Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting August 2021

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FASTNET PREVIEW How course change affects you COWES WEEK 2021 What you can expect

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8 News 16 Paul Heiney 18 Andy Rice 20 Andi Robertson 28 Tom Cunliffe 98 Jess Lloyd-Mostyn

UNDER SAIL

22 Falmouth

A post lockdown west country cruise

32 Sail GP preview 38 Caernarfon to NZ A pensioner heads down under via the Caribbean and the South Seas

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38

60 Gull’s Eye Berthon Lymington marina

66 Cowes Week preview 72 Fastnet preview Rupert Holmes guides you round the revised course and delivers you to victory

80 Winter in Fireland Nick Coghlan recounts a winter spent in Tierra del Fuego

BOATS

14 Boat news The latest launches

46 Bali Catspace French multihull manufacturer Bali pump up the volume with their latest launch

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50 Pogo foiler A truly radical new foiling monohull

76 Designing a Fastnet winner

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70

Dick Carter on how he designed and campaigned his yacht, Rabbit, to victory

90 Three of the Best Three of the finest brokerage boats

GEAR

54 Buyer’s Guide A look at the latest innovations in the world of satellite communications

72

70 Launched The latest gear

84 Shortlist

MASTERCLASS

86 How to Win

Jon Emmett on close fleet racing Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting NOVEMBER 2020

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Welcome

EDITORIAL EDITOR

Sam Jefferson 020 3943 9261 sam.jefferson@chelseamagazines.com

YACHTS & YACHTING EDITOR

Georgie Corlett-Pitt georgie.corlett-pitt@chelseamagazines.com GROUP EDITOR Rob Peake

Skipper’s View A CAREFREE APPROACH TO SAILING CAN SOMETIMES DESCEND INTO PLAIN CARELESSNESS

ART & PRODUCTION EDITOR Gareth Lloyd Jones PUBLISHING CONSULTANT Martin Nott PUBLISHER Simon Temlett simon.temlett@chelseamagazines.com ADVERTISING ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Mark Harrington 020 7349 3734 mark.harrington@chelseamagazines.com GROUP SALES DIRECTOR Catherine Chapman HEAD OF SALES OPERATIONS Jodie Green ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCTION Allpoints Media Ltd allpointsmedia.co.uk CHAIRMAN Paul Dobson CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Vicki Gavin MANAGING DIRECTOR James Dobson CHELSEA CREATE PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR Lyndall Beeton Published by: The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700 © The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2020.

All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1367-5869 (print) ISSN 2059-9285 (digital)

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IT IS VERY EASY TO MAKE sailing seem like a very complicated pursuit; mariners have been doing it for generations to be fair by essentially inventing their own vocabulary sometimes with what appears to be the express intention of excluding landlubbers. I recall also reading a magazine a few years ago that certainly gave the impression that if I got into my boat, there seemed a strong likelihood I would die. I have always found this rather joyless approach tiresome - never more so than when I am out sailing, done something far from prudent, and then been haunted by the knowing words of some more diligent and safety conscious sailor who has lectured me at length on the subject.

Anyway, with all this in mind, I was refreshed by the opening paragraph of Chris Ayers article on his retirement trip featured on p38; the sentence I was most impressed with was this; 'One August afternoon I slipped the warps and made my way out over Caernarfon bar and out to sea. I was on my way south, nothing was set in stone but I thought to make my leisurely way to New Zealand.' Now, I realise that behind that casual sentence probably lay a fair amount of planning but still, the general tone pleased me greatly. There comes a point where all the planning ceases to be useful and becomes an actual barrier to doing what we wish to do. I will, no doubt, be haunted by these rash words on my next sailing trip when my carefree approach is exposed as just plain careless.

Aside from that, it's extremely heartening to see that the racing schedule is once more starting to fill up for the summer and we can look forward to Cowes Week and the Fastnet returning as normal. Well, not quite normal in the case of the Fastnet which has a new final destination in Cherbourg. There has already been much wringing of hands about this change of course so I won't add to the clamour but instead point you in the direction of Rupert Holmes' excellent guide to gaining the best advantage out on the new course on p72. Meanwhile, if you want to take a dewy eyed look back on how the Fastnet used to be, Dick Carter's description of how he designed and campaigned his yacht Rabbit to victory in the 1965 Fastnet is fascinating. Inevitably, meticulous planning was involved.

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CONTRIBUTORS

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission in writing. Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information in Sailing Today, but no responsibility can be accepted for the consequences of actions based on the advice portrayed herein.

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JESS LLOYD MOSTYN is a writer and blue water cruiser who is currently moored in Singapore

TOM CUNLIFFE is an author, journalist and TV presenter, and one of Britain's best-known cruising sailors

RUPERT HOLMES has decades of experience covering and participating in the offshore racing scene

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Cream of the west country A peaceful summer’s day on the River Fowey in Cornwall, one of many splendid, well protected harbours on this beautiful section of coast. If this whets your appetite for cruising adventures in the west country, turn to p22 for Nigel Sharp’s more fulsome paean to this splendid cruising ground.

Lovattpics/iStock

News

Ebb and flow EVENTS | NEWS | TALES FROM THE SAILING COMMUNITY

Veteran sailing Round Britain, while having chemotherapy Sailor Olle Nash is circumnavigating Britain to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support – while undergoing chemotherapy himself for bowel cancer.

Olle, 63, left Fox’s Marina in his hometown of Ipswich in May. The Gulf War veteran received approval from his oncologist to substitute intravenous chemotherapy treatment for tablet-based medication during his voyage.

He can administer this himself, to save him numerous trips back to Ipswich, but he does need to return for cycles of radiotherapy, which can last up to five weeks. He is also permanently dependent on a colostomy,

which his family have named Boris.

Olle, who lost his daughter to cancer, said: “When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I didn’t ask those awkward questions like ‘what does this mean for my life?’ I just wanted to get on with it, but I did think that perhaps I wouldn’t always be as fit as I am now, so if there were things I wanted to do, I should do them. I’d been hoping to spend my retirement sailing all over the place, so I combined this ambition with my fundraising.”

He aims to raise £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Donate at: justgiving.com/ fundraising/olle-nash

Fastnet welcomes Vendée heroes Sailors competing in the Rolex Fastnet Race on 8 August will be lining up with some of the big names who completed the Vendée Globe earlier this year.

The Fastnet has become a greater attraction this year to the largely French IMOCA class, partly due to its new finish in Cherbourg, but mainly because it is a qualifier for November’s Transat Jacques Vabre double-handed race.

Big names include Charlie Dalin on Apivia, who was second in the Vendée, and Jérémie Beyou on Charal, who was Vendée favourite until he retired. Also on the Fastnet startline will be Britain’s Alex Thomson on HUGO BOSS, another Vendée favourite who had to retire after leading the race.

Fellow Brit Sam Davies is also racing in the Fastnet on her IMOCA Initiatives-Coeur.

Davies also had to retire from the Vendée but completed her circumnavigation in order to support her sponsor, a charity which enables heart transplants for disadvantaged children.

As in the Vendée Globe, Davies will again be up against her partner Romain Attanasio, who

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

recently secured funding for his next IMOCA campaign with Fortinet-Best Western and has acquired Boris Herrman’s boat.

Sebastien Simon’s Arkea Paprec and Nicolas Troussel’s Corum L’Epargne are also competing.

Meanwhile the US team 11th Hour Racing has two IMOCAs entered – the 2016-vintage former HUGO BOSS, now campaigned by the mixed Anglo-Swiss crew of Volvo Ocean Race veteran

Simon Fisher and Justine Mettraux; and if it is ready after its July launch, the team’s new IMOCA, to be sailed by Charlie Enright and top French offshore sailor Pascal Bidégorry.

Fastnet organiser the Royal Ocean Racing Club has said it is ready to adapt the race if UK travel restrictions don’t allow for the French finish for all boats.

See our race preview p72.

News

NEWS BRIEFS

RYA tickets are good for Spain Hard work by British sailing authorities – the RYA, British Marine and the Cruising Association – has ensured key breakthroughs in the negotiations over controversial sailing rules that came into force after Brexit.

The RYA received confirmation that its ICC, Day Skipper, Coastal Skipper, Powerboat Level 2, Yachtmaster Offshore and Ocean tickets remain valid for skippering Spanish-flagged boats.

The RYA had raised concerns once it became clear that the UK’s status as a third country from 1 January 2021 meant that, in accordance with Spanish regulations, RYA certificates would no longer be recognised by the Spanish Government for use on Spanish-flagged boats.

The announcement comes following “persistent and coordinated consultations” through the UK Government with Spain’s General Directorate for Merchant Marine. Work behind the scenes included the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the UK Department for International Trade and the British Embassy in Spain.

Meanwhile Greek Customs have acknowledged the rights of UK yachts to retain their EU VAT status.

Following a complaint to the EU by the Cruising Association on the matter, the announcement is significant for those UK yachts returning to Greek waters, which can now retain their EU VAT status.

Finally, HMRC has announced an extension to the new rule banning private boatowners from using red diesel in Northern Ireland. The new deadline is October 1.

This gives more time for private pleasure craft to use up red diesel in NI and for their fuel suppliers to implement the change from red to white diesel, said the Cruising Association.

For England, Scotland and Wales, the current red diesel position stays the same. Diesel used for propulsion is taxed at the full duty rate, as for road diesel. Red diesel to be used for heating, lighting and power generation may be purchased at the rebated rate.

Brits welcomed Karpaz Gate Marina in North Cyprus announced special berthing packages to welcome UK boat owners, as it opens it borders. Effective from 3 June, as we go to press, the travel criteria allow quarantine-free entry to North Cyprus from low-risk countries, with no test requirements for some vaccinated visitors. The marina says it can offer “safe berthing outside the EU for British boat owners impacted by post-Brexit rules including the Schengen 90-day limit and VAT liability for returning boats”.

Great Britain sixth in SailGP Italy SailGP fans were out in full force – with sellout crowds on-shore and nearly 1,000 registered boats lining the racecourse – to enjoy the Italy Sail Grand Prix in Taranto in May. Nathan Outteridge’s Japan SailGP Team reigned supreme with an exciting win in the final podium race to secure a home victory for Italian sailor Francesco Bruni, known to many from his America’s Cup exploits earlier this year.

There was disappointment for Great Britain, winners of the Bermuda Sail Grand Prix presented

by Hamilton Princess in April, who finished sixth.

They are now second overall in the season.

Helm Paul Goodison, who stepped in for this event to replace Ben Ainslie, said: “Next up is Plymouth and we are really looking forward to it; you can’t beat

racing on home waters with the crowd cheering. We hope it brings more breeze than the typical Mediterranean conditions we have had here in Italy, and we put on a good show for that home crowd.

“I wanted to help the team put on much better show and that’s disappointing, but we can take a lot away. Our motto this week has been ‘let’s get better every day’ and we feel have done that.”

Full Plymouth preview, see page 32.

RIP Dag Pike Prolific author and lifelong adventurer Dag Pike died on 28 May at the age of 88. One of the world’s most experienced powerboaters, he navigated Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Challenger on its Blue Ribband record-breaking Atlantic crossing in 1986. Dag also won the Round Britain Powerboat Race at the age of 75, in 2008. He was the author of more than 25 papers and 40 books on topics ranging from electronics and navigation to weather forecasting, surveys and safety at sea.

Wingsurfing lessons The RYA has launched a new Wingsurfing training scheme, with 12 RYA instructors qualified to teach the growing watersport. rya.org.uk/go/wingsurfing Trustees sought The Scaramouche Sailing Trust is looking for two new trus-tees to help raise crucial funds for Greig City Academy Sailing Programme and help decide on the scheme’s future.

Wuzzos and Monaco New deckie brand Wuzzos has become the exclusive supplier for the Yacht Club de Monaco. Models for men and women, branded with the club’s logo, will be available in the club’s exclusive boutique in the Principality.

Tom continues to shine Ireland’s Tom Dolan and his French co-skipper Gildas Mahe were eighth in the 18-boat Transat en Double Concarneau to Saint Barthelemy race. The duo were unlucky at the end, having spent most of the race in the top three. tomdolanracing.com Recycle your sails Environmental organisation Clean Sailors is encouraging sailors to drop off their old sails at SKB Sails (Falmouth) free of charge. The sails will be recycled by Sails & Canvas in Topsham as ‘lifestyle products’.

Alan Roberts wins Hampshire sailor Alan Roberts started his Figaro season with a second place in the Solo Maitre Coq, in March. Roberts hopes to compete in the next Vendée Globe. alanrobertsracing.com Bentley and Contest Contest Yachts and Bentley Motors have combined their talents to create an interior for the new Contest 59CS, matching that of the Continental GT V8 Coupe.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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News

Sailors unite to mark World Ocean Day Sailors and marine industry companies and organisations supported World Ocean Day on 8 June with a vast range of environmental initiatives and announcements.

SailGP announced it is the first organisation to achieve both the Carbon Neutral International Standard and three gold medals in the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative, something it has achieved through its actions to measure and reduce its global footprint. SailGP’s scheme Race for the Future “champions a world powered by nature wind, sun and water”.

Fiona Morgan, SailGP director of purpose and impact, said: “We want to use our platform to show that every business, every sport and every single one of us has a responsibility and an opportunity to make small changes that can deliver change for a better planet.”

The Great Britain SailGP Team, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, has launched a series of free education resources to educate young people in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) through the lens of climate change.

The first one will be run with Plymouth-based charity, the Ocean Conservation Trust, ahead of the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, taking place in Plymouth on 17-18 July. It will focus on ocean acidification.

Download the resource or sign up your school for free: stemcrew.org/sailgpgbr The Ocean Race was to host a summit on 16 June “to help drive new and improved policies to tackle some of the most urgent issues facing our blue planet”.

Richard Brisius, The Ocean Race chairman, said: “Sailors in The Ocean Race have seen more of the ocean, and its decline, than most people on the planet. Our Race is all about teamwork, overcoming challenges and achieving the extraordinary. We can apply this through our summits, to help drive change for the ocean.

Sport has the power to make a real difference for the planet and we are going to do all we can to make the most of this opportunity.”

Speakers including Pascal Lamy, President of the Paris Peace Forum, as well as Dr Emily Pidgeon, Vice President, Ocean Science and Innovation, and Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition for Spain.

MDL announced that it now produces more than 150,000kWh as it installed new solar panels at Cobb’s Quay Marina. The marina operator has installed solar panels at its Hamble Point and Ocean Village marinas, which generated nearly 150,000kWh between April 2020 and February 2021. MDL says this is “the equivalent of planting 1,500 trees per year across the three sites”.

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

The company aims to do the same at its Shamrock Quay and Saxon Wharf sites, complementing the existing Tesla and universal charging facilities at several of its marinas.

The organiser of the Southampton International Boat Show, British Marine, pledged to make the 2021 edition the most sustainable and environmentally friendly in its 52-year history. Exhibitors are being asked to sign up to a pledge which includes no single use plastic water bottles on stands, outlets, or hosted events; to nominate a sustainability champion on their stand to oversee waste management and recycling at the show; to offer only sustainable and recyclable promotional goods; and to only use compostable, recyclable or reusable cups, plates and cutlery.

It is the third year of a five-year sustainability pledge by British Marine, aiming to reduce its own waste and encourage good practices among sailors and the marine industry.

There is also an Exhibitor Sustainability Award, to be presented by The Green Blue’s ambassador Mike Golding at the show.

Founders of Cornish environmental group Clean Ocean Sailing, Steve Green and Monika Hertlová, have been recognised by the UK Prime Minister’s Points of Light programme, for their voluntary work. Clean Ocean Sailing runs eco-sailing expeditions around Cornwall and the UK (pictured above) and has recently collected more than 50 tons of plastic waste from remote areas of coastline.

Clean Ocean Sailing wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling on the G7 nations to add ‘ecocide’ to criminal law.

Plans are being drawn up to create ‘highly protected marine areas’ around the UK coast, where any environmentally damaging activities would be banned.

National England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee will identify sites for a pilot scheme, with input from stakeholders. A consultation will run next year.

Emirates Team New Zealand has promised to develop hydrogen-powered chase boats for the 37th America’s Cup. The team has been working with AFCryo, a New Zealand-based specialist in composite cryostats for the cryogenic and superconducting industries. The team says that once a successful prototype is launched, with the support of official challenger INEOS Team UK, the protocol for the 37th America’s Cup may contain a provision that all teams must use hydrogen powered support boats.

B&G announced a partnership with environmental group Sail Britain. The group’s expedition yacht, Merlin, a Sigma 41, underwent a complete refit to include the latest B&G electronics, including two Zeus3S displays.

Merlin’s 2021 season will see Sail Britain undertake work in Falmouth and Cornwall, looking at the effects of climate change and plastic pollution (below). worldoceanday.org

Last chance for Paralympic sailing Paralympian Hannah Stodel has warned that sailing stands only one chance more of being accepted back into the Paralympic fold, after it was dropped from the slate of events for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

Sailing was a successful part of the Paralympics between Sydney 2000 and Rio 2016 and there was widespread dismay when in 2015 it was dropped as a sport for the Tokyo Games. Subseqently it has failed to be accepted for the Olympics due in Paris in 2024.

Stodel, who raced at three Paralympics and over her career has won multiple medals including two world golds, has recently been voted onto the Para World Sailing Committee and warns it is time for change: “It’s about getting rid of the rid of the old ideas and the old way of doing things. We’ve tried, as a sport, to be reinstated twice now. We’re on our third and final shot for the Games.

“If that doesn’t prompt the committee into doing things differently, I don’t know what will.

“This is do or die now. There is nothing written down, but we’ve basically been told that is the case. It is incredibly frustrating that we’ve had two bashes at this but not got anywhere.”

Paralympic sailing was dropped largely for ‘failing to meet worldwide reach criteria’, in other words not enough countries were taking part.

However, the sport had experienced rapid growth and sailors from almost 40 nations competed regularly at the major events.

The cost of a Paralympic campaign was also an issue and Stodel reserves high praise for manufacturers RS and Hanse, for their work in making the Paralympic classes more accessible.

Meanwhile, despite the deselection, numbers have continued to increase. At the 2018 Para World Sailing Championships, a record 101 sailors from 42 nations registered to race across four events – meaning that World Sailing could demonstrate that it exceeded the worldwide reach criteria.

Further development has seen the introduction of a Paralympic representative in the Athletes’ Commission and at the next Sailing World Championships, due to be held in The Hague in 2022, the Para World Sailing

Championships will be integrated for the first time.

Last year, the then-World Sailing president Kim Andersen said the sport was in a strong position to lobby for a return to the Paralympics in time for Los Angeles 2028.

Andersen was not voted back in as president, but his successor, Quanhai Li, has said it is a “critical task of World Sailling to reinstate Parasailing in the Paralympics”. An official bid has yet to be put together.

Meanwhile the sailing world was gripped over the winter of 2020/21 by the performance of former Paralympian Damien Seguin in the Vendée Globe.

Seguin was seventh, the first boat among the new foilers, an impressive result on its own, but one which gained wider significance because Seguin, like Stodel, has only one hand.

Stodel, who knows Seguin from her days on the Paralympic circuit, says: “His strategy and a lot of the decisions he made, I’ve no doubt, came from his ability as an inshore, short-course racer.

Had he had a foiler he would have been in the money.

“Proving that it can be done is a big thing and we see that elsewhere in sailing, especially with the female argument at the moment – we want to see people breaking through and proving it’s possible.”

Stodel is looking to buy a Class 40 this year to do the Transat Jacques Vabre in November, then the Round Britain and Ireland Race and the Route du Rhum next year, before hoping to move into the IMOCA class in time for the 2024 Vendée Globe.

She is currently looking for sponsors.

Stodel was given a solid grounding in the sport during her years at the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk, which she attended on a sailing scholarship.

“It was really game changing, just having the ability to choose sailing as your sport, as opposed to having to pick netball or hockey. We sailed Laser 2000s, 29ers, everything we could get our hands on and we were on the circuit at national and international level.”

IMOCAs sprint round Europe There was fierce racing in the inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe, with the 12 international crews set to complete the last of three tough legs as we went to press. There are two fleets – IMOCA 60s adapted to be sailed by a crew, and fully crewed VO65s. With teams close on points, the atmosphere was tense as they began the final leg to Genoa, having arrived in Alicante after a three-day leg from Cascais and having raced there from Lorient. Simon Fisher, British navigator with the US 11th Hour Racing Team, said: “Do we use the gradient to try and make as much progress as possible, and then see what develops? Or do we commit early on to dealing with sea breezes and land breezes? I think it’s going to be an interesting leg and looking at how the different teams decide to deal with the conditions, that’s going to be fascinating.”

See next month for our full report. theoceanrace.com

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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News

JOG launches youth programme The Junior Offshore Group, better known as JOG, has launched a new youth programme to bridge the gap between youth dinghy sailing and offshore keelboat racing.

It is geared towards those aged 25 years and under.

Generation JOG will feature a number of initiatives including preferential listings on the JOG crewfinder website, a new class for all those boats with program members on board, regular Zoom meetups with guest appearances from a prominent sailor, as well as kit given by sponsors who include Crewsaver. jog.org.uk/generation-jog

Last call for 90th Round the Island entries The 90th anniversary Round the Island Race will still be accepting entries as this August edition of Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting is published.

The race takes place on 3 July and the organiser, the Island Sailing Club, has confirmed that racing is going ahead as planned despite the extension of English Covid restrictions until 19 July.

