The UK government, via Border Force, has introduced the single Pleasure Craft Report (sPCR) service for those travelling to and from the UK on pleasure craft at www.spcr.homeoffice.gov.uk…
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First evidence of GRP boats’ “cancerous” impact on aquatic life
The ‘really worrying’ findings by University of Brighton researchers who undertook studies off the coast of Hampshire and West Sussex have worldwide implications, yet there is no practical solution for…
Channel Hopping: Look out Maître CoQ, here comes Guirec Soudée!
Our resident YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt wonders if the reigning Vendée Globe champion risks being dethroned by a rookie with a chicken.
Channel Hopping: Patrick Laine’s transatlantic solo sailing woe
I write this from a cafe in Jamestown, Rhode Island USA, looking out across the East Passage of Narragansett Bay to Newport, the finish port for the Royal Western Yacht…
Sloop vs cutter – which is best? From the PBO archives
At Victoria Marine they produce some very fine boats, well designed, and well built. Beyond that they also follow a policy of allowing each customer the maximum possible freedom of…
Special Hui Gathering to celebrate the late James Wharram’s life
A celebration of the late James Wharram's life will be taking place on 22 to 25 July (exact day will be chosen according to the weather).
“I had a banana for a mast” 300 miles offshore: Lessons learned from a mid-Atlantic knockdown
Golden Globe Race entrant and former Clipper Race skipper Guy Waites suffers mast failure 300 miles from the Azores
Prepping the rusty keel of the PBO Project boat
In our Maxi 84 boat survey, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies concluded that the antifouling needed to come off and whilst the keel joint was nice and tight there was a lot of…
Book review: The Making of Swallows and Amazons
I came across The Making of Swallows and Amazons by sheer chance not long after I had watched the original film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ on TV and was instantly intrigued.…
Removing antifouling – the job I’ll never do again!
After a season on the water and two years in a boatyard, Maximus’s antifouling was old and flaky. We’d been given the 28ft Maxi 84 by PBO reader Daniel Kirtley,…
Best inflatable kayaks for families and beginners
Inflatable kayaks are the ultimate way to have fun with family and friends. No boating experience needed, no faffing around with roof-racks. Just pump and go. So when Decathlon launched…
World’s first sustainable and recyclable Optimist dinghy launched – the ecoOptimist
ecoOptimist – the world’s first sustainable and recyclable Optimist since it started to be built from fibreglass rather than plywood – has been launched
Wreck of historic royal ship discovered off the English coast
The wreck of one of the most famous ships of the 17th century - which sank 340 years ago - has been discovered off the coast of Norfolk.
Seadog of the Month: Pickle the adventurer
Stephen Torrance's photo of puppy Pickle on his first passage aboard a Leisure 20 off Pwllheli, Wales, has claimed a coveted 'Seadog of the Month' slot in Practical Boat Owner…
Mast trim for explosive-filled SS Richard Montgomery shipwreck
The Department for Transport wants to trim the SS Richard Montgomery masts as it is feared they could fall on to the shipwreck below and cause a detonation.
Sold! The cocaine-smuggling expedition yacht Kahu
The 120ft expedition yacht Kahu, which was used to smuggle £160million-worth of cocaine from South America to the UK has been sold at auction for £473,500.
Best changing robe you can wear as a coat
A changing robe is the cold water swimmer’s best friend. Not only do you have a portable changing room but you get a hug with it! It makes the difference…
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s compass mystery solved – 53 years after it was stolen
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has been reunited with a compass that went missing off his boat in 1969 by the widow of the man who stole it.
Orcas left us rudderless! Yacht couple tell of terrifying ordeal off Spain
Zoe Barlow shares her experience of losing a rudder during sustained attacks by orcas whilst sailing her Sun Odyssey 40 from Spain to Morocco.
Fitting new seacocks and skin fittings on the PBO Project Boat
Maximus, our PBO Project Boat, had four seacock fittings that need changing – three ball valves in the forepeak (1 x 1½in and 2 x ¾in) and one gate valve…