Sub-headed: " A yachtsman's gossip" There is 'nothing of high mark' in any of these pages Alker Tripp, quoting Dickens, says of this book in the introduction... but he does hope they carry the smell of salt water and the wind. And they do just that. This has become one of the classics of sailing [...]
A definitive history of the Old Gaffers Association, both afloat and ashore, covering the various regional areas in a series of yarns that brings this colourful organisation to life on the page. One of our favourite OGA stories was when they staged their 50th Birthday celebrations in Cowes in 2013. "Remember," they told the organisers, [...]
By Guy Venables I’ve often thought that when it comes to drinking toasts there’s invariably something sentimental about them. “Well, obviously,” I hear you say, as they’re usually conceived with an arm around a best friend and a bellyful of wine. Being a keen amateur enthusiast in the life of libation, I’ve collected in my [...]
This is a charming description of the challenge of attempting to be the first private vessel through the most northerly route of the Northwest passage, followed by cruising around Alaska and then back the following year. Polar Bound is a 48ft converted lifeboat specially reinforced to cope with the ice. This is done by David [...]
Part survival story and partly a spiritual journey through a horrifyingly grueling event, this book is not only a particularly eloquent survival story but it could even be perceived as a manual. Callahan built his own boat then set off across the Atlantic only to be sunk six days from leaving The Canaries. He then [...]
As the deadline approaches British Marine reminds us that applications are still being accepted for a number of positions on the Board of Directors for the industry group. But you do not have much time left to apply, with the application window closing at 5pm on Tuesday 1 May 2018. "We are looking for committed [...]
Rule of twelths? It's a bit tricky with metric charts... so use the Rule of Tenths: As your on deck ready reckoner for the state of tide Working out tidal heights using the traditional rule of twelfths is easier if you convert it to percentages that can be used with metric tide tables. The rule [...]
As soon as a vessel came near land her crew would begin "sounding" the depth of water using a line marked with depths and a length of lead. The word sounding is dervived from the old English sund (for water) and the depths found could be related to depths marked on the chart to give [...]
The story of the schooner fishery of the NE part of the United States of America and the Maritimes of Canada is one of danger, conquered by inspiration and innovation. As fishermen ventured further offshore to harvest the lucrative cod of the Grand Banks, and spent ever longer periods at sea they needed better vessels. [...]
