I used these midlayers during the 2015 Fastnet Race, and although it was not a particularly cold event, these were the best piece of kit/clothing I brought with me. I…
Yachting World
Thought you’d left the paperwork behind when going off cruising? How to cut the paper trail
For those who choose to escape the confines of conventional life and spend a few months, years or even the rest of our lives at sea there are many challenges…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 11: snorkelling and diving on reefs
When cruising in the tropics – or indeed sailing round the world – the time spent actually sailing is surprisingly insignificant and, apart from the ongoing task of yacht maintenance,…
Isn’t this what family cruising is all about? Kicking back on a gentle ocean passage to Hawaii
For ten years my wife, Tiffany, and I had been sailing west round the world on our 34ft gaff-cutter, Vixen. There had been a few detours, for instance up into…
5 tips: sailing with an asymmetric – how to get yourself out of impossible-seeming situations
You’re blasting downhill on port with the big asymmetric set, searching for a fast route over the next set of waves. As you glance back over your right shoulder to…
Quantum Racing TP52 – Doug de Vos’s new boat is the last word in ‘tweaky’
Celebrating its tenth anniversary in Europe this year, racing’s premier keelboat class, the TP52, is in surprisingly good health. Through careful management it has avoided the dramatic cost escalation that…
Meow, a supercharged Contessa 26 with 3Di sails and seriously tweaked rig and gear
A long-standing tenet of big fleet handicap racing is that either a very fast boat, or a very slow one, is likely to have an advantage compared with those in…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 12: Fishing from your boat
Dan Bower's advice on catching a fish for your supper is the last in our series of Bluewater Sailing Techniques
5 tips: OCS (on course side) or over the line at the start – what should you do?
Pundits at any local sailing club say you’re not trying hard enough if you don’t stray over the line once in a while. So, never mind honing your starting skills…
5 tips: light airs racing – how to keep going when all around are drifting in circles
The forecast was spot on, the breeze has slackened as pressure rises, but now with the remains of an open sea swell and the tide soon to turn against you,…
Why sailing with friends is more fun, gives you more sleep, lower insurance and a chance to share costs
If you could reduce marina and car rental costs by 50 per cent, give yourself three or four hours more sleep per night on long passages, improve safety and pay…
Top places to grab a bite to eat if you are off to watch the America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth
We’ve teamed up with blogger Penny Hopkins, author of the popular blog Hop’s Hikes & Bites, to bring you a guide to the top places to grab a bite to eat…
Wind, water and solar power: how alternative energy has been transformed
Imagine a future in which there is never any need to fill up with diesel, buy gas, or top up water tanks and the only constraints are those of needing…
5 tips: the leeward mark – learn to read situations as they develop
You’ve been catching the boat ahead since the top mark and their tactician is now screaming ‘no overlap’ as you thunder towards the three-boat zone on port gybe. There’s no…
Snorkelling and diving – what to consider when going underwater
It's one of the great pleasures of cruising to explore the element below you. Dan Bower considers the practicalities of going underwater
Nominate your favourite yachtswoman to win the Ladies Day Trophy at Cowes
Nominations are now open for the coveted Ladies Day Trophy, to be presented on the 11th August at the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. The Ladies Day Trophy recognises the…
Offshore weather planning: the options for receiving weather data at sea
When I skippered a yacht in the first Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) 30 years ago the weather planning information we had after we left Las Palmas was just about…
Cousin Trestec Constrictor 10 review
Working on the same principle as the Chinese finger trap, the Cousin Trestec Constrictor 10 is a simple yet effective means of securing relatively highly loaded lines. This principle of…
Cruising the Aland islands: small Finnish islands with a big history
Our yacht, Arcturus, was moored snugly in a picturesque cove off a friend’s cottage when my wife, Mia, and I met Claes. Like many Åland islanders, Claes was a retired…
Spice up your Caribbean season with our insider’s guide to where to go
Saint Lucia Most transatlantic rally sailors end their voyage at the excellent new Rodney Bay Marina before heading somewhere quieter for Christmas. The temptation is to move on from Saint…