Bluewater sailors are being given the chance to view a wide range of offshore cruising boats and get expert advice on the subject at the second Bluewater Open Boat Weekend in Hampshire.

Rally organisers World Cruising Club have teamed up with broker Berthon International to host a weekend of conversation about bluewater cruising at Berthon’s Lymington base between 16-17 May.

The two-day event is free to attend but visitors will need to pre-register before hand.

During the weekend, a selection of bluewater boats will be open for viewing, hosted by experienced offshore sailors, all of whom have sailed transatlantic or around the world.

In addition to a selection of typical cruising boats from the Berthon Brokerage Collection, several privately owned former ARC boats will be on display, including, Mad Fish, a Moody S38, and Indra, a Bowman 42.

A range of typical configuration cruising boats will also be open for inspection, including a Contessa 32, a Southerly 42 swing keel, a Dufour 425 GL and a Discovery 55.

Seminar presentations will include tips on planning a refit; how to check your rigging; sail choice for offshore cruisers; and two discussion panels ­ what to look for in an offshore cruising boat, and Living the Dream, with former ocean cruisers answering questions on aspects of the bluewater life, including live-aboard sailing as a couple.

Speaking about the upcoming event, a Berthon International spokesperson said: “Cruising skippers who have been there and done it will be on hand to share their personal experience with the visitors in one-to-one chats and in group discussions.

“So if you have pondered about boat size versus wallet size; centre cockpit or aft cockpit; mono or multi, then these are the questions the Bluewater Open Boat will discuss.”

This will be the second year the event has been held, with those wanting to get more out of the experience able to attend an optional social event on the Saturday night.

The show will open at 10am each day, finishing at 5pm on Saturday and 4pm on Sunday.