If you're alongside a leeward harbour wall and the fenders are on the verge of popping, use a kedge anchor to haul her up to windward, says Duncan Wells
sailing skills
Anchor lights: are you sure you’ll be seen?
With one all-round white anchor light, as most boats have, are you sure you'll be seen? Alastair Buchan asks if it’s time to update the COLREGS
Skipper’s tips – How to leave a raft
Tom Cunliffe has assessed hundreds of sailors for the RYA Yachtmaster exam. He shares a few skipper's tips with us...
Skipper’s tips – look abeam
Tom Cunliffe has assessed hundreds of sailors for the RYA Yachtmaster exam. He shares a few skipper's tips with us...
Using an anchor in a Bahamian moor
If you're anchored next to an obstruction, you can set your bower anchor and kedge to make sure you don't swing more than two boatlengths, says Duncan Wells
An expert’s guide to stern to mooring
If you charter in the Med, you’ll find yourself mooring stern to. Theo Stocker finds out how from Barrie Neilson
How to plan and sail a passage round a headland
James Stevens stands by as Yachtmaster Coastal Laura McLachlan attempts to plan, sail and skipper her first passage round a headland
Essential reefing tips for cruisers
Reefing: how, when and why do we do it? The answers may not be as straightforward as you think, says James Jermain
Collision with a trawler
Anchored off Boulogne with a disabled engine, Richard Brown thought the worst was over. Then his yacht was in collision with a trawler…
How to plan and execute night pilotage
James Stevens stands by as Nikki Abbott tackles her first night pilotage as skipper