News

As a broker I am often asked by clients whether they need any qualifications to handle their newly acquired boat. The rather surprising answer is “No”! For British flagged vessels operating privately it is absolutely true that no formal RYA or...

There are some large crumbs of comfort to be found in the debris of the Brexit debacle. Yes, there are problems with VAT but there are also some huge opportunities for well informed yachtsmen.

IMPORTANT YACHT REGISTRATION LEGISLATIVE CHANGES ENACTED IN GIBRALTAR POST BREXIT:

“On the 24th June 1897, the Spray, well fitted in every way, sailed for the long voyage ahead, down the Indian Ocean”. With these words Slocum describes his departure from Australia. With the trade winds still blowing Slocum launches himself i...

On the morning of the 5th May 1896 Slocum left the island of Juan Fernandez on The Spray going in search of the trade winds that would transport him across the Pacific. After a slow start the trade winds then picked up to gale force and for days o...

Have you ever wondered why so many sailing yachts are named Joshua or Spray? It’s in honour of Joshua Slocum who completed the first single handed circumnavigation between 1895 and 1898. Those were the days before air travel or wireless communic...

Our business practices aim to reduce social contact where possible and when customers and brokers need to meet, we aim to reduce any risk of infection. Please find further information below, relevant to selling and buying . These are in addition ...

Some of you may have seen the Channel 4 programme “The Mutiny” recreating the astonishing voyage of Captain Bligh from near Tonga to Batavia (modern day Jakarta) a journey of some 4,000 miles. If you caught it you will know that the pa...

Astonishing Small Boat Voyages: Voyage of the James Caird.

Today it is not unusual to see women skippering ocean going yachts. Think of people like Dee Caffari, Ellen MacArthur and many others. It wasn’t always so and girls on boats, even to some extent today, are associated with the roles of galley sla...

In celebrating the 20th anniversary of Boatshed.com we take a glimpse into how the business began. But how could co-founders Mandy and Neil Chapman ever have imagined that their dramatic air-sea rescue in a Force 10 storm would become such...

https://www.boatshed.com/covid-19--boatshed-status--still-open-for-business-blog-62653.html

After last summer’s cruise to Sicily via Sardinia and the Balearics I thought I would share a few tips about preparing for a cruise around the Mediterranean islands. Good preparation will reduce the costs and increase your enjoyment.

During the night of the 19th to 20th Sep it rained heavily. We awoke to find we were afloat on a sewer. An evil mix of effluent and rainwater had emptied into Porto de Empedocle's harbour. It was time to leave. We agreed that breakfast underway wa...

It was with some regret that we left Montalbano country behind us. The beautiful streets and restaurants of Ragusa have left a lasting positive impression. The coastal part of the cruise is coming to an end soon. It is mid-September and the we...

When we first planned this Mediterranean cruise we had decided that a visit to Sicily would not be complete without a visit to Inspector Montalbano's house. For the cognoscenti of a certain age and disposition Salvo Montalbano is THE Italian detec...

The August Bank Holiday Weekend (23rd-26th August 2019) will see the return of the much loved “most sociable yacht rally in the world”. After years of using Marina Smir on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast the large number of boats a...

After our volcanic fireworks and overnight stay at the anchorage at Stromboli we headed for a two night stay at Lipari island south of Stromboli and just north of the Isola di Vulcano. It's a delightful spot with lots of lovely restaurants and cul...

We had stood on the edge of the Isola di Vulcano crater to admire the steam and hydrogen sulphide gas emanating from its guts but it seemed a timid volcano. From the top of the crater we had spied the much more active eruptions of Stromboli some 2...