Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Practical Boat Owner

with the editor Farewell to two good friends This month, Waiting for the Tide becomes a vehicle of farewell. After 20 and six years respectively, our art editor Kevin Slater and production editor Marco Rossi are leaving PBO. As part of a wider restructuring programme, our employers Time Inc UK offered voluntary redundancy to those that wished it, and Kev and Marco opted to move on. Their departure is a sad loss to the magazine and marks the end of an era for PBO; having such a close-knit team of like-minded individuals has helped to shape and maintain the magazine in its position as Britain’s most popular boating magazine. In future, their jobs will be taken on by art and subeditors working remotely as part of a ‘hub’ – such…

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has published its report following an investigation into the fatal accident on board the motor-cruiser Vasquez. On 12 November 2016, Ray Milton, the owner of the 7.75m motor-cruiser Vasquez, fell unconscious after being overcome by carbon monoxide (CO) that had been emitted from his boat’s inboard petrol engine. Although rescuers came to his aid and conducted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, it was not possible to save his life. Both rescuers had to be treated for the effects of CO poisoning. The CO was found to have originated from failed rubber bellows that formed part of the inboard engine’s wet-exhaust system, which was not only leaking exhaust fumes but also water. The boat’s engine had not been regularly serviced, and there was evidence that the exhaust…

The Met Office is celebrating 150 uninterrupted years of the Shipping Forecast, which is believed to be the longestrunning continuous forecast in the world. The first gale warning was issued following a violent storm in 1859, but it was not until 1867 that gale warnings at sea were issued on a regular basis and they have continued ever since. The Royal Charter storm off the coast of North Wales in 1859 led to the deaths of 800 people and the loss of 133 ships. Following this tragedy, Robert FitzRoy persuaded the Board of Trade to allow him to start storm warnings in a bid to prevent similar tragedies from happening. These storm warnings evolved into what is now the Shipping Forecast and today’s Met Office forecasts. The Met Office now…

Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival, 9-10 September, free event, www.great-yarmouth.co. uk/maritime-festival/ Maritime Woodbridge, 9-10 September, biennial maritime and riverside heritage, www.maritimewoodbridge.org Great British Beach Clean, 15-18 September, UK-wide beach clean event that spruces up hundreds of beaches around the coast and records litter finds, www.mcsuk.org/waitrose Southampton Boat Show, 15-24 September, Britain’s biggest boating festival, Mayflower Park and Town Quay, www.southamptonboatshow.com Bart’s Bash, 16-17 September, the world’s largest sailing event, in memory of Andrew Simpson, www.bartsbash.com Hamble Classics Regatta, 16-17 September, welcomes all styles of classic yachts, www.royal-southern.co.uk/Afloat/2017/Hamble-Classics Maldon Town Regatta, 23 September, with shore-side events on Hythe Quay, www.maldonregatta.co.uk Solent Boat Jumble, 1 October, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, boat-jumbles.co.uk Kent Boat Jumble, 8 October, The Hop Farm, Tonbridge, boat-jumbles.co.uk Scotland’s Boat Show, 13-15 October, Kip Marina, featuring free talks and…

JIMMY GREEN YACHT DROGUES Usually deployed from the stern using a bridle system, a drogue is best used with a long warp to prevent shock loading. Jimmy Green drogues also feature a webbing loop at the smaller end of the cone for trip line attachment. Jimmy Green Marine, Tel: 01297 20744 • www.jimmygreen.co.uk PRICE EXAMPLE: SIZE 10 (10M), £63 (WAS £70) SIZE 12 (12M), £72 (WAS £80) GILL INSHORE SPORT JACKET Packable, lightweight, waterproof, perfect for use both on the water and shoreside. Colours: Graphite, Blue. ▪ Force 4 Chandlery Tel: 0345 1300 710 • www.force4.co.uk PRICE: £99.95 (RRP: £138.95 – SAVE £39)…

Mad about the boat Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft) Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex It’s a course that runs through my life, an escalator of time, a pulse of history What is zee point to sail round zee glob just to end oop where you starteed?’ So said Bernard Moitessier, or words to that effect. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not comparing myself with the paté-loving French vegetarian mystic who, ‘to save his soul’, abandoned the Golden Globe race with victory in his grasp. I’m not a vegetarian. Neither can I sit in the lotus position, nor prise myself out of it without the help of a power winch attached to a Land- Rover anchored…

