SAILING SKILLS
Christmas gift ideas for sailors
Presents from £25 to £300

Expert on board: How to round a major headland
James Stevens stands by as Laura McLachlan sails around Portland Bill

Skipper’s tips
• Slapper stopper • Handy-billy • Keep the bends sweet

A question of seamanship
How would you end this game of chicken?

Any questions?
• ‘Why can’t I receive Navtex?’ • ‘Is my winch de-zincing?’

Learning curve
Dirty fuel gives Norman Kean a stop-start delivery trip

Practical seamanship
Easy lifejacket safety checks

Are harnesses, tethers and jackstays safe?
MOB survival statistics suggest it’s time to take a fresh look, argues Alastair Buchan

CRUISING

Home waters: Rough passage and dead calm
Two Channel crossings give Dick Durham very different challenges in the Classic Channel Regatta

Adventure: Typhoon and pirate menace
Sailing his new yacht home to Hong Kong, Mawgan Grace didn’t expect typhoons, unlit tugboats or pirates

Arthur Ransome bends the law to go sailing
Untold story: how Ransome squared up to the founder of the RORC over some missing ballast

Pilotage: Dunmore East
A small Irish port with a big heart

Anchorages
We share hidden anchorages in Devon, Sark and Scotland

Scents and sensibility
What smell do you want to permeate your boat?

Cruising log
Yachting Monthly readers share their recent cruising exploits…

GEAR AND BOAT REVIEWS

Insurance loophole!
If there’s no blame, you can’t claim…

Tried and tested
• Fire training course • VHF radio with GPS • LED flare

Hand in glove
Colin Jarman admits that sailing gloves are handy after all

New boat test: Hanse 315
‘Easy to handle, fun to sail’ is Graham Snook’s verdict on the smallest yacht in Hanse’s new range

Used boat test: Van de Stadt Legend 34
Duncan Kent sailed her and found ‘a sea-kindly and sturdy yacht for serious cruising’

Technical: How to fit a heater
If your is fitted poorly, it could be lethal

Group test: Tide prediction apps
Top 12 tide apps tested

New boats
The heavyweight Sentijn 37 and the lifting-keel Allures 52

ALL INSIDE THE DECEMBER 2015 ISSUE