As the nights draw in on the end of the 2015 sailing season I am starting to ponder the twilight of my own working life. I have been a GP…

Ile des Hébihens

Finding yourself in charge of an important pilot book brings surprising rewards. Knowing that others are to some extent relying on your inside knowledge, you feel a sense of responsibility…

Although I do not necessarily feel any pressing need for refreshment, Continual Professional Development (CPD) requires me to attend an annual GP Refresher Course. At least the one at which…

Petrol being poured into a boat engine

Diesel bug can clog filters, wreck engines, corrode fuel tanks, and leave you powerless at sea. Ben Sutcliffe explains how to keep your diesel clean

Reading these columns, a few of you may have the impression of some leathery old salt, rarely ashore, twinkling across the foredeck with brine in her hair, her mind constantly…

Anchorages

‘The rain it raineth every day.’ So sang Feste, Shakespeare’s wise old clown, probably describing the state of affairs in Illyria some time around 1600. I suspect, though, that he…

Dick Durham

There are any number of DIY weather forecasting manuals and all of them train us up the same way. There’s the overview: the plan of a weather system with its…

Sir Alec Rose's iconic ketch, Lively Lady

Sir Alec Rose’s iconic yacht Lively Lady is undergoing a major refit at the International Boatbuilding Training College in Portsmouth. The yacht, in which Rose competed in the OSTAR and…