The thing about Covid is that it upsets the best-laid plans, as it did for the Island Cruising Club, a New Zealand-based outfit that organises flotillas to sail to the…
Cruising life
‘The shaking of the rig was horrific’
Our nadir was approaching. Our home port of Fremantle, Australia would be 6,880 miles away – straight down. From Bermuda our yacht Zen Again would need to literally fly to…
‘Why I would never have in-mast furling’ Pete Goss
One of my pleasures in life is to wander round marinas nosing at what’s afloat and I’ve started to notice in-mast furling systems are becoming a lot more common. Now…
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…
Sailing Uma talk sailing to Svalbard in an electric-assisted yacht
Eight years ago, Dan and Kika sold everything they didn’t need and bought their first sailing boat, a 1972 Pearson 36, for $3,000 in cash. The architecture students had just…
‘We lost our mast 1,000 miles from land’
There is safety in numbers. The larger your pod, herd or, in this case, fleet, the greater your chances of survival, offering protection, safety and confidence. For years, Louise and…
All the kit you need to go sailing offshore or cross the Atlantic
The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) has supported hundreds of boats crossing the Atlantic Ocean for over 35 years. It’s become an iconic voyage, is one of the largest ocean…
Monty Halls on the trials and tribulations of sailing
Now, before you horny-palmed ocean conquerors give a rum-laden snort of derision, I’ve just emerged triumphant from my Day Skipper test. Let me be the first to point out that…
Cruising the Gothenburg Archipelago
Big seas, four-metre-high rolling waves, storms, fog, and squalls. We had anticipated all of it on our first Kattegat crossing, in our 50-year-old, 24-ft Spækhugger yacht Gaia. We weren’t, however,…
Push on or divert with seasick crew onboard?
Should you divert or push on when you have a seasick crew onboard? Mike owns Petrel, a modern 12m yacht and is on a passage across Cardigan Bay from Fishguard…