Innehållsförteckning för January 2023 från Practical Boat Owner

We’ve just returned from a narrowboat holiday and discovered a great advantage to the canals – the MOB drill. Not the accidental ‘press the red button and throw the danbuoy’ kind, but the very deliberate ‘chuck the kids overboard’ kind. While this can have far-reaching consequences at sea, on a canal it’s actually rather enjoyable. During the kids’ third quarrel of the morning, my husband James said, “Quick, who can be first to reach the bridge?” Three little people leapt off the boat, and James cunningly veered away from the bank. “Off you go!” he called, and they raced ahead and waited patiently to be picked up. Nah-ah. “Can we get back on now?” they begged, realising they’d been duped. “Next bridge,” said James, and widened the gap. This went…

The Princess Royal has re-commissioned a unique junk yacht for charity work in a special ceremony at Haslar Marina, Gosport. The 40ft, 16-tonne Boleh, a registered historic vessel which has a unique rig (see PBO May, 2020), was built in Singapore by Royal Navy Commander Robin Kilroy and Malay shipwrights after the World War II and sailed to the UK with a Naval crew in 1950. Following fire damage in the late 1970s, Boleh was restored in Rye harbour by her new owner, Roger Angel, and subsequently based in the Mediterranean. In 2008, she was acquired by Robin Kilroy’s family, who formed an apprentice school in Portsmouth to restore her again, using Heritage Lottery funding. Now based in Gosport, Boleh is operated by the Trust to provide charitable sailing programmes…

Do you know an inspirational young person? Nominations are being sought by MDL Marinas for its Sail Training Awards 2023. Twelve winners will be offered a life-changing sailing experience with the Ocean Youth Trust South on board its sail training vessel, Prolific. The voyage will take place 1-6 April 2023, departing MDL’s Ocean Village Marina. Nominees must be aged between 12 and 18, who have overcome adverse personal circumstances, shown exceptional accomplishments and achievements or supported those around them. Winners will be selected from MDL Marina regions: the South West, Dorset, Hampshire, Thames Valley and East Coast. Nominations close on 13 January 2023. ■ sailtrainingawards.co.uk…

Got a news story that would interest a fellow PBO reader? We want to hear from you! Email PBO news editor Laura Hodgetts at pbo@futurenet.com SOUTH COAST Boat show merger The Green Tech Boat Show is moving to Southampton. It will play centre stage at the South Coast Boat Show on 21-23 April at Ocean Village Marina, Southampton. The first two editions of the MDL Marinas event were held at Queen Anne’s Battery, Plymouth. Tim Mayer, MDL Marinas’ marketing director, said: “Boat purchase and sustainable boating are no longer a separate conversation with the boat buying public. By bringing the Green Tech Boat Show to Southampton, the epicentre of boat sales along the south coast, we’re able to give green marine technology and the companies producing it greater visibility.” Exhibitors…

Living with the sea Marsali Taylor sails an Offshore 8M, Karima S. She’s a dinghy instructor and author of The Shetland Sailing Mysteries starring liveaboard sleuth, Cass Lynch. Now it’s the hert-hol o’ winter here in Shetland. It’s still dark when our alarm goes off (0630) and only just light enough to see the hills outlined against the sky at seven. Sunrise is as I’m taking my morning walk, at nine, often in a glory of whisky-orange sky that reflects in the still water; the sky’s darkening again by 1430, and it’s black dark by four. The days aren’t particularly cold. Contour-lined ice on the puddles, yes, or sparkling frost edging the ivy on the wall, but below-5°C is unusual, and often we don’t get any significant snow over the…

Sprawled, glass in hand, in the cockpit of my friend James Stock’s beautiful Stephen Jones-designed Mystery 35, I pondered on the eclectic fleet of elegant flag-bedecked classics that surrounded us in Paimpol Harbour on the North Brittany coast. These ranged from elderly wooden yachts to early GRP classics such as Swans, Nicholson 43s, 36s and 32s, Twisters, Contessas, Nordic Folkboats et al. Originally known as the Classic Regatta Anglo-Breton (CRAB to its friends), I was lucky enough to be participating in the renamed Classic Channel Regatta 2022 race round the Île de Bréhat. I’d crewed on James’s previous classic – a Twister 28 – in the 2013 and 2015 editions of the race. But purists might ask what any GRP yacht was doing in a fleet of classics. Surely they…

