Innehållsförteckning för October 2024 från Practical Boat Owner

An investigation is under way after a Canadian sailing couple was found dead in their liferaft. Brett Clibbery and Sarah Packwood left Halifax on their Gib’Sea 42 Theros to sail across the Atlantic to the Azores. They were discovered a month later, on 10 July in their liferaft, after it washed up on Sable Island. The couple had documented their voyages on their YouTube channel, Theros Adventures. Brett, a retired engineer, and Sarah, a humanitarian aid worker, had planned to sail their all-electric yacht to the Azores, and left Dartmouth Yacht Club at Wright’s Cove in Halifax Harbour’s Bedford Basin on 11 June 2024, expecting to arrive at the Azores around 21 days later. Brett’s son, James Clibbery, reported the couple missing on 18 June. Theros was fitted with AIS;…

Boat owners are campaigning against any future increases above inflation of leisure boat mooring charges by the Guernsey Ports. Following 20-30% increases for 2024, Guernsey Boat Owners Association (GBA) has launched a petition to object to the increase and any similar plans for 2025 and 2026, arguing Guernsey doesn’t have the facilities of other nearby marinas. GBA president Nick Guillemette said it had started the petition as at March’s States meeting, only 14-plus letters of objection about the increases were received, and it was mooted that the rest of the 1,600 “leisure boat owners must be happy with the proposed hefty increases!" Guernsey Ports says it is currently undertaking a multi-million pound investment, including £1.4 million on pontoon replacement, part of £20 million of marina improvements planned for the next…

Narrow boating is, without doubt, the ultimate extreme sport, as confirmed by the sodden flotilla that opened the Paris Olympics on the Seine. Indeed, so successful was this parade of fail – according to the French at least – that narrowboating is set to become an official sport in the 2028 Olympics. While some broad-minded narrowboaters welcome this as progress, traditionalists are staunchly opposed as anything moving faster than tectonic plates gives them whiplash. For them, competitive sport should be confined to the size of your marigolds on your cabin top. I can see both sides. After all, walking is an Olympic sport, even though it’s slower than running. And as narrowboating is slower than walking, why not! On the other hand, you could say that growing marigolds better embodies…

Half a century has passed since the loss of Ted Heath’s 45ft ocean racing yacht Morning Cloud 3, which claimed the lives of Christopher Chadd and Nigel Cumming, two of the seven crew on board. The yacht was severely damaged by two mammoth waves off the coast of West Sussex on 2 September 1974; the remaining crew abandoned ship before being rescued. From the start, former UK Prime Minister Heath wanted to share as many details as possible about the tragic accident so the sailing community at large could learn from the experience. The skipper of Morning Cloud 3 on that fateful voyage was Don Blewett, who wrote a long account, which was condensed and edited by yacht designer and journalist Julian Everitt for the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s magazine,…

Boat buying advice often emphasises the benefits of focussing on well-known and well-documented designs. There’s a lot to be said for this, given the strengths and weaknesses of these designs are often a known quantity, as are common problems to look out for and how to fix them. But this means good examples of well-known models that are sensibly priced often get snapped up very quickly, with some boats changing hands for surprisingly high prices, even when the market in general for used craft is slow. As a result, there are many excellent lesser-known models, including some great designs that were built to a high standard, that stay on the market for longer; even nicely looked after boats, with a lot of recent new gear, are often keenly priced. The…

Nowadays, all of us carry smartphones and tablets everywhere. And being on the water sailing is no exception. We can put these gadgets to good use if we install the right apps. But it has become increasingly difficult to navigate your way between thousands of apps of questionable quality, so here is my list of some of the best sailing apps that I’ve personally found useful. All of them are available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. 1. Navionics Boating This is probably the best navigation app out there. It has the same feel as using an onboard GPS. It provides detailed charts (see image, right), information about harbours and anchorages, tides, aerial photos and useful user comments. The user can also navigate point-topoint based on the boat’s…

