The Olympics are upon us – and eager competitors are chasing each other about on the water after years of training, tactical sessions, qualifying heats and general stress. I know…
Cruising life
Jonty Pearce: Playing with steam
In the manner of the Fast Show catchphrase; ‘This week I have mainly been playing with steam’. No sailing, I’m afraid, but most of the week helping to set up…
Tom Cunliffe August 2016 Podcast
It’s not long since I was part of a crowd of anxious skippers elbowing up to the latest harbourmaster’s forecast, cursing our luck at more strong headwinds with time running…
Jonty Pearce: A change of plan
Carol and have got quite a lot of interests outside sailing. Sometimes they tend to intrude too much, as has just been the case. My work is a constant evil…
Jonty Pearce: Marina vs Mooring
When we first bought a yacht one of the major decisions facing us was where to berth her. We live nearly as far from the sea as is possible in…
Jonty Pearce: Babelfish
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy describes the wonderful Babelfish, a creature that functions as a universal translator. Once inserted into the ear it allows instant understanding of all languages,…
Jonty Pearce: Doing the Prop Walk
Our Southerly 105 ketch is a heavy old girl with high freeboard, a raised cabin, and lots of rigging to catch the wind. Her 1 ton triangular cast iron keel…
Jonty Pearce: Brexit
So, the die is cast and the country has voted to leave the EU. After months of media hype and disinformation I had naively hoped that after the event we…
Libby Purves August 2016 Podcast
It was a particularly vile, early-season shakedown passage to Ostend. We crossed a North Sea which threw up its trademark jerky, irregular grey-brown chop: we hammered hard on the wind…
Tom Cunliffe Summer 2016 Podcast
Life used to be so simple, didn’t it! It wasn’t all roses though. Back in the days before the general comforts of electronics, I had a few bad trips in…