Learning to read the weather is core to learning to sail. Whether being able to get an idea if it is safe to go on your sailing trip, or to judge the weather patterns for a longer passage, it really helps to know as much as you can about the science of meteorology. I’d even […]
Last week it came out that the US Navy has added celestial navigation to its officer training programme again. The Royal Navy learned this the hard way recently with its newest ships losing all power at random times due to a design fault and being unable to navigate in sometimes awkward situations! With routine […]
This weekend coming I’m taking my partner on a sailing experience day to see if she could enjoy the sport enough for us to buy a Drascombe Lugger and spend the summer months cruising the Channel and south coast of England. My ideal weather conditions would be a southerly Force 4 in blazing sunshine so […]
Northern Europe and the US East Coast storm season is upon us. Already a cargo ship has sunk with the loss of 30 crew in Hurricane Joaquim. For most people a Force 6 wind is what is termed a ‘yachtsman’s gale’. This piece will look at two shipwrecks in hurricanes and show how, no matter […]
All sailors have fond memories of a brilliant reach they have done in 10 – 12 knots of wind, sat on the windward rail with a beer in hand, watching the coast scream by as their yacht goes as quick as it is designed to go. Add in some sunshine and you have perfect sailing […]
Going 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 […]
A 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, […]
If 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 […]
In 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 […]
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 […]