If you’re unsure about the strength and heights of the tides, general navigation or the paperwork needed to venture into France, help is at hand. The Cruising Association (CA) will…

‘In this boat-free season of family gatherings, here’s a fine new holiday game…’ In Swallows and Amazons, the children endearingly name creeks and inlets, islands and bays: Wild Cat Island,…

Tom Cunliffe

“My luck ran out. I hit more rocks in the next half-hour than in the rest of my life to date” Sitting in my saloon with the bogey stove glowing…

Dick Durham

“The operating manual is smothered in oily fingerprints and smells of diesel” What were two men doing zig-zag- ging across a theatre forecourt as light summer rain began to soak…

Life in a liferaft, during a F6 in the Bay of Biscay

Ever wondered what life in a liferaft is really like in rough weather? Yachting Monthly's Chris Beeson packed his sick bag and went to the Bay of Biscay to find…

Skipper’s tips: moon tides

Skipper’s tips: moon tides. Yachtmaster examiner Tom Cunliffe with practical advice for all sailors

What a pong! Funny smells on board your boat can be dangerous. Two seasons ago I thought my holding tank was leaking. Up forward, where it lives, a distinct pong…

Back to front is right for ventilation Ventilation is critical to the life expectancy of a wooden boat, particularly when left on a mooring. No GRP yacht ever sank through…

This photo is a rather exaggerated case of wind-against-tide. The water’s easy to read because you’d expect things to be rough and they were. In lesser situations you can still…