Sailing in shallows means it’s likely that sooner or later you’ll go aground – but if you’ve planned for the eventuality in advance the chances are you’ll either avoid it…
Seamanship
Sail around Britain: How I did it alone aboard my 28ft boat
James Crickmere circumnavigated Britain in his Laser 28 Tandem. He tells Claudia Myatt how he managed his successful solo voyage
First offshore passage in a pocket cruiser – Essex to Belgium
George Stanton battles mal de mer as he crosses the North Sea from Suffolk to Oostende in a 17ft Hurley Silhouette
Dinghy sailing skills for cruisers
What can a lapsed cruising sailor learn from a dinghy course? A lot, as Ali Wood discovers when she returns to the water for her RYA Level 3
Motorboat handling: techniques for rough weather
Gilbert Park undertakes some training for riding out heavy seas and wind in his Mitchell 28 – but first has to find some rough weather
“I saved two other sailors on my boat’s maiden voyage”
Gilbert Park’s maiden voyage in his Mitchell Classique 28 culminates in the rescue of two men from the water after their yacht sank
Sailing with limited mobility: a practical guide
Deteriorating mobility has forced Kerry Buchanan to modify habits aboard – but she’s still sailing!
“How I sailed around the world in my 32ft yacht”
The fifth finisher in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, Jeremy Bagshaw shares how he prepared his OE32 for a circumnavigation alone
How to find good passage anchorages
A suitable anchorage can let you rest and await a fair tide: Here’s our pick of some useful passage anchorages for cruising this year
Boat handling tips: marina exit strategies
You want to turn one way to get out of your berth, but both the boat and the wind have other ideas – so what do you do? David Harding…
Boat fire prevention: tips to stay safe
For sailors, there is no hotter topic than fire on board. Sticky Stapylton looks at methods of prevention – and ways of dealing with fire should the worst happen
Boat handling: leaving a tight space
Peter Jones shares a technique for departing a pontoon with limited room for manoeuvre, against a pontoon or between rafts of boats
Getting that sinking feeling in the Pacific doldrums
People think of the doldrums as an area of light or no wind (it can, indeed, be like this), but it is violently stormy, equally often, with wind from any…
‘The steering wasn’t working. I felt my stomach sink’ – rudder failure in the Pacific
Steering loss aboard a Maxi 120 mid-Pacific reminds Charlie Pank of a previous rudder failure on a Beneteau Idylle many years earlier
Snap, shackle and drop: coping with a dismasted sailing yacht
Steve Hodges and his fiancée Sam McClements’ second attempt at the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean passage is scuppered by a dismasted yacht
Going astern in a long keel sailboat
Long-keelers are known for having a mind of their own when going astern, so how do you let them know who’s boss? David Harding offers some suggestions
Tips and advice for safer boating
Seasoned boat owner Gilbert Park shares his tips for making your time on the water as safe and stress free as possible
Starlink a hit for ARC+ rally’s first Lebanese entry
“Ahlam means ‘dreams’ and this is the dream,” says Lebanese skipper Toni Salame, who’s just taken third place in the ARC+ rally. His Oyster 575 Ahlam, was the third monohull…
How to use a cruising chute
For non-racing sailors, a cruising chute is often the downwind sail of choice: it’s nothing to be afraid of, but how do you use it to best advantage? David Harding…
Sailing in waves in little boats
Why the correct manoeuvres for the sea conditions will reduce hogging and sagging stress on both ship and crew