If there’s one trend that’s true across all areas of sailing, it’s that yachts are getting bigger. Advances in technology have made ever-larger yachts more affordable while sail handling systems have evolved to make them easier to handle. Whereas a 50-footer was once likely to be a ‘flagship’, now most manufacturers have at least one model over 50ft, often an entire range, many of them capable of being sailed short-handed.
The trend is repeating among the charter market: Sunsail now offers a 52ft monohull in their bareboat range, making large yachts accessible to those with an RYA Day Skipper Practical certificate and above. Yet there are not many opportunities to train on this size of the vessel. We take a look at some of the factors that need to be considered when making the step-up:
LENGTH
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OCEAN TO OCEAN
A PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT BY YACHT IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE. WE GET ADVICE ON PLANNING THIS UNIQUE PASSAGE FROM SKIPPERS WHO'VE CROSSED RECENTLY
STAY CONNECTED
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHICH SATELLITE COMMUNICATION DEVICE TO USE FOR OCEAN SAILING? BY LEARNING FROM OTHERS! TOBY HODGES CRUNCHES THE DATA FROM 216 SKIPPERS ON THE LATEST ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS
SPECIAL REPORT
JAMES DEVOY ON OCEAN CITIZEN SCIENCE
NEW YACHTS
RUPERT HOLMES REPORTS ON A CROP OF ATTRACTIVE FAST CRUISERS
REFINED RECIPE
HAS BENETEAU MANAGED TO TURN A NICHE SPORTSBOAT INTO A FUN CRUISER? RUPERT HOLMES SAILS THE FIRST 27 TO FIND OUT
HEIGHTENED SENSES
WHISPERING AN ENGINELESS CATBOAT AROUND THE SOUNDS OF MAINE, BILL CHENEY RELIES ON ALL HIS SENSES
OUR ΜΑΝ IN PAΝΑΜΑ
A 5,000-MILE CROSSING FROM PORTUGAL ΤΟ PANAMA TESTED TOR JOHNSON, BUT THE REWARDS WERE WORTH EVERY CHALLENGE
FEEL GOOD FACTOR
40FT A CHIC, CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE CRUISER WITH A SURPRISINGLY SPACIOUS INTERIOR
GEAR FOCUS
SIX OF THE BEST 240V PORTABLE POWER PACKS
CUBA LIBRE
SUZY CARMODY DISCOVERED AN UNSPOILT PARADISE IN SOUTHERN CUBA'S JARDINES DE LA REINA
SOARING ON RED-AND-BLUE WINGS
DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY’S AVIATION VALUE PROPOSITION
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Injured caver rescued after 54 hours stuck underground
A MAN was rescued from one of Britain’s deepest caves last night after spending more than two days trapped inside.
WINDY SR44 BLACK HAWK
Ten years after the SR52 Blackbird blew us away there is a new, smaller SR model ready to take on an ever-growing field of challengers. With a sunny Solent as our playground it was time to put the SR44 through its paces
It's a-row-ha from Hawaii
THREE novice rowers say Aloha in Hawaii after breaking the world record for crossing the Pacific.
Whales just wanna have fun
THESE groovy sea giants are having a whale of a time as they seem to do disco dance moves.
BUYING USED: FAIRLINE TARGA 48
INBUILD 2013-2019 PRICE RANGE £ 480, 000 - £800,000
AN ITALIAN FERVOUR
A restaurant that dazzles with architecture and exquisite food filling up the aroma and ambience is an exceptional dining experience.
Young at heart
From the sublime to the ridiculous, Tony Jackson explores some of the more unusual fieldsports adopted by our ancestors when times were tough. Beetle fight, anyone?
BOSUN'S BAG
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR THE TRADITIONAL BOATER