Yachting Monthly

14/07/2025

'I've researched the best water bottle on the market and selected some options for sailors to keep them cool, hydrated, and satisfied.'

I've looked for the best water bottle on the market and selected some options for sailors to keep them cool, hydrated, and satisfied.

14/07/2025

Are you attending any yachting events this year?

Here are some dates for your diary:

19-22 July Tall Ships, Aberdeen
www.tallshipsaberdeen.com

19 Jul - 23 Aug Maiden Voyage, Tracy Edwards musical, Southward Playhouse London, www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk; /productions/maiden-voyage/

25-27 July Looe Lugger Classics
www.visitlooe.co.uk

25-27 July Sea Fest, Peel, Isle of Man
www.facebook.com/people/Peel-Sea-Fest/61561125805822/

26 July 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race (100th anniversary)
www.rolexfastnetrace.com/en

2-8 August Cowes Week Regatta, Isle of Wight
www.cowesweek.co.uk

2-8 August Charlestown Regatta Week, Cornwall
www.charlestownregatta.org

2-10 August West Highland Week, Scottish West Coast
www.whyw.co.uk

6-10 August Scottish Fin and Foil Championships, Stranraer
www.scottishfinandfoil.org

9-16 Aug Salcombe Town Regatta, Devon
www.salcombetownregatta.org/

17 Aug Boat Jumble on the prom, Worthing Promenade, West Sussex
boatjumbleassociation.co.uk

20-24 Aug Sail 2025, 10th edition of SAIL Amsterdam
www.sail.nl/en

22-24 Aug Open Yard Boat Show, Ellös, Sweden
www.oppetvarv.se/en/

23-30 Aug Dartmouth Regatta, Devon
www.dartmouthregatta.co.uk

23-24 Aug Sandgate Sea and Food Festival, Granville Parade, Sandgate, Kent www.sandgate-pc.gov.uk/2025/03/10/the-sandgate-sea-and-food-festival-2025

31 Aug Portsmouth boat jumble, Fort Purbrook
www.boatjumbleassociation.co.uk

9 Sept - Nov 22 Ocean Film Festival UK Tour
www.oceanfilmfestival.co.uk/tickets

10 Sept Cycling on an Americas Cup Yacht, talk by Matt Rossiter, 7:15pm, Bowlers Arms, Wash Common, Newyry
newburyyachtclub.com

12-14 Sept Stranraer Oyster Festival
stranraeroysterfestival.com

19-28 Sept Southampton International Boat Show
www.southamptonboatshow.com

13/07/2025

Simon Hardaker set about making the switch from lead-acid batteries to lithium batteries. Here's what he learned throughout the process.

Simon Hardaker set about making the switch from lead-acid batteries to lithium batteries, here's what he learned throughout the process

12/07/2025

Sparkman & Stephens’ Swan 38 from the 1970s is known as one of the all-time classic cruiser-racers for good reason, as David Harding discovers.

Sparkman & Stephens’ Swan 38 from the 1970s is known as one of the all-time classic cruiser-racers for good reason, as David Harding discovers

12/07/2025

There are several localised metereological phenomena it's best for sailors and watersports users to know about.

You’ll want to understand what katabatic winds are so you can look out for them while sailing in coastal waters. In particular, it pays to be careful in areas where there are significant altitude jumps on nearby land. Or, when laying anchor under a sharp bluff.

What is a katabatic wind?

The name, which comes from the greek katabatikos and meaning ‘going downhill’ or ‘descent.'

A katabatic wind is essentially a downslope wind. As air cools in an area of higher elevation (for example at the top of a mountain, hillside, plateau, or over a cliff), it increases in density. Gravity pulls thick, cold air down towards a lower elevation, causing it to 'rush' or flow downwards. That’s why katabatics are also considered drainage winds, or 'fall winds'.

At its core that’s katabatic wind; gravity pulling down cold, dense air.

Temperature inversions, topography, air density, and pressure changes influence katabatic winds. A katabatic wind is like the inverse of a thermal wind, since it has to do with the ground cooling rather than heating up.

