Why would a naval architect and structural engineer used to working with cutting edge materials for America’s Cup teams, including INEOS Britannia, and companies like Airbus, be excited about working…
Cruising
How to provision a yacht for a long passage
Provisioning a yacht for a long period away from conventional shops, with limited cold store space, dry goods stowage and galley facilities, can be daunting. In a beautifully illustrated new…
How to live aboard a yacht for years at a time
“I probably wouldn’t even recognise the person that I was when I first started,” admits Brian Trautman, skipper of the Amel Super Maramu Delos (and eponymous YouTube channel). In 2009…
Cruising Costa Rica: discovering an unspoilt paradise by boat
The sea curls with distant groundswells as the fragmented skyline of Panama City dips into the horizon. A neat queue of cargo vessels waits at anchor for their turn to…
Adrift in the Pacific: One sailor’s incredible story of survival
Staring down from the cockpit into the cabin of my vintage sloop I tried to imagine watching her fill with water. What would float freely first? How long would it…
Caribbean sailing: BVIs are back and as beautiful as ever
As the 30-seater inter-Caribbean turboprop aircraft banked to starboard, through my small window I caught a first glimpse of Tortola and the Sir Francis Drake Channel. I felt my pulse…
Best sailing films on Netflix, Prime and more
Recent years have seen a proliferation of sailing films arriving on streaming platforms, with Netflix taking the lead on producing original content but there are many other sailing films on…
Why have Orcas been attacking yachts? A puzzling mystery
Late in November last year, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s Farr 65 pilothouse cutter, Sanjula, was being sailed 10 miles west of Cape Finisterre in Spain when it was surrounded by orca…
Sailing a junk rigged schooner in Greenland
Dave Leet’s Nomad is a junk-rigged schooner which he sails mostly single-handed. He certainly puts the miles in, because although this article is about his experiences in West Greenland, when…
How to be a valuable first mate
Our image of the lone sailor as the hero of the high seas, battling the elements in isolation, does all the second-in-commands of the world a disservice. Every skipper needs…
Expert advice at cruising seminars this spring: book now
World Cruising Club’s popular Ocean Cruising Seminar returns on March 25-26 2023 in Guildford, UK. The weekend seminar is suitable for any sailors considering the transition from coastal cruising to…
Sailing to Greenland: an unforgettable catamaran journey through iceberg-studded fjords
It’s hard to imagine what life is like beyond the borders of our imagination. Sometimes, when you’re lucky enough, life presents itself with opportunities that take you into the realm…
Sailing halfway around the world: one family’s cruising adventure
After a fast downwind passage from French Polynesia, we sailed into Fijian waters, just under 12 months after setting off from Lymington in the UK. Once we had cleared customs…
How Jasmine Harrison became the first woman to swim the length of the UK
Last month Jasmine Harrison, 23, became the first woman to swim the length of the UK from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Harrison lived aboard her Bavaria 38 support yacht…
What should sailors do if they encounter migrant vessels at sea?
What would you do if you came across a migrant vessel adrift at sea? It’s a scenario many sailors have discussed because, unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to find desperate migrants…
How to future proof your sailing – Jimmy Cornell’s top tips
‘Sailing routes depend primarily on weather, which changes little over the years. However, possibly as a result of the profound changes that have occurred in the ecological balance of the…
East-bound Atlantic crossing via Bermuda
We tacked for the first and only time on our 13-day crossing. The view off Ultima’s bow revealed the alluring sight of not only an approaching landfall but elevation too.…
Quit your job and live on a yacht? 8 ways to make it happen
When my family and I set off on what we thought would be a two-year sailing sabbatical in 2018, we didn’t have any plans of working along the way. We…
Sailing the Gambier archipelago
I didn’t expect to see it. I was on watch, on my 23rd day at sea, when the island of Mangareva appeared in the distance in front of my bow.…
Roving Commissions extract: Calm in the Storm
Not for the first time, the Royal Cruising Club’s wonderful annual journal Roving Commissions has turned up a jewel of seamanship. Delving into the 2021 edition I found an account…