Learn sailing right of way rules with simple COLREGs scenarios—tack, overtaking, crossing, lights, and priority exceptions. Read & use the cheat sheet.
Learn evidence-based seasickness remedies for sailing—meds, patches, bands, food, and habits—with dosing/timing and watchstander safety tips. Plan your kit now.
Spring commissioning takes 15-25 hours and covers hull, engine, plumbing, rigging, electronics, and safety gear. This practical boat checklist walks through each system in the order that matters in a yard, with realistic time and cost estimates for a 32-40 foot sailboat.
A VHF radio connects you to the coast guard, nearby vessels, and marinas when cell coverage fails. This guide covers the channels you need to know, distress call protocols, DSC setup, and radio etiquette that every boater should master.
The Aegean Sea offers some of the best island-hopping sailing in the world. This guide covers routes from Turkey to Greece, border formalities, meltemi wind tactics, and three itineraries through the Dodecanese and eastern Aegean.
Sailing with kids takes specific preparation, the right boat setup, and a willingness to adjust your rhythm. This guide covers everything from choosing a family-friendly catamaran to provisioning, safety gear, and keeping children engaged at sea.
A practical guide to the best cruising sailboats under $100K — which used models actually hold up offshore, what surveyors check, hidden costs, and how to negotiate without losing the deal.
A complete guide to crossing the Pacific by sailboat — the three main routes, cyclone-season timing, boat and gear requirements, realistic costs, and what 21 days at sea actually looks like.
The 125-nautical-mile route from Athens to Santorini through the Western Cyclades takes 7-10 days under the Meltemi wind. A practical guide to marinas, anchorages, costs, and timing — written for crews who actually have to sail it.
Roller furling lets one person handle the headsail from the cockpit; hank-on sails are heavier to set, lighter to trust, and almost always cheaper to maintain. An honest comparison of cost, reliability, reefing performance, and when each system actually wins for cruisers, offshore voyagers, and budget owners.
A working sailor's guide to sailing around the world — the classic tradewind route, real costs by year, the three-to-five year timeline, and the practical preparation that actually matters before you leave.
A working sailor's guide to sextant navigation — what the instrument actually measures, how to take a clean sight from a moving deck, the noon sun shortcut, star rounds at twilight, and what kit and practice you need to fix your position to within 2-3 nautical miles without GPS.
Sweden offers two completely different sailing trips in one country: the sheltered, tideless Stockholm archipelago and the salty, swell-prone Bohuslan west coast. This guide covers routes, charter logistics, mooring techniques, and seasonal timing for both.
A practical, expert-level guide to crossing the Tasman Sea by sailboat — distances, weather windows, departure ports, customs, costs, and what the passage actually feels like.
The shortest Channel crossing from Southampton to Cherbourg is 75 nautical miles, a 12-15 hour passage for most cruising yachts. A practical guide to tides, traffic separation, weather windows, customs, and what the crossing actually feels like at 03:00 in mid-Channel.
A sailing dinghy teaches the craft faster, but a keelboat is more comfortable and the right starting point if your goal is cruising. Here's how to choose the right boat for your first season — by skill goal, comfort, age, and budget.
A working sailor's guide to sailing Thailand and the Andaman Sea — Phuket as a base, Phang Nga Bay anchorages, the 130 nm hop south to Langkawi, and the offshore passage to the Indian Andaman Islands. Routes, marinas, charter costs, and seasonal weather.
A working sailor's guide to the best anchorages in Martinique — Sainte-Anne, Le Marin, Anses d'Arlet, Saint-Pierre, and the lesser-known east-coast bays — with holding, depth, weather notes, and a suggested one-week charter itinerary.
The 1,820 nm passage from Bermuda to the Azores takes most cruising boats 14 to 18 days. Here is the route, the timing, and what really happens on the mid-Atlantic leg.
The 130-nautical-mile run from Phuket to Langkawi is one of Asia's best-known cruising routes — three to five days down the Andaman Sea, with limestone karst islands, sheltered anchorages, and straightforward formalities at both ends.
