Simon Jollands

How to operate a winch

Winches are drum shaped mechanical devices used to handle halyards, sheets and control lines. One of the important crew skills to learn is winch handling and knowing how to operate a winch correctly. The sails of a large yacht exert considerable force on the ropes...

Competent crew skills: mooring lines

by Simon Jollands | Crewing skills

Mooring lines are used when arriving or leaving a berth. One of the most important competent crew skills is to know how to handle and tie mooring lines securely and safely. Mooring lines may be tied to a variety of purpose made objects ashore, including cleats, rings...

Top 5 Reasons Why an Inflatable SUP Should Be Your Next Yacht Accessory

by Simon Jollands | Yacht ownership

In this article, inflatable paddle board expert Jason Paul gives the top 5 reasons why an inflatable SUP should be your next yacht accessory purchase. While a crisp new Bimini top or the latest GoPro camera may be a few of the more popular yacht accessories,...

Peer to Peer yacht charter – How can you monetize your boat?

by Simon Jollands | Yacht ownership

There is a growing trend in peer to peer yacht charter. How does it work? People already rent rooms, cars and bikes from one and other, so this movement was bound to hit the boating world at some point. The concept of the sharing economy works especially well with...

Keel design – options to consider when choosing a yacht

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Yacht ownership

Keel design is constantly evolving and nowhere is this more apparent than in modern racing yachts such as the Imoca Open 60 class. These fast offshore monohulls use highly sophisticated canting keels to help them stay upright when sailing upwind. The boats are...