David Sloan discovers the simple navigational error that turned his parents’ Channel hop into a near disaster
Seamanship
Colregs vs racing rules: How understanding racing rules can help cruisers keep clear
Racing fleets can be intimidating, especially during busy regattas like Cowes Week or the Round the Island Race, where you’ll find more boats racing than nearly any regatta on earth.…
Nav in a nutshell: When the wind bends
Any number of factors can affect the wind near land on coastal voyages, says Dick Everitt.
New Zealand to Fiji on a 26-footer – learning from experience
Euan Crawford experienced mixed fortunes when he and his girlfriend sailed their uninsured, un-surveyed, 30-year-old Raven 26 from New Zealand to Fiji.
Nav in a nutshell: Deploy the thinking man’s passage plan
Brain power is still best for calculating weather, wind and tidal information, says Dick Everitt
Nav in a nutshell: How to deal with wind shifts
Tacking inside a ‘cone’ can help you to harness changes in wind direction, explains Dick Everitt.
Trapped in a locker in a sinking yacht
As if loss of steering and starting to sink wasn’t bad enough, John Broadhead was forced to keep a cool head and think quickly when he became trapped in a…
Nav in a nutshell: Making comfortable progress to windward
Why make heavy going in choppy conditions when a less demanding alternative heading will get you to your destination in about the same time? Asks Dick Everitt.
Force 6 man overboard recovery
David Harding and the crew of the Mystery 35 Agatha braved a wintry Force 6 to bring you their top tips for man-overboard rescue
How to prevent seasickness – understanding the causes and the most effective treatments
Dr Ed Reeves outlines a variety of treatments intended to alleviate the misery of seasickness – while noting that prevention is better than cure, in this extract from Heavy Weather
Novice Day Skipper sets sail
Newly-qualified RYA Day Skipper Laura Hodgetts charters a yacht around the Sporades islands and the Gulf of Volos
Nav in a nutshell: Lee bowing defined
Dick Everitt explains how you can get a little lift from the tide
Nav in a nutshell: Tacking to clear a headland
Simple step-by-step chartwork can show us when we’ll need to tack to clear a headland, says Dick Everitt.
Nav in a nutshell: Curved track or straight?
GPS will keep us on the straight and narrow by constantly showing how much we need to adjust our heading for changes in tide, wind and boat speed.
Man Overboard – using a lifesling
Using a lifesling to make contact with and recover a man overboard.
Video: Man Overboard – recovery under power
Getting back to a man overboard under power
Video: Man Overboard – Quick Stop method
The RORC-recommended Quick-Stop method of getting back to a MOB.
Video: Man overboard – the reach-tack-reach method
‘Man overboard!’ It’s a cry that chills the blood. But most of us go sailing to relax and enjoy some time afloat, and even the most well-meaning of us will…
Nav in a nutshell: How to use a Breton Plotter
Breton Plotters are simple to use in practice, but tricky to explain on paper – it’s much easier if you have one in front of you as you follow the…
Nav in a nutshell: Shaping a course
GPS is not infallible, so it makes sense to know the basics of shaping a rough ‘course to steer’ on a paper chart, says Dick Everitt.