Nothing destroys a sail as quickly as a flapping leech. Whether your sails are high-tech carbon or simple Dacron, a leech that is flogging will soon lead to loss of shape, strength and sailing performance. Simple, you say, just pull on the leech-line – but before you reach for that thin line, it’s worth checking there’s nothing else that might be causing the leech to motor. Paradoxically, having the leech-line on too light can speed up the wear and stretch of the sail, which will lead to more flapping, requiring yet more leech-line – and a sail that looks like a paper bag. Types of leech-line cleat V-CLEAT These are the cheapest option and are the lowest-profile cleat available, sewing straight onto the leech – but rely on the string…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ivan Godley lives in County Kerry, Ireland, works in the library in Tralee, and can trace his interest in boats back to the singledigit years when he would go oyster dredging with his father and uncle in their clinker 26-footer. Having reached the tender age of 48 I have, over the years, owned several boats, from a shiny new diesel cruiser which set me back two years’ wages to dinghies and keelboats, some of questionable reliability and with features similar to a submarine. All these boats, however, were enjoyed and lessons were gathered. This is the story of my latest boat. In the last few years, my interest has been drawn towards the traditional. I like the practicality of the long keel: she dries out with confidence…

DIY and save money PBO readers, by definition, are keen to fix their boat themselves. Alternatively, they will make a replacement instead of paying an exorbitant price for something that ought to be cheap! Some are adept at woodworking. Some have a lathe so they can work on metal. I have no woodworking skills and don’t own a lathe or a mill: however, what I do have is a 3D printer for my work as an orthopaedic surgeon – and I now use the printer to make items for my boat. Most people have heard about 3D printers, but few understand what they do. ‘3D printing’ is a loose term used to encompass several different ways of manufacturing: a 3D printer uses instructions from computer software to ‘print’ a solid…

SEA SAFETY Keith Colwell is author of the RYA Sea Survival Handbook SEALING AND BONDING Gareth Ross is Sika UK’s Marine Market Field Specialist CRUISING Stuart Carruthers is the RYA Cruising Manager and has sailed extensively SAILS Ian Brown of the International OneSails loft group is an expert on sails MASTS & RIGS Mike Coates worked in the spar and rigging business for many years SURVEY AND CORROSION Colin Brown runs a marine survey and consultancy company, CB Marine Services ELECTRICS Paul Holland is part-chair of the BMEEA and MD of Energy Solutions (UK) ENGINES Stu Davies has a background in engineering in the coal and oil field industries GAS FITTING Peter Spreadborough, of Southampton Calor Gas Centre, has 20 years in the industry PAINT AND ANTIFOULING Richard Jerram is…

Experienced sailors Daria and Alex Blackwell shared insight into cruising the Wild Atlantic Way on the west coast of Ireland at PBO’s Ask the Experts’ Live event at Beaulieu Boatjumble 2017. Among the free anchorages they recommended was Inishbofin off the coast of Connemara, Co. Galway. The 5km x 3km island is blessed with one of the most protected natural harbours in Europe. Shower facilities are available at the Community Centre, Inishbofin House Hotel and Doonmore Hotel. Diesel can be purchased on Tuesdays and Fridays from the old pier, or if you ask on the Inishbofin Island Discovery ferry they will fill a drum for you. There are fresh water taps on both piers. Inishbofin offers several walks with spectacular views, award-winning sandy beaches for swimming, snorkelling and diving. The…

A. A sprayhood should be low enough to see over, and shelter at least one person each side. B. Some long hoods can squeeze in more people, and still look and work OK. C. Zip-in rear, clear screens, and doors create a wheelhouse effect. D. Solid windscreens avoid the transparency problems of flexible windows, but here small windows are also added to the front of the hood. Everyone hangs on to the back of the hood. Reinforcing the material there helps, but a metal handrail is better. E. Adding one to the rear pipe frame inside the hood works well. F. Putting it on the outside is more complicated, but does give a better handhold for the crew, while moving from the deck to the cockpit. G. A simpler idea…

