Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Practical Boat Owner

Recreational boaters have enjoyed the freedom to come and go from the UK largely as they please for over 25 years. Minimal reporting has been required. But times are changing, and although the sea border creates a natural barrier, the migrant crisis in Europe is starting to expose its weaknesses, warns the RYA. It is inevitable that a greater degree of reporting about voyages and people on board will be required in the future. However, early indications from the Home Office suggest that this will be of a voluntary nature – at least to begin with. The RYA is working with the Home Office, including the UK Border Force, to ensure that whatever reporting system is introduced is practical to use and flexible, to allow for the ‘last-minute’ decisions that…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peter Dewey lectured in history at the University of London before retiring in 2002. He and Hilary then spent 7 years on Playpen, a Westerly Berwick, traversing the French canals and ending up in southern Turkey. Having recently acquired our 8.5m (28ft) Macwester sloop, Yammas – Greek for ‘Cheers’ – Hilary and I had determined to get back into cruising, with the aim of getting across the Channel and going north, destination Denmark or similar. This didn’t quite work out, although we did have a lot of fun along the way. We began in Brightlingsea, Essex, where Yammas was lying. A short shakedown trip to Bradwell Marina (in the lee of a disused nuclear power station) revealed a serious leak, cause unknown. After a lot of attention…

Our Secret 20 was pretty stiff and unyielding even before we fitted any plywood sides, but with the sides, chines and bottom panels in place, nothing moves in the slightest. You may remember that last month, we installed the supporting structure for the bottom panels – stringers and bow cheek pieces – so this month our job list started with fairing everything back, installing extra supports where necessary, fine-tuning everything and installing the panels. That might not sound like much, but it meant lots of planing, scribing of panels, cutting out and a great deal of epoxy work. The first job was to fair back the structure ready to accept the hull panels before installing chine panels, fairing these back and installing the bottom panels. The boat’s structure – both…

Stowing a dinghy is usually a matter or deflating it and shoving it in a locker – but if you’re gently cruising between sheltered anchorages, that can take some time. Other options are to stow it on deck or install a set of davits – but the former can clog up your decks and the latter requires the large, heavy installation of davit cranes. Dinghy Rings is a Swedish product that doesn’t require any permanent installation. It will only work with dinghies which have pointed sponsons – roundtail dinghies won’t fit. It comprises a pair of stainless steel spectacles, with two foam disc floats that not only keep the rings floating, but also keep them away from the transom and allow it to move around without damaging your boat. The…

We recently carried out an engine change on a Colvic Watson. All went well: however, the original huge prop had now become a little too huge when under power. the North Sea visibly increased speed through the Dover Straits, and the new engine would only rev to around 1,500rpm. So, we needed to reduce the size of the prop and possibly increase the pitch. On the positive side, reducing the size would reduce sailing drag, but there wasn’t enough in the owners’ budget to stretch for a feathering or folding prop. There’s no doubt that a big three-bladed prop causes drag, especially one coupled to a hydraulic gearbox that cannot be left to freewheel. A smaller prop would cause less drag, but the danger of reducing the prop size on…

Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far We pay for your published cruising stories and harbour updates. Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to the address at the top of page 5 As we cast off, the man on the next boat looked out of his cabin and asked: ‘Where are you going?’ ‘We’re off to the Garbhellachs,’ we replied. ‘Never heard of them. Where on earth are they?’ he said, looking puzzled. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Paul Radcliffe is a retired lecturer who sailed dinghies at school, and moved to bigger boats when his knees told him to give up mountaineering. His 9.7m Pionier 10, Wavelength, is moored at Appin in Argyll, from where he explores the west coast of Scotland. It was a common response, as this small group of rocky islands…

