Innehållsförteckning för October 2025 från Practical Boat Owner

Always improving When you go sailing, do you sit back and enjoy your time afloat or are you a bit like me, always tinkering and looking to see if something can be better? Boat owners know only too well that the boat you buy is all about compromise – indeed, naval architects often improve on their original designs, as you’ll see from our test of the new BayCruiser 21 from Swallow Yachts (page 42). Jester Challenge skippers are experts in finding solutions to make things safer or more efficient, given that they sail solo offshore in sub-30ft boats and need to be self-reliant. They share some of their ideas ranging from DIY man overboard recovery devices to clever ways to prevent sheets from snagging and ingenious ways to sheet sails…

Sailors planning to cruise in Italian waters are being warned that restrictions are tightening on safety and environmental matters. Cruising guide author Rod Heikell, who co-writes the Italian Waters Pilot with his wife, Lucinda, said: “Things are tightening up in Italy, at least in the Egadi Islands and La Maddalena archipelago. “A friend has highlighted that the risk of fines is increasing, which may be useful information for anyone sailing around Sicily or Italy. “These laws certainly apply to where they were sailing around the Egadi islands, west of Sicily, and, one may reasonably assume, apply all over Italy.” Authorisation is required to visit Egadi’s marine protected area, known as Area Marina Protetta (AMP). Download the app Blue Discovery (it covers all Italian AMPs). To use a mooring buoy where…

Adventurer and disabled sailor Jazz Turner has set her sights on another circumnavigation – the global WorldStar Race. The Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC)-organised race is created by sailors for sailors to test seamanship and endurance. It will start from Plymouth on 26 September 2026 and invites competitors to circle the globe without outside assistance or stops. Full-time wheelchair user Turner, who has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), completed a non-stop, solo and unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland on 1 July. She said: “As my condition has progressed, the one thing I made sure of was that I never stopped sailing. I’ve faced many a ‘no’ in my life, I do my best to turn them into ‘yes’.” Turner, who sailed a 1975 Albin Vega 27 for her recent…

Journalists, bloggers, vloggers, videographers and photographers are being invited to submit their entries for the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA)’s Young Journalist of the Year 2025. The award celebrates the outstanding contributions of young journalists in the field of yachting and marine journalism. It is open to individuals aged 30 and under as of 31 December 2025. Any form of media content about or involving sailing, and water sports or the marine industry is acceptable as an entry – written content, videos or photographs – but must have been produced in the last year. The deadline for entries is 23:39 on 19 September. The winner will be announced in October 2025. Last year’s winner, chosen by YJA members, was Kaia Bint-Savage for her video about The Maiden Factor. She said: “The…

Old-fashioned explosive devices Well done for your headline ‘mandatory pyrotechnic use “nonsensical’” (PBO, July 2025). I’d have preferred ‘idiotic’ or ‘create more danger than they’re ever likely to save someone from’. The sad fact is that pyrotechnic devices that rely on gunpowder or the like present much more danger to sailors than they are ever likely to save them from. I have flares right in front of me that have the flowing instructions in English: ‘Remove the red cap security cover and pull upwards the rest red cap’ Frighteningly dangerous, bearing in mind there is a red cap on each end! The next instruction is ‘Draw the coated surface of the red cap on the surface of the top’ – talk about nonsensical – and it gets worse! ‘Hold the…

Almost everyone finds that at some point in their boating career they get torpedoed, hit a rock or catch fire. This is perfectly normal. Usual procedure is to fire flares in all directions until they are used up. There are many Very High Frequency (VHF) distress aids, including the recently introduced Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), which in combination with Digital Selective Calling (DSC), global positioning system (GPS) and of course a vessel’s Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) has provided increased functionality in casualty location and communication as regards distress, but not every human being can be bothered with this guff. Even if they have the intellectual capacity, the traditional mariner is unlikely to be in favour of this newfangled bilge. If they wanted anyone to know where…

