Long-haul cruising CHECKLIST

Jimmy Cornell boils down decades' worth of world cruising surveys to find the factors that affect voyage success

Boats for cruising around the UK

Duncan Kent chooses the best sail and motor boats under 40ft for circumnavigating the islands of Britain and Ireland

Traditional Broads motor cruisers

Why large wooden traditional cruisers such as the 43ft Silver Jubilee class are Clive and his wife's favourite holiday charter vessels

Calm day antics

Getting close to seabirds, achieving a level horizon... and not dropping the camera

Death of the compass?

Navigation-what's hot and what's not

A narrow escape

Dave struggles to remember why owning a classic boat is such a privilege...

Fair winds to yachtsman Duncan Lougee

Tributes have been paid to a solo skipper who disappeared while sailing his 25ft Folkboat from the UK's south coast to Ireland as part of the Jester Baltimore Challenge.

Dreamboats

Travels among the Great Unlaunched

It's the voices

When you can’t do right for doing wrong, doing wrong Is the right thing to do

Cruising through mountainous Wales

Charles Beddingfield takes a nostalgic tour of Milford Haven and the Pembrokeshire coast

How NOT to start the sailing season

It's like the boat-launching Olympics for Greg Manning as he leaps hurdles and avoids cutting corners to cover 1,920 miles back and forth in 15 days to get his yacht safely afloat

Safe mast climbing

Most of us prefer to climb the mast when safely alongside, but what if you have to climb it at sea? Pip Hare shares tips and techniques

e-Cat conversion

Michael Sanatani’s electrification of a British fishing catamaran into a Canadian family cruiser

Frank and Margaret Dye

Roger Barnes reflects on the legacy of small-boat sailors Frank and Margaret Dye

Lost at sea

Cruising pioneer Peter Tangvald's son, Thomas, disappeared after sailing from South America in 2014. Kathy Catton recalls her memories of him

A modern take on the traditional proa

Ali Wood finds out more about visionary designer Rob Denney

Hull design HOW IT IMPACTS PERFORMANCE

Peter Poland explains how hull design has evolved over the years and how this affects boat handling and accommodation

Crossing Wide Bay bar

crossing John Tylor recalls a treacherous sideways, and while asleep-on the tropical Queensland coast with his good friend Don

Essential checks for chainplates

As long as our chainplates aren't leaking, few of us give them a second thought. But should we be checking more closely? Surveyor Ben Sutcliffe-Davies explains what to look out for

Understanding electrics: switches and relays

Pat Manley and Oliver Ballam demystify boat electrics, starting with switches and relays

Learning how to restore old boats

Inspired by a stunning homebuilt yacht, Ali Wood visits the Boat Building Academy to learn how any of us can become boatbuilders

DIY £200 chartplotter

John Calton builds his own 10in touchscreen chartplotter with GPS and AIS for a fraction of the cost of an off-the-shelf system

Bilge pump mystery

Zoran Glozinic buys a suspiciously low priced bilge pump with a design flaw... but it proves just the job for his project boat

How to cross Biscay

Crossing Biscay is a rite of passage for many sailors: Rachael Sprot has expert advice on how to handle the 'Golfe de Gascogne'

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE - Cruising Europe

Sailing to the EU this summer? The Cruising Association shares its advice on what you need to know for a stress-free cruise

Rig design THE PROS & CONS

Peter Poland looks at the history of popular rig designs and how the different types affect boat performance

Tideway 10 GUNTER OR LUGGER?

The trailerable TW10 has the benefits of her sister vessel, the Tideway 12, but is lighter and easier to launch and recover by hand

Regattas again!

Camaraderie, competition, mussel float dodging and home-made blueberry muffins

Modern classic, swollen head

The many perfumes of Memory Lane

Magna charter

Why exotic sailing holidays abroad are not necessarily all they're cracked up to be