Back in the days of commercial sail, some skippers took pride in never letting the focsle hands know where they were, or how far they had to go before they could roister ashore for a drink. …
A heavy hitter?
Clouds like this brute were common this summer, but there will be lots around in the autumn too. It goes without saying that you shorten down and kit up before it arrives. To access this …
Doubling the Anchor
Anchoring in tidal rivers, as many of us must do for much of our cruising, tends to be a messy business, with the hook having to re-set itself on each turn of the tide... To access this …
Lurching along on the crest of a wave
Keeping a tiller-steered yacht on course in an awkward sea at night can be like trying to achieve straight, level flight on a gusty day in a WW1 biplane. To access this post, you must …
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Great Circle
If you’ve just cruised to the Caribbean and are about to sail home from America, consider this: plotting a great circle course (the shortest way across the outside of a sphere) used to involve special …
Secure the sheet
By all means ease the mainsheet when dropping the sail, but before anyone goes up to stow it, the boom should be secured amidships. To access this post, you must purchase The Sea Chest …
