Nic Compton

Nic Compton is a marine journalist, writer, photographer and former journeyman shipwright. He grew up on boats in the Mediterranean before returning to the UK to complete his formal education.

A former editor of Classic Boat magazine, he has written 20 books, mostly about boats, and regularly contributes to sailing magazines, including Yachting Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and Yachting World.

Nic previously owned a Victoria 26 and now sails his Freedom 33 ketch, Zelda from the River Dart in south Devon.

Kenichi Horie: ‘I want to sail across the Pacific at 100 years old’

May 25, 2023

This sounds like one of those puzzles that do the rounds on social media: Kenichi Horie held the record for being both the youngest and the oldest person to sail…

25 of the best small sailing boat designs

August 10, 2022

Nic Compton looks at the 25 yachts under 40ft which have had the biggest impact on UK sailing

A yacht with no mast about to go under a bridge while canal cruising in France

Canal cruising in France: how to prepare the boat & crew

July 12, 2022

When Nic Compton decided to take his family and their boat to the Mediterranean ‘as the crow flies’, he embarked on a steep learning curve to get boat and crew…

A helicopter hovering over a damage yacht from the 1979 Fastnet Race

1979 Fastnet Race: The race that changed everything

May 18, 2022

Nic Compton investigates how the UK’s worst sailing disaster - the 1979 Fastnet Race - changed the way yachts are designed

Rod Heikell wearing a hat on the deck of the boat

Rod Heikell: Changing the face of Med cruising

May 16, 2022

Rod Heikell published his Greek Waters Pilot 40 years ago, opening up cruising in the Med to thousands. Nic Compton meets the legendary author

Shakedown Sail in a Freedom 33

February 8, 2022

Searching for a new boat to replace our beloved Victoria 26 wasn’t easy, writes Nic Compton. During September 2020, after nine months of looking, we placed a Facebook ad that…

The high cost of disposal often means it is cheaper to abandon GRP boats.

What’s the future for derelict GRP boats?

April 19, 2021

With 9,000 GRP boats abandoned in Europe each year, finding disposal solutions isn't easy. Could new technologies be the answer? Nic Compton finds out