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

Making memories from sails

Highs and lows for Golden Globe sailors as retro race gathers pace • News and current affairs from the world of boating

Jubilee Sailing Trust’s future plans

Learn to sail with virtual reality

Independent lifeboat hub

PBO enjoys the quirkier side of SIBS 22

DIARY DATES

Regional News • News from your cruising area

Letters • Readers share their thoughts and opinions

Channel hopping • Essential monthly highlights from the world of online sailing channels with Kass Schmitt

A confusion of Daves • If in any doubt, just shout “No, Dave!”

Sail souvenirs • Reaching down memory lane in the Big Shed

A magical day • Looking back over the year, one very special sail stands out: the day of the dolphins

Bigger Luggers • Designed to be a safe family boat for coastal trips, the Drascombe and Devon Luggers have taken intrepid sailors on some long sea passages

A buoyant boat market? • Peter Poland assesses how new boats at the Southampton International Boat Show reflect the current state of the sail and power markets

Dufour 32 • Peter Poland reports on the new 32-footer that reflects the many changes made down the years in the designs and dimensions of production cruising yachts

Would you cross an ocean in this? • Andrew Bedwell is preparing a world record attempt to cross the Atlantic in a 3ft 10in boat. Ali Wood meets him at Southampton Boat Show

A yacht called Alice • Nicholas Bielby had always had a yen for steel-hulled yachts, so when the opportunity came up to own one that had survived being hit by a tanker, he couldn’t resist developing her as a comfortable, family cruiser

Time, tide and the Thames • Unlike Arthur Ransome’s story, Trevor Cherrett really did mean to take his boat to sea – but it didn’t quite work out that way

A cruise on the French Riviera • Owen Moorhouse leaves the wilds of the New South Wales coastline to explore from Nice to Grimaud and back in a borrowed Jeanneau 33

As darkness falls • Mike Humphreys risks grounding his Halcyon 23 in fading light to assist two teenagers stuggling with a capsized dinghy

New Gear • Rupert Holmes on furling, propulsion and gauges

Christmas gifts • Great ideas for the boat owner who has everything

Tried &Tested • Ali Wood has fun in Dorset testing kayaks and clothing

PROJECT BOAT RESTORATION Choosing sailcloth • Maximus needs a new sail wardrobe so Ali Wood calls in one of the world’s oldest sailcloth manufacturers to find out more

SAILMAKER Q&A • Daryl Morgan talks through advances in sailmaking

Measuring the boat for sail size

WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS? • Comparing different sailcloths and types of sail construction

Homebuilt kayaks • Gordon Davies and Alison Mainwood share their tried and tested design for lightweight, cost effective and east-to-build kayaks

A flood of costs and a trickle of cash • Andy Pag attempts to rebuild a Spectra watermaker on a budget

The Perfect Christmas Gift from just £6

It’s never too early to start your Christmas shopping!

Practical projects • Great ideas and tips from PBO readers

Down the pan • No-one should be pumping out the heads in a harbour. But what’s the alternative to fitting a holding tank? John Boulcott provides one...