FEATURES:
Shipwreck! - The last, disastrous moments of a blue water passage
May to September - A practical account of taking the canal route to the Med
VHFs - the hand-held option - Duncan Kent trials a current crop of hand-held VHFs
Sinking of the libido - Sun, sex and sailing? Not according to Nick Crombie
Feeding the BOC challenge - Paul Gelder reports from Falmouth on the BOC Transatlantic Challenge
Iskra in the Bermuda triangle - Some interesting observations as Frank Mulville takes his 30ft gaffer through the Sargasso sea
A day at the races - Dick Durham tries corporate and gaffer racing
Eyes and ears of the ocean - Yachtsmen's involvement in environmental research
Kids on kids on cruising - Children's views on sailing and living aboard with parents
House batteries - one bank or two? - Nigel Colder on dividing battery power

COLUMNS:
One man and his boat - Cyril Ray and his 2 1/2 ton Hillyard
Looking around - JDS on dustbin liners, snake repellents and constipation,
amongst other topics - Libby Purves on cruising Sailors' sartorial eccentricities
Practical seamanship - Practically speaking, Learning curve, A question of seamanship and much more
Upriver - Exploring Poole's Wych Channel
Blue water letter and postscript - Herb Payson reports from paradise
Cruising home - North Sea crossing in a Vertue

REVIEWS:
On board - Hunter Ranger 265
Vancouver 34 Pilot - Second look
Westerly Konsort - Equipment review

REGULARS:
Editorial
On watch
Readers' letters
YM videos
Almanac
Yachting Monthly books
Around the coast
Around Europe
The Confessional

Front cover: the US-built Freedom 35. The curved spar in the jib helps to tension the sail's leading edge on the unstayed rig as well as creating curvature when trimmed off the wind. Photograph by Patrick Roach