For those dreaming of the joys of owning a yacht, Nick Ridley offers encouragement as well as a look at the harsher reality of financing your dreams

High-tech laminate sails sound appealing but conventional woven sails remain a better all-round option for cruising – as long as you take care of them…

Nicholas Koligiannis explains how he improved the mast on his Albin Ballad

+ HOW TO PREVENT IT

Deck trainers are a relatively new phenomena but, certainly for racing sailors, they have become a crucial piece of kit. If the cruising sailor might content himself with a deck shoe then that simply

Far from being a lightweight trailer sailer, Nic Compton finds the third version of this modern classic to be a serious little cruising boat capable of handling far more than a little creek crawling