Many of us are accustomed to using raw weather data via favourite apps and websites. However, this raw data may not show relatively small, but potentially devastating, weather features such as newly-formed secondary depressions or very active fronts. That’s where GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) forecasts such as the UK’s Shipping Forecast and Inshore Waters Forecast remain important. These have input from human forecasters who can warn of rough timing and severity of fronts. Commendably, PredictWind has always made it easy to get GMDSS forecasts by ticking a box on the download menu. Now it has gone a lot further and uses machine learning to analyse these text-only forecasts written by meteorologists. Every PredictWind forecast, across all platforms including broadband products to use on PCs at home, includes…

For almost 20 years Jill and I have been summer liveaboards, cruising the Mediterranean, mostly Greece, for half the year. The only exceptions to this have been that in 2012 we only managed six weeks on Leros at the end of the season due to an injury at home, we missed 2017 altogether due to my radiotherapy for prostate cancer and we lost 2020, 2021 and much of 2022 due to Covid. Our over-wintering procedure has become very thorough over this time, with the result that our Sadler 34 has survived in excellent condition. Our history with batteries, though, is not so impressive but we may at last have found the solution. Past methods In the Sadler the three batteries sit in a moulded box next to the engine room,…

Light winds and calm seas meant perfect conditions for the yachts (and one motorboat) taking part in this year’s ARC+ rally. PBO was at the start of the transatlantic rally on 6 November to wave off the boats in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria as they set sail for Mindelo, Cape Verde. “It’s the perfect start and will be a lovely sail,” said Jeremy Wyatt of World Cruising Club. “These are ideal conditions to prepare the crews before the wind picks up to around 18-20 knots around the acceleration zone, which they’ll reach once it gets dark.” There are over 40 different boat brands represented in the ARC+, with the largest being Alika, an Oyster 675, and the average size being 47ft. There is also a motorboat entry this year. Earendel…

■ Inflatables are made of different materials – usually either Hypalon or PVC – so make sure you use the correct glue and fittings for your particular boat construction.…

Six divers from Guernsey are celebrating ‘the discovery of a lifetime’ after identifying a wreck as a ship that disappeared 140 years ago. The 282ft (86m) SS Virago left Hull, bound for the Russian port of Odessa, but never left the English Channel. She lies two miles off Alderney in the Channel Islands. The wreck was spotted 13 years ago during a seabed survey, and later visited by two Jersey divers, but only identified after an intrepid dive last summer revealed 1,000 tonnes of metalwork including five portable steam engines, wheels, ironworks, and 4ft grind stones. Dive veteran Richard Keen led the expedition. He said: “The wreck lies in 48m of water, in probably the most tidal area in the UK. Divers have got a 20-minute window on a neap…

Sailors looking to sail between the UK and France can now access expert advice on ‘Channel Crossing Paperwork Procedures.’ The Cruising Association (CA) has published a webinar for public viewing, which it held in October. Packed with information and first-hand experiences, the webinar addresses the changes to paperwork and processes for arriving to and departing from France since the UK left the European Union (EU), shares practical insights, highlights protocol reviews and changes to date, plus an overview of new regulations for 2023 and answers questions from event participants. Watch online at: www.theca.org.uk/news/channel-crossing-paperwork-webinar In 2023, the new European EES (Entry/Exit System for non-EU citizens) and ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System – visa waiver scheme for eligible third country nationals) will come into effect. The CA will keep its…

Two men were rescued from a liferaft after their light aircraft was ditched in waters off Jersey’s south-east coast. All three of Jersey’s RNLI vessels were requested by the Coastguard to search for the flight crew of a Piper aircraft, at around 1400 on 3 November, in Force 6 to 7 winds with 2-3m swell. French search and rescue helicopter Dragon 50, the Channel Islands Air Search plane and Ports of Jersey’s boat Rival also responded. The experienced pilots were doing advanced refresher training when the engine lost power. They raised the alarm and flew into the wind to slow down. Twenty seconds before they ditched, air traffic confirmed the RNLI had launched. An RNLI Jersey spokesman commended the duo’s swift action and said: “They already had their lifejackets on,…