Most amateur sailors enjoy coastal sailing in a stiff breeze with the boat running at its best, but on a long, offshore passage, the crew can find themselves overtaken by bad weather. While good forecasting and weather routing can help avoid the worst of a blow, there will be a time when the boat and crew must simply ride it out. This year’s Jester Challenge once again proved a fertile ground for examples of how a short-handed crew can prepare for this scenario. The challenge began in 2006 and was designed for ordinary cruising boats of under 30ft to be sailed long distance, and single-handed. Intrigued by the highly practical and self-reliant approach involved, PBO has both supported and reported on the event ever since. In 2025, the fleet was…

Hallberg-Rassy 42E | Scanmar 40 | Westerly Oceanlord | Bowman 40 Contest 42 | Nicholson 39 | Moody 425 | Amel Sharki The centre cockpit concept has largely died out among smaller and mid-size yachts. Yet it remains very popular in larger sizes, where boatbuilders including Oyster and Contest continue to produce centre cockpit designs from 50ft to more than 80ft; Hallberg-Rassy is one of the few remaining yards building centre cockpit designs as small as 40ft. The Oyster 406 is a very civilised option from the 1980s for those who plan to spend a lot of time living on board and is now relatively affordable. It’s one of three centre cockpit Holman and Pye designs that created new expectations for space, comfort, and build quality in what was then…

After we bought Noontide, our Albin Ballad 30, in Plymouth in April 2023, we spent the following few weeks day-sailing the 340 miles to her new home on the Medway. The ‘prevailing’ south-westerly winds never appeared, and we spent much of the 340-mile journey under engine into easterly winds that, on some days, had kicked up a bit of a sea. The leg from Brighton to Eastbourne was particularly bouncy, with green water regularly coming over the foredeck. The Yanmar 2GM20 never missed a beat. Trouble Then, a month or two later, on the return leg of a trip to Burnham-on-Crouch, in very benign conditions, the engine faltered and then came to a stop. We hoisted sail and, while Sean kept the boat off the sandbanks in the Crouch estuary,…

Ozzie, the Australian Cattle Dog, has been my faithful crew ever since he came to us more than seven years ago. But last summer he developed a condition known colloquially as ‘Collie Nose’. The vet advised that exposure to sunlight needed to be minimized, and Oz hung up his dog buoyancy aid and took up shore-based duties instead. But every time I started packing up my sailing gear to go out for the day, Oz would mime deep disappointment. Head down, ears down, a mournful looking dog would take himself ever so slowly off to his bed. It was not only the guilt of leaving him behind. I found that somehow sailing just wasn’t as much fun without my first mate. Cuddy inspiration As a keen dinghy cruiser, I have…

A consultation is underway into a Department for Transport (DfT) strategy for decarbonising smaller vessels, with a gross tonnage of less than 400 tonnes. The DfT has a stated goal for “…UK domestic maritime to aim for zero fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, with at least a 30% reduction by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2040, relative to 2008 levels.” Its Call for Evidence (CfE) consists of up to 122 detailed questions, which can be completed by any interested parties such as vessel builders, operators, representative organisations or individuals. The Cruising Association’s Regulatory & Technical Services (RATS) group (pbo.co.uk/RATS_experts) is working with the Royal Yachting Association, British Marine and the Inland Waterways Association to develop a co-ordinated response, while maintaining each organisation’s independence. Simon Hampton-Matthews, chair…

After two years and 43,000 miles at sea, the Dutch tall ship Oosterschelde sailed into Falmouth Harbour, marking the end of the DARWIN200 Global Voyage. Inspired by Charles Darwin’s journey aboard HMS Beagle, the modern-day voyage aimed to galvanise a new generation of environmental leaders and spark urgent action to conserve nature. More than 600 members of the public paid to be guest crew as the ship sailed between 31 ports, where over 105 young conservationists from 45 countries were trained aboard and in the field, working alongside filmmakers, local non-governmental organisation partners and scientists in each port to research, document details for more than 100 species and ecosystems. Following homecoming festivities at Falmouth, the Oosterschelde sailed to Tower Bridge, London, for a Royal visit from The Duke of Edinburgh.…

