Sailing Skills

Expert On Board: Expert radio skills
Rescue is time-critical, so how do you distinguish between severe adversity and distress?

Skipper’s tips
• Defuse the mainsail • A godsend in the galley • Better battery terminals • Marina manoeuvre • Tide gate surge • Plot without GPS

Any Questions
• How deep is it really? • Wireless instruments or Wifi hub? • A rubber anchor snubber? • Scrap steel price? • Blue water on a budget?

Competition
WIN a stand-up paddleboard worth £1,000

Pot markers: Is it time to change the law?
Norman Kean counts the cost of fouling a pot marker, and finds the best tool to free it

Learning curve: ‘I was thrown overboard by a rogue wave’
A daysail off Sussex turns into a life-threatening man overboard incident

Cruising

A week in Galicia’s Rías Baixas
Chris Beeson discovers a glorious coast just beyond Biscay, rarely explored by British cruisers

A summer cruise to Scilly
Jonathan Slatter sails west with a Jack Russell and a business run from his yacht’s forecabin

Anchorages
Parson’s Quay, River Tamar and Ormos Vlikadha in Greece

The top 5 yacht insurance claims and how to avoid them

Pilotage: Colombia’s Caribbean coast
Pippa Park went to Santa Marta in Colombia to experience this newly-emerging cruising ground

Snug berth
Butedale Cove, in British Columbia’s Inside Passage, Canada

Cruising log
Stormy sailing in the Baltic and the Netherlands

Gear & Boat Reviews

New Gear
• Easy-fit inspection hatch • MOB alert • Glove-friendly plotter

Tried and tested
• Smartphone weather station • Wireless wind instrument • Practical kit bag • Stand-up paddleboard • MOB lifesaver • Blackout blind

New boat test: Dehler 34
‘Does she live up to her legacy?’ Graham Snook finds a yacht that’s far better than the original

Technical: Why some chain lockers aren’t good enough
Has your windlass ever jammed or slipped? Barrie Neilson explains why

Used boat test: Countess 33
‘Tough, sturdy and built for comfort’ – Duncan Kent enjoys sailing the well-behaved bilge-keel ketch