Lifting keel boats
Peter Poland looks at a selection of 21-23ft boats which are gratifyingly practical to own and transport
“These days very few variable draught yachts are built with vertically lifting keels. The reasons for this are simple: the engineering to lift a keel vertically can be expensive and the keel housing can compromise the accommodation…”
Project boat tips
Will Higgs knows what to look for in a boat in need of restoration or renovation
“As time has gone on the boats have got bigger, but the principle remains the same: buy a green one and polish the love into it. A Hunter 701, a Seamaster 23, a Mirage 28 and now a Barbary ketch – all made possible by adding a little more value to each boat as I went along…”
Pip Hare on solo sailing
The UK solo ocean racer talks to Ali Wood about the challenges which await her on the solo epic
“The Vendee Globe is about so much more than sailing. In fact, the sailing element locks people out. It’s three months of solid performance. It’s about problem solving and capturing people’s imaginations. Sailing is only the vehicle; the experiences are common to all humans…”
Solving problems at sea
Rupert Holmes on how to deal with situations that can quickly escalate
“If you spend enough time around boats you’re sure to encounter problems at some point. Here are a few that I wasn’t expecting. All were solved relatively easily, yet the outcomes could have been very different. Equally, all were avoidable…”
Polishing stainless
Tony Davies explains how to preserve and rejuvenate stainless boat parts
“It’s not difficult to achieve a mirror finish on raw stainless steel, although it is time consuming and can be a bit tedious. However, the end result will always be worth it…”
Replace in-mast furler
Nic Compton converts his mainsail from in-mast furling to hanked-on
“When my wife and I bought our 1990 Victoria 26 Ronja in a barn in Hampshire in March 2018, there were many unknowns. But the biggest question mark lay over the rig…”
Washington to New York
Belinda Chesman and Kit McAllister visit Washington and New York en route to Canada
“We’d been cruising for over a decade in our cutter rig Bowman 40 however, this would be our first time sailing to such huge cities. We hoped to fit in a bit of sightseeing in NYC and Washington DC before heading north through the canals to Canada…”
Mayday in Florida Straits
Jonathon Byant’s trip from the USA to Cuba came close to disaster after a storm hit on the return passage
“The wind and seas had been increasing for the last couple of hours. I’d dropped the battened junk rig sail to two panels, Bluebelle was flying along at 6 knots but the swell was increasing…”
Lucky escape off Portland
Jim Mottram remembers his Corribee 21, which sank in a brutal storm off Portland Bill
“Glancing inshore I saw that a yacht was in trouble with a helicopter winching people off. Despite this, it was strangely comforting to know there were others around…”
Cobles in Bridlington
A celebration of traditional craft at Bridlington Sailing Coble Festival
“Anyone with an interest in maritime heritage should make a date in their diary for next summer’s Bridlington Sailing Coble Festival 11-12 July. This year 12 cobles attended (27-28 July) together with four other historic craft…”
Build a sailing tender
Richard Drabble builds a fun and portable nesting dinghy for his daughter
“I decided to build an Eastport Nesting Pram dinghy in my winter workshop, aka the front room. My long-suffering wife was very accommodating – it might have had something to do with it being a wedding present for our daughter…”
PBO Project Boat
Tom Cunliffe on what a real cutter rig should be (hint: the project boat Secret 20 is definitely home and dry there…) and Harvey is readied for the boat show. Take a look at the PBO Project Boat auction here…