Indholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i Practical Boat Owner

An investigation is underway after Scotland’s historic sea-going paddle steamer Waverley crashed into a pier on the Scottish island of Arran, injuring 24 people. The incident happened at Brodick on 3 September, less than a fortnight after the vessel had set sail again following an absence of 15 months, caused by a £2.3 million refit and the COVID-19 lockdown. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said 213 passengers and 26 crew were on board at the time. Some of the injured needed hospital treatment. The bow of the Waverley was damaged, and temporary repairs had to be made before the ship sailed to her home at Pacific Quay on the River Clyde in Glasgow. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is examining the cause of the incident. The vessel is…

Hardy Marine, which builds the Hardy motor yacht range, has been bought by the Cornish yard Cockwells. It was previously owned by Norfolk’s Windboats Marine, which went into administration earlier this year due to a general downturn in orders and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cockwells, which used European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Business Investment for Growth funding for the purchase, plans to build the hulls of the Hardy 26 up to the Hardy 65. The £3.15m investment fund aims to create 175 skilled jobs in Cornwall, with some of the new jobs at Cockwells’ Mylor Creek boatyard. “Cockwells are often asked to build bigger boats for cruising; The Hardy is ideally suited to that market,” commented Cockwell’s founder and managing director, Dave Cockwell.…

It’s always a pleasure to watch seabirds, and you can get very close to them under sail – but it’s also saddening how the numbers have diminished over the years I’ve been sailing in our voe. The show starts at the marina, with the tirricks, or Arctic terns, which nest in its rocky wall and come out to dive for fish. They’re such delicate-looking birds with their sickle wings and forked tail that it’s hard to believe they’ve come all the way from South Africa to enjoy our Shetland summer. There’s nothing delicate about the noise they make when annoyed – an indignant chittering or an enraged screech. There used to be a cloud of them, but now there are only half a dozen squabbling over which motorboat radar reflector…

In the late 1940s and early 1950s few outside the secretive British military establishment would have known much about the wartime heroism and endeavour of Herbert ‘Blondie’ Hasler and his daring raid on Bordeaux in 1943. The 1955 film, Cockleshell Heroes, is based on Hasler's Operation Frankton, a submarine-launched kayak raid in stormy December seas off the French coast that saw a number of German ships damaged, but also led to the deaths of ten British marines. Hasler was critical of the film for being creative with the truth, but it revealed his military genius and appetite for adventure, which is still in evidence on the North Atlantic to this day. Hasler’s great passion after the war was offshore racing and he was well known for his participation in the…

PBO Digital is the best way to get the full magazine experience if you’re unable to buy your regular copy at the newsagent or supermarket. But it’s not quite as straightforward as simply browsing the shelves! 1. What device should I use? You can get a digital, or electronic, version of PBO magazine on a computer (desktop or laptop, Mac or PC), a phone, tablet or an eReader device. The options for desktop/laptop are limited in comparison to phones and tablets, but the bigger screen area and resolution may be an attraction. See the table below for options. 2. Which magazine platform should I buy from? For PBO Digital there are nine different digital magazine platforms available. Some platforms are like supermarkets, while others are like local newsagents with a…

In 1972 I was working in the City of London in a personnel department for one of the ‘big four’ banks. One of my jobs was to seek nominations from staff under the age of 21, whose managers thought they would benefit from attending Outward Bound-type courses, designed to develop personalities and help with maturity. Of course, we all knew that these courses were a good excuse for a fully paid week away from work and, being 23 years old, I couldn’t see why there should be an age restriction. I therefore suggested that, as a trial, the bank should seek nominations from staff aged over 21 to go on a week’s trip on a Sail Training Association vessel. I was very relieved when only two applications were received for…

While I like the idea of an open cockpit in a sports cruiser, in reality it doesn’t work for me – it's an impractical layout in the UK, especially if a boat is intended for use in all weathers. I also don’t like complicated canopies that can be a challenge to erect and the fact that many look awful when the boat is under way, especially those with high-fronted tops designed to increase the living space in the cockpit. Similarly, those vessels with split fore and aft canopies and a radar arch are very often seen with the forward section more or less permanently erected to provide shelter from spray. In my mind the much better option is a fixed forward shelter with a single-section aft canopy and no frames…

My daughter Sarah and I own a Squib sailing boat. It works like this – she sails it, I pay for it. Daughter rights, I’m told! It is called The Comfy Chair, which, Monty Python aficionados will know, is the torture for the little old lady in the Spanish Inquisition sketch. Sarah races The Comfy Chair at Stone Sailing Club with Edd, a friend of ours. In the winter the boat is kept at Edd’s house 300 yards from the club, accessed along a private, unmade road. During the season we keep the boat on my mooring in the river Blackwater. Although the hull is coated with Copper-Tek (similar to Coppercoat but no longer sold in UK), Edd hauls the boat out at least every 3-4 weeks to jet wash…

