Prior to her single-handed round-Britain circumnavigation, Katie McCabe sailed her newly restored classic yacht solo to the Isles of Scilly
Cruising
Powerboater recalls “fishing a biplane pilot out of the sea”
A powerboater whose family sprang into action when a biplane crashed into Poole Harbour on the south coast, narrowly missing yachts, rocks and a chain ferry, tells her story.
Learning to sail in a Mirror dinghy built from a kit – the hard way
Having built a Mirror dinghy and taken it to the Isles of Scilly on a ferry, Peter Baylis and friends realise they may have overlooked a few details...
Learning from experience: Chasing the leak on a sinking boat in Lyme Bay
Dr Brian Johnson became quickly and intimately acquainted with his engine’s silencer when it threatened to sink his Westerly Pageant
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…
Becoming an Old Gaffer – How I found my ideal boat
I don’t own Wendy May, she owns me. I’m just the custodian. She was built for an army officer in 1936 by Williams & Parkinson in North Wales. Their brief…
Summer sailing: 11 last-minute checks to prepare your boat
Summer sailing usually involves greater distances and spending longer periods than usual on board, and this can trigger some of the breakdowns and breakages that are, to some extent, an…
Kayaking 101: Which kayak to choose and how to launch from your boat
I was chatting to a friend, whose husband has a small yacht, and we were comparing the pros and cons of motorboats and yachts. I thought she summed it up…
Trapped in thick fog with my 8-year-old daughter whilst on passage to France
Navigating through fog is frightening. At 91 years of age my sailing career is over, but I can’t grumble as I have some wonderful memories. Recently, whilst reading about the…
Fleeing the St Vincent volcano eruption on a liveaboard yacht
No circumnavigation is complete without a collection of “one-up” stories to tell. We’ve hiked dormant volcanoes and looked into the fiery pit of active ones during the decade we’ve been…
What Schengen means for UK boat owners abroad – 4 in 5 may quit cruising
Canal du Midi, France. Photo: Alamy A survey carried out amongst Cruising Association (CA) members who keep their boats on the rivers and canals of Schengen countries has revealed that…
My first motorboat – two sailors on how and why they converted to powerboating
Retired doctor and practical motorboat owner Gilbert Park has undertaken numerous DIY challenges on board his various motorboats, publishing several of them in PBO, including: What is AIS B+ and…
Our new seadog – our puppy Chloe’s first voyage
Chloe’s first voyage was from the slip to the mooring. As always, I was more concerned about the engine stopping unexpectedly or being unable to pick up the buoy, so…
Seadogs: 10 top tips for sailing with dogs
Sailing round the world with dogs requires months of preparation and research, stacks of paperwork, extra supplies and provisions, regular vaccinations, expensive updates for your vessel, and many hours of…
Sailing around 200 islands in a 4m dinghy
Funny how small ideas in life often turn in to bigger ones. The Yodare challenge is definitely one of those. What started out as sailing around one solitary island in…
Liveaboard diaries – the family sailing around the world in the pandemic
Swimming with turtles January 2020 After leaving St Lucia we’ve been cruising between the Tobago Cays in the Grenadines and Grenada and are now working our way north again. Having…
Home before lockdown – 26ft classic boat delivery from Essex to South Wales
Due to family commitments I found myself having to move to Wolverhampton late last year from West Sussex. I’ve never lived far from the sea and the boat I have…
Norway to Scotland on a Nicholson 32 – a true North Sea passage
In 34 knots of wind and a North Sea swell nearing mast height, our Nicholson 32 is beating with a momentum most modern cruisers lack. In a sense it isn’t…
Youtube sailing: 6 of the best episodes about learning lessons at sea
A hallmark of a great sailor is the ability to keep calm in a crisis, deal with it, and bounce back. I write a monthly column all about the latest…
Port hopping the north coast of Cornwall in a small boat
My wife, Sue, and I had been thinking about cruising the north Cornish coast on our trailer-sailer for the last decade, despite Mark Fishwick’s opinion in his West Country Cruising…