The devil is in the detail, so the saying goes. When it comes to sailing though, the detail is less devil, more delight. For all the dreams about wide horizons and desolate anchorages, it’s often the minutiae of cruising that occupy our minds and our time.

We’ve been testing lifejackets this month (p78) and I was struck by how important seemingly small design features can be, whether it’s the shape of the bladder, the style of the buckle or the contours of the hood. I also became aware of how little I knew previously about what it’s really like to use an inflated lifejacket in the water. How do you find the hood, whistle, or lifting becket in wind and waves? It was a most informative experience and I’d encourage you to try it (in safety, of course). Getting to know your lifejacket properly is not time wasted.

Then there is the nitty gritty of navigation. Ken Endean has, true to form, been exploring parts of our coastline that most of us steer clear of for lack of gumption (p50). Ken has armed himself with all the information he could glean about tidal heights and shifting datums, and so discovered several magical, half-forgotten anchorages.

Finally, Graham Snook has been over to Denmark to test one of the most refined boats to grace the pages of this magazine (p26). The gorgeous Faurby 460E has been honed to a sharpness that lets it slice to windward higher than almost anything else out there. It’s not a stripped-out race machine, however, so how have they done it? A few millimeters here, a few there and the result is a boat to drool over, even
if you or I may never own one.

The devil may well be in the detail, but it’s the small things that make sailing so satisfying.