CATEGORIES

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

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.

'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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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.

Magna charter

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

Rig design THE PROS & CONS

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

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'

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

Regattas again!

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

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

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.

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

Crossing Wide Bay bar

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

America's Cup Saudi controversy

America’s Cup organisers have announced that the second preliminary regatta for the 37th America’s Cup cycle will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 30 November–3 December 2023

Heroes' welcome for retro race history makers

Kirsten Neuschäfer has a solo, round the world yacht race after winning the 2022 Golden Globe Race (GGR).

Anchoring charges and the law

Falmouth Harbour Commissioners has defended charging £15 a night to a boat owner who complained about \"being made to pay to anchor\", despite having no intention of using facilities ashore.

Tideway 10 GUNTER OR LUGGER?

The trailerable TW10 has the benefits of her sister vessel, the Tideway 12, but is lighter and easier to launch and recover by hand

IT TAKES TWO

THE DOUBLE-HANDED GLOBE 40 TEAMS POWERED AROUND THE WORLD OVER EIGHT LEGS IN JUST NINE MONTHS. RUPERT HOLMES DISCOVERS WHAT CRUISERS CAN LEARN FROM THEIR TOUGH CIRCUMNAVIGATION

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

Essential checks for chainplates

As long as our chainplates aren't leaking, few of us give them a second thought. But should we be checking more closely? Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies explains what to look out for