COVER STORY SAIL AROUND BRITAIN
THE ULTIMATE DOORSTEP CHALLENGE
Sam Steele, author of UK and Ireland Circumnavigation Guide,
on how you can explore every inch of our stunning coastline

FROM THE BIG APPLE TO WINDY CITY
Lyn Withall recounts an eventful cruise from New York to
downtown Chicago via the Great Lakes

THE KINDEST CUT
Tim Jeffery recalls his passage through Scotland's 'prettiest shortcut' - the stunning countryside of the Crinan Canal

HOW MUCH TO CRUISE THE MED?
Not as much as you think, say Bob and Liz Buxton, who spent
three years exploring its delights in their Warrior 35, Yanina

SAILING THROUGH HISTORY
Ken and Mary Endean moor up in the lee of some famous
battlements on a Breton cruise with an historic theme

NEW PILOT BOOKS AND CRUISING LOGS
Roving Commissions, The French Canals, Southern Ireland
Cruising Companion, Cruising Galicia, Shetland Islands Pilot...

Sailing skills
COVER STORY SAILING ETIQUETTE
EXPERT ON BOARD
From rafting up, to visiting foreign ports, to eating stranded
shipmates, Tom Cunliffe takes a look at customs of the sea

COVER STORY 40-DAY RUDDERLESS ORDEAL
LEARNING CURVE
Stuart Armstrong and his partner spent nearly six weeks in
mid-Atlantic with their yacht's rudder jammed hard to starboard

SKIPPER'S TIPS
Overfalls, autopilot course, mackerel fishing, and more

A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP
Would you cross the Channel without GPS? Plus sailing skills library

ANY QUESTIONS?
EU red tape, 'rogues' yarn', cabin heaters, going astern...

Boats and Gear
COVER STORY THREE-WAY BOAT TEST
FINNGULF 41 AND 43, PLUS MAESTRO 40
Jeremy Evans spends three days testing three stylish
cruiser-racers from Finland, sailing in the Turku archipelago

DARE TO BE DIFFERENT
A yacht with a goalpost and no backstay? The Hunter Legend
340 is an all-American solution to cruising in comfort

A-Z OF SECOND-HAND BOATS
From Etap to Feeling, via Eventide, Eygthene and Fastnet

RADAR REVOLUTION
Navico's new 'broadband radar' is claimed to be the
biggest advance in radar since the Second World War

NEW GEAR
Featherweight tenders, lightweight winch handles, steel pegs

COVER STORY INSTANT STORM FORECASTING
GROUP TEST: BAROMETERS
Should you go digital, or is the good old aneroid accurate
enough? PLUS: Three of Britain's fiercest storms analysed

Regulars
EDITOR'S LOG
The view from the helm

NEWS
Schoolboy sailor's tough decision,
paying crew could land you in jail

HEIKELL ON PIRACY
No need for paranoia

READERS' LETTERS
Your views and opinions

LIBBY PURVES
Crises of confidence

CUNLIFFE ON CRUISING
Stalinist border rules on the horizon

NIGEL CALDER
Dealing with the energy crunch

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AROUND THE COAST
A round-up of local news

THE CONFESSIONAL
Yachtsmen confess their sailing sins