Yachting Monthly

08/08/2025

'I took a group of maritime professionals, sailors and sea survival experts, and we tested 22 of the best inflatable lifejackets and PFDs on the market.' Here's our pick of the very best.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/gear/best-inflatable-lifejackets-pfds-for-boaters-sailors-73284

08/08/2025

Long-keel yachts like the Tradewind 33 might not be fast or fashionable, but there are still many reasons to own a yacht with proven ocean crossing credentials, as Graham Snook finds out.

Long-keel yachts like the Tradewind 33 might not be fashionable but there are still many reasons to own a yacht with proven ocean crossing credentials

07/08/2025

Celebrating 100 years of the BBC Shipping Forecast, Jane Russell takes us on a series of coastal cruises through the forecast’s sea areas.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-guides/sailing-the-shipping-forecast-the-hebrides-102507

📸: Jane Russell / www.curlewcottagedesign.co.uk

07/08/2025

For a 25-footer, the Vertue has a considerable reputation and has conquered every ocean. So what makes this little boat quite such an enduring success? Nic Compton finds out.

For a 25-footer, the Vertue has a huge reputation and has conquered every ocean. So what makes this little boat quite such an enduring success?

06/08/2025

Detlef Jens enjoys sailing between Augustenborg and Aarø in the Baltic, one of the cruising grounds of his youth, which is still every bit as appealing today.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-life/sailing-to-a-picture-book-village-with-ancient-houses-and-shaded-alleyways-102495

📸: Detlef Jens

06/08/2025

'Chartering a yacht out of Mahon back in 2014 was my first experience of the Balearics. With just a week onboard, we worked our way anticlockwise around Menorca and, in so doing, fell in love with the land, the climate, and the people.

'Since then it has long been a dream to return in my own boat to more fully explore all the islands of this self-contained cruising area.

'With warm seas, dramatic scenery, fine beaches and sheltered anchorages, the Balearics is a spectacular cruising ground for boats bound for the western Mediterranean. Cities and towns that are packed with culture, and a good network of harbours and marinas, further add to the attraction'

In this extract for the Zhik Spirit of Adventure award, James Kenning was smitten with Mallorca and the Spanish islands on his boat.

'Balearic towns and cities are beautiful and packed with history, but berthing in the associated marinas can be busy and expensive. For Mahon, we dropped the hook in the only permissible anchorage of Cala Teulera, taking care to avoid the charted, but unmarked, shallows in the northeast corner. It is a 20-minute dinghy ride to the public jetty for the city but we always made sure to check the weather before leaving the yacht unattended.

'Boats have been known to drag here in the soft mud if the wind rises. We experienced a brutal spell of weather here and, as a front passed over, I spent 90 minutes at the helm motoring on anchor to prevent Arkyla dragging into the shallows. We witnessed multiple yachts collide and at one stage jumped into the dinghy to try to halt the rapid progress of a yacht toward the rocks with its crew sleeping soundly below!

'We considered the Balearics really to be the crown jewels of the western Mediterranean. The rewards are many: our personal highlights centred around anchoring in crystal clear turquoise waters, visiting towns brimming with history, dining on great food accompanied with fine wines, and mooring in some of the most spectacular vistas imaginable.

Read more at the link in the comments below.

06/08/2025

She may be small, but the Hunter Ranger 245 crams in both a staggering amount of accommodation and a healthy dose of sailing enjoyment, says Nic Compton.

She may be small but the Hunter Ranger 245 crams in both a staggering amount of accommodation and a healthy dose of sailing enjoyment, says Nic Compton

05/08/2025

One trip and James Kenning was smitten with Mallorca and the Spanish islands. Several years later, he returned with his boat.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-guides/zhik-spirit-of-adventure-dramatic-scenery-sheltered-anchorages-and-fine-beaches-make-cruising-spectacular-in-the-balearics-102467

📸: James Kenning

05/08/2025

Unstayed masts, cat rigs and a ketch configuration make the Freedom 40 an unusual boat, but it’s far from a new concept, and a very good one too, as Nic Compton discovers

Unstayed masts, cat rigs and a ketch configuration make the Freedom 40 an unusual boat, but it’s far from a new concept, and a very good one too

04/08/2025

Sailing tip of the day: Here's what you need to know about the rules for avoiding collisions in fog in a simple diagram.

📸: Yachting Monthly

03/08/2025

Even the least competitive amongst us cannot fail to recognise the powerful influence that the Royal Ocean Racing Club has had on recreational sailing as a sport.

Back in 1925, Malden Heckstall-Smith, then editor of Yachting Monthly, was one of a small group of yachtsmen who formed the organising committee for the inaugural offshore contest, the Fastnet Race, an event that has become a household name for yachties. Heckstall-Smith was indeed an authority on or...

03/08/2025

Have you got your ground tackle correctly set up? Here's how:

📸: Yachting Monthly