Practical Boat Owner

Published by Time Inc. (UK) Ltd Practical Boat Owner is Britain's biggest-selling boating magazine, trusted and respected by all its readers. A source of useful and helpful information for both power and sail boat owners, PBO helps you get the most from your boat acting as a forum for interacting with like-minded individuals.

Practical Boat Owner

Waiting for the tide • with the editor

Vendée skipper rescued by rival

Sailing bouncing back from COVID pandemic

Jon Holt named Sailor of the Decade

New database to help confirm boat provenance

Grants to improve equality in sailing

Smaller ARC heads for St Lucia

Tall ships will sail from Falmouth in 2021

2020 hurricane season

Award nominations extended

Sailing on the curriculum

Little Ship rescue attempt

Ben takes Challenger Trophy

DIARY DATES • Events may be subject to COVID-19 restrictions. Check with organisers

SOUTH COAST AND CHANNEL ISLANDS

WEST COAST, WALES AND IRELAND

SCOTLAND

EAST COAST AND SOUTH-EAST

Next month

Letters • Readers share their thoughts and opinions

Dave Selby • Mad about the boat

Sam Llewellyn • Flotsam and jetsam

Marsali Taylor • Living with the sea

How to service a winch • Service winches regularly for safety, easy running and longevity, says Rachael Sprot of Rubicon 3

A boat for our time? • The ‘less is more’ philosophy is beautifully encapsulated in the Hunter Ranger 245, which later became the Channel 245. David Harding reports

Going Dutch • Rupert Holmes delves into the rich heritage of Dutch yacht design and takes a closer look at some of the Netherlands’ top used boats

Back to the future • Peter Poland tracks the development of modern British gaff riggers

Return to Ailsa Craig • Andrew Morton and daughter spend an idyllic day island hopping in the Firth of Clyde

Ocean racing… who’d do it? • Margaret Norris muses on what it takes to sail around the world – from the first 1968/9 Golden Globe Race to the current Vendée Globe

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New Gear • Rupert Holmes on choosing the most appropriate varnish

What to do when lightning strikes • Alex and Daria Blackwell offer some valuable tips for protecting yourself and your boat

Expert opinion

Preventative measures

Engineless cruising • Follow creek-sailor Tony Smith’s tips for a slower, quieter pace of life

The power of observation • Rupert Holmes explains why, despite the advances in forecasting, your own observations on the weather are still vitally important

Refit for colder climes • Richard Rogers and Alice Sanger reconstruct their Morgan Giles 30 for some serious expedition sailing to high latitudes

Swing keel calamity • Terry Abel repairs his Pandora 700 after a sobering shakedown sail

Keep your cool • Roger Hughes vents his engine room

Blind navigation • John Beck negotiates a frightening sail through Alderney Race in thick fog, relying on his depth sounder and a Seafix receiver

Fiddle for a foot well • Don Smith adapts the unused space beneath the chart table

Velcro-secured blackout blinds • Dave Matthews recycles some roller blinds

Bespoke bunting • Malcolm Silburn scares the birds with bunting

Ask the experts • Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. Email or write to the address on page 5 and our experts will answer your queries

Running The Rip • Huw Williams visits Direction Island in the Cocos Keeling islands – one of the world’s best kept secrets

Sketchbook • Remembering where...