Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2018 i Sailing Today

Captain's Bar Ultimate sailors’ companion Next time you are looking for a special gift or luxury treat for your trusty boat, Onward Trading’s Captain's Bar is a worthy option. Like all products from this high-end British company, Onward Trading’s practical storage case is handcrafted from the best quality plantation teak, and offers the perfect stowage solution for those all-important whiskey glasses. The hinged-lid box, complete with tumblers, comes in two sizes (six or four-glass – 36.7cm or 54cm) and each set includes an extra set of shot glasses designed to fit safely under the tumblers. • From £157 • onwardtrading.com When the sun is over the yardarm… Freshen up after a day on the water with the Organic Cotton Vest Dress from the luxury British brand, Celtic & Co. This…

BAVARIA C65 Bavaria’s new C65 is the biggest yacht the company has ever built. She is sleek with a long waterline length offsetting the generous freeboard. She has twin rudders and a decent rig., while the cockpit features twin tables, bar and barbecue area. Sail controls are push button and there is a dinghy garage underneath. The four layout options include a plethora of choices. The master bedroom is huge and she has all the bells and whistles you’d expect including washing machine, dishwasher and flat screen TV. • c£1.1m • Bavariayachts.com RUSTLER 57 Slowly but surely Rustler Yachts has been assembling a very impressive fleet of blue water cruisers and the new 57 will be its flagship. Like all Rustler’s recent boats she’s been designed by Stephen Jones with…

‘He had a deep-sea tan and the sort of Hawaiian shirt normally only seen in Humphrey Bogart movies’ A new yacht. The ultimate goal. When our ship comes in, we promise ourselves, we’ll dig deep into her treasure chests and buy our dream craft from the gleaming boat-show stands. It will be a strange feeling to approach the throne of the gent holding the order book with actual money to spend instead of lurking around like everyone else, pretending to be well heeled. For all but the financially privileged, however, a new boat means ‘new to us’, rather than fresh off the stocks. Apart from a single aberration, that’s how it has been for me over many a hard-fought decade. Some things in this life involve a leap of faith.…

So, yet another French yacht race. And with the boats departing from the same pontoon as the mother of them all: the Vendée Globe. Only, of course, this is very different because the ‘Golden Globe Race 2018’ is a deliberate throwback to the one that started it all 50 years ago. Gone are the multi-million-pound campaigns run like Formula 1. Instead, the 18 sailors in this new event are in long-keeled, used boats, between 9.75m and 10.9m (32’ and 36’) with little in the way of digital technology. They must navigate by the stars and use wind vanes in place of autopilots. Their GPS tracker positions are for the public’s eyes only; satellite phones for weekly calls to race control and emergencies only; they have limited weather information; write log…

If the past few months have demonstrated anything to us it is that manufacturing cruising yachts can be fraught with difficulty. Just ask Bavaria Yachts. And the fact is that there are hundreds of models competing to win the attention of the punters. One such is Wauquiez – a French company particularly notable – to me at least – for having a name that I am never sure if I’m pronouncing properly. This means that I always say the name like it’s a question. Wauquiez? Anyway, the company had a few questions to ask itself recently about its place in the market. It’s perhaps a bit of an anomalous company in that it is based in landlocked Lille in the north of France. It started up in 1965 producing a…

The first time I sailed across to Corsica was in the cockleshell Roulette, the 20-foot boat I had sailed down from England in 1977. Though it is just 100 miles from the French coast to Corsica it had been a slow passage and on the dawn of the third day the sight of the snow capped mountains of Corsica was a blessed relief. We had made it at something like an average speed of two knots. There had been dolphins, a whale twice the size of Roulette that nearly gave me a heart attack when it surfaced nearby, and not a lot of wind – hence the long passage time getting there. Thankfully subsequent passages have been a lot quicker and on a recent passage from Calvi to the Gulf…

When it comes to the islands of the Mediterranean it feels like Greece and Croatia end up getting all the attention. Yet the islands of the western Mediterranean are just as worthy of a visit and hold just as many delights. They may be a touch more understated than their eastern sisters and there are fewer of them, but that doesn’t mean they are not truly enchanting. Here is a selection of the highlights to enjoy. Sicily Situated off the boot tip of Italy, the island of Sicily is 25,000 sq/ km so it’s huge and boasts several large towns plus the bustling city of Palermo. It is also beautiful with much of the island dominated by the dramatic volcano, Mount Etna. The best areas of Sicily for chartering are…