SEND US YOUR STORIES Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825 News and current affairs from the world of boating A series of crowdfunding schemes are being launched to provide long-term disposal solutions for out-of-date distress flares across the United Kingdom. The goal of Ramora UK is to provide four to 10 years of accessible, free, nationwide disposal services for marine distress flares and pyrotechnics. Regional crowdfunding campaigns, starting with the Isle of Wight and Hampshire, have been launched with targets of £42,500 and £85,000 respectively. The Isle of Wight crowdfunder deadline was 30 August, while the deadline for pledges to the Hampshire crowdfunder is 12:57pm on 19 September 2017: po.st/distress-flare. Background Since the Ministry of Defence teams stopped collecting out-of-date flares from Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)…

Boat owners, shipping companies and anyone who puts out to sea should be aware of changes to some VHF channel numbers used to contact UK Coastguard. The changes to Appendix 18 (Marine VHF) of the Radio Regulations mean that existing channels will no longer be used for either Maritime Safety Information (MSI) or Radio Medical Advice. From 6 September 2017, channels to use will be VHF 62, 63 and 64. The use of VHF Ch10 for MSI and pollution control (back-up) is unchanged. Mark Lawson from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency said: ‘This is an absolute changeover, so people do need to be ready to start using the channels from 10am on 6 September. ‘Although the MCA will keep the existing channels for about a year, they will not be…

One of the UK’s most distinguished solo sailors, Sir Henry Pigott, died on 6 August, after a short illness. He was 92. Graham Cox, who has written an article about him for the Junk Rig Association, said: ‘Sir Henry’s notable passages include a crossing of the North Sea from Sweden to England in 1948 aboard the original Glory, a 22sq m boat that he called the world’s first sailing submarine, a voyage to Brazil and back via New York in 1973 aboard Simba II, a Mirror Offshore 18-footer, and more than 20 years roaming the oceans aboard his 19ft, junk-rigged Glory II.’ A circumnavigation of the world on Glory II in 1983-6, saw him briefly hold the world record for the smallest yacht to do so. In recent years Glory…

Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address on page 5. Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited. Solar panels: a semi-flexible view ▪ I'd like to add to Emhrys Barrell’s excellent article on solar panels (PBO September) by warning readers after our unfortunate experience on our boat in Turkey. Three years ago, I installed four 50W and two 100W semi-flexible solar panels on our ‘goalposts’. I surrounded each panel with 10cm strips of 16mm greenhouse polycarbonate – light and stiff. This left the centres of the panels free to the air for better cooling. Despite this, the four smaller panels, mounted on a central tube and capable of being turned to catch morning and evening sun, have all suffered wind damage. The two larger panels were OK windwise but…

Flotsam and jetsam Sam Llewellyn is editor of The Marine Quarterly, www.marinequarterly.com, and author of nautical thrillers. Three years ago he bought a Corribee on eBay I stuck my head out of the hatch, and was rewarded by the sight of enough blue sky to make a sailor’s thong A lot of people say that if you go sailing off the west coast of Scotland, you get what you get. This is true, if obvious. The upside is a lot of scenery and sea eagles and stags at dawn and whales at sea and kindly persons on shore and very few other boats to spoil the view. The downside, it must be said, is a bit of weather, and the difficulty of working out where the weather is going to come…

Lifeboats Every year, RNLI volunteer crews rescue hundreds of people on yachts and motorboats. Rescue crews will always be there to answer the call, assisting you without judgement and no matter the cause. But today we look at how the RNLI can help you before you get into difficulty. ‘Things can change quickly at sea,’ says Jon Oxenham, RNLI Community Safety Manager. ‘Even the most experienced skipper or crew can get caught out, and there’s no shame in that. All it takes is a broken-down engine plus strengthening winds, or a fall from your tender without a lifejacket, and suddenly a minor issue becomes dangerous.We’d much rather people call us before situations become serious, but it’s even better to keep yourself safe and know what to do in the first…

Blue Water Runner sail Elvstrøm Sails new ‘Blue Water Runner’ is designed to revolutionise downwind sailing, performing the role of three sails in one. Designed as effectively two Yankee sails on a single luff cable, it works as a light upwind genoa or reaching ‘Yankee’ when the two-ply sails are together. When running dead downwind it can be peeled open into ‘goosewinging’ mode, doubling the sail area to increase boat speed. It can be trimmed and poled out like a spinnaker, or used without a pole. This stable downwind cruising solution is the creation of Jeremy White, loft manager at Elvstrøm Sails UK. The idea came as a response to customers asking for a downwind sail that gave the thrill of surfing downwind offshore, and that was easy to control…

