Ex-premiership footballer Francis ‘Franny’ Benali is a local hero, so it was fitting he opened this year’s Southampton International Boat Show at the helm of a powerboat, which he berthed…
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2022 Southampton Boat Show: Insights into the sail and power market
Peter Poland discusses interesting new boats at the Southampton International Boat Show (SIBS) and the state of the sail and power market in general.
Sail the World with Me: Our review of Jimmy Cornell’s latest book
By the end of the book, between the vivid writing and gorgeous photographs, you really feel as if you have sailed the world with Jimmy Cornell as a wise, experienced,…
What do you eat on a transatlantic when your boat’s only 1m long?
When you’re aiming for a solo world record, saving space is a priority… and when you’re in a 1m yacht, it’s absolutely crucial! Food needs to be small, longlife and…
Why I’m crossing the Atlantic in the world’s smallest yacht
What’s inspired this world record microyacht attempt? I’ve always dreamed of breaking the world record for the smallest vessel to cross the Atlantic. Big C is just over a metre…
Channel Hopping: The Sailing Brothers in the USA!
Our resident YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt likens The Sailing Brothers Luke and Adam Martin arrival in North Carolina episode "as a brilliant mash-up of Beavis and Butt-Head with Gavin &…
A very nautical proposal – with help from an RNLI lifeboat
Steve Hodges hatches a proposal plan with the RNLI Eastbourne Lifeboat crew, hoping they don’t get a shout and that his girlfriend knows her flags
“A rescue on the edge of the impossible” – French sailor saved from capsized keelboat
French sailor Laurent Camprubi endured 16 hours in his upturned yacht, after it capsized, using an air bubble to survive.
Channel Hopping: Exploring Tom Cunliffe’s video treasure trove
Our resident YouTube aficionado accepts Tom Cunliffe's invitation to check out his YouTube offerings, and ends up dreaming of an ocean passage with Florence Arthaud, Vito Dumas and George Dibbern.
Swallows and Amazons’ Titty joins star line up at 2022 Southampton Boat Show
Sophie Neville, who starred as Titty in the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film, will be appearing at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show. PBO’s Ben Sutcliffe-Davies will be interviewing Sophie on…
Channel Hopping: Wonderful Wharram Women
Our resident YouTube fanatic marvels at the generations of women who have crossed (and continue to cross) oceans on Wharram catamarans.
New system for notifying overseas pleasure craft voyages
The UK government, via Border Force, has introduced the single Pleasure Craft Report (sPCR) service for those travelling to and from the UK on pleasure craft at www.spcr.homeoffice.gov.uk…
First evidence of GRP boats’ “cancerous” impact on aquatic life
The ‘really worrying’ findings by University of Brighton researchers who undertook studies off the coast of Hampshire and West Sussex have worldwide implications, yet there is no practical solution for…
Channel Hopping: Look out Maître CoQ, here comes Guirec Soudée!
Our resident YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt wonders if the reigning Vendée Globe champion risks being dethroned by a rookie with a chicken.
Channel Hopping: Patrick Laine’s transatlantic solo sailing woe
I write this from a cafe in Jamestown, Rhode Island USA, looking out across the East Passage of Narragansett Bay to Newport, the finish port for the Royal Western Yacht…
Sloop vs cutter – which is best? From the PBO archives
At Victoria Marine they produce some very fine boats, well designed, and well built. Beyond that they also follow a policy of allowing each customer the maximum possible freedom of…
Special Hui Gathering to celebrate the late James Wharram’s life
A celebration of the late James Wharram's life will be taking place on 22 to 25 July (exact day will be chosen according to the weather).
“I had a banana for a mast” 300 miles offshore: Lessons learned from a mid-Atlantic knockdown
Golden Globe Race entrant and former Clipper Race skipper Guy Waites suffers mast failure 300 miles from the Azores
Prepping the rusty keel of the PBO Project boat
In our Maxi 84 boat survey, Ben Sutcliffe-Davies concluded that the antifouling needed to come off and whilst the keel joint was nice and tight there was a lot of…
Book review: The Making of Swallows and Amazons
I came across The Making of Swallows and Amazons by sheer chance not long after I had watched the original film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ on TV and was instantly intrigued.…