Innehållsförteckning för August 2025 från Practical Boat Owner

Who should pay? The UK’s rivers, creeks, harbours and foreshores are facing a growing problem: abandoned or wrecked GRP boats that are being left to pollute the environment and occupy mooring space. This month, PBO’s news editor, Laura Hodgetts investigates this issue (page 6). Ultimately, it comes down to who pays for vessel disposal. Some argue it should be part of a mooring fee, while others want a compulsory boat registration scheme and an annual boat tax or producer levy on all new boats, as is the case in France. Currently, the burden tends to fall on the taxpayer (in the case of municipal-owned harbours), users of private, commercial or trust-run harbours or volunteers. The other problem is that disposing of an old GRP boat is not cheap, as it…

The University of Plymouth MAterials and STructures (MAST) research group is seeking to establish the extent of the problem, and the environmental consequences, with the goal of developing an appropriate route for handling abandoned, discarded or unwanted glassfibre vessels. The solution would also be transferable to the problem of end-of-life wind turbine blades and other large composite structures. The MAST group, in collaboration with AQASS Limited, has published the ‘Sustainability considerations for end-of-life fibre-reinforced plastic boats’ report, which reflects that, in the 1950s, glass fibre-reinforced polyester resin (GRP, also known as fibreglass or glassfibre) composites replaced wood and metal as the material for small recreational and work boats. The changes resulted from relative ease of manufacture, durability, and low maintenance, however, as thermosetting resin is not easy to recycle, once…

Japanese sailor and eight-time solo circumnavigator Minoru Saito has died aged 91. Saito made history in 2011 when he became the oldest person at age 77 to complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe. The gruelling 1,080-day voyage marked his eighth solo sail around the world. Golden Globe Race founder Don McIntyre paid tribute to his close friend. He said: “It’s fair to say I changed his life and he changed mine. In 1985, I met Minoru when he was wearing a suit and tie on a street corner in Kings Cross, Sydney. He told me he wanted to buy a boat and take up solo sailing. I helped him buy a car, a boat, a place to stay and his sailing started. “On Christmas Day 1989 he asked if…

A record fleet of 66 Dunkirk Little Ships sailed from Ramsgate to northern France to mark the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo. The event commemorated the rescue by ‘Little Ships’ of more than 338,000 British and Allied troops from Dunkirk beaches across 10 days in 1940 from the rapidly advancing German army. The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS) flotilla, escorted by a Royal Navy guard of honour, including seven P2000 patrol boats from the Coastal Forces Squadron, and supported by the RNLI, was the largest reunion of the original Little Ships seen. The fleet set sail from Ramsgate Royal Harbour on 21 May, and enjoyed a week of anniversary events in Dunkirk. Since 1965, the ADLS has arranged a voyage every five years except in 2020 when the event…

SOUTH COAST & CHANNEL ISLANDS Delay for seahorses A major harbour wall construction programme on two key harbour walls at Weymouth Peninsula has been postponed until autumn to allow seahorses to breed. The essential repair and replacement work on the 1977-built walls was due to start last winter; however, a consultation with The Seahorse Trust highlighted that a colony of seahorses, a highly protected species, move into the seagrass close to the peninsula in the warmer months to breed and raise their young. Work on the walls will now wait until the seahorses have finished breeding and returned to deeper water. Dorset Council’s cabinet member for place services, Councillor Jon Andrews, said: “Balancing economic progress with protecting what makes Dorset special isn’t always easy, but it’s a challenge we are…

Cooking on my ketch used to be a delight – better, in fact, than cooking at home. The stove was a beauty, made by Taylor’s long ago. The rings burned briskly. The oven was perfect, and the grill wafted toast aromas into the cockpit as you listened to the eider ducks doing Frankie Howerd imitations under the paradise cliffs of Kintyre. But there was trouble in Eden, for lo, the Tree of Knowledge was bearing fruit. Being human, we pulled the fruit from the tree and took a large bite. Which basically means we started to worry about gas. The Tree of Knowledge in this particular case took the form of a sister ship of Dahlia’s whose gas system a year or two ago began quietly exhaling into the bilges.…

