navigation at sea

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 4 – Navigation

by Bernie Branfield | Boat Handling, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. The Jester Challenge was created for skippers of small boats who want to test their skill and self-reliance, is a uniquely successful...

The give-way hierarchy – sail boats and power boats

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Crewing skills, Navigation, Yacht ownership

Who gives way to who at sea? Even seasoned sailors sometimes get this wrong and in a crowded harbour this can easily lead to a collision or at best considerable embarrassment for a boat that mistakenly thinks it has right of way over another. I recently went sailing...

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 3 – Preparations

by Bernie Branfield | Boat Handling, Boat Maintenance, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, First Aid at Sea, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. The Jester Challenge was created for skippers of small boats who want to test their skill and self-reliance, is a uniquely successful...

Jester Challenge 2022 – Sailing single handed from Plymouth UK to the Azores: Part 2 – Weather

by Bernie Branfield | Boat Maintenance, Communications, Navigation, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Jester Challenge – A modern experiment in old-fashioned self-reliance, self sufficiency, and personal responsibility. The Jester Challenge was created for skippers of small boats who want to test their skill and self-reliance, is a uniquely successful...

Sail trimming for cruisers

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Crewing skills, Navigation, Yacht ownership

Whether racing or cruising, a well tuned boat will sail faster and tend to heel less than a boat with badly adjusted sails. On a racing yacht, constant effort and considerable skill is required by the crew to keep the sails trimmed to gain maximum performance, added...

How to trim a genoa sail

by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Crewing skills, Navigation, Yacht ownership

I recently had two new sails made by Sanders Sails, based in Lymington UK. The first to arrive was the new genoa and it took me a little while to get to know it and learn how to adjust it correctly. Here is an aide memoire for getting to know how to trim a genoa so...