A little place called Cocos
“Aruba, Jamaica, ohh I want to take ya, Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama, Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go to the Kokomo …” The Beach Boy’s 1970s lyrics were what put Cocos Keeling in our sights. As…
Cruising
Dedicated to Cruising the world under sail including destinations, navigation, sailing tips, safety ideas, yacht & multihull reviews along with stories and insights for the sail cruising life in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Conservationists sight multiple Vaquita
The Maritime Executive A group of scientists and conservationists has recorded the first vaquita sightings of 2019. Sea Shepherd crew on board M/V Sharpie sighted two pairs of vaquita on August 19 and 20, then two vaquita were photographed when…
Next stage of Margate Marina completed
The next stage of Margate Marina’s redevelopment has just been completed with the construction of an extra 73 floating berths and a 150m extension of the attenuator/breakwater. The marina now accommodates 123 new berths with more to come. The attenuator/breakwater…
Jeanne Socrates completes circumnavigation at the age of 77
The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) is pleased to announce that member Jeanne Socrates has sailed into Victoria BC harbour on the 7th of September after successfully completing another single-handed unassisted nonstop circumnavigation. Jeanne set sail from Victoria on the October…
ARC Youth Team crew announcement
World Cruising Club is delighted to reveal the twelve crew members who have been selected to sail on board the ARC Youth Team yacht as part of the 2019 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. The initiative brings together ambitious young people…
'Billion-dollar' haul: Police seize bags of drugs after yacht runs aground in Abrolhos Islands
WA Today. By Hannah Barry. Authorities got more than they bargained for when they set out to find the crew of a yacht which got stuck on a reef in the Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia's Mid West on Monday, uncovering…
Yacht rescue in near 50mph winds
Largs and Millport Weekly News. By Calum Corral. During the round Arran two handed yacht race on Saturday 31 August, a yacht with two persons on board suffered from a broken mast in an area one mile south of Little…
Exhibition of design ideas for Scarborough Harbour in Moreton Bay
The Moreton Maritime Alliance is hosting an exhibition of design ideas for the future of Scarborough Harbour as part of the Moreton Bay Futures program. As a vital part of the boating infrastructure in the region, anyone with an interest…
Take interesting and informative quizzes on Marine Radio, Racing Rules of Sailing, and Seamanship.
Regular Mysailing reader, Bob Dunne, has created some interesting and informative maritime quizzes which will test your knowledge of a range of maritime matters. There are three separate quizzes on Marine Radio operation (mostly VHF); Racing Rules of Sailing; and…
Fast Facts: How long is the US shoreline?
By The Maritime Executive 2019-08-24 21:15:16 NOAA's official value for the total length of the US shoreline is 95,471 miles. As there is no reference that designates one specific shoreline as the “legal” shoreline, numbers for…
Registrations open for inaugural Multihull Solutions Phuket Rally
The 2019 Multihull Solutions Phuket Rally is now open for entry with strong numbers expected to participate in the inaugural event. Held from 8-11 November, the casual cruising rally will bring together multihulls of all sizes to enjoy a weekend…
Another Shag Islet Rendezvous sees cruisers party with purpose
When Ken and Rhonda Thackeray started the Shag Islet Cruising Yacht Club in 2009, they could never have predicted what lay ahead. In just over a decade, the story of the world’s most exclusively non-exclusive yacht club has become firmly…
AMSA warns against using old kapok-filled lifejackets
Kapok lifejackets This safety alert aims to raise awareness of the risks associated with the use of out of date, and dangerous, kapok filled lifejackets. Kapok filled lifejackets with cotton straps are decades old and have not been manufactured since…
Fast Facts: What is the Mariner's 1-2-3 Rule?
The Maritime Executive The Mariner's 1-2-3 Rule is the guideline mariners follow to keep out of a tropical storm or hurricane's path. The Mariner's 1-2-3 rule, also referred to as the Danger Rule, is an important guideline mariners follow to…
Houseboat sinks during poker event in Tuolumne County
KCRA3 TUOLUMNE COUNTY, Calif. — A three-story houseboat sunk in a Tuolumne County lake during a poker event after the vessel became overloaded from too many people on one side, authorities said. The houseboat, which was near the shore on…
Search suspended for man missing in Cockburn Sound
The search for a 33-year-old man missing since Friday in Cockburn Sound has been suspended. The man went missing around 3.25pm on Friday, about one nautical mile offshore in Cockburn Sound. Two other men onboard sailed the yacht back to…
How the Moon affects our oceans
We all know that tides are influenced by the Moon, but how does that connection work and how can we predict the tides more than a year in advance? They are just two of many questions the Bureau of Meteorology…
Waterspout damages boats in Auckland Harbour marina
NZ Herald By: Vaimoana Tapaleao and Meghan Lawrence A tornado-like waterspout has ripped through central Auckland's waterfront, toppling at least one shipping container and wreaking havoc on yachts, ships and cars. Vehicles were swept into the ocean and a yacht…
Applications for the OCC Challenge Grant now open
Devon, UK, 12 August 2019 – The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) has established a Challenge Grant to encourage ambitious expeditions for environmental conservation or challenging oceangoing adventures and is now accepting applications for the 2020 season. The OCC Challenge Grant…
Crowd watches as sailboat burns, sinks off Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
CTV News, Vancouver Island A crowd of people on a Salt Spring Island beach were helpless as they watched a vintage sailboat go up in flames Wednesday night. The 21-metre sailboat was anchored in Long Harbour when it caught fire…
British sailor died in Cannes boat crash 'caused by captain showing off'
The Daily Mail A British deckhand was killed in a super-yacht collision blamed on a captain said to be ‘showing off’ his boat. Jake Feldwhere was pulling up the anchor of the Minx when it was struck at three times…
Two yachties rescued off Niue
Earlier today, at 6.15 pm New Zealand time, the Rescue Coordination Centre NZ (RCCNZ) were alerted to a distress call from the vessel Gwendoline 50 nautical miles west of Niue. The yacht was taking on water and sinking after hitting…
Former soldier stole yacht to ‘show it some love’ using transcendental energy
From our weird and wonderful file comes this story by Basit Mamood of Metro in the UK: An ex-soldier has admitted taking a 27ft yacht on a bizarre nautical joyride. Richard Gould, 42, and his partner follow a shamanic existence…
Maritime Museum to open groundbreaking new Bligh exhibition – Hero or Villain?
