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.
Feature: Chartering in Europe Many a devout sailor has been lured away from the “true” path by Europe's famous canal system. Betty Dack shares her adventure and offers some advice on how to follow in her footsteps. Bob and I…
Practical: Electronics John and Janet Read give the verdict on forward-looking sonar after putting it through its paces on a cruise to SE Asia. Janet looked up from her book. “Looks like a rock coming up, John,” she said. I…
Practical: Moving on board So you're planning liveaboard cruising with kids? Rohsaan McInnes gives the low-down on a subject that many parents approach with trepidation. How do you live on a boat with young children? After some initial modifications, we…
High Seas Two women, alone, as in without men? Tracey Johnstone catches up with two women who have banded together to make their dream of sailing the world become a reality. Two confident single young English women, living their dream…
SAILING LIFESYLES A lifetime's involvement in sailing boats still wasn't enough excitement for some, as Helen Hopcroft found out. People dream of the perfect sea change: a new life of sipping cool drinks on a shady veranda in the tro…
DESTINATIONS: HONG KONG Who better to ask about sailing in Hong Kong than 1997 Sydney – Hobart race winner, owner of the Reichel/Pugh 45 Beau Geste, and president of the Hong Kong Sailing Federation Karl Kwok, which is why I…
Crusing The Whitsundays Mediterranean-style flotilla fun in the sun is catching on in the Whitsundays as a marketing tool, reports Caroline Strainig. “Flotilla.” It's a word more synonymous with the Med than the Whitsundays, but that is set to change…
Laying the anchor: Well done, it's the difference between a good night's sleep at an anchorage or a restless one filled with anxiety.Unlike the tinnie sailor who simply throws the anchor over the side and hopes for the best, the…
Destination: South Pacific David Isom discovers a timeless land unspoilt by its increasing popularity when he calls in at the archetypal island paradise that is the Kingdom of Tonga. If you really fancy cruising around Tonga, there are only two…
Practical: stretching it Coastal and offshore sailing can place unusual stresses and strains on the body, with long periods of inactivity and then sudden periods of intense effort. Maria Grigg outlines the exercise routine she uses to ward off injury….
Destination: Trinidad Jim and Linda Collier take time out from circumnavigating the world to experience one of the world's great events – the Trinidad-Tobago Carnival – and to do some much-needed maintenance. Our 31-day Atlantic crossing astern but still fresh…
Practical: Building a boat When accountant Fraser Petrie told his friends he was going to build a boat, they thought he was crazy, even more so because of his profession. But – as Fraser explains – you can come in…
Destinations: Thailand Fronting both the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Thailand has over 1700 nautical miles of tropical coastline to entice both racing and cruising sailors, writes Fiona Harper. Whether your interest is sprinting around the buoys, or cruising among the…
JUST CRUISING BY KEITH FLEMING Once you start your cruising life water takes on a new meaning so catching rain can be an important way to keep your tanks full. To design an efficient water catcher you need to look…
DESTINATIONS: ADELAIDE AND PORT LINCOLN Will 2008 really be the ‘last time’ for South Australian yachting legend Dick Fidock’ Richard. H. Fidock AO has sailed in and probably won nearly every keel boat title or event that South Australia has…
Practical: Seating Sick and tired of having an aching back? Bob Couper solves the problem of the lack of back support on many boats with this handy $46 do-it-yourself transportable backrest-cum seat. I find sitting in the cockpit of Spindrift…
High seas With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, David Daniel muses on the problem of finding a reliable tradesman when necessity dictates. Have you played yet? It's the new national pastime and it's called “waiting for a tradesman!”…
Feature: Bluewater sailing Jackie Parry joins a classic thoroughbred for a delivery trip to Hobart. Will West Wind make it? Jackie tells the story. The tangy smell of the salt-laden breeze and the late afternoon muting of colours surrounded the…
DESTINATIONS Following their ice adventures in March, Commitment completed a 4-week expedition heading north through the famed Patagonian Canals of Chile and Tierra del Fuego. Tony Mobray reports the boat is now berthed at Puerto Mont in Chile, at roughly…
Loch Ness family flotilla That monstrous thing, sibling rivalry, reared its ugly ahead amid the majestic Scottish Highlands, recounts Kevin Green. The competition began long before we'd even got on the water with my little sister racing up from the…
