CATEGORIES

HOW IT WORKS OPTIMISING SAIL TRIM

It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by the kicker /vang and leech tension).

HEBRIDEAN HIDEAWAYS

There are some incredible hidden harbours along the west coast of Scotland, many offering 360° shelter, although some may be rather challenging to enter

Mark lines to save miscommunication

This year, I spent my holidays working in the French Figaro class. My role was to be a préparateur – the French name for someone whose job it is to prepare and fix boats before and after races.

It's time for Deliveroo by canoe

Can we agree that it’s an old myth that sailors survive entirely on Fray Bentos pies and ‘pot mess’? Certainly on Skylax mealtimes are something to look forward to as both Rod and I love cooking.

Freak waves are lurking closer than you think

Salvage tug captain Nick Sloane can claim a library of feats of derring-do.

£33m government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships

Maritime Minister Lord Davies has announced the winners of £33 million of government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships as part of the decarbonisation of the sector.

Eight bells for C&N yacht designer Raymond Wall

Yacht designer Raymond Wall passed away in November at the age of 91 after a long and illustrious career.

OGR IRC leader returns with severe damage

Translated 9, the leading IRC yacht in the Ocean Globe Race was forced to divert to the Falkland Islands after discovering two cracks on the hull, one of which was big enough to sink the boat in heavy weather.

Celebrating 200 years of the RNLI

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) officially celebrates its 200th birthday on 4 March.

CLOSE TO THE EDGE

Kirstin Jones sails to the Shiant Isles to witness the wonder of the seabird breeding season on Scotland's West Coast and examines the distressing effects of climate change

BOOT DÜSSELDORF 2024

Mid-winter on the banks of the Rhine might seem like an incongruous time and place for a boat show, but boot Düsseldorf, held for 10 days every January, remains the world's largest, housed snugly in 17 vast halls.

BUYING A NEW BOAT & EQUIPPING FOR THE MED

After selling their business and retiring in March 2021, Mike and Debbie Morgan set about choosing, buying and upgrading a boat with all the bells and whistles to cruise around the Mediterranean in maximum comfort

FIRST TEST HANSE 410

Following the phenomenal success of the 460 - first of a new range of Hanse models - the 410 follows a similar theme on a smaller scale

HOW NOT TO BUY A BOAT...A GUIDE TO GETTING IT WRONG

When Dominic Fohnson’s dream of owning his own boat finally became reality, the litany of errors he made when purchasing and maintaining her sapped both his energy and his bank balance. Here he explains how you can avoid the same fate...

SAFFIER SL 46

Dutch yard Saffier have a reputation for stylish, quick day sailers. While their origins lie in their smaller 6.5m and 8m cabin boats, the yard has seen real growth in its SE range, standing for Saffier Elegance.

X-YACHTS X4⁹ MKII

Updating existing models is nothing new, but X-Yachts is currently working its way through its whole Pure X range, having already updated the X56, and the X4³, the Mk II of which I sailed last years, and loved (YM, Aug 23). The X4⁹ Mk II is following in the same vein as the other two models to have received the treatment.

HANSE 410

There appears to be no slowing down of the competition between the major boatyards when it comes to building new mid-size cruising yachts

We'll miss the shipping forecast

The long-wave shipping forecast reaches its centenary in 2024, though it’s not much of a celebration given that LW itself, ‘at the end of its life as a technology’, will be turned off sometime in the middle of the year.

A healthy dose of fatalism is good for you

Nancy, my mother, drummed into me a set of lower middle-class rules, the origins and the validity of which remain, a lifetime later, lost to comprehension.

PIONIER 10

One of the prettiest production cruisers ever built, the Pionier 10 has the manners and performance to match her appearance, says David Harding

GARMIN FENIX 7 SOLAR SMARTWATCH

I’ve loved testing the Garmin Fenix 7 solar edition. I wasn’t a big smartwatch fan before I got one, but I now find myself wearing it most of the time. Primarily a multisport watch, I use it for running and cycling, but it’s also useful for sailing, as well as almost any other activity out there.

LUNGI MCHUNU THERE ARE NO LIMITS

The first African woman to sail to the Arctic, a citizen scientist and climate change activist, Lungi has dared to dream and believes there are no limits to what we can achieve Here she tells Yachting Monthly her story

CRUISING ENGLAND'S EAST COAST RIVERS

A solo, septuagenarian sailor rediscovers the joys, magic and mystery of England's East Coast rivers, sailing over four bars and under two bridges

FIRST TEST POINTER 30

This sleek and sporty weekend sailer from the Netherlands has plenty of appeal for the coastal sailor, found Theo Stocker

NCI joins passport stamping points on the SW Coast Path

The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) has become an official 'Coast Path Passport' stamping point partner, working with the charity which cares for the UK's longest national trail, the South West Coast Path.

Calor to resupply phased-out gas cylinders

In response to demand from the public and boat owners in particular, Calor will continue to supply the 3.9kg propane and 4.5kg butane sizes, reversing a decision to phase them out taken in February last year.

Falmouth Harbour appoints scientist as new commissioner

Falmouth Harbour has appointed environmental scientist and businessperson Natasha CollingsCostello as a new commissioner, joining its board to help shape the harbour's strategy and prosperity.

Government approves HVO on inland waters

Campaigning by the RYA, the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) and the Cruising Association (CA), together forming the HVO Joint Working Group, has resulted in the Department of Transport allowing inland waterways vessels to be supplied with HVO.

MAIB recommendations after RIB fatality

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published several recommendations for the protection of passengers after an investigation into the tragic death of 15-year-old Emily Lewis, who died in August 2020 when a high-speed Seadogz RIB crashed into a 4.5m-high channel maker in Southampton Water at a speed of 38.4 knots.

Huge wind farm to be in UK waters

Danish renewable energy giant Ørsted has agreed to go ahead with plans for the world's largest wind farm, Hornsea 3, off the coast of Norfolk.