CATEGORIES

My first Biscay crossing

Kate Fraser’s first overnight sail was both testing and exhilarating in equal measure

TECHNICAL WATERPROOF FABRICS

Exciting advances in textile design are leading to drier, warmer and lighter marine clothing. Sam Fortescue explains the benefits, and the science

NAVIGATE YOUR WAY HOME WITHOUT POWER

Electrical failure can put you in the dark when your instruments go down. A few traditional skills, and a good tool kit, can see you safely home

FIRST TEST ELAN E4

Elan’s smallest boat is a huge amount of fun, but would she make a sensible cruising boat? Theo Stocker set out to find her limits

Magic of the Moray Firth

This leg of Mark Ashley-Miller’s epic Harbour Master challenge takes in northeast Scotland’s varied coastline

PETE GOSS DESIGNING OUR PERFECT BOAT

The legendary offshore yachtsman talks us through the design of his latest boat

Heads up for a rite of passage!

Heads on yachts, as we all know, represent a range of challenges. Some are physical, some mechanical, and some spiritual.

CRUISING CATS

Catamarans are becoming ever more popular with private owners, especially for blue-water adventures. Theo Stocker takes a look at two new models

BUYER'S GUIDE - MARINE BINOCULARS

Developments in optics and materials mean marine binoculars now offer better value than ever before. Dennis O’Neill rounded up the best pairs – for all budgets

THE 2022-23 GOLDEN GLOBE RACE : THE RACE OF ATTRITION

Katy Stickland talks to the five finishers about routing, gear failure, their seamanship and how they coped spending eight months alone at sea

'ROLLED & DISMASTED IN MONSTER SEAS'

Ian Herbert-Jones found himself dismasted and injured in an 80-knot storm deep in the South Atlantic after 219 days at sea in the Golden Globe Race. He told Theo Stocker about the experience

Starlink changes for cruisers

Starlink, Elon Musk’s low orbit satellite network, has shaken up its offering for cruising sailors using its portable dish for broadband internet at sea

Three finish Golden Globe Race

South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer won the 2022/23 Golden Globe Race on 27 April, becoming the first woman ever to win a solo non-stop around the world race

EVE IN EDEN

A 7,000-MILE PASSAGE FROM AUSTRALIA TO THE SEYCHELLES VIA BALI ABOARD A CLASSIC SWAN 65 WAS A TROPICAL ADVENTURE FOR MEG NIBLETT

ITALIA YACHTS 12.98

ITALIA YACHTS HAS SUCCEDED WITH ITS SMALLER DESIGNS, BUT IS THERE ROOM FOR YET ANOTHER PREMIUM BRAND IN THE 40-45FT CRUISER-RACER SECTOR?

Rig design THE PROS & CONS

Peter Poland looks at the history of popular rig designs and how the different types affect boat performance

Bilge pump mystery

Zoran Glozinic buys a suspiciously low priced bilge pump with a design flaw... but it proves just the job for his project boat

Understanding electrics: switches and relays

Pat Manley and Oliver Ballam demystify boat electrics, starting with switches and relays

Learning how to restore old boats

Inspired by a stunning homebuilt yacht, Ali Wood visits the Boat Building Academy to learn how any of us can become boatbuilders

Crossing Wide Bay bar

crossing John Tylor recalls a treacherous sideways, and while asleep-on the tropical Queensland coast with his good friend Don

Don't risk illegal filling of gas cylinders

Alamy tsianid George Boat owners are being warned not to attempt to refill Calor gas bottles with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) at petrol stations - which is \"both highly dangerous and unlawful\".

Jubilee year for Old Gaffers Association

Hundreds of classic yachts and working boats are to gather in Ipswich to mark the 60th year of the Old Gaffers Association (OGA), with a Diamond Jubilee Party from 3-6 August.

From Canada to the UK in a microyacht

Being 6ft tall, Andrew Bedwell cannot straighten his legs in his 'just over a metre long' microyacht Big C, yet he is about to sail the boat solo across the Atlantic for 90 days, eating cold squares of dehydrated beef.

Orcas sink yacht off Spanish coast

Four sailors were rescued from a yacht which sank following an interaction with orcas off the coast of Barbate, Cádiz.

Regattas again!

Camaraderie, competition, mussel float dodging and home-made blueberry muffins

Magna charter

Why exotic sailing holidays abroad are not necessarily all they're cracked up to be

DIY £200 chartplotter

John Calton builds his own 10in touchscreen chartplotter with GPS and AIS for a fraction of the cost of an off-the-shelf system

How to cross Biscay

Crossing Biscay is a rite of passage for many sailors: Rachael Sprot has expert advice on how to handle the 'Golfe de Gascogne'

LONE STAR

AS WINNER OF THE GOLDEN GLOBE RACE, KIRSTEN NEUSCHÄFER IS THE FIRST WOMAN TO WIN A SOLO AROUND THE WORLD RACE. HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT DRIVES HER

ATLANTIC CON AUTO

OVER 250 TRANSATLANTIC SKIPPERS FROM THE MOST RECENT ARC FLEET REPORT BACK ON THE EFFICACY AND RELIABILITY OF THEIR SELF-STEERING AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY EQUIPMENT