Innehållsförteckning för March 2025 från Practical Boat Owner

Stop passing the pot The blight of poorly marked lobster pots and fishing gear still remains an unpredictable hazard around the coast. Fouling your prop is at best an inconvenience; at worst, it can result in a life-threatening loss of power and control at sea. Earlier this year, we reported on the findings of a Marine Casualty Investigation Board report into the loss of the Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42i Inish Ceinn in Ireland’s Baltimore Bay (pbo.co.uk/boatloss). The cause: an unmarked, discarded green trawl net wrapped around the propeller, rudder and keel. Most sailors seek to free themselves from entanglement before calling the RNLI, yet, every year, volunteer crews are called out to deal with fouled props. In this issue, Ali Wood looks at how you can deal with prop entanglement…

After 50 years of inspiring the next generation of traditional boatbuilders, the International Boatbuilding Training College – IBTC Lowestoft – is closing its doors for good. In a statement, owners Lyn and Mike Tupper said: “This difficult decision comes after a series of negative economic events alongside a continued shift in perception of what constitutes quality training in the UK. “These events include Brexit, Covid and the Ukraine war. All have had an impact on material costs and overheads; this, linked with falling student numbers leaves the college economically unviable.” For half a century, the college has offered a comprehensive syllabus in traditional boatbuilding, operating a ‘true to life’ boatyard with a range of 20-plus boat projects for students to train on, from new 9ft dinghies through to building a…

PBO reader Alan Thorne suffered a harrowing lesson in the importance of using marine-grade gas regulators on board when a ‘fireball’ ignited. Alan said: “I feel very fortunate to be alive and that Tivoli is unscathed. On 2 September, I had the most terrifying nightmare I’ve ever had on a boat. While cooking my spag bol, unregulated gas burst through the hob jet, igniting the ring like a furious blowtorch, also sending a large volume of gas into the galley. This gas ignited into a fireball! Fortunately, I had installed the isolation valve next to the cooker, and a fire blanket above the sink. It took what seemed like a very long time to smother the flames.” Alan was then able to turn off the gas at the bottle in…

The first time I saw my Mk2 Silhouette she was on the hard at the head of Thorney Channel by Paynes Boatyard in Chichester Harbour. She was built by Hurley Marine and at first glance appeared to be made of wood but was, in fact, heavily laid up in glass-reinforced plastic (GRP). In fact, she was one of the earliest GRP boats and her construction method made her look like her earlier marine ply sisters. The mast and spars were Douglas fir and she was beautifully fitted out within the cabin in various timbers and high-quality marine ply. Everyone assumed she was built of wood. The cockpit was also fitted out in timber. Hurley Marine made many good-looking boats and this 17ft 3in Silhouette was one of the best. With…

Foiling sailboats have appendages placed under the hull which help lift the hull out of the water making the vessel fly; this drastically reduces hydrodynamic drag and increases speed. Importantly, it also has a wow effect. Comparing a foiler to a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey is like comparing a Formula 1 car to a Toyota Corolla. A few years ago, while sailing around the world, I stopped at Fiji’s Vuda Marina. In a bar after a few drinks, I had a long discussion with a fellow cruiser about foiling. The German retired pilot was convinced that it was just a matter of time until we would all fly above water. He said it might take a while, but computers would soon allow boats to zoom effortlessly across oceans. “The weather routing…

Catching a rope around the propeller is every sailor’s nightmare. Whether snagged suddenly in the middle of a channel, or a drifting target for shipping, it’s a stressful situation and one that requires a calm head. Lobster pots are better marked these days thanks to tireless campaigning by bodies such as the Cruising Association. However, the chances are you’ll still run into one sooner or later. Either that, or free-floating fishing net or polypropylene line. Mostly, it’s down to bad luck, but keeping a good watch is imperative. Pot markers are easier to spot from the side of the boat, so if you’ve a spare crew, place them there and keep a particularly good lookout around headlands and in strong tidal race areas where markers may be dragged below the…