New Zealand is one of the better places to go boating but I was not based in Auckland and had little time off work or easy access to launch facilities. I lived in Wellington, which is not the easiest of places for small boat sailing. So, after eight years of being boat-less, the first thing I did on moving back to the Rye area was to explore the boatyards and launching facilities on the Rother. Sitting on her trailer in the corner of Sea Cruisers’ chandlery and boat yard was a traditional 12ft gunter rigged sailing dinghy in low maintenance GRP. I snapped her up for £650 and towed her home to prepare her for the season. I was attracted by her simple working boat lines. She was an Invicta…

The VIN plate is usually found under the car bonnet or on a door pillar – either an alloy plate or a sticker. In this example: ■ 2,100kg gross vehicle weight, the maximum allowable mass (MAM) of the vehicle including occupants, fuel and payload. ■ 3,200kg gross train weight, the combined maximum allowable mass of the vehicle and trailer. ■ 1,250kg & 1,130kg maximum axle loads front and rear respectively. The manufacturer’s recommended maximum towing capacity for this Peugeot is the gross train weight minus the gross vehicle weight, ie 3,200kg – 2,100kg = 1,100kg.…

James Gibb has some tips for towing and launching a fin-keeler A few years ago I was approaching retirement and needed something to fill my time. I considered various types of boat and quickly realised that, living in East Yorkshire but with a penchant for sailing on the west coast of Scotland, I needed a vessel that could be trailed home for the winter. I had a ready-made base at Tayvallich in Argyll, which was where I’d keep the boat for the summer. I considered various lightweight vessels but all had their drawbacks. Then I saw the Varne Folkboat, Free Spirit. Now, I’d had previous experience sailing a Folkboat and knew all about their capabilities from the likes of Blondie Hasler and Mike Richie. I also knew that with the…

Musto BR3 Pertex Offshore Jacket Musto’s BR3 collection is intended for those who sail regularly, both inshore and offshore and is a step up from its BR2 range. Designed to cope with the worst conditions at sea, whether passage making or racing, the BR3 Pertex Offshore Jacket is available in men’s and women’s sizes, so fits really well. The Pertex membrane delivers waterproof and windproof protection, but is also really breathable, so you don’t overheat while grinding winches or hauling halyards. It has a 20K waterproof rating – the highest available – due to its three layers of bonded waterproof and breathable fabric. Like all the clothing in the BR3 range, the jacket has a durable water-repellent (DWR) coating that’s free of environmentally harmful perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). The cuffs have…

Like many boat owners, I got increasingly fed up with the noise and vibration generated by my engine and gearbox, and was concerned about the possibility of damage to the gearbox bearings and seals. After a bit of research, I decided to fit a Halyard Aquadrive antivibration system which, by isolation of the engine from the hull structure, is promised to reduce cabin and cockpit noise and vibration by 50% or more. I hope by sharing my installation method I can assist PBO readers with the fine detail that would be impossible for Halyard to cover in their otherwise excellent instructions which are obtainable on the internet at halyard.eu.com. How it works The Aquadrive principle is based on a fixed thrust bearing to take the longitudinal loads generated by the action…

Andy Pag shares his tips ■ Clean the area you want to match your gel coat to. ■ Dab a small blob of uncatalysed gel coat onto the surface and stare at it for a good minute, moving around to see it from different angles, casting a shadow over it, and in direct light. Take your time for your eyes to adjust to staring at white. Smear the blob with your finger and look at it for another minute. Pay close attention to the original colour of your boat and you’ll begin to see what hues your blob is missing. ■ Then add tiny traces of pigment one at a time and repeat with the next blob. Expect the process to take at least 30 minutes. ■ Don’t be tempted…

INSURANCE Insurance cover for sailing high latitudes Q I’m an enthusiastic PBO reader and have been inspired by articles about people undertaking real adventures. I decided to go for it myself and plan a voyage to the west coast of Svalbard in summer. My boat is an old Rustler. She’s safe and seaworthy. My crew and I are sensible and cautious. We don’t have high latitude experience but confidently sail anywhere in the British Isles. I’ve read extensively on the subject and my view is that Svalbard is actually a lot safer and less adventurous than you might first think. The west coast of Svalbard is warmed by the Gulf Stream, and there’d be permanent daylight during summer. The longest passage is four days and I would carefully pick a…