As well as the traditional massed fleet race around the Isle of Wight, the anniversary event sees the introduction of the Windeler Cup for small keelboats including the Daring, Dragon, Etchells, Flying Fifteen, Mermaid, Redwing, Sunbeam, Swallow, Sonar, Squib, RS Elite, Victory and XOD classes. They will follow a course around the Solent. roundtheisland.org.uk

Position: The Hedge Avoid a rigid commitment to one sail setting

JAMES TOMLINSON

T

he Hedge is adopted by the wisest and wiliest sailors out there, who know from experience that choosing one position in life – and only one – is akin to painting yourself into a corner. The sensible approach is to choose many. Keep all options open. Don’t, for instance, tie yourself down to just sailing upwind, or just sailing downwind. Do both at the same time. Similarly, it would be unwise to sail only on starboard tack. Far safer to sail on both starboard and port at the same time. If things go pear-shaped, you can’t be accused of not having all bases covered. The Hedge is demonstrated expertly by the Quarter-Tonner crew in this shot by James Tomlinson from the RORC Vice-Admiral’s Cup in May. It was an interesting day for all the fleet. Comments on RORC’s Facebook page included: “I got this. Hold my beer…” – “A bit more leech line when you’ve got a moment” – “I mean, look at all those dead halyards in the water” – “You reef the main while I backwind the kite” – and from fellow warrior Louise Morton: “It’s a QuarterTonner. There are those who have and those who will.”

You can’t be accused of not having all bases covered

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

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New boats DESIGNS | LAUNCHES | PROJECTS Y Yachts Y8

Moana Bluewater Yachts may be remembered by some older readers as an Italian company that turned out some excellent old school blue water cruisers before ceasing production some 18 years ago. Now, Lazarus like, the company is back with an all new and confusingly sporty yacht, the M35. There is nothing of the blue water cruiser about this design which is designed for IRC and ORC racing. This is a very extreme yacht with a displacement of 3,000kg, water ballast and a very deep T shaped bulb keel. The aim seems to be to gain an advantage over foilers by featuring a hull well suited to the conditions foiling yachts thrive in and faster in light airs. The company states that It is ideal for a single or double handed crew participating in international or Mediterranean events, or in major ocean races like the OSTAR.

Michael Schmidt is the somewhat idiosyncratic businessman/ svengali who by force of will and impressive business acumen turned Hanse Yachts into one of the biggest yacht manufacturers in the world. Like many mavericks before him, having achieved success he left the company and has now re emerged with a new pet project in the shape of Y Yachts which is a boatbuilder specialising in high end luxury yachts. Schmidt is far from just an ideas man and the yard’s first boat is now on the water and undergoing sea trials. This is a 23m luxury yacht with the hull built entirely in carbon composite.

It’s simple to handle but promises to have an extremely healthy turn of speed.

l moanashipyard.com

l yyachts.de

M35 WRC

Sunbeam 32.1 Austrian based Sunbeam Yachts has produced a range of sober, quality cruisers over the last few years but seems to have gone rather off piste with its new 32.1.

The styling of this new boat smacks of a designer having a mid life crisis and the new yacht boasts a dreadnought bow so extreme it almost looks like a crumple zone that has seen hard use. Nevertheless, this also looks like a boat that promises to be a lot of fun as a sporty daysailer that will turn heads. Displacement is a relatively modest 4150kg. To put this in perspective, a Dehler 30OD has a displacement of 2,800kg so this is no racer. The interior is open plan ‘loft style’.

Ultimately this is a comfortable little weekender with a reasonable turn of speed. l sunbeam-yachts.com

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Jim Taylor 44 Brooklin Boatyard in New England has been turning out a selection of handsome modern classics for many years now and this new 44 footer promises to stick with that tradition. This new epoxy/wood constructed design is slanted towards performance and features a modest 6,100kg displacement coupled with a powerful rig boasting carbon spars. Despite erring on the performance side of the market the interior is just as you’d imagine; beautifully fitted out Herreschoff style and also featuring a surprisingly generous amount of space.

l brooklinboatyard.com

Infiniti 52 Sam Cooke once sang ‘its been a long time comin’’ and while I’m pretty sure he was talking about an improvement in race relations, it’s a line that could certainly be applied to the Infiniti 52.

This is a really exciting yacht built around the DSS foil concept that hit the headlines some time back now on yachts such as Wild Oats. Since then we have been waiting – and waiting – for the boat to hit the water. Well, the good news is that this now seems one step closer with photos of

hull number one under construction. The first boat will be campaigned by Tulikettu Racing from Finland. Arto Linnervuo, who is the Skipper said: “We were all very impressed by the team behind the Infiniti 52. We have an ambitious set of offshore goals, and this is the future proof Grand Prix yacht required to achieve them. We are thrilled to be part of the revolution and look forward to racing this fast, fun rocket that will be easy to sail with a smaller crew.” l Infinityachts.com

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Paul Heiney Paul recalls a sailing trip to Iceland and pays homage to the charms of the puffin, while offering a small taste of what’s to come in his latest book

H

ave you ever launched a brand new boat? We did some years ago, and it is thrilling.

There’s pride in that dazzling showroom finish, anticipation of how she will look when the sea is lapping round that graceful waterline. All the pain that has led up to this moment is forgotten; the frustration of bits that didn’t arrive, the engine that was a fraction too large for the hole it had to fit through.

Then, splash! All niggles forgotten; she’s afloat, looking lovely and ready for the off.

It’s exactly the same with launching a new book, which I am about to do. My office has been a kind of boatyard. Instead of hammer and nails it has been fingers and keyboard. I’m not only the designer but the builder as well, and have to ensure that once she’s launched she’s going to look as trim and tidy on the bookshop shelf as any little boat does when she’s bobbing smartly alongside for the first time.

That’s how an author would like it to go, anyway.

Having written well over a score of books, I can tell you that it’s not unusual for your little creation to sink without trace. I hope that in your sailing career you never experience that sinking feeling, but there’s not an author alive who doesn’t prepare themselves for it.

I hope it doesn’t happen with this book,called ‘Farewell Mister Puffin - A Small Boat Voyage to Iceland’. Not for my sake but for the sake of the puffin, a creature about which people are becoming increasingly concerned.

I first met puffins early in my sailing career, off the west coast of Ireland where back then the flocks were so tightly packed it was like trying to thread your way through a football crowd. I loved them from first sight.

I defy anyone not to be cheered by the glimpse of this cheeky, ridiculously-coloured bird, with a head that swivels like a ventriloquist’s doll. I like their pretence of being brave and immovable, standing their ground defiantly as the sharp edge of your bow heads straight for them, only to dive hastily at the last minute as their nerve fails them. Then up they’ll bob on the other side of the boat, flashing that multicoloured beak at you, as if that’s

what they meant to do all along.

It may be their lifestyle that impresses me most; they spend entire winters amongst the grey rollers of the freezing north Atlantic, never setting those broad feet on land for months on end, then returning to the same nesting site and the same mate to breed in the spring. They like isolated islands with cliffs and burrows, places close by the sea, a bit like me, really.

My voyage northwards to Iceland took me up the east coast of England and Scotland to Orkney followed by a 200 mile hop to the the Faroe Islands, then another 250 miles to Iceland. Each of those places in famous for its puffin colonies. I am not going to offer you any spoilers, but you may be surprised what those rich puffin breeding grounds had to offer me.

As for the sailing bit, heading for Iceland is as close as you can get to a high latitude adventure by starting from anywhere in the British Isles and getting back home in one season. The longest open water passage can usually done within three days, which is well within reliable weather forecasting, so one of the major uncertainties of ocean sailing needn’t bother you. However, Iceland can offer harsh conditions. Just south of the Arctic Circle, on the north east coast, in a barren, tundra-like landscape and not at all the volcanic image of the country, a 50 knot blast straight from the frozen north combined with rain of waterfall intensity, found us cowering in a tiny harbour, warps stretched to near breaking, watching the road to village being washed away by the downpours. And cold too, and, naturally, the diesel heater not working.

The puffins have to face all this every day of their lives, at sea with no shelter. They are so much more durable than we are, always finding food, and getting back to the precise nesting place atop the cliffs without so much as the help of a GPS. Compared to them we are useless.

It’s a wonder humans haven’t been banned from going to sea on grounds of unsuitability.I salute the puffin, I love the puffin, and that’s why I sailed north to see them. And what did I find? The clue might be the title.

Farewell Mister Puffin by Paul Heiney (Adlard Coles) paperback and Kindle

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

HAVE YOUR SAY

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ILLUSTRATION: CLAIRE WOOD

‘I defy anyone not to be cheered by the glimpse of this cheeky, ridiculouslycoloured bird’

*Offer valid on Click&Boat’s fee until 30/08/21.

Andy Rice The delights of rigging up and down at the start and the endof the day are generally to be endured rather than enjoyed

W

hich do you prefer? The unpacking and rigging up part of sailing, or the going-on-the-water bit of sailing? Oh really? Yes, me too!

One of the challenges of taking the Musto Skiff around the events on Selden Sailjuice Winter Series is how long it can take to rig and derig on a chilly day when your fingers are barely functioning and daylight adds up to not much than eight hours, from around 8am sunrise to 4pm sunset. The time when I was loaned an RS Aero, already waiting for me at Farmoor Sailing Club so as all I had to do was step the mast, hoist the sail and go racing in the Oxford Blue, that really was a pleasure of low-hassle mid-winter sailing.

Of course, one could take the Pete Greenhalgh approach to easy-rig and easy-derig. Our reigning Musto Skiff National Champion is known sometimes to unplug the forestay, lower the mast with all the other rigging still attached in bundle of loose wires, leave the wings plugged in, not bother with the undercover and clatter out of the boat park barely having exited his wetsuit. Although I do believe even Pete throws a ratchet strap over the boat and a lighting board on the back.

I was reminded of the hassles of rigging and launching when shooting the breeze with my former International 14 helmsman Mike Lennon on a sunny, windless day at Stokes Bay recently. Mike has been racing International Moths for almost 15 years now, as well as making some very fast sails for the class. One of the beauties of the Moth class rule is its simplicity. It is one of the most open rules in the sport, which is why the Moth has produced some of the greatest innovations in sailing, not least pioneering the use of hydrofoils which have since swept through the top end of the sport such as the Vendée Globe and the America’s Cup. Recent developments in the Moth include a more acute angle to the hiking wings and the introduction of a decksweeper base to the mainsail for a better ‘end plate’ effect. Both the steeper angle of the wings and the cockpit-hugging nature of the decksweeper give you faster straight-line speed. Both make tacks and gybes harder.

But for Mike, the biggest regret about these developments is how much less pleasant the Moth has become to launch and recover. He hankers after the Moths of about five or six years ago, with more horizontally mounted hiking wings and a nice high boom to pass under through manoeuvres. In this configuration, Mike tells me the Moth was easy to tip on its side and carry the 30kg of carbon fibre to the water, one hand gripping the hiking wing and one hand holding the boom. Now,

the decksweeper means there is no firm boom to grip, and the latest generation Moth is so unbalanced in this capsized configuration that getting the boat in out of the water becomes one of the hardest and most unpleasant parts of the day.

So I suggested to Mike that the Moth should go to Le Mans starts! Where the race begins from a line 25 metres back from the shoreline and it’s a race to get launched and then get up and racing. Maybe the decksweeper would be discarded in favour of something more ergonomically friendly. Of course, I was joking. But actually only half joking. For most of us, the rigging and derigging palava is one of the least enjoyable aspects of sailing. So... what if we were to make the rigging process a competition? What kind of innovations would we see coming in? Carbon fibre, quick release lighting boards perhaps? Rather than those horrible ‘designed obsolescence’ bits of sub-standard self-destructing cheapo plastic that we have to buy from Halfords every other year.

Of course, in the Musto Skiff, Mr EZ-Rig, Pete Greenhalgh would still win the Le Mans start as well as show us a clean pair of heels around the race track. But it might be fun to try the rigging race some time, maybe the next time you’re at an open meeting and the wind has failed to materialise!

Will we see Le Mans starts for the kitefoilers who have just secured an extra event for the 2024 Olympic Regatta in Marseille? That would be fun to watch. The kitefoiling gain comes at the expense of the Mixed Doublehanded Offshore Keelboat event which I think is a terrible wasted opportunity.

It’s extraordinary that the International Olympic Committee chose to intervene in World Sailing’s decision making and tell the sport what it should be including in the Games.

The kitefoiling will be spectacular in its own way but we’ve got so many ‘up down’ short-course events in Olympic sailing already. Sailing nerds like you and me can tell the difference between a 470 and a 49er, or a Finn from a Laser, but most non-sailors really wouldn’t know or couldn’t care.

The offshore keelboat was a chance to present a completely different side to our diverse sport, where there would be potential for round-the-clock drama and engagement.

I believe the 26-mile marathon, at just over two hours, is the longest event in all the Olympic sports. A multi-day offshore marathon would be expensive, there’s no getting away from that. But it would have been the longest endurance race of any Olympic sport by far. Long-distance offshore really would have showed a more engaging side of our sport than the bog-standard short-course windward-leeward, so I’m hoping we haven’t seen the last of the idea quite yet.

PHOTO RYA TEAMGB

‘WHAT IF WE WERE TO MAKE THE RIGGING PROCESS A COMPETITION?

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

ANDY RICE As a sailing journalist and TV commentator Andy has unparalleled knowledge of the dinghy sailing scene, from grassroots to Olympic level

RHS MADE ME

HANNAH STODEL 4 TIME PARALYMPIAN TRIPLE WORLD CHAMPION

N V A IG TI A N G SU C C ES S

RHS SAILING ACADEMY 1998-2003 Boarding and Day School, Suffolk 11-18yrs WWW.ROYALHOSPITALSCHOOL.ORG

BUILDING RESILIENCE EVERY DAY

Andi Robertson The return of racing in earnest on the Solent reminds me of just how thoroughly enjoyable being a reporter can be in this sailors heaven

J

ust as we all missed going racing it was also great to be back on the water watching boats racing. That is, after all, the essence of this job. Times have changed immeasurably since I used to phone newspaper reports to copy takers, or listened with a mix of relief and amazement as the trusty, screeching Tandy shook hands with the paper’s Procomm and the digital beeps signalled the copy was flowing.

Now more often than not we cover events by observing trackers minute by minute, interpreting what we think the weather is doing, and then a call or two to the relevant sailors post racing and the job is more often than not a good ‘un. We have learned that our interpretation is one thing but it is what the sailors say that counts.

My return to watching yachts racing on the Solent comprised three wonderful days at the Quarter Ton Cup. Sunshine, breeze, tide, smart sailors, 17 good crews and 12 races over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday racing treasured, lovely proper yachts…. which dare I say were amongthe pocket sized dream boats I slavered over, voraciously consuming the fortnightly Y&Y. Who else spent their teenage years reading every single classified advertisement or writing to Rondar as a seven year old looking for their latest 505 brochures?

They are real enthusiasts boats and now, 16 or so years after the class was reborn on the Solent, the really competitive quarter tonners are still a tinkerer’s dream, finicky, fiddly and costing you a disproportionate amount of money for any real, but tiny speed gains. But I dare say you can still be mid fleet for not too much money.

What I loved was the juxtaposition of watching the Quarter Tonners on one race course off Hillhead, 0.7 mile beat and run times two, 50 minutes a race, and then watching the Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championship and the British Keelboat League women doing endless short, sharp circuits on the wonderful punchy RS21s, beat and run less than half a mile, two laps, race, rest, race, rest. Over an hour you could

visibly see improvements being made and in the day they would have done more hoists and drops, tacks and gybes than some would in a whole season on longer courses.

And the RS21s are in many respects the RS21 is the polar opposite to the Quarter Tonner, modern, identical, utilitarian, A-sail, relatively easy to set up and sail, and very quick.

On the adjacent course 21 Etchells racing the Southern Areas. Personally, after too long spent watching racing in France and Spain, here was a beautiful reminder what a prolific, unique stretch of water the Solent is.

I can’t think of another piece of water in the world where this variety of racing would be taking place cheek by jowl, side by side. Sydney Harbour?

Newport? Perhaps but I don’t remember the same snapshot of different classes and relevant sailors.

There are all kinds of rumours of the America’s Cup coming to England floating around, but that notwithstanding I think it is time the Solent had a more cohesive approach to the whole race boat industry and correspondingly attracting and running events. There are substantial differences in terms of the financial turnover of the relevant markets, Solent v NW France but Brittany itself has a well developed marine innovation and development organisation that all the key businesses subscribe to and get involved with. And correspondingly they have regional and local event organisations which are constantly evaluating the value of and bidding for relevant events. All I am thinking is that this sailing Mecca really needs to come out of this lockdown, non travelling period and start punching hard to attract global and international championship events. In terms of health we should, I hope, be proven to be one of the countries which is safe to travel to. We have lost the Admiral’s Cup, The Commodore’s Cup and some would say an opportunity was missed with the Fastnet, isn’t it time we had major, pinnacle international regattas back on the Solent, the kind we could all strive to compete in? Double handed IRC/ORC world championship? Ideas on a postcard please….

PHOTO: ISTOCK

‘SUNSHINE, BREEZE, TIDE, SMART SAILORS, 17 GOOD CREWS AND 12 RACES’

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

ANDI ROBERTSON An offshore sailing expert, few people can match Andi’s insight into the big boat world, both in the UK and globally

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Cruising - Cornwall

Cornish delight Nigel Sharp sought escape from the worries of Covid last summer and found it on a west country cruise

Photo credits: Nigel Sharp, Chris Turner, Roger Teague, istock

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uesday 24 March 2020: a date that had been in my diary for some time.

Following a half winter extension to my 2019 sailing season – which had included sails on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day – my Contessa 32 Songbird had been laid up at Freshwater Boatyard, St Mawes since early January. Pretty much all of the jobs - the planned ones and the unexpected – were done, and the predicted 4.9 metre high tide was all

that we needed to start another season. But it was perhaps naive of me to allow myself to get excited about it as, in doing so, I was ignoring the growing threat of Covid-19 and how much it would affect our lives.

Sure enough, the day before the scheduled launch, the Prime Minister announced the first lockdown and Songbird remained ashore.

I realise that this might sound somewhat melodramatic now but over the following couple of months I sometimes wondered if I would ever

ABOVE St Mawes - Songbird’s home port

go sailing again. So perhaps that was the reason why, after the lockdown was eased, I was particularly keen to get afloat as often as I could. I had to wait a bit longer, however, as Mr Johnson clearly hadn’t consulted the tide tables and it was another ten days before Songbird could be launched. But from then on, I like to think, I made the best of the situation. Let’s start with the stats from then until the end of the year: seventy-two days’ sailing; twentyfour nights on board in fourteen

FR

EE

AP

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST JUNE 20212021

different places; seventeen different daytime anchorages; and half a dozen club races (albeit not taken very seriously as I generally regard a race as just a reason to go for a sail). All of it from my mooring on the Percuil River, east as far as the Yealm, west as far as the Scillies; mostly singlehanded but occasionally with crew when, from a Covid point of view, it fitted in with RYA guidance and common sense.

The joy of anchoring

Compared to a normal season, wherever I went I found an abundance of vacant visitors’ moorings, pontoon space or anchoring room; but the flip side of that was that finding somewhere to eat ashore could be challenging. That was only really a problem when I had a crew, however, because when I was singlehanded I invariably ate on Songbird. I came to really enjoy

those evenings on board when I would entertain myself with films and TV programmes downloaded onto my iPad, while very much appreciating that Songbird was luxuriously appointed for such a task (or at least relative to my previous boat, my Folkboat Orzel); and whereas I had previously preferred the relative security of a mooring or pontoon, I now came to enjoy the sense of independence which comes from being at anchor (although I really should get an electric windlass).

Later in the summer my friend Ian joined me for a four-day cruise to the east. A fair wind took us up to Plymouth Sound and on to Plymouth Yacht Haven for the night.

Our plan the next day was to go to the Yealm but not straight away as it is no great distance. First we went exploring up the Tamar and into the Lynher River (also known as the St Germans River: so good they named

ABOVE RIGHT With great nephew Laurie and nephew Joe ABOVE LEFT AND BELOW Songbird off St Mawes

it twice!). Motor-sailing in a gentle breeze, we passed the HMS Raleigh naval training centre at Jupiter Point and when we got about as far as Ince Point we turned round. And then it rained. It had been forecast to do so, but nothing like as much as it did. It was at this point that Ian revealed that he hadn’t brought any proper oilskins with him but his solution was perfectly simple: he just sheltered in my nice, dry cabin while I discovered - increasingly as the rain intensified as we made our way back down the Tamar – that my own oilskins were not what they used to be. The idea of continuing all the way to the Yealm (it seemed a long way away now) was tortuous so Ian called Queen Anne’s Battery marina to see if they had a berth for the night. They did and it wasn’t long before we were moored up there having lunch down below. Part of the idea of coming to this marina was, we hoped, to give us a good choice finding somewhere to eat in the Barbican area that evening but first we had to cancel the table we had already booked at the Swan Inn at Noss Mayo. Soon after we did so we began to notice the rain ease, and then stop, and before long there were increasing amounts of blue sky. This wasn’t forecast at all but we decided that, if we were able to reinstate our table at the Swan Inn, we would revert to our original plan. We could and so we did. We then had a surprisingly enjoyable sail out of Plymouth Sound, round the Great Mewstone and into the Yealm.

Ian and I then had a disagreement.

I had recently purchased a new E-Propulsion electric outboard for my rubber dinghy. I had yet to use it in anger and so was excited about the prospect of doing so to get from the visitors’ pontoon, where we were Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Cruising - Cornwall

moored, up Newton Creek to the pub. But for some reason Ian thought that going ashore at the nearby steps and walking along the coastal path was a better idea. I got my own way, or at least I did initially, but I stupidly hadn’t thought about the tide and when we were about two thirds of the way to the pub, the outboard went aground, thankfully into soft mud so no damage done. So back we went to the steps and Ian got his way.

The next day we had a long but enjoyable one-sided beat to Fowey where we had a good meal in the Royal Fowey YC; and the day after that we had a cracking sail in a building northerly back to St Mawes.

