Links

Blogs/Communities

Yacht Auriga - about the planned South Atlantic Expedition by our very own Giulia, Igor and Matt

Sailing Anarchy - fast boats & the real stories, and heated discussions on the message board

Seattle Yachts - A kids guide to sailing that introduces almost everything from first principles

Safety

Marine Accident Investigation Branch -  objective analysis of accidents at sea. Learn from the mistakes of others.

Ropework

Animated Knots - "Better to know a knot and not need it, than need a knot and not know it."

Splicing Guide - from New England Ropes, covering modern as well as traditional braids.

Tides

Easytide - official UKHO website, free 7-day tidal height predictions

Tidetimes - free 7-day tidal height predictions based on UKHO models

YR.NO - shows tidal streams ("Havstrømmer", or use Google Translate) for the UK and Northern Europe

Charts

Navionics Webapp - free worldwide vector charts (online only) from a leading supplier. Your chartplotter at home.

VisitMyHarbour - many free Admiralty charts for the UK, plus aerial photographs - a useful pilotage aid

EastCoastPilot - download up-to-date chartlets for many East Coast rivers, and avoid those shifting sands

Deben Estuary Pilot - by the Deben Harbour Master

Sailing Books - reviewed by a procrastinating club skipper

Support CUYC by buying from Amazon through one of the links!

	Tom Cunliffe's "The Complete Day Skipper" - an alternative take on the RYA Day Skipper syllabus. A practical guide for someone preparing to take charge of a yacht for the first time. Well written with lots of anecdotal examples, but if you expect a concise summary - look elsewhere. Not everyone's cup of tea!		Tom Cunliffe's take on the Yachtmaster Syllabus - similar in style to the "Complete Day Skipper". Covers all aspects of navigation and seamanship to the Yachtmaster Offshore level.
	RYA Introduction to Boat Handling for Sail and Power - simply the best book in the subject, indespensable for anyone wanting to pass their Yachtmaster Offshore exam with flying colours. Covers maneauvers in tight quarters under sail and power: marinas, buoys, man overboard. Explains the effects of wind and tide, special considerations for different types of yachts, and the use of mooring lines and springs in difficult situations. The basic principles are laid out, and various scenarious are explained and illustrated clearly.
	Whether you are getting into racing or just want to improve your boat speed to get to your destination faster - this book explains how to use the various sail controls and execute meneauvers effectively. Of particular interest will be the sections on hoisting, trimming, jybing and dropping the spinnaker, as well as an introduction to mast tuning.
	The Ashley Book of Knots is an indusputed reference in the field, and lists thousands of knots. Great for long windless days, but not the most practical way to learn sailing knots. A suitable present for a fellow sailor?
	One of the best DIY, maintenance and troubleshooting guides, covering the vast array of systems found on a modern yacht: electrical, plumbing, gas, rigging, engines and much more.		An in-depth book on boat engines for the practical skipper - covers much more material than the 1-day RYA Diesel Engine course, and might one day save your life.
	Adlard Coles' Heavy Weather Sailing - an unmatched classic on the subject. Expert advice, survivor's stories, and analysis of the mistakes leading to some of the trgedies.

Sailing weather

Metoffice marine weather - official shipping & inshore waters forecasts, surface pressure charts from the source

BBC Coast and Sea - an alternative take on the same

Windguru - detailed wind forecast for coastal locations worldwide, based on a high-res GFS model and local corrections

XCWeather - UK wind and weather at a glance.

Passageweather - wind and waves plotted over large areas, great for passage planning. Different weather models, tropical weather warnings, worldwide pilot charts

Earth - beautiful visualization of winds and ocean currents worldwide. A geek's delight - choose map projection, ponder the hairy ball theorem, see the jetstream, locate the elusive Golfstream.

Weathercharts - huge collection of links to different surface pressure analysis charts, satellite images etc.

Weatherspark - more landbased, but great for finding the average temperature, wind or rainfall in Stornoway in July. Historic averages and forecasts plotted in an intuitive way.

Windfinder - short-time, high-resolution forecasts.

YR.NO - great weather map from the Norwegians. Wind, temperature, waves, UV, ...

Bramblemet - live from the Solent, great for racing