Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2021 i Yachting Monthly

How is your paper chartwork these days? When was the last time you plotted a three-point fix, clearing bearings, or course to steer longhand? No, I can’t remember either. I’m pretty confident I can still do those things, and I have the paper charts and tidal atlases to do so. But the reality of coastal pottering with a modern chartplotter on board is that it does all this for me (and they are becoming ever more capable, p79), leaving me free to worry about sailing with a baby on board and all the challenges that brings. More often than not, shaping a course to steer is now a case of heading into the tide a few degrees until the ‘course over ground’ line on the plotter matches my planned route.…

Sailors cruising the Bristol Channel and Pentland Firth in Scotland are being advised to look out for shipping containers and debris following two separate incidents that occured at the end of October. The first happened in the Bristol Channel on 20 October, where 11 containers were reported lost from a container ship. Six were empty while five contained non-hazardous cargo. Four were washed up in separate locations in Buck’s Mill and Lynmouth in North Devon, and Breaksea Point and Monknash near Southerndown in South Wales. Another one was recovered by a Trinity House vessel. On 31 October, 33 containers, 32 of which were empty, were washed from a container ship in the Pentland Firth, north Scotland in a storm. Two came ashore in South Hoy, Orkney. The Maritime and Coastguard…

Cat Hunt and Pamela Lee have set the first doublehanded Round Ireland record for an all-female crew. The pair completed the 700-mile circumnavigation on 17 October in three days, 20 hours and 29 minutes, and their achievement has now been ratified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. They also beat the previous double-handed time of four days and six hours and the existing under 40ft Monohull record, which was set at four days, one hour, 53 minutes by a fully crewed yacht. Hunt and Lee had just weeks to prepare having met in September at the La Solitaire du Figaro in France, where they were both working. The first time they sailed together was during the delivery trip of the Beneteau Figaro III, Iarracht Maigeanta (Éire) from France to…

All things should finish on a high note and the end of the sailing season is no exception. Ideally a fair wind should fan warm memories of the closing season and soften the mournful course for the indignity of a cradle. Oddly enough our last sail of the season was in the spring, with an epic push from the Bahamas to Chesapeake. Every box was ticked, from Bahamian sunshine to a bitterly cold gale as we fought our way north. A fitting end to our time with Pearl, but seasonally premature, for the sun’s warm caress was just starting to creep north and paint the land green. Sailors of the northern hemisphere were emerging from hibernation, dusting down plans and getting excited as we put Pearl to bed. Fortunately we…

If you keep your boat in Europe, you may well have a lot of questions about what Brexit will mean for you. As the end of the Brexit transition period looms into view and our time as EU citizens expires, there is an increased focus, and some panic, among cruisers whose yachts are based in EU countries. Here we will try to sort fact from myth and provide some guidance on what you need to do to stay within the rules. The act of leaving the EU means that UK citizens lose the automatic right to free movement, to live and work wherever we choose in the EU, that we have enjoyed for many years. It also has tax implications for our boats; as part of the EU we enjoyed…

It is possible to get your yacht trucked from the Mediterranean to northern France or the UK. There are numerous independent operators who have specialised trucks to do the job. Expect to pay around £4,500 to £6,000 for a 12m yacht plus any ferry and motorway tolls, and launching. A number of boatyards on the French and Italian coast will help arrange things including unstepping the mast and hauling. Over 13m it is more cost-efficient to deliver the yacht on its own bottom via Biscay. There are also a number of companies that deliver yachts on board a ship. To deliver a 12m yacht from Palma, Mallorca, to the south of England would cost in the region of £4,500 to £5,000, but it takes some organising and delays are common.…

We needed a sailing adventure that would be stimulating, interesting, educational and relief from the recent COVID-19 lockdown. With restrictions reduced, a window of opportunity to visit Normandy and Baie de Seine occurred. This would also hopefully remove the stress of A levels and university exam preparation for my crew. My son Ben, 17, is a fairly seasoned sailor whilst nephews Eddie, 20, and Jamie, 17, had done their first big sail a year before. Before stepping into the boat we drew together a selection of passage plans along with a flexible sailing itinerary and swotted up a little history of the Normandy coast. We set sail early as the daylight began to break in mid-July as we departed Portland bound for Cherbourg. It was great to see the anticipation…

