Category: Europe
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What to wear for sailing during winter
The clothes you wear, and how you wear them, can make all the difference when sailing during winter with the coast to yourself, says Justin Morton. There is something really quite special about finding yourself out on the water and having most of it to yourself. Being the solitary boat in an anchorage or being…
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How to pick up a tricky mooring solo?
Each month Yachting Monthly’s resident expert, James Stevens answers a reader’s question. This month how to pick up a tricky mooring solo? John has been sailing with friends for many years but has finally decided to buy his own yacht. It is a 10m cruiser racer which he reckons will be light enough to sail…
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How to use a sextant for navigation
Practice makes perfect when it comes to using a sextant for navigation says Ivar Dedekam, author of Illustrated Navigation Before using the sextant you must note the index error. All sextants have an index error, especially plastic instruments which have to be checked regularly. When you have achieved an unbroken line, note the index error.…
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‘I spent hours in the water in hurricane conditions’
When John Quinn’s boat was knocked down in the 1993 Sydney to Hobart yacht race, his harness broke and he found himself overboard at night in a hurricane-strength storm. Amazingly he lived to tell the tale, as Mark Chisnell discovered When we saw the race briefing it was a little bit fuzzy,’ John Quinn told…
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What to do with difficult crew mid Atlantic?
James Stevens considers a problem sent in by a Yachting Monthly reader who asks What to do with difficult crew mid Atlantic? Jim is regretting taking on Ed as crew on a transatlantic voyage. Bellatrix is a sturdy 13m production GRP yacht in good condition with all the recommended safety gear for ocean sailing. Jim,…
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How to moor your yacht (and how not to)
Line-handling is an often neglected skill on which the safety of your boat and crew depends when tying up. Harry Dekkers explains what to do, and what not to Sailing itself is not that difficult, with a few basic techniques and rules to keep you and your boat safe, whether you’re on a 50-footer or…
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How these mainsail modifications revolutionised by yacht’s performance
Safety and performance improved hugely when Mike Reynolds reduced the size of his mainsail and re-configured the systems controlling it Our 1980s Yamazaki Yachts 34, Zen Again, is an IOR (International Offshore Rule) 3/4 tonner masthead cutter, with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder, displacing 6,000kg loaded for blue-water cruising. When we purchased…
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How transiting the Panama Canal is getting easier
Transiting the Panama canal was an epic milestone for Andy and Julie Pag. It required practical seamanship, bureaucratic navigation and help from onboard guests The journey started two months before our transit date, logging on to the website of the canal’s Small Craft Service, ASEM, to register the boat and request a transit date. I…
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Can I squeeze over this tidal sill on neaps?
James Stevens considers a problem sent in by a Yachting Monthly reader who asks if you should squeeze over a tidal sill on neaps? Tom and Jane are on holiday in North Brittany with their two children. They are on their 11m yacht with a 2m draught. The weather has been hot, with a large…
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Your complete guide to yacht pilotage (done properly)
Chartplotters are an amazing aid, but can detract from your real-world pilotage if not used with caution, says Justin Morton Long ago, in the days when paper charts were precious, navigators would sketch out the relevant details in their notebook and take it on deck rather than risk the chart getting damaged. Navigator’s notebooks have…