And now the sailing news...
- And now the sailing news?
BBC news reader Michael Buerk enjoyed flotilla sailing in the Med with his wife Christine so much that he bought a brand new 10.66m (35ft) yacht, Airwaves (of course!) and put it into bareboat charter in Turkey. His story on the joys and disasters of having a ?boat in the sun? appears next month in YM - Fitting-out special
Don?t miss our A-Z pre-launch checklist ? from masthead to keel ? for the new season. With new legislation on antifouling, Mike Kopman rounds up the bottom paints that won?t land you in jail and checks out the latest on copper treatments - Laptop navigation Part 2
In the second part of our in-depth look at computers at sea, Simon Jinks explains the bewildering variety of electronic charts available, the differences between vector and raster, prices, coverage and update options. Which is best for you? - Blue Water Letter
Rod Heikell in the Med gives tips for how to do a ?caique moor?. ?Try it,? he says, ?and everyone will applaud your elegant berthing skills? - Destinations PLUSfree chart
Some 140 miles from Land?s End, Cork Harbour on Ireland?s south coast is one of Europe?s finest natural havens ? easy to enter and perfectly sheltered. Peter Cumberlidge explores this landfall, well placed for sailing Ireland?s wilder south-west corner
- The cost of blue water cruising
We all dream of sailing off into a glorious sunset, but how much does it cost? Mary Neate and her husband spent three years living aboard their Sparkman & Stephens 34 in the Mediterranean. Their goal was to survive on £100 a week. ?Some crews live happily on less.? Read their country-by-country breakdown in Counting the cost - Sailing skills
Since man first held his loincloth aloft to propel his dugout, we have wanted to sail faster. In the first of a new two-part series in Better Boat handling, Simon Jinks looks at the finer points of sail trim and getting most out of your genoa - Plus?
All your favourites: This Cruising Life with Libby Purves; The Confessional; the A-Z of secondhand boats