We were running before a deep depression en-route from Ponta Delgada in the Azores to…
Essential sailing skills
How to improve spinnaker trim: Pro sailor Simon Fry shares his secrets
According to ‘Stir Fry’, as he is widely known, a good trimmer is defined by…
Expert sailing advice: How to make winning decisions on the racecourse
Although Peter Burling and Blair Tuke had won Olympic sailing silver at the London 2012…
Night sailing: Offshore racer Henry Bomby shares 5 tips for helming after dark
It’s when you find yourself caught out in 50 knots with the big kite up…
Expert sailing tips: How to make emergency offshore repairs to your yacht
Jason Carrington was always in demand in professional offshore racing crews for his repair skills.…
Speed sailing record holder Paul Larsen explains how to get your boat up to pace
Not only is Paul Larsen clued in to what makes a boat go fast, he’s…
5 tips: Vendee Globe veteran explains how to face the fear and do it anyway
Facing your fears is something that challenges every sailor, but none more so than those…
5 expert sailing tips: How to gain an advantage downwind with asymmetric trim
The beauty of asymmetric sails is that they are very simple to trim. There’s no…
Expert sailing tips: Dee Caffari’s top 5 tips for creating a cohesive crew
To win the Volvo Ocean Race you need proven, battle-hardened experience on board. However, the…
5 expert racing tips: How and when to take tactical sailing gambles
Often you don’t actually know if your breakaway move will be a lone bid until…
5 expert racing tips: How to run the pit like a Volvo Ocean Race sailor
While running the pit is all about establishing repeatable systems and processes that run like…
Volvo Ocean Race skipper explains when to back off in big conditions
To win, first you have to finish. Chris Nicholson needs no introduction to that old…
Staysails: 5 tips on using them to turbocharge your boat speed
As Mike Sanderson points out, staysails are hardly a new idea. The old clipper ships…
5 expert sailing tips: How to win a yacht racing protest
You spend so much time and money honing your craft as a sailor, making the…
5 racing tips: How to win when the weather forecast goes wrong
Will Oxley is nothing if not meticulous in his preparation. Which is why he wouldn’t…
Bow team communication: 5 tips on how to prevent a crew mutiny
Sailing on big boats is the ultimate team sport, and part of the key to…
Mongrel drop: Pip Hare’s guide to unorthodox kite drops
Emergency drop, small crew For hurried drops of asymmetric spinnakers, particularly with a small crew,…
Helming downwind: Pip Hare’s top tips on how to maximise your speed
For me, helming downwind, particularly in big breeze, is one of the absolute joys in…
Light winds and strong currents: How to keep moving in strong tides
When the wind is light and the current is strong, the two components can be…
Racing multihulls: 5 tips for making the switch from monohulls
For a keelboat sailor, switching to a multihull, especially a performance type multihull, for the…