Innehållsförteckning för September 2022 från Practical Boat Owner

We’re sad to announce the death of a much loved contributor who has written more than 50 articles for PBO. David Berry died on 12 June aged 73 after a hard-fought battle with Motor Neurone Disease. David and his wife, Ann, have contributed many articles to PBO based on their yacht Aderyn Glas, which they spent many happy years sailing in Greece, and latterly their GRP canal cruiser Osprey. David began writing articles for a computer magazine before moving on to sailing. During his long career as a design engineer he never lost sight of pleasurable experiences and had a glider pilot’s licence and then, on retirement, he converted to powered aircraft. David learned to sail dinghies on a reservoir before moving up to yachts. Aderyn Glas, a Moody Eclipse,…

World Sailing, the world governing body for the sport of sailing, has reached a major milestone in its Paralympic quest by submitting the official application for inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games. Sailing was dropped from the Paralympic Games line up after Rio 2016. David Graham, World Sailing CEO, said: “This is a pivotal moment – our LA28 bid for Para Sailing is in.” He added: “Our global sailing family has spoken loud and clear, coming together to #BacktheBid to see this sport, which offers so much to so many people, back in the Paralympics.” The International Paralympic Committee’s Governing Board will now assess applications from International Federations vying for a place on the LA28 Games plan, which currently considers 22 Paralympic sports – the same number as…

For the first time, the Southampton show will host a ‘clubs and associations day’ on 23 September. The classic bluewater cruiser Nicholson 31 will be on display throughout the event. There are just 119 examples of this pocket family cruiser, which was first built in 1976 by Camper & Nicholson in Gosport. The Nicholson 31 Association, formed in 2004, is presenting this six-berth family cruiser on the owners’ pontoon berth in the marina. Owners will be sharing tales of voyages undertaken and practical information about updating and modifications: such as electronics, plumbing and self-steering. The Hunter Association has again taken up the offer of a show pontoon berth and will be welcoming visitors aboard the Hunter Ranger 265 Ruach. Sue Vaughan, Hunter Association admin secretary, said: “In 2021 we had…

Many moons ago I had a premonition that Hunter Boats ought to build a classy little motorboat for customers who decide the time has come to move on from sail to power. So when the late, great David Thomas tempted me with a retro-looking weekend whizz-boat with a twin-tunnelled wash-free hull, I didn’t scratch my head and ask ‘why?’ I surprised him by replying ‘yes please’. From the word go, we all loved the Landau 20. I even enjoyed being driven by David Thomas into a Force 8 gale as we rushed across a wave-tossed Solent to keep a Cowes appointment. “No point in going slowly; this hull should take these waves more comfortably on the plane,” he said. And as usual, he was right. Once again, David had come…

The day was finally here; time to take Maximus, our Maxi 84, from Chichester Marina to her new home in Poole. After many sleepless nights, last-minute trips to Force 4 chandlery, and a practice run through the lock, I was ready. My notebook was full of pilotage sketches and memos to watch out for ships turning and tidal races. I had Navionics on my tablet, Lighthouse charts on the plotter, and a full set of beautiful Imray paper charts – so new, I was sorry to have to spoil them with my ugly pencil marks! The batteries were charged and the tank refuelled. With the help of PBO contributor Gilbert Park, my uncle Steve and husband James, we’d have plenty of capable hands on deck for the two-day voyage. There…

Caliso3 Eco Long John and Top Unless you’ve got knee pads, full wetsuits are better than shorts for dinghy sailing, but the long arms can be too hot for summer. A neat solution is the 3mm Caliso3 Eco Long John with an optional long-sleeved top that bumps up thickness/warmth in the torso when it’s needed, or can be stowed in a drybag when not. Another benefit of buying a top and long john separately is that if you’re top- or bottom-heavy, you don’t have to get the same size in both. Launched by Typhoon earlier this year, the Caliso3 Eco set is made from limestone-based neoprene, which has a lower carbon footprint than traditional petroleum-based wetsuit ingredients, with higher thermal and stretch properties. Soft and light in weight For safety…