It happens to the best of us: even PBO’s engine expert Stu Davies has come a cropper twice from fouled props! The first time was when Stu and wife, Laura, were on the river in Waterford, Ireland. “We felt something wind around the prop and managed to limp to the marina in the town centre,” says Laura. “I was happy to dive under the boat but I didn’t tie myself on in case I got tangled. Instead, I attached a rope from the winch to the propeller so I had something to hang on to. It turned out to be one of those orange barrier fences with the holes in. It had wrapped itself around the propeller shaft and I managed to free it with a diving knife.” That was…

After a season of cruising his new Nordstar 42 in The Solent with me, my friend Ahmet was keen to advance his seamanship skills with an extended voyage. In October we both had a weekend free. Ahmet had expressed a wish to go to the Channel Islands, he wanted to take on the responsibilities of being master in charge of his vessel. The planning started as soon as we agreed to go. The 10-day forecast looked good, but we studied the Windy and Passage Weather websites every day in the build-up, to check that the various models stayed in agreement. Closer to our departure date, the Met Office’s extended outlook for Niton, along with inshore and shipping forecasts, were also monitored. We also made sure that the paperwork was ready,…

Last month’s PBO (February 2025) covered how we removed the leaking teak deck on my partner Aleko’s Nicholson 32. While we chose the easier option on Beduin of getting rid of the teak for a non-slip covering, our friend Sokratis took on the considerably bigger and more difficult but ultimately rewarding task of replacing a worn deck. Peran is a Najad 320 which he has owned for 25 years. Built in 1985, she was fitted with a teak deck as new but, unfortunately, the previous owner had the decks sanded every year. As a result, the teak was already thin when Sokratis bought the boat. At first glance, the decks looked fine, but on slightly closer inspection the problem was obvious, with patches of glassfibre showing where the planks had…

The best time to sail Summer is the ideal season for sailing in Norway, with long days of never-ending daylight allowing you to set sail at any hour. Harbour spaces are easy to find during the high season, even for larger vessels like Nerthus. While you’ll encounter a lot of cruise liners, ferries, and tourist speedboats, sailing vessels are few in the fjords. Just be prepared for plenty of wash from the cruise liners. Climate The waters in Norway are cold, even in summer; we experienced surface temperatures ranging from 14°C-18°C. A 4mm wetsuit and additional neoprene layers – like a hat, boots, and gloves – are necessary for an extended time in the water. The mountainous landscape creates microclimates, meaning that one valley may be sunny while the next…

Personal Locator Beacon registration in the UK could become mandatory under new proposals by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Known as PLBs, the devices are designed to send an SOS signal, along with your location, to the rescue authorities when manually activated by the user. The MCA wants to bring all PLBs used at sea, along the coast, and on inland rivers, lakes and canals, under the same registration requirements as Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs). Registration information would include: the vessel name, radio call sign, PLB manufacturer’s serial number and any locating frequencies and identifiers; a vessel description; the HEX ID (hexadecimal identity is 15 characters for first-generation beacons and 23 characters for second-generation beacons) which provide a unique code transmitted by 406MHz beacons; the PLB owner’s…

SOUTH COAST & CHANNEL ISLANDS Apprentice award The first apprentice at Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour has won the ViewHR Award for Apprentice of the Year in the 2024 New Forest Brilliance in Business Awards. Oli Rickard, aged 24, who moved from Plymouth to live on the Beaulieu Estate, has become a popular face with berth and mooring holders after helping as a river hand before working towards his Level 2 Marina & Boatyard Operative qualification. Harbour Master Wendy Stowe said: “We are so proud of Oli and that his achievements have been recognised.” Work is under way at the Beaulieu River marina for a £2million redevelopment of the boatshed, offering office space, workshop units and refit facilities to marine businesses to rent from spring 2025. Studland survey The Marine Management…

