Essential skills, planning and kit for your best summer afloat, Bonding & sealants guide, How to sail tidal estuaries, Yacht handing on rivers, Silicone antifouling…
Practical Boat Owner
May issue – out 13 March
Tune your rig so your boat points higher and sails better, The ultimate cruising guide to Britain and Ireland, Essential propeller care, How to check…
Fitting boat radar on a budget: How I installed my own Raymarine system
On a previous boat of mine an Echomax Active-X Radar Target Enhancer (RTE) was fitted and when using it I felt confident that I might be more visible to bigger…
“A rescue on the edge of the impossible” – French sailor saved from capsized keelboat
French sailor Laurent Camprubi endured 16 hours in his upturned yacht, after it capsized, using an air bubble to survive.
What I learned from saving three boats during a record-breaking Force 12+ storm
Storm Eunice hit the UK on 18 February with the highest winds ever recorded in England at 122mph at the Needles, Isle of Wight. That’s literally off the scale: the…
Channel Hopping: Exploring Tom Cunliffe’s video treasure trove
Our resident YouTube aficionado accepts Tom Cunliffe's invitation to check out his YouTube offerings, and ends up dreaming of an ocean passage with Florence Arthaud, Vito Dumas and George Dibbern.
Adirondack Guide Boat buyer’s guide: Why this traditional vessel is a timeless classic
There’s a boating truism that says, ‘if it looks right, it is right.’ Take a look at a lovely old J Class yacht, sleek canoes, delicate skiffs, elegant Norwegian færings…
Best 30ft German boats from three brands that have rapidly risen to prominence
Having left university with a degree in modern languages, I followed the example of many of my contemporaries. I went to work in the City. Those who stuck to the…
Swallows and Amazons’ Titty joins star line up at 2022 Southampton Boat Show
Sophie Neville, who starred as Titty in the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film, will be appearing at the 2022 Southampton Boat Show. PBO’s Ben Sutcliffe-Davies will be interviewing Sophie on…
September issue – on sale 4th August
Swap sails for power – never stop boating; longjohn wetsuit, buoyancy aid, boat scrub and inflatable kayaks on test; 12 amazing shipwrecks; PBO Project Boat shakedown sail; and 16 pages
Channel Hopping: Wonderful Wharram Women
Our resident YouTube fanatic marvels at the generations of women who have crossed (and continue to cross) oceans on Wharram catamarans.
New system for notifying overseas pleasure craft voyages
The UK government, via Border Force, has introduced the single Pleasure Craft Report (sPCR) service for those travelling to and from the UK on pleasure craft at www.spcr.homeoffice.gov.uk…
12 of the world’s most interesting and best preserved shipwrecks
The discoveries of Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance and, even more recently, HMS Gloucester are a reminder of the rich history and folklore that lurks beneath our keels. Indeed, according to history.co.uk,…
Hot water on board: How to install a system that won’t leave you frozen or fried
I do enjoy a hot shower in my boat and my current vessel, a Trusty T23 displacement motorcruiser, heats the water from the engine up to at least 80°C and…
Why does boat engine oil need changing? What if we didn’t change it?
Why do we change our boat engine oil? A seemingly innocuous question I was asked a few months ago. Because we do? Because it’s dirty? Because the handbook says so?…
Boat propulsion explained: What are the alternatives to diesel inboard engines?
Rarely do we get to choose how our boats are powered. The usual scheme of things is we choose a boat on a myriad of parameters, of which one is…
How I converted my 8m catamaran to run off solar power alone
I’ve always been environmentally conscious and with an increasing concern about climate change, converting my new-to-me sailboat to fully electric propulsion was an idea that just wouldn’t leave my mind.…
First evidence of GRP boats’ “cancerous” impact on aquatic life
The ‘really worrying’ findings by University of Brighton researchers who undertook studies off the coast of Hampshire and West Sussex have worldwide implications, yet there is no practical solution for…
Channel Hopping: Look out Maître CoQ, here comes Guirec Soudée!
Our resident YouTube aficionado Kass Schmitt wonders if the reigning Vendée Globe champion risks being dethroned by a rookie with a chicken.
Lewmar Epsilon review: New generation anchor takes holding power to the next level
New generation anchors with holding power well beyond that of the previous common shapes, including the CQR, Bruce and a whole host of their derivatives, have been with us for…
What I learned from towing my 24ft keelboat 1,000 miles from Italy to the UK
The J24 World Championships in Italy were coming to an end and talk turned to the journey home. We’d originally flown in while another of the team towed the boat…
Freeman 22 used boat report: Comfortable motor cruiser with an interesting engine
Motor boats have never really appealed to me, simply because I can’t fix them when they go wrong, which inevitably they will. The idea of being stuck out at sea…