Cruising Helmsman

“WHERE’S Phil and what the heck are you doing here?” you may be thinking. As a liveaboard boatie and regular contributor with some editing experience, it was a no-brainer for me to recently ask Phil if I could learn about the process of publishing at

FOR centuries the Malacca Straits has been one of the most important trading routes in the world. At 478 nautical miles, it is the main shipping channel between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Over the centuries Indian, Arab, Portuguese, Chinese, Brit

“ENGLAND and America are two countries divided by a common language.” I always thought it was Winston Churchill who coined this phrase in his speech to the American Congress at the height of the Second World War, but it was not. Churchill adapted it

IN July of 2017 luxury catamaran Best Revenge 5 was destroyed by fire while on its pontoon in Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA. Built for charter in the Caribbean, the luxurious yacht was designed by Alliaura Privilege to accommodate four couples. Two cr

Sunsail has been offering yacht charters to many beautiful locations around the world, for over forty years. Those with the right qualifications can charter their own yacht, those without can opt for a skipper and crew. All you need to do is select f

THE number of sailors visiting South East Asia is ever increasing, and while many choose to stay in Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand, for others there comes a time when the decision to return to Australia is made. The question then asked is: “Which wa

Getting a dinghy onto the car roof alone can be challenging. You can buy excellent ready-made boat loaders for just under $2000; maybe even pick one up under a thousand second hand. It’s a lot of money for occasional use, especially if your dinghy is

IF you consult learned sources to find out the difference between ‘weather’ and ‘climate’ you will be informed that ‘weather’ is what is happening now, stuff like cloudiness, precipitation and wind, within minutes or days of the present. ‘Climate’ is

PHANG Nga Bay, on Thailand’s west coast, has been a popular cruising destination for many years, and for several good reasons. The scenery is stunning, the anchorages numerous and of easy depth for anchoring, the weather is usually benign and predict

BEFORE the Tasmanian winter set in Kathy Perkins and Jeff Stander set sail from Hobart to Sydney on their Kelly-Peterson 44 Beatrix with Lynton Blessington and I on board as crew. I knew Beatrix to be a comfortable and fastidiously set up boat that s

“BELIEVE me, I was screaming my head off” Brent says. As with many experiences, the story is very funny in hindsight and with a beer in hand. After we are done laughing, the topic is not off the table, on the contrary. Brent explains that near Sulawe

WHAT waddled on land but swam supremely in subtropical seas more than 60 million years ago after the dinosaurs were ultimately wiped out? Fossil records show giant human-sized penguins swam through Southern Hemisphere waters – alongside smaller forms