On a handful of occasions I used Songbird as a photography platform, taking pictures of other boats about which I was writing articles for various magazines. After one such occurrence in Falmouth Bay, I made my way south of the Manacles and anchored off Coverack – a lovely village where, as a young teenager, I

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

spent several summer holidays with a school friend and his family – with a view to staying the night there. I hadn’t been there long, however, when I realised that, although I was sheltered from the south-west wind, there was an uncomfortable swell which was sure to keep me awake. So up came the anchor and I headed back around the Manacles and anchored in the mouth of the Helford River, getting there just in time to join the end of a family Zoom call.

Scilly soujourn

In early September I went to the Scillies. After a lunchtime start, I reached the other side of Mount’s Bay just as it was getting dark and anchored off Penzance for the night.

Close by was my friend Roger who, also singlehanded, was in his Heard 28 Lizzie Dripping. He came across for a quick drink and we decided that we would make an early start the next day, in spite of the forecast for head winds until early afternoon. We

ABOVE Tresco, Scilly Isles BELOW LEFT Songbird motoring out of the Helford River BELOW Sunrise on the Helford River

would have been far better off exercising some patience and leaving several hours later as progress was initially tediously slow. Soon after I passed the Runnel Stone I noticed that Lizzie Dripping, a little way behind me, was turning back. At the time I though it might be because Roger was disappointed with Lizzie’s progress but he later told me that he was concerned about the poor visibility and crossing the Traffic Separation Scheme lanes without AIS. I could understand that completely as I found my own AIS invaluable as I monitored a handful of ships transit the lanes as I crossed them. I motor-sailed most of the way but about five miles from the Scillies the wind began to veer, as forecast, and for the last hour or so I had a nice reach. I anchored in Porth Cressa and went ashore to explore for a bit – astonishingly, this was only my second proper visit to the Scillies. I fancied a pint or two ashore but, with Covid restrictions, I found that my only option was to sit outside the Atlantic Inn in a very cool northerly breeze, so I settled for a quick half.

The next morning I motored round to St Mary’s Harbour to top up with diesel, and then had a delightful sail in sunshine and a gentle breeze to the north between Tresco and St Martin’s. I anchored just to the south of St Helen’s where I briefly went ashore, and then made my way over to Old Grimsby Harbour where I anchored again and went ashore for a walk and a glorious swim. Then up came the anchor again and I motored around the top of Tresco and down into New Grimsby Sound where I

picked up a mooring. After going ashore to Tresco again and to Bryher it was time for supper on board and to contemplate what to do the next day. At the time it seemed that the obvious option was to hire a bike for a couple of hours on Tresco, spend most of the rest of the day doing some more waterborne exploring and then moor up at St Mary’s and try to book an evening meal in one of the pubs. But the next morning I had a complete change of heart. While I was tremendously grateful for the opportunities for so much sailing amidst the restrictions, on one level I found the singlehanded trips a touch boring and lonely. So I decided to set off back to the mainland. First, however, I would quickly visit one more island and so, having carefully negotiated the Mackerel Rocks and the adjacent ledges, I anchored in St Martin’s Bay. After a brief trip ashore – it was almost deserted, with just one dog walker in the distance – I stowed the dinghy and outboard on board Songbird. Although I had a fair wind all day, there was not enough of it to make decent progress in the lollopy sea so I motor-sailed most of the way back to Mount’s Bay. I liked the idea of anchoring for the night off Mousehole, hoping that St Clement’s Isle would give me some shelter from the swell but I realised it would have been too uncomfortable, so I went into Newlyn harbour. The next day brought sunshine and light winds and so I motored most of the way around the Lizard to the Manacles buoy. From there I had a glorious close reach in flat water and a building breeze into the Helford River where I met up with Roger and

Lizzie Dripping, his partner Rosemary now on board with him, and the three of us had a good meal at Helford River SC. Looking back it has to be said that much the best bits of sailing on the whole trip were St Mawes to the Manacles at the beginning, and the Manacles to the Helford near the end.

During the course of the season, I had other nights at anchor in the Truro and Helford Rivers (several in each), and off Cawsand, Charlestown and Coverack (when I went back a second time it was much calmer). My last overnight stay was in Fowey in the middle of October. I was partly going there to photograph (precariously from my small rubber dinghy) the Fowey River class while they were out racing, for another article. The evening on board was not as pleasant as it might have been as I couldn’t get the diesel heater to work but I very much enjoyed the sails there and back, reaching in a

ABOVE The Lizard peninsula BELOW LEFT Coverack - I anchored off here twice BELOW RIGHT With niece Harriet, great nephew Laurie and great niece Olive on Christmas Day 2020

cracking north-westerly.

But I did continue sailing until the end of the year. I have been lucky enough to have half a dozen Christmas Day sails in the last ten years but they are usually extremely short as they have to be fitted in between other more-established traditions. There was no such problem this time, however, and – along with three family members with whom I was unable to mix indoors – we had a glorious sail up the Carrick Roads to St Just and back.

At some point during the spring lockdown someone suggested to me that “now we know what our parents went through during the war”. I replied that I didn’t think our situation was anything like as bad as that. One specific fact supporting that view is this: between September 1939 and April 1946 my father was unable to go sailing for 2,411 days; for Songbird and me it was just 138.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Olympic Preview

Olympic countdown Mark Robinson leads the GB Olympic sailing team out to Japan in July. What can the sailors expect and what’s in store for us spectators?

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ack in 2017, when Mark Robinson took over as the RYA’s Olympic Performance Manager, he said the target for Tokyo 2020 was “four to seven medals”.

Given the postponement of the Games and the subsequent pandemic, what would a successful Olympics look like for the British team now?

“First and foremost, the aim is for no one to catch Covid – that would

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

really ruin their day,” the 46-yearold straight-talking Aussie replies.

“Apart from the health side of it, if one of the sailors does test positive, they’re probably out of their event for at least two days, maybe 10, so that’s game over.

“Our UK Government target is just ‘medals’ – it doesn’t matter about the colour. For us as the British Sailing Team, it’s important to still be the top nation, which generally speaking means winning two golds. Going back to the

ABOVE Robinson has run performance programmes for Singapore, Thailand and Australia, where his Paralympic team topped the medal table at Rio 2016 with two golds and one silver from three events

Olympic Test Event in 2019, we won the most amount of medals, but we didn’t have any golds. So there’s a bit of a push for that.”

The British sailors and shore team will fly out to Japan over the first fortnight of July and will be allowed on the water from 14 July. The regatta runs from 25 July to 4 August, comprising race days and rest days for each class, at Enoshima Yacht Harbour in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, around 40 miles south-east of Tokyo.

The British sailing team hopefuls first flew out there just after the Rio Games five years ago, to recce the venue, and they have trained and raced there many times since. One thing they’ve all been preparing for is big ocean swells.

“Next stop is the US,” says Robinson. “It is a big horseshoe bay, open to the ocean. It’s generally onshore in the Games period, mid-range, about 9-15 knots. You can occasionally get a northerly and if a typhoon goes past 200 miles away, it can get fluky.

“But yes we’ll get some big ocean swells and that’s why a lot of the countries have been training in places like the Canary Islands and Vilamoura in Portugal.”

When the postponement was announced in March 2020, the goal had to be simply to make the most of the extra year. How have the British sailors fared?

Robinson says: “Obviously travel restrictions due to Covid and Brexit haven’t helped, but the fact that in most classes we’ve got deep squads has allowed us to push forward. Like the America’s Cup, the one thing you can’t buy is time, so [the postponement] at least allowed some of the sailors to pursue things that they had put aside, be that equipment or technique.

“In general we only lost the five or six weeks of lockdown one, in terms of not being on the water. The rest of the time we’ve been on the water, whether in the UK or abroad. The Antipodeans, for example, haven’t left their country until two months ago, so they’re stuck training with whoever they’ve got there.”

As international regattas have started up again, the British sailors have been out racing where they can.

Robinson says: “Typically going into a Games you have so much competition leading up to it and instead now we have a bit of uncertainty as to where everyone stands in the pecking order, because we’ve had so little racing.”

He acknowledges some of the less-than-stellar results might have surprised the public, but he himself sounds far from concerned: “It depends what you’re doing. In some cases, those results were at the tail

“The aim first and foremost is for nobody to catch Covid – that would really ruin their day” end of long trips overseas when the sailors were trying to test stuff, either equipment or technique, in the heat of battle.

“Giles, for example, has just come back from the America’s Cup, so he’s still got plenty of headroom [Rio gold medallist Scott was ninth in the recent Finn Gold Cup].”

Tokyo was still in a State of Emergency in early June and British Olympic Association chair Hugh Robertson has said TeamGB is “doing everything possible to minimise any risk to the people of Japan”.

The British Sailing Team sent out nine 40ft containers, containing boats and kit, to Enoshima several months ago and Robinson has little doubt that the Games will go ahead.

“The Japanese government will protect the Games period at all costs,” he says. “It’s up to the Japanese cabinet to decide when people enter the country and how, but sailing is very much an outlier.

“We’ve all been pushing the message that sailing is probably the

ABOVE On the day of team selection back in October 2019

least risky sport. We’re outdoors and we’re a small group, with about 1,000 people on site in any given day, compared to 11,500 people in the main athletes’ village.”

TeamGB sailors will stay in the same venue they’ve used over the last four years, with their own kitchen and as ‘normal’ living conditions inside as can be.

Shoreside there will be less spectators, if any, but Robinson says that will only affect the medal races, which is the only course close to land. The other courses are out in the bay. He says: “The biggest thing for the sailors is that quite a lot of their families wanted to go out. We were going to have around 50 family and friends [for the 14 sailors].”

Coverage of the sailing regatta, live on Eurosport and with highlights on the BBC, starts on 25 July with the RS:X, Laser and Laser Radial. Tokyo is eight hours ahead, so their afternoon racing will be around 4am to 10am in the UK. Next month: we meet each of the sailors and gauge their form.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

27

Tom Cunliffe

Tom Cunliffe

A

boat name can be anything the first owner wants it to be.

It might be a made-up word, perhaps from family members; it could be a person’s name, an emotion, a place, a headland, a piece of pure romance or somebody’s idea of a joke. The possibilities are literally endless and offer creative opportunities in abundance, but one or two pitfalls exist which the

28

AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

inexperienced would be well advised to avoid.

I remember two big Yankee schooners coming out around the same time. They sailed into my life back in the early 1980s when they were ten years old. One was the Bill of Rights. The other, named traditionally for her builder, was the Harvey Gamage. Both were, and for all I know still are, thrilling vessels, but my feelings for them were always at variance. The

PODCAST Catch up with Tom’s columns now and in the future at sailingtoday.co.uk

Bill of Rights was magnificently named because nothing, absolutely nothing, encapsulates the true nature of American seafaring than a gaff schooner, while the Bill itself, approved by Congress in 1789, spells out the essence of the young nation’s freedom. In my time, the Bill sailed with no engine and flew a mighty ‘Old Glory’ from her main peak. Her name was perfectly appropriate. I was once on deck when a US Marshall came over the

ILLUSTRATION: CLAIRE WOOD, PHOTOS TOM CUNLIFFE

Inheriting a boat with a name that you don’t like can present a real dilemma for the superstitious sailor, as Tom explains

“Bill of Rights was magnificently named because nothing, absolutely nothing, encapsulates the true nature of American seafaring than a gaff schooner” rail at the dock to arrest her for some misunderstanding about an invoice.

The boat had a charter party on board whose fees would more than take up any slack in the funding department, but the Marshall was fixated on stopping her leaving, and to the Devil with the charter money. In the end, this would have helped nobody, so he was ushered below to confer with the skipper who surreptitiously slipped his mate a wink. When the enforcer of the law stepped out of the hatch half an hour later, the schooner had silently slipped her lines, hoisted her working sails and was already two miles out to sea. The Marshall accepted what he couldn’t change and had a grand day on the water. The fees were duly collected and the outstanding amount settled. All in all, a result that the founding fathers of the Republic would have applauded.

I have no swashbuckling tales about the Harvey Gamage, but I do recall a good-natured chuckle in a bar in Mystic Seaport when the mate of the Bill referred to his sister ship as the Heavy Damage.

Therein, of course, lies the lesson. It’s always worth thinking hard about a name you are about to bestow on some innocent new yacht, to make sure that nobody can juggle with it to extract a giggle. The gag, if it sticks, might well become tiresome with time, because all jokes share a common shortfall. ‘Stop me if you’ve heard this one!’ is universal currency, no matter what the language. Everyone understands, because however hilarious the yarn of the sailor with a duck down his trousers may be on first hearing,

once you know the punch-line it becomes downgraded to no more than a tedious shaggy dog story. The guy who calls his boat Knot Likely may find he regrets it when reporting to HM Coastguard on VHF. If he doesn’t, you can be sure that the next owner will wish his predecessor had either never been born, or at least had thought twice before leaping.

Any prospective buyer about to inherit a name that fails to please is therefore left with three options.

The first is to buy the boat, bite the bullet and stick with the awful name. Maybe it will turn out to be a blessing in disguise, like ‘Sue’ in Johnny Cash’s song, the name foisted onto a baby boy by his dad as he went permanently AWOL. The lad took so much flack that, even without a father to encourage him, he grew up tough just to survive. The second is simply to walk away and leave the embarrassment to someone else.

Number three is to change the name, but this will mean outfacing tradition and superstition, both of which state clearly that you do so at your peril.

Sailors have been leery about this question since the time of Odysseus. It gets a clear mention in RL Stevenson’s Treasure Island, when Long John Silver himself spells out the view that, ‘What a ship

ABOVE The magnificent schooner Bill of Rights

was christened, so let her stay.’

Yarns of owners renaming ships which go on to meet a sorry end are numerous. One myth has it that when a ship is launched, the name is entered into a Ledger of the Deep kept up to date by Neptune, very likely with the connivance of Davy Jones down there in his locker. Renaming a yacht suggests that you’re trying to run a fast one past the gods and that when they catch up with you the encounter will not end well.

A more pragmatic explanation is that any vessel develops her own reputation, good or bad, in well-frequented ports of call.

Whether she’s a fishing trawler, a container ship or a yacht, it’s all the same. There’s the danger that if her name is held in high esteem, a sudden change can render her unrecognisable so that her new captain and crew no longer reap the benefits. I’m not sure that I subscribe to this, because most coins have two sides. After all, there’s always the possibility that, under her previous name, a yacht was ‘wanted’ throughout the seven seas by harbourmasters for consistently doing a runner rather than paying her dues. Change her name and you might get a Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

29

Tom Cunliffe

better welcome, which leaves only superstition as a viable objection.

Living as we do in an age when we’re encouraged to believe that science has all the answers, it’s easy to scoff at anything that can’t be proved. I don’t know about you, but I’m troubled by this. Despite having suffered brain-ache achieving a decent pass in ‘A’-level Physics many decades ago, life’s experience has resulted in a shifty feeling if I set out on a major voyage on a Friday or whistle on deck. I was happy to add changing a name to this list until I found myself pushed into a corner by an unacceptable moniker on a yacht I was determined to buy. ‘Put up or shut up,’ I thought.

I shut up and compromised.

I can’t believe that Father Neptune or even his rascally shipmate Davy Jones could fail to be offended by some of the names one sees floating about. Surely the guys must have some sympathy. When I brought my current yacht home to England she had suffered a series of five names, none of which suited her at all. Some of them were dire, one was OK but was irrelevant to me and was a long time back, so what was I to do? I re-named her again, knowing that if my plans for her came good, she would carry this one for many years to come. If I got it right, maybe it would stick for the rest of her days. I didn’t have to look far for a new one. I christened her for my mother. Constance is more than an Edwardian girl’s name, the character it represents sums up much of what one wants

30

AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

ABOVE Constance in the Beaulieu River BELOW RIGHT Constance’s naming ceremony

in a yacht, so I was content.

The family gathered solemnly for a renaming ceremony which we addressed very seriously to appease any mysterious powers that might be taking an interest.

I wrote a prayer for her which we shared. Then we made our peace with tradition by breaking a bottle of the right stuff on the stem head before setting her free to sail the seas with a clear conscience.

Oh Lord, who stretches forth the heavens and pushes in the blade of grass, we have no knowledge of what

TOM CUNLIFFE Tom has been mate on a merchant ship, run yachts for gentlemen, operated charter boats, delivered, raced and taught. He writes the pilot for the English Channel, a complete set of cruising text books and runs his own internet club for sailors worldwide at tomcunliffe.com

traverses this boat has made, but we ask that, as she takes this fresh departure, thou wilt look kindly on her and grant her safe passage.

She has had many names, but now, as she comes home to us, we ask in all humility that she may warm to her new name, Constance.

And for those who go to sea within her protection, we ask that they may find peace on their life’s voyage and come at last to that haven where thou dost await them, together with all those who have sought to steer a true course in this world.

Amen

ALL PHOTOS TOM CUNLIFFE

“ Constance is more than an Edwardian girl’s name, the character it represents sums up much of what one wants in a yacht.’’

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SailGP

SailGP comes to Plymouth We look at the runners and riders as the global SailGP championship touches down in the UK over 17 and 18 July

P

lymouth in Devon hosts the third round of SailGP’s second season on 17 and 18 July, with eight teams and some of the sport’s most famous names competing on a course in the Sound.

Tickets are on sale and a variety of free and paid options are available, including on-water zones where you can watch from your own boat or from an official spectator boat.

Plymouth Hoe will host the land-based spectator areas and will feature a stage where the athletes will be interviewed, as well as the podium and various stalls and other attractions.

The Great Britain SailGP team won the first event of the season, in Bermuda, in April, and was sixth in the second, in Taranto, Italy, in July.

Skipper Sir Ben Ainslie has to stand aside, due to family commitments, at Plymouth and

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST JUNE 20212021

America’s Cup and Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison will step in as helm (see overleaf).

The premise behind SailGP is

BELOW The Plymouth course gives plenty of viewing options ashore and afloat

simple: eight teams, eight events, equal boats, the winner takes home $1 million. It was founded by Larry Ellison of Oracle with Russell Coutts,

in the wake of the 2017 America’s Cup, using the same F50 boats, but developed to go faster – the Great Britain team set a new record of 58.9mph at the Bermuda event – and also harmonised into an identical, one-design fleet.

The intention was to create a regular, stadium-racing global series with first-class television coverage that fans could follow over each season, much as they do other more mainstream sports.

Season 1 attracted a worldwide broadcast audience of 257 million across five events, as well as tens of thousands of spectators shoreside.

The roster of sailing talent involved was already high, but it went up a notch over 2019/2020 with the recruitment of Ben Ainslie, Jimmy Spithill, Blair Tuke, Peter Burling, Francesco Bruni and now possibly Hannah Mills, if she wins selection for the Great Britain team.

They are the headline names, but the league has a depth of talent to rival and probably outclass the very cream of sailing regattas including the America’s Cup. Sir Ben Ainslie, of the Great Britain team, says: “This is an exceptional line-up of talent in this one-design format of racing. It’s

ABOVE L-R Fleet racing at 50 knots, not your average sight in sailing; another breath-taking moment as France and Great Britain cross paths

quite possibly the best we’ve seen in sailing, so whoever comes out on top is going to have to sail really incredibly well.

“As competitive sailors and competitive sportsmen that is what you want – to be racing against the best and really testing yourself.

“And we’ve got that now with SailGP. It’s an incredible opportunity for all the athletes in this league to go up against the best in these iconic venues around the world in these F50 boats – it doesn’t get any better than that.”

Australia won season 1, but Ainslie says: “It’s no exaggeration

Female sailors in SailGP SailGP has put in place a programme aiming to “accelerate change in our sport” and ultimately have female athletes competing on each boat. The first season featured no female sailors. Some of the boats have already trialled and selected women to sail as full-time members of the crew. The British team trialled two-time Olympic medalist Hannah Mills at the Bermuda event. Olympic Nacra 17 sailor Anna Burnet was the next to trial, at the Taranto event in Italy in June. At Plymouth Hannah Diamond, Ellie Aldridge, Nikki Boniface and Emily Nagel will trial. The team will make their selection after Plymouth.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

33

SailGP

Great Britain team Paul Goodison, helm, age 43 Paul Goodison will helm the Great Britain team as Sir Ben Ainslie has to step aside for this and the Italian event. Rotherham-man Goodison is a worthy replacement, being a world and Olympic gold medallist in the Laser, a threetime Moth world champion and he was a key part of the American Magic crew at the Auckland America’s Cup. Like Ainslie, Goodison has raced with and against all the other helms at different points of his career. The rivalries and friendships are deep. They all know each other’s games on the water well. The Great Britain team was initially helmed by Dylan Fletcher, in season one.

in both the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, including winning the 2014/15 edition with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing. Parko will control the main system on the F50 which alters the rudders and foils. Parko competed with Iain ‘Goobs’ Jensen for the Japan SailGP Team in Season 1 before joining Ben Ainslie’s British outfit.

Iain Jensen, wing trimmer, age 32 ‘Goobs’ has Olmpic 49er gold and silver to his name (when he sailed with Japan’s helm Nathan Outteridge), as well as three America’s Cup campaigns including as a member of INEOS Team UK in Auckland.

He hails from Newcastle in Australia.

Luke Parkinson, flight controller, age 31 One of the team’s two resident Aussies, Parko has has competed

that this is quite possibly the toughest line-up we’ve ever seen in sailing - there are no weak teams out there.”

SailGP’s CEO is Russell Coutts, one of the most successful sailors of all time with five America’s Cup wins to his name. He says: “There’s rarely been a time in my lifelong sailing career when I’ve been as enthusiastic

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

TOP The GB team wins in Bermuda BELOW L-R The Japanese boat, and GB and Australia fight it out

Matt Gotrel, grinder, age 32 Matt Gotrel is a well-known British sportsman who won Olympic rowing gold at Rio in the Men’s Eight, before returning to his

childhool love of sailing as a grinder for INEOS Team UK and now a key member of Ainslie’s SailGP team.

