Playing with fire….
Dick Durham learns how to combat fire at sea. Plus, we test 12 on-board fire extinguishers in our YM Buyers? Guide

Bewitched by the Western Isles
Ken Endean explores the Hebridean magic and wilderness of the Western Isles on the concluding leg of his voyage
up the UK?s West Coast

Deliver us from Sweden
An expert skipper and a 50-knot blow make for an interesting delivery passage from Sweden to the Hamble for YM?s consultant editor, James Jermain

Atlantic gale: how one couple coped
Anne Winder deals with whales, gales and trysails as she and her husband are blown about on passage from the Azores to Falmouth

Snore war!
A snoring skipper is bad enough but Miranda Norris considers deserting when the rest of the crew join in

Destination: St Malo
Beaches, castles, cafés and one of Brittany?s most elegant waterfronts make St Malo something special, says Peter Cumberlidge

For wetter or for worse
With just a few months to organise a wedding and fit out a boat for blue water cruising, Nicola Watkins decides to ask guests for nautical wedding presents

Survey! Survey! Survey!
YM?s surveyor, Paul Jeffes, helps a couple with a budget of £70,000 find a more manageable boat to replace their X102

Southampton International Boat Show
Do special show deals offer good value or would you be better off buying a used boat? Plus, the equipment that made its debut at SIBS 2003

Feeling 36
James Jermain finds the deep keel version of the Feeling 36 an enjoyable yacht to sail with a well laid out interior

Fully-battened mainsail
Simon Jinks weighs up the advantages of fitting a fully-battened mainsail

Essential Buyers? Guide
Our guide to some of the best products we?ve tested

A question of seamanship
Two cross-Channel skippers set off together with the wind on the nose but which will use the tide to best effect?

Learning Curve
Tim Taylor?s family cruise to the Channel Islands turns into a test when the yacht loses power and the lighthouse goes dark

Sailing Quiz
Test your knowledge and win an Oregon Scientific sailing watch

Yachtmaster Class
Tom Cunliffe considers whether you need to be mad, brave or just careful when rafting up at anchor

Any Questions?
Reconditioned gearboxes, child-friendly wood oil, and wind over (or against) tide

Better Boat Handling
Let your lines do the work when coming alongside

On Watch
Do you want to own Gipsy Moth IV?

Readers? Letters
Your views on radar, etiquette, and computing on board

This Cruising Life
Libby Purves admits that when it comes to safety she?s been faking it for years

Blue Water Letter
Niki Perryman is all set to leave New Zealand after a lengthy refit

A-Z of Second-hand Boats
James Jermain on Snapdragons and a pair of cruising cats from Solaris

Around the Coast
Local news round-up from our coastal correspondents

Confessional
Forgive me Father, for I have sailed?