Sail with New Freebooters

I taught myself to scull when I was nine or ten years old. The only trouble was, I did it the wrong way. I put my oar in the sculling notch in the dinghy’s transom and held it like a rudder, with the blade vertical. From that starting position, it was easy to see which [...]

Mike K-H is a doddering old fool who should shut down his blog, sell his PC and buy a rocking chair. Nobody actually said that – at least, not in public. But after last week’s performance, I couldn’t really blame anyone if they did, could I? A long time ago my favourite form master told [...]

Over the years, there have often been arguments about who should pay for the superb firework display that marks the end of Cowes Week, but it looks as if this year there is also some heated discussion about what should be included in the cost. According to Cowes Online of 6 March 2009, Hampshire Police [...]

After 5 months in La Seyne sur Mer for her winter overhaul, Belém will set sail from Toulon on April 10th, on the first voyage of her summer season . For nearly two months, this tall ship will be taking trainees for a series of short trips along France’s Mediterranean coast between Toulon, Sète and [...]

Steve White finished in eighth position in a Vendée Globe which destroyed the chances of many very experienced skippers and their sponsors. That was a brilliant achievement in itself, but his participation in the event was dead in the water until just before he arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne a few days before the start. [...]