Neil Hunter, grinder, age 25 The youngest member of the team is already a veteran of two America’s Cups. In Bermuda in 2017 he was part of the British team that won the Youth America’s Cup. He then joined INEOS Team UK for Auckland as grinder. His mother sailed around the world with Tracy Edwards on Maiden.

Richard Mason, grinder, age 33 An experienced catamaran sailor from the M32 series, GC32 Racing Tour and the Extreme Sailing Series. He has also excelled on one hull, in the single-handed Solitaire du Figaro. This will be his second consecutive season with the Great Britain SailGP Team.

as I am about our upcoming season.

We’ll have the world’s best sailors lining up in equally matched boats for what is shaping up to be some of the sport’s most competitive racing yet.

“I can’t think of a better way for SailGP to reemerge, and I believe our fans will be taking notice not

only of our thrilling racing, but of the new standards we’ll be setting in running our events in a sustainable and inclusive way.”

For all the ticket options, including options to view the racing from your own boat or from official spectator boats, as well as on land, visit SailGP. com/GreatBritain

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The other teams AUSTRALIA Helmed by America’s Cup winner Tom Slingsby, renowned as one of the most successful sailors in the world, the defending champions from SailGP season 1 also feature fellow America’s Cup winners in Kyle Langford, Sam Newton and Kinley Fowler, as well as Olympic silver medallist Jason Waterhouse (Nacra 17 class).

Olympic silver medallist and Ocean Race veteran Nina Curtis joins the team this season. Nick Hutton is the only non-Aussie on board, a member of the Royal Dart YC in Devon who is another AC veteran and was grinder in the Great Britain SailGP Team.

DENMARK Led by round the world sailor Nicolai Sehested, the team has appointed two female sailors, Laser sailor Anne-Marie Rindom and 49erFX sailor Katja Salskov-Iversen. They also boast 49er Olympic gold medallist Martin Kirketerp and the two Rosendahl brothers - Lars-Peter and Hans-Christian – who have a wealth of experience in different classes.

Denmark SailGP Team presented by

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

ROCKWOOL made its debut at Sydney SailGP in February 2020.

FRANCE Helmed by Billy Besson, Olympic gold medallist in the Nacra 17 catamaran class, the team features British America’s Cup veteran Leigh McMillan of INEOS Team UK. The French have two female athletes. Hélène Noesmoen is also a windsurfer and won the RS:X worlds, while Amélie Riou has high level experience in the Nacra catamaran, as well as the Laser Radial. It’s the team’s second season in SailGP. JAPAN Olympic champion and well-known Australian sailor Nathan Outteridge helms. The team also boasts Francesco Bruni, who was co-helm of the Italian boat at the recent America’s Cup. English sailor and former Great Britain team member Chris Draper has also joined, alongside Japanese crew including female athletes Sena Takano and Wakako Kajimoto.

NEW ZEALAND Bursting at the seams with Olympic, AC and offshore talent. Peter Burling, Blair Tuke, Andy

Maloney, Josh Junior and Louis Sinclair have all won the America’s Cup twice, while Maloney and Junior recently were first and second in the Finn Gold Cup. Top Nacra sailors Liv Mackay and Erica Dawson join the team too.

Burling and Tuke will not sail at Plymouth due to Olympic commitments in the 49er.

ABOVE SPAIN xxx

New Zealander and experienced catamaran

racer Phil Robertson is helm. The others are all BELOW xxxxSpanish, including Olympic 49er sailor Diego Botin, Sydney-Hobart winner (on Comanche) Antonio Cuervas-Mons, TP52 champion Andrea Emone and Nacra world champion Tara Pacheco.

UNITED STATES America’s Cup legend Jimmy Spithill comes in as helm this season. The Aussie, who lives in California, leads three former Oracle Team USA teammates including Rome Kirby. Alex Sinclair was on board American Magic in Auckland, while Englishman Paul Campbell-James has two Cups to his name. Daniela Moroz is one of the world’s best kiteboarders.

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Cruising - Caernarfon to New Zealand

Most of us have a retirement plan in place but Chris Ayres’ one was slightly wilder than most: A trip from the UK to New Zealand in a 28’ yacht

A Pensioner’s Folly A ge 66, with retirement from work imminent, I needed a plan. It occurred to me that my boat Sea Bear, a Vancouver 28, was capable of a big trip. Dreams of big sailing trips had lain long dormant in my mind since as a teenager I had been inspired by books of sailing adventures. I just never thought that things like that were in my reach, but here I was, I had the boat, the question was, was I up to it?

So after some hectic preparation and planning, one August afternoon I slipped the warps and made my

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST JUNE 20212021

way out over Caernarfon bar and out to sea. I was on my way south, nothing was set in stone but I thought to make my leisurely way to New Zealand.

I had not been my intention to go single handed, but my crew dropped out at the last moment. It left me in an awkward spot. I didn’t want to miss the weather window or leave any later, I wanted to be across Biscay before September was out. It didn’t take me long to decide to just go alone. It made me a little nervous as I had never undertaken such a long passage solo before but I wasn’t about to let a little setback get in my way.

ABOVE Sea Bear in Victoria dock, Caernarfon.

Conditions were not ideal, the sea was a bit confused. Bardsey Island was rounded in the dark and a course set for the Smalls. A rough night and the skipper wasn’t feeling at his best. Gradually the next day conditions improved, the winds fell lighter. Our first dolphins of this trip came to play around the boat in the late afternoon. The red lights on the Scillies radio tower were spotted during the second night. Passing the Seven Stones rocks we were close to the Scillies so I picked up a mooring in St Mary’s pool to catch up on much needed sleep.

Leaving the Scillies I had light

winds, progress was slow but the water was really blue and I got to understand the term blue water sailor. Fair conditions did not last and I was faced with SW F7-8 winds, which was unpleasant but I did see a whale which surfaced alongside. I made it to Ribadea and was pleased with my successful Biscay crossing.

Due south

Over the following days I port hopped down the coasts of Spain and Portugal, mostly just day sails with time to enjoy the attractions ashore. In Cadiz I meet up with Merel who accompanied me on the next leg. We called in to Rabat Morocco, escorted in by the pilot

ABOVE Islas de Graciosa as seen from Lanzarote BELOW Moroccan fishing boats, Rabat

sailing up the river between two medieval walled towns, you knew you were arriving somewhere very different, was it even this century?

There was a huge wow factor.

After a few days here, it was on to the Canary Islands. We made landfall on Isla Graciosa The setting and scenery were breathtaking, somehow I hadn’t expected these desert islands, sand and volcanic cones set here in the ocean. It has been said of Isla Graciosa.

“When you land on Graciosa you take off your shoes and forget the world” Next stop was Lanzarote, in the brand new marina in Arricife.

Here Merel left, but my friend Wendy joined me for a while and we spent an enjoyable time, swimming and visiting some tourist sites including the volcano Timanfaya.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

39

Cruising - Caernarfon to New Zealand

In the footsteps of Columbus

Alone again I island hopped, Fuertventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Gomera. This seemed a fitting place to set out across the Atlantic as it was where Columbus set out in September 1492. Here two potential crew approached wanting passage. I got to know them over a couple of days before agreeing to them joining.

The Cape Verde Islands were reached after an eight day passage. We spent Christmas here and then set off across the Atlantic. The weather was not the sort of trade wind weather of fluffy white clouds and nice breezes that I had been led to expect from my reading. We had cloudy skies, did not see the sun for days, rain and squalls, and at times just ran under a storm staysail. Nearing Martinique the weather improved and we finished in fine style with a landfall on a sunny morning with light

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

winds. 21 days for our 2,111 mile crossing. Not too bad for a small boat.

At Le Marin the crew departed and I moved around to the Grand Anse, a beautiful bay with a golden sand beach, some palm trees and beach restaurants all backed by lovely wooded hills.

The water so clear that at anchor in five metres you could see the bottom with starfish, fish and turtles swimming by and such a lovely temperature for swimming. I thought it was as close to paradise as I will get.

Gradually I sailed northwards up the chain; Dominica, Les Saintes, Guadaloupe all with their own attractions and worthy of visit and so to Antigua, anchoring in the historic English harbour. Here Wendy joined me again and we spent a delightful few weeks exploring the island ashore and by sea.

ABOVE LEFT Sundowner Mindelo Cape Verde islands ABOVE RIGHT Atlantic sunrise BELOW English harbour from Shirley Heights, Antigua

Alone again I continued, firstly to Montserrat, then to Nevis where I looked up a fellow member of the Vancouver Org who owned a beach bar on Pinney’s beach.

I continued up the chain; St Kitts, Statia, St Barts and St Martin. Here, with the hurricane season approaching, I headed back south down the leewards and windwards, islands hopping and ending up in Trinidad where I hauled out at Chaguaramas. I took the opportunity to return briefly to the UK to catch up with family and friends.

After the hurricane season had passed it was back up the chain, briefly with my son for the section from Grenada to Martinique.

Revisiting some islands I had been to before and taking in a few more, notably the Tobago keys, Petite Martinique and Marie Galante.

The British Virgin Islands, whilst a lovely cruising area, I found a bit too

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Cruising - Caernarfon to New Zealand

crowded for my liking as well as expensive. I pushed on to the Dominican Republic, very different in character and then on to at Haiti. I visited Ile de Vache, it was like a step back in time.

I made landfall in Cuba at Santiago de Cuba and enjoyed my first experience of Cuba, Santiago is a city of music - think Buena Vista Social club. Then it was westwards along the south coast. I tackled the Gulf of Guacanayabo and Gulf of Anna Maria and the Jardines de la Reina.

This is a labyrinth of hundreds of uninhabited cays, reefs and shoals, a very intense experience. The historic town of Trinidad was worth the visit and Cienfeugos too. But my month visa was up, so time to leave for the sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. There were no other

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

ABOVE LEFT Yoles racing Martinique

cruisers here and the highlight for me was the Iguanas on Little Cayman. Quite amazing beasts.

ABOVE RIGHT Kuanidup Guna Yala islands

Hurricane season

BELOW LEFT Boat building Windward Carriacou BELOW RIGHT Wendy at the helm Antigua

Many other cruisers were surprised at my wanting to visit Jamaica - too dangerous they thought. But I enjoyed my time there, visiting Montego Bay, Ocho Rios and my favourite was Port Antonio. From here I took a bus to Kingston and visited the Bob Marley museum. A bit of a pilgrimage really.

Hurricane season was fast approaching. I decided to head for Curacao in the ABCs. I knew I was faced with a hard passage to windward but thought it doable. I soon ran into some bad weather, 30 knots plus of wind, 12ft swells and torrential rain capped with thunder

and lightning.It was not pleasant.

Although that passed the weather continued unsettled. Eight days out I realised that I was not going to make Curacao, the combination of bad weather, strong headwinds and the west setting current pushing me ever westwards. So I diverted to Panama, at least this was downwind and an American cruiser had been extolling its merits me. So I eventually anchored off Portobelo Panama and here I realised that Panama had more to offer than just the canal.

I headed for Shelter bay marina and laid up the boat for the rainy season returning briefly to the UK. Returning, it was time for maintenance before heading back to Portobelo and Isla Linton before a visit to the Guna Yala islands, a group of coral islands which are

inhabited by the Guna indians. They largely stick to their traditional ways and it was a fascinating visit.

For my passage through the canal I did not use an agent but did all the organisation myself which I found to be quite straightforward. I actually went through twice, once as a line handler on someone else boat which was good preparation for Sea Bear’s transit. This went without a hitch so there I was in Balbao with the Pacific stretching out before me.

I paid a brief visit to the Las Perlas islands and then off to the Galapagos 800 miles away. During this passage of 10 days I crossed the equator, no visitation from Neptune but I had a tot of rum by way of celebration. I anchored in Wreck bay San Cristobal. The wildlife was fantastic in the Galapagos

The Marquesas were 2,995miles away which took me 34 days. I had mixed weather with some bad squalls and it was a long time to be on ones own. My first sight of land from 45 mile out was memorable, high steep mountainous, verdant and largely unspoiled. It was good to relax in Atuona Bay, Hiva Oa before exploring the rest of the group including what many think of as one of the worlds most spectacular anchorages of Baie Hanavave, Fatu Hiva. I also spent time in Nuka Hiva and on Oa Poa, with its dramatic rock pinnacles.

The Dangerous Isles

The Tuamotus are a large group of around 77 coral atolls and they earned their reputation as the Dangerous Isles because the motus

ABOVE Approach to Oa Pou Marquesas BELOW LEFT Fishing boat Il a Vache Haiti BELOW RIGHT Teehapoa Tahiti

and coral reefs are so low lying and hard to spot. In the past most cruisers avoided them for that reason. GPS has somewhat tamed them. We did not sight Ahe until we were about five miles away, a thin line of coconut trees fringing the horizon.

I was glad to have the company of Marie for this leg as it is recommended to have a spotter in the bows when entering the passages into the reefs. We also visited the atoll of Rangiroa.

Leaving Marie here I carried on to Tahiti were I was joined by Wendy.

We had a delightful month, escaping from the fleshpots of Papeete, we circumnavigated the island with beautiful sheltered anchorages behind the reefs, this included anchorage at Point Venus where both Captain Cook and Bligh of the Bounty had

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Cruising - Caernarfon to New Zealand

stayed. We also enjoyed Tahiti’s sister island of Moorea.

I could have stayed forever but when Wendy returned to the UK I went to the the Iles Sous le Vent of Huahine, Raiatea and Bora Bora I had spent almost four months in French Polynesia and had really enjoyed my time there. Leaving Bora Bora I had intended to stop in the Cook Islands but arriving at Aitutaki the weather was bad and I decided not to attempt the entry through the reef in those conditions. It seems that I had hit a bad patch in the South

Pacific Convergence Zone, noted for unstable weather with clouds, rain and thunderstorms. Regretfully by passing both Palmerston island and Nuie I carried on for Tonga. After some time at Neiafu, Vavau I called in on the little visited Ha’apai group before carrying on to Nuku’alofa, anchoring at the renowned Big Mamas, Pangaimotu island.

This was the jumping off point for the 1,034 mile passage to New Zealand.

The weather was kind to me for this and in 11 days I made landfall at

ABOVE LEFT Bora Bora BELOW L EFT Fishermen, Huahine BELOW RIGHT Tonga school visit

the Bay of Islands and berthed at the Customs pontoon in Opua. I had arrived. I was half way around the world and had logged 15,400 miles since leaving the UK. You can read the full story of Chris Ayers remarkable trip in A Pensioners Folly, available at amazon. co.uk

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Boat Test ~Bali Catspace

Bali Catamarans latest offering is a 40 footer with more volume than many 60’ monohulls. But is it any good? Sam Jefferson takes a spin to find out

Boxing clever

I

was first made aware of Bali Catamarans after taking spin in the Bali 4.0 some years back. I was wowed by the innovative approach and tilt/slide ‘garage door’ arrangement which opened up the cockpit and saloon area beautifully.

I was also rather dumbfounded by the design approach which it must be said made no effort to disguise the boxy nature of the boat. I thought that in many ways this was admirable. As Barack Obama once rather obscurely said; ’you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig’.

Not that I’m saying that the Bali 4.0 was a pig. Indeed, I recall being favourably impressed by the boat’s performance. Nevertheless, the looks are best described as individual

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but the payback was simply acres of volume. The result was a yacht that was a huge hit and sold like hot cakes – particularly on the charter market. The Catspace is the natural successor to the Bali 4.0 and MK2 version the 4.1. Yet this is an all new boat from the twin keels up.

The new model has been designed, like its predecessors by Olivier Poncin and there is no question that his key aim was to ensure that volume is maximised while performance remains sprightly. In order to achieve this, the Catspace has been built with a vacuum infused foam cored sandwich which provides excellent levels of stiffness.

This is further complemented by the fact that the Bali rather unusually

ABOVE

With a lenght of 40'4" and a beam of 21'6", the Bali Catspace something of a spaceship

eschews the forward trampoline in favour of a solid foredeck which provides further rigidity - not to mention extra space. Initial fears about this creating a pounding problem have now been dispatched as the high freeboard mitigates against this. Although there is a big emphasis on space aboard the Bali, the waterlines are actually very fine forward with, as mentioned, considerable freeboard. Below the waterline she features two keel stubs to provide grip to windward and these are augmented by a pair of skegs moulded on which not only further improve her ability to point, but also have a sacrificial use in the event of a grounding.

On deck

Step aboard and Initially you think the cockpit is broad but rather narrow, but then, of course, you discover that the entire aft bulkhead

‘back door’ if you like flips up garage door style, presenting you with a massive open space. Six years on from the launch of the 4.0 and it still looks like a stroke of genius.

Head upwards a couple of steps and you’re on the flybridge, which is offset to starboard and provides excellent all round vision, with only a small section of the port quarter not in full view. All the main control lines are led to this helming area and everything is easily within reach making this a highly manageable yacht for a couple. Many early cruising catamarans suffered from the problem of leaving the helmsman up on the bridge in splendid isolation, but since then efforts have been made to remedy this and the Bali features a very comfortable lounging area adjacent to the helming station, while the offset helm means that there is much closer contact with the main seating area below.

The side decks are wide and the handrail moulded into the cabin top

ABOVE

A stern view which shows the 'garage door' arrangement to good advantage

BELOW

The bridge deck area is a very sociable spot with acres of lounging space

is a nice touch. Ahead of this is the foredeck which on most multihulls is dominated by the trampoline and is essentially dead space. Not so on the Bali, where the solid foredeck provides space for a simply huge second dining area. You might think this would be impractical due to access issues but a clever drop down front window means the chef can pass food out with ease.

Down below

It’s rather a nonsense to use the term ‘down below’ on modern catamarans - particularly this one - as the outdoor space blends seamlessly with the interior. that said, with the ‘garage door’ lowered, you feel secure and totally enclosed while also benefiting from an incredible near panoramic view thanks to the acres of windows. The interior itself is uncomplicated, with a large dining table and bench seats in the indoor/ outdoor section of the yacht. Head forward and you have the galley area

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Boat Test ~Bali Catspace

with steps down on each side which lead to the berths. There is a small nav area just to port of the galley and this affords an excellent 360 degree view if you were planning on navigating from the comfort of the interior using the autopilot.

The yacht I tested featured an owners cabin with en suite that took up the entirety of the starboard hull. the port hull was split into two separate berths both with ensuite heads compartments.

The forward berth differs from the old Bali 4.0 and 4.1 models

as it runs latitudinally which has freed up more space for separate ensuites but might be interesting in a seaway. Inevitably, there is an option for an extra cabin if you opt to do away with the owner’s suite.

This arrangement will doubtless be favoured by yachts on the charter market. On the flip side, you can opt for a version with just two double cabins both with ensuites.

Overall, the quality of the finish was very good and the feeling of light and space even in the sleeping areas was really impressive.

SAM’S VERDICT Bali knows what it is about and this does everything it is meant to with a certain ruthless efficiency.

Volume is impressive and the ‘garage door’ concept remains superlative.

If I had a criticism it would be that somehow the interior lacked a bit of soul. The looks are never

THE SPEC Length: 12.33m (40’4”) Beam: 6.59m (21’6”)

going to be to my taste but, ultimately, this is a boat that does everything it is meant to do exceptionally well.

PERFORMANCE: HHH HH BLUE WATER ABILITY: : HHH HH COMFORT: HHH HH

Engine: 2x20hp (2x30hp optional) Price: €304,000 Contact: inspirationmarine.co.uk

Draft: 1.10m (3’6”) Cabins: 4 Berths: 8 Displacement: 9200 kg

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

ABOVE LEFT

Stunning all round views in the main saloon

ABOVE RIGHT

The forward berth is set latitudinally and features its own ensuite

OPPOSITE PAGE

A well proportioned rig and moderate displacement made for lively performance

Under sail

So far, so good, but now came the real test as we headed out into the Mediterranean in a modest breeze of around 12kn. There is one electric winch for getting the mainsail up, which is always a blessing and from then on, sail handling was a doddle. Sails up and it was time to see what the Bali was made of.

The Bali sets 100 sq/m of sail and her displacement is a relatively modest 9,200kg which means that performance was bound to be sprightly and I was not disappointed.

We were soon reaching along at 8kn plus which was not half bad in the moderate conditions and made me wonder how she would go in a good stiff breeze. On the wind, she was still able to maintain 6kn and tacked through 80 degrees which is not bad. The steering was light but responsive and the boat was lively and well balanced with the decent sized headsail.

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49

Boat Test ~ Pogo Foiler

Scow do you do?

Rupert Holmes sails one of the most radical new designs of the past decade

PHOTOS: RUPERT HOLMES, YANN RIOU / POLARYSE.

T 50

he Proto division of the Mini 650 class has long been the test bed in which the innovations that subsequently become common in grand-prix offshore racing designs, including twin rudders and canting keels, are developed and refined.

Recently a number of parties have explored whether such as small boat can be made to fully foil, even when sailed long distances singlehanded. The most promising of these concepts is the Pogo Foiler, developed by the company that produced the hugely popular original Pogo 650 design 26 years ago and has since built more production Minis than any other builder.

AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Today, most of the yard’s production is focussed on ultrafast cruising yachts (see Pogo 44 test in ST's June issue), although it remains at the forefront of race boat development, both in the Mini class and with its fourth-generation Class 40. The Pogo Foiler sits alongside the Pogo 3 in the range, which is the most popular of today’s scow-bow series built Minis.

The Foiler fits the class’s Proto division, which allows carbon construction, plus a larger rig with a colossal 12-metre tall mast. This gives an even higher power to weight ratio than the more conservative Series designs, which is exactly what’s needed to get the boat airborne.

ABOVE

Under way at speed and showing off Pogo's 'scow bow' to good effect

Even so, creating a full foiling concept that works in the context of a pint-sized solo long distance racing boat breaks an enormous amount of new ground. The Pogo Foiler was launched in 2019, but that season was never intended as one in which the boat would immediately demonstrate its full potential – it’s a complex machine that requires a great deal of tuning and tweaking to sail consistently at the maximum.

