Pilotage is a tricky yachting skill for a skipper to master, but also one of the most satisfying. James Stevens has the inside track on picking up the techniques
navigation
Animated weather, tides and currents now available on Orca
UK Met Office forecast data is now available free to all Orca users, with animated weather, tides and currents overlaid directly onto charts
What is S-100 and how will it affect the future of electronic charts?
“S-100 is indeed a great step forward. However, it does not promise any new chart data in the areas where leisure boaters frequent", says the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN)…
Get the most out of your chartplotter with these setup tips
How often do you stop and really sit down with your chartplotter? Navigators are necessarily tunnel visioned once under way: they’re only interested in where they are and where they…
How to replace polarising film on your instrument screen
Andy Pag tries to fix the display screen on his Raymarine ST6001 autopilot control unit
Plan to secure future of nautical publisher Imray paper charts
Good news for Imray's paper charts: the nautical publisher and freytag & berndt aim to “ensure the continued availability” of Imray's paper charts and books
When your electronic navigation autoroute settings go wrong
Gilbert Park helps a fellow motorboater achieve his first voyage to the Channel Islands and gets a lesson in the perils of relying on electronic navigation
End of Imray paper charts: historic publisher to phase out chart publishing in 2025
Imray, the leading publisher of nautical information for leisure sailors, will cease its paper chart publishing operations in 2025.
8 expert pilotage tips for sailors
You’ve made a pilotage plan: now’s the time to put it to the test. Sticky Stapylton explains pilotage techniques that’ll keep you safe on the water
Becoming a Day Skipper
From classroom conundrums to night-time navigation, dinghy instructor Margaret Norris decides to give big boats a go
Why you should still make a passage plan
Cruising guide author Robert Bailey explains the importance of not being completely dependent on electronic chartplotters and why it is still vital to make a passage plan
Basic survival celestial navigation
Making a ‘mer pass’ observation is one of the simplest, yet most useful navigation tools for sailors to possess, explains Jay Renton
Crossing the Channel: 10 factors for a trouble-free voyage
What could go wrong while crossing the Channel? Ken Endean considers possible difficulties
Blind navigation: how to find your way in restricted visibility
Is blind navigation a foggy notion for Yachtmasters, or a useful seamanship skill? PBO investigates
Could this new routing software from Oceata change the way you sail?
Oceata is about to launch new routing software, which will allow you to optimise your passage using real time weather information
Withdrawal of Admiralty paper charts delayed until 2030
The withdrawal of Admiralty paper charts is to be delayed until at least 2030 to allow for the development of digital alternatives
Mast trim for explosive-filled SS Richard Montgomery shipwreck
The Department for Transport wants to trim the SS Richard Montgomery masts as it is feared they could fall on to the shipwreck below and cause a detonation.
New South Wales sailing adventure: 8 lighthouses in 18 hours
Owen Moorhouse recalls a cruise along the coast of New South Wales and reflects on the history and landmarks of his home waters
Sailing Orkney’s remote lochs and challenging headlands
Charmian Entwistle discovers ancient ruins, remote lochs and challenging headlands on a four-week Scottish cruise from Isle of Skye to Orkney in a 42ft yacht
Theft of rare £1m lighthouse lantern prompts £5,000 reward and appeal
Crimestoppers is offering a £5,000 reward for information that leads to a stolen lighthouse lantern, one of only three in the world, being recovered