Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Sailing Today

‘The boat, having ridden over the other waves with little difficulty, was brought to a shuddering halt by this concrete-like wall of water’ Of all the sounds I’ve ever heard on a boat, the most terrifying is the shuddering ‘crump’ of a heavy wave cascading onto the cabin roof. I’ve only heard it once but it is truly nerve- shattering. I’m not talking about the harmless slap of what might be called an ‘ordinary’ wave against the topsides; I’m talking about that moment when your poor boat suddenly feels the true weight of the sea. It shakes you to the core. I’ve only felt it once, but it was memorable. I was hove-to in something a bit short of a gale, west of the Azores. The seas were far removed…

Back in the days when boats still leaked and electronics weren’t even a glimmer in the sunrise, I learned many a useful lesson from the foreman at the Elephant Boatyard up the Hamble River. The late, great Davey Elliot was a classic Solent longshoreman of the old school. I really don’t think there was anything about boats he didn’t know, but his talents reached far wider. He was an accomplished student of the human condition, he had a tongue that would split solid oak to take down any upstart sailor who fancied himself, and he was a natural healer. This latter gift was kept private and I had no inkling of it until one day, suffering more than usual from a cartilage injury, I was limping back to my boat…

With a cool, calm and collected nature, Sam Goodchild stands apart from your average offshore solo sailor. There’s none of the stereotypical nervous energy bubbling away, no unrelenting singlemindedness. Instead, you get the sense that Sam is that type of person whose brain is continually, intently processing, but also ready to hone-in and prioritise as needed. This multi-channel thinking ability is impressive, and no doubt is what stood him apart as skipper of choice for this most multifaceted of campaigns. Sam is currently skipper of the Ocean Fifty, Leyton – a semi-foiling trimaran previously known as the Multi50 – and is backed by French consulting firm Leyton (multi-national specialists in economic, environmental and social transition projects). Not only is he campaigning in a number of inshore and offshore races, both…

A winter sun sailing holiday is probably one of the best antidotes to our busy working and often monotonous lives in the UK. Add the Caribbean and some competitive racing to the mix, and images of life’s daily routine back home, particularly in the depths of winter, disappear almost instantaneously. The Caribbean with its guaranteed sun and good winds has not only become a favourite choice for charter holidays in general over the winter months, but it has also become a destination for those keen to embrace the hugely popular Caribbean racing scene. The season runs from January to April avoiding the hurricane period. The good news is that there are now so many charter companies specialising in Caribbean race charter and Transatlantic crossings. There is plenty of choice to…

NAJAD 400 | SEVERANCE This fine example of a 2001-built Najad benefits from only one owner. Severance has the standard configuration. Down below she has a double berth in the forward cabin, and large double island berth in the aft cabin, both with adjacent heads. The best way to capture the essence and appreciate the opulence of the Najad 400 below, is to recline in one of the comfortable armchairs in the saloon, relax and gaze around at the mellow tones of the beautifully finished unstained mahogany joinery. The attention to detail is what you would expect from this trusted Swedish brand, with features such as lights inside each hanging locker, and red night lights at foot level. She has an extensive sail wardrobe including a 2019 Kemp in-mast furling…

Join us at the British Yachting Awards Voting is still open for our British Yachting Awards until midnight on Sunday 6 November – and Sailing Today with Y&Y readers can book limited tickets to the event via a link below. We organise the awards annually with our parent company Chelsea Magazines to celebrate the best of the racing and cruising worlds. It’s up to you to decide the winners – you can cast your votes after persusing the nominations, listed online at britishyachtingawards.com. There are categories for the best new boats launched in the last 12 months, the best pieces of new sailing kit and clothing, the best marinas, as well as categories that recognise personal sailing achievements. The winners are announced and trophies presented on 28 November, at an…

“More than races they’re, a festival of fun which also help promote the cities in which they take place” I’m half way through an eight-week tour of Europe which has been a good reminder of the full breadth and diversity of our sport. From commentating at the Bosphorus Cup in Istanbul and the Barcolana in Trieste, to the hardcore competition of the 470 Europeans in Turkey and Formula Kite Worlds and Europeans in Sardinia and Greece respectively. The Bosphorus Cup and the Barcolana are both big boat races but more than races they’re a parade of sail, a festival of fun which also happen to help promote the cities in which they take place. Sailing through the Bosphorus is a real treat, one that event founder Orhan Gorban created more…

Alex Thomson may have relinquished the wheel when he announced his decision not to go again for the next Vendée Globe, but he has certainly not let go of his passion for solo offshore sailing. Far from it. For the last 12 months, the five-time Vendée veteran has been seeking a way to channel his expertise and pass on the knowledge he gained from two decades of campaigning his IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss – during which he broke multiple world records and scooped two Vendée podium positions. Of many applications and offers, he has narrowed it down to one. Now, the hard work begins with the announcement of an exciting new partnership that sees Canadian businessman Scott Shawyer as president and Thomson as mentor of an all-new, fully professional offshore…

