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 • To receive the editor’s monthly email newsletter, go to our website: www.pbo.co.uk

News • News and current affairs from the world of boating

Solo sailor’s MOB survival lessons

Tributes for PBO expert Mike Coates

Closest-ever Vendée Globe finale

Correction

Zero carbon circumnavigation attempt on hold

Electric speedboat is a ‘gamechanger’

Fair winds to Bob Fisher

Cruising adventures at dinghy show

BBC Shipping Forecast changes

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

Regional News • News from your cruising area

Letters • Readers share their thoughts and opinions

Taxing times • There should be an RYA course for the skills needed to navigate around sailing club forms

It’s good to talk • Isolation only takes hold if you don’t reach out

Spring to action • Looking ahead to a new season with the boat

Trouble-free trailer-sailing • If you want a capable weekender you can also trail and sail for the day, the BayRaider Expedition has little competition, says David Harding

8 brilliant Polish yachts • Rupert Holmes looks at yacht design and manufacture in a country with a deep-seated sea-going heritage and a vibrant, innovative marine industry

The influencer

Double the fun • Sailing two-up has never been more popular, as Peter Poland reports

Make your own local weather forecasts • Rupert Holmes explains how to use basic knowledge of meteorology and local topography to better understand likely weather conditions

South African adventure • Kia Koropp encounters cheetahs, cave paintings and daunting harbours on a voyage from the Indian to Atlantic oceans

10 checks for sailing offshore • What should you look out for before sailing an unfamiliar yacht? Nathan Zhart explains to Erin Carey the essential checks before putting to sea

10 checks before setting sail

New Gear • Rupert Holmes explains marine digital switching technology

Book reviews by Marsali Taylor

A tribute to tradition • Author Bill Jones finds inspiration for his boatobsessed fictional character, Seymour Pilbeam

Are you a good skipper? • Being a skipper is about much more than deciding how the boat is sailed. You’re responsible for the crew’s experience. How you manage this is vital says Øyvind Bordal

The 12 commandments

Northern exposure • The Scottish charter fleet was hit hard by COVID in 2020, but the vaccine rollout means 2021 could be a different story, says Tom Gallagher

From classic boat to kids’ playhouse • Dangling on a crane and destined for firewood, a classic yacht’s coachroof provides upcycling inspiration for John Rogers

How to beat the restoration blues • Is your unfinished project still gathering dust in the yard? Mark Shiner has some wise words for staying motivated to finish the job

How to Repair gelcoat damage • How do you deal with gelcoat chips and achieve a perfect colour-matched surface? Bruce Jacobs finds out from Mark Buckett of Solent Repairs

DIY dripless shaft seal • Charles Beddingfield devises his own prop shaft seal solution to prevent leaks into his boat’s bilge

How it works

One too many Maydays • Chris Mardon recalls a nail-biting sail into a narrow harbour mouth

Why Cruise...