Boating_Sailing
Practical Boat Owner
Bonny big waves
Crew training and a delivery trip provide an exhilarating start to the sailing season
3 min |
Summer 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Concerns over what's in HVO fuel
Switching recreational vessels from fossil diesel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is a way to reduce your boat's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions without modifying your current diesel engine.
1 min |
Summer 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Ella plans to sail solo round the Arctic
British yachtswoman Ella Hibbert is undertaking an expedition to become the first person to sail solo, non-stop, around the Arctic—an achievement only made possible by the alarming pace of sea ice decline.
1 min |
Summer 2025
Practical Boat Owner
East Coast to West Baltic
Carl and Trina Buck sail their Bavaria 38 from Norfolk to the Baltic, Sweden's Bohuslan archipelago and East Danish islands
7 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Can you trust your anchor chain?
It’s all well and good having a solid anchor, but having ground tackle that’s going to keep you secure is equally important, says Vyv Cox
9 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
BUYERS GUIDE Which chartplotter?
Furuno’s NAVNet TZtouch 3 range is available in 10in and 13in screens. An ‘XL’ version is available in 16, 22 and 24in all-glass MFDs. ‘Hybrid control’ means you can edge-swipe and tap for the menu, or use buttons in rough sea conditions.
3 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Storm-damaged mast forestay repair
Winston Collinge and his boating pal John Beck repair the mast of a 40-year-old Colvic Atlanta following severe weather
4 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Praising solo sailing women
May’s a good month to recall the exploits of several inspiring solo-sailing women
3 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Out of the fog and into the future
Paul Jones, a dab hand with a sextant, was reluctant to get to grips with electronic navigation-but now he teaches both methods!
8 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Latest check in and out ports in France
Easier check-in and check-out will continue in some marinas in France.
1 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Collision ships didn't have lookouts on their bridges, says interim report
The importance of keeping a good lookout has been highlighted in an interim report into a fatal collision between an oil tanker and cargo ship off the coast of East Yorkshire.
1 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Jeanneau Sun Fast 32 & Sun Odyssey
Hunter Channel 31 | Beneteau First 31.7 | Legend 326 Beneteau Oceanis 323 | Hanse 320 | Elan 333 | X-332
10 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Making the switch
Ali Wood recalls her first passage using electronic charts
4 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Boat canvas and sail care
The experts at boatcare share tips on how to look after sails and canvaswork to ensure they last
6 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
The luxury imperative
Cruising strategies for post-Trump austerity
3 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
10 ways to save fuel
As costs rise, Jake Kavanagh looks at the simple ways boaters can use less fuel and energy when motoring
9 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO Chartplotters
Whether you're new to boating or looking to enhance your navigation with a phone, tablet or MFD, Ali Wood runs through the options
10+ min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Overfalls, headlands and tidal races
Delivery skipper Ben Lowings examines how to prepare for and sail in these sometimes challenging waters
10 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
New joint industry-standard contract template for yacht brokers
A new joint industry-standard Sale and Purchase Agreement for professional yacht brokers has been launched by the Association of Brokers and Yacht Agents (ABYA) and the British Marine Boat Retailers and Brokers Association (BRBA).
1 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Pointer 30
This sleek and sporty weekend-sailer from the Netherlands has plenty of appeal for the coastal sailor, as Theo Stocker found
10 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Silhouette Mk3 vs Corribee Mk2
Robert Tucker-designed cruisers for between £800 and £3,500
4 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Global phenomenon
The Dinghy Cruising Association may be 70 years old-but it's never been so on trend, reports Laura Hodgetts
10 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Wiring in a new dashboard
Computer engineer Stew Proud dusts off his wiring skills to update the switch panel in his Aquastar Ocean Ranger 33 motor cruiser
5 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
An alternative to varnish
Don't be a slave to varnish. Louise Ras tells how she transitioned to wood oil instead
6 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Achieving some sort of serenity
The answer to the groundhog day of unending varnishing is blowing in the wind
2 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Mandatory pyrotechnic use 'nonsensical'
'Two red hand flares and two orange smoke flares' are on the list of lifesaving appliances required on small sea-going commercial vessels for sport or pleasure use, in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) draft Sport & Pleasure Vessel Code of Practice.
2 min |
July 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Fixing holes in an inflatable tender
Paul Diamond repairs a dinghy that was chewed by rodents
4 min |
May 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Westons Point 27
A semi-bespoke gentleman's launch in cedar strip construction, the Westons Point 27 is a real head-turner that oozes traditional craftsmanship, as David Harding reports
9 min |
May 2025
Practical Boat Owner
'Can I trust this mooring?'
Most sailors use traditional moorings without knowing about their condition or how they're made up. Ben Sutcliffe-Davies explains
8 min |
May 2025
Practical Boat Owner
MOB in the Mersey
Solo sailor Tony Purcell discovered how quickly a tricky situation can develop when he fell overboard his 42ft yacht on a busy tidal river
7 min |