Dick & Mary McClary: Practical Sailboat Cruising Advice from a Life Afloat

If you've landed on our About Us page, you probably want to know one thing before spending time on this website: are the people behind it genuinely qualified to write about sailboats, sailing, and the cruising life?

In our case, the answer is yes — not because of marketing claims, but because we've lived it.

Sailboat-Cruising.com is built on many years of hands-on sailing, boat ownership, offshore passage-making, liveaboard cruising, and writing for sailors who want solid, practical information rather than dockside mythology.

Who this site is for

This site is for people who already own a sailboat, are thinking seriously about buying one, or aspire to the cruising lifestyle and want to make better-informed decisions.

Some readers are experienced sailors. Others are just starting out. What they tend to have in common is an interest in cruising boats, sensible seamanship, offshore capability, and the realities of life afloat.

Why you can trust what you read here

This website draws on direct experience.

Dick sailed his Nicholson 32, Jalingo II, largely single-handed from Poole in the UK to the Balearic Islands. Later, together, we commissioned and built Alacazam, a light-displacement 38-foot cruising boat designed for the kind of sailing we wanted to do.

We then sailed extensively in UK and European waters, moved aboard full-time, and eventually crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean — a passage of around 3,000 nautical miles, completed in 18 days by a crew of two.

Along the way, Dick qualified as an Yachtmaster (Ocean), and Mary progressed through the RYA scheme from Competent Crew and Day Skipper to Yachtmaster Offshore.

That experience shapes everything on this site: the boat reviews, the articles on sailboat design and rigging, the buying advice, the cruising guidance, and the writing on equipment and life aboard. Dick is also the author of 'Offshore Cruising', published by the RYA, and Mary wrote 'First Time Atlantic Crossing', drawn from our own Atlantic passage to the Caribbean.

How this site began

Like many worthwhile projects, this one started from real life rather than a business plan.

When we met in 1989, Mary had never really sailed before. Dick, on the other hand, was already deep into it. One early passage together — from Mallorca to Gibraltar in less-than-gentle December conditions — became, unofficially, a test. Mary passed it with distinction, and we've been sailing partners ever since.

Over time, our ambitions grew. We wanted a boat that better suited the way we wanted to cruise, so Alacazam was conceived, designed, and built. We explored the West Country, Brittany, Northern Spain, Portugal and beyond before setting off for warmer water and eventually the Caribbean, where we spent many winter seasons cruising the islands.

In 2024, after many years afloat, we decided it was time to step back from that chapter. Alacazam was sold, and we returned to our home in Plymouth. We still spend time on the water — now in a Tamar 2000 motor boat called Our George II — and we continue researching, writing, and publishing for sailors who share the same fascination with cruising boats and the lifestyle that goes with them.

How we help

Our aim with Sailboat-Cruising.com is straightforward: to give sailors and would-be sailors useful, experience-based information.

That includes:

  • cruising sailboat types and reviews
  • design and performance ratios
  • sails, rigs, and onboard systems
  • buying guidance for used boats
  • offshore and bluewater cruising topics
  • practical aspects of living with, handling, and choosing the right boat

In short, this is a resource for people who want more than romantic ideas about cruising. The lifestyle can be deeply rewarding, but boats and passages reward clear thinking.

Keep in touch

If you'd like practical sailboat cruising advice, new articles, and updates from the site, the best next step is to sign up for the weekly newsletter.

If you'd rather browse first, start with one of the site's core guides on buying a sailboat, sailboat design, or bluewater cruising.

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