When Rich and I set off from Dartmouth in 2017 to do some long- distance sailing on our Cabo Rico 38 Tequila we hadn’t intended to sail around the world.…
Yachting Monthly
‘The salty water was dangerously reaching the cockpit edge and we had to prevent the boat from taking too much water’
I first saw the boat after reading a small advertisement in a local newspaper. It was lying under a red tarpaulin. The varnish was faded, the boat was full of…
Upcycling a boat: ‘I’m not saying it’s for everyone, but I do feel that recycling a boat makes a great deal of sense’
When it came to searching for a smaller yacht for upcycling, I was quite specific. I wanted a boat I could keep on my Chichester Harbour mooring while my other…
How to check the structural integrity of a GRP yacht hull
A GRP yacht hull may be strong and durable, but it’s also, unfortunately, relatively heavy. To overcome this problem, naval architects and yards will laminate much lighter core materials between…
Sailing the Indian Ocean: ‘It felt like we had travelled back a few centuries in time’
After much deliberation, we finally decided in Darwin that we were not going to Asia. We would miss out on an exciting cruising area but due to the pandemic, we…
Brian Black Memorial Award Winner: Living With the Ocean
Long before living in tiny houses became a big trend, sailors did exactly that. Living a good life in a small space with scarce resources. Not necessarily because they had…
A family charter adventure: ‘The squall suddenly passed and the wind and waves abated to a quiet calm in the bay’
We’ve just touched down at Dalaman airport, Southern Turkey and it’s June 2024. It’s our first time bareboat chartering as a family and we’ve chosen a four-day family charter around…
The secrets behind a compass: What are agonic and isogonic lines?
Imagine for a moment, after a long expedition, you are at the geographic north pole. You look at your compass, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is far from pointing at your…
How to prepare for an Atlantic crossing
If taking on an Atlantic crossing in your own boat is high on your list of sailing dreams, I can thoroughly recommend the experience. However, a dream will stay a…
How to improve single-line reefing
The trend in recent years is for newer yachts to have smaller just-overlapping jibs, even non-overlapping self-tacking jibs, with the mainsail area increased in compensation. Since the introduction of jib…