Chafe on sails and ropes is something we should expect as part of the general wear and tear on passage, but equally it is something we can protect against. Here…
Pip Hare
Boom preventers: How to use one and why they’re worth the hassle to rig
Rigging a boom preventer will allow you to sail a true downwind course without a constant worry about crew safety. I also use it to pin the boom in its…
Spinnaker wraps: Pip Hare’s tips on dealing with a tangled kite
I can still feel the pain of my first really bad single-handed spinnaker wrap. I was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, took my eye off the sail for…
Sailing through calms: Expert advice from ocean racer Pip Hare
Psychologically, I have always found sailing through calms to be far worse than battling any storm. Endlessly flogging sails and oppressive heat can fray tempers on any yacht. With no…
Hallberg-Rassy 44 video – traditional cruising values in a new hull shape
The bitterly cold wind is cutting through my four layers of technical clothing as though they are made of mesh – the instruments tell me the water temperature is 4ºC,…
All carbon Arcona 465 on test – is this the ultimate performance cruiser?
Performance cruisers are designed and sold to chew up the miles on longer journeys without sacrificing too much comfort. Yet many new owners find that their boat that sailed so…
How to reef short-handed and how to know when the time is right to reduce sail
The decision to reef is as much about boat handling as it is about wind strength. So try to take a holistic view of how the whole boat feels and…
iBoating marine navigation app for iPad and Android
A surprisingly versatile and comprehensive app but not easy to use and contains some annoying quirks.
iNavX marine navigation app for iPad and iPhone
A good all-round package and especially versatile for ability to use raster and vector charts from multiple providers.
Transas iSailor marine navigation app for iPad and Android
Good basic functionality – a full standalone navigation app – and plenty of advanced options as well, but each one incurs a fee.
Garmin BlueChart Mobile app for iPad
Slick and well designed navigational planning app that integrates seamlessly with onboard Garmin systems
Inside the Infiniti 46 – video tour of the world’s first production offshore racer with DSS foils
Though most of us are captivated by the images of flying boats from International Moths to America’s Cup catamarans, the increased athleticism and technical ability required to manage these high-tech…
What to eat when sailing short-handed – a nutritional guide for offshore sailors
Your diet offshore should be as good as, or even better, than it is at home. As with any sport, nutrition and hydration are essential for maintaining good performance. The…
12 yacht trackers compared to help you choose the right unit for your voyage
Advances in tracking technologies have had a significant impact on offshore sailing, both cruising and racing. Once something used exclusively by extreme adventurers and offshore racers – significant falls in…
Short-handed sailing: Pip Hare on gybing a symmetric spinnaker
Gybing a symmetric kite double-handed is a tough manoeuvre and there is no question that practice makes perfect. Setting up your boat so things are within reach is essential, as…
A classic Swan 43 in Scandinavia: Pip Hare discovers a place to keep the world at bay
Five hours out of Kokkola, the Baltic was baring its teeth. It was the middle of the night in the middle of June. The air temperature was below 5°C and…
Swan 43: the restoration of 50-year-old Sparkman & Stephens yacht Runn
When a Contessa 32 became a little bit too snug for a holiday with his wife and four children, Charles Hill went in search of a bigger boat for adventurous…
Dee Caffari finds out the hard way why Three Peaks Race is one of the world’s greatest endurance races
We were heading into the shore and just past Bear Grylls’s island, Saint Tudwal’s Island West, when the tacking duel commenced, writes Dee Caffari aboard Team Caffari/Sail 4 Cancer. Each…
How to execute the perfect spinnaker drop when sailing short-handed
Dropping the kite double-handed may seem a daunting challenge, but provided you take adequate steps to ensure the spinnaker is deflated, a drop can be successfully achieved by any size…
Sailing upwind when short-handed requires different techniques
Excessive heel is your enemy when sailing upwind, and with no hiking crew this is something the double-handed sailor needs to consider. To sail upwind well you must learn the…