Peter Poland recounts the story of the Contessa 26, one of the most able, famous and popular compact long-keeled cruiser-racers
Cruising
Searching for witches in Skye – a cruising adventure aboard a Westerly Storm
Michael Skidmore explores how folk stories can help sailors navigate the Hebrides.
We sailed from London to the Netherlands, leaving the city for the sea locks
Matthew Kenyon and crew sail a Jeanneau Attalia from London’s South Dock to Amsterdam via the East Coast of England
Lessons from the ARC: 24 top cruising hacks for blue-water sailing
Laura Hodgetts caught up with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers sailors for their best blue-water sailing hacks for everything from maintenance to lifejackets to lifestyle. 1. Winch upgrade Skipper Henrik…
Chance to win a Seafarer charter holiday prize in aid of the RNLI
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is auctioning off a one-week sailing holiday in Greece, which the charity was gifted by Seafarer Cruising & Sailing Holidays.
Glaciers, williwaw gusts & dodging drifting ice: Cruising the Beagle Channel with a French legend
Marina Guedes sails the Beagle Channel with Jérôme Poncet aboard Damien 2
Returning to the ‘dark side’: This retired couple switched back from sail to power to cruise the Mediterranean
My husband, Jeremy, and I have been involved with boats, both motor and sailing, on and off for over 35 years. Like many people, we had a dream to sail…
Scottish sailors’ relief that ‘outrageous’ Clyde fee plan has been shelved
Plans to introduce a £100 annual fee for leisure boaters in the popular cruising ground of Scotland’s Clydeport have been shelved after a public backlash.
Clare Allcard, Rozelle Raynes & Peter Gerard: how these three sailors found independence through their wooden boats
When I was a child, reading on board Peter Duck, I became obsessed with Ten Small Yachts, Maurice Griffiths’s second book, published in 1933 following the success of Magic of…
Your ultimate checklist to prepare your yacht’s systems for an ocean crossing
Completing an ocean crossing, such as the traditional transatlantic passage from the Canaries to the Caribbean, is a bucket list item for many. It’s both a fantastic experience and a…
Barry Perrins: ‘I bought the boat and lived the dream’
After nine years of circumnavigating the globe, 'old Seadog' Barry Perrins talks to Laura Hodgetts about seamanship, the realities of sailing offshore and his onboard essentials
Your Holy Island cruising guide: coastal hopping in a trailer-sailer
Frank Sibly enjoys trailer-sailer coastal hopping from Northumberland’s Seahouses to Scotland’s Dunbar Harbour
Insects to rats: Practical tips and ingenious tricks to bug-proof your boat
Infestations of insects and other unwanted visitors like rats are an ever present risk, especially in warmer climates. Rupert Holmes shares how to keep them at bay
What I discovered on my first Arctic sailing trip
My first time going above the Arctic Circle for some Arctic sailing required a few adjustments to the usual packing list. Trying on my brand-new oilskins, I belatedly realised that…
ARC Rally Stopover Survival Guide: The boatyard at the crossroads of the world
How do you fix a boat in the middle of the Atlantic? BoatCV, beloved by generations of ARC Rally cruisers, has the answer. The workshop echoes with see-sawing files and…
How to manage solar, hydro and wind power on your boat
Three transatlantic cruisers share valuable lessons about their onboard power setups, their marine battery choices, and where they went wrong.
Sailing ‘La Semaine’: how I faced hidden 8-knot currents and whirlpools on traditional craft
Your sailing education is not complete until you’ve sailed La Semaine, I’d been told by my sailing mentor. Calm seas, warm winds, beautiful islands and French cuisine. A regatta for…
Taking a boat to Europe: how to avoid the pitfalls
Simon Hampton-Matthews of the Cruising Association’s Regulatory & Technical Services (RATS) Group discusses boat VAT in Europe
First-time charter holiday with family
Katy Stickland introduces her non-sailing family to life afloat on a charter holiday in Greece’s spectacular Ionian Sea
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…