Before you start looking at yachts and letting your heart rule your head, you need to determine what type of sailing it is that you wish to do, as this will play a major part in your final choice of vessel. Do you want to launch and recover from a trailer, or go bigger and leave her on a mooring? Whether you’ll be sticking to inland waterways and lakes, tootling along the coast within sight of land, or cruising seriously offshore day and night, this aspect will play an essential part when searching for a suitable craft. DESIGN The type of sailing you wish to do will largely determine the design of yacht you should be looking for. For instance, are you happy to spend a lot of time titillating…

Dr Johnson once opined that ‘The grand object of travelling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean’, and sitting on the shores of the Solent in early spring can often give a sailor pause for thought. For me the wonder of the Med is that you can sail across a relatively short bit of sea and you are in a country that is totally different from the one you left. The language, the cuisine, the cultural fabric is all unique and the people are evidently Spanish or French or Greek or Turkish. And despite worries that the grand project of the EU would homogenise the different cultures it encompassed, it seems that the member countries have taken care to preserve their identities. I still marvel that you can sail…

'NORMAL' HURRICANES PREDICTED Following on from a devastating 2017 hurricane season in the Caribbean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a mixed prediction for 2018. Their Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a 75 per cent chance that the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season will be near- or above-normal. Forecasters predict a 35 per cent chance of an above-normal season, a 40 per cent chance of a near-normal season, and a 25 per cent chance of a below-normal season for the hurricane season. NOAA’s forecasters predict a 70 per cent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which between five and nine could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including one to four major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with…

PRIVILEGE SIGNATURE 510 Those who keep an eye on industry news may already be aware that French multihull manufacturer Privilege has been acquired by German giant Hanse. As such, production has been stepped up and the 510 is one of the latest additions to a swelling range. Privilege state that the Signature 510 is bult for blue water cruising and also that she boasts the largest state room in her class which also affords excellent all round visibility. The price, meanwhile, is remarkably competitive and she looks like a very smart and purposeful yacht. • from £1.28m • hanseyachts.co.uk MCCONAGHY MC50 McConaghy Yachts is generally noted for racing monohulls such as Wild Oats and ICAP Leopard. It’s therefore rather interesting that they are putting out what is essentially a fast…

For centuries, the Helford River on the south coast of Cornwall has been a hive of activity; it teemed with working boats, small fishing vessels and traders bringing back goods from the continent. Today, while a small fishing fleet remains, it’s largely the domain of pleasure craft and sailing boats of all shapes and sizes. It is a staggeringly beautiful part of the world, not only offering exhilarating and varied sailing waters, but also arresting scenery at every turn and bend of its course. Located just south of Falmouth on the Lizard Peninsula, the Helford falls in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Helford is, in fact, a ria, or flooded valley, splitting and forking off into…

ELAN GT5 Strikingly similar at first glance but look closer and there are plenty of differences. The most obvious is that the GT5 is sportier and the Wauquiez is smarter down below. The GT5 will, however, outsail her in normal conditions. elan-yachts.com SOUTHERLY 435 Southerly Yachts has been reborn recently and their range of swing keel deck saloon yachts need no introduction. If anything the quality of fit out has gone up since the rejuvenated marque took to the waters once again. Plus she’s got the benefit of shoal draft. southerlyyachts.com SIRIUS 40DS The manufacturer that claims to have first come up with the DS concept. German manufacturer Sirius Yachts continue to plough their own idiosyncratic furrow manufacturing boats of tremendous quality and attention to detail combined with fine performance…

Europa Point, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar marked by Trinity House lighthouse, is about 11.5 nautical miles from the coast of Morocco. Although the marina is easily accessible, shipping will be the biggest concern on the approach, so you need to be vigilant. It is important to communicate with Gibraltar VTS on VHF Channel 12 for shipping movements and remember that yacht crews are subject to normal customs clearance and will need to provide a crew list with names, nationalities and passport numbers and provide information about the yacht including nationality, and port of registry. To enter the main port, take the entrance between the South Mole and the Detached Mole, and head approximately 80 degrees. You also need to make contact with the staff at the marina on VHF…

RUSTLER 44DS | New Horizons The Rustler brand is synonymous with high-quality seaworthy yachts and its 44DS epitomises this. Designed by Stephen Jones, whose remit was to produce a swift, comfortable passage maker. She’s a development of the classic Rustler 42 and perhaps the most notable difference aside from its slightly larger size is a deck saloon that allows for far more interior light. New Horizons has had one owner since she was launched in 2010 and has been cruised extensively – primarily in the Northern latitudes. She features a beautiful dark blue hull and, unusually for the larger Rustlers, does not have a teak deck – which certainly cuts down on maintenance. Inside, she features Rustler’s trademark high-quality teak interior joinery and blue upholstery. She carries all the usual…

