Only the foolhardy would put to sea without first checking the weather and forecast – understanding how to make use of the information available is a vital part of sailing,…
Practical Boat Owner
How to keep new sailors happy on board
RYA chief instructor Clive Vaughan explains how to encourage new sailors aboard and keep them coming back for more with some simple steps
How to retrofit a bow thruster
Tony Moss and his wife, Marike, enhance the manoeuvrability of their Dufour 44 to make cruising life easier in their retirement years
How to repair keel band corrosion on small boats
Galvanic corrosion is often something mainly associated with metal fittings on larger craft: however, David Parker has a cautionary tale about double-checking fixings on small boats too
Becoming a Day Skipper
From classroom conundrums to night-time navigation, dinghy instructor Margaret Norris decides to give big boats a go
10 most useful sailing apps
Round the world sailor Saša Fegić shares the apps he finds the most useful on board
How to make curly cord as a DIY project
Mike Attree makes curly cord to help him fix his broken windlass
How to make a spinnaker snuffer
John Connell keeps his spinnaker in check by devising and constructing a home-made spinnaker snuffer
How to replace boat headlining with PVC planking
Roger Hughes replaces old vinyl boat headlining with easy-to-clean white PVC planking
Casting a cutless bearing housing
Don Fitzroy Smith turns to the experts when an obsolete fitting can’t be found
The solution to fuel impurity
Engine maintenance is a mainstay of boat ownership but new technology has enabled the average boat owner to spend more time on sailing and less with his or her head…
How to fit new rubber port light seals
David Parker describes the process involved in replacing the old rubber seals on his boat's port lights
How to deal with rubbish at sea
It’s irresponsible to simply chuck rubbish overboard when at sea. So what do you do with it? Tom and Vicky Jackson have some answers
How to make your boots non-scratch to save your boat decks
Charles Beddingfield comes up with a way to make his boots non-scratch
Cruising from Orkney to Kinlochbervie
Nick and Alison Boxall sail their 35ft 6in Southerly 110 from Mainland to mainland, from Orkney to Kinlochbervie, Scotland
What I learned during a boat knockdown while sailing alone
Freya Terry gets an early lesson in the perils of single-handed sailing when she embarks on a round-UK and Ireland circumnavigation in her distinctive She 31
How to build a custom boat port
Ben Russell gets busy constructing his own custom boat shed
Heavy weather sailing techniques: how to protect your boat in storm conditions
Øyvind Bordal and Magne Klann explain the steps you need to take to protect your rig and sails when the weather turns
The Juggens manoeuvre to get you off a lee shore
Peter Kersey draws on the wisdom of an old smack sailor to get his engineless Drascombe Lugger out of trouble off a lee shore
How to refurbish a scruffy outboard cowling
Rebecca Beck shares how she improved her outboard cowling