Boating-sailing
Practical Boat Owner
An adventure to St Kilda
Marsali Taylor swaps skippering her Offshore 8m for being crew on a converted herring drifter, with comfy berths in the former fish hold
8 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Mast refit and upgrade
Nicholas Koligiannis explains how he improved the mast on his Albin Ballad
5 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Making more noise in fog
Nick Tyler takes the guesswork out of broadcasting fog signals
3 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Solo across the Pacific
Triple amputee Craig Wood sailed into the history books with a non-stop, 90-day, 7,506-mile unassisted voyage
8 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Al-assisted Shipping Forecasts
The Met Office has released new data showing a decade of steady improvement in the UK Shipping Forecast, with wind speed and sea state accuracy up by 10% or more.
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Bligh-ted reputation
Making the case for the mutiny on the Bounty's much maligned Captain Bligh
3 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Wiper motor repair
Richard Stone mends his deck saloon windscreen wipers
2 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
'Let someone know boat plans' says report into fatal man overboard incident
The importance of designating a shore contact before setting off on a boat trip has been highlighted following a fatal man overboard incident near Inishbofin, Co. Galway, Ireland.
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
LITHIUM BATTERIES latest safety advice
Marine engineer and surveyor Marcus Jones unpicks the confusion surrounding the use of lithium batteries and what you should consider if installing them on board your boat
8 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
How to winterise your motor boat
Jon Mendez explains the steps you need to take to ensure your boat stays in top condition for next season
4 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Sailing on sunshine
Topping up the batteries with solar power has never been easier, but how do you decide which type to buy?
10+ min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Impact of vital Atlantic current collapse
The collapse of a critical Atlantic current can no longer be considered a low-likelihood event, a study has concluded.
3 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Imray charts and books - from Vienna
The future of paper charts has entered a positive 'new chapter' as the leading publisher of nautical information for leisure sailors commences operations in Vienna, Austria, under its new guise as FB Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson GmbH (FB Imray).
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Trawling the literature
Tales from the wilder shores of words
3 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Sports cruiser modification
Tony Davies' couldn't find his dream boat 'off the shelf' so he took matters into his own hands with a 1978 Reinell 26-footer
10+ min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Safety lines save life of solo Mini Globe Race sailor after MOB
External safety lines, rigged from the bow to the stern on both sides of the Mini Globe Race boat, Sunbear, have been credited with saving the life of entrant Eric Marsh.
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
The spirit of sailing
Singing the praises of the Flying Fifteen-an attractive, self-righting and popular fixed-keel dinghy that sails brilliantly
5 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Time to simplify the Beaufort Scale?
John Savage argues that the empirical measure needs an update
5 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
ARC Live and ARC Radio for ruby year
Two new media channels will enable online viewers to follow the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) sailors' adventures as the transatlantic cruise in company celebrates its 40th year.
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Understanding rigging failure + HOW TO PREVENT IT
Nick Cook from Technical Marine Supplies (TMS) explains what affects rigging lifespan and what to look out for
10+ min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
What will the Gibraltar Agreement do?
The location and status of Gibraltar have made it a popular destination for cruising sailors in the past, to both reset the EU Temporary Admission VAT clock and to pause the Schengen 90/180 days clock.
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Boats for Scandinavian cruising
Phil Clandillon looks at the best second-hand yachts for sailing the Stockholm Archipelago
10+ min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Three women and their wooden boats
Julia Jones looks at the lives of Peter Gerard, Clare Allcard and Rozelle Raynes, notable 20th century sailors and boat owners
9 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
WHAT TO WEAR WHEN SAILING...
Ali Wood explores clothing options for dinghies to day boats and offshore cruisers
10+ min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Second chance to comment on Personal Locator Beacon registration
A 'fresh consultation' has been launched to enable more people to have their say on proposals to make search and rescue responses to Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) more efficient and effective.
1 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Not a day for boating
One of those 'have to go' situations that boat owners try to avoid in a tough little Pionier 12
3 min |
January 2026
Practical Boat Owner
Henri-Lloyd Explorer 3.0 trousers
At first look, I wasn't entirely convinced by the four-way stretch recycled polyester fabric of these trousers.
1 min |
December 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Top Tactics training aid for young sailors
The idea for this was sparked by 10-yearold Optimist sailor Evie Robertson (left), who wanted a training aid she could use to practise racing at home, including visualising the start line, the marks, and the many situations that can happen out on the water.
1 min |
December 2025
Practical Boat Owner
More accurate hole drilling
Gilbert Park scans a cleat to make a drilling template
1 min |
December 2025
Practical Boat Owner
Fully recyclable sailcloth available at Crusader
Crusader Sails is now offering Marblehead ECO sailcloth. Manufactured by the US company Challenge Sailcloth, the woven cloth is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles (2,336 plastic bottles for a mainsail on a 40ft boat, according to Challenge) and has the same properties as virgin fibre. It is also 100% recyclable at the end of its life.
1 min |