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 TOILETS AND PLUMBING Oxalic acid for toilet descaling? Q Reader Roy Higgins, in his letter ‘the acid test for descaling boat toilets’ (PBO September), mentions his success in descaling his loo using 25% hydrochloric acid – a liquid called aqua fuerte. Would it not be easier and possibly less risky to use oxalic acid? this comes in powder form and, unlike hydrochloric acid, does not harm or stain stainless steel. We put four tablespoons of powdered oxalic acid down our loo and it was descaled in under an hour. We kept well out of the way in case of noxious gases! i am no expert…

Q Could you please clarify the Colregs rules regarding steaming lights? My Hunter Horizon 27 has no dedicated steaming light fitted to the mast, and has never had one from new. It has a masthead tricolour and an anchor light, and there is a bicolour fitted on the bow and a stern white at deck height. All of these are fine while under sail: under motor, however, is it preferable to travel with the lower nav lights on? Should the anchor light be on or off, even though it doesn’t meet Colregs from the rear with the anchor light illuminated? Or should one travel without anchor light to prevent confusion from the rear, showing no steaming light from the front? Robert Smithyman Grimsby STUART CARRUTHERS REPLIES: There is always confusion about…

Q My outboard engine was recently stolen off my yacht, but the thieves abandoned it in a nearby estuary where it spent more than two days semisubmerged as the dinghy they also stole was split and leaking. The engine had been inverted, and all the engine oil ended up in the drive head. When the engine was recovered we stood it upright, and it was then that seawater started to come from the drive head, followed by the engine oil. My insurance company was informed and given a full description of what had happened, so they it had it picked up and taken away to some engine specialist. I was eventually told the specialist had flushed the engine, filled it with oil, put electrical power on to it and started the…

A separate campaign is being established for each county/region wishing to have a distress flare disposal service. As an initial assessment, Ramora UK believe these areas would provide a good spread of availability. Anyone wishing to have their area considered should email enquiries@ramorauk.com 1. Hampshire (East) 2. Hampshire West Dorset East 3. Isle of Wight 4. Dorset 5. Devon (South) 6. Cornwall (West) 7. Cornwall North/North Devon Border 8. Bristol Area 9. South Wales (Glamorgan/ Carmarthenshire) 10. North Wales 11. Lancashire 12. Northern Ireland 13. Cumbria/ Dumfriesshire 14. Stirlingshire/ Lanarkshire 15. Inverness-shire 16. Aberdeenshire 17. Northumberland/ Durham 18. Yorkshire (East) 19. Midlands (inland site) 20. Suffolk/Norfolk 21. Thames/London East 22. Kent 23. Sussex (These sites are for collection only and items would be removed for environmentallycompliant disposal elsewhere in the…

The second edition of ARC Channel Islands, organised by World Cruising Club (WCC) in association with RYA Active Marina, came to a close following a week-long cruise exploring Cherbourg, Guernsey and Alderney from the rally’s start port of Gosport. The aim of August’s rally was to encourage boat owners to sail beyond their normal cruising areas and to gain confidence taking their yachts to new destinations. Sailing with the fleet was a lead boat with Hamble School of Yachting senior instructor Roger Seymour and a WCC team aboard, there to offer guidance, help with passage planning, and to facilitate a social and sightseeing programme in each port. Following preparations at Haslar Marina, Gosport, the fleet set sail on the 70NM passage to Cherbourg. After a stay in France, the passage…

PRACTICAL Veneers to revere ■ Applying veneers to the PBO Project Boat’s transom Plus ■ Descaling an engine ■ Fitting a heater exhaust silencer ■ Making a perfect scarf joint TESTED Marine stereos ■ Is a dedicated marine stereo system worth the extra money? A new boarding ladder? ■ Choosing and fitting BOATS A French revolution ■ 34 to 36ft boats made since the ’80s by Beneteau and Jeanneau Elizabethan restoration ■ A right royal makeover Drascombes ■ Celebrating 50 years of the Drascombe marque SEAMANSHIP Sail Clinic revisited ■ The doctor’s recommendations, two years on On-deck niggles Tips for solving them CRUISING Thames barges ■ Sam Llewellyn samples a traditional life afloat NOVEMBER ISSUE ON SALE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5…