GARMIN GPS 24XD ANTENNA MULTI-SOURCE POSITION AND HEADING DATA Even at slow cruising speeds, Garmin’s GPS 24xd position receiver and antenna promises boaters precise location data with multi-band GNSS and heading accuracy. It utilises L1 and L5 frequencies, along with multi-constellation support (GPS, Galileo2, GLONASS, BeiDou2) to provide location accuracy within one metre, while magnetic heading sensors pinpoint headings within 3°. It’s compatible with NMEA 2000 devices, built to withstand the elements, and comes with multiple mounting options. www.garmin.com/en-GB EWOL E3 ANDROMEDA SMALL, POWERFUL PROPELLER Designed for yachts from 20 to 30ft (seven to nine metres) and engines from seven to 30hp, the E3 Andromeda is said to improve the manoeuvrability of boats reversing in strong winds, rough seas and tight spaces. The small but powerful feathering propeller fits 20…

S/Y DOROTHY LEE (Hull no. 357; 1984) Writer, vlogger, TV/radio voice-over specialist, inventor and RYA sailing instructor, Duncan Wells, 66, has owned Dorothy Lee for 18 years and keeps her in Hamble, Southampton. Duncan started in dinghies and crewed on Admiral’s Cup boats in Jersey. He also owned a 19ft trailable motorboat and, later, a Princess 45. Dorothy Lee is his first and only cruising yacht, which he now sails throughout the English Channel, including Northern France. She is a short-mast model and, apart from keeping her in top condition, all he has added is a new chartplotter and VHF. Asked how she handles Duncan replied: ‘We need a bit of wind to get going but with the sails balanced she steers straight and true with just a light hand on…

A sailor who was a victim of a berthing scam in France is advising fellow yacht owners to check with the marina that the berth is available before parting with any money. Chris Chandler from Yorkshire thought he had secured the rental of a berth at Mandelieu-la-Napoule in the Bay of Cannes for one year, and had paid the €3,500 upfront fee. But when he arrived at Port La Napoule aboard his Najad 361, staff knew nothing about the arrangement. Marina staff were visibly shocked when I explained my situation,’ explained Chandler, who has kept the boat in the Mediterranean for the last 12 years. ‘I had emailed the marina when I received the contract, which was on headed paper which looked like it had come from the marina. I…

A record 33 skippers crossed the start line of the ninth Vendée Globe on 8 November. Fog delayed the start of the solo round the world race by 1hr 20 min, with French skipper Louis Burton on Bureau Vallée 2 given a five-hour time penalty after crossing the line seconds ahead of the gun. There are 27 men and a record six female skippers, including British sailors Sam Davies, Pip Hare and Miranda Merron, racing the 24,296 mile course. Gosport’s Alex Thomson aboard HUGO BOSS will be looking to improve on his second place in 2016-17, when he crossed the finish just 16 hours behind winner Armel Le Cléac’h. The French skipper set a record time of 74 days 3hr 35 min, 46 seconds.…

The night was very black, the strong onshore wind bitterly cold and bringing with it rain off the sea. I had arrived, many years ago, at the deserted harbour of Courtmacsherry in Ireland. I was there to cover a pilotage story for Yachting Monthly with which the local lifeboat crew were going to assist. I found the lifeboatmen in the pub, warming their hands in front of a coal fire and, over foaming pints of stout, we discussed, not the terrors faced by mariners off the Old Head of Kinsale, where the fury of the Atlantic makes the nearest landfall to the local RNLI station, but politics. As an Englishman I, at first, felt wary of opining any view which might have seemed too Westminster-heavy to these friendly and worldly-wise…

When is the right time to alter course? Q Roy owns Boreas, a 12m long-keeled Bermudan cutter. He bought her because, in his words, she is sea-kindly and stable. The downside is that Boreas is heavy, difficult to manoeuvre and slow in open seas. Roy and wife Peggy are sailing from Cherbourg to the Solent. The wind is northwesterly 4 and Boreas is sailing close-hauled on a port tack at about 4 to 5 knots in good visibility in daylight. Roy has safely negotiated the shipping off Cherbourg and is now in clear water, north of the Traffic Separation Schemes and about 10 miles from the Isle of Wight. A small coaster appears on the port bow. Roy takes bearings of it with the hand-bearing compass. The bearings remain constant.…

Q I bought my boat in the UK and have a VAT receipt. My boat is currently in Greece, where it has been for 10 years. I had planned to bring the boat back to the UK to keep or sell in the next few years. What should I do? A You have until 31 December 2021 to get your boat back to the UK. If you return after this date, you will be liable to pay VAT again, based on a new valuation of your boat. If your boat remains in Greece through 31 December 2020, it will be deemed to be EU VAT paid. If you then return the boat to the UK before 31 December 2021 you can claim RGR and retain your UK VAT paid status.…

