Yachtswoman Genevieve Leaper gets a memorable lesson in how to launch a trailer sailer...
If you have a short adventure to share email pbo@futurenet.com and if we publish it you’ll get to keep the original Jake Kavanagh cartoonGeorge was helping to launch his friend’s boat and asked if Paul and I could give them a hand. My friend George knows nothing about boats, his involvement was as driver of the tow vehicle, being the owner of a suitably powerful 4×4.
When we duly turned up at the harbour the next Sunday it soon became...
Peter Poland reflects on pulling out the lead line, lobbing a Walker log over the stern and unpacking a sextant versus modern sailing gear
Jean-Luc van den Heede won the single-handed 2018 Golden Globe Race with the help of his Hydrovane ‘direct drive’ self-steering system. Credit: Christophe Favreau/GGR/PPLHow sailing gear has changed over the decades
When Denny Desoutter and his team dropped PBO issue No. 1 onto the news stands in January 1967, I was already planning an ocean voyage in a small yacht....
Richard Barnard is reminded not to get engine dependent in fickle winds, sailing his Coaster Passagemaker 33 off the Suffolk coast…
Sailing, with the wind, sea and tides, is a sport ever ready to reward complacency with challenge. From an estuary dinghy sailor to an ocean voyager, there are endless opportunities to learn something new – from a better way to lead the jib sheet to how to heave-to more safely in a gale.
The years go by...
Ali Wood tests EDZ Merino wool leggings and top over the winter and is impressed
Ali tests the EDZ leggings and long-sleeve test on a narrowboat charterSailing over the winter and autumn or at night in the summer can be chilly, so thermals are a good idea.
Merino wool is a natural fibre grown by Merino sheep, which keeps them happy in anything from -15C°C to 35°C. Oh to be a sheep…
Merino wool offers the best of both worlds: when it’s cold, the crimps in the fibre provide insulation, but when it’s hot, the pores...
Ali Wood tests Red Original's beanie hat and headband to find out if it keeps her warm from the elements
During a winter sail on Maximus the burgundy Red Original Merino Beanie came in handyI’m a fan of Red Original’s paddle, surf and swim gear, so was keen to try out their new Merino wool hat and headband.
Made with 3M reflective yarn, the rib-knit headwear is reflective in low light, so is good for being seen when the days are short but you’re still on the water.
The hat isn’t as soft as some of my other ones, but is...
VMG Yacht Design's VMG 40 can be built from a modular kit and is aimed at the offshore cruising market
he wide beam provides plenty of accommodation. Credit: VMG Yacht DesignFirst look at the VMG 40
The Swiss firm VMG Yacht Design has just unveiled its plans for a 40ft cruising boat, which can be built from a modular kit out of plywood, epoxy, fibreglass or linen.
The design has been...
With the help of ACM Marine, Ali Wood goes about securing mast cable on the Maxi 84 PBO project boat
Adam McMenemy feeds the conduit up into the mastSecuring mast cable on our Maxi 84
When we acquired Maximus, our Maxi 84 Project Boat in the summer of 2021, the...
How do you distinguish a real bargain boat from one that’s not worth restoring, even if it’s free? Rupert Holmes has some sage advice
Look beyond the cosmetic. With the owner’s consent, it’s worth doing some cleaning first to identify any major problems. Credit: Alison WoodThe idea of a project boat can be enormously appealing.
It is hugely satisfying to give a vessel a new lease of life and it can be a route to a better boat for a restricted budget.
There’s also a benefit in terms of ongoing...
The new Oyster Punt by Falco Boats can be either rowed or driven by electric engine, and has been hand built at the boatbuilder's yard in Cornwall
The Oyster Punt is the first boat to be launched by Falco BoatsFalco Boats is a new boatyard that opened up on the River Fal in Cornwall last year and the Oyster Punt is the first vessel to be launched.
Based on working oyster punts used by Cornish oyster fishermen, the 14ft boat has a GRP clinker-built hull with hand-built hardwood decks and topsides in iroko.
The Oyster Punt can...
Standard Poodle May claimed a coveted 'Seadog of the Month' slot in Practical Boat Owner magazine – and now she's using her buoyancy aid prize on a circumnavigation of Britain
Meet May, a Standard Poodle with more than a standard aptitude for water, who was PBO’s Seadog of the Month in our June 2023 issue.
May’s crew Sam Samuels and Stephanie Wheeler say: “Nothing phases her, she’s as quiet as an old shoe when we’re sailing but when ashore is full of beans and loves to play.
“At Lantic Bay last summer...