There is a new buzzword amongst cruisers heading in and out of the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar… orcas! Wind, tide and shipping are no longer the only planning…
Sailing skills
How do you moor a yacht in a tricky windward slot?
Andy’s home berth is alongside a walkashore pontoon on a river. Outside is another pontoon not attached to the shore. There is quite a strong tidal stream, up to 2…
How to get your yacht home without power
Electrical systems and electronics have become such an essential part of our normal lives that it’s hard to imagine life without them. Those good old days when there was a…
How to handle rounding Portland Bill: inshore of offshore?
Ed is skipper of a 10m production cruiser racer Aurora, which he keeps in Weymouth. He is returning from a West Country cruise with three friends and preparing to round…
Heavy weather sailing: How and when to run for shelter
Previously we’ve looked at how to prepare your boat for heavy weather sailing, including how to rig and fit your boat for storm sails and how to reduce sail in…
Heavy weather sailing: Essential boathandling skills
Coastal sailors usually have the luxury of waiting out bad weather safely tucked up in harbour, but sail for long enough and eventually an unexpected squall, front or storm will…
When do you need a liferaft on a yacht?
Bill and George, both retired, have recently bought an 8m bilge keel cruiser. They had it surveyed and it seems structurally sound, the engine, fuel and gas systems are safe,…
Heavy weather sailing: How to reduce sail in a storm
Knowing the theory behind how to reduce sail in a storm is one thing, but does that theory work id you do get caught out? We took to the Solent…
How to dry out alongside with your yacht
Whenever I launch a boat for the start of the season, I say a solemn goodbye to its bottom. As soon as it’s launched the underside becomes a foreign land,…
Heavy weather sailing: How to prepare your yacht for a storm
From South Ocean pitchpolings to North Atlantic hurricanes, much has been written about the means and methods of heavy weather sailing in open water. The column inches tend to be…