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…

A new consortium has been formed with a long-term aim of creating the UK’s first glass fibre composites recycling and re-use facility. Made up of the UK’s leading marine and maritime companies, composites specialists, academic institutions and local government organisations, the Blue Composites Project aims to break ground in composites recycling and re-use to address the environmental challenges facing the UK’s marine industry in its transition to zero emission shipping by 2050. GRP boat figures The collaboration is led by Blue Parameters, a Guernsey-based marine consultancy, with the aim of creating the UK’s first large-scale glass-reinforced plastics (GRP) and fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) recycling facility to look at the process of recycling composite materials and also how the reclaimed materials and fibres could be repurposed for use in new composites for…

The Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) is urgently fundraising for the £700,000 needed by late September to secure the sail training charity’s future. A spokesman said: “Your incredible support has helped us reach our first milestone of £500,000, and we are now fundraising toward the remaining £700,000 to reach that £1.2million total. All donations received have enabled Tenacious to begin her summer voyage programme and the JST to continue to deliver our important mission to give people of mixed abilities and circumstances the freedom to explore their ability, potential and place in the world through inclusive adventures at sea.” Trustees are working with advisers to restructure the charity, to enable JST to “navigate a new course to a more secure future.”…

The Canal & River Trust’s national boat count has shown a 3.3% rise in boat numbers on its network across England and Wales. It also shows a licence compliance rate of 94.1%. The last full annual boat count took place in 2019, with the pandemic affecting the counts scheduled for 2020 and 2021. Over the past three years the survey shows a slight drop in the percentage of licensed boats, down from 96.5% in 2019 to 94.1% this year, together with an increase in boats taking a licence without a home mooring, suggesting the boats have left marinas to continuously cruise. The East Midlands saw the greatest growth in boat numbers, with a 13.3% increase, followed by the North West (5.8%) and London (4.8%). In 2021-22, 100 unlicensed boats –…

Does anyone else get a snicker when they read a PBO article that expounds on the virtues of working from your boat? Just recently Kass Schmitt described ‘Paynie’s Jaywalking The World’ with the benefit of the Starlink internet system (PBO, May 2022) and Rupert Holmes listed the complex equipment and conditions that if met will allow working on board (PBO, June 2022). Your magazine has touched on this subject many times. I thought it time for a loyal reader to make a counter-argument. Simply put, I think pleasure boating and work don’t mix. Don’t get me wrong, some careers lend themselves to being on a yacht (boat brokers, marina operators perhaps), and I suppose there are some who must take communication devices and a computer on board or never see…

Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from PBO readers. For more expert advice, visit pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/expert-answers SAILING ETIQUETTE Flagging it up Q I sail a 28ft flatbottomed Vollenhovense Bol, built in steel and a fine ship for the Waddenzee in the Netherlands with a draught of less than 2ft (0.6m). While leafing through your magazine I hit upon ‘To wear or not to wear’ (Letters, PBO December 2021) about flag etiquette, a subject I love. But I’m afraid I don’t quite understand the meaning of the word undefaced’. My dictionaries and Google have all let me down. Can you explain this word? Tjalling Halbertsma Bergen, North Holland ANDY DU PORT REPLIES: British yachts may wear one of three ensigns: White, Blue or Red. Any British yacht may wear the Red…

Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far We pay for your published cruising stories and harbour updates. Email pbo@futurenet.com Contrary to expectations, my first introduction to sailing in the Mediterranean was disappointing. Aleko was returning home to Greece after a three-year voyage in his Nicholson 32 Beduin. I’d joined him in the Azores and enjoyed the islands and the Atlantic but was unimpressed with the Med. Motoring for hours on end through an airless calm laden with Sahara dust, I was hot and bored. What shocked me though was that we saw more floating litter than seabirds or any other life. Since then I have come to love sailing in the Aegean and there is wildlife; seabirds, dolphins, turtles, even the rare and endangered monk seal. But in coastal waters the…

Around 40 people have been arrested in a series of raids across Europe, as the National Crime Agency (NCA joined the biggest ever international operation targeting small-boat people smugglers. The dismantled network is suspected of involvement in the smuggling of up to 10,000 people into the UK aboard small boats. NCA officers arrested six people in London, two of whom were detained on suspicion of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration. Two other men were arrested for immigration offences while a man and woman were both detained on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply. Arrests were also made in Germany where more than 60 boats and 900 lifejackets were recovered from a farm near Osnabruck. In total the operation saw 135 boats, 45 outboard engines and more…

