From sail plans to nav software, rig failure and SSB, there's plenty you can learn from the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, as Ali Wood discovers
Practical seamanship
Get ready for your yacht charter holiday
Getting to grips with a few skills and checking your boat carefully will give you a more enjoyable yacht charter holiday, says Toby Heppell
Migrants at sea: the dos and don’ts of helping those in distress
How can you help those in distress without endangering your vessel or breaking the law? Elaine Bunting investigates
Eyeball pilotage skills for coast crawling
Getting close in to the coast to explore a tidal channel or find a snug anchorage is rewarding but close attention must be paid to the visual clues, says Ken…
Heavy weather sailing: preparing for extreme conditions
Alastair Buchan and other expert ocean cruisers explain how best to prepare when you’ve been ‘caught out’ and end up heavy weather sailing
Day Skipper: What you need to know to get through
With her husband Theo out of the way, Georgie Stocker shows on her Day Skipper course that she is more than capable of taking charge
Skippering a boat for the first time: steps to success
Skippering a boat for the first time needn't be daunting, as long as you prepare. Matthew Diggle reveals how to make a success of taking charge
Lessons learned from abandoning ship mid Atlantic
Solo skipper Billy Brannan lost his home when his 34ft yacht Helena was knocked down, rolled and dismasted during an Atlantic storm - and the rescue itself proved to be…
Why motor sailing is good seamanship
Pete Goss looks at the times it can pay to switch on the engine, making life easier and allowing for better sailing
Mast climbing for shorthanded crews
Professional skipper Simon Philips shares how to go aloft safely with only one other crewmember aboard