It feels like a big deal to finally leave New Zealand’s shores, after all the hard work we’ve put into getting ready for this moment. Two years, including nine months…
bluewater cruising
The ultimate sabbatical: The reality of raising a family on a yacht in Chile
“You need to focus on Section 10, it’s the best part!” That was the message that flooded my inbox again and again as we planned our trip to Patagonia. With…
Sailing South America with six children: ‘Days became a blur of sea, sunrises, sunsets and nights’
“Mom, wake up! We’re approaching Cabo Frio.” My daughter’s voice cut through my drowsy thoughts as I dozed in the starboard cabin. I got up immediately, not wanting to miss…
4 options for sailing around the world (from easy to adventurer)
One of the biggest gifts you can give yourself is time. Time to do the things you love, time to set off on a world voyage on your own yacht.…
Sailing the Pacific: ‘As we sailed away from lush Hanalei Bay, it was so beautiful I actually teared up’
After two recent deliveries sailing the Pacific to Hawaii and back, on two very different boats, with two very different crews, I’m starting to realise that, more than anything else,…
Cruising around Japan: ‘Small fishing ports on far flung islands became potential cruising destinations’
Far ahead on the horizon we saw the sweep of a lighthouse and the pin pricks of street lamps along the coast. We did some quick maths – the number…
Let’s Go Offroad… Sailing? Cruising the Gulf of Bothnia
The massive structure of Svartklubben lighthouse looms on the horizon. Standing on the small Swedish island of Singö, it guards the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia. Passing it feels…
Getting into bluewater cruising: ‘I wanted to see the world… and I just kept going’
All the luckiest kids I know spent their childhoods messing about in boats. They had water-loving parents and garages filled with glassfibre toys, and sailed their dinghies and raced with…
The ultimate cruising adventure? Jimmy Cornell launches new High Latitude Challenge
Forty years since he founded the original ARC rally, Jimmy Cornell is launching a new cruise-in-company event for adventurous sailors, the High Latitude Challenge, which features the ‘bucket list’ expedition…
What’s the actual cost of living onboard a yacht full time?
During my 20 years of hosting World Cruising Club’s Bluewater Seminars, one of the questions I was most frequently asked was: “How much money will we need to go bluewater…
The Thorny Path: Sailing the windward route from the Bahamas to the Windward Isles
“You’ll never make it.” Our conversation with fellow cruisers about our plans suddenly ground to a halt. We were in Annapolis, on the east coast of the US, enjoying the…
How to transit the Suez Canal by yacht
Transiting the Suez Canal is now a rarely followed path by circumnavigating yachts. The threat of piracy around the Gulf of Aden has long been a concern: British cruisers Paul…
The 6 preparation rules you should follow for sailing across oceans
I completed my eighth and most recent Atlantic crossing in February, sailing from Mindelo, Cape Verde, to Barbados aboard our Farr 65 Falken with 10 crew. The 2,200-mile passage took…
WATCH: Hurricane Beryl causes devastation in Grenada, yachts destroyed
Hurricane Beryl has wreaked devastation across northern Grenadian islands and St Vincent and the Grenadines, with four deaths reported. Hurricane Beryl became the earliest recorded storm to develop into a…
Unprecedented early season Hurricane Beryl set to hit Windward Islands: yachts evacuate
Cruisers and other sailing yachts have been evacuating Grenada and many Caribbean islands as Hurricane Beryl is currently tracking towards the Windward Islands, expected to make landfall later today, Monday…
The best downwind sails: Options explained by over 200 experienced sailors
Downwind sailing is any cruising sailor’s dream. The thought of days, or even weeks, of reliable following tradewind pushing you across an ocean with just a warm apparent breeze over…
12 dream sailing experiences – from dreamy adventures to high-octane thrills
We’re all seeking experiences. Whether that’s taking on a sporting challenge, going on above-averagely-adventurous holidays, or learning a new hobby or skill, we live in an era where ‘doing’ is…
Ever dreamed of packing it all in a living on a yacht remotely?
If you sail far enough from home, you’ll eventually reach a place that looks wonderfully unfamiliar and is almost entirely your own. A place where there’s no jostling for space…
How to take advantage of these fantastic cruising itineraries
Though the idea of owning a yacht to many conjures ideas of setting sail to far-flung destinations, it is not always the case that sailing from one idyllic location to…
Sailing to the most remote islands in the world amid ice and snow
It’s five years since our first voyage to Antarctica and we need a break from chartering to the Antarctic Peninsula. We love Southern Patagonia and the Antarctic but it’s time…