Mad about the boat Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft) Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex Hanging about doesn’t figure in the life of my mate Tommy the racer. Every time I see him he’s just moved house, part exchanged his car for a newer model, sold his boat, bought another one and just returned from a luxury cruise that was cheaper than staying at home. The only thing he doesn’t change is his beloved wife. In recent years Tommy has owned a Hustler 30, Hunter Sonata, Beneteau First Class 8, Samphire 29 and now a Dufour 1800. In this issue of PBO (page 22) contributor Clive Marsh also describes how he changes boats as often as…

Jeremy Rogers’ rise to boatbuilding fame is well documented, from the first Folkboat, Dysca, which led on to the development of the Contessa 26, and the move from his backyard in Lymington to five factories and 200 employees turning out production yacht after production yacht, writes his daughter-in-law, Jessie Rogers. Less well-documented is the racing career that drove that production and the fire that burned inside Jeremy, fuelled by a passionate love of racing. Jeremy never stopped racing; Cadets, Finns, 505s and OK dinghies, each boat built by Jeremy himself down to the masts and booms. It was undoubtedly this tireless production of boats which he intended to race himself that created such a good and unusual boatbuilder. Here was someone who built, raced, tweaked, adapted and built again. Jeremy…

Taking a dog to your boat for the first time can be a challenge, especially if you’re on a swinging mooring. Here are some top tips from David White, commodore of the Elizabethan Owners Association, who sails with his dog Chloe on Evadne, an Elizabethan 29. 1 Carrier backpack A dog-carrying rucksack proved to be a brilliant find for getting Chloe on and off the boat. As a small puppy she couldn’t walk far, and it was absolutely invaluable for six months. As her legs grew longer, she could get her elbows out of the top of the rucksack, so we fashioned a cloth extension. Soon she became too wriggly to stay in it, and the rucksack was retired. It was great while it lasted, and for a smaller dog,…

Perhaps I should have known better. My sailing companion for the trip from Chichester Marina to Gosport, in my 19ft Mk1 Shrimper, was Scaf, a bearded friend from Belgium. I’d had trouble with Scaf before, though admittedly this was at the age of 18, a little over 40 years previously, when our plans to drive a Land Rover from Sussex to Saudi Arabia had faltered when the vehicle stuttered to a halt in Kent after the fuel pump packed up. Scaf wasn’t bearded nor Belge then, and I was neither deaf nor grey, but over four decades had passed since that adventure and we were now on our way to cool off from the scorching August sun with a swim in Osborne Bay on the Isle of Wight. The weather…

This product provides more accurate, faster and a more useful set of data calculations than a simple electronics system with an MFD and standard instrument displays. It is a lower-cost option than the long-running H5000 system that’s aimed primarily at high-end raceboats, or very large cruising yachts. The Triton Edge (black box, below) carries out all core instrument calculations, as well as improving calibration and correction data for functions including wind speed, angle and direction, boat speed, heel and trim. There’s also a start line function for those who race. It’s compatible with both NMEA2000 networks and Ethernet systems, while there’s an integrated webserver for easy set-up and control. It also interfaces with the B&G app, allowing data to be logged and reviewed at a later date, even off the…

We probably all know somebody who has underestimated the power available with the ratchet handle of a set of tie down straps and popped or cracked a kayak or similar on their car roofrack with over-exuberant ratcheting to make it secure. But what if we could use this power for good? I recently needed to temporarily lift a small RIB (or more correctly a SIB – soft inflatable boat – as this one is actually rollable). I wanted to pull the trailer out from under the boat for maintenance work, have a reasonably robust and over engineered carport and wondered what if? The boat with engine and console weighs approximately 260kg, and lifting this was a one hand per strap handle job – surprisingly easy work. Lifting range is pretty…

A Scottish marine energy company has announced ‘highly encouraging results’ from trials of its wave energy conversion device off the coast of Orkney, Scotland. Archimedes Waveswing, a submerged wave power buoy, reacts to changes in sub-sea water pressure caused by passing waves and converts the resulting motion to electricity via a direct-drive generator. It is the result of 20 years of research and development. AWS Ocean Energy said results from the current phase of sea trials at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) Scapa Flow test site found that Waveswing captured average power over 10kW and peaks of 80kW, during a period of moderate wave conditions, exceeding the developer’s own predictions by 20%. Waveswing was also able to deliver power during Force 10 gales. Simon Grey, CEO of AWS Ocean…