Early July, and I fixed my engine at last. It was still overheating, with only a miserable skoosh of water coming out of the exhaust. I took a deep breath and checked everything again. Nothing in the strainer, and when I turned the water back on it came gushing out, so no blockage in the inlet. Impeller okay. I shoved a bit of wire up from it, and there didn’t seem to be a blockage. I opened the heat exchanger tube aft, for the fourth time, and realised that what I’d taken for packing round the tube was scale. I dipped it into boiling water and Fairy Liquid, left it awhile, then started scraping. It came off in chunks, and I realised the tube had been blocked to half the…

Growing up my identical twin sister, Lou, and I shared numerous experiences, but when it came to sailing and being on the water, this is where our paths diverged. Lou and her husband, Stu, have never set foot on a sailing boat. The closest they have ever come to life on the water was an overnight ferry crossing. A charter holiday would be the perfect way to introduce them to sailing and my husband, John, was also keen; despite sailing thousands of miles from the UK to Brazil and up and down the Caribbean chain, John has never cruised the Mediterranean (although he did spend a few days sailing Steinlager 2 from Cadiz to Ibiza, much to my envy). John and I had also never been on a charter holiday,…

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Sailing starts – and ends – with the human element. You may have the most streamlined, light and effective rudder that turns your boat on a sixpence, but if your steering is not efficient, then that’ll let you down. Waggling the rudder around when you’re nearly stationary won’t give you a jot of extra performance. The only counter to this is if you’ve totally lost power, you’ve no wind or oars, then flipping the blade from one side to the other will give you a teensy bit of forward motion, in imitation of a sculling oar. Efficiency here is all about the famed ‘steer, then gear’. On displacement craft of any weight, it’s ‘gear, then steer’ (this is to be taken in advisement, I prefer to think of ‘way on:…

Your sailing education is not complete until you’ve sailed La Semaine, I’d been told by my sailing mentor. Calm seas, warm winds, beautiful islands and French cuisine. A regatta for sailing boats. What’s not to like? No mention was made of the eight-knot currents in narrow channels, the risk of being swept out to sea, notorious navigational marks with spinning back-eddies, nor being run down by square riggers. So, having received only half the story I signed up for this year’s event, held from 26 May to 1 June. So engaging was the proposition that eight other Cape Cutters decided to join me. The splendid La Semaine de Golfe de Morbihan is a regatta held in the Golfe de Morbihan, southern Brittany, every two years. It promotes traditional sailing craft…

Staff at Premier Marinas are celebrating retaining the EcoVadis Silver rating, placing them in the top 11% of companies assessed by EcoVadis – a global provider of business sustainability ratings. To mark the honour, the marina group and partners hosted a community coastal walk and litter pick around Portchester Castle and Premier Trafalgar Wharf on World Ocean Day, which attracted 60 volunteers of all ages.…

Sailors in the UK who keep their boats in Greece should be aware of the regulation changes for the Greek transit log. To sail in Greek territorial waters, a transit log is required for all private pleasure vessels exceeding 7m in length, flying non-EU flags, which includes UK-flag vessels. The Greek Customs Office has told the Cruising Association (CA) that applications for a transit log must be made online after arrival in Greece. A copy of the stamped crew list obtained from the Port Police after arrival must be scanned to PDF and included, in addition to other documents. The crew list is being used for vessels holding a limited transit log to stamp in and out of ports. The CA’s Greek Regulations page (for members only) has an updated…

SOUTH COAST & CHANNEL ISLANDS Sail tasters UK charity Autism on the Water, which has helped more than 1,000 people on the autism spectrum enjoy sailing, is celebrating a successful South Coast open day. The event, hosted by Haslar Marina, Gosport, welcomed autistic adults, children and their families and carers aboard three sailing yachts and one motorboat, skippered and crewed by experienced volunteers. Some 90 people were taken out in small groups for hour-long taster sails in Portsmouth Harbour, in many cases for the very first time. Murray MacDonald, an autistic sailor who founded the charity in 2016, said: “We have had tremendous support from everyone involved.” ■ AutismOnTheWater.org.uk Golden milestone More than 130 Azores and Back (AZAB) sailors and supporters gathered to celebrate 50 years since the yacht race…