Washboard stowage ideas Original Boat Owner’s Sketchbook volumes 1 to 5 are now available to download from www.pbo.co.uk/sketchbook priced at £4.95 each. A limited number of printed volumes 3, 4 and 5 of the original Sketchbook series are still available from the PBO Editorial office priced at £3.75 each, or all three for £10. Order yours by calling tel: 01202 440830 or email: pbo@timeinc.com CROSSWORD SOLUTION: ACROSS: 7 Fore and aft rig, 8 Bendy rig, 9 Echo, 10 Mooring, 12 Below, 14 Stock, 16 Stopper, 19 Yoke, 20 Leeboard, 22 Freshen the nip. DOWN: 1 Rove, 2 Header, 3 In irons, 4 Badge, 5 Steeve, 6 Wishbone, 11 Outboard, 13 Steep to, 15 Cheese, 17 Pooped, 18 Fleet, 21 Rail.…

Australian sailor and adventurer Lisa Blair has become the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica below 45° (with one stop). Six months after departure and with a total of 104 days at sea, the Sydney-based sailor returned to Albany Waterfront Marina, Vancouver Peninsula, Western Australia on 25 July. The yachtswoman’s Open 50 Climate Action Now was met by family members in a motorboat on the final 8NM stretch, and she described feeling ‘so excited and bursting with joy.’ Pending the official ratification of a record by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC), Lisa is set to become the first woman to circumnavigate the Antarctic. Her journey began on 22 January 2017. After 72 days of travelling solo and unassisted, Climate Action Now was dismasted. Lisa was rendered fuel…

Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825, or write to the address on page SOUTH GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY Fifty years of the Drascombe marque was celebrated at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy. The golden jubilee event, held from 6-9 July, attracted nearly 60 Drascombes from as far afield as the Netherlands. MD of Drascombe by Churchouse Boats, Sharon Geary-Harwood, tracked down, bought and refurbished the first Drascombe Lugger to be built, Katharine Mary, in honour of the milestone year. Katharine Mary led a parade of sail as part of the festivities, accompanied by Zingaroo, the latest Longboat to be built by Drascombe by Churchouse. Celebrations also included a sail to Lulworth Cove, a jubilee dinner and a service conducted by…

No.6 ACROSS 7 Most common rig configuration (4,3,3,3) 8 Tweakable mast (colloq.) (5,3) 9 Phonetic E (4) 10 Place to keep a vessel (7) 12 Nautical version of ‘downstairs’ (5) 14 Upper part of rudder (5) 16 Knot at end of rope (7) 19 Transverse tiller (4) 20 Side-mounted foil (8) 22 Adjust rope to avoid chafe (7,3,3) DOWN 1 Used to fasten copper nail (4) 2 Unfavourable windshift (6) 3 Stuck head to wind (2,5) 4 Carved bow emblem (5) 5 Pivot the bowsprit (6) 6 Windsurfer-style boom (8) 11 Self-contained engine (8) 13 Deep close in (5,2) 15 Coil rope in flat spiral (6) 17 Deluged by following wave (6) 18 Shallow water behind Chesil Beach (5) 21 Deck edge (4) CROSSWORD SOLUTION: ACROSS: 7 Fore and aft…

Got a question? Email pbo@timeinc.com Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. Email or write to the address on page 5 and our experts will answer your queries WOOD Steer me in the right direction, please Q i own a Moody 28 which requires a new tiller. i have been on the Moody website to ask which woods were used so that i can make up a new one, but have received very differing replies. as i’d like to make a new tiller which is the same as the original, would you be able to tell me the correct woods that were originally used, and also advise me on the appropriate glue to apply? TR Mellor Biddulph, Stoke-On-Trent RICHARD HARE REPLIES: Like everyone else, it seems, I…

Sometimes you have to feel sorry for aluminium. As the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, after oxygen and silicon, it might be thought that people would use its name correctly, but they don’t. To most, the word ‘aluminium’ is synonymous with ‘alloy’, widely and incorrectly used to describe car wheels; but this is a misuse of the word. The reality is that almost every metal used by the human race is formed by the combination of two or more metals (and some non-metals) such as cast iron, steel, brass, bronze and hundreds of others. All of these are alloys. Unusually for such an abundant element, aluminium metal was not produced until the mid-1800s due to its extreme reactivity, particularly with oxygen. This reactivity means that it requires…