Like many sailors I have gradually drifted away from printed charts over the last few years, and have come to rely more on my tablet and smartphone than on bits of paper. On last year’s cruise to the Channel Islands and northern France I insisted on carrying a ‘proper’ chart, but the truth is I only used it once: and that was to give my mainly novice crew an overview of the area we were sailing in. A TRADITIONAL APPROACH In the August 2019 edition of Yachting Monthly Bruce Jacobs made the following observation: ‘Course to steer (CTS), much beloved of RYA theory courses, is barely used in truth as the wind, current, tacks, traffic and timings are always different to the plan.’ He’s right, of course. On most shortish…

The decision was an impulsive and possibly unwise one. I had returned to Rochefort on France’s Atlantic coast to prepare my yacht Celestine for the coming season; the plan had been to sail across the Bay of Biscay to Spain, then down the Spanish and Portuguese coasts, past Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean. However, a couple of things caused me to rethink my plans and consider an alternative cruise. Having travelled the length of France previously, from Marseille in the Mediterranean, up via Paris to the Port of Calais on the English Channel, I knew I enjoyed life on the inland waterways, and had always had the idea that it should be possible to get across the entire width of Europe by canal and river. Also, crucially, my crew Pete…

The Hebrides is where I was introduced to cruising following the encouragement of long-time friend, Roger Chisholm. He first sparked my interest in 1988 by taking me on a cruise to the Isle of Skye. As a keen mountaineer, I immediately saw the attractions of using a small boat to reach out-of-the-way Scottish mountain summits accessible from Hebridean waters. It is where my Vancouver 27, Martha Maria, has been based for the last six seasons. Sadly, my friend succumbed to an aggressive brain tumour in the spring of 2018. His wish was that his ashes be scattered in Loch Scavaig in the heart of Skye’s Cuillin mountains, so in June I found myself leaving Oban aboard Martha Maria accompanied by another of Roger’s friends, Peter Davies. Our route involved passing…

Just as mobile phones are constantly being superseded by newer technology, so it is for the hardware at the heart of your boat’s navigation network. Multifunction displays (MFDs) are unimaginably complex and powerful compared to the simple ‘chartplotters’ of yesteryear, capable of crunching radar and fishfinding sonar signals, processing video, switching and monitoring systems all around the boat. And, yes: they can still tell you where you are on a digital chart. NEW LAUNCHES B&G, Raymarine and Garmin have recently shrugged off COVID-19 to launch shiny new MFDs with a host of new features. In fact, B&G has been busy with two big launches. The first is its Nemesis display – a sleek-looking 9in or 12in screen designed to repeat key navigation or boat data. This began its development life…

CONTEST 35S Launched by Dutch builder, Conyplex, in 1989 to replace the original Contest 35, the aft-cockpit 35S was once referred to by Yachting Monthly’s then chief boat tester as ‘the best cruising yacht of her times’. She is heavily built by hand using solid GRP below the waterline and end-grain balsa core above and in her decks. The deck to hull join is bolted and over-bonded for maximum integrity and there’s a solid rubbing strake some 200mm below the bulwark. She also has hardwood stringers and floors bonded into a rigid framework. Offered with fin or winged keel, she is without doubt a stout and resolute performer in open ocean conditions, thanks to her conservative lines and powerful sail plan. The propeller shaft exits through a solid log so…

Production has started on what is being billed as the world’s first truly recyclable, solar-electric boat. The LBV35 catamaran will be launched next year by Ibiza eco-charter firm La Bella Verde and French boat builder Innovation Yachts. The Les Sables d’Olonne firm is owned by former Vendée Globe skipper, Norbert Sedlacek and Marion Koch, who designed the prototype for the Open16 racing yacht. All materials used to build LBV35 are 100% recyclable including FSC-certified balsa wood and recycled PET-foam for sandwich construction. BTO Epoxy will be used, as well as volcanic fibres, made from different volcanic rocks which are ground, mixed according to a recipe, melted and then pulled into fibres. La Bella Verde has also committed to buy back the composite materials when boats come to the end of…

A 40ft family cruiser is the must-have in any production boat builder’s arsenal. With a hull length of 11.99m they limbo neatly under the 12m pricing band found in many Mediterranean marinas – making them cheaper to moor. For most, it’s a Goldilocks size of yacht, neither too big nor too small, just right for two adults and a few children. While the hull length is limited, the beam is not. If you’d parachuted onto Beneteau’s new mid-range cruiser, you could be fooled into thinking she’s 3ft longer than she physically is – not just the numbers on the hull. The Oceanis 40.1 replaces the Oceanis 41.1 which was shorter by 1cm of hull length. Space is a great thing for family cruisers and charter, and the two areas where…