Some years back Lagoon Catamarans came up with what appeared to be a stroke of marketing genius. The company was – and still is – the largest manufacturer of cruising multihulls in the world. Yet the world was not enough and the company wanted more. Much as our incumbent prime minister is fixated on growth, so too did Lagoon and it opted to aim its sights at a younger market. The result was the Excess catamaran range; cruising catamarans, which were jazzed up with stylish interiors, bigger rigs and more sensitive handling, thanks to twin outboard helms. The marketing behind these boats was incredibly slick but the first couple of models off the production line were a bit, well, familiar. This was because they were cannbalised from existing Lagoon moulds…

In June 1822 three sailors set out from Livorno on the Tuscan coast of Italy and headed for their home port of Lerici, some 36nm up the coast in a 29ft yacht. The weather was hot and thundery, the boat was heavily canvassed and open with no deck. She was seen heading north at a good clip before disappearing from sight as she sailed into the murk of a thundery shower that passed to the north of the town. The crew were never seen alive again. This brutal little vignette was played out in the great days of sail with monotonous regularity. Death was a simple fact of, well, life. What makes the story stand out was that among the crew was the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Indeed, he was…

oat show season means that manufacturers are busy launching the new gear they’ve been busy developing and testing on the water this season. With Cannes and then Southampton in quick succession, then the blockbusting Marine Equipment Trade Show set for November in Amsterdam, there’s plenty of new stuff just in. We walked the pontoons, aisles and marquees to pick out the best Heatrub ultimate baselayer£55 Japanese performance clothing brand Zerofit has launched its products into the sailing world, with a range of insulating base layers that are ideal for winter sailors. Zerofit claims its baselayer is five times warmer than a standard garment, and has tested it with scientists in Osaka by way of proof. Where a normal garment might retain 10-14 per cent of your body heat, the Heatrub…

It’s regatta day: we’ve been allowed out of the rib and back into a dinghy for the day. It’s light and patchy: we’ve been out-started by our old rival and are chasing them hard. We’ve a good fleet of RS200’s in the medium handicap fleet at Mudhopper’s Sailing Club, but also some well sailed 2000’s, Finns, and plenty of other slower boats to worry about on handicap. It is great at the front to have the 200’s pushing each other on but it’s a very reachy course with few clear passing opportunities. Though we feel faster than the leader, it is pretty obvious that they are going to defend any obvious attack. So how do we give ourselves a chance to get past without us both losing time on the…

ClubSwan 41 The ClubSwan 41 is the latest in the new generation of one-design racers launched by the Finnish manufacturer. The boat sits between the ClubSwan 36 and 50 in its range, and promises a similar blend of amped up performance combined with dramatic looks and potential for extremely fast cruising. Like the other boats in the range, the 41 is designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and will compete in ORC Category B. As you’d expect, the boat is very light at 6,200kg and also features a massive sail area with the mast stepped almost centrally allowing for a very large fore triangle. This is a serious racing machine but the interior remains important and Swan has worked with New Zealand studio Pure Design & Engineering and Lucio Micheletti to create…

Leaving on any passage leaves me with a dry taste in the mouth, a pile of butterflies in the stomach and a lot of ticking off of checklists. The boat is stuffed from stem to stern with enough food for four ocean passages. We have enough spares to fix just about anything on board, though Sod’s Law dictates that the one spare we do need will be the one we omitted. It’s kind of endearing that, however many times we get ready for a passage, it is still a daunting experience setting off into the open sea on a small boat. The nerves get to you every time and the bravado on the dock is notably muted. The one item on a check-list that all of us keep looking at…

Our intention for the summer of 2021 was to sail our Westerly Fulmar, Ophelie, from our Marconi Sailing Club mooring on the River Blackwater in Essex, up the east coast travelling anti-clockwise towards Scotland. There is not the space to give a full account of our journey, so this is just a small part of the adventure. Finally ready, my wife Jane and I, accompanied by our friend Peter set off for our shakedown sail, restoring our sea legs, in home waters via West Mersea, Brightlingsea and on to the River Orwell with the hope the weather would change its mind. Slogging up the Wallet while it blew a vigorous north easterly, the wind over tide produced rather uncomfortable conditions. This was not a very favourable prospect for the next…

The start of the Caribbean racing season signals a step change in the racing calendar. The racing circuit in Europe is fascinating and challenging; fickle then fierce winds in the Mediterranean, and fierce tides in the Atlantic can turn races into a fascinating game of chess. In the Caribbean though, things take on a new dimension. This is racing with the contrast and the volume turned right up. For those of us who battle on through the European winter, scraping ice off our decks, we can only watch from afar with admiration as racers do battle before the booming trade winds, launching their yachts off mighty Atlantic swells as they roar around race courses. This season all the old favourites are back. Covid has been banished as a bad memory,…

‘Today the sky is a bright, saturated azure blue, flecked with fleecy patterns of white shimmering clouds’ Living on a boat bestows upon you an extraordinary relationship with the sky. The sheer expanse of it, greeting you each morning, makes your relationship with its fluctuating moods and rhythms both intimate and extensive. You have to engage with the sky in the same way that you have to engage with the water; after all, it makes up half of your backdrop when living at anchor. And in the same way the sea’s ever-changing temperament and colours have always fascinated me, so too do the patterns and shapes, textures and light of the clouds captivate and absorb my attention as another layer of patina that guides our boat experience. I like to…