Slab reefing: Guide to sail shape & preventing sail damage
David Pugh explains how to keep in shape for all conditions with a comprehensive guide to slab reefing techniques
Inland gear: the essential kit for navigating canals, lakes and rivers
Rupert Holmes looks at the gear you need to safely navigate the inland waterways on your boat
Dutch Inland Waterways: The best second-hand yachts for the Staande Mast Route
Phil Clandillon looks at the best second-hand yachts for sailing popular cruising grounds; this month, the Dutch inland seas and waterways
Maintenance
Vane gear self-steering: you guide to an offshore sailor’s best friend
Andrew Simpson looks at pendulum servo self-steering gears, and describes how to get the best out of them
Rigging tension on a fractional-rigged trailer-sailer
What considerations should you be aware of for setting the rigging tension on a mast that is frequently lowered and raised? OneSails's Wilf Chaplin has…
Understanding boat displacement & why it matters
How well do you feel like you understand boat displacement? For most sailors, it’s an overlooked topic. When I returned to marine journalism after a…
Tools for tight spaces on a boat
Ben Meakins contorts himself terribly in a bid to demonstrate which tools work best when working on your boat in confined conditions
Amazing adventures
40th ARC fleet members rally to give blood for fellow sailor
Barry Perrins: ‘I bought the boat and lived the dream’
The 40th anniversary Atlantic Rally for Cruisers ARC 2025 fleet set sail
Yann Quenet: From France to Canada in a 4m boat
Practical Projects
How I built a DIY propeller puller to free a calcified prop and shaft
My tiller pilot went rogue: the surprising DIY repair that saved my Raymarine ST1000
How to re-reeve a halyard: If your in-mast halyard has broken here’s how to fix it
Contaminated fuel problems: keeping your marine diesel clean
Boat hatch repair: how to stop the leaks
Make your own boat boarding step
PBO Project Boat
What does a sailmaker do?
Shortly before the Round the Island Race, one of the largest yacht races in the world, it’s all go at…
Shore power: solving tripping problems
Ali Wood gets a crash course in reverse polarity and smart charging when Project Boat Maximus’s shore power gets trippy…
Sail design – using 3D software and laser technology to cut new sails
During the survey of our Maxi 84, the PBO Project Boat Maximus, we were warned by a marine surveyor that…
How to measure your yacht for new sails
Measuring your boat for new sails is a job for the sailmaker, so when our PBO Project Boat Maximus needed…
Restoring a vintage Sailor radio
Ali Wood’s Sailor radio is given the VIP treatment
Seajet Bioclean silicone antifoul review: Our verdict after one year on the water
Does silicone antifouling work? It’s not flying off the shelves yet, according to suppliers, but the results from our Project…
Securing mast cable on our Maxi 84
With the help of ACM Marine, Ali Wood goes about securing mast cable on the Maxi 84 PBO project boat
Family sailing safety gear: TESTED!
Ali Wood discusses the sailing safety gear she chose for their first family cruise on board their Maxi 84, and…