Boating-sailing
Practical Boat Owner
Ocean racing... who'd do it?
Margaret Norris muses on what it takes to sail around the world – from the first 1968/9 Golden Globe Race to the current Vendée Globe
5 min |
February 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Keep your cool
Roger Hughes vents his engine room
7 min |
February 2021
Practical Boat Owner
What to do when lightning strikes
Alex and Daria Blackwell offer some valuable tips for protecting yourself and your boat
8 min |
February 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Engineless cruising
Follow creek-sailor Tony Smith’s tips for a slower, quieter pace of life
5 min |
February 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Back to the future
Peter Poland tracks the development of modern British gaff riggers
10+ min |
February 2021
Practical Boat Owner
A boat for our time?
The ‘less is more’ philosophy is beautifully encapsulated in the Hunter Ranger 245, which later became the Channel 245. David Harding reports
10+ min |
February 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Liveaboards In Autumn
Hermione Pattison’s family make the most of the Chesapeake before winter draws in
5 min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Winter project
Jim Pottinger spent the winter months restoring a sorry looking Dell Quay Fisher to her former glory
6 min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Stop the boat!
Gilbert Park installs a wireless kill cord on his planing sports cruiser
4 min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Practical motorboating
Powerboating has rarely been more affordable or more popular. Jake Kavanagh has some top tips for beginners and old hands
10+ min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
The night the hurricane hit
Roger Hughes prepares his schooner for 150mph winds
10+ min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Floating in air
Rupert Holmes explains some essential weather knowledge to help interpret forecasts on the water
10+ min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
DIY navigation lights upgraded with LEDs
Roger Hughes upgrades his 42-year-old navigation lights with LED lamp replacements and is delighted with the result
4 min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Capsize off Vementry
Marsali Taylor remembers how she came to grief through going too far out in a small dinghy
10+ min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Know your boat by numbers
Øyvind Bordal explains how form stability and polar diagrams can help you choose the right boat for your kind of sailing
8 min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
200 islands in a dinghy
Ken Fowler sets sail on a unique challenge to round all the islands of England and Wales, and learns some intriguing history along the way
10+ min |
January 2021
Practical Boat Owner
Skipper's diary
From wacky watches to pirate boats, Simon Warner shares some eye-opening excerpts from his transatlantic diary
5 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
The return of trading under sail
Sail power is making a comeback as the shipping industry reduces costs and carbon emissions, Rupert Holmes reports
10+ min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
When my heart ruled my head!
Richard Carvell learned valuable lessons when he bought an iconic offshore cruiser
7 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Lifejacket: the vital safety aid
Knowledge of the sea – and wearing a lifejacket – are the best ways to stay safe
3 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Back to school
Uncovering the truth about lifelong learning
4 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Top tender tips
From boarding to sculling, hull type and maintenance, John Tylor shares some sensible advice about using small dinghies
10+ min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Timing the tides to Tobermory
Brian Lennon plans a tricky non-stop sail between Skerries, his Irish home port, and the Inner Hebrides harbour of Tobermory
9 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Short cut to a long cut
Andrew Morton describes how saving time led to trouble on Gigha
4 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Dinghy cruising in the Bristol Channel
Annabel Bowker-Dance describes the joys and challenges of dinghy sailing in the Severn Estuary
4 min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
360 degrees of horizon
The Warner family talk to Ali Wood about the highs and lows of an Atlantic crossing
10+ min |
December 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Bringing clarity to varnish
The tricky problem of getting wood to shine
3 min |
November 2020
Practical Boat Owner
The amazing history of rope
Do you know your hemp from your manila and the surprising qualities of Dyneema? Roger Hughes untangles the mysteries of rope
6 min |
November 2020
Practical Boat Owner
The history of forecasting
Margaret Norris charts the incredible role of Robert FitzRoy in the development of the Met Office
2 min |
November 2020
Practical Boat Owner
Tales from a tall ship
Bill Howlett recalls a youthful week on board TS Sir Winston Churchill that cemented his love of sailing (if not a love of heights)
6 min |