As sailors we’re used to checking the weather before any journey from the hundreds of weather providers including the Met Office. Give a thought therefore to the ships of the past who set out with incomplete and incorrect charts and no weather information at all and yet managed to circumnavigate the world. Sir Francis Drake took three years to do it in the 1500s and Captain Cook did it three times in the 1700s collecting data and improving charts as they went. But thousands of ships were not so lucky and one of those was the Royal Charter. In 1859 she’d sailed all the way from Melbourne in Australia with more than 500 people aboard looking forward to seeing British shores again when she was caught in a storm just…

The problem with transporting outboard motors is mainly mess: leaking fuel and grease as the thing rolls around the boot of the car. I tried propping mine up but the engine end is heavier than the rest of it so it usually ended up with the fuel tank being the lowest part of it while the gearbox/propeller waved around in the air. So I made up a very simple support from a few pieces of timber: the clamps grip the lower section of my support and the top part is held up above the lower section on the higher support not leaking fuel and also not rolling around while in transit. The base is long enough to prevent rolling forward and backward but the device is small enough to stow…

Here in the Chesapeake we’ve been experiencing unusually hot weather. The days are scorching and the evenings… well, exciting! Clouds fluff up out of nowhere and give us the most incredible and vibrant lightning displays. It makes us humans feel very insignificant and I find myself in awe of the sheer power of nature. Keeping a close lookout, the wind and rain did not seem bad enough to cause huge alarm, and so we held tight for an hour until it moderated. One such squall appeared very recently. We knew it was coming thanks to the WeatherBug app, which has proved to be really rather accurate. We dashed off in the dinghy to go and collect our children who were playing at a friend’s house. On leaving their house, lightning had…

Compensation rejected for cancelled BOATS2020 show An appeal by British Marine to the UK Government for compensation after the last minute cancellation of BOATS2020 has been rejected. The event was prevented from going ahead by Southampton City Council’s Director of Public Health just hours before it was due to open. Concerns about the increase in COVID-19 infections nationally and attendees coming from different parts of the UK were given as the reasons. MDL’s Ocean Village Boat Show in the city was also prevented from going ahead. Both events were due to run from 11-20 September, with BOATS2020 expected to attract 15,000 people and the Ocean Village Boat Show 5,000 people over the ten days. These attendance figures were agreed by the city council, which worked with both events to make…

When Colin Trowles saw the ‘forlorn’ former RNLI Arun-Class lifeboat, Sir William Arnold for sale, he knew he had to act to rescue her. Known as Lifeboat 52-02, the vessel was in service at St Peter Port in Guernsey from 1973 to 1997, playing a key role in the rescue of 29 people from the cargo ship MV Bonita, which began sinking in the English Channel in Force 12 winds on 13 December 1981. A lifeboat enthusiast since childhood, Trowles said he recognised the Sir William Arnold instantly, even though the boat had been stripped of her RNLI identity. She was being used as an independent lifeboat in Northumberland. Prior to that she had been converted into a liveaboard. “I decided to restore her as I needed a floating classroom…

SOUTH COAST AND CHANNEL ISLANDS PLYMOUTH TO HOST SAILGP Plymouth is to host SailGP’s Season 2 European debut in July 2021. The global sailing league will feature eight teams for next year, including the Great Britain SailGP Team, skippered by Sir Ben Ainslie, and the New Zealand GP Team, all racing F50 wingsailed foiling cats. Plymouth was selected following a competitive six-month-long bid process involving five other UK cities. “Plymouth is a fantastic sailing venue with a natural amphitheatre for the fans to watch these amazing F50s,” commented Sir Ben. Plymouth SailGP will run from 17-18 July. Following the UK leg, SailGP plans to hold events in Denmark, France and Spain. ALDERNEY REGATTA GOES AHEAD This year’s Alderney SC Regatta was restricted to Bailiwick crews due to the COVID-19 pandemic.…

The dark arts of varnishing are easily explained by the study of wooden-boat owners who, as a breed, are characterised by their general reluctance to get their boats wet, on account of them being prone to sinking, which obscures the gloss finish they’ve laboured so hard to achieve. In spite of this, they just can’t help themselves varnishing. It’s known as Seasonally Affected Repetitive Varnishing Hyper Activity Disorder (SARVHAD) and there’s been a major outbreak in my local boatyard where I just happen to have a 60ft by 20ft boatshed with space available at rates so criminally low I don’t how I do it. Now you would think, wouldn’t you, that a 60ft boat shed is ideal for varnishing masts up to 59ft long, but that’s not how SARVHAD works.…

