In high school I was a wide receiver and punt returner on the football team, so I ran with the ball a lot. At the time, the team’s coach had a drill he made me and other members of the offense do every practice. It started like this: In full uniform we’d stand at attention, […]
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PBO Engine Expert Stu Davies was onboard his boat this morning when this violent storm hit. Here's how he survived unscathed
Lightning strikes and 60-knot winds hit the boatyard in FaroWitnessing a violent storm from your boat is always unnerving, especially when it hits without warning. Fortunately we were in the yard and not at anchor.
The Algarve in Portugal is beautiful. Sailing the area is a delight. However paradise can have its downsides. Ten years ago the airport at Faro had part of its…
Young sailor and young journalist of the year crowned at YJA Stoneways Marine Awards Gala Dinner in Southampton
From left: Stu Bithell, Katie McCabe with her YJA Stoneways Marine Young Sailor of the Year trophy, and Shirley Roberton OBE.Fourteen-year-old Katie McCabe stole the show at the YJA Stoneways Marine awards celebration over the weekend winning both Young Sailor of the year and Young Journalist of the Year 2021 Awards.
Presented by double Olympic gold medallist and YJA member Shirley Robertson OBE and Tokyo 2020 sailing…
Wetwheels founder Geoff Holt MBE says 35,000 boat trips for wheelchair users in the last 10 years is just the start as he announces plans to triple that figure over the next 5 years
Wetwheels founder and pioneering disabled yachtsman Geoff Holt MBE DL, with Wetwheels Chief Executive Neil Wilson, left, and Trustee Paul Strzelecki.The man who launched boating charity Wetwheels a decade ago to give disabled people the opportunity to feel “free and…
With summer ending and the racing season fresh in your mind, now is a good time to assess your skills and make plans to improve in key areas. SailZing has compiled a sailing skills evaluation survey, consisting of 16 skills…
The post Racing Skills Evaluation: Develop a Self-Improvement Plan appeared first on SailZing.
On our first visit to the yard since owning our Maxi 84 Project Boat we discover the 43-year-old cruiser is leaking all over the place
Ali pressure washing the hull of Maximus, a Maxi 84I couldn’t wait for my dad to meet Maximus. It was Dad who introduced me to sailing as a kid on Compstall lake in Cheshire. My earliest memory is watching him and my mum hike out as far as they could on a Mirror dinghy, yelling at me to get on the high side, whilst I ignored…
Rob Melotti and the PBO test team put some lightweight, portable inflatable dinghies through their paces in Lymington to find the best inflatable boat
Clockwise from right: Crewsaver Air Deck 230; YAM 240 (STI) Air Floor Sport Tender; YAM 200T; Excel Ventura XL200 (blue); Force 4 02Lite 235; Seago Go Lite 230. We tested three more inflatable boats Day 2.Inflatables are everywhere: paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, tents,…
The Cal 40's traditional appearance belies her lightweight design and her surprising scarcity value, writes Rupert Holmes
Photos: PPL Photo AgencyThe traditional styling of this boat, with its counter stern and raked bow, might lead onlookers to assume it’s a typical heavy long keeler from the early 1960s.
However, it’s a lightweight design with the potential to surf at speeds of 15-16 knots for sustained periods. Of course, when the Cal 40 was first launched in 1963 there were many naysayers, who couldn’t believe that such a light…
Mark Shiner delights the crowds at Shetland Boat Week with his DIY ropewalk device and explains how to make rope yourself.
Quite long runs can be made walking the top from traveller to gear endMaking your own rope is very satisfying. I’ve run the ropewalk as a public activity at a couple of maritime festivals where I do demonstrations.
On both occasions I missed a trick; if I’d put a festival donations bucket out, or charged a small fee for making rope items we would have made a tidy sum for festival funds.
Children and…
Built as the Jaguar 27 in the UK, the Catalina 27 was the model that took on the might of the Westerly Centaur, writes Rupert Holmes
All photos: David Harding/SailingScenes.comPart of Catalina’s long-lasting success is based on a refusal to follow passing fashions. Instead models have a very long production life and are constantly refined to improve finish and ergonomics, above and below decks.
Two years after the launch of the Catalina 22, Butler teamed up with Bob Finch to design a 27-footer that would be proportionately larger,…