The shortest Sicily-Malta hop is just 55 nm from Pozzallo to Valletta. A practical passage guide covering departure ports, weather windows, the Sicily Channel shipping lanes, marina options, and what to expect arriving at Grand Harbour.
A practical guide to sailing the French Riviera and Corsica — covering the Cote d'Azur from Saint-Tropez to Menton, the Bonifacio Strait crossing, marina costs, anchorages, and a realistic two-week itinerary.
The 74 islands of the Whitsundays sit inside the Great Barrier Reef, which makes them one of the most sheltered and reliable cruising grounds in the world. Here's the practical guide: routes, season, anchorages, costs and what bareboat charterers actually need to know.
A practical, no-fluff guide to picking the best anchor for your sailboat — anchor types, sizing charts, ground tackle, scope, and setting technique from experienced cruisers.
How to read nautical charts: depth soundings, IALA buoyage, cardinal marks, hazard symbols, tidal data, and electronic vs paper charts. The navigation skill every sailor needs.
Comprehensive guide about how to provision a boat. Expert advice with specific numbers, practical tips, and real-world experience from offshore sailors.
The Panama-to-Colombia sailing route via the San Blas Islands covers 120-200 nautical miles through one of the Caribbean's last unspoiled archipelagos. Here's what you need to know about the passage, the islands, and the open-water crossing to Cartagena.
Italy offers 7,600 km of coastline and three standout sailing regions: Sardinia's wild granite cliffs, the Amalfi Coast's vertical villages, and the Aeolian Islands' volcanic drama. Here's how to sail them all.
Reefing reduces sail area to match increasing wind — and it's one of the most important skills any sailor can learn. This guide covers when to reef, why it matters for safety and performance, and the exact step-by-step procedure for both mainsail slab reefing and headsail roller furling.
A practical guide to choosing your first sailboat — monohull vs. catamaran, the best sizes and models for beginners, what to inspect, and real costs to expect in year one.
Master outboard motor maintenance for tender outboards: annual service, troubleshooting, corrosion control, and storage for 2- and 4-strokes. Use our checklist.
From the warm Cyclades to Norway's fjords, this country-by-country guide covers Europe's best sailing grounds — with practical advice on winds, costs, seasons, and charter logistics.
Ten sailing knots that cover 95% of what you will ever need on a boat — from the bowline and cleat hitch to the rolling hitch and trucker s hitch. Step-by-step instructions, a quick-reference table, and practice tips from fifteen years of offshore experience.
A working sailor's breakdown of the weather apps, GRIB viewers, and forecasting tools that actually matter for passage planning. Covers Predictwind, Windy, PocketGrib, and more with honest takes on what each does well and where it falls short.
From the sheltered Ionian Islands to the turquoise BVI, these are the best summer sailing destinations for families — with passage distances, costs, wind conditions, and safety tips to plan your trip.
Someone just went over the side, and you have seconds to act. This guide covers every man overboard procedure a sailing crew must know — quick-stop maneuvers, crew roles, recovery techniques, cold water survival, and the equipment that makes the difference.
The best sailing routes share reliable trade winds, warm water, and protected anchorages within a day's sail of each other. This guide covers the Atlantic circuit, Mediterranean cruising, Caribbean trade-wind sailing, Pacific crossings, and more — with distances, seasonal timing, and practical planning advice.
The best cruising catamarans compared: Lagoon, Leopard, Fountaine Pajot, Bali, and Excess models from 38-50 feet. New and used prices, operating costs vs monohulls, and what to inspect when buying.
A practical comparison of bareboat and skippered yacht charters covering costs, qualifications, privacy, and the kind of sailing experience each one delivers — with a decision framework to help you choose.
Use this bareboat charter packing list to pack smart, confirm what’s provided onboard, and buy essentials before you fly—avoid base-day surprises. Plan now.
