Indholdsfortegnelse for July 2020 i Yachting Monthly

The number of people taking online navigation courses, we are told, has been soaring. Stuck at home and estranged from the sea, droves of us have been turning to theory lessons, virtual regattas and digital passage planning. It’s a poor second best, but one that should be of benefit. The key to successful cruising, of course, lies in proper planning, even though no plan ever survives unscathed. We can set off with the perfect weather window on a straight-forward daysail and find ourselves facing calms, squalls and fouled propellers. Suddenly the cruise looks nothing like we had hoped. This season, confined ashore, has certainly turned out in a way none of us anticipated. The unpredictability of sailing, however, far from being purely a frustration, is perhaps part of why we…

02 Llanion Cove-based Pembrokeshire Performance Sailing Academy has announced it is planning on opening a second centre in Lydstep. 360 The Scottish Maritime Museum is giving free access to 3D scans and 360° virtual tours of some of Scotland’s historic vessels. www.scottishmaritimemuseum.org Will you join the 2.6 Challenge? The conservation charity Sea-Changers is taking part in the nationwide 2.6 Challenge, which aims to help raise money for charities whose funding has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Launched on 26 April, the same day as the London Marathon was due to be held, Sea-Changers is asking the public to take part in a fundraising activity of their choice based around the numbers 2.6 or 26. Details on taking part here: www.sea-changers.org.uk…

Taylor Grieger, 28, and Stephen O’Shea, 29, met while on the swim team at A&M Consolidated High School in College Station, Texas. After graduating the pair went in very different directions and lost touch for six years. Taylor joined the US Navy as a rescue swimmer. He learnt to sail in 2011-12 while stationed in San Diego. Stephen (www.stephenjoshea.com) went into academia, completing a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. They reconnected in Guam, where Taylor hadbeen stationed. Stephen had also just finished From the Land of Genesis, a collection of short stories based on interviews with American soldiers who had fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, which will be published in October 2020. Taylor currently works with Sailing Angels, a non-profit charitable organisation which offers…

Q Whilst we’re all stuck at home does anyone at YM have an idea of good online yacht maintenance resources? David Dawson A Because of the very broad topic and the specialist nature of much of the work, we at the RYA have specifically avoided the creation of any official or RYA affiliated courses into maintenance. However, we do offer the RYA Yacht Maintenance book, which can be purchased digitally. Richard Falk – Director of training an qualifications at the RYA Beyond officially recognised sources, Yachting Monthly’s website has a range of articles on yacht maintenance as well as much more. It’s always worth looking up the YouTube channels of some of the biggest yacht kit brands. Harken has a series on their channel which is hugely informative on deck gear…

James Steven’s article in the February issue of YM ‘A question of Seamanship’ about snagging a rope on the prop, reminded me of our experience while sailing our Hanse 345 Fifty Fifty along the French channel coast in July 2018. My sailing partner and co-owner Mick and I had left Boulogne some seven hours earlier, motor-sailing with gentle breezes en-route to Dieppe, a distance of about 60 miles. However, soon after midday, the winds dropped to dead calm. Sails were lowered and we started motoring the final 8 miles towards Dieppe when at 1300 our engine stopped dead and we quickly realised we were anchored to a heavy lobster pot dragging on the seabed. Too late, we saw a white 25-litre drum almost invisible off to port in the shimmering…

DO YOU HAVE ONLY A WEEK TO SPARE? For those of us who are time poor but who want to seize the moment, either on our own boat or on a charter, it is reassuring to know that there are plenty of cruising hubs from where we can enjoy some of the best of the region in only a few days. This new series, A Week Afloat, commissioned by Yachting Monthly and Imray, visits some ideal destinations and suggests a one week itinerary. Each article, complete with expanded information about cruising each area, will be available as a PDF download via Imray’s website or Google Play Books. IN THE NEXT FEW ISSUES… We shall be exploring the Mediterranean island of Corsica and Morbihan in Brittany The West Coast of Scotland…

MUDLARKING Lara Maiklem Bloomsbury £9.99 (also available in electronic and audio format) Thames mudlark, Lara Maiklem, is as intent as any yachtsman on tide times and ranges – except where sailors usually want more water, she wants less… It amazes me how many people don’t realise the river in central London is tidal. I hear them comment on it as they pause at the river wall above me while I am mudlarking below. Even friends who have lived in the city for years are oblivious to the high and low tides that chase each other round the clock, inching forwards every twenty-four hours, one tide gradually creeping through the day while the other takes the night shift. They have no idea that the height between high and low water at…