TESTED Solar technology has been improving steadily over recent years, to the point where it can produce real, useful power on even the smallest boat, able to run a fridge, LED lights and instruments when you are away from shore power, or maintain the charge in your batteries when you are away from the boat. And the huge increase in solar generation across the world had brought prices down to reasonable levels. We will look now at the changes in the technology. Charge controllers The output of a solar panel is measured in watts, being the product of the voltage times the current. The voltage output of all solar panels is dependent the amount of sunlight falling on them, and the load they are connected to. If it is unrestricted,…

Great ideas and tips from PBO readers Email your projects and tips to pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address at the top of page 5. We pay at least £30 for each one published COST £27.98 A rowlocking good idea Zodiac make great rubber dinghies, but on some designs the rowlocks leave something to be desired. After moving moorings and acquiring a rack space for a dinghy, I decided to press my 2.6m Zodiac Zoom into service as a tender, but there was one problem: an enthusiastic bout of rowing in the past had broken one of the rowlocks. As designed, the rowlocks comprise a chromed brass pin which locates in a socket on the dinghy. The oar is retained with a plastic loop attached to the pin.…

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My home-built skiff was inspired by the late, great American designer Phil Bolger. His drawing board conceived a huge variety of vessels, including a folding schooner, a fullsize 20-gun frigate (which starred in the film Master and Commander), and also several hundred other craft of all sizes and shapes. One of the very best of those shapes was Teal, a double-ended 12ft rowing skiff of discreet elegance that could be assembled very easily, from two standard sheets of plywood, using only straight cutting for most of her components. He published the drawings and, about 30 years ago, I built a Teal as a throwaway project, using very cheap timber. It was so delightful that I wished I’d invested in more durable materials. New design Last year I decided to do…

The VHF channels HM Coastguard uses to broadcast Maritime Safety Information (MSI) and conduct radio medical advice are changing. From midmorning on Wednesday 6 September 2017 the Coastguard will no longer broadcast on VHF 23, 84 and 86. It will instead use VHF 62, 63 and 64. The use of Ch10 for MSI and pollution control (back-up) is unchanged. It will also be possible to consult information in advance on which aerial will broadcast on which channel. Final testing of the new regime is currently being completed, but the information detailing which aerial will broadcast on which channel will be published at www.rya.org.uk/go/msichannels as soon as it is released by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which is expected to be early/mid- August. If you’re out on the water and don’t…

The 31st edition of Scotland’s Boat Show will be taking place at Kip Marina, Inverkip from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 October. For a third year, PBO will be organising free practical demonstrations and talks, thanks to a diverse line-up of experts willing to share their time and knowledge. Sika will be sponsoring the event, which is free to attend. Experts so far confirmed for the Sika Marine Stage include David Mossman of Marlow Ropes, who will reveal the top six signs that say you need to replace ropes; Met Office meteorologist Penny Tranter with tips for sailors planning, preparing and reacting to weather; Sika’s technical services expert Gareth Ross, who will demonstrate the correct procedure for bonding plastic windows; Martyn Murray, author of A Wild Call – Sailing around…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Peter K Poland crossed the Atlantic in a 7.6m (25ft) Wind Elf in 1968 and later spent 30 years as co-owner of Hunter Boats. He is now a freelance journalist and PR consultant. Sailing has always been a sociable sport. And clubs – be they down-to-earth sailing clubs run ‘by members for members’ or grander royal yacht clubs with salaried staff – have always been at the heart of sailing. Whether you enjoy a cruise in company, a social get-together, an occasional jovial session at the bar, low-key club racing or higher-octane regatta weeks, sailing clubs come up with the goods. Without them – and the public-spirited people who help administer them on a voluntary basis – our sport would have less to offer and provide fewer…

