Tom Cunliffe tells us of stepping a mast in Southampton Water in 1969, when crews were rough, spars were made of trees, cranes were driven by steam… and winter meant snow. “The past is a foreign ...

Sailing to north Africa provided a rare chance to step off the yacht and into the world of the felucca – Robert Weatherburn tells us of his time sailing in Egypt. A vague shape floated up as if to ...

A Christmas tale might involve sacrifice, survival and the odd miracle, but rarely all three. Dick Durham tells us the story of Lady Daphne in the stormy Christmas of 1927. Full details of the ...

Boatbuilder Abbey Molyneux, featured not so long ago on these pages for staging a symposium of boatbuilders at her yard, has been busy creating a fascinating microcosm of vintage hydroplane racing, ...

At 65 years old, Brooklin Boatyard can celebrate its planked past while getting on with the future of wooden construction. Established in 1960, but with nautical routes that date back further, ...

A tour of wooden boatbuilding in Norway, meeting the old hands and next generation keeping centuries old skills alive. “Above all, it’s about preserving the intangible cultural heritage,” Tore ...

A marvel of engineering? Or a horror lurking below the steps? Two men with more than 120 years of experience run us through the basic checks needed on a four-stroke marine diesel. A hard-working ...

After rebuilding some of the most famous sailing yachts of all time, how hard could this 1960 S&S sportfisher project possibly be? Joe Loughborough and Steffan Meyric Hughes tell us the story of Grey ...

The world’s most famous yacht race is a century old. Barry Pickthall, who has covered every race for 50 of those years, takes up the story. Opposition was intense. The New York and Boston newspapers ...

The Edwardian Broads racer Sparklet survived a war and an unsympathetic conversion, and is now back to her best, Richard Johnstone Bryden tells us. Their combined efforts now mean Sparklet can compete ...

The diminutive island of Bermuda gives its name to today’s most common rig, but it was once deemed only suitable for small vessels, says Martin Black. I recently acquired this image. Judging by the ...