by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership
Owning a boat is a big commitment that should bring no end of satisfaction for the owner as well as the owner’s family and friends. In return for bringing all that joy, a boat deserves and needs a good deal of care and attention. Right now may not be the ideal...
by Simon Jollands | Boat Handling, Communications, Crewing skills, Emergencies, Navigation, Preparation
Sailing solo into a storm – some lessons learned Weather forecasting has become increasingly accurate in recent years, thanks largely to weather satellite technology and ever increasing computer power. As a result, those of us who go sailing on a regular basis,...
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...
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...
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...