Messing about in boats
Adrift, with Dan and Dave
An irreverent look at boating life with Dan Houston and Dave Selby
A good start without instruments
By Brett Bowden from Sailing to Win HOW TO WORK OUT THE FAVOURED END WITHOUT INSTRUMENTS Getting a great start in clear air can be the most important part of your race and knowing the favoured end and determining how much it is favoured will help you settle on your starting strategy. Some of the [...]
RNLI launch videos
‘Anything can happen in the next half-hour’, is how the RNLI puts it. And, with around 26 people being rescued by the institute's volunteers every day, the charity's work is never far away. This video shows the seaborne lifesavers launching their sophisticated craft, at great speed, from the exhilarating height of a slipway. From Cromer [...]
Antibes: An unusual and stunning 25th edition
Les Voiles d'Antibes regatta 2020 (September 16 - 20) Besides having had to postpone the 25th edition from June until September due to COVID, Les Voiles d'Antibes last week also had to play with the whims of the weather. Unusual heat for this time of year meant a weak thermal breeze for the first two [...]
Dinghy Cruising on the Bristol Channel
A TRIP TO BRISTOL WITH MY DAUGHTER. Reproduced with permission from Imray, Laurie, Norie and Wilson Ltd. by Annabel Bowker-Dance Lydney Yacht Club, based in the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire, run a 9-day Summer Cruise around the Bristol Channel. For many years there have been a number of wayfarers in the fleet, and [...]
Voiles de Saint-Tropez extends to two weeks
News from Maguelonne Turcat, SNST: Confirmed from Saturday, September 26th to Friday, October 9th, the new format of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez offers an event spread over two weeks, for the modern and classic yachts. The programme differs according to boat category with the aim to optimise registration, organisation of start zones – which will [...]
Bill King on Galway Blazer, 1968 Golden Globe Race
An elegiac film on Cdr Bill King RN who entered the 1968 Golden Globe race in his cold-moulded two masted junk rig schooner Galway Blazer II. With no shrouds or guard rails it looks a frightening boat to be on deck, especially looking at that camber but King rigged a wire jackstay from stem to [...]
Sailing aboard Mariquita
The story of sailing aboard Mariquita - a big class yacht built in 1911 to the 19-M rule [/fusion_youtube] Update: Mariquita was sold in February 2020 at auction. See report: HERE Transcript Take a look at this boat… she’s one of the most beautiful boats ever built… She’s Mariquita launched in 1911 [...]
Taking the right turn
How sailing round the British isles with Turn to Starboard helped former Royal Marine Dan Fielding find a new purpose for his life. Dan aboard the Spirit of Falmouth After he had been medically discharged from the Royal Marines in 2008, Dan Fielding was reaching the depths of despair. “I just wasn’t sure [...]