However, the boat proved its mettle in the first two class events this season, when it notched up consecutive emphatic wins, including a massive 10-hour advantage in the 400 mile Mini en Mai race.

Concept

As we’ve seen in the America’s Cup and elsewhere, achieving an airborne state is far from the biggest challenge of sailing a foiling boat, especially offshore. The key is to

avoid dramatic splash downs that are extremely slow and potentially dangerous, with a high risk of breakages. That’s a tall order when you’re racing hundreds or thousands of miles non-stop and alone.

The Pogo Foiler therefore is not designed as a boat that will ride high on its foils. Nevertheless, unlike the Figaro 3 and DSS foiling designs, where the appendages are intended to increase stability and therefore allow more sail to be carried, this is a flying boat. However, as the photos show, the leeward side of the transom barely clears the water.

“You don’t want to fly too high,” skipper Tanguy Bouroullec explained to me, “as that risks falling a long way. It’s the average speed in waves that’s important, not the maximum.”

Compared to the Pogo 3 there are much fuller sections in the Scow bow, but with a chine that minimises wetted surface area when in Archimedes (non foiling) mode.

On deck

If it wasn’t for the ultra-low boom the boat would feel hugely larger on deck than its 21ft 4in overall length suggests. The cockpit is almost three metres wide and, with maximum beam extending well forward at deck level, the boat’s plan form is more similar to a much longer design with the bow rounded off. Nevertheless, lifelines and toe rails follow a traditional line and are therefore well inboard of the edge of the foredeck.

The deck layout holds no surprises for anyone accustomed to sailing a recent Mini 650. Granted, there’s a huge number of controls, but all are configured to be easy to handle, with purchase systems used, for example, to tension the forestay

and running backstays. This minimises the size of the winches needed – the boat has only three single-speed Harken 20 units.

Carbon spars are by Axxon, while both conventional Spinlock and textile Constrictor clutches are used. A neat touch is the washboard that hinges down to lie flush on the cockpit sole.

It’s instantly available when needed, but doesn’t get in the way when not in use.

The foils add a degree of complexity, with seven lines added to an already busy cockpit layout.

They are adjustable for rake and pitch, while the rake of the T-foil rudders can be adjusted through six degrees either side of vertical. When viewed from a coach boat, with optimal sail and foil trim Bouroullec says you can see the Foiler climbing to windward, instead of making leeway. When reaching and downwind the foil is angled more downwards before being optimised for cant and rake. “The settings are very different for different wind and wave conditions,” he says.

ABOVE

Up on the foils and flying - but not too high out of the water

BELOW LEFT

Flying at 17.8 knots boat speed!

BELOW RIGHT

The deck layout is well organised

Under sail

It takes a special kind of boat to be able to sail off the dock when the wind is blowing onto the pontoon. However a hearty shove timed to coincide with a more favourable wind shift was all that was needed, given the boat is so quick to accelerate and gain steerage way. We had ideal weather for the test, with a gusty offshore breeze varying from 12-23 knots providing a good variety of conditions.

We set out from La Base at the former submarine base at Lorient in south Brittany, initially broad reaching out of the estuary under only main and jib. This felt calm and relaxed, with no pressure on the helm, even though in the gusts we were frequently accelerating to touch speeds of 10 knots.

Once into more open water we headed up to a beam reach with a true wind of 15-16 knots at 90 degrees, but the apparent a long way forward, and consistently holding 10-11 knots of boat speed.

The helm is still super light in these conditions, as are sheet loads, despite the considerable additional stability generated by the canting keel and the foils at these speeds.

We popped the first reef in before bearing away and hoisting the medium kite. Sailing with a true wind angle of around 145 degrees, with the breeze by this time having strengthened to 18-20 knots. With the kite sheeted on the boat literally took off, hitting top speeds of 17-18 knots and remaining airborne for extended periods.

Even at these speeds the transom Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

51

Boat Test ~ Pogo Foiler

is kissing the water and we never quite escaped the noise of turbulence there. Steering over

waves when broad reaching in these conditions requires a totally different mindset to a conventional

RUPERT’S VERDICT Sailing any new design at this level of racing involves a big learning curve.

That process is greatly exaggerated with this boat, but the potential rewards are enormous. After the soft launch in 2019 Bouroullec gathered a lot of useful data and knowledge that has enabled him to more fully extract the design’s performance potential this season.

In contrast to most new yacht designs, which tend to incorporate only incremental steps in performance, this boat therefore embodies a massive step change in technology. It’s

THE SPEC Hull length 6.5m (21'3") Beam 3.0m (9'8")

just as radical as when the class first adopted twin rudders and asymmetric spinnakers back in the 1980s.

Unfortunately producing foils is an expensive business and, as with Formula 1 cars, this boat is not a cheap option. The base price is just short of €200,000 ex VAT, but with a typical ready to race specification and VAT that rises to €300,000.

However, those who master the Pogo Foiler will clearly be well placed to jump to the very top of the sailing world, racing foiling designs, including IMOCAs and the growing number of foiling IRC boats.

Spinnaker 76m2 (818sq/ft) Base price (ex VAT) €198,835 www.pogostructures.com

Displacement 830kg (1,829lb) Draught 2.0m (6'5") Mainsail 28m2 (301sq/ft) Headsail 21m2 (226sq/ft)

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ABOVE

Sailing the Pogo required a different mindset to conventional yachts

BELOW

Interior is basic, but functional

yacht as the boat is moving faster than the waves. Therefore, rather than being overtaken by waves from behind, the boat is catching up with those in front, which was the cause of the couple of gentle touch downs we experienced.

The final part of the test saw us hard on the wind for a more extended period, sailing in 18-22 knots of true wind, initially with full mainsail, though we later tucked the first reef in. The boat demonstrated a huge amount of stability and it was easy to feather up to depower in the stronger gusts, without losing speed and without requiring a super-human amount of sail trimming. It reliably tacked through less than 90 degrees. When setting up for a tack heel angle increases dramatically as the keel is lowered to the other side (the alternative is a mammoth amount of winching after the tack), yet the boat remained easy to control.

Below deck

Accommodation volume is obviously not a priority for this design, yet in the Mini Transat skippers will live on board for at least 14 days and, of course, need to carry supplies, food, water and spares for that time. All the essentials are therefore covered at a very basic level.

The combination of the canting keel, which is controlled by a block and tackle system within the boat, and the foil mechanism severely restricts room. As a result the only easily accessible spaces are two snug quarter berths, plus a small strip athwartships immediately inside the companionway in which there’s just enough room to sit facing inboard. Cooking and hot drinks are made using a Jetboil.

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53

Buyer’s Guide: Satellite communications

Out of this world

Satellite Communications is coming increasingly into the orbit of the everyday cruising sailor as Sam Fortescue discovers

I

t feels a bit like mobile phones did twenty years ago: the market is seething with deals that look good on the outside, but where the devil’s in the detail. Satellite communications today are faster and more competitive than ever, but there’s still a real element of confusion about using them. Some talk about ‘airtime’ and price by the minute; others talk about data allowances. So-called bandwidth is all important.

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To make sense of the welter of marketing, and keep within your budget, you need to have a very clear idea of what you want. Is satellite comms simply an emergency tool for raising the alarm offshore? Do you need to stay in touch with a business while you’re on board? And where will you be cruising – there can be deals available when you stay within 100 miles of the mainland, no matter how many borders you cross. But if you’re heading off the tradewind

ABOVE Inmarsat partners with Europe’s biggest leisure boat manufacturer to offer Fleet One for Groupe Beneteau Lagoon brand RIGHT Iridium GO

milk run, you’ll need something more robust.

Below are three profiles of sat comms usage, from emergency contact to highspeed data services. In each one, we list the kit you will need

and compare the costs and coverage of the different networks, so you can figure out what you can afford.

EMERGENCY/WEATHER ONLY £1000-£1800 cost £0-500 installation From £0.50/minute At the entry-level, the key kit is a handset that has changed little in years. It allows you to make and receive voice calls, send and receive short text messages and to transmit data. “Sat comms change very slowly,” says MailaSail’s Ed Wildgoose, “and the most common product on the market is still basically identical to the units produced in 1999.”

For sailors, Iridium is the bestknown budget brand offering truly global coverage that stretches from icecap to icecap. The network is built

around 66 low orbiting satellites which hand your connection from one to the next until they are in range of a ground station to route your call. Iridium offers a number of different-looking handsets (9575, 9522 etc), but the innards are identical. “Price doesn’t change the basic functionality, they all have the same basic Iridium circuit board inside,” explains Wildgoose.

Iridium has created a lot of marketing noise about its Iridium GO! Product, which is a black box providing voice and data services via apps on your Android or Apple smart phone. By dispensing with a screen and a handset, the £850 price looks cheaper, but it will only work in conjunction with a mobile phone, which could devalue it as a safety tool. In addition, it will only work via Iridium-approved apps, so don’t expect to hook up to Facebook or your standard email account. It is compatible with Predictwind forecasts and Sailmail.

At 2400 bits per second, data downloads are painfully slow – even the dial-up internet of the last century was around 20 times faster.

So if you try to download a GRIB file of the north Atlantic, you’ll be on the line for an hour or more, assuming there are no hiccups or dropped lines. And there’s no question of anything more than text-based emails. On the other hand, Iridium’s dedicated portal allows people to send you text messages free of charge.

Expect to pay £1000-£1900 for an Iridium handset, plus £300-£400 extra for a dedicated deck antenna with mount and cable. This is key for a good quality connection.

Inmarsat’s iSatPhone is handy to make a call in an emergency but even slower than the Iridium for data transfer. Globalstar and Thuraya also offer dedicated satellite handsets, but their coverage does not extend far offshore, and none of them are compatible with an external antenna, so you have to point your phone carefully – difficult on a pitching boat.

Globalstar’s low-Earth orbit satellites cover the Mediterranean, Canary

ABOVE Iridium 9575 BELOW Thuraya Satsleeve Universal Adaptor clips to your smartphone and allows it to access satellite calling and SMS. Claims that it allows you to update social media should be treated with scepticism, as it can manage no more than 9.6kbps data transfer speeds.

Islands and the Caribbean well, while Thuraya is centred on the Middle East and covers the Med, south Asia and Australia. Globalstar has stopped production of its GSP-1700 handsets now, but they can be picked up second hand for about £300. Thuraya’s handset is called the XT, and requires an additional data kit. Data speeds for both these operators are better than Iridium, at some 9.6kbps for Globalstar and up to 60kbps for Thuraya. For the avoidance of doubt, this is still exceedingly slow by the standards of the connected world.

Airtime varies in price dramatically depending on how much you buy, and how long you want it to remain active. Reckon on $1.50/min for occasional use over a long period or down to around $0.50/min for 600 minutes over 12 months There is usually a connection fee and a monthly standing charge to use these services, but this is often built into the cost of the airtime. Make sure you buy airtime that will remain valid for the duration you need it.

You can buy extra validity to extend your existing minutes.

COMPRESSION Software that compresses your emails and streamlines your web browsing will usually pay for itself within days. Mailasail has developed a suite of handy satellite phone services for your laptop called teleport-it, which cost around £11/month. It compresses emails, strips out unwanted attachments and allows you to order weather forecasts and grib data by email for a specific area of the ocean. The software also stops your laptop from squandering airtime with unwanted updates, blocks ads and compresses web pages for faster browsing by satellite. Particularly effective with the Iridium satphone.

XGate provides a similar service for a larger monthly fee. SailMail is a not-for-profit service but only works with PC. mailasail.com redportglobal.com sailmail.com

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Buyer’s Guide: Satellite communications

STAYING IN TOUCH £2,400-£4,000 £0-1,000 installation 75MB $407-$674/m For seamless email services, a bit of social media and internet, and the odd hi-res photo sent home, you’ll need a lot more grunt. That means more capable hardware that can transmit and process data much faster, a better antenna, and a satellite broadband subscription. You’ll be paying per megabyte now, not per minute, although you can add voice minutes as well if you like. And interestingly, the capital costs aren’t much higher than the handset option, although the monthly charge is higher.

There are two options here. The scoop is that Iridium is about to launch a new product called SkyLink – available in the UK through MailaSail, who are actually writing some of the code for the unit. At

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

88kbps, it is faster than dial-up but costs around £2,400. “Basically, only a little more cost than a handheld Iridium, but vastly more capable, with possibility to do Whatsapp, full sized Grib files, always-on kind of data and even small social media,” says Wildgoose.

Its extra functionality makes this a compelling option. It will have a very high-end 4G cellular capability built in, as well as a wifi router, making it an all-in-one communications hub for your boat. And, with Wildgoose’s tech savvy programmed in, the SkyLink includes file compression to get more bang from your megabyte.

Pricing plans are on a sliding scale, so limited use of say 10MB per month would cost $124. If you needed more data, you could buy 200MB for $690 or 1GB for $1,345.

Until Skylink, Inmarsat had carved out a niche in this market for its Fleet One product, which has a nominal

ABOVE LEFT Skylink ABOVE AND BELOW LEFT The Fleet One Red Box installation

speed of 150kbps – roughly twice that of the Iridium but 100x that of a handset. It requires a more sensitive dome antenna, which must be mounted on a pole or a spreader for a clear view of the sky, but the good news is that this is included in the £3,600 price, along with the antenna cable. A mounting bracket costs around £280.

Inmarsat’s L-band satellites are in a geostationary orbit, about 35,000km from Earth, directly over the equator.

This distance gives them excellent coverage that drops away towards higher latitudes, although the Antarctic Peninsula, southern Greenland, Iceland and much of the Northwest Passage should get reception. Fleet One is an always-on service, so you can receive calls and messages at any time. It also offers Inmarsat’s 505 safety service: dial this number and you’re connected directly to the nearest Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

You pay a basic monthly usage fee of $25, or a minimum $120/month with 15MB of data allowance bundled. Additional megabytes cost $9.24 and voice minutes are cheap to add, and certainly cheaper than using voice over internet. “Voip is almost certainly not the right solution for satellite,” says Wildgoose. “It works our much more expensive than using the built in voice services.” A good option for those staying within 100 miles of the coast is the all-you-caneat data package for $250 per month.

This would suit those cruising the Med, European or American coasts, but not those going bluewater.

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04/12/2019 14:51

Buyer’s Guide: Satellite communications

WEATHER ROUTEING There are a host of services that can give you real-time weather updates and routeing when you’re on passage offshore.

Naturally they all rely to some degree on a satellite data link. If you have a generous data plan then the size of those updates might be no object, but for most bluewater sailors, it will be important to keep file sizes to a minimum to keep satellite costs down. Here’s a look at some of the services on offer:

with resulting downloads of 15-20kb – ideal for a satellite connection.

From $99 for 3 months.

Predictwind.com Passageweather.com Receive custom routeing advice from a person! At its most basic, text by email, scaling up to charts and graphics if you wish. From €50 per report.

Passageweather.com

Adrena A pro-racer product which has filtered down to cruisers too. Requires an onboard PC and a degree of training, plus a faster connection to download big GRIB files. Buy with/ without cartography included from €779 Adrena-software.com

PredictWind: Market-leading weather and routeing app from New Zealand.

Routeing calculations are done in the cloud,

Segelwelt.at Custom routeing advice from experienced pro Andreas Hanakamp and team.

Services tailored to your comms kit – starting with text messages to an Iridium handset! Support over seven days costs

Savvy Navvy Optimised for shorter weather routes of up to three days – longer passages may time out. Works on an app through your smartphone or tablet, so not suitable for satellite use. Explore package is €65/year

INTENSIVE USER £8,000-£12,400 £0-1,000 installation 1GB from $1,275-$1,702/m If you need gigabytes of data, or a faster connection, you’d have to look at something like the Inmarsat FleetBroadband or Iridium Certus.

Fleet Broadband comes in two speeds: the 284kbps Sailor 250 or 432kbps Sailor 500, costing £8,000 and £12,400 respectively. For 5GB data, you’d pay from $2,288, but there is the option to switch on and off with a month’s notice. The antenna is relatively small until you reach the fastest Sailor 500, when it mushrooms to a hefty 16kg and 80cm high.

The Certus costs around £8,000 – but that looks cheaper for the speed, which is up to 700kbps. Price plans

begin at some $110/month for minimal data (you’re paying for the speed here), but the allowance increases dramatically with a higher subscription. For $1,580/month you can get 5GB of data, where contracts have a three-month minimum period. The antenna is a small solid-state unit, weighing in at 3.2kg and a diameter of 36cm.

Inmarsat supports fax and Ethernet connections, while the Certus unit incorporates 4G mobile connectivity and a wifi router.

UNLIMITED SERVICE £40,000 £5,000+ installation 100GB c$10,000/m Not many of us are going to want to stream movies or transfer gigabytes of data each month while at sea. But

€300 or €650 for an Atlantic crossing Segelwelt.at

BELOW LEFT The Sailor 500

if you are one of those people that cannot unplug aboard, then you will need one of the services known generically as V-Sat. Inmarsat covers this big bandwidth market with its FleetXpress product, capable of blistering speeds up to 25mbps through its Ka-band satellite constellation. The equipment alone can cost up to £40,000, with installation of the sensitive tracking dish dome and the hardware taking up to a week. Monthly costs are linked to the bandwidth and data throughput, but for superyacht streaming of 100s GB, you’d be looking at $10,000-plus, KVH is another popular choice in this market, because it has developed a relatively small 45cm dome – that’s instead of the standard 65cm and 100cm units.

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FUEL FACILITY LIFT OUT PAINT SHED BOAT SHED

MARINA OFFICE, WASHROOM AND SHOWERS SUPERFAST WIFI

CAR PARK

EAST BANK

N W

E

S FERRY The Lymington to Yarmouth ferry runs regularly and should be given a wide berth

GULL’S EYE

BERTHON LYMINGTON MARINA 50°45.0’N 001°31.8’W

The picturesque Georgian town of Lymington lies along the busiest stretch of coastline for British sailing, yet maintains its charm and unique character, as Sam Jefferson discovers

LYMINGTON RIVER The channel down to the Solent has good depths but shoals rapidly outside the marked channel

Berthon Lymington Marina

L

ymington was noted in the Domesday book under the name of ‘Lentune’ and came to prominence as a hub of the salt manufacturing carried out on the extensive marshes that border the coast. It remains a thriving market town, dotted with independent shops and designer boutiques. It’s also a gem for antiques enthusiasts who flock here from across the country for the rare finds, many of which hold a maritime past.

The lively Saturday street market is a favourite for locals and visitors,

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ABOVE Charming Georgian streets crammed with boutiques abound

50°45.0’N 001°31.8’W

50°45.0’N

with locally sourced ingredients, including freshly caught fish.

There’s also an abundance of cafes, tearooms, pubs and restaurants to choose from. The Ship Inn comes highly recommended and is just a short stroll from the marina.

There’s plenty to keep visitors entertained, particularly if you feel like giving your sea legs a rest. The coastal footpath, with its breathtaking views of the Solent, and the Channel beyond, is definitely worth the effort. Venture west, and you’ll encounter Hurst Castle, stoically standing on Hurst Point

as it has done since Henry VIII commissioned the fortification in 1544 to ward off errant Frenchmen.

You’re also right on the edge of the New Forest National Park, with its 566 square kilometres of unspoilt woodland, heathland and river valleys. You can hire bikes in town if your legs are weary from the walking. If you’re feeling particularly brave, then you can take a dip in the Lymington seawater baths.

Ideal for a bracing morning swim.

If it’s local history you’re after then St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery is a must.

MARINA GUIDE

Lymington Marina offers 280 all weather fully serviced berths for yachts up to 150’ and is dredged to 2.5m below chart datum. The wide marina fairways offer easy access and berthing. The marina has a proud and long history, being one of the first marinas to be built in the UK. It was opened to much fanfare in 1968 by Admiral of the Fleet The Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Yet the history of the yard stretches back long before this date. Indeed, the Lymington shipyard is reputed to have been in use since Roman

ABOVE Lymington Marina lies close to the town centre BELOW Berthon’s workshop is attached to the marina and has a rich history

times. During the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) the Lymington shipyard supplied nine ships for the defence of the realm, more than Portsmouth.

The marina has first class repair facilities thanks to its inextricable links with the Berthon Boatyard.

The boatyard was established in 1877 in Romsey before moving to Lymington in 1918 where it was purchased by Harry May, merging it with The Lymington Shipyard (ex Inmans building sailing yachts

FACTFILE

LYMINGTON MARINA The Shipyard, Bath Road, Lymington, Hampshire, SO41 3YL, England T: +44 (0)1590 213141 E: berths@berthon.co.uk VHF Ch 80 Staffed seven days a week by Dockmasters Summer hours 0800 - 2100 Security guard present outside these hours Water, electricity (free) and superfast wifi (free) available at every berth Free on-site parking Washrooms and laundry on-site

from the early 19th Century) Under the Berthon banner, a diverse business of yacht and commercial boat building and repairs was developed.

The company has continued under family ownership and has established itself as both a first class marina, boatyard and new boat sales. The marina itself has been regularly upgraded and has a reputation as one of the finest on the south coast.

Waste and recycling facilities on-site Fuel available 0800 - 1900 call Ch80 on approach 75 tonne boat hoist Boat cleaning services (£10-£19/ft for a Lift & Scrub) Extensive boat repair facilities available onsite Berthing fees Annual berthing per foot (Per metre in brackets): £194.00 (£636.51) ex. VAT £232.80 (£763.82) inc. VAT Overnight berth High season (April 1 to October 31) £1.40 (£4.61) per night inc VAT Low season: £1.12 (£3.66) per night inc VAT

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Berthon Lymington Marina

PICS: ISTOCK/BERTHON

PASSAGE PLANNING Getting into Lymington is relatively easy, although the river twists and turns sufficiently to mean care is required on first entry. If in any doubt just follow the Wightlink ferry. The marina sits at the top end of the Lymington River. Approach to the river (WPT 50° 45’ 25’’ N 1° 31’ 56’’ W). Jack in the Basket, a post with barrel flashing red (2s) is the first fixed marker for the main channel into Lymington River from the Solent. To the east of this, the entrance to the channel is also clearly marked by the Royal Lymington Yacht Club starting platform.

