Keeping your batteries topped up without having to run the engine is a continuous challenge for cruising sailors, especially those who are highly conscious of their carbon footprint or just…
Yachting Monthly
How to convert a yacht to electric propulsion
There are hundreds, if not thousands of yachts still sailing with 40-year-old diesel engines emitting smoke and pollutants, so is now the time to replace them with a clean, low…
Henri Lloyd Womens Elite Hi-fit Salopette tested
Henri Lloyd Womens Elite Hi-fit Salopette The choice of women’s specific offshore salopettes from the big brands are generally available only in one colour, two at a pinch and those…
Expert guide: how to tune the rig of a yacht
It is important to have a correctly tuned rig. Boats that have poorly tuned rigs are slower, point lower, heel more, make more leeway and may be more difficult to…
Cruising the Scillies and Gurnsey: ‘All was well in our little world’
Now in his 82nd year, my father Ewen reluctantly ended a nearly 50-year relationship with his much-loved and well-used succession of yachts as the last of four Black Velvets went…
Orcas ‘attack’ and sink a yacht in the Strait of Gibraltar
A pod of orcas have attacked and sunk a 15m yacht in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar, the latest in a series of attacks in the area, the…
Why trading your boat in for something smaller can make your sailing more fun
Downsizing. It’s what you do when your children leave home or when you retire. You decide to move to a smaller house and buy a smaller car. It’s also what…
‘We spent hours rowing and snorkelling along the edge of the islets’ – cruising the Galapagos in a yacht
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…
New Cornish regatta: A classic boatbuilding legacy
Fishermen in South East Cornwall have been venturing out to sea daily for centuries, departing on the morning tide and returning with the evening currents, sailing on beautifully crafted boats…
‘The best thing about a concrete boat? The worst ones are at the bottom of the sea’
Circumnavigator, Rob Hart, poked the glowing embers of his coal stove, set a cup of tea in front of me and said: ‘You know the best thing about a concrete…