A week on the Thames

Bill Howlett recalls a blissful holiday filled with gymnastics, locks and a very curious cow

The power of observation

Rupert Holmes explains why, despite the advances in forecasting, your own observations on the weather are still vitally important

Return to Ailsa Craig

Andrew Morton and daughter spend an idyllic day island hopping in the Firth of Clyde

Swing keel calamity

Terry Abel repairs his Pandora 700 after a sobering shakedown sail

Refit for colder climes

Richard Rogers and Alice Sanger reconstruct their Morgan Giles 30 for some serious expedition sailing to high latitudes

Ocean racing... who'd do it?

Margaret Norris muses on what it takes to sail around the world – from the first 1968/9 Golden Globe Race to the current Vendée Globe

Keep your cool

Roger Hughes vents his engine room

What to do when lightning strikes

Alex and Daria Blackwell offer some valuable tips for protecting yourself and your boat

Engineless cruising

Follow creek-sailor Tony Smith’s tips for a slower, quieter pace of life

Back to the future

Peter Poland tracks the development of modern British gaff riggers

A boat for our time?

The ‘less is more’ philosophy is beautifully encapsulated in the Hunter Ranger 245, which later became the Channel 245. David Harding reports

Liveaboards In Autumn

Hermione Pattison’s family make the most of the Chesapeake before winter draws in

Winter project

Jim Pottinger spent the winter months restoring a sorry looking Dell Quay Fisher to her former glory

Stop the boat!

Gilbert Park installs a wireless kill cord on his planing sports cruiser

Practical motorboating

Powerboating has rarely been more affordable or more popular. Jake Kavanagh has some top tips for beginners and old hands

The night the hurricane hit

Roger Hughes prepares his schooner for 150mph winds

Floating in air

Rupert Holmes explains some essential weather knowledge to help interpret forecasts on the water

DIY navigation lights upgraded with LEDs

Roger Hughes upgrades his 42-year-old navigation lights with LED lamp replacements and is delighted with the result

Capsize off Vementry

Marsali Taylor remembers how she came to grief through going too far out in a small dinghy

Know your boat by numbers

Øyvind Bordal explains how form stability and polar diagrams can help you choose the right boat for your kind of sailing

200 islands in a dinghy

Ken Fowler sets sail on a unique challenge to round all the islands of England and Wales, and learns some intriguing history along the way

Skipper's diary

From wacky watches to pirate boats, Simon Warner shares some eye-opening excerpts from his transatlantic diary

The return of trading under sail

Sail power is making a comeback as the shipping industry reduces costs and carbon emissions, Rupert Holmes reports

When my heart ruled my head!

Richard Carvell learned valuable lessons when he bought an iconic offshore cruiser

Lifejacket: the vital safety aid

Knowledge of the sea – and wearing a lifejacket – are the best ways to stay safe

Back to school

Uncovering the truth about lifelong learning

Top tender tips

From boarding to sculling, hull type and maintenance, John Tylor shares some sensible advice about using small dinghies

Timing the tides to Tobermory

Brian Lennon plans a tricky non-stop sail between Skerries, his Irish home port, and the Inner Hebrides harbour of Tobermory

Short cut to a long cut

Andrew Morton describes how saving time led to trouble on Gigha

Dinghy cruising in the Bristol Channel

Annabel Bowker-Dance describes the joys and challenges of dinghy sailing in the Severn Estuary