ACROSS 7 Double-ended naval boat (6) 8 Electronic alternative to satellite navigation (1,5) 9 Hand protection for sailmakers (4) 10 Square-section copper rivet (8) 11 Nautical distance (3,4) 13 Firing area (5) 15 1/10 of a nautical mile (5) 17 Dockside mooring fitting (7) 20 Within 6 hours (8) 21 Heel when sinking (4) 22 Rope used to bring in jib from end of bowsprit (6) 23 Distance from an obstruction (6) DOWN 1 Rotating part of block (6) 2 To swell up (planking) (4) 3 Marine isopod partial to wooden piers and ships (7) 4 Make fast (5) 5 Used to stop spinnaker pole rising (8) 6 Handicap (6) 12 Unit of atmospheric pressure (8) 14 Floating jetty (7) 16 Filling leadline with tallow (6) 18 Thwart support in…

Monthly musings Yacht surveyor and designer Andrew Simpson cruises with his wife Chele in his own-design 11.9m (39ft) yacht Shindig. Read his blog at www.offshore-sailor.com Thanks to the first entry on its now wrinkled pages I learned it had enlisted for action in 2009 I t’s mid-August as I type these words. Shindig is in Grenada, slumbering out the hurricane season while we, the crew, are back in Britain readjusting ourselves to the luxuries of a milder climate and, of course, the compelling rhythms and tempos of pressing family obligations. Also, rearing fresh in our minds are the various boat tasks which are better performed in the parts-rich UK rather than the Caribbean. Now, I’m not what an uncle used to call a ‘tidy thinker’ – by which I assume he…

A variety of motors are available. These range from shaft drives to outboards and saildrive pods. Other, more creative solutions also exist: Hanse recently announced a partnership with Torqeedo whereby a pod attached to the rudder supplies motive power. These are some of the suppliers available: OCEANVOLT: Saildrive and shaft drive are available TORQEEDO: Saildrive, shaft drive and outboards BELLMARINE: Saildrive and shaft drive ELECTRIC YACHT: Shaft drive and saildrive…

Classic Kit – canned food This month’s Golden Globe Race (GGR)-inspired Classic Kit item is canned food, an invaluable provisioning source for many a cruising sailor. The canning process dates back to the late 18th century in France when Napoleon Bonaparte, concerned about keeping his armies fed, offered a cash prize to whoever could develop a reliable method of food preservation, according to The Canned Food Alliance (www.mealtime.org). Nicholas Appert conceived the idea of preserving food in bottles, like wine. After 15 years of experimentation, he realised that if food is sufficiently heated and sealed in an airtight container, it will not spoil. Englishman Peter Durand developed a method of sealing food into unbreakable tin containers, and this was perfected by Bryan Dorkin and John Hall, who set up the…

My ship’s clock had gone on the blink: that’s the solid brass clock that sits up there on the bulkhead alongside a brass barometer in an identical brass housing. They were bought to make a set back in 1999, the year before Keppel’s launch. The clock didn’t owe me anything, but I had become attached to it as part of a set. They’d been there with us through thick and thin right from the outset, all the way to the Aegean and back; and more besides. Yep, I’m sentimental. I was also alarmed – sorry – by the cost of a like-for-like replacement. A 100mm (4in) solid brass clock was going to set me back at least £90. More to the point, it seemed impossible to source a clock that…

Q I am updating a Meridian 31 motor-sailer, built by Elizabethan Yachts using the moulds of the Hurley 9.5. After I bought the boat, a surveyor said he had examined her for someone else and had noted that the ballast was showing signs of ‘blowing’, having taken up some water. I have examined the hull inside and out and cannot find any evidence of this. There are no visible cracks in the gelcoat, and internally, the ballast is completely sealed in hardened resin. Is the ballast likely to consist of scrap stampings or is it likelier to be a single piece of cast iron? One website claims that their Meridian 31 has lead ballast, but I think that unlikely! Tony Sutcliffe, by email COLIN BROWN REPLIES: The original Hurley 9.5 did…

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Chas Hammond and his wife Mandy trailer-sail their 26ft Fairey Atalanta along the South Coast, France and Croatia, and race their Wayfarer out of Shoreham-by-Sea. After falling for Croatia during a 2014 cruise, we trailered Walrus out to the Adriatic once more in June 2015, but this time we headed further south to save the voyage along the Istria Peninsula. This came at a price – an extra 200 miles. We drove through Germany, Austria and Slovenia to reach Croatia, via Ljubljana, Rijeka and Brestova, where we caught a ferry to Cres and travelled over hair-raisingly steep and…