When you first start to learn about yacht navigation it can seem complex and pretty nuanced, but in reality what you are doing falls into two overarching styles. The first…
Yachting Monthly
What are the most affordable ways to start sailing?
Pardon the liberal use of cliches, but as somebody once said, ‘Sailing equates to standing in a cold shower tearing up £10 notes.’ If it’s racing, it will be £50…
Jeanneau has contacted Sun Odyssey 410, 440 and 490 owners amid safety concerns
The Jeanneau recall concerns the models which are equipped with Sleipner-Sidepower retractable bow thruster modules and were produced in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The European Commission in June issued a…
Sailing square riggers: ‘You’re more appreciative of what sailing used to be’
Most cruising yacht sailors would agree that any field of knowledge that might sharpen their own skills is worthwhile learning about. But does Patrick O’Brian rattling on about thimbles and…
Linjett 39 first test: ‘There is a positive feel on the helm that builds in a predictable fashion’
Rosättra Boatyard believes it has the ideal option for those looking for a modern yacht with long-lasting appeal, the Linjett 39. Today’s new designs are invariably variations on a common…
How to choose the right boat propeller
A well-known truism of boat ownership is that sailing with a fixed propeller is akin to towing a bucket astern. We all know that a feathering or folding propeller has…
‘Dodging ships can feel like being a chicken crossing a very busy motorway’
The North Sea at night: I love it. It can turn wild, like any mountain or desert, but that’s not all the time. When it’s calm, fishing lights appear, dodge…
Sailing around 3,500 miles on the 1917 schooner Oosterschelde: Training in a time warp
I have always wanted to sail on a tall ship; to experience night watches on the high seas, to make sail changes, to helm. Although I’ve done all these things…
‘We passed no living creature apart from three cows and a lone sheep’
There aren’t many places where you can anchor so close to a mountain it breathes on you. In heavy weather the draughts of exhaled tempest that rush down the sheer…
Why I took my Ketch rigged yacht and turned it into a brigantine square-rigger
People have asked why I decided to change a perfectly good ketch into a staysail schooner? It’s a reasonable question. The simple answer is that I always wanted a brigantine.…