Writing will always be something I enjoy but there is no denying that ‘a picture says a thousand words’. With its many moods this seems particularly so when at sea.…
Opinion
‘Give me the patient strategy of offshore racing over the spectacle of SailGP’ – Lu Heikell
I have been following three offshore yacht races in recent months, which allows me to vicariously scratch the itch of sailing whilst at my desk. The Mini Globe is unapologetically…
How can we future-proof the Solent against climate change?
Climate change is driving sea level rises, and over the next 100 years, our seas are expected to continue rising by over one metre. In some areas with high, rocky…
Why robots and AI will never capture the truth of the sea – Dick Durham
The log of a ship – date, time, position, course – are the vital statistics of her story. The ‘comment’ section should be the vital statistics of yours. For stark,…
Why every sailor eventually starts singing to their boat – Libby Purves
During the romantic wedding season, let us muse on the emotional attachments we yachtspeople have, not all of them human. The obvious grand affair of the heart is with the…
The desalination dilemma: Why our thirst for fresh water is changing the sea
Visions of the parched ground of last summer feel very distant as we look back on an extremely wet winter, both in the UK and in many Med regions. The…
Boat Building’s Last Stand: A Visit to the Academy
Grinding through January and February underlines how much I hate the winter. Indeed, we have just booked a cheap and cheery week in the Canaries to soak up a bit…
Of mildewed Sou’westers and high-vis dreams – Libby Purves
Some evenings, when we’re simply not in a mood for watching a sloppy romance, old sitcoms or the latest modish-sadistic thriller, we indulge in putting on ancient BBC Archive programmes…
Zoonie Sails Home: A phlegmatic odyssey
I’ve often wondered why people give names to inanimate objects, why they feel the need to christen cold steel, personalise plastic or anthropomorphise auxiliaries. Perhaps it’s superstition – a belief…
‘One electronic fault shouldn’t be enough to cripple your entire boat’ – Lu Heikell
Electrical fumes and smoke billowed out of my computer the other day, and soon after my busy screen turned BIOS black. A full-on fire was only prevented when I switched…