As a youngster I grew up in awe of the world’s great yacht race the Whitbread (now the Volvo Ocean Race). Giants of men put their vessels and teams together and went around the world as fast as possible with few electronic navigation or weather forecasting aids, and achieved great feats by comparison to what […]
Continue ReadingLooking at single hulled boats (monohulls) and two or three hulled boats (multihulls) there is the obvious difference of the number of hulls (nah, really?!) but there are also a number of differences in the way they sail. The differences are great enough that it is advisable to do either a Multihull Conversion Course or […]
Continue ReadingAll clubs thrive or die by the input of their membership. Last week, for the first family fun race of the season, no one had volunteered as a race official at my club. With 15 sailors turning up, the perfect mix of sun and winds, there could have been some very disappointed sailors until the […]
Continue ReadingGoing to sea is ultimately about self reliance. The further you plan to go the less of a chance of being bailed out should you really get into trouble. Even the fastest rescue helicopters can only go 150mph so 300 miles out to sea you’re 2 hours from being rescued, and they are limited in […]
Continue ReadingWhen someone new to sailing and boating thinks of a yachting course, they will naturally think of navigation or physically getting from A-B. Where these are certainly important, there are a number of short courses that, wherever you are in the world, are important additions to your nautical learning – and will help you become […]
Continue ReadingA lot of learning to be a good sailor is to get your head around the mathematics of a passage. Whether predicting where you will be on crossing a tidal stream or factoring in leeway into an upwind passage, or working out where to stow your provisions for a trip to effectively balance your boat, […]
Continue ReadingIf you’re from the temperate climes of the northern hemisphere, having a good grip on what the weather is doing is a core skill in being able to plan a passage out to sea. In northern Europe, processions of gales frequently wreck your plans for a trip out to sea, where even in the Mediterranean […]
Continue ReadingThroughout my writing for The Boating Hub I have made quite a few jokes about how one sailing qualification or another won’t prepare you for a trans oceanic voyage. Whether the top sailing qualification in Luxembourg, or a day sailing certificate from any one of a number of other countries, a basic knowledge of sailing […]
Continue ReadingIn previous blog posts we have looked at how disability shouldn’t be an issue preventing you from competing among the best. This post will look at how women have routinely out competed men in offshore sailing – when racing offshore, it really doesn’t matter what gender you are, just as long as you can outfox […]
Continue ReadingOne of the reasons many people are hesitant to take to the water is having a lack of control over their fate. Every time you set foot on a boat, you cede control to the powers of nature – even on a gin clear, flat calm day it is an adventure where something could happen. […]
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