**Every month Yachting Monthly's resident skills expert, Rachael Sprot answers a reader's question. This month how would you try to avoid this tidal marina collision?** Roscoff Marina is one of the few all-tide ports in North Brittany. However, whilst it doesn’t have any depth restrictions, …Continue reading » The post How would you try to avoid this tidal marina collision? appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Spinnakers and cruising chutes tend to be made from woven nylon. Check your mainsail’s draught regularly to identify signs of sagging. Photo: Shutterstock. **Extend the life of sails with these sail care basics, and chose the best sail types and materials for your cruising style.** High-tech laminate sails may sound appealing, but conventional woven sails remain a better all-round option for cruising – as long …Continue reading » The post Sail care: how to get the best from your sails with basic repairs and proper cleaning appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Anchored in a quiet loch on the west coast of Scotland, Katherine Knight discovered the seabed was barren mud. She raised a small community and set out to replant the underwater desert with life-giving seagrass** The ragged inlets and wild rocky islands of Argyll are the place that I call home. For almost a decade, …Continue reading » The post Environmental journalism award winner! The sailors working to save Britain’s seagrass meadows appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Enjoy The Silence is the first of the ARC+ yachts to cross the Atlantic to Port Louis Marina, Grenada **All the boats in the ARC+ rally have now sailed safely across the Atlantic from Cabo Verde to the stunning Caribbean island of Grenada, with some of the 86-strong fleet completing the 2,200-mile journey in an incredible 10 days. ** The weather systems on Leg 2 from Mindelo were varied for the fleet with the earlier boats sailing in mostly …Continue reading » The post ARC+ yachts safely across the Atlantic appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**The boat is tucked up for winter, but an unexpected opportunity has sent Pete Goss on an instant, freezing trek following his hero, Shackleton** Whilst the sun makes its way south to drown us in clouds of leaves and darkening skies, so we have …Continue reading » The post Hauling out and heading south: Pete Goss on the unexpected call of the deep appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Andrew Simpson explains the best way to complete a straightforward yet essential onboard maintenance job…** You may need to do this either as a routine check or because the raw water flow through the engine …Continue reading » The post How to replace a raw waterpump appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Caribbean rum cocktails in Grenada, celebrating the successful crossing of the Atlantic. Photo: Simon Hardaker. **Caribbean island customs processes can be complicated, as each one manages it's borders different. Simon Hardaker helps guide you through some of the rules.** There are great pilot guides written by the likes of Doyle and constantly updated online resources like Noonsite, noforeignland and …Continue reading » The post Your guide to navigating Caribbean island customs and immigration while sailing appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Turkish marinas have mastered the five-star service model, but soaring costs are now pricing out the local cruising sailors and owner-cruisers** A few years ago we were at the Istanbul boatshow giving a talk for the wonderful Gezgin Korsan. The ‘Sailing …Continue reading » The post Priced out: Are the days of the ordinary owner-cruiser numbered? – Lu Heikel appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Boats start Leg 2 of the ARC+ from Mindelo for the 2,200miles to Grenada. Photo: James Kenning **The Atlantic crossing challenge remains a significant milestone, and the ARC and ARC+ rallies offer two distinct paths across the pond** Crossing the Atlantic in sailing yachts has been done for decades by those of an independent mindset; they just needed …Continue reading » The post ARC vs ARC+: Which Atlantic Rally is Right for Your Ocean Crossing? appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

