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.
The day was finally here August 14th 2014. We departed on our long awaited trip to the Med and beyond. The week before had seen Hurricane Bertha causing chaos along the British coast but the wind speed has dropped below…
As predicted we stayed in Lagos for several days as the wind was not playing the game, but this was a welcome rest. The marina is great but we learnt a few lessons. First of all it is best to…
The Mirror. By Jessica Best: Two Brits are missing after a hurricane in Mexico overturned the yacht they were living on. Paul Whitehouse and Simone Wood, from Wolverhampton and London, were in La Paz in Baja California when Hurricane Odile…
Some lockers on Banyandah have names. That makes it easy when one of us asks ‘where is?’ I also have an Excel spreadsheet of ‘Banyandah’s stores’ which lists all food stores by each locker. Using Ctrl F (find) and the…
Do you ever get annoyed when a couple sits in a coffee lounge and one of them spends the whole time on their mobile phone, while the other sips coffee and looks bored? Well apparently there is a genuine use…
Following on from the success of their Christmas Caribbean Rally (CCR) and Baltic 4 Nations Rally (B4N), Sailing Rallies announce the addition of two new events to their 2015/2016 events schedule: Antigua 2 Falmouth 2015 and the Spanish Rias Rally 2016….
Thanks to Bob Mott of Charter Catamarans in Phuket for sending this link to PHUKET GAZETTE: PHUKET: A 10,000 baht fine lodged against an Australian-owned yacht was dropped after officials confirmed that the vessel was registered with the Phuket Marine…
Bathrooms on boats should be light, easy to keep clean and well ventilated. Before Banyandah’s refit there was a cupboard below the sink and if a sudden wind gust put us on our ear before we had a chance to…
Afloat Magazine Ireland – By WM Nixon: #marinetourism – Yet another Failte Ireland Marine Research initiative is taking shape to examine the coastal infrastructure for leisure sailors of all kinds, and how facilities might be developed to attract visitors from…
PHUKET: The director of the Phuket Marine Office (PMO), Phuripat Theerakulpisut, yesterday (September 10) gave more details of two shock announcements that have reverberated through the marine leisure industry and among yacht owners in the past few days. One announcement…
PATTAYA, Thailand – Following the successful 10th Anniversary Top of the Gulf Regatta, the dates have been set for next year – 30th April to 4th May 2015 – and organisers are planning for a strong fleet of boats ranging…
Take a famous bay with varied and unpredictable weather conditions. Take an army of genius designers who created the most stunning sailing yachts of the last two centuries. Sprinkle over some sportsmanship, a dose of fighting spirit, add a pinch…
Despite new technologies, satellite imagery and modern research methods the work of collecting routine, fundamental data about the Earth's oceans' physical, biological and chemical characteristics remains an unforgiving and impossible task that has challenged scientists for centuries. A pioneering approach…
Drop down cupboard doors work well in narrow spaces like between forward V bunks. Each shelf has its own door. The bottom doors are designed to clear the floor and lie flat against the cupboard front so they do not…
In the wake of what many long-time Audi Hamilton Island Race Week participants declared to be “the best ever” regatta in its 31-year history, series organisers have already announced the dates for next year’s event. Audi Hamilton Island Race Week…
You’ll need to be quick if you want to secure your place at the ICA’s Cruising Preparation Seminar in Auckland later this year. Spaces are filling up fast for the two-day event, which takes place on Saturday 29th and Sunday…
The Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) today launched a national ballot for a world voyage in 2015 by the Sail Training Ship Young Endeavour. At the Navy Heritage Centre in Sydney, Sir Peter…
Easy access to hull and fittings is essential. Most every part of Banyandah’s hull, both below and above the waterline can be inspected quickly as a regular routine. Especially useful in an emergency. Shown in the photo, the depth sounder…
NBC News: The Coast Guard rescued a couple stranded 10 miles off the coast of western Florida early Saturday — nearly a week after they went missing, officials said. Bogdan Makowski, 69, and Elizabeth Makowski, 61, were found at about…
We called Vytegra Radio on VHF to request permission to enter the shallow, narrow and busy river which is the start of the Volga-Balt waterway system. According to Maxine, the operator’s cheerfully irreverent response translated roughly as “oh Christ, a…
