CATEGORIES

Yachting tailor-made for you

Wherever you want to sail, Goolets will give you a charter that exceeds your dreams

TECHNICAL CARING FOR A TEAK DECK

Dennis O'Neill outlines the best ways to protect and prolong the life of a modern teak deck - with a note or two of caution...

'I SPENT HOURS IN THE WATER IN HURRICANE CONDITIONS'

When John Quinn's boat was knocked down in the 1993 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, his harness broke and he found himself overboard at night in a hurricane-strength storm. Amazingly he lived to tell the tale, as Mark Chisnell discovered

FIRST TEST HANSE 360

Theo Stocker braves the wintry weather to go for a blast in Hanse's new big little cruiser to see whether she is as easily driven as her predecessors

Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle race returns to Falmouth after 41 years

For the first time in over 40 years the Yachting Monthly Triangle Race, now called the Celtic Triangle, returns to its original host port of Falmouth where it all began in 1984.

A month navigating the Bijagos islands

Maxence and Victor Ansquer stop at Guinea-Bissau's isolated islands on their world voyage

Sunsail from the heart of the Adriatic

Discover the unspoiled charm of Croatia's stunning Adriatic islands from the Sunsail base at Marina Agana. Don't just sail, Sunsail

ADVENTURE SPIRITED CORINTHIAN SAILING

Sailing through the Corinth Canal to explore the Saronic islands was a breezy blast for Heather Prentice and family

ADVENTURE WILD CARIBBEAN

An Australian family revisit beloved small Caribbean islands and learn the joy of swimming with turtles

Dreamers and adventurers

One of life’s pleasures is to support others as they tackle their dreams and remotely sweep you aboard to share both triumph and disaster.

Charlie Dalin wins Vendée Globe, smashes record by nine days

Charlie Dalin has secured victory in one of the world’s toughest races, the Vendée Globe, a non-stop, solo dash around the world, setting an incredible new record on his foiling IMOCA Macif Santé Prévoyance, knocking nine days off the previous record.

How to pick up this tricky mooring solo?

Q John has been sailing with friends for many years but has finally decided to buy his own yacht.

HOMEWATERS BIG ADVENTURES, LITTLE PEOPLE

Would a charter in British waters be a happy experiment for Georgie Stocker and her family? Future cruising plans hung in the balance...

A charter to remember...

Chartering a yacht can make for the holiday of a lifetime, but it's worth knowing what to expect so that you can pick the right one for you. The sailing area, expected conditions, kind of boat, and level of support you want while away can make all the difference for you and your crew. Picking something that is within your budget and level of experience will reduce stress for everyone. Having said that, most good companies can provide as much or as little suport as you want, so that you can achieve more than you might at first believe, especially with a skipper on board, or as part of a flotilla. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Happy planning!

High Latitude Challenge 2026-2027

Sailing to high latitudes has become increasingly popular, with the Northwest Passage in the Arctic, and, at the other extreme, the Antarctic Peninsula, recording the largest number of visiting yachts in any one year in 2024.

Man overboard while crossing the Atlantic

Swedish sailor Dag Eresund was tragically lost overboard from Volvo 70 racing yacht Ocean Breeze while sailing across the Atlantic with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) which sees hundreds of yachts safely cross the ocean each year.

Yacht builders fined for using 'blood' teak

Two landmark court cases in the UK and the Netherlands have seen stiff penalties handed out to luxury yacht builders for using illegal 'blood' teak imported from conflict-torn Myanmar on vessels, notably on Jeff Bezos's superyacht Koru, the largest sailing yacht in the world.

PROVIDENT'S CENTENARY VOYAGE

Steve Jones and Morag Slesser sail Provident, a historic Brixham Sailing Trawler, on a centenary voyage from Scotland's west coast to her roots on the South Coast

HOW IT WORKS - CLEANING AN ANTI-SYPHON VALVE

On sailing boats the exhaust pipe is swept up into a swan neck to stop following waves flooding the exhaust when the engine isn't running.

ROUNDING CAPE HORN

Breaking bread with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Skip Novak and Jean-Luc Van Den Heede? Then you’d better be a good listener. Dick Durham is all ears at the annual Cape Horners’ dinner

Are we really a maritime nation?

Many years ago, I was on a family motoring holiday driving towards Brittany when, in a small town, we passed under a banner proclaiming a regatta. I was baffled: we were still 40 kilometres from the coast. Such hinterland support for sailing was new to me: back home a candy-floss stick's length from the coast, folks knew nothing and cared less about the maritime world.

CRUISING - BLOW AWAY THOSE WINTER BLUES

Every month through the winter, scores of sailors sign up for the Little Ship Club's fast cruises. Dick Durham joins one and reports back

Shared ownership

A private syndicate, a boat club, or charter lease? Ben Lowings compares the options for reduced-cost boat ownership

What to do with difficult crew mid Atlantic?

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP - Jim is regretting taking on Ed as crew on a transatlantic voyage. Bellatrix is a sturdy 13m production GRP yacht in good condition with all the recommended safety gear for ocean sailing.

Gamming in Maine on board Lewis R French

Frances and Michael Howorth set sail on board a schooner launched in 1871

With boats, does beauty matter?

A seagoing boat is not a toy. It is the most serious of vehicles, built to let humans brave an unpredictable, lethally dangerous element with efficient control and reasonable dispatch. Boat design and boatbuilding are therefore solemn endeavours, demanding utter trust from vulnerable human customers who will face peril miles away from help. Materials, rig and balance in design can make the difference between life and death.

MCA launches PLB rescue consultation

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has launched a public consultation into new safety measures set to make the search and rescue response faster and easier for people carrying Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) on the water.

ADVENTURE SAILING THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE

The Reverend Bob Shepton braved freezing gales and ice floes to sail 6,059 miles through the Northwest Passage with his crew of four South African climbers

'FOG, GALES, HURRICANES AND CALMS IN ONE VOYAGE'

Fog, currents and calms would challenge us as we tackled the Grand Banks, Gulf Stream and Azores High. We were at the French island of St Pierre off the Newfoundland coast, next stop Flores in the Azores

FIRST TEST - BENETEAU OCEANIS 37.1

Can a smaller boat pack in more space and more performance than her predecessor? Theo Stocker went to sail Beneteau's latest cruiser