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Practical guides, sailing tips, marine weather and regulations — everything you need to sail with confidence.

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Life Jacket & Safety Harness: The Complete Sailor's Guide
Choosing the right life jacket (150N, 100N, 50N), using your harness and safety line, maintaining your COβ‚‚ cartridge: everything about personal safety on board.
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Osmosis on Polyester Hulls: Detect, Treat and Prevent
Blisters below the waterline? Learn how to detect osmosis with a moisture meter, apply an epoxy treatment and protect your hull long-term.
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Sailing in Fog: Sound Signals, Radar and Vigilance
Mandatory COLREGS sound signals, radar use and safety checklist for navigating with confidence in reduced visibility.
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Harbor Maneuvering: Docking, Mediterranean Mooring & Reversing
Master Mediterranean stern-to mooring, reverse docking at a pontoon and mooring buoy pickup. Techniques, common mistakes and illustrated YachtMate tips.
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Distress Signals at Sea: Flares, EPIRB and Procedures
Parachute flares, EPIRB, PLB, VHF channel 16: everything you need to know about maritime distress signals, their ranges and legal requirements on board.
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NAVTEX: Receiving Weather Forecasts at Sea Automatically
Frequencies, message codes, range and installation β€” everything you need to know about NAVTEX to never miss a weather or navigation warning offshore.
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Understanding AIS: Complete Guide for Recreational Sailors
Class A, Class B, receiver-only: everything about the Automatic Identification System for safer navigation. YachtMate displays real-time AIS data on your chart.
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How to Choose a Motorboat: Complete Buying Guide 2026
Open, RIB, cabin cruiser or offshore: how to make the right choice? Budget, engine type, new or used β€” YachtMate guides you step by step.
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Marine Autopilot: Complete Guide to Choosing, Installing and Using One
Tiller pilot, linear drive or hydraulic: how to choose, install and calibrate your marine autopilot for stress-free sailing. YachtMate tips included.
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Man Overboard (MOB): Recovery Procedures
Alert, maneuver, recover: the 3 MOB maneuvers (Quick Stop, Bear Away, Williamson Turn) and the right reflexes to save a life at sea with YachtMate.
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Compass Navigation: Heading, Declination and Deviation
Master the conversion compass heading β†’ true heading: magnetic declination, deviation and the formula TH = CH Β± d Β± D. Essential even with YachtMate.
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Hull Antifouling and Maintenance: Protect Your Boat's Hull
Bicomponent or ablative antifouling, DIY or boatyard haul-out: everything you need to protect your hull.
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How to Choose Your First Sailboat: The Complete Guide
Keelboat or dinghy, monohull or catamaran, new or used: the guide to choosing your first sailboat.
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GPS, AIS, Depth Sounder: Essential Boat Navigation Instruments
Integrated VHF, chart plotter, depth sounder: understand and choose your navigation instruments.
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Preparing an Offshore Passage: The Complete Guide
Weather, provisioning, night watches, safety equipment: everything to plan before casting off for an offshore passage.
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Cooking Aboard: Tips and Recipes for Sailors
Gimbal stove, provisioning, food conservation at sea: practical tips and simple recipes for eating well aboard.
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Boat Winterization: The Complete Checklist
Engine, rigging, electronics, hull: the complete checklist to winterise your boat without nasty spring surprises.
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Anchoring in the Mediterranean vs Atlantic: Key Differences
No tides vs big tides, sand vs rock bottom: how to adapt your anchoring technique to each sea.
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First Aid at Sea: What to Do in a Marine Emergency
Man overboard, hypothermia, injuries: life-saving actions and mandatory medical equipment on board.
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Fishing from a Sailboat: Techniques and Tips
Trolling, bottom fishing, size and species regulations: fishing from your sailboat with the right gear and reflexes.
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How to Save Fuel When Boating: 10 Effective Tips
Optimal engine RPM, trim, hull cleaning, route planning: 10 concrete tips to reduce fuel consumption.
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Maritime Flags and Signals: The Sailor's Complete Guide
National flag, yellow Q flag, signal code: which flags to fly and when? Regulations explained simply.
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Choosing and Maintaining Sails: The Complete Guide
Mainsail, genoa, spinnaker: how to choose your sails and maintain them for lasting performance.
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The Most Beautiful Coastal Cruises in France
Brittany, CΓ΄te d'Azur, Basque Country, Corsica: the most beautiful French coastal routes for sailors.
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Choosing a Dinghy and Outboard Motor: Buyer's Guide
Semi-rigid or inflatable, 2 or 4-stroke, electric: how to choose the dinghy and motor suited to your sailboat.
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Galvanic Corrosion: Understanding and Protecting Your Boat
Zincs, galvanic isolators, sacrificial anodes: understand galvanic corrosion and effectively protect your boat.
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Standing Rigging: Inspection and Complete Maintenance
Shrouds, forestay, backstays, rigging screws: how to inspect and maintain standing rigging for safe sailing.
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Watermaker on Board: Buying and Maintenance Guide
Membrane osmosis, capacity, power consumption, maintenance: everything to know before buying a watermaker.
