CATEGORIES

Playing with coloured sails

Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers

RIVA GOES ELECTRIC

Riva made its name building beautiful mahogany sportboats powered by big petrol engines, but the new El-Iseo is powered by an electric motor.

How to rig preventers and boom brakes

Rigging a preventer or using a boom brake is just good seamanship when sailing downwind, but doing so badly is asking for trouble, says Rachael Sprot

I finally found the magic of the sea

I won’t be in theatres with a notebook as much as usual this month – time for some wider, wetter horizons – but may be musing, as I often do, on how rare it is for theatre to express a convincing reality about the oceans and the trade or pursuit of seafaring.

HOW IT WORKS MARKING

Many cruising yacht skippers mark very little on board their boats.

FIRST TEST GRAND SOLEIL 42LC

Performance pedigree and Italian panache certainly make for stylish boats, but how do they translate into a serious cruising boat? Theo Stocker tests the baby of the range

MAIDEN MAKES HISTORY AGAIN

Being the first all-female crew to win a round-the-world race is seismic in itself, but the diverse nationalities of the crew are just as significant for the future of sailing

MARIE TABARLY HONOURING HER FATHER

Marie Tabarly took line honours in the Ocean Globe Race, surpassing her father’s record while racing aboard his famous 73ft ketch Pen Duick VI

TECHNICAL INSTALLING A NEW ENGINE

When a mysterious loss of coolant jeopardised his sailing, Andy Du Port knew the time had tome to replace his yacht’s:veteran Volvo Penta

HEATHER THOMAS SMASHING RECORDS

In leading her all-female crew to victory in the OGR, Heather Thomas has broken records and taken women's sailing into the stratosphere

NEW GEAR

Dennis O’Neill rounds up the latest marine innovations, including developments in women’s sailing jackets

'WE GOT BATTERED BY A STORM THAT WASN'T FORECAST

When David and Sarah Smith decided to take on their first proper ocean passage, they didn’t anticipate storm Oscar, but survived unscathed and relished the experience

HOME WATERS CONQUERING THE SOUTH COAST

Intrepid novice skipper Monty Halls takes his family sailing along the south coast of Devon and Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly and back

Don't let Thames sewage kill off this lovely boat

Samuel Pepys mentions oysters in his diaries 68 times, but that was when they were as common as winkles along the banks of the Thames and when they were a source of cheap protein for the masses.

TECHNICAL GOLDEN OLDIES

Ken Endean looks back on the boats he has owned over 50 years and explains why the hull lines of older yachts continue to offer first-class handling

Best anchor types for varied cruising

Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget

Shoestring voyage of adventure

Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat

A fine day out with a visitor

Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills

Weather or not to go sailing

Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle

Boatyard life

The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work

110 A WAYS TO CUT COSTS

From DIY to learning new skills, mooring, sails and rigging, Ali Wood has some top tips on keeping afloat as affordably as possible

A revolution in fabrics

Marine fabrics are using natural fibres, less harmful chemicals and longer-lasting colours. Jake Kavanagh looks at the cut of the cloth

A sailor's guide to UK sharks and fish

Genevieve Leaper looks at some of the shark species around the British and Irish coasts and how to spot these fish from your boat

Boats for Baltic cruising

Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer

The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser

It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class

Multihull anchoring

Brush up on your multihull sailing skills before heading off on a holiday charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to anchoring

CUSTOM YACHTING

A LIFE LESS ORDINARY Exceptional yachts from around the world

FAIRLINE TARGA 40

Fairline makes a powerful play for compact cruiser supremacy

SUNSEEKER OCEAN 182

Sunseeker's tri-deck sibling to the Ocean 90 offers exceptional living space, particularly in the new enclosed upper deck. But how does a boat with such a broad footprint perform at sea? Hugo Andreae finds out

TIME FOR A KEYS CHANGE

Elliott Maurice pulls out all the stops with a Florida cruise his son will never forget