Cromarty Sea area Cromarty encompasses the east coast of Scotland from just north of Wick to just south of Aberdeen, including the entire coastline of the Moray Firth and the…
Cruising guides
Zhik Spirit of Adventure: ‘Water drenched the foredeck followed by the characteristic sound of water rushing into the boat’
Bang!’ Luci’s bow collided with a steep wave, filling the air with a deafening reverberation. Water drenched the foredeck, followed by the characteristic sound of water rushing into the boat.…
Sailing the shipping forecast: Cruising around Fair Isle – ‘Sailing into Scapa Flow, a centre of the Royal Navy during both World Wars, felt like sailing into history’
The island of Fair Isle sits between Orkney and Shetland, and the eponymous sea area encompasses both of these island groups as well as the north coast of Scotland. These…
Sailing the Shipping Forecast: The Hebrides
This is a spectacular but remote cruising ground. It is essential to be well-prepared and self-sufficient. The Hebrides sea area is right on track for the passage of depressions across…
Zhik Spirit of Adventure: ‘Dramatic scenery, sheltered anchorages and fine beaches make cruising spectacular in the Balearics’
Chartering a yacht out of Mahon back in 2014 was my first experience of the Balearics. With just a week onboard, we worked our way anticlockwise around Menorca and, in…
Cruising Copenhagen: ‘The water in the city centre is clean enough to swim in’
Sitting by the water on a hot summer’s day with a cool white wine in your hand? Even this can get better – with said cool white wine in hand,…
Six of the best drying anchorages in the UK
A yacht that is designed or equipped to sit on the bottom gives her crew a wider choice of cruising destinations. For instance, most of the harbours and inlets on…
‘What remains of this glorious seafaring age is one of the most beautiful seascapes in the country’
The two attractive and historically relevant towns of Haarlem and Hoorn, both close to Amsterdam, are easy to visit by boat and have so much to offer. Just for a…
Crossing the Channel to explore Brittany
Like many British sailors, I had been put off going to our close neighbour Cherbourg by the thought of crossing the Channel with its shipping lanes, fast tides and bad…
A beginner’s guide to the Round the Island Race course
The Round the Island Race is something of a unique event in the sporting calendar and is one of the largest mass-participation events in the UK. There are few sports…