Island honeymoon Heading off into the unknown with a few friends and 50 or so complete strangers on a sailing regatta is perhaps not everyone’s idea of a romantic honeymoon, reports Traci Ayris. Tonga’s Kalia Cup Rally in July suited…
POSTCARD FROM: DUBAI Training base for the mighty America's Cup winning Alinghi team and very likely a venue for some of the Acts in the next Cup, Dubai has a lot to offer the travelling sailor who may want a…
Then and now I hope you’ll forgive me if I wax a little nostalgic. It won’t last long but it is necessary to set the scene for this month’s column. I first arrived in Sydney by ship late in 1947…
Practical: Sail-training Can race training help a cruiser? Caroline Strainig finds out when she enrolls in the Eastsail ready-to-race course. There were yachts within a few metres of us on both sides and about another 20 or so within 200…
Practical: Bluewater cruising Now an old salt after a cruise through Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, Trish Comer reflects on the things she definitely would not leave home without next time around. The old catch-cry from a…
Practical: People skills Having trouble meeting people, or getting on with them when you do? Or don't quite know how to repel unwanted advances in a way that won't cause offence? Chris Sharpley takes some of the mystery out of…
Practical: Buying a boat Putting your yacht into charter is one way of financing the repayments for that brand-new, you-beaut production yacht you've been dreaming of, says Ross Moncrieff, who did just that with his Hanse 34. In late November…
The fewer the fixed weights aboard a performance trailer sailer the better. We all know there are fixtures aboard such as the rigging and centreboard that can't be moved to windward to keep the hull as flat as possible upwind,…
Heading to the hotpots The most popular cruising grounds for longer range trips lie in the northern Pacific and SE Asia, but the magnificent Kimberley's could also be included because of their remoteness. Our closest major cruising area is Papua…
JUST CRUISING WITH KEITH FLEMING When transferring from shoreside living to living full-time on board a cruising boat, there is no reason to downgrade your lifestyle. It is just as important to keep healthy and live a comfortable life. This…
The Adelaide-Lincoln record was smashed and the Lincoln regatta remains as enjoyable as ever, by Bob Ross, words and pictures SOUTH AUSTRALIA'S most dedicated offshore campaigner, Geoff Boettcher earned a milestone reward when his Secret Men's Business 3 broke the…
Holding onto that “lov'in feeling” can be hard when you are cooped up together for long periods. Rosemary Jilderts interviews cruisers for their tips. Ron and Trish Steineck,Geraldton, WA.Scuttlebug, 11.6m Jensen Coral Sea Catamaran The Steineck family has spent four…
Destination: Brisbane Water The small, land-locked destination of Brisbane Water has a lot to recommend it, despite a bar and bridge, says Alan Lucas, who has made it his land base when not out cruising in Soleares. Brisbane Water is…
JUST CRUISING BY KEITH FLEMING. Every cruiser has one and many catamaran owners have three of them. The outboard motor is an essential item for any cruising boat and making the right choice of size and brand can be one…
Self-suffciency I suppose you could equate cruising with the original hunter and gatherer, where you have to rely on your wits and be self-sufficient in food. As cruisers, we live on water so our natural element is the water rather…
JUST CRUISING BY KEITH FLEMING. Preventing sudden gear failure can be avoided if you identify the problem areas early. OFTEN the first indication of trouble with a boat is catastrophic, like the mast suddenly falling down. Now why the heck…
In a bid to restore links with the beautiful Molluca archipelago, a flotilla of Darwin cruisers set off for the region, reports voyager Cathy Gillett. Our voyage began in July 2006, when 18 boats sailed the 295nm to the Taninbar…
The voyage across the Indian Ocean to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka was well worth the effort, reports cruiser Lynelle Parker. Some of the happiest times on board our yacht Chappie are the first days of a new passage;…
Heading up the far north Queensland coast is about as good as it gets, reports Keith Fleming from the deck of the cruiser Sealark 2. Coral Sea cruise The magical islands and coastal wilderness of north Queensland are a big…
Crossing oceans, exploring remote islands and being self-sufficient are just some of the interesting aspects of living the cruising life, reports Lynelle Parker. If we were to start our cruising days over, I think we'd have a much better idea…
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