Secrets of Swallows and Amazons

Sophie Neville explains how her role as Titty in the Arthur Ransome classic forged a lifelong love for the iconic dinghy Swallow

BEST USED YACHTS PRICED £40,000-£50,000

Peter Poland shortlists the best in a growing stock of pre-loved sailing yachts in this popular price bracket, featuring varied design trends

Fête du Flobart

Prolific boat owner Clive Marsh sings the praises of Sussex beach boats and their French sisters, the Normandy Flobarts

Shakedown preparations

Shortly before the post-restoration voyage to Poole, Ali Wood gets to grips with the rewire, new electronics and passage planning

Overpowered on the Atlantic coast

Shannon Deconinck recalls a challenging sail around Cabo de São Vicente in southern Portugal, a headland renowned for its surf

First world problems

Chris Pearsall, whose yacht sank during a single-handed voyage in the Med, reflects on the circumstances now facing his Ukrainian rescuer

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A man in three boats

Gilbert Park has a white knuckle experience saving three boats from Storm Eunice

Gulf Stream adventure

Roger Hughes sails his brigantine schooner Britannia along the largest of the world’s currents

A Falcon in Loch Ness

Prolific boat owner Clive Marsh charters a roomy 36ft Van de Stadt steel ketch for a pleasant cruise on Scotland’s Caledonian Canal

Easy ways to sail better

Rupert Holmes shares some expert tips on how to make your boat easier to handle, sail faster and safer with better manners

A rediscovered boat for all reasons

Once used by the trappers, traders and hunters of the New World, the Adirondack Guide Boat is just as relevant today, says Roger Nadin

Made in Germany

Peter Poland looks at ‘fantastisch’ 30-footers that have proved how a hobby can become a multi-million euro business

Why do we change our engine oil?

PBO's engine whisperer Stu Davies ponders the not-so-silly question

Taking the lead: best 30ft French yachts

Few would dispute that the French production yacht builders have left British builders floundering in their wake, writes Peter Poland

RS Pulse 63 Electric RIB

Jake Frith ponders whether a 23 knot RIB could change the world

ResQLink V FastFind PLBS

Fox Morgan takes a closer look at the PLBs with Return Link Service

Post-Brexit Channel Hop

The sailing was fantastic, the admin a little onerous and the French Border Patrol visit a surprise - Steve Hodges and Sam McClements share their first post-Brexit Channel hop experience

Propulsion options

Inboard diesel engines are common for sailing cruisers, but there are other ways to power a boat, as Stu Davies explains

Orca encounter left our yacht rudderless

Zoe Barlow shares her experience of losing a rudder when targeted by orcas while on passage from Spain to Morocco

Dinghy disasters

A former inspector with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Owen Brown reflects on sailing adventures that taught him safety lessons

Italy to England trailer-sailer tow

Alice Driscoll recalls driving and towing a 10m-long car and trailer combo carrying a J24 keelboat, 1,000 miles home from Lake Garda

Eco power for a cruising cat

The expansive deck of an 8m Catalac catamaran proves to be a huge asset for Simon Milward's solar electric propulsion project

Freeman 22 Mk2

A comfortable little motor cruiser with an interesting engine

All Sail Week

Tough as old boots, brave as lions, has our ancestors' innate skilfulness become extinct?

Best British-built cruisers around 32ft

Peter Poland shares his expertise on British-built second-hand yachts costing less than £30,000, which are comfortable and seaworthy

Solo sailing around Scotland's Small Isles

Paul Radcliffe takes advantage of good weather to explore the islands off the west coast of Scotland

Alternatives to gas

Rupert Holmes encourages a broad-minded approach to onboard cooking appliances and gadgets

A guide to seal spotting

Can you tell the difference between a common seal and a grey seal? Genevieve Leaper shares some identification tips

Replace or rebuild?

At what point is keeping an old diesel engine throwing good money after bad? PBO expert Stu Davies has some tips to help you decide