With plenty of airports located along the most common cruising routes and cheap flights within Europe, keeping a yacht in the Med is easy and convenient. But what do cruisers…
Moody 41DS yacht tour: This comfortable cruiser is bigger on the inside
The 41DS is the smallest boat in Hanse Group’s Moody range, which also includes 45ft and 54ft deck saloon designs with living areas arranged around a single level ‘monomaran’ style…
Flyer: The inside story of this Whitbread winner’s amazing restoration
Flyer is one of those yachts that needs little introduction. Designed for the 1977 Whitbread Race by Sparkman & Stephens for Dutch skipper Conny Van Rietschoten, the 68ft aluminium ketch…
Sailing Fiji to New Zealand: The ultimate tradewinds test?
We who write for the yachting press are deluged with tales of extraordinary achievement. Although I’ve done more than my own share of ocean walloping, I’m often humbled by the…
iPad sailing: Pip Hare’s top tips on using your tablet to navigate
These days it’s rare for me not to use a tablet as part of my navigation equipment. The fact I can take my tablet with me anywhere in the world…
Road to the America’s Cup podcast: Why analytics matter now more than ever
Ten years ago Brad Pitt’s movie Moneyball sparked an explosion of interest in sporting statistics, an interest that is now reflected everywhere from fantasy football leagues to the NFL. The…
2019-20 Clipper Race postponed by 10 months due to Coronavirus outbreak
The 2019-20 Clipper Race is the latest major sporting event to be postponed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. The decision was announced on Monday (March 16) after crews…
Sailing Panama: Exploring idyllic islands just miles from the famous canal
We looked out at the expectant faces before us: kids with footballs in hand, an elderly woman yelling at the teenage boys to turn down their reggaetón music, and two…
Hallberg-Rassy HR40C: See inside the Swedish yard’s “best ever” build
The latest Hallberg-Rassys combine markedly more space with a newer-generation hull shape and twin rudders, yet still retain the brand’s hallmark style and attributes. This centre-cockpit model has a genuine…
Is your yacht oceanproof? How to prepare your boat for (nearly) anything
Well-prepared boats have dealt with half the battle when it comes to emergencies and challenges at sea. But beyond the boat and equipment, the mindset, experience and knowledge of skipper…
Caribbean sailing: Top tips from two years exploring this cruising paradise
My partner Nick and I spent two years sailing in the Lesser Antilles on our Southerly 38, Ruby Rose, after crossing the Atlantic in November 2015. Entering St Lucia after…
Voyage of Integrity: Sailing to Jan Mayen island on a modern classic cutter
“Please could you come up on deck,” accompanied the gentle nudge that breached the cocoon of deep, warm sleep. Into this warmth flooded the unwelcome feelings that accompany sailing in…
Sailing the North West Passage: An extract from Graeme Kendall’s To the Ice and Beyond
Every so often, a book appears that blows preconceptions clean out of the porthole. To the Ice and Beyond by Graeme Kendall is such a work. Many authorities, myself included,…
Monitoring apps: How the Internet of Things can turn your boat into a smart boat
What is it? Real time boat monitoring that allows remote checking of a vessel’s status and essential systems. Who is it for? Any owner who wants to know how their…
Bavaria C42 yacht tour: Inside the boat they queued for hours to see
Bavaria’s C-series, first launched two years ago, marked a step change in design thinking and styling for the company, some of whose models had arguably started to look staid. Cossutti…
Sailing Greenland: An ice-bound voyage through Prince Christian Sound
“Can you see a way through?” Perched on the spreaders, binoculars in hand, Magnus shook his head. “It looks like it’s completely blocked with ice,” he replied. Down in the…
Night fall: An extract from Cully Pettigrew’s Yachting Journal of a Hebridean Sailor
Yachting Journal of a Hebridean Sailor by Cully Pettigrew offers an unusual insight into the mind of a deep-thinking man. His relationship with a small yacht over 30 years and…
New Fastnet course: How the changes will affect this offshore classic
Discovering that the Rolex Fastnet Race will finish in Cherbourg for 2021 and 2023, I was initially very open minded about the change, although it always seems a risky move…
Pip Hare’s top tips for preventing chafe on lines, sails and hardware
Chafe on sails and ropes is something we should expect as part of the general wear and tear on passage, but equally it is something we can protect against. Here…
When is the best time to sail away? The 9 key X factors to consider
I spend much of my time chatting with aspiring bluewater cruisers at boat shows and the seminars we organise, about all aspects of ‘living the dream’. Some have a well…