Back in 2022 at this time of year, I was fair flying along, sailing on bare poles over mountainous crests as I worked south to round the Horn in shrieking winds so deafening I couldn’t even hear the heavenly, soaring strings of the Nelson Riddle orchestra accompanying Frank Sinatra on that easy-listening classic Come Fly With Me. Up top the Hydrovane self-steering was coping manfully, but down below it was carnage, like being in a washing machine on a cold spin. The floorboards were afloat, my delicates and fast-coloureds all mixed up together in the dirty bilge water with a sodden, swollen and now useless copy of the essential blue-water sailor’s bible Sailing: And How To Do It. I’d already read the first chapter – Sailing, And When to Do…

There’s little point keeping old boats alive if their stories are forgotten, said Robert Armstrong when I apologised for my eagerness in inviting myself and my husband, Francis, to pay him a visit. Robert is a boatbuilder (among many other occupations), working on the west coast of Scotland. His home is Sula, originally Mistrale, a 24’ 5-ton Bermudan sloop, built in 1939 by David Hillyard in Littlehampton, Sussex. She’s his mobile workshop and his transport, as well as his project and sailing pleasure. When I invited us to visit, he was immediately welcoming though he couldn’t be specific as to where he might be: “Everything I do is weather and tide dependant so planning beyond a few days never works out for me. If you contact me when you’re in…

When someone moves the boat next to yours away – Karima’s berth-neighbour came out when the masts were taken off – it’s amazing how vulnerable you feel. A boat on each side feels like railings, though I suspect that if I fell heavily against Karima she’d move over enough for me to slip into the water. The only bit that looks dangerous is at the bow end – and, yes, if I’m doing something on the walkway at the stern end, I tend to kneel to do it. Without a boat-neighbour, it’s quite different. Instead of the solid yellow flank of Kevin’s boat, there’s coal-black water with no safety net to stop me falling into it. The whole clambering-aboard business feels as unsafe as it probably is in reality –…

Consulting with the Cruising Association’s Regulatory & Technical Service group (RATS) recently, a CA member asked which radar reflector he should fit to his boat. This topic is probably third on the list of contentious boating topics (after flag etiquette and which anchor is best) but with this subject at least we benefit from some empirical, laboratory-based testing that is hard to refute. Regulations The publication of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Marine Guidance Note 349 in September 2007, amended on 4 October 2022 (pbo.co.uk/mgn349), repeated the recommendation that all UK-registered boats should carry a radar reflector, saying: ‘All small craft should correctly and permanently install a radar reflector, either passive or active (powered), that meets British Standard BS EN ISO 8729:1998 (ISO standard 8729:1997); and Owners of vessels under 15m…

Your batteries are at the heart of your boat. The demands on them can be minimal or extreme, but whichever they are an investment and should be looked after accordingly. Several decades ago there was little choice in batteries for boats; they were either commercial or electric vehicle (fork lift or milk float) batteries. Today, there’s a wide range of choices from lead acid batteries to lithium, although there are variations in all these types. However, the removal and reinstalling of your batteries is the same process. How to remove and reinstall batteries The installation procedures and the care of your batteries are relatively simple to follow and understand. Take your time, and please wear protective glasses. Tools to use: ■ Generally, spanners sized between 10mm to 14mm. Some boats…

The way you manage storm conditions depends on knowledge of your multihull’s characteristics in heavy weather, proximity of shelter, direction you wish to sail and dangers – lee shore, reefs, shipping routes, sea conditions, and weather direction. Throughout this article, I’ll discuss tactical alternatives in detail including windward storm sailing, use of a storm jib, use of a storm mainsail, downwind storm sailing, sailing tactics downwind, running warps and drogues, stopping, parachute sea anchors, lying ahull, heaving-to, with special consideration for wing masts. Avoiding storms The speed of a multihull can be used to avoid weather patterns by either heading for port or sailing to the area where the least effect will be felt. This requires accurate, regular weather forecasting and good routing skills. In cyclonic conditions, your yacht can…

