Sailing is a wonderfully exhilarating pastime - but it can also be dangerous.
The challenge of the sea is all part of the attraction, of course, but safety should always be uppermost in your mind.

Follow some basic rules and you will avoid a lot of the potential problems, especially if you are new to sailing.

A starter yacht for a beginner

MOST of us have dreamed of buying a yacht and turning our back on the problems of everyday life. Turning that dream into reality can seem so easy during a visit to a boat show, a showroom or a marina.

The shiny yacht hulls gleam invitingly, the masts tower overhead majestically - and big discounts are sometimes on offer.

But buying a boat is probably the second biggest outlay - after your house - you will ever make.

Yacht crew register and sailing introduction agency - all levels of experience welcome for leisure cruising, racing delivery and professional sailing worldwide.