The channel is marked by red piles with square top marks to port,

green piles with triangular top marks to starboard. Keep within these markers as the depth slopes off on either side and you risk running aground if you wander.

Lymington Marina is the second marina you’ll come to along Lymington River, from the Solent.

Pass by Royal Lymington Yacht Club and carry on up the river following the trots of mooring buoys. As you approach the town, the Lymington – Yarmouth ferry port is to starboard and Berthon Lymington Marina is to port and clearly visible from the main channel at both day and night.

The marina can be accessed at all times and all tides, and

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ABOVE Looking into Pylewell Lake from the main entrance channel into Lymington

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CRUISING GROUNDS Lymington provides a great springboard for a cross channel trip Lymington is ideally placed for south coast cruising and access to mainland Europe, so the opportunities for day sails and longer cruising adventures are endless.

If you’re looking to stay local and perhaps cruise along the coast for lunch and a pint at friendly pub, then Beaulieu is a short sail east along the Solent and up the Beaulieu River to Monty’s Inn. Another local option is Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The western Solent is extremely popular with sailors, being less congested with commercial traffic compared to the eastern

Solent. The distance to the Isle of Wight is approximately 9nm, so you can leave after breakfast and arrive in time for lunch. Spend the afternoon exploring the island, with Osbourne House and Carisbrooke Castle just some of the many tourist attractions, before jumping back on the boat for an evening sail back across the Solent. Alternatively, you could stay on the island for a few days, exploring the local anchorages of Yarmouth, Colwell Bay and Newtown Creek and soaking up the atmosphere of the island famed for its sailing heritage.

If you’re looking to go further afield,

ABOVE The Channel Islands can easily be reached and provide a great cruising ground BELOW Cowes is always a huge draw for sailors of any stripe

then head west out of the Solent towards Poole and Weymouth.

These will prove more challenging as you leave the relative calm of the Solent and enter the more exposed waters of the Channel.

Beyond the south coast of England, northern Europe awaits.

Cherbourg is approximately 60nm and would serve as a perfect base for exploring the northern coast of France, with all of the wonderful cheeses and pastries you can eat, and all of the wines you can drink.

USEFUL CONTACTS Yacht Clubs Royal Lymington Yacht Club +44 (0)1590 672677 rlymyc.org.uk Lymington Town Sailing Club +44 (0)1590 674514 ltsc.co.uk Chandlers Nick Cox Chandlery +44 (0)1590 673489 thechandler.co.uk Force 4 Chandlery +44 (0)1590 673698

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ALL PHOTOS PAUL WYETH

Cowes Week

The Philosophy of Cowes Week From 31 July to 6 August, the Solent welcomes thousands of sailors for Cowes Week 2021. Regatta director Laurence Mead explains what lies ahead

M

ost people know what to expect – Cowes Week has been runing since 1826, after all – but times change and regattas change, so I thought it would be useful to set down in writing what you could describe as our ‘regatta philosophy’. Now before you turn the page, I’m not getting all Nietzsche on you, just describing in plain terms what new and experienced sailors at Cowes Week can look forward to and maybe answering a few questions too.

We look forward to welcoming everyone for the first ever Opening

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Party (with free drinks from our sponsor Cuvée 450!) on Saturday 31 July.

For now, our philosophy. We start with some basics:

for the smaller Black Group boats.

The PRO will make decisions based on safety and good racing. Tide in the Solent makes a big difference to conditions too!

Our aim is to deliver world-class regatta racing.

We want to deliver varied courses and challenges. Back in the day when every boat had a spinnaker pole, the pressure was on to avoid white-sail reaching, whereas today sails exist to make close reaching an exciting sailing angle. Firing the vang and avoiding broaches on a tight reach is a sailing skill. Cowes Week likes to test all of the sailors’ skill set.

We aim to start races as soon as there is enough wind to get you off the start line and to carry on racing in as much breeze as we safely can.

For White Group boats, that tops out at circa 25-26kts (less for some of the smaller white group) and for Black Group at about 30-32kts. Again, less

ABOVE Laurence Mead: “We want everybody to have fun, both on the water and ashore”w

<<photo credts Paul Wyeth>>

ALL PHOTOS PAUL WYETH

Most but not all races will start upwind. Committee boats running short-course racing (which we do for some of the One Designs) should deliver good, square start lines. Off the Squadron line, it is what it is.

With strong tides and a wind shadow underneath the Castle, working out where to start and how to maximise that opportunity delivers good tactical challenges.

Solent challenge. We didn’t win, but it was a hell of a race!

Broadly speaking we don’t shorten courses unless it is because the time limit is approaching. It may lead to a long day on the water, but persistence and extended concentration have always been important in our sport.

With the Solent’s winds and tides, no race is ever done until you cross the finish line. One of my all-time favourite races took six hours around a Cowes Week course and involved at least two transitions from the south-westerly sea breeze into a south-easterly sea breeze. A classic

Every racing sailor knows that the start is an important part of the race and on a windward/leeward course, getting a start line almost exactly ‘right’ has become accepted wisdom.

At Cowes Week, however, the challenges are much more varied.

We like it that way and want it to be that way.

Starting in light winds, either with or against the tide, both require different skill sets and we think a regatta should test all of the sailors’ repertoire. Starting on a reaching

We will try to make up races lost to poor wind conditions by running two races on some days, for some classes, some of the time, and vary that opportunity around the classes.

The start: why we adapt the Racing Rules of Sailing for Cowes Week

ABOVE It’s largely a selfpolicing sport. The best crews respect the rules and their competitors BELOW RIGHT The theme, above all, is about having fun and enjoying a great regatta with hundreds of other boats and thousands of sailors.

The racing at Cowes Week is different and as a consequence some of the best memories are made there. Beating up the Green against the tide is not easy and it can be frustrating.

On the other hand it is an amazing test of all-round sailing skill and we think not a challenge to be shied away from

line with a marginal kite is also challenging and not every start line has to be 88.5 degrees to the breeze….! It may not always go exactly as you planned but in a typical Cowes Week course there should be enough time and opportunity, and overtaking lanes, to get back into it.

Racing 650 boats on 42 starts every day, it is also impossible for us to consider too many general recalls. To overcome that problem we have a sophisticated “VAR” camera system which allows us to replay the start, identifying frame by frame, everybody who was over. By the time you get back, the team will have worked their magic and the results on the board will reflect what the cameras show.

That does mean, however, that the standard Racing Rules of Sailing need changing. We do not drop the x-ray flag after all boats have restarted and cleared the line, because it may be

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ALL PHOTOS PAUL WYETH

Cowes Week

that the camera will catch other OCS starters once reviewed. We have debated this point endlessly and we think this is the fairest way.

However! It does mean that when a single boat is over, and we could clearly identify that boat, we are unable to let them know it’s them by having a radio recall system as some races do, or that they have returned behind the line by dropping the x-ray flag. It’s just not feasible to have two different systems at the same time.

In that situation, it is a little harsh on the boat(s) over, but we think it is a reasonable balance in order to get the regatta run for the majority. The simple fact is that if you are over, our cameras will catch you, so with a long and challenging race in front of you, you need to stay behind the line!

fundamental principle of our sport that responsibility to make the decision to race, or to carry on racing, lies with the crew themselves.

There is no shame in deciding that conditions are a little beyond you if that is how you feel. The fact that another boat carries on racing also has no bearing on what you should decide for yourselves. It is entirely possible that they have been racing all season, whereas you put together a crew just to do Cowes Week.

Similarly, whilst as a regatta we may carry on racing, that doesn’t mean you have to.

We don’t insist that all boats have reef-able mainsails. If you don’t have a reef and it gets properly windy, you may have to take the mainsail down altogether. Your call!

Safety

The Rules

As regatta organisers we have a comprehensive safety plan and a thorough risk assessment in place but competitors, be they skippers or crew, are reminded that it is a

Fun is an important principle and we encourage all sailors to act in a way that makes it fun.

Two boats coming together in the middle of the racecourse happens

ABOVE Too windy to carry on racing? It’s always your call and there’s no shame in calling it a day BELOW We will communicate openly and as often as makes sense so that competitors know what’s going on. We will try to make early calls where we can and communicate those calls and the reasons for them.

However, with 40+ classes sometimes decisions are made by boat groupings rather than by individual class and that is just a reality in such a huge undertaking.

thousands of times over one Cowes Week day. The vast majority of times, it happens without incident. That requires a bit of give-and-take and we encourage all crews to remember it’s a regatta, not the Olympic Games.

Winning is good. Winning with respect is better.

In the case of a collision, we have a fully constituted international jury and all of the processes to help you settle the dispute. Sensible sailing however, often avoids the need to go to the protest room.

Don’t forget the immortal words of Paul Elvstrom: “You haven’t won the race, if in winning the race, you have lost the respect of your competitors.”

I can certainly look back on races where I could’ve handled things differently.

It’s also a self-policing sport, so don’t carry spinnakers in excess of your class or rating allowance, stick to the weight limit, even if it is on an honour system. Overall it should be a fabulous holiday on the Isle of Wight with some great boat racing.

2021

For 2021 we will run more starts, on a five-minute rolling sequence from the Royal Yacht Squadron line, so that we can get more classes away from that location (there will be gaps built in to clear the line and let the Red Jet into the river).

Where it is safe to do so, we would like to get most boats to finish off the Castle as well, so the winners can get the cannon fire from the Castle. We love the RYS/ Cowes Week cannons going off!

Our Mission.

To deliver World Class Regatta Racing Inclusive. Aspirational. Corinthian.

International. Fun. At the leading edge of modernity.

Highly efficient, high quality race management.

To maintain the traditions of Cowes Week.

A vibrant and engaging social program for all age groups, and for non-sailors alike.

To be spectator friendly and to draw crowds for the benefit of the town and the Island as a whole Enter at cowesweek.co.uk

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Don’t miss The Archers on board You get an anti-fogging display and compact design for smaller boats, as well as a built-in DAB tuner, so no more tuning-while-trimming issues when you realise The Archers is about to start. Wireless connectivity means you can stream music over Bluetooth and – a clever touch – there is a volume control for two different areas on the boat. This specialised marine stereo is from Fusion Entertainment, which is a Garmin brand, and is their new ‘entrylevel’ model, not costing the earth, but giving full stereo capabilities. £239.99

garmin.com/fusionaudioentertainment

LAUNCHED THE BEST NEW KIT B&G Nemesis Impressive to know that B&G has been on every Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race winner since the round the world event started in 1973. The brand returns as an Official Technical Supplier to The Ocean Race, including the recent inaugural edition of The Ocean Race Europe. The next edition of The Ocean Race is scheduled to start in October 2022 in Alicante, finishing in Genoa in June 2023. B&G’s Nemesis screen range, as shown here in a photo by Amory Ross on 11th Hour Racing, is “new generation of intelligent sailing displays offering unparalleled visibility, with complete customisation or easy to use multi-function templates and automatic dashboards based on your angle of sail”. £POA

bandg.com

Nautical notes

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Mini sat comms stick

Another fascinating extract from the most recent Peter Harrington Rare Books 2021 Travel and Exploration catalogue, showing different rigs for the J-Class Shamrock V, as drawn by a Royal Navy midshipman in his unpublished journals during a tour of the Gulf in 1930-33.

ACR Electronics have launched what they claim to be the world’s smallest and “most simple” satellite communication device. The 4.5 x 1.8-inch ACR Bivy Stick two-way satellite messenger (and app) offers a subscription-based service and a means of sending SMS messages, tracking and sharing your location, accessing GPS maps, viewing live weather forecasts and initiating a distress call in an emergency. It works “anywhere with a view of the sky”.

It includes a dedicated check-in button for updating friends and family with a preset message at a specific location. There is an SOS button to contact rescue services.

Full set £125,000

peterharrington.co.uk

Approx £246 ($349.95)

acrartex.com

AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Sailing art Sheena Bevis-White won the Classic Boat Award, given our by our sister title Classic Boat, at the Royal Society of Marine Artists exhibition four years ago. Since then she’s produced many glorious sailing scenes and her current online exhibition is a pleasure. This 10in by 8in oil of a ‘July Evening, Rock’ was sold for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Charity Covid Fund, for £375, but there are many more available. sheenabevis-white.co.uk

Harken Gizmos Not quite a block, not quite a cleat – the new Harken Gizmos exist in between and Harken say “when customers ask for them, we build them”. Their design has been driven by riggers asking for lightweight and reliable soft-attach terminations and anti-chafing through-deck pieces to use for new builds, upgrades and refits. So you can have single-sided through-deck bushings that are designed to protect decks and lines from chafing in through-deck applications. Doublesided through-deck bushings are also available for installing soft-attach loops to protect lines from wear and also to keep them separate. Padeye kits include a cross pin, waterproof cap and O-ring to convert a double-sided bushing into a through-deck, watertight padeye. The cross pin attaches the rope/loop and the cap snaps over the top to keep water out. The bushing and loop are sold separately but all the bits are precision-sized to fit together when assembled. £POA Harken.co.uk

Barton ratchet block Bilgeaway filter Bilgeaway has won the British Safety Industry Federation’s Water Pollution Award for its environmentally friendly bilge discharge filter. The filter traps contaminants before they’re discharged overboard by automatic bilge pumps, rendering the filter’s contents non-reactive so they can be safely disposed of, instead of going to landfill. Bilgeaway is owned by UK-wide emergency assistance and breakdown firm, River Canal Rescue.

From £60; bilgeaway.co.uk

The new Barton Ratchet Block is designed to be used on mainsheet systems and spinnaker sheets on dinghies and keelboats, and for small yachts up to 30 feet. Combining high performance engineering and contemporary design, design, this 12-faced 55mm ratchet block is the first in a planned range of sizes, it also offers a stainless steel lever that locks the swivel head if desired.

£52 (55mm) bartonmarine.com

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Fastnet Race

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Rupert Holmes looks at the potential gains and challenges in the final leg of the new longer course for this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race.

he new longer course creates a further big throw of the dice in the final 50 miles of the race that’s likely to have the biggest effect on the slower boats in the fleet.

Granted, there has always been a tidal gate at the Lizard, 46 miles from Plymouth Breakwater. However, even at springs this covers only a small geographical area. The approach to Cherbourg from the west, however, is a different ball game.

In theory there will be no change this year for competitors until they pass the Scilly Islands on the return from the rock. However, given the longer distance, crews will need to be sure they are pacing themselves over the longer distance.

This is especially important given the approach to Cherbourg is more tactically difficult than for the previous finish at Plymouth.

Nevertheless, the race will take no longer for most than it did 20 years ago on the original course – it’s just that we have mostly become accustomed to sailing faster boats.

A key decision not long after passing the Scilly islands will be which side of the Casquets Traffic Separation Scheme to pass. On the face of it this is an easy decision – the rhumb line passes close to the south-western corner of the of the TSS. However, it’s not a given that this route will be the best for every boat in all conditions.

It’s also important to recognise that

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

Photo credits: Nigel Sharp, Chris Turner, Roger Teague, istock

Making the most of new Rolex Fastnet course T

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Fastnet Race

“In light airs a foul tide risks being swept south towards Guernsey, either to the west of the Casquets lighthouse, down the Swinge, or into the Alderney Race”

the direct course passes the shipping lanes west of the TSS at a very oblique angle, so in light airs slower boats may spend an extended period within the lanes.

The south-west corner of the TSS is just under 50 miles from the finish.

Those who are lucky enough to carry a fair tide from here will have a fairly straightforward ride to Cherbourg.

For these boats it’s likely to feel much like the run from the Lizard to Plymouth breakwater, which is a

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similar distance. However, those who have to fight the stream in this section are liable to have a very different experience.

Once clear of the TSS, the rhumb line skims only half a mile off the reefs to the north of Burhou and Alderney. Boats that arrive here with a favourable stream, and are able to carry it past Cap de la Hague, will get a massive benefit.

However, those that have to contend with a foul tide in this

ABOVE The new course will take about the same time as the old course took 20 years ago when boats in general were slower BELOW The legendary Fastnet Rock

section will be faced with a much more complex, and much slower scenario. In light airs a foul tide risks being swept south towards Guernsey, either to the west of the Casquets lighthouse, down the Swinge, or into the Alderney Race.

This is also one of the deepest parts of the English Channel, so being able to kedge in depths of 60-70 metres could prove decisive in these conditions. A long spool of 6mm Dyneema to use as the kedge rode is a worthwhile investment and will make recovering the hook enormously easier than typical Nylon rode. It’s also lightweight, compact and easy to stow. If you don’t have a windlass it can help to lead the rode back to a primary winch, especially if sailing two handed. Decent gloves are also an imperative.

Even with a big following wind, when against the stream it may be worth looping a little to the north of the rhumb line to get into slower streams. Around 5-6 miles north of Alderney, for example, the maximum rate drops by up to 40 per cent.

This can make it an exception to the general rule of heading right inshore to gain relief from an adverse tide. In the case of Alderney the land is just too small compared to the fast

flows in the channels either side of the island to make inshore routes a viable strategy in most circumstances. And the rocks are massive.

After Cap de la Hague it’s important to remember there’s a significant inshore eddy that sets up a couple of hours before the main stream turns in each direction. With a favourable stream staying offshore will therefore pay. But don’t overdo it – the fast north-easterly stream exiting the Alderney Race will also tend set you well offshore.

On the other hand, with a foul tide an inshore strategy after Cap de la Hague may pay, providing you’re 100 per cent sure of being able to close

the shore east of the headland without being sucked down the Alderney race. This will also leave you well placed to catch the first of the inshore eddy that sets up on the final eight miles or so of the course a couple of hours before the main stream turns to the east.

For some this will provide a route to useful gains in the closing stages of the race. However, the coast off Cap de la Hague is also rock strewn, so this approach needs sharp navigation and an alert, attentive crew, which is not guaranteed after several days at sea.

Easterly winds

We traditionally think of the Rolex Fastnet Race as a beat to the Rock and then a reach or a run to the finish. That’s also exactly the way the past few editions have played out.

However, this year has proved that easterly breezes can set in for

ABOVE Cherbourg harbour is familiar to many UK sailors but is a new destination for Fastnet racers BELOW LEFT L’Ange De Milon, owned by Jacques Pelletier topped the IRC One leaderboard of the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race BELOW RIGHT 2019 celebrations

extended periods. Equally, the end of the return leg of the 2019 AZAB (Azores and Back) race saw the front-runners faced with an easterly blowing a solid 35-40 knots for 36 hours, in which competitors were repeatedly jumping off four metre waves in the Western Approaches.

As part of the pre-planning for the Rolex Fastnet race it will make sense to figure out how the leg from the Scilly islands to the finish might work out in easterly breezes. If they are encountered it will be worth spending time to figure out whether one side of the Channel will be favoured in terms of wind strength or direction. Given easterly winds here in the summer are often the result of a high pressure system sitting to the north of an area of low pressure, there can be a tangible difference in wind speeds and direction on one side compared to the other.

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Yacht design - Rabbit and the 1965 Fastnet

A leap forward in yacht design Yacht designer Dick Carter recalls how his pioneering new yacht Rabbit secured victory in the 1965 Fastnet race

I

had just skippered the yacht Astrolabe to fourth in our class and sixth overall in the 1963 Fastnet Race. When the owner raised the question of how to improve the downwind steering on his boat, it was the first time I began to think seriously about the hull and rig. I always accepted these elements as fixed, as do most one-design sailors. My major emphasis, both in dinghies and ocean racers, had been on sails, tuning, tactics and boat speed. There was nothing one could do about the hull but clean the bottom. As the conversation intensified, I found myself finally agreeing to do a joint design for the 1965 Fastnet Race but a few weeks later I received a letter saying he had reconsidered and didn’t want to pursue the idea.

On the one hand, I was disappointed but on the other, I must admit, I felt a twinge of relief.

In talking it over with a neighbour, he suggested I design my own boat.

What a wild thought. Much as the

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prospect terrified me, I could not think of any reason for not doing so.

But it took a while to build up the nerve. It was a test of my courage and, for that matter, a test of my character.

My first idea was to have the new design excel in light to moderate air, the most frequent weather conditions in the long distance race. My second related to windward performance. It

ABOVE Campaigning Rabbit BELOW Rabbit’s Lines Plan .

made no sense when rounding a mark to go on the wind, strapping in the sails and sailing close to the wind, when the next mark is, say 50 miles away. So I was willing to sacrifice a bit of windward performance to gain more pure speed. The third idea was axiomatic.

I wanted the new design to be a comfortable cruiser – light and airy below deck. To satisfy these three objectives, I came to the conclusion that a beamy, shallow-draft boat would do the job perfectly under the RORC rule.

I decided on a 24-foot waterline,

<<photo credts Paul Wyeth>>

spar, why not do the same for an offshore boat? I saw no reason why not. The mast would be as clean as clean could be. It would be a first.

The RORC rule favoured sail area in the foretriangle while penalising mainsail area. So I decided to load up on the sail area of the foretriangle with a maximum-size genoa. Since this permitted an extra foot of length on the spinnaker pole, I was able to get a 920 sq. ft. spinnaker on a 34-foot boat. I was not lacking in sail power.

One of the major advantages of less sail area for the mainsail was the shorter boom, only 12.5 feet in length. A shorter boom is also safer.

Aesthetics

the minimum length accepted by the RORC, and a 10-foot beam. I would name her Rabbit. I’d already named three boats Rabbit, but the name still attracted me. It suggested liveliness and speed.

The New Design – The Hull

I had been giving a tremendous amount of thought to the underbody.

I wanted good downwind control. I also wanted a wine glass midship section, not only for increased stability but also for speed.

