This year’s pre-Olympics in Enoshima, Japan, starkly illustrated for me the reality of being on the water in extreme hot and humid conditions. One day we saw a temperature of…
Yachting World
February 2020
This month's issue features a 32-page multihull supplement, plus Nikki Henderson shares the inside story of Greta Thunberg's Atlantic crossing.
Sailing Maine: Exploring a magical corner of America’s northeast coast
Bursting through the Cape Cod Canal is like a voyage through Narnia’s wardrobe. Huge lunar forces whisk us along as the rugged granite world of Buzzards Bay fades in our…
How to pick your ideal bluewater yacht: ARC director explains all
I often chat with prospective bluewater cruisers at boat shows and seminars and am frequently asked: “What is the ideal bluewater yacht?” This is an impossible question to answer, since…
Bow team communication: 5 tips on how to prevent a crew mutiny
Sailing on big boats is the ultimate team sport, and part of the key to success is putting aside your ego and doing what’s best for the team. It’s easy…
Sailing Ushant: Tom Cunliffe explores France’s most daunting island
‘Qui voit Ouessant boit son sang.’ In plain English, this old Breton sailors’ proverb reads: ‘He who sees Ushant sups his own blood.’ Many a seaman would be inclined to…
Sailing Biscay: Top tips for a safe and smooth crossing of the notorious bay
Biscay has a fearsome reputation and for many sailors, it is their first taste of bluewater sailing. Distances may not be a huge, but we are out of shelter, in…
Tradewinds explained: Everything you need to know before sailing across the Atlantic
A transatlantic tradewind crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean is on many a sailor’s bucket list. Endless sunny days of running before the wind followed by nights under…
Road to the America’s Cup podcast episode 4: AC75 control systems explained
The systems that control the aero- and hydrofoils of the new AC75 are covered by some of the most complex parts of the America’s Cup Class. The section on control…
January 2020
In this month’s new-look issue, Helen Fretter reports from the Brest Atlantiques race, Toby Hodges takes a world exclusive first test sail on the new Oyster 565, plus Sam Fortescue…
Sailing Galicia: Exploring the enchanting rias of North-West Spain
Dreams of white sand beaches fringed weather with granite boulders warmed by the Galician sun finally took flight. We departed from Crookhaven in Ireland at the break of dawn with…
1979 Fastnet Race: A lucky escape – Sir Peter Johnson’s story
To start, it was hardly distinguishable from any Round the Island race. Our beat down the Solent among so many Ton Cup series yachts and sailing round the buoys in…
The adventures of Infinity: Sailing to Antarctica on a 120ft handmade ketch
“When I say ‘Jump!’ y’all say ‘How high?’. If y’all don’t want to say ‘How high?’ you can pack your bags,” demanded the owner of the superyacht I was aboard.…
Belinda: This refurbished 1980s quarter tonner is a real labour of love
Spending around 1,800 hours and the price of a new boat on revamping a 30-year-old 26ft keelboat might seem extraordinary, yet it’s par for the course for a quarter tonner.…
Frers design: The family dynasty behind some of the world’s most beautiful yachts
It was the economist J K Galbraith who said that there was “no absolute standard of beauty. That,” he added, “is precisely what makes its pursuit so interesting.” That interest…
Clearing customs: How to ensure smooth passage across national borders
We asked sailors who have cruised in areas including the Caribbean, the Red Sea and Pacific Islands how the reality matched up with the official customs and immigration processes. All…
Black Jack 100: On board the light airs supermaxi chasing Sydney Hobart glory
“I always told Peter you never want to buy a 100-footer and eventually he ignored me. But now we’re all pretty happy that we’re here!” The words of Mark Bradford,…
Navigation briefing: How to navigate with Google Earth
We have got used to chartplotters and GPS being very accurate; sometimes (I think) too accurate as we pass ever closer to obstructions, confident we’ll be safe because it shows…
Kraken 50 yacht test: This bluewater beast was built to cruise
Some of the most inspirational ranges of production yacht have come into being because a man started by building the boat he wanted for himself; one he could find nowhere…
Road to the America’s Cup podcast episode 3: How the AC75’s soft wingsails work
It’s not a completely original idea – it has been tried in the past, but never with the resources that four big, well-funded America’s Cup teams can bring to the…