Ebb and flow, the story of waves
When we think of ocean waves we immediately conjure up a vision of rolling water, but everyone has a different response to them. Some are gentle and some (when kicked up by a mighty wind) can be so majestic and…
Cruising
Dedicated to Cruising the world under sail including destinations, navigation, sailing tips, safety ideas, yacht & multihull reviews along with stories and insights for the sail cruising life in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Cruiser of the year nomination #2: John and Leanne Hembrow
Readers may have seen the support Cruising Helmsman gave for the recent Down Under Rally.The rally organiser, John Hembrow, has been nominated by John Thornely for the Cruiser of the year award to be decided later this year. It is…
Boat attacked in St. Croix Waters, sailor seriously injured
St Thomas Source. By John Baur. A sailing community website reported Wednesday that a Frenchman sailing through the Virgin Islands on his way to Guadeloupe in January was attacked and seriously injured at sea. According to reports, the sailor, 70-year-old…
Volcano Race 2016 – racing past Mother Nature's fireworks
Offshore racing crews will get to experience one of the world’s most exceptional race courses when they take part in the Volcano Race 2016, off the west coast of Italy over 16-22 May. Organised by the International Maxi Association (IMA)…
Organisers expect a strong multi-class turnout for 2016 Top of the Gulf Regatta
PATTAYA, Thailand – The 12th Top of the Gulf Regatta Presented by Ocean Marina will showcase the Gulf of Thailand's world-class sailing credentials when sailors from around the world descend on Ocean Marina Yacht Club from 30th April to 4th…
How to get a free copy of the best practical cruising book ever written
When Patricia Lucas emailed me to say she was sending me a copy of Alan Lucas' latest book, I was naturally excited. I have Alan's excellent cruising guides to the NSW and Queensland coasts and have obviously read every article…
Cruiser of the year award: get your nominations in
Alan and Patricia are one of the first nominations for the inaugural 'Cruiser of the year' award. If you want to nominate someone you think worthy then read to the bottom of the story and click on the e-mail address…
The Bay Regatta: Racing amongst the mountains
PHUKET, Thailand – Billed as 'Asia's fun regatta', The Bay Regatta 2016 is set to welcome over 40 yachts and more than 250 competitors to the four-day inter-provincial regatta that starts and finishes in Phuket and races through some of…
Yacht hits reef off King Island: sailors rescued
The Courier. By Ben Hansen. BEYOND SAVING: The $600,000 yacht that sunk off King Island early Thursday morning. Photo The Courier. A $600,000 yacht sank off the south-east coast of King Island on Thursday morning. Tasmania Police said the…
Cruising the kingdom: searching for paradise in Tonga
For some sailors the Kingdom of Tonga is just a stop on the coconut milk run; another country to check off the list and a spot to provision in the rush across the great Pacific Ocean in one frenzied season….
How do long distance sailors cope with different port authorities?
In Aden, Yemen, the local navy commander told us we would have nothing stolen from our sailing boat because the local pirates had told him we were their friends. But, he warned, we could have our throats cut if we…
(Not) going my way? Taking the guesswork out of hitching
Bathed in the soft light of a new day, Playa Zipolite some 80 kilometres east of Puerto Escondido on Mexico’s southwest coast, looked like a poster child version of today’s modern Corona beer billboards. But unfortunately, the beer commercial comparison…
Cruising over? Time to do an end of season safety check
The Boat Owners Association of the United States have released a reminder and useful instructions on how to check a lifejacket. The instructions concentrate on the popular yoke-style inflatable life jackets that keep you cool on a hot day and…
Entries open for Port Douglas Race Week
For those in the south anticipating a cold, wet winter, perhaps a trip to Port Douglas for the Mickey Ink Port Douglas Race Week would be the solution. Held in the beautiful tourist town north of Cairns every year, with…
ABC's Australian Story explores the loss of yachtsman Andrew Witton
When Coffs Harbour handyman and avid surfer Andrew Witton left Australia in 2006 it was supposed to be the trip of the lifetime. His plan was to sail across the South Pacific, visit friends in South America and then make…
Whoops! Chinese cruising family accidentally sails into a naval base
Daily Express (Malaysia): Kota Kinabalu: A young family from China can now add another chapter to their adventures at sea when choppy seas and a faulty engine inadvertently landed them at the Sepanggar Naval Base here, on Sunday. The family…
Scottish man and Irish woman die as yacht goes aground in South Africa
Cape Times. By Francesca Villette. The Irish embassy and British High Commission have confirmed they are liaising with local authorities to give support to the families of two people who died when the yacht they were sailing in ran aground near Melkbosstrand…
The Agulhas Current – the second fastest flow in the world
Ocean Currents. By Joanna Gyory, Lisa M. Beal, Barbie Bischof, Arthur J. Mariano, Edward H. Ryan. European navigators in the 15th Century, not knowing about the Gulf Stream, were afraid to risk trans-Atlantic crossings to reach the Far East. Although the…
Racing cyclones – where to hide in a big blow
Yacht racing in or to Queensland waters is far from new, the popular Brisbane to Gladstone event being nearly as old as our world famous Sydney Hobart Race, which began late 1945. Since then, many yachting events have accrued along…
Rescued transatlantic duo are 'catastrophe waiting to happen'
BBC: Two yachtsmen who have been rescued nine times in seven months have been described as a “catastrophe waiting to happen” and urged to “leave UK waters”. In the latest mishap, US citizens Bob Weise and Steve Shapiro, both 71,…
Don't be a goose: convert your rig to Simbo
As exciting as it is to fly coloured sails at sea, the reality is that most cruising yachts confine their experience to sheltered waters in clement conditions. When it comes to downwind ocean sailing with an uncertain weather forecast, the…
Dates announced for 2017 Mount Gay Round Barbados Series
Bridgetown, Barbados (27 January, 2016): Following the success of the 80th anniversary Mount Gay Round Barbados Series, which concluded last weekend, plans are already in place for the 2017 event with the dates confirmed for 16-23 January. This popular regatta,…
Foreign man found dead on NZ yacht off Phuket
The Phuket News. By Eakkapop Thongtub: PHUKET: Police are attempting to identify a foreign man whose body was found on a New Zealand-registered yacht anchored off Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach this morning (Jan 23). A local hotel worker passing…
Families are confident upturned catamaran is the Sunsail which has been missing for over a year
Durban's Highway Mail. FAMILIES of the three missing yachtsmen are anxiously waiting to find out more about the overturned hull spotted by a Brazilian navy vessel last week. It is believed that it is being towed back to port today….
