As costs rise, Jake Kavanagh looks at the simple ways boaters can use less fuel and energy when motoring
Seamanship
‘We were sinking, mastless, and adrift’: The crucial lessons learned from my shakedown sail
Paul Hayes is shaken by a shakedown sail in the Bristol Channel when his junk-rigged Coromandel springs a leak, loses its mast and suffers a snarled prop
The simple mooring mistake that can chafe through your rope in 20 minutes
By following a few simple mooring guidelines, you can avoid the common pitfalls and make the process of securing your boat easier and more effective. Michael Collings shows you how
200 miles offshore with no rudder: How four sailors built a jury rudder from cabin doors
Stranded 200 miles offshore in big seas without a rudder is every sailor’s nightmare. The crew of Quokka found a solution and sailed to safety, reports Louay Habib
How a faulty chainplate turned a perfect sail into a dismasting disaster
I learned firsthand the risks of a faulty chainplate. Enjoying a perfect start to our Isles of Scilly adventure, my two friends and I set off aboard my 42ft yacht…
Preparing a small boat for heavy weather with advice from the skippers of the Jester Challenge 2025
The Jester Challenge 2025 once again proved a fertile ground for examples of how a short-handed crew can prepare for heavy weather scenarios. The challenge began in 2006 and was…
“A Force 8 gale turned the sea off Dover into a ‘cauldron of confusion’ that nearly overwhelmed our Halmatic 30”
Tim Butler had to struggle back to the port he'd just departed when his Helmatic 30 began rolling violently in steep waves and a sudden Force 8
Quick tips to improve your boat’s performance
Expert delivery skipper Ben Lowings offers his top tips to help improve boat performance and handling. Efficient helming Sailing starts – and ends – with the human element. You may…
What we learned picking up our first motorboat
Looking back at our disastrous first trip aboard our motorboat Kay, we were under-equipped and complete novices who were convinced we could bring her down the river from Wargrave to…
How a ‘Sécurité’ warning and a 33 hour continuous sail saved this 87-year-old solo sailor
Solo sailor owen Moorhouse built his first 11ft Vee Jay as a teenager and has enjoyed a lifetime of yacht ownership. At 97, he lives aboard Sandpiper, a 38ft Roberts…
“I was on Lyme Bay harbour wall in only my soggy underpants”: how a test voyage became a crash-course in seamanship
My first test voyage onboard my boat Draken was, to say the least, quite a rude awakening. After years of dinghy sailing and kayaking, I had bought Draken, a 1969 Snapdragon…
10 checks for sailing offshore
What should you look out for before sailing an unfamiliar yacht? Nathan Zhart explains to Erin Carey the essential checks before putting to sea
Making history in an Albin Vega 27 – Jazz Turner’s story
Adventurer and disabled sailor Jazz Turner reflects on her recent record-setting UK and Ireland circumnavigation
Force 10 in the Channel: ‘We took a colossal wave broadside, and the cockpit was suddenly knee-deep in water’
A routine Channel crossing became a nerve-shredding passage when a ferocious storm hit, as Ron Stride recalls
Avoiding boat collisions: understanding COLREGS
If you’re at the helm, can you spot a risk of collision with another boat? Do you know when to ‘stand on’ and when to ‘give way’?
How to cope when marina berthing goes wrong
Nobody gets every tricky marina manoeuvre right first time – but what do you do if things don’t go as planned? David Harding presents an escape route
Manoeuvring in shallow waters with a bow thruster remote control
Andrew Morton explains how a bow thruster remote control helped him manoeuvre safely alongside a new jetty in potentially shallow water.
Prop walk: how to use it to your best advantage
Daria and Alex Blackwell share the close-quarters manoeuvring techniques they’ve picked up at the helm of a 57ft, heavy-displacement classic ketch
Why you should race your cruising boat
Ben Meakins finds out why – and how – PBO readers from around the UK go racing in their cruising yachts
How important is headsail trim?
PBO reader Jenny Spear wants advice on how to improv the performance of her boat's headsail. Ian Brown has this brief guide to headsail trim