FROM GIBRALTAR UP THE ATLANTIC COAST The sea passage from the Strait of Gibraltar up the coast of Iberia and across Biscay is the quickest and most direct route. It is really the only viable route for those whose draught, breadth or air height bars them from the French inland waterways. There is a significant amount of commercial shipping in the western approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar and a good lookout needs to be kept for ships coming and going. A Traffic Separation Scheme is in operation here with the east-going channel on the south side of the strait. Stay outside the west-going channel close to the northern side where there will be no commercial shipping and the tidal stream is weaker and you can even find little or…

The first major blow of my first Figure 8 Voyage attempt – a solo circumnavigation of both the American and Antarctic continents in one season – stated the problem well enough, but I missed the clues. It was December 17, 2017. My 45ft heavy displacement expedition sloop Moli (Mo) and I were 49 days out of San Francisco, crossing 52º south and on final approach to Cape Horn, when we were overtaken by an intense low packing steady winds to 50 knots and gusts to 70. During the later stages of this gale, Mo was pushing on under storm jib when a knockdown gushed just enough water through the companionway hatch and into the pilothouse to find and short-out the autopilot junction box. Though disappointing, this was not particularly worrying…

I knew I had really dropped the ball with my weather checks when the 30 knot increasing winds and three-metre waves began blowing in from the south-east. We were too close to Falmouth to consider diverting and instead endured a very long two hours of howling wind and big following seas. My 1967 Twister 28 composite, Roquetta, was laid flat twice and I reflected later on what an odd thing it was to stand on the side of the cockpit. My five-year-old daughter, Criona took it in her stride. When I checked on her below I saw she was tucked up in the starboard bunk, drawing happily; a testament to the boat of course, not its skipper. The gale warning had been issued early that morning. Lesson learned, I thought.…

Like a snake the River Ore sheds its skin halfway along its length, to become the River Alde. When looking at it on the chart, it is impossible not to think of a boa constrictor which has swallowed both Orford and Aldeburgh before gliding through Suffolk and on to Iken Cliff. Water finds its own level, but it’s hard to believe that the perfect calm and shelter from the ancient oaks at Iken Cliff are linked to the wild and tumultuous entry at Orford Haven, some nine miles away. Here, 4-knot tides and North Sea winds sculpt the shingle bar into grotesque knolls. You can creep up to the wharf at Snape and take beers in the local pub, the Plough and Sail, knowing that you are providing at least…

Talent unearthed at Emsworth Sailing Club A change of tack to boost volunteering numbers at Emsworth Sailing Club has unearthed hidden talent amongst members. Fighting a declining trend of retaining regular volunteers, Commodore Jane Scott and the club’s committee team stopped asking the usual helpers and instead sent out ‘all club emails’ listing the little jobs required. ‘Everyone hangs back worrying that if they volunteer they’ll end up being Commodore in 10 years’ time - which did happen to me!’ explained Commodore Scott. ‘We realised we needed to be quite specific in our requests and to say whatever you do, however small or large, makes a huge difference to the club and keeps costs down.’ It followed a ‘brilliant’ RYA workshop and the British Marine ‘Futures’ report. The results yielded…

In her time, the Hallberg-Rassy 352 went a great deal towards affirming the Swedish yard’s reputation for solidly-built cruising yachts. In addition to having a comfortable interior and practical layout for liveaboards, she was one of the first to incorporate a corridor into a huge aft cabin, removing the need to enter through the cockpit. Early versions of the 800-plus HR 352s launched had poor headroom, especially in the corridor to the aft cabin, but over the following 14 years of production the deck was twice raised to alleviate this problem. Her hull was hand laid using generous amounts of fibre and resin, and glassed-in longitudinal stringers were incorporated for strength and stiffness. Bulkheads and much of the furniture were also bonded to the hull and deckhead to further improve…

Some of the more common failure modes of the metals used in boats are generally quite well understood by yacht owners today, when internet searches and forums make topics that used to be solely the regime of specialists readily accessible to all. However, some means by which metal parts can break remain somewhat more clouded in mystery, few more so than stress-corrosion cracking (SCC). In similar fashion to fatigue cracking, SCC is one of those failure mechanisms that can remain hidden for a long time, suddenly giving way when stress levels cross a certain threshold which, as is the way of these things, is usually at the most inconvenient time for the yachtsman. To be technically correct, I am discussing the version of it that occurs in chlorides (such as…