Start with what you came for.
Gifts for sailors, choosing a boat photograph, sizes and frames, and the stories behind the water.
More guides and references
- Ashore, for a moment.Stories for a life drawn to the water. Useful advice for bringing a little of it home.
- Make a good picture of it.Start with the photograph, choose the finish and keep the details that matter.
- Morse code translatorType words to get Morse code, or paste dots and dashes to get the words back. Then press play to hear it and watch the lamp flash it out.
- Knots to mph converterOne knot is a little more than one mile an hour: about 1.15 mph. Type any speed in knots, mph, km/h or metres per second and see it in the other three.
- Sailing knots, step by stepEight knots used on sailing boats, what each one is for, how to tie it and how to undo it, with a card to print for the chart table.
- Beaufort scale converterType a wind speed and see its Beaufort force, from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force), with the waves the Met Office says to expect in the open sea.
- Portsmouth Yardstick calculatorMixed fleet, one race. Type each boat's Portsmouth Number and elapsed time, and get corrected times and places in one table you can share.
- Signal flag name generatorType a name, a boat's name or a word and see it spelled in the flags ships use, one flag for each letter. Print it on A4 for a card, a cabin door or a party.
- Shipping forecast areas, and what the words meanViking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties... Pick an area to see where it sits on our map and in the list, then paste its forecast to have every word explained.
- Rule of twelfths calculatorType the times and heights of low and high water from your tide table. The tool works out roughly how high the tide will be at any time between them.
- Lighthouse light characteristics, explainedEvery lighthouse flashes its own pattern, and charts write it in a short code beside the light. Type the code and see it in plain words, then watch it flash.
- Sailing time calculatorHow long will it take? Type each leg of the trip, its distance and the speed you expect, and see when you will arrive.
Ashore, for a moment.
- Print sizes UK: A4, A3, A2 and 50x70 cm explainedEvery size we print, in millimetres, with what each one looks like on a wall. Start with the space, then pick the size.
- Types of boats: an illustrated guide to 30 boatsFrom a dinghy to a tall ship, the names can be confusing. These are 30 types of boat you'll see around the British coast and rivers, grouped by kind. Each has a picture or a simple line…
- Ship or boat: the difference explainedA ship is big and goes to sea. A boat is smaller. Collins's dictionary gives the neatest test: a boat is small enough to be carried aboard a larger vessel, and a ship isn't.
- Parts of a boat: a labelled guideTwo simple diagrams, a sailing boat and a motorboat, then the parts explained in plain words. Useful before a first trip, or before you buy a print for someone who'll spot a wrongly…
- Nautical terms: an A-Z of sailing wordsThe words sailors use, what they mean and where some of them come from. Every definition links to the dictionary, museum, body or law it comes from, and there's an A to Z list at the end.
- Coastal bedroom ideas: colour, art and calmA coastal bedroom should feel like a still morning by the sea, not a beach-themed hotel. These ideas keep it calm and grown-up.
- The photo is already on your phone.You don't need a dramatic sea or an expensive camera. You need a clear photograph of the right boat, with enough room around her to make a good picture.
A boat portrait from your own photo.
- Boat names: 150 ideas, from classic to funnyA boat's name is the first thing anyone learns about her. This page has ideas to start from, the rules if you register, and the superstition about changing one.
- Get her good side.A motorboat portrait lives in the line of the hull, the shape of the windows and the space around the bow. Start with those details.
- Why we keep portraits of our boatsA boat portrait is part likeness, part record of a life spent aboard.
Ship & tall ship prints
- Tall ships: famous ships and where to see themA tall ship, in Collins's definition, is any square-rigged sailing ship. Several famous ones are preserved in the UK, and you can walk their decks.
- Famous sea paintings and the artists behind themBritain has looked at the sea through its painters for centuries. These are a few famous pictures you can see in public collections, and the artists behind them.
- Thames sailing barges: red sails and where to sail on oneFlat-bottomed, red-sailed working boats with a crew of two men and a dog. This is what made the sailing barge different, and how you can sail on one today.
Lighthouse prints
Sailing prints & sailing boat art
- J-Class yachts: the great racing yachtsThe J Class yachts were built to race for the America's Cup in the 1930s. This is what made them special, and which of the original boats survive.
- Round the Island Race: a spectator's guideA whole fleet races around the Isle of Wight in a single day. The guide covers the 2027 date, the course and the organisers' suggested viewing spots.
Puffin prints and gifts
Motorboat prints & classic motor launch art
If you have a photograph already
Start with the boat photography guide. It helps you choose between files, check whether the whole mast and hull are visible, and decide how much of the water or shore belongs in the picture. Keep the original file while you compare crops. A screenshot or a picture saved from a message may leave you with fewer print choices.
For a motorboat, follow the motorboat portrait guide next. The hull profile, cabin windows and windscreen can be the details an owner recognises first. For a yacht, give the rig room in the photograph. Both guides help you make a clear choice before opening an upload page.
If you know the wall, but not the picture
Open the print sizes and frames guide with a note of the space you have. Compare a tall subject with a wide one, and try paper shapes on the wall. The coastal bedroom guide is a useful next stop when the picture needs to sit with existing furniture and colours. Start with the room you have, then choose the boat or coast that belongs there.
Our collection pages let you browse by subject. Sailing prints, motorboat prints and lighthouse prints make different starting points, so choose the thing you want to look at each day. The artwork page shows its own picture, available options and prices.
If it is a present
Use the gifts for sailors guide to compare prints with books, courses and experiences. For someone who owns a motorboat, the boat gifts page is a closer match. Think about whether the present is for their home, their boat or a day out. Those are different decisions, and the useful choice starts with how they spend their time.
A print of their own boat needs a photograph you are allowed to use. A picture from the collection needs no personal file: choose an imagined scene that suits their interests and the room. If you do not know the wall size, ask someone who does before choosing a large piece.
If you came for a boat word or a story
Types of boats and parts of a boat help you put a name to what you are looking at. Nautical terms is the place for an unfamiliar word. For real vessels and places, the Journal has tall ships, J-Class yachts, lighthouses and coast stories, with links to the sources behind them.
You can also search above for a subject or a phrase. The results include both guides and prints. Read the description beside a result to choose between a practical answer and a picture for the wall; you do not need to start the search again when your interest moves from one to the other.