Getting into hot water and loving it
I do not know about you but I like hot showers. I like hot water to wash up with and sometimes, to save gas, I will fill the kettle with hot water before I boil it for coffee. Problem is…
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.
Once again cruising sailors show how to party and fundraise
The Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club annual Rendezvous has finished once again. Cruising Helmsman attended the weekend-long party as part of its continued support for the 'exclusively, non-exclusive' yacht club. Over 160 boats anchored in the Whitsunday waters of Gloucester…
Marine safety Tasmania launches useful cruising guide
Billed as one of the best cruising destinations in Australia, the Tasmanian Government's Marine and Safety Tasmania (MAST) organisation has launched an online resource for visiting cruisers. Cruising Tasmania is chock full of checklists and resources to get you safely…
Mara Stransky, 16, on living a teenager’s life at sea
News.com.au FOR 16-year-old Mara Stransky traffic lights are a fascinating concept. After all, when you’ve lived most of your short life on a boat, including the last five sailing the world on a 50-foot catamaran, there’s not much need for…
Multihull Solutions Sail2Indonesia Rally arrives in Debut
Participants in this year’s Multihull Solutions Wonderful Sail2Indonesia Rally have arrived in Indonesia after clearing out of Australia at Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, and experiencing a dream run across the Arafura Sea. The 48 participants will spend the…
Looking at charter boat ownership? Book this August 25 webinar
At the recent Sydney International Boat Show one multihull manufacturer delivered short seminars for people interested in buying into the charter boat market. Due to such a great interest in those presentations Multihull Central decided to make it into a…
The Big River
Australia’s first maritime explorers examined our rivers hoping to find a way into the mythical ‘inland sea’, Matthew Flinders sallying forth with this in mind in 1799 aboard the Norfolk. He anchored in the mouth of the Clarence River, named…
Hurricane season has begun in Pacific and Atlantic
A growing El Nino in equatorial Pacific tends to suppress hurricane activity in the Atlantic but enhance it in the Pacific. This is certainly the case so far for the season. Ocean Navigator discusses the likelihood of the season for…
Families concede missing sailors are “not coming back”
The Mercury. By Nokuthula Ntuli. Durban – Families whose loved ones were on the catamaran Sunsail that went missing in the Indian Ocean in January, are now considering having the three men declared dead. While they have not given up…
Chagos Islands need cruiser input into UK survey, anyone can apply
The Chagos community are seeking the help of all yachties who have been to Chagos or may go sometime in the future (or who just want to share an opinion). The residents of this remote island chain in the middle…
Cruising Club of America releases updated book 'Safety for Cruising Couples'
(August 9, 2015) – The Safety at Sea Committee of the Cruising Club of America has just published an updated version of its highly regarded Suddenly Alone workbook, now titled Safety for Cruising Couples – Including “Suddenly Alone.” The workbook…
Florida acts to remove abandoned and sunken boats
When so many people would love to own a boat and embrace the cruising lifestyle, it's a crying shame that so many vessels around the world lie abandoned or sunk at their moorings. In Related Content (top right) there is…
How a professional weather router directed a yacht around a tropical cyclone
In 2014, Mark Hipgrave and two friends set off from Queensland to deliver his Beneteau 36 The Healer to New Plymouth in New Zealand for the start of the Solo Tasman Race. He employed professional weather router Bob McDavitt to…
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club clubhouse and marina development continues apace
July 2015 – The Royal Langkawi Yacht Club’s (RLYC) redevelopment of its club and marina which began in February 2015 has progressed with excellent results. The redevelopment to enhance the club’s facilities and services has, along the way, been reassessed…
Watch the Cruising Helmsman Masterclass at Sydney International Boat Show
The Speakers are in. The time is set: 2:30 every day. Now all we need is you. The Sydney International Boat Show has provided Cruising Helmsman magazine an opportunity to present a truncated version of its 'Captain's Deck' seminars held…
Missing yacht found after four hour search by Swanage RNLI
Daily Echo A MEMBER of Swanage Lifeboat crew described the “needle in a haystack” situation when trying to locate a missing yacht after it suffered engine failure in the middle of the English Channel. Solent Coastguard requested the launch of…
Charter Boat Ownership seminars offered at Sydney International Boat Show
Learn how to fund the dream of catamaran cruising into reality sooner, with charter boat ownership. Multihull Central will be hosting daily Charter Boat Ownership Seminars for the first time at the upcoming Sydney Boat Show at Darling Harbour from…
When someone tells you to take a slow boat – now you can
The Australian National Maritime Museum is calling on adventure seekers and history lovers to sign up and join the crew of its replica of James Cook’s 18th-century vessel HMB Endeavour as it embarks on a new sailing program in 2015…
All you happy snappers: shoot your marina and win a prize!