According to new research there’s been a massive growth in the number of people participating in watersports during the pandemic. The annual Watersports Participation Survey 2021 shows that approximately 11.8 million people took part in one or more boating activity once or twice in 2021 – almost double the 2020 figures. ‘Boating’ includes activities aboard small sailboats, yachts, powerboats, motor cruisers, canal boats, canoes, rowing boats, windsurfers, water skis and wakeboards or personal watercraft. The number of people taking part more frequently in on-water activities (three-plus times) has also increased slightly. The Watersports Participation Survey is conducted annually by a consortium of leading marine bodies including British Marine, Royal Yachting Association (RYA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), British Canoeing (BC) Canal and River Trust and…

Sophie Neville, who starred as Titty in the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film, will be appearing at the Southampton International Boat Show. PBO’s Ben Sutcliffe-Davies will be interviewing Sophie on the Foredeck Stage on one day of each weekend – keep an eye out for the confirmed dates – and afterwards Sophie will be signing copies of her book, The Making of Swallows and Amazons, on the PBO stand. Sophie, who is president of The Arthur Ransome Society, has promised to bring along a few items of movie memorabilia to the show, including Swallow’s flag. Ben, a fan of Arthur Ransome and the 1974 film, said, “I’ve been a life-long reader of the Arthur Ransome series; my Dad had all the second editions from 1946. I’m really excited to meet…

Email pbo@futurenet.com and include high resolution photos where appropriate. Letters may be edited. The unmissable Feeling 286! As always when I read PBO my first stop is Peter Poland’s round up of second-hand boats. My enthusiasm heightened when he turned his attention to real world boats, those under or close to 30ft (PBO, Summer 2022). I was particularly interested as I own a ‘French Blob’ in this category – but it was completely missed, probably due to space considerations. The boat in question is the Feeling 286, a sister design to the Kelt 850/Feeling 29, designed by Giles Vaton. The boat shares the bulbous nose design and a more modern styled look below, still with U-shaped seating and a Breton berth forward. These boats were very popular on the European…

The discoveries of Shackleton’s Endurance and, even more recently, HMS Gloucester are a reminder of the rich history and folklore that lurks beneath our keels. Indeed, according to history.co.uk, there are over 40,000 wrecks in British waters alone, each with its own unique story of the time it sailed in, those who sailed her and the way she met her end. But let’s not limit ourselves to our small corner of the globe; here’s our pick of the world’s most interesting wrecks. What are their stories, and what makes them so interesting? Moreover, what can the wrecks tell us about the mariners of the day who sailed aboard them. 1 Mary Rose, sunk 1545, Hampshire, UK Why so Interesting? Probably the most extensively excavated marine archaeology project of all time,…

The setting was perfect: hot sun, an idyllic marina surrounded by mountains, and a yacht club pool. Yet having been carrying my heavy, sleeping three-year-old for about 15 minutes, walking around ACI Marina Dubrovnik trying to find the Sunsail office, I was feeling anything but in holiday mode. But despite being busy welcoming other new arrivals, the Sunsail crew ushered me to a shady seat while a kind staff-member with a trolley rounded up my travelling companions – who had cleverly opted to wait under a tree at the marina entrance, with the bags. After meeting our professional skipper and being shown around the Sunsail 404 Premier catamaran, I realised it was all perfect after all and promptly sat in my cabin and burst into tears! It was the first…

Philip, my husband, needed the car so I decided to take my Offshore 8m Karima S from Aith to Brae, where I teach sailing. Last time had been a bit off-putting as my engine had refused to start outside Brae marina, and I’d had to sail into the berth. Still, it had run nicely all the way home, and if it was playing up when I got down to the boat, Plan B was go into town with Philip, drive to Brae, leap from the water back into the car and rush to retrieve him and his music gear from outside the Methodist Kirk. The morning forecast looked good: a Force 3 from the south-west to take me there. I zoomed home from the school where I worked and headed…

Adding deck fittings is a task long-term boat owners will invariably have faced many times. But for those new to boat ownership taking a drill to a previously pristine and waterproof deck can be a daunting prospect. I still remember being filled with trepidation the first time I did so on a shiny 12-year-old boat worth real money, rather than the old 18ft plywood Caprice I’d renovated a few years earlier. Had I measured everything right? Was there anything unforeseen that might go wrong? Of course, these are legitimate concerns even for the most experienced boatbuilders – and anyone who forgets the old adage of measuring twice and cutting once does so at their peril. But it’s equally important to keep these in proportion. Even if you get it wrong,…