Enhanced with digital technologies, a ‘smart boat’ is a vessel with remote and onboard control, monitoring, and management of systems. One of the great things about converting my boat is that it doesn’t require extensive technical knowledge. I chose the easiest route which is within the capabilities of most DIY-ers. It also cost me less than £400, which includes the computer, router, and many of the sensors. Virtual switches One of the fundamental aspects of a smart boat is virtual switches. These switches control various devices on board through a digital interface. The best part is you can retain your manual switches alongside the virtual ones for added convenience. My virtual switches are on my tablet, but you could use your phone. In total, I have six virtual switches. The…

Because we tend to stop using our boats in the winter in the UK we need to winterise the engine to help preserve it through the long, cold, dark days of winter. We need to do something to protect the cooling system of our engine because it can freeze here in the UK. I’ve seen the harbour seawater in Pwllheli, where we used to keep our boat, start to freeze over, and if that’s the case then seawater left in the system can freeze too. Now is a good time to change the oil and filters, as used oil can contain acidic products which can harm our engine if left unused over the winter. It’s also a good time to do basic engine checks. Which type of engine? Most of…

Our Hunter Pilot 27 Imagine is moored on a river trot mooring at Christchurch on the South Coast. When the boat heels on her mooring in strong winds the river water leaves a dirty mark on the hull above the antifouling. Gettingfedupwithcontinually cleaning off this dirty mark I decided to raise the antifouling level up an inch or two. When marking a new boot line on a curved hull, the measurements need to be made vertically. There are a number of methods for achieving this–using horizontal string lines, using a laser or a spirit level. I used the spirit level method because a), I had limited room as I had boats close by either side of me in the boatyard and b), I didn’t have to spend time levelling the…

1 On some points of sail a well-balanced boat will steer itself for a while, just by lashing the helm. 2 The modern equivalent is to slot the end of an adjustable tiller extension into a special fitting. 3 This line with a couple of knots, either side of a hook on the tiller, will hold the helm central. More knots will give more adjustment. 4 Some form of cleat gives more adjustment and fairleads keep the line aft – and the cockpit clear. 5 Simple jamming cleats are fine, but there are all sorts of fancy clamps available. 6 Traditional pin bars work well, with stepped, pitched holes and shaped pins to give subtle adjustments. The pins should be able to break if overloaded. 7 Tiller combs come in…

A jet-skier who forced an Isle of Wight ferry to take evasive action after steering across its path has become the first to be cautioned by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) under a new water safety law. The offence was committed by a man in his 20s from Southampton at the entrance to Cowes Harbour on 4 August 2023 after he circled across the ferry’s path, within metres of its bow. His actions prompted the ferry’s master to make significant changes to steerage and power to reduce the risk of a collision. The incident was spotted by officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. The MCA then issued a caution to the man on 1 July 2024 after he admitted the offence. MCA departmental inspector Lesley Hopker said:…

Anew zonal marina layout, based on boat types, will be unveiled at the 2024 Southampton Boat Show. Organiser British Marine hopes it will make it easier for visitors to locate their favourite boats – more than 350 yachts, power and motorboats will be featured at the event. New sail brands at the show include the French boatbuilder RM Yachts, which will be displaying the RM1380 and Saffier Yachts which will exhibit the SE27 Leisure, SE33 Life and the SE24 Lite - which was named European Yacht of the Year 2024. The SE24 is set up for single-handed racing and has an electric propulsion system. Other UK debuts include the Dufour 44, Hanse 360, Xe47, and the Elan i43 (which PBO will be testing in a future issue). New to the…

New friends flag While sitting on my Birchwood TS37, Jaywalking the World, between the islands just south of Cannes, I sipped on a glass of wine and pondered that there were around 1,199 other boats there. People waved at each other, but there was very little actual interaction between the boats and that it would seem odd for me, alone on my boat, to jump in my dinghy, row over to another boat, and just say hello. It struck me that having a ‘friendly flag’ to signify that I welcomed people to come over and say ‘hello’ could be a good idea – not an invitation to party, or even to come on board, just an invitation to say ‘hello’. Sometimes people just need a little prompt. That evening I…