But it was the keel where I gave the most thought. The RORC rule had a shallow draft bonus – the idea being a boat with a shallow-draft keel would suffer going to windward and therefore deserved a reduction in rating. But I have long been of the opinion that in ocean racing, one should sail full on the wind rather than close. We made out like bandits with Astrolabe in the 1963 Fastnet Race because we footed for speed. I ultimately decided that my new design would have a shallow draft keel of 4 feet 8 inches. It seemed to tie in well with stability gained by extra beam and was very compatible with my desire to sail relatively

upright, dinghy-style, not to exceed 22°–24° angle of heel.

The Rig

I was determined to clean up the rig as much as possible. My goal was to reduce windage, doubly important because of my design objective to excel in light to moderate air. So I asked myself the question: if one could have halyards inside a dinghy

ABOVE Rabbit at the trots, Cowes week 1965 (first row – 5th from left) BELOW Rabbit in racing trim

I wanted Rabbit not only to be fast but also look fast – a challenge for a 34-foot boat. The sheer line should be crisp. My intention was to define it in a more vivid way by painting both the topsides and the bottom white, thus emphasising the navy blue waterline. Painting the bottom white would be a first in Europe.

A traditional stern looked old fashioned to me. But with a reverse transom stern, the stern’s sheer line can be parallel to the waterline, effectively giving the boat a more powerful look. An unintended consequence of Rabbit’s reverse transom was that it became universally adopted by other designers.

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Yacht design - Rabbit and the 1965 Fastnet

In May 1965, I eventually saw Rabbit for the first time. All I could say was, “She looks like a boat!” She looked better than I dared hope. As a novice yacht designer, I was of course pleased that my first project not only looked like a boat but floated like one, too.

Although I never told anybody at the time, I had specifically designed Rabbit to win the Fastnet.

It was only the second time in the

history of the Fastnet Race that a Class III yacht had won overall and it was accomplished in what was essentially a big boat race: Class I boats took 5 of the first 10 places on corrected time.

Winning the Fastnet fulfilled my design objective and validated my design ideas.

Extract taken from Dick Carter, Yacht designer © Fernhurst Books; Publication date 13th April 2021; RRP: £40.00

The 1965 Fastnet Race With 151 boats, the 1965 Fastnet had a record number of entries.

On August 7th, we had an evening start in a light to moderate westerly. What a contrast from two years ago, when a gale blowing Force 7 had made the start seem more like a survival course. Here we had a gentle breeze on a beautiful summer evening. It was an idyllic sight watching Class I and II sail away. Now it was Class III’s run for its 7pm start.

We elected to start at the Royal Yacht Squadron end of the line to minimise the effect of the ebb tide. On the line too early, we hooked back, found a hole, and hit the line at the gun. There was much short tacking in the scramble to reach Egypt Point, but once clear, we had a direct shot to the Needles and the English Channel. It was perfect Rabbit weather. In that light moderate air, and with our huge #1 genoa working to maximum, we sailed right past Camille, the Australian Admiral’s Cup Team boat and the top boat in our 70 strong Class III. Although we rated 10th from the bottom, we started to sail away from the entire Class III fleet. I couldn’t believe it. Several times I repeated to myself, “This is the Fastnet and we’re pulling away from the whole class.” I had to pinch myself.

Once clear of the Needles, we set a course directly towards Portland Bill. Sometime during the night, I began to hear “Swoosh….swoosh….swoosh.” Out of nowhere, Camille appeared and promptly slipped right by to leeward. Considering that she had a 30-foot waterline to Rabbit’s 24-foot, I was pleased that we had held her off for such a long time.

We made the Bill and our next target was Start Point, where the tidal current would turn against us early Sunday afternoon. In the light south-westerly, we were able to keep Rabbit moving at all times. We passed

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Camille and arrived at Start Point just as the current was turning foul.

With our light air speed we squeaked through and sailed into Plymouth Sound. I knew that we were leading all of Class III, boat for boat. Moreover, they had to cope with the powerful, adverse current while we managed to keep moving in the light, fluky sou’wester until we were abreast of the Eddystone Light. Then we ground to a halt – no wind.

When the breeze returned, it came unexpectedly from the southeast. In a flash, most of our 18-mile lead evaporated. On

the plus side, we had a perfect angle for the Lizard. It was ideal Rabbit weather. When dawn broke off the Lizard, our morale soared as we caught sight of a cluster of Class I and II boats.

After a day of running with spinnakers in confused seas, at 8pm, our wire spinnaker halyard chafed through. I went aloft on the genoa halyard to get us back in business.

But not for long.

An hour and a half later, during a spinnaker knockdown, the spinnaker guy snap shackle broke, ripping the spinnaker in the process. We had no choice. We altered course slightly and sailed with the #2 genoa.

In the morning the wind moderated some and I decided to gamble and set our

half-ounce light air spinnaker, even though it wasn’t designed for this wind strength.

Fortunately, it held and we carried it to the Rock.

When we rounded Fastnet Rock just before noon, we saw that we were in excellent company amongst many Class II boats. Only later did we learn that Camille had excelled in that downwind leg and arrived at the Rock an hour and a quarter ahead of us. But we were first on corrected time over the whole fleet.

We now faced a beat to windward to Bishop Rock, 150 miles away. Unlike most boats around us, I tacked to the south away from the favoured leg but the weather wasn’t playing to Rabbit’s strength. We shifted to our #2 genoa, when we got headed and the wind moderated. We suddenly revelled in ideal Rabbit weather again, shifted back to our big genoa and tacked for Bishop Rock.

All day and night we sailed as fast or faster than all boats in sight.

Unfortunately, as we approached the Scillies, we found ourselves having to beat to windward against a strong current. The fog didn’t help. We spent nine exhausting hours battling the current.

Nearing the Bishop, we were suddenly startled to see a boat emerge from the murk crossing our bow on starboard tack. It was Camille! Unbelievable.

Finally, at 1:33 that afternoon, we crossed the finish line in brilliant sunshine. We motored into Plymouth and tied Rabbit up alongside other finishers. Then someone atop the retaining wall called down to us, “Rabbit, you’re second.” Almost numb with fatigue, I thought well, that’s not so bad. A few minutes later, the man returned and called down to us again, “Rabbit, you’re first overall!” I understood the words but I was too drained for it to fully sink in right then and there.

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elitesailing.co.uk Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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Cruising - Tierra del Fuego

Nick and Jenny Coghlan recount a winter adventure hiding from the storms in Tierra del Fuego

Winter in the land of fire

T

here was good reason to procrastinate as we sat in Mar del Plata, steeling ourselves to drop south towards the Horn, through the Roaring Forties and well into the Fifties. Mainly, there was the weather to think about. We’d wait, we said to ourselves and to anyone who cared to listen, for a forecast of at least three days of favourable winds below thirty knots: that should put us well on our way.

The days passed with no such forecast. Then came Christmas.

There was probably a touch of hysteria to the partying on the ten or so southbound yachts at the Yacht Club Argentino. All anyone could talk about was Windguru and the latest synoptic charts, which invariably showed massive depressions rolling through the

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Drake Passage. We realised that if we kept asking everyone else’s opinion and scouring the internet for reassurance, we would never leave; the New Year’s party was already being planned. So one morning when the barometer was steady and the wind was light offshore, we set off unannounced.

Several weeks later and a thousand miles on, following an unintended but prolonged engine-induced stop in the remote Patagonian port of Puerto Deseado, there was a sense of vertigo aboard Bosun Bird as we approached the Strait of Le Maire, the fifteen-mile wide channel that separates the eastern tip of Tierra del Fuego from rugged Isla de los Estados. It was vital that we enter the Strait with favourable current and no adverse winds. Otherwise, the Admiralty Pilot gloomily warned,

ABOVE The Beagle Channel, BELOW LEFT Preparing for heavy weather at the Yacht Club Argentino BELOW Beating to windward as Bosun Bird exits the Strait of Le Maire; Tierra del Fuego off the starboard bow BELOW RIGHT Approaching Puerto Williams, with the Dientes del Navarino in the background;

such a sea would be kicked up as to render Le Maire “impassable by boats and even dangerous for vessels of considerable size”.

More colourfully than the Pilot, writing in Uttermost Part of the Earth, Lucas Bridges tells of one passage under sail in the nineteenth century, when the missionary vessel Allen Gardiner was twice beaten back by adverse conditions: “It is difficult to describe the mountainous waves made steeper by the world-famous tide-rip in those Straits, or the nights hove to and battened down, when water pounds on the deck or swills about in the bilge, and the creaking of timbers and spars is accompanied by the roar of the gale in the rigging, and the occasional machine-gun rattle of the storm sails…”

We shot through in the middle of

the night with four knots of favourable current and twenty knots of wind astern. It was snowing lightly. In the faint light projected from our masthead tricolour, I could see the black surface of the ocean roiling.

Jenny passed me up half a Mars bar from the galley. As we made a hard right into the Beagle Channel, out of the Strait, she zipped the companionway cover closed and announced that she was now going to bed.

With most of the summer gone, we decided to winter over in the far South, choosing Puerto Williams as our haven.

This is a small community that was established in the 1950’s as a naval base, on the southern (Chilean) shore of the Beagle Channel. Its backdrop is a range of saw-tooth mountains known as Los Dientes del Navarino (The Teeth of Navarino Island).

The Yacht Club at Williams is the most southerly in the world. The locals repeatedly and emphatically remind you of how many “southernmost” claims they are entitled to make. Woe betide if you whisper anything about similar affirmations regarding Ushuaia,

BELOW LEFT Tucked up inside the Micalvi for the winter BELOW RIGHT On the foredeck of the Micalvi (the Yacht Club)

which is in Argentina and on the other side of the Channel: it is twenty miles to the west “but at least three miles north,” they will say. The club is also distinguished in that it is a retired auxiliary vessel of the Chilean Navy, the Micalvi, still painted grey and beached in such a way that smaller vessels can tuck snugly inshore and tie to her side.

The clubhouse – the main saloon, listing permanently like everything else at an angle of about five degrees – closes once the brief southern summer is over. Inconveniently, the incline is such that if you make the mistake of taking a shower on board at the height of a spring tide, your bare feet will be in very cold seawater. It also means that when you climb on to the main deck from your own boat, the steel ladder is overhanging. One especially dark

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Cruising - Tierra del Fuego

and cold night, when the surface of the bay was frozen over, I was returning from a shower and slipped on an iced-up rung with spectacular and disastrous effect. I can still remember the crackle as I went into the water.

It seemed like we soon knew the whole town. Every morning, we’d chat with Mario the baker when we went to pick up fresh bread and at Simon & Simon, the only shop, Jenny quickly made friends with the ginger cat who liked to sleep in the window.

At the sole restaurant – Los Dientes – Doña Carmen the proprietor told us, over many instalments, her life story. This included her interesting impressions of 1960’s life on Tyneside, where she’d been stationed for two years while her husband was commissioning a submarine for the Chilean Navy. Julio the town mechanic laboured over our sickly diesel for weeks: he wanted to lift it out and move it to his snow-filled garden for ease of access. We

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compromised by detaching the cylinder head and taking it as hand-luggage on the island’s Twin Otter, for some re-boring in Punta Arenas. Mauricio, a young naval lieutenant, became a close friend. He wisely advised us to keep our dealings with Julio quiet: if the Navy were to realise we were immobilised, all sorts of inspections and bureaucracy would have to kick in before we could sail again.

There were only two other foreigners in town: Charlie and Ben, both American, and both the owners of boats moored at the Micalvi. They were not on speaking terms. Ben doubled as an evangelist, but Charlie liked nothing better than to stuff Ben’s religious tracts down his rival’s dorades. We soon learned not to speak of one to the other.

You also needed to be careful when discussing politics. As the prime benefactor of Chile’s well-equipped and professional armed forces, the erstwhile dictator Augusto Pinochet

ABOVE LEFT The abandoned radio station, Wulaia ABOVE CENTRE Wulaia Bay BELOW LEFT Mario, the village baker BELOW CENTRE Puerto Williams town centre BELOW RIGHT Julio the mechanic

was held in very high regard. And former British PM Margaret Thatcher – for having taken on and beaten the old enemy, Argentina – was nothing less than a secular saint.

We found ourselves participating carefully in many a late-night toast to La Dama de Hierro (the Iron Lady) at the Dientes, following which hilarious and ribald stories would be told of how the Williams-based Chilean radio technicians loved to jam the communications of passing Argentine ships.

Of the original inhabitants of this windy and remote archipelago – the hardy Yaghans – only one fullblooded individual remained: Abuela Cristina, born in 1928. We would see her around town, but she was now so tired of being “the last one” that she charged outsiders for interviews or photographs. Who could really blame her?

One week in August, when the days were lengthening again and the snow receding from the shoreline, we

packed up our camping gear and made a three-day trek to Wulaia, the closest thing the Yaghans – who were semi nomadic, living for extended periods in their canoes – had to a settlement. We camped en route at beaches backed by 10,000-year-old shell middens, just like those we knew from ancient aboriginal sites in British Columbia.

At Wulaia Bay rotting wooden pilings extended out from the shore and there was an old clinker-built longboat with grass growing through its floor. Up against the dark treeline was a haunted-looking two-storey house that had been abandoned for more than fifty years: it had once served as the closest radio station in the Americas to Antarctica. The house, its windows broken, was still used occasionally: we found a large pile of greasy sheep fleeces in an upstairs room. The rain set in so we stayed here for two full days, sleeping on the sheepskins.

Wulaia features prominently in

both Uttermost Part of the Earth and Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle, the two must-reads for anyone exploring these waters. This was the home of Jemmy Button, the young Yaghan whom Captain Robert Fitzroy kidnapped and took to London – where he met royalty and was the talk of the town – in 1830. Darwin was on board the Beagle when Fitzroy guiltily returned Jemmy to Wulaia the following year. The boy retained his knowledge of English, but nearly thirty years later took part in a massacre of Christian missionaries at Wulaia.

The place is eerie, and we were in no way reassured when, walking out, we encountered two rough-looking men on a beach, armed with shotguns. They were evasive, gesturing angrily at us to move on.

Later we deduced they were poaching cows, waiting for a clandestine pick-up.

The night before we left Williams to move west along the Beagle,

ABOVE Puerto Williams BELOW LEFT The main square, Puerto Williams BELOW CENTRE Snowfall in the marina BELOW RIGHT Sunrise over the Dientes del Navarino, view from Bosun Bird’s cockpit

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick and Jenny Coghlan are a pair of adventurous cruisers based in Victoria, BC, Canada. They have covered many miles in their trusty Vancouver 27, Bosun Bird.

Nick’s book Winter in Fireland is available at bosunbird.com

Mauricio and his wife came for a farewell dinner with their little boy Beto. Small children on sailboats can be a liability. Beto wanted to press every button in sight, flip every switch, even try the head. It was with mixed feelings when we bade the three of them farewell late that night, to tidy up the postdinner havoc and get ready for departure at sunrise.

Of course, it was not to be. When I came to switch on the engine in the morning there was a click. Nothing else. I was inclined to blame Beto.

But I had eventually to admit to Jenny that I had not seen him worm his way into the engine compartment, where we had found a stray cable hanging loose. “Julio”, said Jenny decisively.

I kept my counsel. Jenny is the designated electrician on board. But I had learned the hard way that it is best not to cast off with Captain and Crew at odds. We waited until the next day’s tide.

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Shortlist | Boat cookers

SHORTLIST

MORE SHORTLISTS We keep this and similar lists bang up to date online at sailingtoday.co.uk

BOAT COOKERS Aqua Marine Neptune 4500

GN Espace Levante

The Neptune 4500 is manufactured in the UK and runs on butane or propane gas. Has separate grill and is designed for easy cleaning.

It also has a thermostatically controlled oven, and flame failure device for the burners.

GN Espace high quality cookers and its Levante range is purpose-built for cruising sailors. The Levante comes with the choice of 2 or 3 hobs. There is the option of a solid or glass door and it’s quick to heat, economical with gas and provides excellent cooking performance.

It comes with a multi-directional gimbal system option which provides a stable platform for cooking.

£585 aquamarineint.com

£2,395 gn-espace.com

Dickinson Marine Mediterranean

Plastimo Tasman 4500

Dickinson Marine’s Mediterranean stove features its trademark heavy-duty stainless steel construction, with laser cut decorative touches. It’s equipped with three efficient and powerful burners, and push-and-turn electronic ignition.

The Tasman 4500 is a neat-looking gas hob unit that includes a twin hob and grill. It features a rapid hob burner, and all burners are protected by flame failure safety cut-outs. Weighs just 5.8 kg.

£1791 dickinsonmarine.com

£305 plastimo.com

Dometic Marine Moonlight

Taylor’s 030L diesel stove

Dometic’s Marine Moonlight cooker comes with a gas oven, grill and three-burner hob. It boasts a heatresistant glass door and interior light for easy viewing of what’s cooking. For safety, it has an oven door lock and safe ignition system. £554 dometic.com

Taylor stoves are fuelled by pressurised diesel, which is a sound alternative to gas. The 030L is the largest and most versatile in the range and offers an enamelled top plate hob with two burners, a grill underneath and a deep oven.

Eno Open Sea

Voyager 4500 Marine Gas Cooker

Constructed using highly polished marine-grade stainless steel that lasts well in the marine environment and is easy to clean, the Eno Open Sea features twin burners and an enamelled oven.

This is a sturdy-looking stainless steel gas cooker with flame failure safety device on all burners (hob, grill and oven). Features pan supports and safety oven lock to prevent the door from opening when the boat heels.

£725 service.eno-marine.fr

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AUGUST 2021 sailingtoday.co.uk

£2,500 taylorsheatersandcookers.co.uk

£449 marineheating.co.uk

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

85

How to Win ~ Big fleet racing

Close encounters With the Olympics just around the corner, Jon Emmett takes a look at winning in close fleet situation

T

he Olympics loom ever closer and that has got us all to thinking what would it be like racing at the games? With only around 20 boats/boards in most classes these sailors really represent the best of the best. Indeed, sadly there are many extremely talented sailors who do not get the opportunity to go the Olympic games due to sailor athlete quotas (350 for 2020 (2021 in reality) and 330 for 2024).

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

This makes us think that this style of racing requires a different mind set and maybe even different skill set. Just as match racing is quite different to huge fleet racing where you have to start using a gate start (sadly there are few events left now which have to start this way). Both the size and quality of the fleet make a difference. This article is most applicable to class racing.

For big fleet racing we are always looking for consistency, with a large course and with so many boats on

ABOVE In big fleet racing, consistency is key

the course we need to manage risk and reward very carefully because missing just a 10 degree wind shift for an extra 3 knots of wind speed for a few hundred metres could cost you a huge number of places and with so much traffic about it is very hard to get back to the front of the fleet. This is the reason that in these races you tend to see one or two boats get well clear of the chasing pack. As the saying goes the rich get richer… (those with clean air at the front tend to pull away).

The most extreme example and perhaps the most fun to watch is, of course, the medal race. Fast and furious and with the best boats in the fleet. However this is not really a true test of fleet racing because by the end of the regatta the finishing order is often fairly well settled and you get the situation where boats are just staying close to each other or trying

to keep another boat behind them / push their main rival to the back of the fleet… all very different to trying to put together a consistent series!

So, what do we know?

Starts become very important in high level fleets. Of course, starting is always important but the “faster” the fleet the more important starts become and in a high quality fleet everyone tends to be good at starting so there are no “easy” places to start.

With a smaller line the leverage of the favoured / biased end is less so it becomes more important that you can sail the way you wish: think 1st to tack on the shift or getting into better pressure / current.

Speed: they say boat speed makes you a tactical genius. If everyone is similar speed you are going to have to really work on your boat to boat tactics. Don’t just carry on sailing

hoping that your speed will allow you to pull clear to tack or you can live in that dirty air. Being in phase becomes very important. You need snappy decision making. Better to tack / gybe early and duck a transom to be going the right way rather than carry on and hope. Speed is unlikely to be your get out of jail free card if you end up the wrong side of the course.

Determination: you may be used to being able to pull through the fleet quickly in a big fleet national championship after a poor start / first beat. This is not an option, the better the fleet, the harder you will have to fight to lose each point on your score but at the same time because the fleet size is smaller the points difference tend to be very close. So, fight for every point, the race is not over until you have crossed the finish line.

ABOVE the better the fleet, the harder you will have to fight

How can we improve?

What we need to do is practise and how can we best improve is by attending high level international competitions and this is the reason many people travel, but this is not always possible or practical as there are a very limited number of major competitions every year. Your peak regatta might be “Gold fleet” racing at the Worlds. The skill sets are often appropriate for when you transition classes as well and you find yourself in the mid fleet where the boats are the most tightly packed.

Rules: it goes without saying that you need to know the rules, but this is especially true when the boats are very close together. Rules can be used to both defend and attack a position and mark roundings are perhaps the most important area to understand. Fair sailing is achieved by sticking to the rules, so you need Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

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How to Win ~ Big fleet racing

to know them. At the time of writing the new rules have been out for less than a year, so it is a good idea to review the case books to see how situations have been interpreted.

Short course racing always brings the boats closer together and is perhaps the best way to simulate those important boat to boat situations when doing for example a three minute rather than 12 minute beat or a 12 minute rather than 45 minute race. [A variation on this is to do full length racecourses but only ever 1 lap, so everyone stays as tight as possible].

Staggered starts

One of the difficulties of a highquality fleet is pulling through from behind. Good sailors know how not

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

to be overtaken! Consider a training exercise where the boats start in order of speed, with an appropriate gap between them, depending upon the length of the race. One way of doing this is having a race and then the following race starts in reverse order (the 1st boat starts last, the 2nd boat starts second to last and so on). You can then do a series of, say, six races, depending on how long each race is.

An extension of this is Gold and Silver. For example, with 20 boats you divide into 10 “Gold” and “10 Silver” (usually by the initial race).

