Category: Europe

The author of Illustrated Sail & Rig Tuning, Ivar Dedekam, provides his expert advice on how best to optimise sail trim It is difficult to describe ‘correct’ sail shape, but the three most important things to consider are: sail draft (the fullness of the sail), draft position, and twist (controlled by the kicker/vang and leech…

Andy Du Port explores which rules need to be followed to the letter to avoid collisions at sea and considers those which can be safely ignored Saying ‘International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea’ is something of a mouthful, let alone learning all of them verbatim. Commonly called the ‘Colregs’, they are a…

James Stevens considers a problem sent in by a Yachting Monthly reader who asks how do you recover a man overboard Paul and Emma own a 10m yacht and are day sailing with Paul’s parents on a fine day in early May. The weather is fair so they are all wearing fleeces and lifejackets but…

After the engine breakdown on board his Nicholson 35 Lady Blue in the Kiel Canal, one of the busiest commercial channels in the world, Harry Dekkers explains how they resolved the situation The Kiel Canal provides a convenient shortcut between the North Sea and the Baltic, or as the Germans call it, the Nordsee and…

A sextant and the sun is all you need to find your position, says Tapio Lehtinen. It’s easier than messing around with stars and much more satisfying than GPS When you read this, I will be somewhere in the depths of the Southern Ocean, bound for Cape Horn aboard the Swan 55 Galiana WithSecure. Supported…

James Stevens considers a problem sent in by a Yachting Monthly reader who wants to know whether you should leave harbour with an unsettled forecast Bill is in Plymouth in September planning a passage to the Med. He has decided that the first leg is to sail to Camaret near Brest in Brittany. His yacht,…

When Andy Pag was planning a 450-mile solo passage, sleep was the biggest source of worry. Here’s how he created an effective solo sleep routine When I was planning my first solo offshore sail on my Lagoon 410 Cushla, from Grenada to Bonaire, my biggest concern was not the risk of pirates off the coast…

For their size, trimarans can punch well above their weight in speed, cruising potential and fun. Monohull sailor Theo Stocker gets to grips with how to handle one Humans tend to gravitate into tribes of like-minded enthusiasts, enjoying the encouragement, support and sense of identity, while often looking askance at others; sailors at motorboaters, cruising…

James Stevens considers a problem sent in by a Yachting Monthly reader who wants to know whether to risk crossing a harbour bar in poor conditions Mike has sailed to Salcombe in his 11m long keeled yacht called Boundless with two friends. He took the east-going spring tidal stream yesterday from Plymouth, 22 milesto the…

Radar is now more efficient, more affordable and far more advanced than even a few years ago. Rachael Sprot explains how to use rader to keep clear at sea The life of a radar on board a cruising yacht is an easy one. Aside from a few hours of action when it’s misty or foggy,…