A practical guide to catamaran sailing for monohull sailors making the switch. Covers stability differences, reefing strategy, twin-engine docking, anchoring with a bridle, and heavy weather tactics.
A practical guide to sailing Turkey covering the Turquoise Coast from Fethiye to Antalya, the Aegean from Bodrum to Marmaris, charter options, seasonal timing, and detailed one-week itineraries for both coasts.
Docking a sailboat confidently in any situation — side-tie, slip, or Mediterranean stern-to — comes down to preparation, speed control, and understanding wind. This guide covers every scenario step by step.
The British Virgin Islands pack more world-class anchorages into roughly 60 square nautical miles than anywhere else on Earth. This bay-by-bay guide covers 11 top anchorages from The Bight at Norman Island to remote Anegada, with depths, bottom types, mooring details, and practical tips.
The passage from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands covers 750 to 850 nautical miles through the Portuguese Trades. This guide covers route options, weather windows, Strait of Gibraltar tactics, and arrival ports across the islands.
Greece offers three distinct charter regions — the accessible Saronic Gulf near Athens, the wind-swept Cyclades, and the sheltered Ionian Islands. Here's how to choose the right one for your crew, budget, and experience level.
The Drake Passage — 500 nautical miles of the planet's most feared open water — stands between Ushuaia and Antarctica. This guide covers route planning, weather windows, vessel requirements, expedition costs, and a day-by-day breakdown of what the crossing is really like.
A clear breakdown of the three major sailing certification systems — ASA, RYA, and ICC — what each level qualifies you for, which you need for chartering, and how to choose the right path based on where you sail.
You can't point a sailboat directly into the wind, but you can sail remarkably close to it. This guide covers the physics of upwind sailing, step-by-step tacking technique, sail trim for beating to windward, and strategic use of wind shifts to maximize your VMG.
Comprehensive guide about best time to sail the caribbean. Expert advice with specific numbers, practical tips, and real-world experience from offshore sailors.
An honest comparison of monohulls and catamarans for cruising: performance, comfort, costs, safety, and resale value. No tribal arguments, just practical trade-offs to help you pick the right hull type.
Complete Croatia sailing guide: three regions (Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik), the Maestral and Bura winds, costs by season, license requirements, and the best islands from Kornati to Mljet.
The honest truth about living on a sailboat: real monthly costs ($1,500-4,400), space limitations, maintenance reality, plus the genuine freedom and savings that keep 100,000+ people living aboard in the US alone.
A practical guide to anchoring: choosing the right anchor, calculating scope (5:1 minimum overnight), setting and retrieving step-by-step, Med mooring, snubbers, anchor alarms, and how to sleep soundly at 3am.
The best Caribbean islands for sailing: BVI for beginners, Grenadines for experienced sailors, Antigua for history and regattas, plus Grenada, St. Martin, and seasonal timing. Real conditions, distances, and costs.
Everything a beginner needs to start sailing: boat parts that matter, how sails work, the five points of sail, tacking and gybing step-by-step, safety essentials, and where to take your first course. No jargon overload.
An honest guide to sailing the Greek islands — Cyclades (iconic but windy), Saronic (easy and close to Athens), Ionian (calm and green), Dodecanese (uncrowded), and Sporades (lush). Distances, wind conditions, costs, and when to go.
Real yacht charter prices for 2026: bareboat from $1,500/week, skippered from $3,500/week, crewed luxury from $15,000/week. Complete breakdown by boat type, destination, season, plus hidden costs and money-saving tips.
Everything you need to cross from Florida to the Bahamas by sailboat. Four routes from 48-130 nm, Gulf Stream tactics, customs requirements, costs ($2,000-4,100 for two weeks), and the best anchorages from Bimini to the Exumas.
A realistic breakdown of Atlantic crossing times by route, season, and boat type. The trade wind route takes 14-21 days, the northern passage via Azores 18-28 days. Includes provisioning, daily routines, and what it costs.
