At this time of year, especially on a rare warm winter fine day, I like to sit in Aurial’s cockpit and let my eye and mind wander over the marina…
Philippa Park
Jonty Pearce: Seduction of the sea
The physical aspect of on board romance is a subject rarely covered by the yachting press. We know many sailors do participate in a bit of nookie afloat, but few…
Jonty Pearce: The shortest day
Christmas is coming and the geese are getting fat. The turkeys are looking worried and getting twitchy when cranberry sauce is mentioned. It seems improbable, but in the middle of…
Jonty Pearce: An Ex Purt
As our experience and sailing skills grow, sailors may become at risk of considering themselves experts. Indeed, those of us foolhardy enough to dare to put pen to paper are…
January 2016
See what's inside the January 2016 issue of Yachting Monthly
Jonty Pearce: Secret Water
No, not that one – this Secret Water is our very own. And although Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons never visited, this is the very type of waterway where they…
Jonty Pearce: The Ultimate Sacrifice
The humble sacrificial strip is prepared to perform self-immolative Hari-Kari in order to preserve the integrity of our precious genoa sailcloth that lies underneath its protective wrapping. Often gaily coloured,…
Libby Purves December 2015 Podcast
Some gloomy health charity informs us that one in three of us will face dementia. The figures were picked up, crunched, explained and debunked on that magnificent BBC Radio 4…
Tom Cunliffe December 2015 Podcast
When I was a nipper, the footwear favoured by fashionable British sailors was blue canvas pumps. Upmarket versions had non-slip rubber soles for grip. The rest of us made do…
Dick Durham December 2015 Podcast
Each wave hit the boat broadside with a loud slap and bashed her hull against the rocky sea wall. Her starboard bilge keel was smashed off, just a row of…