Genevieve Leaper shares her late father John Leaper’s recollections – compiled from handwritten notes – of cruising the Channel in his Shearwater sloop during the 1960s
Genevieve Leaper
Cruising the Northern Sporades out of season
Popular with charter yachts in summer, Genevieve Leaper explores these Greek islands at the quieter end of the season
How to launch a trailer sailer (and the key mistakes to avoid)
George was helping to launch his friend’s boat and asked if Paul and I could give them a hand. My friend George knows nothing about boats, his involvement was as…
UK coastal birds: Your essential guide to waders, divers and fish eaters
When I was a child, my family’s boat lived on a mooring in Chichester harbour. At high tide we were surrounded by a huge expanse of water thronging with dinghies…
Cleaning up plastic pollution in paradise: Cruising notes from the Aegean Sea
Contrary to expectations, my first introduction to sailing in the Mediterranean was disappointing. Aleko was returning home to Greece after a three-year voyage in his Nicholson 32 Beduin. I’d joined…
Types of seal and the best places to spot them from your boat in the UK
‘When angels fell, some fell on the land, some on the sea. The former are the faeries and the latter were often said to be the seals.’ While this old…
Sailing without an engine: How I jury rigged an alternative
When wind and batteries fail Genevieve Leaper is becalmed without an engine, but she jury rigs an alternative means of propulsion
UK cetaceans: How to spot and identify whales and dolphins from your boat
One spring day when I was a teenager, we were sailing across Poole Bay as we had many times before. All of a sudden, an unremarkable day turned into a…
UK seabirds: How to identify some of the most common breeds
Sailors have been watching seabirds for thousands of years. Early navigators in the Pacific used their knowledge of how far different birds ranged from land to judge when they were…
Why is Wally the Walrus climbing aboard boats? Fascinating facts about walruses
Wally the walrus stunned boat owners last week when he circled boats in the Isles of Scilly and tried to climb aboard dinghies and bathing platforms. PBO contributors Lorraine and…