Our defences have run out: social media has well and truly infiltrated our precious, antiquated sailing world. It’s terrifying to think that our secret passage to escapism and isolation at…
Nikki Henderson
‘Does anything ever go completely to plan at sea?’ – Nikki Henderson
Back in December I reminded myself what ‘too close for comfort’ feels like. After 18 days at sea, my crew and I finished an Atlantic crossing and parked up in…
Most of our life on land we spend hiding from ourselves. But at sea there is no escape – Nikki Henderson
Ahoy there, from halfway to the Caribbean! This is my third attempt at writing this column. The first go was interrupted by a squall. We underestimated its strength, surfed down…
‘Boat ownership is a wildly impractical love affair, and gets complicated when you’re smitten’ – Nikki Henderson
Being a professional sailor, I realise how stupid this is, and I really should know better. From working for owners and using their credit cards to pay the bills, I…
‘What stops sailors flying the right sails?’ – Nikki Henderson on the power driving your boat
Why we haven’t been matching the factory polars for our new boat? I just can’t work it out! That’s something almost every new boat owner has asked themselves at some…
‘Seamanship isn’t about sailing slowly’ – Nikki Henderson
The sailing world is small. But of the 350 or so passengers on board the Boeing 777 I took recently from Heathrow to Seattle, my seat neighbour turned out to…
What is a handy billy? The answer depends on where you come from
Close reaching at a fast 60° TWA I was working out how far forward the outboard jib lead needed to move before setting up something more permanent. “Where is a…
Want to be a better skipper? Think like an instructor says Nikki Henderson
Recently I was fortunate enough to find myself on the bow during a race. Well, I thought it was fortunate but appreciate that sentiment could be up for debate… I…
‘What is it that makes parking a boat so tense?’ – Nikki Henderson
I distinctly remember the first time I parked a yacht with an inboard engine, badly. It was in Cowes marina and I was 18 years old. One moment I was…
‘Even for the most monkey-like riggers, going up the mast at sea is no fun’
What do you do if a halyard lock gets stuck? What if your spinnaker is wrapped? What if your mast track gets damaged and the mainsail won’t come down? I’ve…
‘Should we identify more with our youthful selves to drive motivation?’ – Nikki Henderson
As a team that is much younger than the rest of the competition, what superpower does that give you? That’s the question I asked of a group of teenagers this…
Nikki Henderson’s advice on nurturing a high performing team
The first thing I do when I meet a new crew is gather everyone together and get each member to introduce themselves. It’s a pretty common thing for team leaders…
‘Why it’s tough being the only woman on board’ – Nikki Henderson
For Leg 3 of the Ocean Globe Race, L’Esprit d’équipe (FR) and Neptune (FR) were granted dispensation to sail with an all-male crew. The Notice of Race stipulates that every…
‘Nothing is set in stone until the finish gun’ – Nikki Henderson
Gripped by the nail-biting battle at the finish for line honours of the Sydney Hobart race, as the leaders were heading up the Derwent River, I was 455 miles east…
The Race to Alaska: answering the call of the wild
“Nikki, give up the tiller for a second. You gotta see this.” Ev Goussev, co-owner of the yacht Gray Wolf, shoved the binoculars in my hand. “Just there. That beach.…
How to get a multihull ready for bluewater sailing
If you’re contemplating buying a multihull for bluewater sailing, be it a new one or a brokerage yacht, what equipment and spec should you be thinking about? The choices you…
Catamaran cruising: everything you really need to know
It has become routine now for me to bookend the summer sailing season with a trip to the south of France for the biannual ‘Outremer Week’. This hugely popular event…
Catamaran sailing: expert multihull techniques
There has been a huge surge in the sales of performance multihulls and with them a need to know how to handle them particularly when it comes to specific multihull…