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MIKADO
The gorgeous, slim Fife rater Mikado from 1904 is not exactly what you might choose as a family cruising yacht – but that’s just what she has proved to be in her years of family ownership
TINY SHIP
The 30ft motor cruiser Ryegate built in the 1930s was recently rescued and put through a complete restoration
REDWINGS
U a Fox’s iconic development class at Bembridge Sailing Club, which celebrated its fi rst 125 years in 2022
SAILING TODAY WITH YACHTS & YACHTING
DECEMBER 2022 £4.95 £4.95
CARIBBEAN DREAMS
● Charter hotspots ● Season preview ● Route du Rhum
with
BOAT TEST
EXCESS 14
Speed, comfort and style
SCOTTISH SOJOURN
A West Coast wonderland
TOM CUNLIFFE
Secret to stress free mooring revealed
HEAVY WEATHER SAILING
Rod Heikell’s masterclass
ASCENSION ISLAND Sailing the heights RAMSGATE MARINA Not to be missed
Cover v2.indd 1
ALEX THOMSON Exciting new project revealed
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18/10/2022 10:47
IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE
Caribbean dreams: charter hotspots, season preview and the Route de Rhum Scottish sojourn: sailing the wonderland of the west coast Heavy weather sailing: a masterclass with Rod Heikell Boat test: speed, comfort and style in the Excess 14 Ramsgate Marina – all you need to know Alex Thomson: new project
PLUS…
Sailing and sketching the Irish coast, a guide to spars and rigging, boatbuilding in the Pacifi c Northwest, all the latest news and more
JANUARY 2022
On sale Friday 09 December 2022 Or why not subscribe?
Available online or ordernow post-freefrom chelseamagazines.com/shop
30 YEARS AGO
DECEMBER 1992, CB54
Three decades ago, as we approached Christmas, then editor Robin Gates, who today writes our monthly Boatbuilder’s Notes column, refl ected on the year in his editorial. “The take-home message from 1992,” he wrote, “is that people of all ages love traditional boats. In July, 1.5 million people tucked into a feast of old rigs at Brest.” This was in fact the fi rst maritime Brest festival, now a quadrennial event that still attracts crowds of a similar size. I could say the same today – more so. Young people really are getting into boat restoration. I recently listed around 10 people under the age of 30 – and half of those were under 20 – undertaking serious boat restorations or new-builds. These are just the ones I know of. It’s a great sign for the future of maritime heritage preservation, which sounds like an awfully dusty term when you consider that these are generally yachts being restored by young people to have fun and adventures on. Elsewhere in the mag, it’s a pretty diverse feast: Eric Tabarly himself on Pen Duick; river boats of Bangladesh; a big antique motoryacht called Lillian of Stockholm; a treatise on GL Watson and another on anchoring; but look what we found on page 68! It’s the outrageously curvaceous INSAM motor boat that we featured, 30 years later, in our September issue this year!
Considering an Electric Outboard?
“ Using a well-engineered electric outboard has been a revelation.’’
TOM CUNLIFFE Classic Boat
From £1650
Epropulsion Spirit PLUS
› 1276Wh battery › Faster to charge › Battery floats if dropped › Foldable tiller means only one cable to connect › Three shaft length options › Direct drive (no gearbox)
From £1750 Torqeedo 1103
› 916Wh battery › GPS data on tiller gives speed & range indication › Removable tiller (more compact for storage) › Near‐silent direct drive › Much more robust than the previous model (Torqeedo 1003)
Quiet, Convenient, Reliable and Easy-to-Use
In the popular 2-4hp category, the latest electric outboards – with their integral and rechargeable lithium batteries – have transformed the market, rendering petrol motors all-but obsolete. Advantages include:
› Ease of Use Switch on, twist the tiller handles, go. Almost anybody can do it; no experience, strength or mechanical knowledge is needed. › Ease of Handling The batteries
are removable, and the “pass up and down” weight (the shaft/motor assembly) is then 10kg or less. › Ease of Storage These electric motors divide into components, don’t leak oil or petrol, and don’t mind which way up they’re stored. › › Quietness & Smoothness
Electric motors are a delight to use. › Power Forget slow speed “trolling motors”, these 1kW electrics have huge torque (more like a 3hp petrol). › Range There are many variables, but most users achieve at least 9 to 10 nautical miles per charge, at 4 to 5 knots (2.5m inflatable dinghy).
Much more if you slow down a little. › Reliability Many outboard motors don’t get used very often, and small petrol motors hate this. Electric outboards have fewer parts in general, and in particular there’s no carburettor to “gum up”.
Of course, it’s not all perfect. The range may still not be enough for some users. And they’re undeniably More Expensive than petrol outboards, mostly because lithium batteries are expensive. But that extra upfront cost is largely offset by
Of course, it’s not all perfect. The range may still not be enough for some users. And they’re undeniably lithium batteries are expensive. But that extra upfront cost is largely offset by their Lower Lifetime Running Costs, including (almost) No Servicing.their
NESTAWAY BOATS is the UK’s number one retailer for both Torqeedo
AND Epropulsion. You can find out more on our website, and we are always happy to discuss further – and offer advice – by email or phone. If you’d like to see them before making a purchase, we are based in Christchurch, Dorset (UK).