Katabatic winds can be sudden and extreme, and won’t always come from a predictable direction. On some occasions, they can seem to blow vertically. If you’ve ever gotten caught in one, you’ll know how spooky it is to have the sky turn on you suddenly. The localised phenomenon can last a few minutes or several days.

If you’re trying to visualise the wind’s path, its trajectory is determined by gravity and topography. In this case, the wind will move much like a river does as it traces down the a mountainside and flows towards the sea.

Famous katabatic winds include the Bora (Adriatic), the Mistral and Tramontana (Mediterranean), The Santa Ana (Southern California), and the awesome Williwaw in Tierra del Fuego and Alaska.

Photos: Viv Herzum

11/07/2025

'We were sailing from our home port of Brighton towards the Solent when a yacht on the port tack began bearing down on us.

'As the boat drew closer I bellowed ‘Starboard’ but to no avail. Presuming I was dealing with a novice, I gently veered away only for the other boat to readjust their course and head back towards me. I moved again and so did they. It was only when we were in spitting distance that I realised what was happening. The owner of the other yacht, sailing shorthanded, was on the deck taking photographs.' - Jason Beattie on his 1938 cutter Cumulus

'These are the delights of owning a classic boat. Naturally, I’m prejudiced but my yacht Cumulus, a 1938 cutter built by Williams & Parkinson in Conwy, north Wales, is a thing of beauty, especially when she has all three tan sails up'

'Call me a fool (I prefer the word romantic) but I bought a wooden boat with my eyes open. I knew they have a tendency to leak, that the maintenance is far more time-consuming than with a plastic boat, that the upkeep is more expensive and that there is a greater likelihood that things will break, fall apart and generally go wrong.

'All of this was apparent from a very early age when my parents in their wisdom decided they would like to spend their summers cruising on a 26ft wooden yacht with two small children. My holidays were spent in a cramped pipe cot, being sick in buckets and driving my mum and dad to despair by falling overboard'

'It is difficult to articulate exactly why Cumulus was exactly the one. When you identify ‘the boat’ it is the bringing together of memories, aspiration, romance, seamanship and, more prosaically, the condition of your bank balance.'

'The design has a hint of Hillyard which evoked the nine-tonner my godfather used to sail. The bowsprit, which I knew I would curse every time it cost me a few extra quid in mooring fees, added a touch of grace. Inside, she had the comfort you associate with a traditional gentleman’s yacht. I also knew I was buying a piece of history.'

Photos: Jason Beattie

Read more at the link in the comments below.

11/07/2025

New charity Stride Forward will take part in this year's Cowes Week. Their programmes help individuals who have life-altering injuries regain confidence through sailing.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-life/stride-forward-charity-to-race-in-cowes-week-for-the-first-time-ever-102156

Photos: Stride Forward

11/07/2025

A prime example of how to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, the Broadblue 346 also demonstrates the versatility of twin hulls.

A prime example of how to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, the Broadblue 346 also demonstrates the versatility of twin hulls

10/07/2025

Celebrate valuable contributions to the boating community by nominating an outstanding individual or organisation for a 2026 RYA Award.

10/07/2025

Have you been sailing this summer? What's your favourite place you've been?

One week to go until you can pick up your August issue copy of Yachting Monthly and get some inspiration for sailing the Hebrides, the YM Celtic Triangle Race, and the Danish Islands. (In whichever order you like!)

Get yourself a copy.

10/07/2025

Jason Beattie’s 1938 cutter Cumulus turns heads, but some costly realities come with owning a beautiful piece of history.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-life/the-pitfalls-and-pleasure-of-owning-my-classic-yacht-102212

Photos: Jason Beattie

09/07/2025

Following yacht improvement tips isn’t just about luxury – it’s about making your time on the water more enjoyable, practical and stress-free, writes Susannah Hart.

https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/promotional-feature/yacht-improvement-tips-getting-more-onboard-creature-comforts-102176