Having entered the anchorage at Wee Cumbrae, Antares charts in operation, eyes glued to the plotter balanced on a Camembert (no fridge on Dahlia), we rowed ashore. The wind was from the north-west, in which quarter it had been nailed for the previous fortnight. A gloom had spread over the Clyde, lightened only by even gloomier tales emanating from the other side of Kintyre. I met people who’d got as far as the basin at the north end of the Crinan Canal, contemplated the icy blasts howling through the Corryvreckan, shaken their heads and decided that there were worse things than the 14 locks they had just negotiated with blood, toil, tears and all that; and turned round and done them all again, in the other direction. So Dahlia and…

1 NAVIGATION ANALYSIS Of course, much has changed since 1974. Today we know our exact position at all times thanks to GPS and other GNSS systems such as Russia’s Glonass and the EU’s Galileo. Nevertheless, at the time an error of navigation, putting the boat further inshore and closer to the lee shore than expected, was not thought likely to have been a contributory factor. A comment from RORC (that doesn’t identify the writer) at the end of the Seahorse article says: “It is impossible to be quite exact as to the position of a yacht in a Force 9 gale. But from John Irving’s account and from Don Blewett’s it is highly improbable that the yacht was inshore.” Nevertheless, this was written looking through the lens of the mid-1970s…

Tilted at 45° and wringing wet, a deck won’t provide the best grip underfoot, so for centuries sailors have always preferred a surface that allows them a high degree of traction, whether shod or barefoot. Historically, the favourites have been wooden planks, teak being the most prevalent in high-quality yachts. But while many boat owners still enjoy the feel of real teak underfoot, they don’t want to be responsible for large gaps in the rain forests, so are seeking a more sustainable alternative. Fortunately, big advances in composite technology and the heat treatment of softwoods have given much more choice. In ascending order of cost, we’ve looked at everything available for a boat owner seeking to improve their decks in a practical and aesthetically pleasing way. Deck paint (single pack)…

When you leave a harbour or anchorage you have the enormous advantage that you start your manoeuvres at a time and place of your choosing. Before you begin there’s always time to look around, plan what you’re going to do and, if you think it necessary, enlist some help. Everything is in your favour though it helps when casting off or going alongside to: ■ Keep the boathook and a spare fender and line to hand in the cockpit ■ Check all warps and lines run free ■ Ask for assistance from those on shore ■ Complete an evolution in stages – eg if facing the wrong way in limited space, then warp round, berth again, sort out lines and fenders and then cast off Leaving finger pontoons As a…

Having taken local advice on timings for entry to Scapa Flow to avoid being swept into the Pentland Firth, we left Wick in time to reach Duncansby Head at slack water. Spot on 1100 on 3 May 2023, as the tide grew slack we encountered this notorious area of water. However, the swell and waves built instead of calming down and the sea became a maelstrom with waves from all directions. This was not planned! Our sails, reefed for the wind conditions, did not stop us from broaching a couple of times as we ploughed our way round the head, about three miles off as advised. Thankfully we passed the Pentland Skerries with room to spare and entered the relatively calmer waters off South Ronaldsay, picking up the north-going current…

A 40ft wooden yacht had to be towed back to port after two young orcas ‘rammed’ and damaged its rudder off Brittany, France. The encounter on 16 July near Guilvinec, occurred 800 miles (1,300km) north of the Strait of Gibraltar, where the majority of orca encounters have been reported. The couple alerted the coastguard when they lost control of their boat as two young orca broke the rudder. The Cruising Association (CA) orca team says records show two interactions in a similar area in July 2022. One was slightly further north on the same latitude as Brest and the other was on the same latitude as Belle-île off the French west coast. A spokesman said: “At the time the scientists’ view was that because it is known that the Iberian…