Missing yacht found sunk off Green Island
A 50-foot sailing yacht reported missing yesterday morning was discovered run aground off an island between Phuket and Phi Phi. Somboon Chooseng, the owner of Anemone, reported that the yacht had gone missing from Phi Phi Don on Wednesday night, confirmed…
Jon Sanders recognised by Cruising Club of America
To be awarded at the Cruising Club of America's Annual Dinner March 4 in New York, we've announced five major awards for 2015: Blue Water Medal “Without Date” Awarded to Jon Sanders: Recognizing a lifetime of sailing achievements including eight circumnavigations….
To tether or not to tether, that is the question
A recent article in an overseas magazine has prompted discussion on the value (and danger) of tying yourself to your boat. John and Lyn Martine of the Island Cruising Association wrote this excellent piece in reply, aimed at cruising couples:…
World ARC sets sail from St Lucia
Thirty boats sailing as part of World ARC 2016-17 departed Rodney Bay Marina in Saint Lucia on Saturday 9 January for the start of an epic 26,000 mile adventure around the world. World ARC is a circumnavigation rally for cruising…
Exhausting work – check and rebuild your wet system
Recently, I almost put to sea fully aware that my vessel’s exhaust system might be on its last gasp. Fortunately, commonsense prevailed and I remained at anchor to unwrap the lagging and check it out, an act that caused the…
Streaky Bay – six good reasons to stay
We came to Streaky Bay after crossing the Great Australian Bight from the west and have now traversed further south towards Port Lincoln. But we figure sailing the opposite way would make good use of the south east prevailing winds…
Owner “helpless” to stop thieves stealing from his stranded yacht
The Northern Advocate. By Imran Ali. A yachtie is helpless to stop opportunist thieves helping themselves to prized possession on board his stricken yacht – 11 days after it ran aground off Ruakaka on New Zealand's north east coast. Geoff…
Australian woman rescued from yacht off the coast of South Africa
From Business Day Live. By Staff Writers. THE National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) went to the aid of a yacht which was reported to have a snapped anchor chain and was being swept towards rocks at Mass Bay near Kleinmond…
Oh the things you can do when you BBQ
Mmmm, lobster. Rather expensive to buy, but rather easy to catch. Lobster is one of those ingredients that needs little effort or fussing about to prepare a wonderful meal from. Butter, champagne and tarragon, I am convinced, are things put…
Passenger liner rescues catamaran adrift with no steering in the Atlantic
Handy Shipping Guide: ATLANTIC OCEAN – Early on 27 December 2015, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' ship Braemar came to the aid of a sailing yacht marooned in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with the dramatic rescue of the 14-metre…
Northern Magic, a famous circumnavigator, found abandoned and aground on Uruguay reef
Ottawa Citizen. By Bruce Deachman. Northern Magic, the 42-foot steel, twin-masted sailboat that most famously carried Ottawa’s Stuemer family on a four-year, 65,000-kilometre circumnavigation of the globe, now lies grounded on Uruguay’s rocky coastline, only six metres or so from the…
Mount Gay Round Barbados Series anniversary 2016 regatta countdown
Bridgetown, Barbados (22 December, 2015): As preparations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series (16-24 January 2016), and to commemorate 50 years of independence for Barbados continue, islanders have welcomed the first overseas race…
Boatie stopped from attempting to cross Cook Strait without engine, radio or navigation equipment
Stuff.co.nz by Michael Forbes and Tom Hunt A boatie who bought a $500 yacht with no engine, radio, navigation equipment or life jackets had to be stopped from sailing it from Wellington to Westport. Maritime New Zealand said the Wellington yachtie…
Missing sailor's yacht found floating off the NSW coast
The mystery of the Queensland sailor who has been missing since leaving Hervey Bay in late November has deepend after his boat was spotted 177 nautical miles east of Coffs Harbour this morning. Eero Tiitinen spoke to his family on…
Police criticise yachtie after rescue in New Zealand
Stuff.co.nz. By Laura Walters. Police have criticised a man for going out on his yacht with no lifejacket after drinking alcohol, sparking an almost five-hour search in Northland. Coastguard duty officer Mark Lever said the 63-year-old was transferring his 29-foot…
Ian Thomson's new campaign against plastic in the Pacific
Having been in existence for over five years, we thought it was time to take the next step, and what a step it is going to be. Never before have we been able to focus our entire lives to the…
