Anchoring in coral is illegal in many places and should certainly be avoided if at…
Expert sailing techniques
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 7: man overboard under spinnaker
Man overboard at sea is thankfully a very rare occurrence. But with any risk assessment,…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 8: man overboard recovery
A man overboard on an ocean passage is probably one of the most terrifying emergencies…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 9: night watches and routines offshore
Expert skipper Dan Bower explains how should you plan it, what should you take into…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 10: the care and use of the ship’s dinghy
A major part of your cruising life will be spent using your tender. In many…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 8: Downwind sailing
Downwind sailing doesn’t have to be about screaming off waves under full spinnaker, and those…
Bluewater Sailing Techniques Part 11: snorkelling and diving on reefs
When cruising in the tropics – or indeed sailing round the world – the time…
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…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 9: Spinnaker trim
There’s nothing quite like surfing off a wave in the open ocean, spinnaker straining and…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 10: Hoisting a spinnaker
The basic principles of hoisting a spinnaker are easy to grasp. More importantly, they are…
Cheating at yacht racing – how honest a sailor are you?
In football a dive in the penalty area in search of an easy goal is…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 11: Spinnaker drop
One manoeuvre that really makes my heart race when sailing single-handed is a spinnaker drop.…
Yachting World goes to Cape Horn to research our Storm Sailing Techniques series
As we drove into Ushuaia from the new airport, Skip Novak pointed out a small…
SAIL FASTER SAIL SAFER advanced techniques series Part 12: Spinnaker problems
I have encountered more than my fair share of problems with the spinnaker when single-handed…
5 tips: bowman signals. Get a great start with clear signs to helmsman and trimmers
Five seconds to the start and the row of bows is accelerating towards the line.…
Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Techniques Part 1: the Pelagic Philosophy
Yachting World goes round Cape Horn. Watch how we made our 12-part series about storm…
Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Techniques Part 2: expedition yacht design
Skip shows us around his two Pelagic expedition yachts in our latest video
Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Techniques Part 3: storm sails
Skip Novak has firm views about the easiest and safest way to reduce sail and…
Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Techniques Part 4: Heaving to
Heaving to is an ideal technique for riding out a storm, but there’s an art…
Skip Novak’s Storm Sailing Techniques Part 5: reefing
Skip demonstrates what he regards as the only foolproof reefing method for a true offshore…