The Jester Challenge has become a remarkable event. Described as ‘The antidote to the nanny state’ the idea is that ordinary people in ordinary boats can undertake a series of increasingly difficult long-distance solo voyages, culminating with a crossing of the North Atlantic. Attend one of the fleet assemblies and you will see a collection of dependable, popular and inexpensive production boats along with the occasional home build or radical makeover. All the participants are self-funded, as sponsorship is usually discouraged, save for the occasional collection tin for charity. In 2006, I was Practicals editor for PBO and covered the first-ever Jester Atlantic Challenge, which had just a handful of participants. The accessibility of the event and the simplicity of the yachts appealed to many amateur sailors. As such, for…

Have you ever wondered what to do now summer’s over? Do you feel like setting yourself a challenge for those dark winter months? Then why not think about doing a Day Skipper course which comes in two parts: theory and practical, the theory providing the groundwork for the practical. The course gives you the skills to skipper a boat safely, navigate from port to port and moor up at the end of the day. Being a glutton for punishment, I did my theory course twice – separated by a couple of years for reasons now forgotten. The course was 40 hours long so was spread out over five eight-hour days, giving the brain a real workout! The teacher had us moving around the classroom doing various exercises, watching videos as…

It was early November and we were returning from a week’s cruising in company with friends in the north Aegean. Various boats and crew had dispersed, leaving me, single-handed on my 30ft Discovery 3000 Ammos, while Andy was sailing his Arpege La Rochelle double-handed with Alan. We had a 20-mile sail back to base in the Gulf of Volos, running before a rapidly building south-westerly breeze. After threading our way through the channel between the 550m (1,800ft) high Trikeri peninsula and the small island of Paleo Trikeri, Andy and Alan paused to drop in a couple of reefs as the gusts became more powerful. Although it was clearly properly breezy most of the powerful gusts were shortlived at this stage and I continued on with full mainsail and the headsail…

The owner of this Island Packet 29 had noticed a rumble from the stern of his boat when under power – a common complaint when a boat’s cutless bearing is on its way out. So we lifted the boat out of the water and sure enough the shaft was wobbling about. A new cutless bearing was ordered and an apprentice was instructed to take the prop off, undo the lock screws and pull the bearing out of the tube. After just a few minutes I was called back to the boat to help out when one of the locking grub screws wouldn’t come out and the apprentice asked: “Should the stern tube be wobbling about?” To my surprise, the tube was indeed wobbling about because it was held in place…

During long Quebec winters, when my small yacht is well tucked up to await the next sailing season, I often amuse myself by keeping busy with various small boat-related projects. A few winters ago I decided to follow the trend and go ‘full LED’. The first job was to modify the cabin lights: traditional round lights with brass body and halogen bulbs. My yacht has only one battery and I try to avoid unnecessary power drain whenever I can, often relying on my oil-lamp when evenings are not too hot. By replacing halogen bulbs with LED I hoped to further reduce power consumption while aboard. DIY LED light installation Checking some chandlery websites I could see that LED bulbs were readily available for the G4 sockets I had in my…

Having a purpose built table in the cockpit is a great luxury and a boon on warm evenings for meals and drinks with friends. Once upon a time I used to move the cabin table into the cockpit when required, but when I started regularly sailing with my grandchildren, who use the cabin table as part of the their converted bed, I decided I needed a separate table for the cockpit. So I made a new one with cut off corners to make it easier to get round and past. With four people sitting round for dinner it’s perfect but it’s still awkward getting down to the cabin for more drinks and other frequent needs, plus when it’s only needed for drinks and snacks it’s a bit too large. I…

Three people died in three separate boating accidents during August. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has been notified and has launched inquiries. Janet Walker, aged 52, was killed following a collision between a jet ski and the RIB, Tickler on the Menai Strait in Wales on 8 August. It happened between the slipway in Menai Bridge and the pier in Bangor. North Wales Police has launched its own investigation. Officers are appealing for anyone who witnessed and/or filmed jet skis and a RIB in the area between 1700 and 1945 to contact them on tel: 101. On 19 August a woman died after becoming trapped under the Broads cruiser, Diamond Emblem on the River Bure in Great Yarmouth. Norfolk Police said the woman was in her 30s and from…

Pip Hare and her crew of Paul Larsen and Mike Ferguson took line honours in the inaugural Lonely Rock Race aboard her recently relaunched IMOCA 60 Medallia. The race was a post-refit shakedown for Hare ahead of the Vendée Globe in November, where she’ll join a record 33 solo skippers on the start line. The Lonely Rock Race was organised by the Royal Western YC after the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s decision to move the finish of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race from Plymouth to Cherbourg. The event saw boats racing from the Eastern Solent on 16 August. The threat of storm force conditions meant organisers shortened the course, with entrants sailing around Wolf Rock off the Isles of Scilly, before crossing the finish line in Plymouth. Thomas Kneen’s Sunrise,…

