Distances in the Mediterranean can be deceptive, with the distance from Gibraltar to Turkey being…
Weather
North Sea weather: Chris Tibbs give his advice
Dogger, Fisher, German Bight. Even the names of the North Sea weather forecasts are evocative,…
Eastbound Atlantic crossing: All the weather info you need
Atlantic crossings are usually spoken of in terms of days of running west before the…
Sailing in fog: Pro navigator Mike Broughton shares his top tips
At sea, fog can be summed up as condensed water vapour or just thick cloud…
Sailing from South Africa to Europe: Chris Tibbs’ top tips for a smooth passage
There are a number of advantages to doing this, as well as saving around 3,000…
Yacht lightning strikes: Why they cause so much damage and how to protect against them
According to US insurance claims (from BoatUS Marine Insurance) the odds of a boat being…
Navigation briefing: How to use weather observations to improve your forecasts
I have some tips for maximising the real-time information you can see, both online and…
2020 Olympics: Extreme heat and humidity will pose a huge sailing challenge
This year’s pre-Olympics in Enoshima, Japan, starkly illustrated for me the reality of being on…
Sailing Biscay: Top tips for a safe and smooth crossing of the notorious bay
Biscay has a fearsome reputation and for many sailors, it is their first taste of…
Tradewinds explained: Everything you need to know before sailing across the Atlantic
A transatlantic tradewind crossing from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean is on many a…
Southern hemisphere cyclones: Everything you need to know
Although New Zealand is not in the tropical cyclone (hurricane) belt, the remains of Tropical…
Volvo Ocean Race: How Vestas used supercomputer forecasting to gain an advantage
Vestas 11th Hour Racing is unique in that our sponsor Vestas shared the race team’s…
Agulhas Current explained: What it is and how it affects Indian Ocean sailors
On any round-the-world cruise by the sunny route, there is the dilemma of how to…
Jet stream: Everything you need to know about its effect on sailing
What is the jet stream? The jet stream is a ‘river’ of strong wind high…
Expert sailing advice: How to handle a lightning strike on board
Lightning is the thing that scares me the most at sea. Having never experienced a…
Surviving the OSTAR’s perfect storm – the full story of the racers rescued in Force 11 summer gale
Solo sailor Mervyn Wheatley set out from Plymouth for Newport, Rhode Island on 29 May…
Wind chill explained – how exactly does the wind make you feel colder?
Meteorologically spring is an interesting time of year as the weather can be quite volatile,…
How the North Atlantic Oscillation affects European and Atlantic weather
Although we often hear about the expected changes to the weather from the El Niño/La…
Expert tips on understanding shipping forecasts and weather broadcasts
When ashore we get our forecasts from a variety of sources, nowadays largely through the…
Weather expert Chris Tibbs on how to predict and cope with fog at sea
Radar and AIS help to make navigating in fog safer, but it is still an…