Different hull types demand different tactics. Tom Cunliffe shows you how to avoid embarrassment next time you’re at the helm of an unfamiliar yacht
Practical seamanship
How to make navigation safer using satellite images
Some hydrographic surveys date from the Victorian era. Tom Partridge uses satellite imagery as a sanity check for navigation and finds unexpected benefits
More tips on using an anchor
Duncan Wells passes on even more tips on using an anchor to help with boat handling, how to drop ground tackle by hand and how to recover a stuck anchor
Sailing through overfalls: how to sail safely through them
Overfalls should be respected but they don’t always have to be avoided. Ken Endean explains how to handle them
Skipper’s tips – Calibrate the sounder
Tom Cunliffe has assessed hundreds of sailors for the RYA Yachtmaster exam. He shares a few skipper's tips with us...
How to use vector charts safely
If you navigate using vector charts alone, says Tom Cunliffe, you’re heading for unseen trouble
Hold her off a dock with a kedge anchor
If you're alongside a leeward harbour wall and the fenders are on the verge of popping, use a kedge anchor to haul her up to windward, says Duncan Wells
Anchor lights: are you sure you’ll be seen?
With one all-round white anchor light, as most boats have, are you sure you'll be seen? Alastair Buchan asks if it’s time to update the COLREGS
Skipper’s tips – How to leave a raft
Tom Cunliffe has assessed hundreds of sailors for the RYA Yachtmaster exam. He shares a few skipper's tips with us...
Skipper’s tips – look abeam
Tom Cunliffe has assessed hundreds of sailors for the RYA Yachtmaster exam. He shares a few skipper's tips with us...