When was the last time you gave your liferaft a second thought? Once bought and installed most of us don’t consider this life-saving piece of equipment again until the service…
French canals offer a scenic route to the Med for sailing yachts
For many skippers wishing to sail between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, it’s necessary to go via the Strait of Gibraltar. However, for shallow draught yachts, an attractive alternative awaits:…
Amokura: The classic yacht celebrating her 80th anniversary on the racing circuit
There’s no shortage of stunning boats moored at Port Pendennis in Falmouth when I visit the marina in June, not least a couple of enormous, shiny superyachts being polished to…
Kids lifejackets group test: 6 models take the plunge to find the best
Inflatable kids lifejackets have come onto the market over the last few years. With their slimline and grown-up designs, they are a far cry from the rigid and bulky items…
How to fix running rigging at sea: Top tips from pro sailor Pip Hare
When racing across oceans I am constantly torn between loading my spares and repairs kit with everything including the kitchen sink, and the need to keep weight to a minimum.…
Sailing Morocco: Unforgettable experiences all along the Atlas Coast
Air is chopped in the distance. Our ears swell as an ill-defined dot appears, growing larger in diameter. The helicopter flies hastily in our direction as if ready to fire.…
Melges 40: Onboard the unique lightweight racer taking the Med by storm
Each year the curtain rises on the Mediterranean grand prix regatta season at the PalmaVela. The increasingly popular event is not just a chance to shake the rust off race…
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 equally important as each other. But for those not used to racing in tidal conditions…
How to reduce sail in a hurry: Top tips from pro racer Pip Hare
Spinnakers The first and most important action is to reduce apparent wind as much as possible by sailing fast downwind. This may seem counterintuitive and will require a confident, well-practised…
Lofoten Islands: Is this Arctic paradise the world’s most beautiful place?
I could already feel the wind pick up while I was sitting at the navstation of the Bowman 57 Oriole as she dug in and started to heel assertively. A…
AAL: The volcanic yacht aiming for a fossil-free circumnavigation
Les Sables d’Olonne is used to waving off circumnavigators – the Vendée Globe, and most recently the Golden Globe, solo skippers start and return from the French Atlantic town. But…
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 first time requires a significant shift in thinking about some of the fundamentals in sailing.…
Road to the America’s Cup podcast episode 2: How the AC75 will fly
America’s Cup teams first flew in San Francisco in 2013. The use of hydrofoils to lift the AC72 catamarans out of the water was a Team New Zealand innovation, despite…
Sailing Tasmania: Bucket list cruising across the Bass Strait
“No pizza today.” When this announcement is made at Port Cygnet Sailing Club, all conversations among members in the clubhouse stop. “The pizza guy says it’s too hot. He won’t…
LA 28: The modern trailable boat that’s cold-molded from mahogany
Appropriately, it’s a long train ride through thick, thick forest before I reach the LA Yachts yard on the banks of Lake Müritz in central Germany. This seems apposite because…
Jet stream: Everything you need to know about its effect on sailing
What is the jet stream? The jet stream is a ‘river’ of strong wind high in the atmosphere which is caused by the unequal heating of the spinning earth. It…
How to change sails at night: Pip Hare shares her top tips
Before dark As routine, discuss what sail changes may be required overnight then set up as much as possible before dark. This helps minimise snags and should include checking sheets…
Donald Crowhurst: The fake round-the-world sailing story behind The Mercy
It was while I was researching my book about madness at sea in 2015 that I first heard a movie about Donald Crowhurst was in the works. Several websites published…
Monofoil: The pocket rocket that can foil in just 8 knots of breeze
The spectacle of a flying catamaran, be it an Olympic Nacra 17, a GC32, the recent America’s Cup 50-footers, or anything in between, has become almost normal in today’s racing…
Dismasted at sea: What to do during and after a dismasting
During the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race, my yacht Olympia’s Tigress, a Beneteau First 40, lost her rig through a simple split pin failure. We were 40 miles offshore at the…