Your ultimate checklist to prepare your yacht’s systems for an ocean crossing
Completing an ocean crossing, such as the traditional transatlantic passage from the Canaries to the Caribbean, is a bucket list item for many. It’s both…
How I refit my own Volvo Saildrive propeller
Prevailing winds in the UK blow from the west, so why is it then, that whenever you want to travel east, the winds will relentlessly…
Last leg of the Mini Globe Race: Harris breaks records, Stitelmann still keeps the lead
With less than 6,000 miles to the finish, the Mini Globe Race fleet of homebuilt 19ft plywood yachts is drawing closer to Antigua, and to…
Maintenance
How I installed a mast spotlight to stay safe in nighttime anchorages
Have you considered adding a mast spotlight to your yacht? Perhaps we’re asking too much of the good old anchor light. Set against the lights…
How a top-end engine rebuild got me cruising on my dreamboat
After years of searching for his dream boat, Drew Maglio explains how he fixed the V8 engine on his new-to-him Chaparral 2550 SX with an…
Banish damp from your boat this winter
Ashore or afloat, winter cold and damp can have a detrimental effect. Jake Kavanagh looks at the options for keeping condensation and moisture at bay
Vane gear self-steering: you guide to an offshore sailor’s best friend
Andrew Simpson looks at pendulum servo self-steering gears, and describes how to get the best out of them
Amazing adventures
40th ARC fleet members rally to give blood for fellow sailor
Barry Perrins: ‘I bought the boat and lived the dream’
The 40th anniversary Atlantic Rally for Cruisers ARC 2025 fleet set sail
Yann Quenet: From France to Canada in a 4m boat
Practical Projects
How I built a DIY propeller puller to free a calcified prop and shaft
My tiller pilot went rogue: the surprising DIY repair that saved my Raymarine ST1000
How to re-reeve a halyard: If your in-mast halyard has broken here’s how to fix it
Contaminated fuel problems: keeping your marine diesel clean
Boat hatch repair: how to stop the leaks
Make your own boat boarding step
PBO Project Boat
What does a sailmaker do?
Shortly before the Round the Island Race, one of the largest yacht races in the world, it’s all go at…
Shore power: solving tripping problems
Ali Wood gets a crash course in reverse polarity and smart charging when Project Boat Maximus’s shore power gets trippy…
Sail design – using 3D software and laser technology to cut new sails
During the survey of our Maxi 84, the PBO Project Boat Maximus, we were warned by a marine surveyor that…
How to measure your yacht for new sails
Measuring your boat for new sails is a job for the sailmaker, so when our PBO Project Boat Maximus needed…
Restoring a vintage Sailor radio
Ali Wood’s Sailor radio is given the VIP treatment
Seajet Bioclean silicone antifoul review: Our verdict after one year on the water
Does silicone antifouling work? It’s not flying off the shelves yet, according to suppliers, but the results from our Project…
Securing mast cable on our Maxi 84
With the help of ACM Marine, Ali Wood goes about securing mast cable on the Maxi 84 PBO project boat
Family sailing safety gear: TESTED!
Ali Wood discusses the sailing safety gear she chose for their first family cruise on board their Maxi 84, and…