In a subsequent race the bottom two boats in the Gold and top two boats in the Silver fleet change places and both fleets end up with super close racing. There is always a careful

balance to have between racing and training. Training locally can work well to maximise time on the water compared to travel, and work on new skills in a low-pressure environment (usually under pressure we can only perform to our best rather than improve.)

In terms of racing, we want to improve as much as possible so we need to attend the highest level of competition that we are able to (obviously events like the Olympics are only for very few people). On top of this a warm-up or practice regatta is also good, so you can have some racing each year before the big one whether that is a club Championship, National regatta, or a certain event happening in Japan very shortly!

Considering an Electric Outboard?

“Using a well-engineered electric outboard has been a revelation.’’

TOM CUNLIFFE Classic Boat

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: 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)

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motors”, these 1kW electrics have huge torque (more like a 3hp petrol).

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.

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)

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 their Lower Lifetime Running Costs, including (almost) No Servicing.

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).

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Alamara IV in particular benefits from having the optional extra composite wheels and main sheet track just forward of the helm positions making her easy to handle while providing exhilarating performance potential. She has a fixed carbon bowsprit with her North Sails wardrobe controlled via her upgraded Harken Performa winches and her German mainsheet system recessed under the deck for improved safety and cleaner lines. Once she is safely at anchor or mooring in the marina she has a high-quality interior to relax and entertain in with stylish oak veneer joinery, white coloured hull linings and deckhead giving a bright feel and grey upholstery for some added style. The open fore cabin area can either be an owner’s sleeping area or a sail locker whilst racing, whilst a further separate aft cabin plus the saloon provides separate guest sleeping accommodation.

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AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

HANSE 575 | HEBE The iconic Hanse 575 has set the trend in the 55-60ft bracket and are often chosen to cover thousands of ocean miles thanks to the blend of spacious hull with good volume combined with strong performance.

Hebe has an extensive specification and a history of being maintained by a professional boat captain with absolutely no expense spared throughout her entire ownership, which will become very apparent on viewing.

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Cabins: 3 Year: 2004 Length: 13.9m (45’6”) Beam: 4.26m (13’9” Max draft: 2.3m (7’5”) Displacement: 9,600kg Engine: Yanmar 56hp Lying: Rhu, Argyll and Bute michaelschmidt.co.uk craftinsure quote: £655

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91

TIME OUT SAM JEFFERSON AND STEVE BROWN REVIEW THE LATEST BUNKSIDE READS, CLASSIC BOOKS AND MORE

Arctic and northern waters, including Faroe, Iceland and Greenland – Andrew Wilkes The new edition of the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation’s guide to Arctic and Northern Waters by Andrew Wilkes is not merely a rehash of the previous 2014 edition, but a comprehensive update with over 70 extra pages and well over 1000 changes and additions.

The origins of this guide can be found in the reports written by OCC and RCC members following their summer cruises to the area, including the legendary HW (Bill) Tilman, the Rev Bob Shepton and Willy Ker amongst many others.

This has been a serious undertaking, with much of the research undertaken by the author ably, assisted by his wife Máire, and is built on their previous experience cruising in the Arctic and transiting the Northwest Passage.

Extensive cruises to the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland plus three trips to the east coast of Baffin Island provide the bulk of the information. In each of the main cruising areas the harbours, anchorages and chartlets have been updated with additional input from local harbour masters and a number of other experienced high-latitude sailors. The additional section covering Baffin Island adds a number of anchorages previously unknown (except to the locals) and contains many stunning images. (Review by Steve Brown).

Imray.com £65

Windvane Report - A Journey through time Peter Foerthmann Peter Foerthermann is a man with a good deal of passion for wind vanes. He’s so passionate in fact that he even manufactures one of his own, the Windpilot. Now he has published a book on the subject – worryingly, it’s actually his second. I love the fact it’s called ‘a journey through time’, and was hoping for a spot of magical realism thrown into the mix – sadly not. Despite this, the book is surprisingly good. I mean it helps if you have some residual interest in wind vanes of course but even so, It is surprisingly accessible and there are plentiful anecdotes. It’s also far more than just an extended advertorial for his own Windpilot.

The pros and cons of all the major models are explored and the whole book makes you feel like you have become a member of some sort of rarefied club consisting of adventurers and voyagers. I’d say it’s a must if you’re planning on buying a wind vane and more than just an oddity if you’re not. windpilot.com/books £18.99

The War With Cape Horn – Alan Villiers The War With Cape Horn is a brutal warts and all account of the death throes of the deep water commercial sailing ship. Narrator Alan Villiers looks back on some of the mighty iron ships of the early 1900s which continued to ply the dangerous waters of the Southern Ocean in a desperate attempt to eke out a living in the face of competition from ever more efficient steam ships.

Given that the narrator clearly loves his subject matter – Villiers served in a number of tall ships during the 1920s and 30s – he certainly doesn’t hold back in underlining what a grim existence this was. Aside from his own recollections, he is also fortunate to have been able to speak to many officers and men who served aboard these mighty ships, giving the book a wholly authentic flavour in its description of freezing Cape Horn rollers, miserable wet bunks and deeply unsatisfactory provisions aboard.

Unfortunately the book is also rather disjointed and Villiers has a dreadful tendency to get bogged down in the detail when all you want him to do is keep racing on with the ships to their far flung destinations. Nevertheless, the book is well worth a read if only for the hugely evocative first hand account from a Captain named Miethe as he narrates racing up the River Elbe before a sleet strewn Force Ten aboard the giant four masted Barque Pitlochry.

Miethe recalls a kind of seamanship that is long gone but should never be forgotten.

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North Brittany & Channel Islands Cruising Companion

by Peter & Jane Cumberlidge This is the third edition of an invaluable cruising companion for anyone wishing to cruise the North Brittany coasts, the Channel Islands and the harbours on the west side of the Cherbourg peninsula.

The updated guide is packed with comprehensive pilotage and nautical information as well as suggestions of where to eat and what to do ashore: an authoritative guide designed to help you make the most of your visit to this fabulous area. It is enhanced with colour charts and detailed photography, including spectacular aerial shots of ports, harbours and anchorages. fernhurstbooks.com £42.50

The New Crew’s Pocketbook Tim Davison The New Crew’s pocketbook does pretty much what it says in the title, being a small handbook for newbies learning the ropes. This certainly isn’t the first book to be launched with that concept in mind but, as long as there are new sailors out there, demand will remain for a book like this. Tim Davison is certainly in a good position to dish out a few pearls of wisdom, being a past National and European sailing champion who also apparently has thousands of cruising miles in his wake.

Anyway, the book is nice and simple in its format and provides an introduction to the vocabulary of sailing and a useful reference point for a new sailor seeking to find their bearings aboard. The book has a friendly and approachable tone and is in no way condescending. The text is also nicely broken up with illustrations and diagrams. fernhurstbooks.com £9.99

Classic Choice Bounty (1984) The story of the Bounty is multi-layered and fascinating; Bligh, probably the greatest sailor and navigator of his time, essentially pushed a relatively decent man and family friend into mutiny through an extraordinary regime of hazing and general bastardry. There are innumerable excellent book on the subject of course but there are also some very good films: There are several choices when it comes to the Bounty with both Clark Gable and Marlon Brando among those to ensure competition is very tight when it comes to which is the best. Ultimately though, the 1984 version wins out for me on a number of fronts. For one thing the replica of the Bounty is magnificent but, above all, the

cast is simply absurdly good.

Allow me to list a few of the luminaries: Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day Lewis Laurence Olivier, Liam Neeson, John Sessions, Dexter Fletcher and, most obscurely of all, Neil Morrissey of Men Behaving Badly fame. Gibson obviously went downhill on lots of fronts

in later years but he plays a very fine Fletcher Christian while Anthony Hopkins is superb as well intentioned martinet William Bligh. The film captures with some aplomb the disintegration of their friendship and the uneasy, sticky heat and general malaise of life ashore in Tahiti as Bligh waited for his cargo to be prepared.

The quality of filming is good and the sailing scenes were evidently carefully researched, making for a thoroughly compelling watch.

Dispatches PREVEZA, GREECE | PENTYDRAG

‘I think we made the right decision’ the skipper reflected as we swung to our anchor off Meganisi, staring out over a vista of towering mountains that plunged down into shimmering waters. It was hard not to agree. We had been hired to run a charter vessel by the name of Pentydrag in the Ionian that summer and it had not panned out. Alarm bells should have rung immediately; the boat was made of concrete for starters and the owner, a smooth talking, wild eyed dreamer had explained to us in his well appointed London home that there was ‘a little work to do before she was ready.’

The reality was brutal. We searched for the boat at Cleopatra Marina, Preveza and eventually found the manager who strongly resembled Brian Blessed’s Spiro in ‘My Family and Other Animals’. “Ah!” he exclaimed: “Penyyddrayy… a truly International boat.” What he said made no sense but it conveyed utter contempt.

A minute later and we understood all; the boat lay forlorn stripped to primer and enveloped in inches of dust from shot blasting which reverberated in our ears.

We stepped aboard and found a strange ghost ship. Power tools downed mid way through a job and left to rust on deck.

Wires everywhere and dust, so much dust. I looked at the skipper, our eyes met and a dream died. ‘Let’s go and get drunk’. I woke up the next day with the worst retsina headache ever and a lungful of dust. Without hesitation, we quit this accursed vessel and went in search of a charter yacht – not to work on, but to take a short break and prepare ourselves for the disappointment of returning to the UK with our tails between our legs.

The following day we dropped anchor off Meganisi and sighed with relief.

FEATURE HERE! Send us your dispatches – from St Mawes to St Croix editor@sailingtoday.co.uk twitter.com/SailingTodayMag

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Rod rigging. Winder lifting rudder with carbon tiller 3 jibs, 2 mainsails,2 spinnakers all HD Sails. West Mersey road base. Lots of photos on request. . £13000 Tel 07903 993588 / (CHICHESTER) SCORPION DINGHY PARTS. Everything for sale apart from hull - mast, boom, sails, rudder, centreboard, spinnaker poles, rigging and fittings, etc. Canvas cover only 3 years old. Launching trolley with removable jockey wheel. Everything in fair condition. Parts for sale separately, please apply. £20 Tel 01969 368371 / (LEYBURN)

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J/24 FROM 2005 READY FOR RACING. Hull #5380 in very good condition.

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Excellent Club racing record. Many North Sails. Lowered coachroof. Tohatsu 3.5 HP. Carbon Pole. Galvanized 4 wheel road trailer.

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Built 2013. Very little use. Approx 15 events.

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SIGMA 8MTR. Optimised for IRC with blade jib and fully battened main, will come with a brand new laminate jib that has not been finished yet as I’m writing advert, trailer, Suzuki outboard, all ready to race, only selling as my boys are not going to be around much next year. £8000 Tel 07960 874365 / (WEST MERSEA ) J24 HIJINKS GBR4213. 1988 Rogers, good racing history, North club sails and Quantum regatta sails, carbon pole, new standing rigging, recent survey, road trailer, 3.5hp Tohatsu outboard, dry sailed . £7495 Tel 07971 879128 / 01392 841026 (PLYMOUTH) 1990 ROGERS DESIGN J-24. Good race results both in club racing and opens. 2nd Spring Cup 2019 in Dartmouth. 5th Summer Cup 2019 in Parkstone with race win. 3rd Autumn Cup in Poole. Race wins at the last two National Events. Last weighed in at 1272KG. Original Kenyon Mast with forestay reinforcement completed 2019. . £9000 Tel +4477 87741871 / +4477 68533119 (POOLE) SWALLOW YACHTS BAY CRUISER 23. Bay cruiser 23. Built 2015.Very good condition.

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Call Philip Bull on 023 8034 8854 KEELBOATS JEANNEAU ‘16 479. Used 13.4m length polyester white coloured diesel Sailboat, with 4 cabins, 4 heads, 4 beds. Usage hours 3.289. Engine’s power 55bhp.

Anemometer, Bathroom ladder, Auxiliary machine, Compass, Electric windlass, Fathometer, GPS, Gangway, Kitchen, Land socket, Oven, Plotter, Sewage tank, Tent, Tv, Vhf, Water tank, Auto pilot, Outboard motor, Refrigerator, with 1 engine, A/C, Bimini Top, Bow Thruster, Electric Winch for Mainsail, Electronic Instruments, GPS Plotter Inside and on Cockpit, Reefing Mainsail, Outboard Motor, Radio/CD player, Solar Panel, Sprayhood, 2 Steering Wheels. £189000 Tel +30 6932606223 / (GREECE) ROGERS CONTESSA J24. Race-ready Rogers Contessa J24. GBR4113 is ready to take away today, fully rerigged in 2019 with Kingfisher Ropes, Harken and Viadana blocks. Correctors, 2016 Dart Sails set, North Sails spinnaker, road trailer. Contact for full history and inventory. £5500 Tel 07894 275014 / (PLYMOUTH) 1980 SOUTHERLY 105. Well-maintained lifting keel Southerly 105, all the gear, including full suit of sails, inflatable dinghy, winches, full inventory and ready to sail away immediately for all-year round sailing. Viewing by arrangement, contact for more information. £30950 Tel 07894 275014 / (PLYMOUTH)

MOTORBOATS/RIBS

HURLEY 22 - FREE. Restoration required.

Sails (number 66), spars, anchor and chain, cushions, compass, autohelm, outboard, cooker etc included. No Trailer. £1 Tel 07919 203106 / (HESWALL)

TAYLOR’S DIESEL HEATER. Taylor’s Heater with stainless tank. Needle valve drip system required. Many spares, windows, chimney central burning spiral etc. £200 Tel 07841 099911 / (NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE)

MULTIHULLS

OTHER EQUIPMENT

SHADOW X 093. Built 2014 but the beams were replaced Spring 2020. Not sailed this season. The hulls are in excellent condition as is the tramp, sails and foils. Chute on the pole. Big wheel trolley with handle; foil bags; stern blocks and trailer with box. £8750 Tel 07795 080605 / (GORLESTON)

LIFERAFT 4 PERSON. Lazilas 4 person liferaft ISO 9650-1 in hard case, just 3 years old, 3 year service interval. Needs new service for certificate. Used. £300 Tel 07775 706626 / (TWICKENHAM)

DIAM 24 - 2014 OD TRIMARAN. Professionally prepared (ex Team BP) and perfectly maintained. Little sailed.

Complete pack includind Torqueedo engine, 2 set of sails, launching trolley, covered road trailer. Revised in ADH yard 2017, ready for leisure or season 2019/2020.

Visible South of France. £20000 Tel +33 607341149 / (MONTPELLIER)

KNIVES

• For all wheel sizes and sprayhood grab rails • Leather Spinnaker pole covers • Handy Pull Tags to open Shackles • Suppliers of Marine Leathers to Sailmakers & Riggers

Clyde Marine Leather www.clydemarineleather.com T. 0141 881 4981

SAILS

Exceptional Performance

MYERCHIN KNIVES T: (01929) 554308 The Sail Loft, 16 Sandford Lane Ind Est, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4DY

www.kempsails.com

TRAILERS/TROLLIES

SB20 NUMBER IRL 3148. Excellent condition.

Ready to race. 1 – Main & Jib. 3 – Gennakers.

Mast, boom and carbon gennaker pole.

Keel hoist. Keel buffers. Tacktick Compass.

2 – Gennaker launch bags (blue). Rudder blade plus cover sleeve. Top cover. Lifting straps. Engine bracket. 2.5 hp engine. Many accessories. Road Trailer. £10000 Tel 00353 863731738 / (DUBLIN)

TROLLEY FOR DINGHY. Rapide extender trolley for sale. No longer extends but suits up to 12 foot dinghy. Solid wheels. £50 Tel 07906 869185 / (CAMBRIDGE)

YACHT DELIVERIES

SIGMA 8 SPORTSBOAT. 8m white hull built 1995. Two suits of sails with large and small jib together with large and small spinnakers. Tacktick with depth speed compass ans starting sequence. All racing equipment included. Mercury outboard 3.3 hp. 4 wheeled double axle trailer. She is in good condition ready to sail. £7500 Tel 07595 057188 / (NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE)

visit www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk

LEATHER WHEEL COVERING KITS

EMERGENCY RIGGING / STEEL ROPE CUTTER. Toolova Shootit 12. Unique power tool using explosive cartridges to drive two blades together for immediate steel wire rope / shroud cutting. Ideal in emergency To advertise / dismasting – easy to use. Cuts wire to Clyde_RYA_Win_16.indd 1 09:55 please call Mark01/11/2016 on 12mm (1/2 inch) and rod to 9.5mm. With 33 unused cartridges. £325 Tel 07768 791992 / 020 7349 3787 (SHEPTON MALLET)

31 FOOT CRUISING YACHT. A Sparkman and Stephens designed sailing sloop, with a black GRP hull, teak deck, beautiful lines and shape. Fully equipped for sailing, roller reefing and GRP/Radar installed 2011. New Nanni 21 hp engine and seacocks. Down below: 4 berths, leather upholstery, cooking galley,separate toilet and washing area. £15000 Tel 028302 60600 / (NEWRY)

ENDURANCE 38 DECKSALOON. Beautifully light maple interior by Blondicell Southampton. Safe comfortable Grp criusing yacht with raised saloon for all the family and friends,6 berths. Only lightly used. Fin and skeg hung rudder.

Autohelm,GPS, Navtex, Heater,240v,Battery charger. Any offers or share considered. £69950 Tel 07770 860730 / (PLYMOUTH)

LEATHER STEERING WHEELS

MYERCHIN Everyone MYERCHIN can have Craftsmanship EveryoneMYERCHIN can have The Right Tool Everyone can have Quality

Enter coupon ‘ST2021’ on checkout for a free Myerchin Light Pen

01305 302304 facebook.com /Myerchinuk

sales@myerchin.co.uk twitter.com /MyerchinUK

instagram.com /myerchinuk

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2021

97

Jess Lloyd-Mostyn A boat out of the water is, well, like a fish stuck on dry land. Yet a haul out is an inevitable part of the sailors calendar. Life on the hard is anything but easy for the liveaboard though

T

here is nothing more unnatural than a boat out of water.

It seems to alter her proportions and scale. Afloat she is nimble and agile but once she’s got slings wrapped under her hull or is positioned onto a trailer cradle even the most streamlined yacht is at once transformed into an awkward and lumbering beast. Out of her element the boat is suddenly like a beetle stuck on it’s back.

Hauling out is an unavoidable part of owning a boat. And whether it’s part of a planned routine maintenance cycle or in order to investigate or remedy an issue, the best tactic is always to get pulled out of the water as timely as is possible. However, cruising seasons, stormy times of year and local infrastructure all have a huge role to play when juggling a haulout as a global cruiser. Sailors crossing the South Pacific, for example, are well aware that jumping off from the western shores of the Americas means that yards set up to deal with any major repairs are most likely to be found in New Zealand, a minimum 6,000 miles away.

Yet smaller facilities are found in the most surprising places worldwide and boatfolk are a universally ingenious and resourceful breed. This means you’re never far away from a tale of someone’s boat being rolled up the beach on logs in Vanuatu or an intrepid chap with a tractor playing the tides to his advantage in Belize.

We know folks who have had their rudders repaired in the Marquesas, or seized seacocks swapped out in Gibraltar, even a total re-rig in remote southern Chile.

Our most recent haul was equally impromptu as the pandemic forced our hands and closed all the country borders around us whilst our hull was growing increasingly green and barnacle-ridden, with every dive down to clean it revealing that there was barely any remaining antifoul. The nearest slipway was in Lombok, Indonesia and part of a hotel complex more geared up for weddings and events than boatwork, with no skilled workers available. However, needs must so they pulled us out on their huge German-built trailer and we prepped and repainted her ourselves. Certainly, we didn’t do as good a job as the professional yards we’d made use of

elsewhere, but it was enough to set us cruising faster through the water and get us safely into the nearest open country.

Life on the hard is…well, hard. When hauling it’s always preferable to live ashore for the duration of the work but we’re well-aware that it’s not always possible. But the alternative, living aboard, is fraught with new difficulties. Everything seems wrong about your boat when it’s on land. Climbing a ladder to get access, not being able to use the sinks or heads, even feeling the breeze coming from unusual directions as you no longer point into the wind is all incredibly odd to a liveaboard. The motion and sway is replaced by dead flat stillness and the continual drone of someone, somewhere using an angle grinder. And everything on land seems out to get you. Bugs, dust, noise, more dust, and every job seems to involve a never-ending schlepping of tools up and down ladders.

Meals become a chore, to cook, to eat and also to wash up afterwards. You also suddenly become aware of the sheer height of your boat and worry constantly about toppling over her lifelines, something utterly inconceivable at sea.

Then there is the inevitable growth to tackle. Not on the hull this time, I mean the growth of the jobs list.

There are so many things that are easier to work on when the vessel is completely disabled this way that in the long run it really pays to tackle a bunch of them at once.

However, it means that a few days can quickly spiral into a week, or several as there are always more things to be tinkered with, or spruced up. Plus there are almost always delays caused by getting hold of supplies, or labour or weather not playing ball. When you need to paint you can guarantee that it will either rain heavily or be far too hot; it’s always too humid when you’re working with Sikaflex or silicone so it will not cure; and the wind will kick up just as you have canvas spread out or sails to repair.

But sooner or later the hardstand purgatory does come to an end and you both shudder and lurch along the travel-lift then a rather spiffy-looking, elegant boat slides back into the water, good as new, and cuts lithely through the waves and you mentally note when you’ll have to go through it all again.

98

AUGUST 2021 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

JESS LLOYDMOSTYN Jess and James left the UK in 2011 in their Crossbow 42 and have sailed halfway round the world, growing their crew en route.

Follow their journey at water-log.com

ILLUSTRATION: MICHAEL PARKIN

‘Out of her element the boat is suddenly like a beetle stuck on it’s back’

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