Alan is returning to his mooring up a tidal river after a day sail in his 9m yacht Starburst. He has one crew member, Jack, who has sailed with him…
sailing skills
How to keep clear of shipping in fog
Anne is regretting attempting an ambitious passage from Penzance to Plymouth in Flinders, her 8m yacht with her husband as crew. There was a good breeze at the start of…
Spinnaker handling: an experts full guide to using the kite
‘I have a confession to make,’ said my friend and fellow sailing instructor, Liz Le Mare, ‘I need spinnaker handling training.’ I was confused, since she’s often racing around the…
Should you cross the Channel with this forecast?
Kate is skipper of an 11m cruising yacht currently in Braye Harbour on the north coast of Alderney. She sailed from Guernsey, 23 miles away, yesterday in a fair SW…
Offshore navigation: your guide to this essential skill
Every voyage starts with a dream, and a voyage on my own boat to the remotest parts of the world was my dream as far back as I can remember.…
Dealing with orca attacks and how to navigate ‘Orca Alley’
There is a new buzzword amongst cruisers heading in and out of the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar… orcas! Wind, tide and shipping are no longer the only planning…
Catamaran sailing skills: recover a multihull man overboard
Finding yourself in a man overboard (MOB) situation probably ranks near the top of every sailor’s list of biggest fears whether it’s a monohull MOB of a multihull man overboard.…
Catamaran sailing skills: Mooring and anchoring a multihull
How do you make an average passage speed of 7 knots, fit in three double cabins and a huge saloon in under 36ft of boat length? Add another hull of…
How do you manoeuvre out of a raft?
Your boat is trapped in the middle of a raft and there are no crew on board. What do you do? James Stevens answers your Questions of Seamanship
New boat owner: Lessons learned on a shakedown sail
After buying a Dufour Classic 35, Chris Humphries experiences a series of hardships when trying to sail his new boat home from Conwy to Plymouth