Inspired by Katie and Falanda What an inspirational article (Saving Falanda, PBO October 2020). A interesting and educational read about how a set of mariner parents raised their daughter on the briny and instilled in her the self-reliance that only that element demands, as most sailors recognise. Katie McCabe’s independent spirit was obvious when at the tender age of 13 she decided to restore a boat that in the future she hopes to sail around the world. I doubt if any of this would have been possible without the support of her dad, a self-taught boatbuilder himself, and an invaluable ally and tutor. Her mum eventually overcame her understandable objections and recognised her daughter’s immense ambition… albeit at such a young age. Let’s hope she can spare some of her…

The words most dreaded by mariners, if you believe the old books, are ‘fire at sea’. There are, however, moments when a person does think longingly about heating, particularly this side of the equinox. One of these moments came recently, sitting in my ketch Dahlia off the west coast of Scotland, anchor down. The great Trevor Robertson, having no space for fuel, prepared to spend a winter in Antarctica by taking plenty of candles. These could on special occasions raise the temperature in his steel cutter Iron Bark a whole degree above freezing. At the softer end of the spectrum are various diesel heaters like the Eberspächer and its cheaper and perhaps nastier clones. The candle method is a bit too Spartan for Dahlia, and I do not like the…

Drascombes are characterful and robust trailer-sailers – a regular feature on today’s sailing scene. The first Drascombe – the Lugger – came to the market over 50 years ago. It was unveiled at Earl’s Court in 1968 and was sold just 29 minutes after the show opened. Eighteen more were ordered before the show closed. But one of my favourites is the Drifter 22 from the early 2000s, of which No30 is currently in build for a US buyer. But more on that later… The Drascombe Lugger was the brainchild of designer John Watkinson, and, according to Sharon Geary Harwood – current owner of Drascombe builder Churchouse Boats – the design was much influenced by his wife Kate’s hankering for a dayboat. ‘It all started when I sold my boatbuilding…

While I was looking into buying some new running rigging recently for my schooner, Britannia, I started to consider some of the newer ropes which are now available. Some of these, such as Dyneema, can handle unbelievable loads which conjure up absurd scenarios. Britannia weighs about 44,000lb (20 tones), so theoretically a single 5⁄8in diameter 12-strand Dyneema (about as thick as a finger, rated at 58,000lb), could lift the whole boat! I’m not thinking of putting this to the test, but it serves to illustrate the advancement of modern ropes. Yet rope is one of the oldest of human tools, used long before recorded history. Drawings in Egyptian tombs from 6,000 years ago show rope that would have been used to haul the massive blocks that went into every pyramid.…

We were the second owners of Tavi, our Finnsailer 36, which became part of our lives on the river Hamble in 1998. After undergoing an extensive refit, Tavi sailed out of Plymouth the following June in a thick fog for a four-day crossing of the Bay of Biscay. My wife, Rosemary, and I spent that winter as liveaboards in Torrevieja, Spain. We’d had adventures visiting Sardinia, the Balearics and Morocco the following summer, but nothing to prepare us for what we experienced that autumn. We were making our way south down the western coast of Italy and departed Camerota on 28 September. After an enjoyable 15-mile passage in the forecast Force 3 we arrived at Sapri, which was one of Rod Heikell’s favourite Mediterranean anchorages. It was early afternoon and…

After a cracking beat from the shelter and warm clear waters east of Cap Sicie, we enjoyed a stiff afternoon beat westward to the sheltered but tricky anchorage immediately east of Île des Embiez on France’s Côte d’Azur. It’s an anchorage that I’ve used a couple of times previously and, beyond being aware that it doesn’t have particularly good holding (it’s rocky), many boats use it in settled conditions. I gave the signal to drop anchor and my crew, John, an experienced skipper in his own right, instinctively made a mental note of where Keppel’s bow was in relation to our imminent new neighbours. Down went Billy (bow anchor) with 20m of chain – plenty to get an initial grip in no more than 5m of water. Once dug in…

ENGINES Can I fit a temperature gauge? QMy boat is a 2006 Bavaria 30 fitted with a Volvo D1-20 diesel engine. The engine has a coolant temperature alarm (light + audible signal) but no temperature gauge. The Volvo data sheet says a temperature gauge is an optional extra. Also parts documents indicate that there is both a thermo monitor fitted to the coolant pump body and a temperature sensor fitted to the side of the engine block. My boat appears to have both of these fitted but presumably only one is in use (for the alarm). I’d like to a temperature gauge to be able to continuously monitor the engine temperature rather than just get an alarm signal when it overheats, but none of the Volvo agents I have approached…