Innovative technology has always created fresh new chapters in how we approach sailing. You only have to look back at the most advanced and sophisticated navigation systems of the mid-twentieth…
Technology
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.…
We Tested 20 of the Best Lifejackets for Boating and Sailing
We all have lifejackets on board, but do you know what yours is actually like to use? We test 10 lifejackets to find out
Everything you need to know about hydrogenerators
The potential of hydrogeneration has been well understood for decades, but it’s only over the past 15 years that the idea has started to become properly commercialised. In essence, it’s…
Everything you need to know about your VHF antenna
When Guglielmo Marconi began sending radio messages between coastal radio stations and ships at sea in 1897, there were plenty who predicted the technology would have very limited scope. Yet,…
Everything you need to know about watermakers
The feeling of autonomy that a watermaker gives a yacht is unique. It transforms that weekend-only cruiser into a go-anywhere, life-on-the-hook, adventure craft, breaking the tether to marinas. Filling your…
The best tidal apps for cruising sailors
Tidal data is getting easier and cheaper to download. Sam Fortescue reviews the latest options in an increasingly crowded market and choses the best tidal apps for sailors
Best weather apps for sailors
Weather data is getting easier and cheaper to download. Sam Fortescue reviews the latest options and chooses the best weather apps for sailors
Digital Switching: controlling your yacht from your phone
Just imagine this. As you graze a sandwich at your desk one Friday, you flick open an app on the phone to check what the wind is doing on the…
Marine satellite communication: options for recreational sailors
Faster, cheaper marine satellite communication is coming to an ocean near you. Sam Fortescue investigations the options for recreational sailors