Reports from the Round the Island Race...

  • From the Editor
    You?d have to be mad to set out on a passage across the Channel with fog forecast ? but what if it said ?patchy fog? and you have radar?

  • On the Wind
    Reports from the Round the Island Race, Aussies announce the first entry into the next Volvo Ocean Race, America?s Cup organisers shortlist five possible locations for the next event, Fife classics meet in their homeland and we look back on the career of Des Sleightholme, journalist, author and consummate seaman, who died in June

  • Letters to the Editor
    Striking back at thieves in the Caribbean, experiments in kite sailing, the cause of carbon failures and the Thorny Question of tides

  • Leading Edge
    Mobile phone technology has a spin-off for yachts as a new company launches a range of ?wireless? instruments driven by solar power

  • Dogwatch
    Kids? stuff. As every parent knows, if the kids are happy, you?re happy ? but are they happy to be aboard or do they start asking ?when?s lunch? two minutes after you?ve weighed anchor? Dogwatch might have the solution . . .

  • Run down in fog
    In the final week of May two yachts were run down by ships in the English Channel in two separate incidents; one sank and the other was dismasted. Miraculously both crews were unhurt but the incidents raise serious questions about Collision Regulations, shipping company priorities and fog tactics. Elaine Bunting investigates the collisions and Alan Harper discusses the practical use of radar in fog

  • Robin Knox-Johnston
    Californian sailor Ivan Rusch called out the lifeboat six times in the space of a couple of weeks in May this year. After meeting him, Sir Robin discusses seamanship, preparation and personal responsibility

  • Cruising Log
    In the course of research for her article on fog, Elaine Bunting comes across a new proposal for logging yacht movements in the Channel and discovers Snell?s Law which explains the way noise travels in fog. Plus, Jimmy Cornell warns of the dangers of ciguatera from eating reef fish

  • Letter from South East Asia
    Brian Savage and Collen Ryan brave the dangers from Singapore, the lightning capital of the world, to the notorious Malacca Straits

  • Admiral?s Cup ? hope or humiliation?
    After the fiasco of the cancellation of the last Admiral?s Cup and the subsequent confusion over venues and format, many are wondering if the once-prestigious event has a future? With only three visiting countries and a number of ?home? teams, it would seem unlikely, but Ed Gorman says there could be life in the old dog yet . . .

  • Andrew Preece
    Andrew believes the only way to revive the flagging fortunes of the Admiral?s Cup is to bring the Fastnet Race back into the event

  • Get ?lucky? at Cowes Week
    Some complain that it takes more luck than skill to win at Skandia Cowes Week, so fluky and unpredictable are the conditions. But it?s funny that the same people get ?lucky? every year. Matthew Sheahan and Jonty Sherwill ask some of them for their tips

  • Ocean Ready: jury rudders/booms
    ARC organisers report that there is usually at least one rudder or steering failure on each rally, so it is not as rare as you might think. Chris Tibbs discusses the options you might have if it happens to you and tests some theories for jury rudders ? with surprising results.
    Also, lashing or trashing? What to do if the boom breaks

  • A short hop round Holland
    Sheltered waters, short distances between lovely ports, Holland?s IJsselmeer is just perfect for family sailing, says Malcolm White, who explored the region on a Contest 44CS called Lapin Agile

  • What?s New
    Dressed overall ? clothing special, from foulweather gear to deck shoes, lightweight jackets to the new ?Skort? for women. Plus, we visit Raymarine to talk about their latest autopilot technology

  • New Yachts
    Two Dutch yachts under the spotlight: the Standfast 54 and wing-keeled Contest 50. Plus, Baltic plan a high-tech production range, and classic Twelve building in St Kitts

  • On test: Figaro 2
    Replacing the Figaro Solo, the new Figaro 2 is designed especially for single-handed sailing. Matthew Sheahan thinks she?s one hell of a boat and so does Sam Davies, who is sailing one in the Figaro series

  • On test: Wizard Tourers
    A new breed of pilothouse cruiser from Down Under is making its way to Europe and likely to give European builders something to think about. Matthew Sheahan sails all three of the current range of Wizard Tourers from the board of Kiwi designer Greg Elliott

  • SuperSail news
    Perini launch the 210ft Ron Holland-designed Felicità west, the latest of their ?gigayachts?, and the all-carbon Ghost heads for Vitters

  • Shoal-draught super-cruiser
    With her shallow-draught, touch-screen control system and her dramatic titanium finish, the 143ft SYL is a superyacht to stand out in a crowd. David Glenn reports

  • Yachts for sale
    1000s of yachts for sale in our brokerage pages

  • Classified ads
    From charts to charter, pumps to properties in our classified pages

  • Ellen MacArthur
    What is it like being ?public property?? Since finishing the last Vendée Globe, Ellen has been finding out . . .