Cruiser-racers I loved Peter Poland’s article on the British Cruiser Racers. If ever there was a British designer ‘for the masses’ it was David Thomas. I was fortunate to meet him by chance at the Southampton Boat Show and his eyes lit up when I told him I loved my Bolero and he was astonished that she was in China. She was like the middle sister between the Sonata and the Impala (the family resemblance is striking) and designed as a Quarter Tonner under the IOR. in fact the prototype Purple Haze won the inaugural revamped Quarter Ton Cup. She slips along very nicely in the light stuff yet I remember being spat out of the Forth with 35+ knots true on the anemometer and the speedo jammed against the…

Flotsam and jetsam Sam Llewellyn writes nautical thrillers, edits The Marine Quarterly, and is perpetually patching up a 30ft ketch: samllewellyn.com The rain is hammering on the window behind the curtain. Beyond the hammering is a crunchy sort of roar, like the beating of a furred-up heart: the sea. At this time of year it is a grey monster with dirty-white teeth, seeking whom it may devour. This evening I want nothing to do with it. The cherry logs wheeze in the hearth, and the yellow glow of the desk lamp plays on a book of maps. Not charts: maps. The AA road atlas, 1996 edition, to be precise. There lie the British Isles in all their carriageway-tangled glory. But we are not looking at roads. We are looking at…

Three to six months is the hump to get over for new boat ownership. It’s long enough to take the showroom sheen off a purchase, the owner will have broken a thing or two on board, the storage bills will be coming in thick and fast and many of the boat’s foibles or failings will have made themselves known. It’s also getting towards autumn if you bought it in the spring. So conducting a ‘new boat test’ in the company of its nearly new owner and hearing what they have to say about it after some months of ownership should, in theory, be much more illuminating than venturing out in an utterly pristine example fresh out of the mould. It was with this in mind that we met for a sail…

When I was a child, my family’s boat lived on a mooring in Chichester harbour. At high tide we were surrounded by a huge expanse of water thronging with dinghies and windsurfers. As the tide went out our world shrank until there was barely swinging room in the narrow creek between the mudbanks. As the mud appeared – 1200 hectares of it in Chichester at low tide – so did the birds, a great variety of waders from stately curlew to diminutive dunlin. Mud – glorious, glooey, glistening mud; we may see it as a nuisance when squelching through, dragging the dinghy back to the water after misjudging the tide, but to the birds it’s a banquet table. The fine sediments that form in sheltered intertidal areas are full of…

Harken Reflex This top-down furler for both Code 0s and asymmetric spinnakers is available in three sizes. The smallest of these can deal with Code 0s of up to 60m2 and spinnakers of up to 112m2. And there’s a version for cableless sails. From £1,065. ■ harken.co.uk Profurl The Spinex range has six top-down furlers for asymmetric spinnakers, plus a 9-model NEX range for straight luff sails, like Code 0s. The smallest NEX 0.9 (£770) is for sails of up to 35m2 and displacement of 2,800kg. ■ profurl.com Seldén CX Seldén’s CX series is a basic but reliable Code 0 furler made in four sizes to suit sails up to 200m2 and boats of up to 28 tonnes displacement. The smallest model will handle sails of up to 50m2. The…

Just five days before the Round the Island Race, one of the largest yacht races in the world, it’s all go at the T Sails loft in Southampton with sailmaker Tim Scarisbrick being inundated with sail repairs. There’s a torn spinnaker on the shelf waiting to be fixed, and laid out on the floor is a triangle of charcoal-grey cloth that will be Maximus’s brand new genoa. It’s hot in the workshop but a breeze flows through the open plan room, and the many windows provide plenty of natural light for the three sewing machines, each inlaid into a table. The bigger a sailmaker’s loft, the larger square footage of sail they can make, as every sail has to be laid out flat. Much as Tim would like to move…

Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far We pay for your cruising stories and harbour updates – email pbo@futurenet.com. For more adventures, visit pbo.co.uk/cruising Together with my reluctant sailing cat, Mickey, I completed a 5,200-mile voyage of the Great Loop in the summer of 2017. The Great Loop is a continuous waterway a boat can circumnavigate in the eastern US. It’s over 20,000 miles of connected waterways that go up to Canada. The Great Loop starts anywhere on the loop and continues till you cross your wake at the starting point. Aboard our Spindrift 22, Sea Marie, Mickey and I departed from Sandusky’s Cedar Point Marina, Lake Erie, in late August 2016. Our route took us along the Detroit River on Michigan’s east coast, to Lake St Clair, up the St…