Cruising

• Birdman of the Southern Ocean
  John Ridgway endured a 327-day voyage to help save the albatross from extinction

• The wandering minstrels
  Dick Durham brings home his new Contessa 32 from the Solent to the East Coast

• Buyer beware
  Ken Munn looks for the real meaning behind boat show sales-speak

• Destinations: Southampton
  A bustling port, a thriving city and great place to spend a night or two

• PLUS: free pull out chart
• The social spice of sailing life
  Toby Hodges joins the YM Rally Portugal as they head south for the summer

• Well-heeled and stable
  Understanding the science of stability allows you to make an informed choice when choosing for cruising, says Nigel Calder

• Seeking sanctuary
  Ken Endean continues his Sail Like a Local series by exploring Les Écrehou and the Plateau des Minquiers, a short hop from Jersey

• Blue Water Letter
  Crabs, turtles and the occasional yachtsman are almost the only visitors to the tiny South Pacific island of Suwarrow, says Colin Lowe

• Survey! Survey! Survey!
  The pros and cons of buying a boat and chartering it out to help pay for the running costs

On Test

• Beneteau?s new look
  We sail the 323 and 373 to see if substance wins out over style

• It?s show time
  Southampton Boat Show Preview

• New boats at Southampton
  James Jermain on the latest designs

• New show gear
  What to look for at Southampton

• Electronic instruments: Digitally mastered
  Buyer?s guide to wind, depth and speed instrumentation

• PLUS: the future of transducers
• Buyer?s guide
  The pick of YM?s recent equipment tests

Sailing skills

• A question of seamanship
  Calculating air draught

• How your outboard could save your skin
  Andrew ?Oz? Bray on using tenders to tow

• Learning Curve: Bailed out
  Buckets, ingenuity and fellow yachtsmen save the day when an elderly Westerly starts to take on water en route to the Canaries.

• Cunliffe on cruising
  We can learn a lot from mariners of old, says Tom Cunliffe

• Chartwork
  Nigel Calder explains that updating charts has never been easier

• Radar class
  Collision avoidance is just one use for radar, explains James Jermain

• Any Questions
  Should you be asking the Coastguard for a radio check?

Every Month

• Editorial
  View from the helm

• Opening shot
  A picture says a thousand words?

• On watch
  Windfarms and rogue waves

• Readers? services
  Order a back issue or a copy of an article

• Competitions
  Win an inverter worth £1,000

• Readers? letters
  Are safety aids a help or a hindrance?

• Libby Purves: This cruising life
  Don?t pity the gypsy sailor, envy him

• Next month
  First-time Atlantic, training CDs on test

• Around the coast
  News from our team of local correspondents

• YM subscriptions
  Subscribe from just £2.68

• Confessional
  Cruisers clear their consciences