ON SALE NOW! The UK’s biggest selling yachting magazine features everything you need to know about preparing your boat for the winter months, plus a review of the new Island Packet Estero and plenty of cruising ideas

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    BOATS

New boats
A selection of the latest boats: Atlantis 26, Lipari 41 and Scandinavian Cruiser 20

Island Packet Estero
Island Packets traditionally stand for space, comfort and solidity ? the Estero is no exception

Van de Stadt designs
Van de Stadt was at the forefront of plywood and GRP yacht design and construction

    LAYING UP FOR WINTER SPECIAL FEATURES

Preparing for the end of season lay-up
Extra care is essential to keep your boat safe through the winter months

Sail washing
Is professional sail cleaning worth the money, or is a DIY approach best?

Winter covers
Covering your boat can protect it from the harsh winter elements. We take a look at the different options available, from tarpaulins to shrinkwrap

Lifejacket checks
A lifejacket could save your life in an emergency – be sure to check and service yours regularly

Insurance
As the season ends and boats are lifted out, many owners consider cancelling their insurance. We look at the pros and cons of leaving your boat uninsured over winter

Autumn antifoul
Why wait until the end of winter to rush through an antifouling job? There are plenty of reasons to start now, in autumn

Laying up checklist
Don’t start your laying up without PBO’s essential laying up checklist

    PRACTICAL

Practical tip of the month
Impellers endure a lot of wear, but don?t throw that old one away! PLUS: Win a toilet care kit from Lee Sanitation

Swap a shaft for a saildrive
Fed up with his faulty old engine and high-maintenance shaft drive, Tom Stevens installs a saildrive

Practical projects
Using heat from the engine, banishing grimy streaks, better kedging and hands-free sailing

Superior stove
Great ideas from the PBO Sketchbook to improve your cooker for use at sea

Galvanic isolator
Considering a galvanic isolator but put off by the price? We show you how to make one for less than £10!

Does salt really preserve wood?
Is seawater a preservative for wood? PBO’s wood technologist Richard Hare sorts fact from fiction

    ON THE WATER

Cruising Sweden, part 2
The concluding part of Colin Haines’ cruise across Sweden’s Göta Canal to the Baltic

Cruising notes
Improvements in Malta, a new Greek marina and boat-owning bureaucracy in France

Night navigation
Sailing at night demands a different set of skills for safe passage. Follow our expert tips

Sailing directions
Sometimes the best sailing knowledge is local knowledge, written by local sailors

Pick up a mooring
Single-handed mooring needn’t be difficult. David Harding explains how it’s done

Mar Menor
The Mar Menor, Spain’s little-known inland sea, is the ‘last refuge for liveaboards’ according to Jill Schinas

Learning from experience
When one reader’s tiller sheared off, an orange smoke flare and a friendly German yachtsman came to his rescue

    GEAR

7 mast climbing kits on test
Going aloft to the masthead can be tricky at the best of times. PBO tests 7 sets of mast climbing gear to see which works best

Tacktick’s wireless wind
PBO’s deputy editor David Pugh installs and tests Tacktick’s latest wireless wind instrument – now with a more affordable price

    REGULAR FEATURES

Waiting for the tide
News and views from the editor

News and regional news
The latest news from home and abroad

Readers’ letters
Reactions to wind farms, mishaps in the harbour, sheep on board, solutions to loose goosenecks, plus ideas for LEDs

PBO products
Special PBO publications for better boating

Bargains of the month
Special offers from our chandlery pages

Dave Selby
Because a Sailfish is so small, everything else seems that much bigger – including the waves, which makes for an exciting sail

Andrew Simpson
The youth of today are enterprising, setting up shop and catering to boat owners? needs

Sam Llewellyn
In need of a new pump for the bilges, the Minimum Boater weighs up the choices

Ask the experts
Hatch lock for a Hurley, tonnage for boats and replacing a crazed hatch

Subscribe to PBO
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Chart corrections

Boats for sale Looking for a new or second-hand boat? Turn to PBO?s brokerage pages

Bosun’s bag
Maritime mischief observed by readers