£325 It would be easy to look at onboard intercom systems and lump them into the ‘not essential but useful if you have the money’ category. The benefits for cruisers seem fairly obvious: clear and effective communication over a distance, negating the need for helm and crew to shout at each other, over noise or due to anger. This could be a key tool in keeping everyone in the picture and harbour manoeuvres harmonious. I admit I was initially sceptical – right up until I tried actually using one onboard, at which point I became much more sold on the concept. Clear, concise communication with your crew in moderate tones serves to remind us, not only of how often we need to raise our voice when onboard, but how inefficient…

S/Y AQUILA, HULL NO.93 (1995) Retired opticians, Mike and Janet Jones, have owned Aquila from new and still love everything about her, ‘except, maybe, her dubious close-quarter handling’ says Mike. Prior to buying her they owned a Westerly Merlin, Colvic 26 and a Coribee. The Vancouver suits their style of sailing, which comprises frequent, lengthy Channel cruises, as well as the odd dip down into Southern Brittany. What they like most about her is the beautiful joinery below, along with the practical layout and her ability to stand up to her canvas in heavy weather. Janet admits: ‘Her accommodation is slightly cramped when compared with a modern, high-volume cruising yacht but we spend most of the time cruising as a couple, so we don’t worry too much about the guest…

1 Check pullpit and pushpit feet for any movement. Any wobbles here are usually a sure sign of problems. 2 Check stanchion bases – again various types, but many have the odd crafty screw or bolt that gets too much loading and then allows moisture ingress into the deck sub-structure. 3 Thoroughly check around the baby stay and lifeline harness points on deck. 4 Look at the mast step itself; how is it supported, what is it sat on and how well are the deck sockets sealed around the area of the mast shoe? Is there any downward compression around the mast step developing? Any pooling of water is a serious clue. 5 If you have teak decks fitted it is worth considering or finding out how they’re secured. Recently, I had a…

Email yachtingmonthly@ti-media.com Post Confessions, Yachting Monthly, TI Media, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF Send us your stories in less than 200 words WIN A FLOATING HANDHELD VHF UK residents only The confession of the month wins a Standard Horizon HX210E water-proof VHF radio worth £134.95. It boasts a water activated strobe, 6W transmission, largest-in-class screen, an FM radio and more. www.standardhorizon.co.uk A French treat (or not) Patrick Hurd Many years ago now, when young and carefree, I was part of a crew with my two older brothers sailing a Westerly GK 29 from Corsica to Cassis in the south of France. It had been a gentle sail, with nothing much to report and, being the youngest brother, I, of course was given the 0200…

Marine companies across the UK have responded to the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topsham-based EXE Sails & Covers has collaborated with staff at North Sails’ Gosport loft to make scrubs for NHS hospital staff in Exeter and the wider south west. North Sails’ equipment was used to cut the pattern before the scrubs were sewn together by volunteers and staff at EXE, which also provided the material. EXE has also been using 3D printers to make visors for frontline workers. Marine safety equipment manufacturer and supplier Ocean Signal has been using their 3D printer, usually used for research and development work, to make medical visors for GP surgeries and hospitals in Kent, Surrey and Gloucester. Crusader Sails, based in Poole, has…

Send us your questions in less than 200 words by email yachtingmonthly@ti-media.com or by post Yachting Monthly, TI Media, Pinehurst 2, Pinehurst Road, Farnborough Business Park, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7BF WIN The letter of the month wins a bottle of Pusser’s Rum, produced to Admiralty specification and served daily to every sailor in the Royal Navy for more than 300 years (UK residents only) www.pussersrum.com Learned the hard way Thank you for the excellent article on anchoring (YM, May 2020). Can I add a few points following our experience of anchoring during Storm Hector (Force 10) in Plockton Bay? ■ Anchoring with two anchors in a vee adds little in a storm, because the anchors are only loaded in turn. Better to use the anchors in tandem. Best is the modified…

Whilst it is unlikely that you would take your own yacht around Cape Horn there are several charter companies which can offer you the chance to sail past it. The best time to go is during the Southern Hemisphere summer, which runs from December until March, although there are charter companies which offer itineraries in Tierra del Fuego and the Beagle Channel from September to May. The best known is Skip Novak’s Pelagic (www.pelagic.co.uk). Sim Expeditions also offer charters (www.simexpeditions.com). Visiting yachts need to inform Chile’s Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (www.sag.gob.ci) at least 24-48 hours before arrival and a detailed itinerary must be given to the Armada de Chile (www.armada.cl) which controls all vessel movements. Exit papers (zarpe) are needed when leaving every port and skippers of cruising yachts must…

