Annie and Fred are in Tréguier aboard their Vancouver 38, Gallant, and would like to depart for Lézardrieux, 20 miles to the east. They want to catch the flood tide,…
Practical Skills
What are the real costs when you buy a very cheap (or even free) yacht?
Out-of-season sailing attracts us. Winter here in Scotland, and early spring, when days are lengthening and the colours returning, are the best times to be outside. In those glorious few…
Yachting skills: To pinch or not to pinch
Mark and Tanya are heading south- west down the Needles Channel in their Beneteau 40.7, Swift. They’ve been close-hauled in a SSE’ly Force 5 with the ebb tide helping them…
Charlotte Drew on growing up with one of the first Clipper skippers, Mervyn Wheatley
A small girl was curled up in the corner of the wheelhouse, sitting on the step with an arm around her even smaller brother. The tension in the wheelhouse was…
Space-age navigation without the space-age price tag
Electronic navigation comes in all shapes and sizes these days, from an app on your phone to a purpose-made top-end marine chartplotting and instrument system costing multiple thousands, and from…
Why two headsails are better than one
The vast majority of production sailing boats these days are rigged as sloops and fitted with a genoa on a furling system. Many older boats, from before the advent of…
How to deal with heat and cold at sea
Extremes of temperature whilst sailing affect not only our comfort but may have a significant effect on health and wellbeing. The scourge of hypothermia or, on the opposite end of…
What to do if someone anchors too close to your boat?
Clara, Fi and Ahmed are cruising north Brittany on Clara’s Rival 34, Grace. Clara is a recently-qualified Coastal Skipper, and Fi and Ahmed, who are both more experienced sailors, are…
Your ultimate pre-season marine electronics checklist
We are all familiar with the list of things we need to do to get our boats ready for the coming season, but one area often overlooked is our electronics.…
How to deal with a prop wrap
Sadler 29, Nimbus, is on passage from North Shields to Grimsby when the engine falters and cuts out. Skipper, Tim, instantly suspects a prop wrap as they’ve already passed a…