LENDY COWES WEEK 4-11 AUGUST – ISLE OF WIGHT Lendy Cowes Week offers plenty of opportunity for everyone to get involved. Those with a competitive spirit can enjoy eight days of racing while those on shore can take a more relaxed approach with the full Cowes Week social scene experience. lendycowesweek.co.uk THE LOW TIDE EVENT 13 AUGUST – ISLES OF SCILLY Enjoy a unique Scillonian experience on 13 August for one of the Isles of Scilly’s low tide events. When spring tides occur, the channel between Tresco and Bryher is dry enough to cross and the locals organise a free festival. visitislesofscilly.com CLIPPER ROUND THE WORLD RACE FINISH 28 JULY-5 AUGUST – LIVERPOOL Liverpool is the host port for the finish of the 2017-18 Round the World Yacht Race. Share…

ARCONA 435 Sweden’s Arcona is a byword for comfort, quality and blistering speed. The new 435 promises to reinforce that; she’s a development of the Arcona 430 and should be a polished performer. This is not a simple MkII either;she has a wider stern which increases her sailing abilities, also giving her a more spacious saloon and a larger cockpit. An efficient sail design in combination with optimised weight will ensure a higher performance. The Arcona 435 will make its debut at the Southampton Boat Show. • Price: £poa • arconayachts.com OFCET 32SC Even their name marks out French manufacturers Ofcet as being a little bit different and their 32SC is part of a stable of innovative, sporty yachts that could sit in their very own genre. Taking a lead…

BRITANNIA 74 Another yacht from the extremely prolific Discovery Group – this is a beautiful boat that sits somewhere between Spirit of Tradition and simply nice looking modern yacht. She’s designed by Paul Spooner and boasts a lot of interesting features including a deck arrangement that features twin-cabin layout with separate helming and guest cockpits. Various owernship options are available, with syndicates encouraged, and the option of a crewed package. One suggestion is for a syndicate of three owners and a full-time crew of two, with a “Med in the summer, Caribbean in the winter” programme of cruising. • £3m • britanniayachts.com BALTIC 67 There was a time when Finnish Baltic yachts were staples of the solid, high-quality, mid-range cruising yacht. That was a couple of decades ago, however and…

Even if you have never been there, the Rock of Gibraltar is one of those landmarks that can be instantly recognised along with likes of the Fastnet Rock, Cape Horn and Table Mountain. Its imposing ‘chiselled’ features are unique and when spotted from miles offshore after a long passage, can not only ping a few emotional chords in even the most roughtytoughty of sailors, but can also provide an ironic sense of security. Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory, lies at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and controls the eastern entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is the largest shipping bunker hub in the Mediterranean and the east-west international shipping lane that runs through the Strait is busy. This combined with the temperate climate influenced by…

Gibraltar’s climate is influenced by local geography and the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. There are also the effects of the Atlas Mountains to the south and Sierra Nevada to the north to consider, and the Levanter – a warm summer breeze that hits the eastern side of the Rock before condensing, and rising to produce what is known as the ‘Rock Top’ cloud, in similar style to the ‘tablecloth’ over Table Mountain, South Africa. Another local effect to consider when cruising from and to Gibraltar is the Poniente – a warm and dry westerly or north-westerly that generally blows around Force 4-5 through the Strait of Gibraltar and along the north-west Mediterranean coastline. When the Poniente blows, hot, clear and mostly dry weather is expected.…

Ascension Island is some 700 miles northwest of Saint Helena, of which it is a dependency. The administration does not encourage tourism, although for a fee a permit with strict requirements can be acquired in Jamestown. There are, however, severe restrictions on movement around the island. Several countries requiring the ultimate in security have set up a presence, and historically it has been a strategic mid-Atlantic base of great value particularly during the Second World War and the Falklands conflict. The RAF still has a station here, and other organisations to set up shop include the ESA with a spacecraft tracking station, NASA with a telescope monitoring orbital debris, British and American signals intelligence, and even the good old BBC. Vessels heading for Canada, Bermuda, the Azores or around the…

Yes, it’s that time of year again when the sailing world begins to gear up for one of the greatest spectacles of marine calendar: the Southampton Boat Show. This year is the 50th edition and, as one of the official media partners of the show, Sailing Today is delighted to offer you a superb discount of two tickets for £26. That’s a saving of up to 40% on tickets depending on which day you go. Just go to the web address below and enter the promotional code to claim your exclusive discount. Go to: southamptonboatshow.com Code: SailingToday26…