James Stevens, author of the Yachtmaster Handbook, spent 10 of his 23 years at the RYA as chief examiner Can you retrieve a stuck anchor in rough sea? Q Dave and three friends are sailing Kochab, a Starlight 35, in the West Country towards the end of a round-Britain cruise. They are currently beating against a fresh south-westerly, 20 knots, on the way from Dartmouth to Salcombe. Dave decided to start today’s trip by staying in the lee of Start Point in Start Bay. The problem with the plan is that they will have to pass through the overfalls when they come out of the sheltered water at Start Point. The spring tide is flowing at over 2 knots, wind against tide. Sure enough it is rough and unpleasant off…

1 BRIEF YOUR CREW PROPERLY Make sure everybody knows what to do in an emergency. Include raising the alarm in all safety briefs, especially with crew who are new to the boat. Explain which buttons to press on the VHF and chart plotter, and what they must do next. Always nominate a second in command in case you are the one who’s in trouble. 2 LIFEJACKET FAMILIARISATION Ensure all crew are familiar with their lifejacket, both for their own benefit and if they need to retrieve someone from the water. Unpack one so that crew can understand how they inflate and see what’s inside, especially the lifting strop, not to be confused with the harness D-ring. Explain the vital part played by the crotch straps. 3 PLAN FOR GYBES Prepare…

1 ADAPT TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES As it was flat calm we didn’t consider making a Pan Pan or Mayday call. Instead, we just thought about our best immediate option. Had conditions been difficult with high winds and seas, the situation would have become very difficult. Anchoring offshore for a long period, particularly at night, with no possibility of cutting a rope off the sail-drive was not an option, so an expensive call to the French ‘Sauvitage’ for assistance would’ve been necessary. 2 FIT A ROPE CUTTER Following the incident we detected a vibration at certain revs. Once we’d lifted for the winter, it was clear the prop had a slight ‘chatter’ on it’s shaft and a new prop was required. Having researched the best rope cutters, we fitted a 2-blade…

SEASONS The season doesn’t really get under way until May, and May and June are often the best months. Daylight hours are very long and the air can be sparkling clear. July is the peak month for yacht traffic; by the end of August things are staring to wind their way down. WEATHER The weather is maritime and beguilingly variable: if you don’t like it (they say) wait five minutes. Winds can be strongly influenced by the topography. In the Sound of Mull, the wind tends to blow either up or down the channel, and particularly in light weather it is common to experience a 180° wind shift at some point. Mean summer temperatures may be a degree or two cooler than Cornwall, but the seawater temperature all along the…

RIVERS OF POWER £ 20 Laurence C. Smith, Allen Lane This may not be an obvious choice for a yachting library as it’s about rivers but not boats. Laurence C. Smith is a hydrologist who is currently tracking changing river flows in the Arctic. The scope of this book is global, ranging from the earliest geology to the latest hydro-electric diversion projects. I was shocked by the callous cruelty of river use in warfare and mildly cheered by the focus on riverfront access in modern urban planning. Smith is American with access to astonishing satellite technology (and research funding, it seems). The personality of his book is humane and his writing style often thrilling. This is a big book which may change your view of even the smallest river. SEA,…

All the time we rely more and more upon our electronic charts and various other electronics onboard our boats, but they are only as accurate as their source data. Not only is it good practice to ensure that the source data is current and accurate, ensuring our technology is kept updated can unlock any number of upgrades not included in the software installed at time of purchase. Rocks might not move, but areas are re-surveyed all the time – and sandbanks and mudbanks certainly do move, not to mention new buoyage and wrecks, which appear all around our coasts – and we need to take advantage of any updates. Updating paper charts is a simple matter of consulting the updates given in a relevant Notice to Mariners and transferring these…

Galvanic corrosion is a phenomenon that affects the majority of boats. If you have two dissimilar metals, such as stainless steel and bronze, the water will act as an electrolyte and the less noble of the two metals, the bronze, becomes an anode and will begin to corrode. If this is a seacock, it could sink your boat. Electrically connect a less noble metal like zinc, and this becomes the anode, protecting the other metals from corrosion. In brackish water, the Baltic for example, you will need a more reactive metal, such as magnesium, to provide proper protection. BONDING Anodes only offer protection to metal they are electrically connected to. This means either in direct physical contact, or connected by a wire inside the boat. Use a multimeter in continuity…

