Sailing Today

About Sailing Today

Sailing Today is the monthly magazine for hands-on cruising sailors — “written cover to cover by sailors, for sailors,” as its publishers put it. Launched in 1997, it has spent nearly three decades building a reputation for essential, practical sailing information and advice: in-depth boat, gear and equipment tests, seamanship and navigation features, and cruising inspiration for owners of yachts between 25 and 60 feet. Published by the Chelsea Magazine Company alongside its racing sister title Yachts & Yachting, it is the magazine for sailors who use their boats — whether cruising around the coast, across the Channel or in blue waters.

Since its launch the magazine has changed hands several times, passing from the Boat International Group to CSL Publishing and then to Chelsea, but its editorial mission has never wavered: practical backup for the cruising sailor, delivered by a team of experts who sail themselves. Below is a detailed profile of the magazine: its history, its ownership journey, its content and its people. Visit the official website at sailingtoday.co.uk.

History and Founding

Sailing Today was launched in 1997 into a British sailing press dominated by long-established titles. Its proposition was deliberately practical: rather than chasing the glamour of grand-prix racing or the superyacht world, it would serve the ordinary cruising sailor — the owner of a 25-to-40-foot yacht (a range the magazine has since widened to 25–60 feet) who wanted honest advice on boats, kit, seamanship and destinations. Trade directories of the period described it as focusing on “news and advice for the practical cruising sailor,” and the formula worked: within a few years of its launch the magazine had, in its publisher’s phrase, “sealed its reputation for essential sailing information and advice,” carving out a loyal readership among owner-sailors who felt underserved by the racier end of the marine press.

The Ownership Journey

Sailing Today’s publishing history mirrors the consolidation of the British specialist press. It was originally published by the Boat International Group, the marine publishing house, before being sold to CSL Publishing in 2010. In October 2012 it was acquired by the Chelsea Magazine Company — the independent publisher that also owns Yachts & Yachting and Classic Boat — whose investors have included CSL Publishing, Interactive Publishing and Sterling Securities International. The company is headquartered in Market Harborough, and under Chelsea’s ownership the magazine has been run alongside its sister sailing titles, with a joint media operation, shared commercial team and combined advertising media packs covering both Sailing Today and Yachts & Yachting.

Editorial Character: Practical Cruising

Every issue of Sailing Today is packed with news and advice for the hands-on cruising sailor. The magazine’s defining claim — that it is written cover to cover by sailors, for sailors — is reflected in its content: features are practical first and aspirational second, aimed at readers who maintain, sail and live aboard their own boats. Its superb team of experts covers everything from engine maintenance and sail trim to passage planning, heavy-weather tactics and the legal and financial practicalities of cruising, such as VAT rules for keeping a boat in the Mediterranean.

The tone is that of knowledgeable friends in the cockpit: encouraging, plain-spoken and allergic to jargon. Regular departments include news, “tales from the sailing community,” events coverage and the popular “Skipper’s View” comment pages.

Boat, Gear and Equipment Tests

The magazine’s market-leading boat and gear tests are its signature franchise. Each issue brings in-depth reviews of new boats — from Dutch bluewater cruisers such as the Contest 56 CS, unveiled at the Düsseldorf Boat Show, to French production yachts like the Allures 40.9, and the latest multihull launches previewed ahead of the Multihull Show — alongside tests of equipment, electronics, safety kit and cruising gear. A regular “New boats” round-up surveys the latest launches from around the globe, so readers can track the market even between test features. The tests are valued precisely because they are conducted by working sailors rather than marketing departments, and they have made the magazine an essential read for anyone in the market for a new yacht or new kit.

Seamanship, Navigation and Technique

Alongside the tests, Sailing Today runs regular advice features on seamanship and navigation: how to work the tides in challenging waters such as the Menai Strait, how to negotiate “orca alley” off the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, how to handle a weather bomb in the Bass Strait. These are the unglamorous, essential skills of cruising, treated with the seriousness they deserve — the “practical backup” the magazine promises its readers.

Columnists and Contributors

The magazine’s regular voices include some of the most recognisable names in British sailing journalism. Broadcaster and author Paul Heiney writes on the romance — and the reality — of sailing life, from winter sailing on crisp, frosty days to the companies that listen to their customers. Andy Rice covers the racing world, from the Olympics and the America’s Cup to the Vendée Globe and round-the-world record attempts. Their columns, alongside contributions from cruising sailors such as Nic Compton and Jetty de Koster, give the magazine a breadth that spans the club cruiser and the ocean racer.

Destinations and Cruising Inspiration

While its heart is practical, Sailing Today has never neglected the dream that draws sailors to the water in the first place. Destination features — from Norwegian fjords to Albanian anchorages, from Channel hops to bluewater passages — sit alongside the technical content, illustrated with photography from the cruising community itself, including winners of the Cruising Association’s photo competitions. The message is consistent: this is a magazine for people who actually go.

The 25-to-60-Foot Sweet Spot

The magazine’s focus on yachts between 25 and 60 feet is a deliberate editorial choice. It is the size range in which most British cruising sailors operate — big enough for serious passages, small enough to be handled by a couple — and it keeps the magazine’s boat tests, gear reviews and advice relevant to the broadest possible readership. Superyachts and micro-cruisers have their own publications; Sailing Today is for the mainstream cruising fleet.

Digital Editions

Sailing Today is available in print and in digital editions through platforms including Zinio and OverDrive, where library readers can borrow current and back issues — the June 2026 issue, for example, was listed through library consortia with its full line-up of boat reviews, seamanship features and columnists. The magazine’s website, sailingtoday.co.uk, carries news, features and subscription offers, and shares a commercial operation with yachtsandyachting.co.uk under the Chelsea Magazine Company umbrella.

People

Under Chelsea Magazine Company ownership the magazine’s editor has been Sam Jefferson, listed as editor in the company’s media materials. The wider team spans advertising, marketing and production staff shared across the company’s sailing portfolio, while the editorial contributors — Heiney, Rice and the roster of expert testers and cruising writers — remain the public face of the brand.

Where to Read

Sailing Today is published monthly in print and digital editions, available by subscription, through newsagents and via digital newsstands, with news and features at sailingtoday.co.uk. For the hands-on cruising sailor — the reader who would rather be fixing, sailing or planning the next passage than dreaming idly — it has been essential reading since 1997, and shows no sign of loosening its grip.