A teenage sailor, stranded after his boat capsized, was lucky to be found by Fowey lifeboat crew as he tried to swim to safety late last night. The 18-year-old's boat had capsized and dismasted, throwing him into the sea. With his telephone affected by the water and only allowing him to post on Facebook, the sailor posted a message to say he was stranded. Brixham Coastguard was contacted just before 11pm last night by police who'd taken a call from the teenager's mum. She said his post on Facebook said he was in trouble on his Laser sailing dinghy. Fowey lifeboats launched soon afterwards, with the all-weather lifeboat searching the area towards Portmellon, while the crew on the inshore lifeboat headed out to search towards Pentewan. Mevagissey and St. Austell C...

One of the worst case scenarios when sailing offshore, especially beyond the range of immediate rescue help, is of a crew falling overboard when you are piling downwind under spinnaker. In a typical bluewater situation, the crew would likely be shorthanded (and suddenly one down), the yacht would be under autopilot, the boom held by a preventer and the spinnaker pole fixed with in position with a foreguy and afterguy.Getting the crewman back safely is all up to you; it's life and death. So how should you go about it?This is one of the situations that we are testing and demonstrating on our latest video techniques series, which we are carrying out this week in Fiji (where else?). We have joined Dan and Em Bower, charter skippers and owners of the 51ft Skyelark of London. Dan and Em are h...

By Gemma Fottles Today sees the 2014 Giraglia Rolex Cup enter its final phase with the start of the 241nm offshore race. Some 213 yachts are expected to take part – a new record fleet. The mythical course which usually takes crews from France to Italy via the Giraglia rock off the northern tip of Corsica offers an alternative finish this year in Monte-Carlo. The unique opportunity to combine the finish of this celebrated race with the inauguration of the new Yacht Club de Monaco clubhouse has been embraced by all involved. The 62nd Giraglia Rolex Cup fleet ranges in size from 100 feet down to 30 feet. If conditions permit, Esimit Europa 2 - the largest and fastest yacht - will seek to dent its record time of 14 hours, 56 minutes and 16 seconds set in 2012 over a ...

Written by: Rose Jolis Written by: Rose Jolis   How many times have you felt at the end of your rope, or perhaps a little trapped by your golden handcuffs?    How many times have you thought about moving ashore- or actually did, and then got there and didn\'t know what to do with yourself, or spent all of your money in the first six months because you were living the dream?   It's not an easy transition onto land. For most us 'yachties' it's the light at the end of the tunnel: to live in your own place, have your own big bed, maybe a pet. To create your own schedule and eat what you want and when you want it.   But then the little realities of paying for rent and groceries get in the way.  All of a sudden, some things yo...

Written by: Jo Morgan Written by: Jo Morgan Written by: Jo Morgan   Part 2: In last month's feature, yacht provisoners shared their stories about wacky requests, such as provisioning live crickets to feed a yacht's iguana and supplying haute couture.  The stories don't stop there though- who would have thought provisioners delivered hay to yachts, or were asked to source unborn lambs?  Also this month: do you think yacht crew work the hardest of anyone in the industry?  Read on: you might be surprised.   The Smoking Gun Over time, all provisioners become accustomed to the pressure, strange requests and moving destinations of the yachts they supply. In fact, all provisioners contacted for this piece replied that the wildly changing demand...

It's no coincidence that "The Iliad" was set on a boat: It's the one place where we are totally subject to nature's whims. For anyone who has ever gone to sea in bad weather, there is always a sense of relief when you tie off and once again set foot on solid ground. Today, with more sophisticated rescue systems, it's a less terrifying prospect. We have GPS navigation and hourly weather reports. We have sturdy boats, backup tenders and life-rafts. And, in the event of an emergency, we have the tracking technology to facilitate rescue operations that would never have been feasible even one generation ago. It all started with the arrival of GPS, says Jeremy Harrison, president and managing director of McMurdo Group. "[GPS] was a huge leap in technology,...

Those who sail without an Amateur Seaman's Certificate will be fined a penalty of 2,500 Lira (£700) in Turkey, IBI Magazine reports.New regulations for private boats and yachtsmen in Turkey have been published in the Turkish Official Journal.The same penalty will be issued to those who do have an Amateur Seaman's Certificate but are sailing for commercial purposes.Turkish citizens wanting to obtain the certificate have to complete an online learning program and pass an online exam provided by the state.The state can authorise some institutes or organisations to give training for this exam or to organise the exams themselves.The exam includes at least 50 questions about sailing, meteorology, safety, technical issues, marine communication, marine law and international regulations. ...

Latest News Crew of Austrian catamaran Malisi spotted plank of wood and plastic board 'We are treating it very seriously' - U.S Coast Guard spokeswoman U.S authorities caved to pressure to continue searching on Tuesday Yachts from around the world vowed to help out with search  James Loy, former head of U.S. Coast Guard doesn't believe crew is alive The crew of the Cheeki Rafiki were returning from Antigua Sailing Week They ran into difficulties on Thursday but lost contact with land on Friday Missing are Andrew Bridge, Paul Goslin, Steve Warren and James Male     Debris has reportedly been found in the Atlantic Ocean in the area where UK yacht the Cheeki Rafiki went missing.   The crew of an Austrian catamaran named the Malisi spotted a ...

First season? Here are 50 nifty tips for day workers and deckhand newbies. 1. Do your homework before the season, including writing your sailing CV, registering online with crew recruitment agencies and storing electronic copies of CVs, certificates, references and passports on Yotspot!2. Get your banking and financial affairs in order and consider giving your parents or someone you trust power of attorney to oversee your financial affairs on your behalf.3. Superyachts allow you to live and work with virtually zero living costs. Grab the chance to save or pay off debt.4. Buy a good pair of sunglasses (plus strap) and a Leatherman.5. Be sure to connect with friends and family back home, be it on Facetime or via email / whatsapp. 6. Drink loads of water and wear sun cream.7. Wear i...