Wells-next-the-Sea should be a natural destination for those cruising the East Coast, not least because it is the only buoyed and lit port between Lowestoft and the Humber that specifically caters for private yachtsmen. However, the fearsome reputation of its bar has unnecessarily deterred yachtsmen in the past from including this picturesque location within their itinerary. Although the bar can become very rough in a strong northerly wind, it is in fact quite benign in most other conditions, with few sailors realising that they have actually passed over it! So if you have ever sailed past this beautiful harbour as a result of such warnings, you have missed a real treat. Whether approaching Wells Harbour from the Blakeney Overfall, the South Race, the Woolpack or the Burnham Flats, you will…

For some of us, hearing the words ‘Mediterranean’ and ‘motorboat’ in the same sentence conjures up images of boats that are fast and flashy; fair-weather playthings for people we might choose to have little to do with in the normal course of events. There are, however, all sorts of motorboats in the Med – and, lest we be accused of stereotyping, of motorboat owners too. Of course we’re all aware of the little open fishing vessels that still ply their trade away from the glitz of expensive marinas fringed by over-priced boutiques. What we might not know is that one of these breeds of little open fishing boat has evolved into a range of practical, semi-displacement motor-cruisers likely to be of particular interest to sailors hanging up their winch handles.…

For most cruising sailors most of the time, tacking is not a problem. You put the helm down, wait for the bow to pass through the wind, let the headsail(s) across and sheet in on the new tack. There’s more to consider if you’re racing, but for cruising sailors that’s usually about it – unless you have a boat that doesn’t want to turn corners, and there are a few of those. Back in 2008, Rob Kemp and I went along to help the owner of a 14m (45ft) steel ketch that barely made it to within 20° of the wind when he put the helm down. Thankfully we found a solution (other than using the engine), and we also suggested some modifications that he could make to improve matters…

Returning for its 49th year, the Southampton Boat Show is aiming to entice more people onto the water than ever before, with a range of boating and watersport activities. This year’s 10-day festival of boating will run from Friday 15 September to Sunday 24 September at Mayflower Park and Town Quay, with new headline sponsors TheYachtMarket.com. Hundreds of visitors will be invited to step aboard the show’s very own passenger boat to enjoy free 20-minute boat trips in the Solent, which is running most days. The passenger boat will hold up to 340 passengers and make two sails every hour, between 12:00-16:00 on the weekends of the show, as well as Friday 22 September, and between 13:00-16:00 on Tuesday 19, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 September. Other new attractions to…

Modern instruments are capable of displaying all sorts of information, from the standard speed, depth and wind to environment data like barometric pressure, temperature and dew point. But getting these to appear can be daunting for the small-boat owner. Yacht Devices is a Russian company that has developed products to add data to NMEA2000 and Seatalkng networks, as well as displays and gateways to allow you to use your instrument data on other devices. Yacht Devices’ merchandise has recently become available to buy in the UK, so we took a look at some of the products in their range. Barometric pressure sensor PRICE: £99 Most modern plotters and instruments can display the barometric pressure, and most will draw a barograph to allow you to spot trends. The sensor is barely…

Send us your real-life experience – and win a painting of your boat!* ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ceri and Carol Hurford-Jones are qualified day skippers. Their children (and now grandchildren) have enjoyed many holidays on board, with Mandarin providing great year-round sailing! We set out at 2200 on the evening tide down to the entrance to the River Hamble from our home berth of Shamrock Quay on the River Itchen: just Rosie (14), Lewis (10), myself and Carol on the good ship Mandarin, our 26ft Sadler. A Force 2/3 was forecast, but with a ‘starry, starry night’ the temperature dropped – as did the wind. Therefore, we motored down in just over an hour for an overnight stay on a buoy next to the training academy at the entrance to the…