A trip on the Myall Lakes some years back did not quite become a disaster, but our holiday was certainly interrupted when water stopped spurting from the tell-tale on the outboard engine. We were in a remote location and faced…
World Heritage listed Hinchinbrook Island on far north Queensland’s east coast has become globally renowned for the tranquillity and beauty of its rainforest-cloaked ranges, network of fishladen waterways and tropical sand beaches. You couldn’t ask for more sheltered and scenic…
A new atlas, providing the most thorough audit of marine life in the Southern Ocean, was published this week by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Leading marine biologists and oceanographers from all over the world spent the last…
The Southport Yacht Club (SYC) on Queensland’s Gold Coast has today been accredited as a Level 3 Clean Marina. The International Clean Marinas environmental program is administered by the Marina Industries Association (MIA). Achieving a Level 3 accreditation requires a…
It was the year of the cruisers at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, though the word ‘cruise’ is misleading. A cutthroat finish to the regatta on day six, Saturday August 23, 2014, brought out this division’s competitive edge at the…
Instead of non-skid tape, these treads have been sanded. Sand is more durable than anti-skid tape which tends to wear unevenly and can look scruffy in highly trafficked areas. Unlike anti-skid tape that sometimes lifts at the edges, there’s no…
It’s the people. If I were to end with that sentence alone I would still not have missed the essence of our experience in Vanuatu. Certainly when assessing a nation as a cruising destination, one must include the white sand…
A group of yachties who are big on fun but low on pretence are turning the traditional notion of bricks and mortar yacht club membership on its head with a club motto of ‘exclusively non-exclusive’ and a nick name widely…
A huge range of new products have been confirmed for release at the 2014 Gold Coast International Marine Expo from October 17-19. Details of more new releases would be announced closer to the Expo date. “The exciting range of products…
Jude Binder has more than forty years experience finishing and maintaining vessels and fine timber furniture. She is also an accomplished sailor with 150,000 miles under sail, so she knows what stands the test of time. She learnt how to…
One hundred years ago today, on 15 August 1914, the Panama Canal opened after 23 years of construction work. A century later it is still considered one of the largest and most successful engineering feats ever built. One of the…
Cruising Helmsman contributor Rosemary Jilderts would like to pass on the latest warning from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Summer turtle breeding season is coming the GBRMPA says and with marine turtle numbers rapidly declining we must be…
The 2014/15, B14 national titles will commence on the 27th of December, 2014 at the McCrae Yacht Club. The world titles will follow from the 2nd to the 6th of January, 2015. The B14 is an International Sailing Federation recognised…
Beneteau and its national dealer network will once again host the pre-race Beneteau briefings at Hamilton Island Race Week. Host Michael Spies will be joined by a selection of guest speakers outlining the race courses and some tactical hints and…
Coast Guard Victoria will establish a VHF Marine Distress & Monitoring service for the East Coast of Victoria from Point Hicks to Gabo Island in addition to the Flotilla operations at Mallacoota. Mallacoota will become a very popular boating…
Porto Cervo, Italy. Monday 4th August 2014. While holidaymakers flock to Sardinia to enjoy stunning beaches and sweltering August temperatures, staff at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) are hard at work preparing for two major international regattas in September….
As the fleet size for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2014 climbs towards the impressive mark of 180, it has been confirmed that this year there will again be two trophies on offer that any competing crew can win. These…
The Race Management Committee of the Royal Geelong Yacht Club has been burning the midnight oil to put together an entire month of sailing on Corio Bay, in January next year, with the Notice of Race released today. The New…
By Juliet Astrup – Bournemouth Echo: A 36ft sailing yacht which apparently vanished without trace has been found moored in Poole Harbour. Poole’s RNLI team was called to assist coastguard rescue teams in the hunt for the vessel and its crew of five,…
Vision Surveys Airlie Beach Race Week 2014 has made history after breaking the record number of entries, with more expected to come in this week. In the 25th anniversary year, the event has attracted 124 boats so far with entries…
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