Bellingham Marine is holding a photo contest for photos of marinas, winners will receive a Yeti Hopper and be featured in the company’s 2016 wall calendar. Marinas are growing around the world, assisting boaties and yachties alike while saving a…
Port2Port Rally organisers publish useful Australian cruising guide
In October this year the Port2Port Rally will leave in a leisurely fashion from New Caledonia. Open to all yachts finishing off the puddle jump and joining hands with the Island Cruising Association pacific Circuit Rally, the Port2Port provides assistance…
Near record fleet for 2015 Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek
PHUKET, Thailand – A near-record fleet is set to compete this week in the 12th Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket Raceweek off Phuket's southeast coast. Racing over four days from 16th to 19th July, the 38-strong fleet sees two TP52s competing…
R.I. grandmother making second solo sail around the world
The first time Donna Lange sailed around the world by herself it was hardly an easy journey. Over 290 days at sea in her 28-foot sailboat, Inspired Insanity, she battled through 60-foot waves and 55-knot winds. She hit tropical storms…
When the wind blows there are lessons to be learnt
We are sitting at anchor in the south arm of Port Clinton Queensland, which is not a port at all in the usual sense. Not a building, road, wharf or beacon anywhere. The wind has been howling through at 25…
On a remote beach in PNG they never expected a solo racing yacht
On a recent cruise to the remote and picturesque Louisiade Archipelago in eastern Papua New Guinea an interesting discovery lay tucked away in a clearing above the mangrove lined shore. At the time, little was thought of it as the…
Man abandons burning boat to save his dog
John Kanafoski was rescued by the US Coast Guard off Florida after his small yacht caught fire and he abandoned it to save his dog. The coastguard reported that Kanafoski was found 69 miles west of Hudson, Florida. The man…
An aluminium dinghy can last forever it just needs some TLC
The vessel in question is a De Haviland Norseman 14 foot aluminium dinghy that I suspect was made around 1972. It has three thwarts and currently pushed by a 11 kilowatt Mercury two stroke. Running properly it will do 20…
How to give your boat a wedgie
We stood transfixed under Dingo's spray hood and, wine glasses in hand, watched in horror as 70-knot winds wrought havoc on the boats to leeward. Our friends’ 40-foot Dufour was sheering wildly, the anchor was dragging and their inflatable, tied…
Multi muster for the Multihull Solutions Sail2Indonesia Rally
52 Cruising boats of all shapes and sizes from all over the world, came together for the start of the Multihull Solutions 2015 Sail 2 Indonesia Rally run by the Island Cruising Association. The official muster was held at the…
Long term partner secured for Geelong’s Festival of Sails Regatta
The Royal Geelong Yacht Club has announced a long-term partnership has been secured with Geelong’s Rex Gorell Land Rover for the Festival of Sails regatta. Rex Gorell Land Rover will be the presenting partner for the next three years, following…
Cruising guide to the Coral Sea
On 30 September 1969, the Coral Sea Island Bill officially acquired Australia’s tenth external territory. The Coral Sea occupies that part of the Pacific Ocean off the east coast of Australia between the parallels of Sandy Cape and Torres Strait, bounded…
Still male dominated – were cruising sailors even consulted?
A recent survey has been produced discussing gender balance in various sports in Australia, with sailing putting in a poor showing of female participation. Some sports are still overwhelmingly played by one sex more than the other: 85% of regular…
Indian Ocean countries meet to strengthen search and rescue ties
Representatives from Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius are in Australia working with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to strengthen search and rescue capabilities in the Indian Ocean region. The Search and Rescue Capability Partnership Program commenced in January and…
Top 10 anchorages to visit in Tasmania's Furneaux Group
The Furneaux Group is a jewel in Bass Strait. It consists of some 52 isles, many offering safe, unspoilt and varied anchorages. We have spent several summers exploring these waters. For us the attraction is its remoteness and the fact…
Highway helmsmen heading to Hamilton Island for Race Week
As the fleet for Hamilton Island Race Week 2015 continues to grow at a record pace, a new trend is emerging. A sizeable increase in interest in the regatta from ‘highway helmsmen’ – trailable yacht owners. This unexpected surge of…
Jon Sanders rescued from sinking yacht off the Gascoigne coast
He sailed three times around the world without stopping and has circumnavigated a total of nine times without major incident. But luck ran out for famous Australian solo sailor Jon Sanders yesterday when his yacht began to fill with water…
Two ARC rallies converge on the Algarve
This week, two World Cruising Club rallies converged on Marina de Lagos in southern Portugal marking the end of their multi-leg journeys to the Algarve. ARC Europe began six weeks ago in Nanny Cay, Tortola and Portsmouth, Virginia and the…
Seawind Rally in the Whitsundays clear a few winter blues
The 9th annual Seawind Whitsunday Rally, hosted by Multihull Central last week, saw over half a dozen catamarans and thirty crew enjoy island hopping around the beautiful Whitsunday Islands for a week of social racing, sundowners plus onshore and offshore parties….
Three sailors rescued after yacht catches fire
Martime Executive Two New Zealand sailors and their Mexican skipper have been rescued from a liferaft 280km south of the tiny Pacific Ocean coral island Niue after their yacht caught fire just after midnight last night. The 15m United…
Keen to hitch a ride from Vanuatu? Why not go by Divine Wind
Many people sail in their local waters, dreaming of one day being able to sail across an ocean. Well, maybe now you can. Cruising Helmsman has received a request from noted doctor Alan Profke looking for crew to assist in…
Police search for missing yachtsman in Mallacoota
Water Police currently searching the water after a yacht was located washed up near Mallacoota this morning. Crew on an abalone boat spotted the yacht on the rocks around 9.45am and raised the alarm. It’s believed the boat belongs to…
