The sound of bubbles playing over the hull woke us – a soft whoosh that felt at once mellow and playful. The source of the bubbles was soon discovered: two…
Cruising guides
A guide to cruising England’s East Coast rivers
The East Coast is an acquired taste for sailing and, after fossicking about the creeks and swatchways of the estuaries over the past 65 years, I have acquired it. My…
The classic ocean race that’s open to anyone – taking on the AZAB
Some 38 boats from six European countries set off on 3 June 2023 to race 1,200 miles of open sea to the Azores and then race back to Falmouth a…
Sailing in the wake of Odysseus
Arriving in Meganisi, we were greeted by shouting and waving from the jetty. What had been one or two people had grown to five as those docked gathered to watch…
Exploring the Pembrokeshire Islands by boat
Setting off from our swinging mooring at Rudders boatyard, Burton, in Pembrokeshire, we have to travel the length of the Cleddau estuary to reach open water. With the wind and…
Swapping Studland for Swanage: a cruiser’s guide
Studland’s voluntary no-anchor zone, enforced by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), has been designated to protect the seagrass growing in the southern part of the bay. The new restriction will…
Sailing in Europe: how to extend your stay
Spending more than three months sailing in the Mediterranean, as a UK citizen, and remaining within the confines of the EU visa rules can be challenging. With the addition of…
Want to make your own logbook?
What you record in your logbook depends on what you are doing. Just a quick note of the tides and weather forecast may suffice for a short day-sail, but an…
How to sail across the Atlantic with a family
Modern life makes connecting digitally between people easy, but it can also isolate us from friends and family, and the natural world around us. While the negative effects of social…
Raz de Sein: pilotage advice for cruising sailors
The Raz de Sein has a bad reputation but is sometimes friendly. Ken Endean explains why, and how, to conquer this Breton passage