts…
How to repair yacht hatches and windows
Every boat I have ever owned has had at least one leaking window or hatch at some point and, from experience, no amount of temporary bodging has ever succeeded in…
Heavy weather sailing: How to reduce sail in a storm
Knowing the theory behind how to reduce sail in a storm is one thing, but does that theory work id you do get caught out? We took to the Solent…
How to dry out alongside with your yacht
Whenever I launch a boat for the start of the season, I say a solemn goodbye to its bottom. As soon as it’s launched the underside becomes a foreign land,…
Heavy weather sailing: How to prepare your yacht for a storm
From South Ocean pitchpolings to North Atlantic hurricanes, much has been written about the means and methods of heavy weather sailing in open water. The column inches tend to be…
How to install hot water onboard a yacht
Having pressurised hot water on your boat will make all the difference to comfortable living when on board. A hot shower at the start of the day can invigorate the…
Buying a second hand boat: The good, bad and the ugly
For much of the past decade, my wife Sally and I have been dreaming, planning and saving up to sail off on an adventure, together with our friends of the…