No, not that one – this Secret Water is our very own. And although Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons never visited, this is the very type of waterway where they…

The humble sacrificial strip is prepared to perform self-immolative Hari-Kari in order to preserve the integrity of our precious genoa sailcloth that lies underneath its protective wrapping. Often gaily coloured,…

Some gloomy health charity informs us that one in three of us will face dementia. The figures were picked up, crunched, explained and debunked on that magnificent BBC Radio 4…

Tom Cunliffe

When I was a nipper, the footwear favoured by fashionable British sailors was blue canvas pumps. Upmarket versions had non-slip rubber soles for grip. The rest of us made do…

Dick Durham

Each wave hit the boat broadside with a loud slap and bashed her hull against the rocky sea wall. Her starboard bilge keel was smashed off, just a row of…