It felt great to be heading out to sea once more on a classic American cruise. The forecast was for an enjoyable sail to San Francisco over the next few…
cruising
Sailing to Scotland: flitting north to a new home
Flitting is a traditional Scottish expression for moving house so our decision to move from Gosport to the island of Arran meant we needed a plan to ‘flit’ our Hanse…
Cruising Guadeloupe: one couple explore a paradise teeming with natural wonders
The French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe is the most southerly of the Leeward Islands. Shaped like a butterfly, it is split into two halves, the wings forming Basse-Terre in the…
How to make your boat child-friendly
The idea of heading to sea with a child on board elicits different responses for different people, however far you’re going. A day sail with a boat full of noisy…
Decaying buildings left to be looted and destroyed by visitors
The quarantine officer wished us a hearty, ‘Welcome to ‘Straya!’ Clearance into Mackay on Australia’s Queensland Coast was straightforward except for the fiscal shock we received when he informed us…
Exploring Ireland’s wild Atlantic coast by boat
From a distance the Skellig Islands look like two shards of rock sticking out of the Atlantic. Skellig or Sceilg means ‘splinter of stone’. It was a calm, hot and…
Two sailors go coral gardening in French Polynesia
Floris is on the lookout at the bow, as we are sailing in uncharted waters. Some of the coral heads rise almost to the surface but, thanks to the high…
Island hopping home from France post-pandemic
Jacob, my 15-year-old son and I made it to France in July 2021, still a time of Covid, to start the 400-mile journey from Port Bloc at the southern entrance…
Your tether might not keep you safe – Pete Goss
Hearing a tale from the Rolex Fastnet Race had me contemplating the unglamorous safety strop. Many of these reflections came from bashing our way into the Southern Ocean with hanked…
We sailed this historic yacht to Madeira and back to celebrate a 1923 voyage
During the afternoon of 20 March, 1923, following ‘a good lunch’ in the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Conor OBrien slipped the mooring of his yacht Saoirse (pronounced ‘Seershah’ and meaning…