Every year there are a number of oceanic and short course yacht races all over the world that people of all levels of experience participate in. There are three classics (amongst others) – the Fastnet, the Transatlantic Race are major oceanic races, while Cowes Week is one of the oldest and most famous short course […]
Fancy an endless summer, cruising the Caribbean in winter and the Med in summer? Perhaps you’d like to work aboard a yacht that’s bigger than your dad’s house and help those with money to spare enjoy their lives to the full? One way to do this is to get your professional endorsements on your country’s […]
Reading these blogs you’ll be aware by now that I feel that the adventure has been stolen from yacht racing. Whether being able to watch someone eat their breakfast live on the internet at Point Nemo on the South Pacific in the next Volvo Ocean Race, or two supermaxi trimarans preparing to race around the […]
One of the major draws to sailing is that it is an adventure. The water and seas change from hour to hour, and even on a calm day off the south coast of England there’s always a chance you could end up in a dramatic event with a story to tell when you get […]
From a sailor’s or landlubber’s point of view, motor cruising seems easy enough – get everyone aboard, make sure the beer is cool, turn the key and set the ‘d-sail’. Off you go! Right…? Wrong, actually. There are a number of things to consider before you set foot on any vessel, and it is advisable […]
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 […]
Looking 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 […]
All 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 […]
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 […]
When 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 […]