Nearly 50 years ago I designed and built a little ply dinghy. I’ve used it on and off ever since but recently getting to and from an East Coast mooring, I twice got stopped by other boaters who asked if they could buy it from me as they couldn’t find anything comparable on the market. This led me to wonder if PBO readers would like to have a go at making an 8ft rigid dinghy on similar lines. I don’t have my original plans from half a century ago, but I have drawn up the approximate dimensions by making a cardboard model, which I then checked via a computer-aided design (CAD) program. My original creation – built around the time of the Mirror dinghy – involved the ‘stitch-and-glue’ method. After…

Q In recent years when sailing to the Baltic I’ve followed the general advice and changed the shaft anode on my Beneteau 35s5 from the more traditional zinc to aluminium, and as it’s now considered to be more environmentally friendly have kept the aluminium when the boat is back in Portsmouth. I’ve always been concerned as to whether it is working properly as the aluminium is very slow to be eaten away compared with zinc. However, when I’ve cleaned the boat all seems to look normal. I don’t paint the prop, just polish it, and after a few months, it acquires some marine growth which is easy enough to remove. This was the case in August and September this year, when everything was as normal, but more recently when cleaning…

Some jobs demand more clamps than most of us have in our workshops. Cheap ones are available from markets – or you can simply knock up as many as you need from scraps of wood. 1 Basic C-clamps can be made from strong plywood. 2 An alternative is to bolt some bits of timber together. 3 Sometimes the clamps will hold things together by just jamming them on – or you can tap in a wedge to increase the clamping action. 4 Long-nosed clamps will reach awkward places and their grip can be adjusted with a wedge or different-sized spacers. 5 Opposing wedges tapped together give quite a gentle, controllable push. 6 Things can be squeezed together with a beam, bolted blocks and a wedge (similar to a sash clamp).…

Yacht crews have been ‘deeply affected’ by the loss of a Swedish sailor during their transatlantic passage from Gran Canaria to the Caribbean. Swedish sailor Dag Eresund, aged 33, went overboard in the Atlantic at 0227 UTC on 2 December from the Volvo 70 yacht Ocean Breeze. A search co-ordinated by MRCC Norfolk (USA), was suspended 18 hours later. ARC yachts Leaps & Bounds 2 and motor vessel Project X diverted to assist, but due to the distance of the casualty from land, air cover was not possible. MRCC Norfolk, Canada, continued to request that nearby boats divert to pass through the search zone with co-ordinates updated to take into account drift and weather. This search was ended on 8 December. Paul Tetlow, director of World Cruising Club (WCC), which…

A new real-time sewage overflow monitoring map is publicly sharing discharge data from across England. Water users can now see when pollution is being dumped into their local rivers or sea. The Clean Water Sports Alliance welcomed the National Storm Overflow Map, by the water sector umbrella body, Water UK, as a ‘step forward’ in increasing transparency of the scale of pollution being caused by the water sector. ■ pbo.co.uk/spill_map…

Dame Ellen MacArthur’s national cancer charity is asking for support to enable even more young survivors to get on the water in 2025. The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which has bases in East Cowes, Isle of Wight and Largs, Scotland, supported 671 young people in 2024, more than any year since it was set up in 2003. Trust CEO Frank Fletcher said: “It is a really challenging time for all charities. To do what we need to do for young people next summer, we need the support of the sailing community.” The charity helps eight-to 24-year-olds living through and beyond cancer, like Ben, 26, who said: “Being surrounded by other young people talking about cancer in a free, darkly humorous, amazing way was a turning point for me. I replaced…

Always check your anchor chain Reading Steven Copeland’s account of his anchoring experience off Pwllheli Marina (PBO, January 2025), I was intrigued by his photograph of the failed chain link. Like Stu Davies, we also kept a boat at Pwllheli for some years and I have anchored in almost exactly the same position in unpleasant conditions. As I have an interest in all engineering component failures, several years ago I collected samples of chain for destructive testing from various manufacturers, importers and chandleries, reported in your sister magazine Yachting Monthly. Almost all of the chains tested met the required strength for the Grade 30 standard, with one notable exception. The appearance of the weld was noticeably similar to that shown in Steven’s article and it, too, came from a chandlery,…