SOUTH COAST Shipyard takeover The Trafalgar Group has acquired Northshore Shipyard, located in Itchenor on Chichester Harbour, which includes a boatyard, lifting facilities, and commercial and office space. The four-acre property features a deep-water pontoon, two slipways, a café, and commercial buildings totalling 60,000ft 2. Passage plan fail An investigation has found that the grounding and loss of the UK-registered Channel Queen as it passed over the wreck of the steamship Varvassi near the Needles lighthouse, Isle of Wight, was ‘avoidable’. The passengers and crew abandoned the motor vessel for Channel Queen’s rigid inflatable boat and liferaft before being transferred to an RNLI lifeboat. The vessel and crew were escorting a relay swim event around the island on 20 July 2023. Channel Queen was subsequently declared a total loss. The…

Weather kept me ashore all early summer. June was cold, wet and particularly windy, with day after day in the Windguru red or purple category, when I was looking for light blue with gusts of mid-green at the darkest, under 10 to maximum 15 knots, preferably from the south, as that meant I could hoist the mainsail in the marina berth. At last, on 25 June, a suitably practically-flat-calm arrived, and Philip, my non-sailing spouse, and I prepared to go off under canvas for the first time in nearly a year – since the regatta accident which left me temporarily in a wheelchair. The wind was northerly, meaning foredeck clambering, so I decided to leave the main stowed. I was ridiculously nervous, but I needn’t have been. We motored up…

Confession time: I currently have five boats in the garden. It might seem a bit odd or extravagant. Some people may say that I’m obsessive when it comes to boats. I’d argue that each of my boats does different things, just like the chisels in a carpenter’s box. They each have a use. Let me explain the different attributes of each boat. Dabber I live close to the commercial port of Rye. It has a very short tidal window, is narrow and has a strong flood tide. The river dries out and so when out in the bay, if the tide is ebbing and the wind is not favourable, an outboard engine can be more than just useful if you want to get back into the river before it dries.…

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One day I felt dampness in the carpet near the bilge inspection hatch. I lifted the hatch and found the bilge had accumulated around 100ml of fresh water. I assumed it was from the monsoon-style winter rain, so I simply dried it up. A few weeks later the bilge had accumulated another 100ml of fresh water, so time to investigate further. To eliminate one potential source of the problem I switched off the Flowjet electric water pump. The next day there was another 20ml of water in the bilge which I sponged out. Tracing the leak source was like tracing the source of the Nile Sink source I followed the water trail in the bilge which led me to under the sink and the Whale Gusher Galley Mk3 foot pump.…

For more than 40 years I have been taking part in the Round the Island Race on and off. This year, with a scratch crew, we decided to give it another bash in my boat Walkabout IV, a Dufour 40. The crew was myself, my brother Nigel who I’ve sailed with for over 60 years, a close friend’s son Tom Brown, my friend Keith Fisher – a fellow volunteer from Testwood Lakes Sailability – and James Robinson Ranger a friend from Royal Southampton Yacht Club (RSYC). We hadn’t sailed together collectively before but all at various times had with me. Three old farts and two youngsters. The forecast was lively but not extreme, so after an early departure from the RSYC pontoon we were away down the Beaulieu River making…

ENGINES Outboard unreliability Q One recent Saturday I was assisting Highcliffe Sailing Club with the junior safety boat when the Mariner 4-stroke outboard conked out. A few minutes earlier, we’d had to tilt the leg to avoid a rope, but it turned out nothing was caught around the propeller. Soon after it just died, however. Whenever Dave, the helm, restarted the engine and increased the revs the engine failed. This happened for around 15 minutes. We checked the fuel lines were clear and still attached. Dave then applied half-choke and that allowed us to get going. We rowed for a while, managing to keep the engine running on half choke. Then we went for a little blast, running on half choke. After 30 seconds or so Dave turned the choke…