Sail Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement of a £100m fund to support the self-employed and small businesses affected by the coronavirus lockdown. The national marketing organisation for sailing and boating tourism has been pressing for financial support for smaller independent moorings and pontoon providers as well as independent charter operators. Its chief executive, Alan Rankin, said many charter firms had lost 100% of their bookings as a result of the lockdown at a time when they have had the expense of spring refits.…

After a friend had a seizure, Frank Spiniello began to wonder how he would haul him out of the water if he had another incident while out on his boat and fell overboard. The Bedford sailor began experimenting with ideas, and two years later he developed a prototype of his Emergency Rescue Board (ERB). Described as a cross between a body board and a lifebuoy ring, the ERB is a rigid board with integrated handles and holes for a rescue line. The board is also curved to help provide lift and leverage to retrieve casualties where there is a drop in height, such as from a riverbank. Spiniello, who has been sailing for 14 years, also wanted to reduce the risk of cold water shock, which can be a precursor…

THIS MONTH’S EXPERTS JONTY PEARCE Jonty is a lifelong cruising yachtsman and retired GP. He keeps his Southerly 105 ketch Aurial in Milford Haven. JAYNE TOYNE Jayne is an award-winning journalist and press photographer, and is a competitive solo sailor. HARRY DEKKERS Harry is an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore and has sailed solo around the UK. He was the commanding officer of the Royal Netherlands Navy’s sail training vessel. ANDY DU PORT Andy du Port is a former RN navigating officer, a Yachtmaster Offshore and former RYA instructor. Traffic light reefing I deliberately chose a boat with all lines leading to the cockpit. This means there’s a fair few lines knocking about when it gets busy in the cockpit and colour identification is important. It can be daunting for friends who visit, who…

World-renowned racer and adventurer, Pete Goss has sailed more than 250,000 miles, both racing and cruising I have raced many types of boats without an engine to save weight, drag and cost. Indeed, I happily sailed around the world without an engine during the Vendée Globe, but experience and cruising have made me realise how narrow and one-dimensional this viewpoint was. Fortunately, even for the racers out there competing in the Vendée Globe, engines are now mandatory, so that everyone shares the benefits without compromising competition. In my younger days a similarly narrow focus had me marvelling as French cruisers sculled in and out of marinas. I was subsequently disappointed to learn that they weren’t purists at all; they were driven, instead, by tax. An unintended consequence was that it…

Provident! The Brixham trawler has been part of my nautical memory for decades. I first came across her in Yachting Monthly – Des Sleightholme was once Provident’s skipper – and fell in love with the beauty of her under full sail with topsails and flying jib set. When the opportunity came to sail her, I didn’t hesitate. At that time she was run by the charity Trinity Sailing Foundation, which has since had to put Provident up for sale due to funding problems. We joined the wooden trawler in Brixham for a cruise to the Channel Islands and North Brittany. There were eight guest crew as well as the permanent skipper Ben, mate Jo, boatswain Ida and cook Daisy. Following a safety briefing, we threw off Provident’s lines and after…

DOLPHIN 1 LIFEBUOY POWERED, UNMANNED LIFEBUOY £POA This is the second remote-controlled, propelled lifebuoy we have seen being marketed in the marine industry. There are already several Dolphin 1s in operation across the world, including Brighton Beach Patrol in the UK and the Royal Yacht Club Perth, Australia. It enables the lifebuoy to be thrown into the water, driven via remote to a casualty and used to retrieve them. If it gets turned over, then a few metres of driving in reverse will flip it the right way up. www.oceanalpha.com GARMIN QUATIX 6 UPDATED MARINISED SMARTWATCH £629 When paired with onboard Garmin electronics, the sixth iteration of this marine-focused smartwatch can stream NMEA 2000 boat data to give users access to sensor information like speed, depth and temperature. Like previous models,…

Duncan Kent has been a yacht tester for 25 years. He is an experienced sailor and technical feature writer and editor for numerous nautical magazines and digital publications VANCOUVER 34 CLASSIC Duncan Kent looks at the enduring appeal of this versatile yacht which is suitable for blue water as well as coastal cruising The Vancouver 34 Classic is one of a range of highly sought-after ocean cruising yachts built by Northshore Yachts between 1991-2012. Initially designed as a 32-footer in 1979 by Robert Harris, she was later stretched to 34ft LOA in order to increase her waterline length and to enlarge the cockpit enough to enable wheel steering to be fitted. Around 120 of the Classic model were built in total. DECKED OUT The hull and deck were generously laid-up…