For several decades I have acted as Medical Officer for our local steam fair. I have no doubt that my lifelong love of steam was inherited from my father, who…

Anchored off Wangerooge

Navigation The Frisian Islands are in an area of rapid and constant change, so it is essential to use up-to-date charts. German chart pack 3015 is updated annually and comprises…

Martyn Mackrill illustration

I reported for duty and found myself aboard a Trinity steamer, which was to put me aboard a ‘fog-ship’, the North Sand Head light vessel, stationed on the Goodwin Sands.…

Dick Durham

Some sailors leave me feeling distinctly uncomfortable; they leave me with a sneaking suspicion that I haven’t sailed far enough, that I’m too comfortable in home waters, that I’m a…

Anchorages

I’m curious about the way my attitude to weather and forecasting has changed over the years. I’ll never forget being trapped in Cherbourg in a 32-foot wooden gaff cutter with…

Berthon

How do I know if my rig needs a service? There are no set service intervals. It is really more about time scales and usage. If you have sailed for…

A fine idea this month, for YM to warn about The Shock Of The Big (p34). It is easy to to think that a roomier, faster, grander boat is always…

Jellyfish

Recent surveys have suggested a significant rise in many jellyfish species here in the UK. Already this year the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) have had thousands of reports from the…

Boathandling

The principles of big boat handling apply to smaller boats, but everything’s bigger – including the consequences of mistakes, says Rachael Sprot