Cruising
Cover story: Sail south this summer
Western France
Ken Endean anchors off golden beaches, tacks up tree-lined
rivers and sails between the rocky outcrops of Atlantic islands

WATER LIKE WARM SOUP
Rod and Lu Heikell enjoy superb sailing in Tonga while planning
their ‘great lemming leap’ from the tropics to New Zealand

Cover story: SPRING LAUNCH
FOILED AGAIN
Kieran Flatt’s shakedown cruise was more of a shake, rattle and
roll as he discovered a few post fitting-out problems

Cover story: SPRING LAUNCH
ALL DECKED OUT
Miranda Delmar-Morgan wonders if maintaining her wooden boat is a
labour of love, or love’s labour’s lost

Dustbin seas
It was dirty weather that worried the 11 skippers crossing
the Bay of Biscay with the ‘Triangle’ cruise, but it was the
rubbish-filled seas that caused the problems

MY BILLION-GALLON SWIMMING POOL
Who said the Ionian is overcrowded and lacks good breeze?
A cruise in the wake of Odysseus shatters preconceptions

Sailing skills
Cover story: PRACTICAL SAILING
HOW TO SWING YOUR COMPASS
Tom Cunliffe explains a simple technique to ensure that your
primary navigation tool is calibrated to pinpoint accuracy

LEARNING CURVE: A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
A man overboard incident in the Irish Sea in rough weather

SKIPPER’S TIPS
Impeller maintenance, missing gaskets, recycled halyards…

A Question of seamanship
Has this skipper become overconfident in his yacht’s abilities?

Any questions?
Calling the Coastguard, flares in France, GPS units, and more

Boats and gear
Cover story: Spring launch
MAKE YOUR SAILS LAST LONGER
Sailmakers offer top tips on maintenance and performance

Cover story: Spring launch
Which oil?
Modern synthetic oils can wreck your engine

Cover story: 24-hour boat test
Hallberg-Rassy 372
Chris Beeson travels to Sweden to see whether this keenly
anticipated new design lives up to expectations

Concrete and Canvas: Used boat test
Can a Victorian fishing boat replica with a ferro-cement hull provide practical cruising in the modern world?

Cover story: 7 Rope Cutters reviewed
Cutting it
Find out how well they work and which is right for your boat

New Gear
Hands-free VHF radio, ultra-bright LED lights, soft shackles…

A-Z of second-hand boats
From Dufour through Elan to Elizabethan

Regulars
Editor’s log
The view from the helm

Opening shot
Twilight in Hunnebostrand

News
East Coast wetlands reserve fears

Readers’ letters
Your views and opinions

Libby Purves
The afterlife of boats

Cunliffe on Cruising
Mooring costs

Nigel Calder
Shaft seals

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Around the Coast
Dover Strait heritage plans, 111-year-old wherry restored

The Confessional
Yachtsmen confess their sailing sins