Eighteen months ago, I left East Anglia in my Westerly GK-29 cruiser-racer, bound for Istanbul. My progress was naturally slow at first as I had never sailed before but, by…
Learning curve
How a PLB saved my life when I was knocked overboard
Solo yachtsman Nigel Fox's life was saved by a PLB when he was knocked overboard by stormy seas off the north coast of Australia
‘Towing risks damage, so plan the process carefully’
Ken Endean advises 'Consider, Communicate and Connect' when towing, particularly when under sail, and reflects on lessons learned from six incidents
‘Buying my first boat taught me a hell of a lot’
From car-crash viewings to wasted journeys of hundreds of miles, Wayne Palmer shares the steep learning curve of buying his first boat
‘The hurricane had us confined to the aft cabin for 24 hours’
Holly Turner shares some lessons from a turbulent hurricane season in the Caribbean with a 10-month-old baby and Scrumpy the Jack Russell
Stuck head-first in a cockpit locker – a true story
Qualified marine engineer Martin Blount shares the terrifying ordeal of getting stuck upside down aboard his boat while working alone, on a river mooring
Storm sailing: ‘The boat was slammed over and water poured in’
Randall Reeves leaves the storm jib in its bag while braving the Southern Ocean to prove that speed is safety when storm sailing
‘I was rescued at sea 13 times, but this was the worst experience by far’
Veteran power and sailing yachtsman Dag Pike reflects on his multiple experiences of being saved offshore
‘As the engine spluttered and conked out, panic resumed’
A series of unfortunate mistakes threatened Mark and Nadiyana Farnworth's dream maiden voyage before it began
‘We let go and the entire rig sank like a stone’
A collapsed mast threw an unexpected obstacle in the path of Tim Ainsworth Anstey’s passage from Gotland to mainland Sweden while sailing with friends