The Australian National Maritime Museum will open their latest exhibition Bligh – Hero or Villain? this week – the first major exhibition the Museum has created after undergoing a dramatic and stunning brand refresh. The exhibition is a radical new…
Pirates of the Caribbean, a Disney fantasy or a real threat?
The Maritime Executive. By Alejandro Guzmán Woodroffe. Contrary to the version portrayed by Disney in its franchise Pirates of the Caribbean, piracy does not take place in a universe full of adventures and adrenaline. The…
Fast Facts: Why ships use “port” and “starboard”
The Maritime Executive Unlike left and right, “port” and “starboard” refer to fixed locations on a vessel. Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner’s orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical…
Trial of new marine digital speed indicator sign at Swansea Channel
Transport for NSW will carry out a trial of new electronic speed signage at Swansea Channel in Lake Macquarie starting next week. NSW Maritime Executive Director, Mark Hutchings said the trial will continue until the end of September and provide…
Superyacht strikes pier, destroys sailboat in Port of Leuca
The Maritime Executive On Tuesday evening, the superyacht Blue Magic lost control and struck a pier at the port of Santa Maria di Leuca, a popular tourist destination in southern Italy. A sailing yacht was crushed between the dock and…
A mango tree hull, some bamboo and a bed sheet – are you up for the Kraken Cup?
Modern yachts with all their fancy technology leave little room for the unknown. For a proper ocean vessel, you need to go back a few centuries. Dig a hull from a mango tree, strap on a bamboo yard, a sail and…
RNLI rescues two disabled yachts, averts grounding
Last weekend, volunteers with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) rescued two disabled yachts in Bristol Channel, an area known for its strong tidal currents. Both vessels lost steering and needed a tow to return to port. At high tide…
Learn about the Great Barrier Reef
What is a Master Reef Guide and how do you become a Citizen of the Great Barrier Reef? These questions and many more will be answered at two Great Barrier Reef Festival workshops. Hosted by Lure in the Coral Sea…
Sailor slammed by VMR Western Australia after “needless” search
VMRs from Fremantle to Carnarvon were put on high alert on Monday due to a yacht that was reported overdue. It had departed Rottnest Island last Thursday en route to Exmouth via the Abrolhos Islands but had not been heard…
Man rescued after falling off yacht and treading water for 30 minutes
Windsor Star. By Dalson Chen. Safe practices while boating are being emphasized by Lakeshore OPP after a sailboat mishap last week that left a person treading water with no lifejacket for half an hour. On July 18 around 6:45 p.m.,…
Friends search for missing yacht headed for Trinidad
LoopTT The public is being asked for help in providing any information on a yacht which left Saint-Martin in June and was due to arrive in Trinidad but has not yet arrived. Facebook user Andrey Khokhlov shared a Facebook post…
Study: Corals are shifting to higher latitudes
The Maritime Executive According to a new study published July 4 in the journal Marine Ecology Progress, the distribution of living coral – the organisms responsible for reef formation – appears to be shifting to higher latitudes as temperatures rise…
False alarm over yachtsman, 84, feared missing by family
An elderly yachtsman who was feared missing after setting sail on the English Channel has turned up alive and well. Trevor Franklin, 84, set out to sea on Stardog, a 30-foot ketch, from Newhaven on July 1. He was last…
Special celebrations conclude 25th ARC Portugal
Right from the beginning, ARC Portugal 2019 was going to be an extraordinary sail south; as well as being the 25th edition of World Cruising Club's multi-stage sailing rally, this year marks 25 years since the Marina de Lagos, sponsor…
Shoalwater Bay moorings to come under fire
A reader of Cruising Helmsman, and well-known contributor of excellent cruising stories, Cherylle Stone recently received the latest Notice to Mariners regarding military exercises in the popular Shoalwater Bay area. Due to live firing occurring the Army were to close…
Moreton Bay Marine Park zoning plan review
The Moreton Bay Marine Park zoning plan has been in force since 2009 and is now due for a 10-year review. In preparing for this the Queensland Government is undertaking a technical exercise to remake the current zoning plan which…
The Atlantic hurricane season – how to stay safe when sailing
The Atlantic Ocean hurricane season is almost upon us. Typically starting in June and ending at the end of November, the season usually encounters a sharp peak of activity in late August through September and affects the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean…
