Sailing Skills

Expert On Board: How to prepare for offhsore cruising
28 tips for your boat and crew from a man who’s sailed 350,000 miles

Learning curve
Dazed and confused in the Jester Baltimore Challenge Offshore solo sailors face a pervsive enemy, as Andy Robinson finds out

Skipper’s tips
• Dodgy vector charts • Calculating air clearance • Secure your anchor • Windvane steering with a wheel • Washboards in heavy seas

Any Questions
• Should yachts carry defibrillators?• Why use cable steering? • Can I stay in multiple marinas? • Should we all learn about tides?
Cruising

Sea lochs and Summer Isles
Kitiara Pascoe discovers the best bits of NW Scotland on an autumn exploration from Loch Torridon

Sketches from the early days of cruising
Colin Jarman looks back at the work of the pioneering yachtsman, artist and YM illustrator Arthur Briscoe

Anchorages
Anchor in Soller, Mallorca, Stone Heaps on the Orwell and an overnight haven in the Isles du Frioul archipelago, France

Island hopping in the Seychelles
Theo Stocker finds out what sailing in paradise is really like

Cruising log
Adventurous passages in Spain, the Hebrides and the Atlantic

What you lose when you buy online
Seeking counsel from your chandler

Gear & Boat Reviews

Practical: 37 years of upgrades on one yacht
Jim Mottram looks back at the modifications that make it possible to keep on sailing

New Gear
• Easy-fit inspection hatch • MOB alert • Glove-friendly plotter

Tried and tested
• Lightweight oilskins • Simple DSC VHF

New boat test: Hallberg Rassy 44
Graham Snook has an exclusive first test oon the exciting new bluewater cruiser from Sweden

Used boat test: Catalina 36
Duncan Kent sails this rugged and spacious American cruiser to find out what made her so successful

Technical: Avoid engine failure!
Expert advice on fuel filters