Stephen 'Sparky' Park has been presented with a boats.com/YJA Special Award for services to the sport of sailing.
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Bornholm, island in the sun – a gem on the Danish Baltic coast
It is claimed that the island of Bornholm has more sunny days than anywhere else in Denmark. In summer the sun does certainly seem to shine constantly, and a high…
How I designed and fitted a better shower sump pump
John Edwards suggests a more efficient way to empty your shower tray
Lift-up cockpit sole table
Cockpit tables are great things on any boat, but stowing them away when they’re not in use is always a headache. We saw the perfect arrangement for us on a…
London Boat Show launch of the industry’s DIY Safe Antifouling Initiative
The objective of the initiative is to inform and educate boat owners regarding the hazards associated with antifouling their boats.
Nav in a nutshell: Deploy the thinking man’s passage plan
Brain power is still best for calculating weather, wind and tidal information, says Dick Everitt
Sailing to St Helena – The most extraordinary place on Earth?
PBO reader John Apps sails to St Helena, an island so full of superlatives he has to pinch himself to ensure he didn’t dream his visit
Nav in a nutshell: How to deal with wind shifts
Tacking inside a ‘cone’ can help you to harness changes in wind direction, explains Dick Everitt.
BCF launches DIY Safe Antifouling Initiative 2017
Antifouling paint and dust is hazardous – protect yourself and the environment
26 tips for winter sailing
Sailing in winter sounds like a cold and tricky business – but if you take some simple precautions there should be nothing stopping you - here's how
A DIY aid to lassoing buoys and cleats
I often sail single-handed and picking up mooring buoys can be awkward, so I’ve constructed a lasso line to help. It consists of a 1m length of 6mm chain with…
The great UK antifouling test for cruising yachts
20 antifouling paints tested in 13 UK locations: which works best where you keep your boat?
Refurbishing a Yanmar 1GM10 water pump
The Yanmar 1GM10 is a great little engine, which starts first time and runs reliably: but there are one or two design flaws. The worst is that the raw water…
First underwater drone for the care of your hull
Boat owners wishing to carry out cleaning and hull inspection while their yachts are still in the water may be interested in a new underwater drone called the Keelcrab.
Nav in a nutshell: Making comfortable progress to windward
Why make heavy going in choppy conditions when a less demanding alternative heading will get you to your destination in about the same time? Asks Dick Everitt.
How to stop ropes slipping in a clutch
Find out how to thicken and sheath ropes to stop them slipping in a clutch in this extract from Splicing Modern Ropes, by Jan-Willem Polman
Nav in a nutshell: Lee bowing defined
Dick Everitt explains how you can get a little lift from the tide
Nav in a nutshell: Tacking to clear a headland
Simple step-by-step chartwork can show us when we’ll need to tack to clear a headland, says Dick Everitt.
New regulations on invasive non-native species come into force
Until the UK formally leaves the EU, we still have a legal obligation to comply with EU law and the invasive alien species regulations remain in force.
Don’t let the sun shine in! Making a hatch shade board
You can keep cool in hot weather without resorting to amp-chewing fans and air-conditioners. Richard Hare shows how to make a simple hatch blanking plate