Informative – entertaining – amusing – uplifting? What sort of tone should a blogger strike when hammering out his or her opening words? How about sad – or tragic – or even grim? Let me explain.…
Sailboat cruising has its downsides but periodically one stumbles on something that gladdens the heart. The road up from Prickly Bay marina is steep, grueling even, but takes one up to a height from…
People get faddish in the food department once at sea. Quite why, I haven’t twigged, but I’ve observed it often enough to persuade me that it’s an irrefutable rule of life.…
There’s a widespread disease called 'epauletsy' that afflicts a some officials – customs, immigration, policemen, parking attendants, school crossing attendants and the like being prone…
It seems ironic, doesn’t it? Many people yearn to be afloat in some idyllic tropical anchorage yet we take time out to step ashore.…
When I was a young lad running unfettered in the gentle folds of England's Chiltern hills, I was told that a sure sign of impending rain was to see cows gathering to lie down in the corner of a field.…
The word ‘explosion’ might seem an exaggeration but when there’s a bit of a bang and an engulfing billow of white smoke it does seem justifiable.…
Now I wouldn't like you to think that I'm an expert at browsing the shelves and spending wisely but I have learned a thing or two over the years and thought I might write a few words on the subject.…
This month finds me in contemplative mood. I’ve always thought that cruising was simply tourism seen through another window, but I’ve recently discovered that we – cruising sailors, that is – can also…
I wrote the bones of this article about a decade ago but even over that shortish space of time technology has advanced mightily. When I first crossed the Atlantic in 1974, the sextant shown here…