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Sailing with Children: Safety Tips and On-Board Advice
Appropriate life jackets, safety lines, on-board activities: how to sail with children safely and happily.
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Best Corsica Anchorages and Stopovers for Sailors
Bonifacio, Girolata, Scandola, Porto-Vecchio: the guide to the most beautiful Corsican stopovers for sailors.
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Boat Insurance: What Your Policy Really Covers
Third-party liability, hull coverage, assistance, agreed value: decode your boat insurance policy.
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Anchoring in Strong Winds: Advanced Techniques
Double anchor, kedging, chain length, seabed types: advanced techniques to hold in heavy weather.
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Marine Radar: How to Use It Effectively
Range, gain, rain clutter, sea clutter, MARPA, AIS targets: master your marine radar for safe navigation in low visibility.
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Marine Sanitation: Black Water Rules and Solutions
Protected areas, holding tanks, separators: understand black water regulations and equip your boat.
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Optimising Sail Performance: Tuning and Techniques
Cunningham, vang, outhaul, leech line tuning: the key adjustments to optimise your sailboat's performance.
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Boat Fenders and Mooring Lines: The Complete Guide
Mooring line diameter, materials, fender size, mooring knots: everything to know for correct docking and mooring.
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Solo Sailing: Essential Safety Precautions and Equipment
Autopilot, safety harness, radar watch, MOB alarm: essential equipment for sailing solo safely.
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Fire Safety on Board: Prevention and Action
Mandatory fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, evacuation procedure: fire safety regulations and the right reflexes on board.
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Mediterranean Weather: When to Go Sailing?
Mistral, meltemi, tramontane, libeccio: understand Mediterranean winds and choose the best sailing season.
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French Coastal Winds: Mistral, Tramontane and More
Mistral in Provence, tramontane in Languedoc, marin in the Gulf of Lion: understand and anticipate French local winds.
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The Offshore Boating License: Everything You Need to Know
Theory and practical tests, eligibility, programme content: the complete guide to obtaining your offshore licence.
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COLREGS: The Rules of Priority at Sea
Starboard priority, sail vs motor, constrained vessels… The complete guide to COLREGS rules for safe navigation with YachtMate.
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Night Sailing: Rules and Safety Tips
COLREGS navigation lights, watch organisation, essential equipment: everything you need to sail safely at night with YachtMate.
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Marine VHF Radio: How to Communicate at Sea
Channel 16, MAYDAY, DSC, MMSI, weather channels β€” everything you need to know to use your marine VHF correctly and sail safely with YachtMate.
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Boat Electricity: Batteries, Solar Panels and Alternator
AGM or lithium batteries, solar panels, optimised alternator: everything you need to know to be energy-independent on board. YachtMate helps you plan your stopovers.
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Essential Sailing Knots Every Boater Should Know
Bowline, cleat hitch, figure-of-eight, clove hitch… master the 10 essential boating knots. Practical tips for mooring, sailing manoeuvres and navigating safely with YachtMate.
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Maritime Buoyage: Understanding Buoys and Lights
IALA, lateral marks, cardinal marks, navigation lights β€” everything you need to read buoys at sea and navigate safely, day and night. YachtMate displays all marks on your offline charts.
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Understanding tides and currents for better sailing
Coefficients, rule of twelfths, flood, ebb, slack water… Everything you need to know to anticipate tides and use currents on your coastal passages.
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Getting your boat ready for the season: the complete spring checklist
Hull, engine, rigging, safety, electrics — the complete checklist to not miss anything before your first departure of the season. YachtMate manages your maintenance reminders.
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Best boat navigation apps in 2026: complete comparison
Navionics, iSailor, OpenCPN, SailGrib, YachtMate — full comparison of navigation apps with feature table and recommendations by sailor profile.
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Coastal boating license: the complete 2026 guide
Syllabus, exam, cost, differences with the offshore license — everything you need to know about the French coastal boating license in 2026.
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Anchoring regulations in France: what the law says in 2026
Restricted zones, wild anchoring, ZMEL, posidonia, fines — the complete legal framework for anchoring legally in French waters.
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Marine diesel engine maintenance: the complete guide
Oil changes, impeller, filters, anodes — everything you need to know to prevent engine failure at sea. YachtMate helps you stay on top of maintenance.
How to drop anchor properly? Complete anchoring guide
From choosing the right spot to chain length, everything you need for a successful anchorage — and how AnchorFix helps secure your night.
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Reading a marine weather forecast: the sailor's guide
Wind, swell, atmospheric pressure — learn to decode weather bulletins and plan your sailing trips safely.
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Mandatory boat safety equipment: complete 2026 checklist
Flares, life jackets, fire extinguishers — all mandatory equipment by navigation zone and how to manage expiry dates with YachtMate.
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Getting Your Boat Ready for the Season: The Spring Checklist
Complete checklist to prepare your boat for the sailing season: hull, engine, safety, electrical, and fittings. Don't miss anything before your first departure.

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