David Edgar experiences a knockdown on a fraught solo sail round Portland Bill as a gale gathers strength
Seamanship
Lying ahull or heaving to? Which is best for heavy weather?
Experienced ocean sailor Tim Cassidy advocates lying to the wind with no sail set in heavy weather, but stresses the importance of hull shape
Slab reefing: Guide to sail shape & preventing sail damage
David Pugh explains how to keep in shape for all conditions with a comprehensive guide to slab reefing techniques
Vane gear self-steering: you guide to an offshore sailor’s best friend
Andrew Simpson looks at pendulum servo self-steering gears, and describes how to get the best out of them
‘My boat was a write-off’: Lessons learned from an on-the-water boat collision
Leo Heaney’s regular yacht club race night quickly turns dangerous after an unexpected boat collision. After seven months of repairs and frustration, here are the lessons learned.
10 ways to save fuel when motoring: Essential tips for engine care, hull trim and propeller pitch
As costs rise, Jake Kavanagh looks at the simple ways boaters can use less fuel and energy when motoring
‘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’?