Blog
Guides, tips, and destinations for boaters
Launching a fishing kayak: the ramp, the carry, the paperwork and the cold-water rule
Where a fishing kayak goes in, ramp or carry-in put-in, who registers it, which states make you wear the life jacket in winter, and how heavy the walk is.
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Your first inflatable boat: size, outboard, paperwork and where to launch it
What a 3 m inflatable really carries, which outboard to fit, the UK and US paperwork, launching without blocking the ramp, and the first-season bill.
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Anchoring in the Balearics: posidonia rules, buoy fields and where the hook holds
The dark patches under a Balearic anchorage are posidonia. Where you may anchor, what a buoy costs in 2026 and which coves hold once the sea breeze fills in.
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Boating apps for a first season: what to install, what can wait
The night before a first launch, a phone needs a chart, a marine forecast, the tide or lake level and a way to find the ramp. The rest can wait a season.
Lire la suite →Installing a Dashboard on Your Boat: Instruments, Wiring and What It Costs
How to fit a helm dashboard on a boat: layout and cut-outs, the NMEA 2000 backbone, fuses and wire sizes, phone versus plotter, and a costed example.
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Cruising the French Canals: The Complete Beginner's Guide
A first-timer's guide to the French canals: licences, the VNF vignette, locks, boat sizes, costs and where to start, from a British couple who did it.
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Antibes Port Vauban for the Rest of Us
Antibes' superyacht marina is not just for superyachts. How a cruiser gets a berth in Antibes Port Vauban, what it costs, VHF and the approach.
Lire la suite →The VNF Vignette: Paying to Use French Waterways
What the VNF vignette is, who needs it, how the packages and prices work, the discounts, and how to buy it online before cruising the French canals.
Lire la suite →Med Mooring: How to Pick Up a Lazy Line Without Drama
A step-by-step guide to med mooring stern-to with lazy lines in France: crew roles, the order of operations, and the mistakes that cause quayside chaos.
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L'Aberwrac'h: The Perfect First French Port
Why L'Aberwrac'h is the ideal first French port for British boats: deep all-tide approach, the marina, VHF 09, visitor pontoon tips and the run round to Brest.
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La Trinite-sur-Mer: France's Sailing Capital
La trinite sur mer for visiting cruisers: the marina, VHF 09, 1,250 berths, racing pedigree, the Crac'h river approach and where to anchor nearby.
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Ile de Re by Boat: Anchorages and Harbours
Sailing Ile de Re: Saint-Martin, La Flotte and Ars-en-Re harbours, the tidal gates, anchoring off Saint-Martin, the bridge clearance and how to time the tides.
Lire la suite →The Gulf of Morbihan by Boat: Tides and Best Anchorages
Gulf of morbihan sailing for visitors: how to time the 8-knot entrance tide, where to anchor, and which islands and moorings are worth your nights.
Lire la suite →Crossing the Bay of Biscay: The Small-Boat Strategy
How to cross the Bay of Biscay on a small cruising yacht: distances, weather windows, the shelf-edge sea state, route choices and what I learned doing it twice.
Lire la suite →Marina Fees on the Cote d'Azur: What a Berth Really Costs
What a Riviera berth actually costs by boat length, why Cannes and Saint-Jean differ, and how a visiting British skipper budgets the summer 2026 season.
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