Author: Nick Mines

Having sailed for most of my adult life, I retired (took a step back) from my company Atom Ltd. which continues in my partial absence, producing really excellent work and run by a gifted team of loyal employees. I now sail my Southerly 135 and crew on various friends yachts, just enjoying being on the water. I continue to 'nudge the tiller' at Atom , probably more often than really necessary or welcome!

No Balls !

Is it just me being a cantankerous pedant, or are nautical standards slipping? Maybe they are just evolving and changing to reflect the times ? There was a time when yacht Ensigns were ‘dipped’ to Royal Naval Vessels, and the Navy were expected to ‘dip’ in return as a matter of courtesy and etiquette, poor... Continue Reading →

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America’s Cup update November 2021

The announcement of the venue and dates for the 37th America’s Cup in 2024 has been delayed again. With the NZ government only offering $100 million dollars (!) to fund the staging of the cup, there appear to be several locations clamouring to host the event. The speculation includes Ireland, Italy, Spain and even Saudi... Continue Reading →

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Such Sad News

It is such sad news to report that Barry Locke-Edmunds died at home in Wales on the 28th of October aged 73. Readers of this blog will know that he crewed on the Atlantic crossings to and back from the Caribbean. Barry helped me prepare Hejira for the adventure and gave me such a lot... Continue Reading →

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Not quite SCUBA…

I hope the reference to ‘Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus’ wasn’t too obscure and you are not reaching for the ‘esc’ button just yet. Of all of my various ideas (could they be called innovations?) that have been covered in the yachting publications and mentioned in this website, the underwater breathing system has had most... Continue Reading →

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Heads bilge pump

Inevitably, water sometimes appears in the bilges and needs to be dealt with. Sponging out is laborious and time consuming if there is a substantial amount – I recently struggled to replace the log impeller blank and took on quite a lot of water into the bilge. There is also a sensible recommendation in the... Continue Reading →

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