There was a time when religion was an important part of seafaring. I am not referring to the colonial unpleasantnesses perpetrated by conquistadors on the inhabitants of the New World, but to the use of divine intervention in navigation. At a time when various nasty nations may be preparing to convert the GPS satellites used by electronic chart providers into streaks of blazing slag in the night sky, this could be due for a revival. The answer is to Know your Gods. Classical antiquity is a good kicking-off point. The wily Odysseus had a plan to zip home from Troy to Ithaca, a mere charter-boat hop across the Aegean. He had, however, offended various gods, not least Poseidon, who controlled large amounts of weather and all oceanography; so it took…

Cape Cutter 19 | Hunter Liberty or Minstrel | Drascombe Coaster This perennially popular pocket cruiser has remained in more or less continuous production for more than 40 years, during which well over 1,000 examples have been built. It’s a dream scenario for many boatbuilders, yet no other boat in this sector has mirrored the Shrimper’s success, despite many of the underlying reasons for its success being well known. This model also spawned a number of others, most notably the Shrimper 17 dayboat in 2010 and the larger Shrimper 21 in 2016. With builders Cornish Crabbers now under new ownership, these boats are part of a six-boat range from 17-30ft. All are traditionally styled, yet embody many benefits that result from advances in boat design and build materials. Key attractions…

Plenty of high-volume family cruisers these days are designed for coast-hopping in northern Europe or gently cruising around the Med. They’re neither performance yachts nor designed for serious offshore work, being conceived instead for what you might call ‘lifestyle cruising’. If that’s the sort of boat you’re after, you still have significant choices to make. For a start, are you drawn more towards space and in-harbour comfort, or do you want a degree of sea-going comfort and practicality? More of the former tends to mean less of the latter. Where do you set your slider along that scale? While you can’t have everything – there’s always an element of compromise – yacht design has evolved in recent years in such a way that voluminous cruisers often sail much better than…

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Maintaining a saildrive is just as important as engine care, given its role in ensuring smooth motoring. I am most familiar with Volvo Penta saildrives so this article will focus on that make, but other manufacturers make them – all are basically of a similar design and layout. Saildrives are the method of getting power to a propeller easily and relatively cheaply; cut a hole in the hull moulding, drop an engine and propulsion package in, seal with a big rubber gasket and that’s it. There are no shaft-to-propeller-to-engine alignment problems, no tricky through-hull tubes to align and no leaky propeller shaft seals. Perfect… or are they? However, like all things in life, they have issues. A saildrive does not need a deep water seal but it does have lip…

Having recently finished building Athena, my 18ft motorboat (see PBO March 2024) I’ve been using the boat for day trips around the Firth of Clyde. As we ventured further, I wanted to have the ability to make a hot drink, heat soup etc on board. The simplest and cheapest way to achieve this would be with a portable gas camping stove, but several reports in recent years of fires on boats using these appliances means this wasn’t an option for me, plus the fact my insurers will not provide cover for any incidents arising from the use of a portable gas stove on board. Safer alternatives The alternative of a fixed gas installation with a cylinder in a locker which drains overboard isn’t a feasible option in a small boat…

Flat waters reflecting snow-capped mountains, abundant sea life, and temperatures ranging from 14°C to 27°C – our three-week sailing trip along Norway’s west coast felt like four holidays merged into one. Instead of our usual summer routine of sailing around Denmark on our beloved 24ft racing boat, this year, my partner Xan and I joined a crew of eight aboard Nerthus, a 49ft steel yacht undertaking a 10-week voyage from Copenhagen to Norway and back again. Nerthus’ home port is in Copenhagen, and we were aboard for three weeks of her 10-week voyage, and were looking forward to the sailing and social opportunities that come with a larger vessel. Norway offers both challenging offshore sailing – in the rough waters of the North Sea and beyond – and the tranquil,…