International Paint has been fined £650,000 for polluting the Yealm estuary in Devon. The firm is paying for remediation work, which is expected to cost at least £500,000
News
Safety alert for Pirolec Red Rocket Parachute Flare L-35
Lecea, which manufacturers Pirolec Red Rocket Parachute Flare L-35, is recalling all devices marked with lot number 113 after a sailor was killed after firing the flare
Calor Gas discontinues its 4.5kg butane cylinders
Calor Gas has announced it is discontinuing its 4.5kg butane cylinders, which are popular amongst sailors and boaters
Wooden boat builders urged to take part in survey
Wooden boat builders in the UK are being asked to take part in a skills survey to help shape the future of the industry
Riders of jet skis who drive recklessly could face a two year jail term under new laws
From 31 March 2023, anyone caught driving jet skis, speed boats and other recreational and personal watercraft dangerously could face up to two years in prison and an unlimited fine
Would you circumnavigate Britain in an electric RIB? Harry Besley plans to!
Harry Besley has announced plans to circumnavigate Britain in an electric rigid inflatable boat (eRIB) to raise awareness of zero emissions propulsion
Stuck up a 75ft mast in the middle of the Atlantic
Karen Parker had been sailing onboard their Oyster 56, Mistral of Portsmouth, with husband Chris and two crew, when their Code Zero headsail, designed for light winds, became jammed. With…
ARC+ yachts arrive in Grenada and injured crew transferred to superyacht
Alika, the largest yacht in the fleet, experienced sudden loss of steering on 21 November, throwing two crew off balance, one of whom suffered concussion and the other a serious…
Choppy start for ARC 22 as yachts set sail across Atlantic
The fleet departed Las Palmas, Gran Canaria yesterday for Saint Lucia on the 37th edition of the ARC, with over 800 crew taking part, in monohulls, multihulls and one motorboat.…
Two pilots rescued from liferaft after plane crashes into the sea
Pilots Paul Clifford and Duncan Laisney were rescued from a liferaft after engine failure caused caused them to ditch their light aircraft in waters off Jersey’s south-east coast. All three…
Video footage of shipwreck identified as steamship Virago
Six divers from Guernsey are celebrating ‘the discovery of a lifetime’ after identifying a wreck as steamship Virago that disappeared 140 years ago.
90 boats, 400 crew and a cat set sail across the Atlantic
PBO was at the start of the transatlantic rally to wave off the boats in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria as they set sail for Mindelo, Cape Verde. “It’s the perfect…
One year on – footballer turned boater Franny Benali speaks to PBO
Ex-premiership footballer Francis ‘Franny’ Benali is a local hero, so it was fitting he opened this year’s Southampton International Boat Show at the helm of a powerboat, which he berthed…
Twisted T300S bringing Land Rover style to the Southampton Boat Show
Twisted Automotive started life as a company ‘re engineering’ Land Rover Defenders for clients with a penny or two to rub together and this continues to be a main focus.…
“A rescue on the edge of the impossible” – French sailor saved from capsized keelboat
French sailor Laurent Camprubi endured 16 hours in his upturned yacht, after it capsized, using an air bubble to survive.
Swallows and Amazons’ Titty joins star line up at 2022 Southampton Boat Show
Sophie Neville, who starred as Titty in the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film, will be appearing at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show. PBO’s Ben Sutcliffe-Davies will be interviewing Sophie on…
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…
David Berry obituary
David Berry died on 12 June aged 73 after a hard fought fight with Motor Neurone Disease. David and Ann have contributed many articles to PBO based on their sailing…
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).
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.…