During the spring of 2024, a friend of mine delivered my 41ft Moody sloop from Annapolis to American Yacht Harbor Marina (AYH) in Red Hook, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands…
Sailing skills
What to do if someone anchors too close to your boat?
Clara, Fi and Ahmed are cruising north Brittany on Clara’s Rival 34, Grace. Clara is a recently-qualified Coastal Skipper, and Fi and Ahmed, who are both more experienced sailors, are…
How to deal with a prop wrap
Sadler 29, Nimbus, is on passage from North Shields to Grimsby when the engine falters and cuts out. Skipper, Tim, instantly suspects a prop wrap as they’ve already passed a…
How having a checklist could save you and your boat
Would it sound far-fetched if I told you a simple piece of paper could save your boat from expensive breakages and repair, or even peril, and in extremis, save the…
Without AIS, would you cross this line of shipping?
Mike and Linda are crossing the Channel from Poole to St Peter Port via the Alderney Race in their Bavaria 38, Isabel J. However, the AIS, which they usually rely…
‘We were battered by Force 7 winds for 24 hours’: The Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle Race
The Yachting Monthly Celtic Triangle is a single- or double-handed offshore race from Falmouth to Kinsale (Eire) to Treguier (Brittany) and back to Falmouth. For me it was a new…
Sail Trim tips for cruising sailors
Sails are not flat sheets of fabric but are cut and fabricated so they form a shallow dish shape. To trim a sail we point the leading edge – the…
Why sailing solo is a skill everyone should master
When asked why he always sails alone, a well-known character of YouTube fame who notoriously sails in the far north, often in severe weather, once replied: ‘Whenever the sailing got…
Should you still be choosing pyrotechnic flares?
Sarah and Jan co-own Audax, a Hanse 348 based in Plymouth for cruising the West Country and northern France. They carry an offshore flare pack which has four parachute flares,…
Solving yacht engine trouble: ‘Water had got in through the filler cap’
A year or so ago I was helping a friend, Monty Halls, bring his boat Sobek, around from Plymouth to Dartmouth. As we were leaving Plymouth breakwater, the engine died.…