South Coast sailors should have absolutely nothing to fear of the East Coast with its shallow, knee-deep waters, ever-shifting mud banks, back-to-front tides and disappearing coast where chalets fall off eroding cliffs and land in your path on the waypoint you’ve just marked on the chart. In such circumstances, as long as the chalet doesn’t land on you, you’ll find the best water either in-shore or further out, or possibly on a nearby reservoir. Indeed, anyone who’s paid attention on their RYA theory course, where they use imaginary charts marked with the legend ‘NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION’, will find them very useful in practice on the East Coast. That’s because we have actual, real charts that are boldly marked ‘NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION’. Two such chartlets,…

During a well-deserved lie in, the phone rang close to my ear. It was Alex Haig of Anglia Yacht Brokerage to tell me that he’d just obtained a nice Tideway 10 lug sail dinghy (T10 number 12). Wow! I had asked him a year ago if he had one, and he said he’d look out for me. Well, he had remembered – how marvellous is that? Although lug sail T10s are currently in production they are rarely available on the used market. I have a preference for lug sails, when trailer sailing, so a deal was reached there and then. The southern Tideway Owners Association meeting at Bosham was in a few days and I was hopeful that I’d be able to take her there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get organised…

The key to packing for a Mediterranean yacht charter is two things: measure and adaptability. Here’s what I keep in my bag to travel light and stay prepared. The bag Suitcases are hard to stow and can get in the way. A soft-shell carry-on is your best bet, especially a waterproof one. I’ve been using the same 30lt Helly Hansen waterproof backpack for years. Whatever the destination, weather, or length of trip, it’s always the perfect size. Clothing Take less than you think. Life on board is pretty clean and simple; you’ll probably end up spending most of your time in swim gear. Other clothes should be tailored towards two things: temperature regulation and sun protection. Long, light layers are ideal for dealing with both. You’ll want something warm if…

Outboard engines have been a part of my life since I was a child in the 1980s. I’m from a family that loves boating and grew up with petrol outboards. One of my earliest boating memories is from when I was around nine years old and I was given a lesson in petrol outboard engines and their idiosyncrasies. It took place on Christmas Day, in the garden, and I was shown how to start a 2-stroke 4hp outboard motor. It was clamped onto the side of a large dustbin, which had been filled with water. I remember it being a rather energetic lesson in how to pull-start a recalcitrant motor. The engine in question was an old Suzuki that began life as a reliable outboard. But gradually, as it aged,…

Wanting to upgrade the comfort of my 2004 Bavaria 38 sailing yacht, I found the procedure to be remarkably simple. Here, I demonstrate how easy it is to integrate a self-contained cooling solution without the benefit of advanced technical skills. I chose to install the IZY air conditioning unit, which is designed specifically for marine use. It consists of a compact stainless steel housing, integrated high-efficiency compressor, corrosion-resistant copper-nickel heat exchanger, and all pre-mounted components. Available in 9,000, 13,000, and 16,000 BTU/h configurations, I chose the 9,000 BTU/h model to suit Mediterranean summers. The unit offers both cooling and electric heating, maintaining full thermal power even in cold sea temperatures thanks to electric resistance heating. Planning The installation requires three main connections: ■ Power supply ■ Air distribution ducting ■…

Little did I know, when I set off from Brighton Marina on 2 June at 1230, that the next 28 days would test me in far more ways than I could ever imagine. I was attempting to set the record as the first female and first disabled person to complete a solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be some of the most difficult and tricky sailing I would ever do. It would also be some of the most incredible and rewarding sailing I’d ever had the privilege to experience. Heading south-west from Brighton Marina slowly, the five or six support boats peeled away and I was left alone with my Albin Vega 27, Fear. There was an…