When you think of sailing as a sport and a hobby, you tend to think of the physical skills learned, whether trimming sails, maintaining an engine or navigation. Research is increasingly showing that there is far more to learning to sail than the physical acts of taking a boat onto the water and sailing it […]
Chartering a boat and sailing with your children can be a fun family bonding experience. It can be great fun to teach your children about sailing and about maritime matters, and you get to spend some time in some breathtakingly beautiful places while you do it. There are many ways to ensure that you have […]
Last week I reported on the Volvo Ocean Team Vestas Wind running aground on shoals 270 miles off Mauritius. The team have admitted human error in the accident, discussing exactly what happened in a press conference you can listen to here. Essentially the navigator didn’t spot the shoal on his electronic charting system so plotted […]
The Danish Volvo Ocean Race competitor Team Vestas Wind hit a reef near Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and has been abandoned. The vessel hit the coral reef at around 15 knots, and the stern was jammed on the reef, the impact having broken off her two rudders. The crew abandoned ship before dawn as […]