What’s Happening? From January 1st 2022 we will be subject to new guidelines relating to the reporting of certain information if we sail to or from locations outside the UK and the Isle of Man – this includes a trip to and from the Channel Islands. In particular, we will need to give information on: […]
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Sailing Pleasure Craft to and from the UK
This morning we went to pay our respects at the old Penlee Lifeboat Station between Newlyn and Mousehole. A brisk south-easterly breeze gave the gulls an airstream to dive & soar above the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) flag flying at half-mast while we took in the undisturbed scene of the boathouse and slipway from […]
I was taken by the simplicity of how Geoffrey Prout describes rigs in his “Brown’s Pocket-Book for Yachtsmen” that I have been very kindly leant a copy of. To share it with you (and the wonderful hand drawn diagram to explain the main types of rig) I have included what he says below. ‘Fore-and-aft-rigged vessels […]
I was recently loaned a copy of a wonderful book in the form of a reprint from 1943…. It’s a fascinating historical document that shows both areas of significant change on the water and aspects of sailing that haven’t altered at all. A quick search online shows the first edition to have been published in […]
Go Southerly… One of the services offered through Change of Tack is the delightful ‘task’ of helping clients find their ideal next boat. During the winter of 2017/2018, there has been a search for a suitable lifting keel sailing boat that was more than capable of dealing with European waters – particularly as the final […]
An RNLI Message on Cold Water Shock and Lifejackets Cold Water Shock "It's Ok, I'm a strong swimmer" - a phrase that more than one of my students has uttered to me in response to being told to wear a lifejacket. When I'm teaching any level of sea-based practical training the first and usually only [...]
The Sea - Always Commands Respect The Sea is an inspiring place and an environment into which we venture in pursuit of our desire to sail, but would you know what to do if you accidently ended up in it, rather than on top? One of the more sobering elements of what I teach to [...]
Have you ever reached for the starter key and had that mildly terrifying thought at the back of your mind…. ‘Is it going to start? … Please start!’? I guess it has happened to most of us at some point, particularly when on a boat that we may not be sure about, and certainly when […]
Have you ever wondered why Trinity House no longer employ lighthouse keepers? We love this little animation that may go someway to explaining. Trinity House is a charity dedicated to safeguarding shipping and seafarers, providing education, support and welfare to the seafaring community with a statutory duty as a General Lighthouse Authority to deliver a [...]
Prevention is, as in other aspects of seamanship, better than cure.