There’s no denying taking your family on an Atlantic circuit is a big undertaking. Photo: Justin Halewood **It’s easy to dream about an Atlantic crossing, but actually doing it takes commitment and action. Justin Halewood explains how they did it, and what it cost** We dreamt of sailing the Atlantic for years, but we finally decided to take the plunge and make it a …Continue reading » The post The cost of an Atlantic crossing from one family who did it appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**In the face of Hurricane Ivan, we learned that having proper insurance is the absolute difference between losing your boat and sailing away stronger than ever** The call came through from my wife while I was packing up and getting ready to leave my Dublin hotel …Continue reading » The post Hurricane Ivan’s aftermath: The cost of a Caribbean storm appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Northern Brittany has many anchorages but many of them are drying which makes anchoring a challenge in deep-draught boats. Photo: Detlef Jens **Brittany in winter can be wild, wet and windy and not an obvious choice for spending the off-season on board. But sailing Brittany in particular has many charming advantages, as Detlef Jens found out** This was the one shopping trip that I’ll never forget. Indeed, I’ll probably have fond memories of that particular day …Continue reading » The post Sailing Brittany: ‘To be sure of getting a winter berth, you must reserve months in advance’ appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Photo: Ipswich Maritime Trust. **Send news of your Suffolk-built wooden boats to the Ipswich Maritime Trust to contribute to their register.** The Ipswich Maritime Trust has put a call out for news of wooden boats built in Suffolk to add to …Continue reading » The post Know of any wooden boats built in Suffolk? Ipswich Maritime Trust wants to hear from you appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Photo: Ocean Youth Trust South. **The Association of Sail Training Organisations (ASTO) advocates for sail training as one way to help out-of-sight learners find a way back into education and build community.** ‘We need more ways back in for the young people who have grown distant from classrooms,’ says Kerry McMillan, Chief …Continue reading » The post Sail training provides a way back into education for ‘out-of-sight learners’, says ASTO appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Celebrating 100 years of the BBC Shipping Forecast, Jane Russell takes us on a series of coastal cruises through the forecast sea areas, exploring some of the special places on offer in each of them ** The Forth sea area runs from just north of Stonehaven on the East Aberdeenshire coast southwards to Holy Island off …Continue reading » The post Sailing the Shipping Forecast: Coastal Cruising from Stonehaven to Berwick-upon-Tweed appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Help shape the future of UK sailing by answering the largest-ever RYA survey before Dec 1st.** The RYA has launched the ‘Reflections on Water’ survey, its largest-ever campaign to capture a comprehensive snapshot of life on …Continue reading » The post Sailing participation is in decline, and the RYA survey wants to know what you think appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Photo: The Magenta Project. **As a new survey highlights the major challenges women still face in the marine industry, the Magenta Project has launched the 2025-26 edition of its successful mentoring programme.** The Magenta Project has launched the 10th edition of its successful mentoring programme for 2025/26. The charity, founded in 2015 …Continue reading » The post The Magenta Project launches 10th edition of its successful women’s sailing mentorship appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Photo: Mike Wynne-Powell. **Pre-registration is now open for the Classic Channel Regatta 2026. From 7 - 15 July, the race will bring together a group of international participants for a full calendar of sailing and social events.** The 21st year of the Classic Channel Regatta has been announced for 7-15 July 2026, with pre-registration now open for …Continue reading » The post Race in vintage style with the Classic Channel Regatta 2026 appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**A strong easterly is forecast for the Isles of Scilly—should the crew of Odette risk sailing there to beat the blow, or heed the local skipper’s warning?** Sigma 33, Odette, is cruising the West Country in August and hoping to get to the Scillies. Skippered by Michelle, …Continue reading » The post Can you really only visit Scilly in light winds? appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Credit Dick durham **The arrival of Betty II at Rowhedge’s pontoon started a comedy of errors involving a two-hour limit and a loaned fender.** A hot weekday morning heralded the arrival of Betty II alongside the floating pontoon at Rowhedge, near Colchester. A sign …Continue reading » The post Mooring mayhem: How a two-hour limit led to a close encounter with a high-vis bailiff – Dick Durham appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**The clue is in the name: 160 nautical miles of sailing and 60 miles of mountain running across the gruelling Scottish Islands Peaks Race** The clue is in the name. The Scottish Islands Peaks Race is from Oban to Troon via three islands – …Continue reading » The post The Scottish Islands Peaks Race: No wind, no sleep, and a whole lot of effort appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

Going on a course gives you the chance to try things like going up the mast for rig or instrument checks **A regular rig check is crucial for safety; here's how to inspect and tune your standing rigging, including masthead, spreaders, and bottlescrews** There are many ways a boat’s rigging can fail, but there will also, usually, be important telltale signs indicating that …Continue reading » The post Rig check: How to inspect and tune your standing rigging for maximum safety appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Libby Purves discusses how a new factor in this modern age of cruising is the relationship between the rolling news cycle and crews at sea.** A new factor in this modern age of cruising is the relationship between the rolling news cycle and crews at …Continue reading » The post Getting away from it all? How the relentless news cycle follows you even when sailing offshore appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

**Crewing on other boats is a great way to explore new places, sail new boats and meet new people, but it isn’t without its pitfalls, says Anna Bingham** We’re all different. We have diverse aims, agendas and ways of getting there. All of them are right. So, what …Continue reading » The post How to find the perfect sailing crew match (and avoid know-it-alls) appeared first on Yachting Monthly.

The new Elan SixtyFive is due to launch in early 2027 **The Slovenian yacht builder has announced a radical new direction following a period in which it stopped all boat building. The new fast, luxury carbon yachts are much larger than their previous boats, which will no longer be built** The Slovenian yacht builder has announced a radical new direction following a period in which it stopped all boat building. The new fast, luxury carbon yachts are much larger than their previous boats, which will no longer be built The post Elan unveils radical new range and ditches old yachts appeared first on Yachting Monthly.