Whenever I launch a boat for the start of the season, I say a solemn goodbye to its bottom. As soon as it’s launched the underside becomes a foreign land,…
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Heavy weather sailing: How to prepare your yacht for a storm
From South Ocean pitchpolings to North Atlantic hurricanes, much has been written about the means and methods of heavy weather sailing in open water. The column inches tend to be…
How to install hot water onboard a yacht
Having pressurised hot water on your boat will make all the difference to comfortable living when on board. A hot shower at the start of the day can invigorate the…
Buying a second hand boat: The good, bad and the ugly
For much of the past decade, my wife Sally and I have been dreaming, planning and saving up to sail off on an adventure, together with our friends of the…
How to get a yacht out of a tight berth
Tide Race is an 11m production GRP yacht with a fin keel and a fixed three-bladed prop. While giving plenty of power, the prop also gives a substantial kick to…
How to stop a marine diesel engine properly
When you stop a marine diesel engine it is by cutting off the fuel at, or in, the fuel injection pump – not before it. This is achieved in two…
How to sail across the Atlantic with a family
Modern life makes connecting digitally between people easy, but it can also isolate us from friends and family, and the natural world around us. While the negative effects of social…
Would you set off in fog in your yacht?
Ben is skipper of Leading Light, an 11-metre yacht currently moored in a marina in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. He has two crew. It is early morning in…
12-point spring checklist for your yacht
Now the days are getting longer and the weather warmer, it is clear, a new season is just round the corner. Don’t be tempted, however, to scrimp on a sensible…
What you need to know about a yacht’s black water waste tank
Prior to the new millennium, little thought was given to waste disposal from a vessel. Anything you didn’t want on board invariably went straight over the side, including human waste.…