1 When drying out alongside, you don’t want to fall away from the wall. 2 It’s easy to over compensate, however, and by leaning too far towards the wall you can damage the rig and guardrail. If that’s likely to happen, and you have time, try to remove the cap shrouds and stanchions. 3 Bilge-keelers are not immune – they can lean in as well if the ‘inside’ keel settles in an old hole formed by fin-keelers. 4 Ideally, you should ‘wait a tide’ to see what the bottom is like. But if you can’t do that, have a feel around with a lead line. Putting it on a boat hook lets you reach further out and dragging it finds the edge of scrubbing grids etc. Some modern fishfinders or…

■ Identify a ‘problem’ vessel and make attempts to contact the registered owner, if there is one. ■ Take steps to ensure the vessel won’t sink. ■ Post a generic abandoned/wrecked vessel notice outlining the harbour authority’s powers or work with the owner to dispose of the vessel at least cost to them. ■ Determine which power is most suitable. Rob says laws relating to end-of-life vessels are convoluted and local. ■ Follow correct procedure for that power (notices posted, newspaper statutory notices etc). ■ To keep costs down, corral a batch of vessels and hire a HIAB truck and lowloader by a local vehicle removals company. Fin keel vessels may require specialist transport. ■ GRP vessels transported to local materials recovery centre. (Langstone Harbour pay £240 per tonne at TJ…

Eighty-four-year-old Peter Cunningham claimed the Round the Island Race line honours on the helm of his friend’s MOD70 multihull. Peter, whose victory on ZouLou followed a 2021 race win with his PowerPlay Racing Team, said: “A big thank you to Erik Maris for lending me the boat.” He added: “It was a really good race. We would have liked a little more wind but we picked up speed down the south of the Island and just kept going.” The forecast heading into the 7 June race threatened high winds and thunderstorms, though calm conditions greeted the 800 boats at the Royal Yacht Squadron starting line, with heavy showers arriving later in the afternoon. Jolt 3 was first in the IRC class and won the Gold Roman Bowl. The Disabled Sailors…

The ‘life-saving power of engineering’ was celebrated when the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was awarded an Engineering Heritage Award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) for its Thomas Kirk Wright lifeboat. The boat was in service at the RNLI for 23 years and was one of 19 boats that the charity sent to Dunkirk for Operation Dynamo, helping to save hundreds of lives. The RNLI was presented the award at a ceremony by John Wood, chair of the Engineering Heritage Committee at IMechE at the RNLI College in Poole on 22 May. Ross Barraclough, chief engineer and technical director at the RNLI said: “The advanced engineering capabilities of the Thomas Kirk Wright boat at its creation helped it go on to save between 300-500 lives during its service…

When the 56th edition of the Southampton International Boat Show returns to Mayflower Park, visitors can expect a more compact layout around the park. The UK’s flagship boat show annually attracts 100,000 visitors to see more than 650 marine brands, including 300-plus boats afloat on its purpose-built marina and 200 exhibitors shoreside. Taking place from 19-28 September, the British Marine-organised event will have a new entrance on Mayflower Park, with a new ‘Boating Academy’ offering talks and advice. Guest speakers are still being finalised but a series of ‘masterclasses’ hosted by LKQ Leisure and Marine are confirmed with topics such as electronics and navigation systems, fuel systems and maintenance, paint and coatings, deck equipment, and steering systems and controls. There will be a new ‘Powerhub’, a live demo kitchen for…

Diesel Dan, my old mate, has diagnosed all sorts of problems with my engine. The impeller’s shed a blade, something’s up with the charging, apparently I’ve got diesel bug and he’s off working on big boats in Majorca until mid-July. I know what he’s like so thought it best to check which year, but was a little downhearted when, with the certainty for which he’s renowned, he said: “Probably this one.” And to be truthful that’s a little disappointing as he’s given me the biggest gift I could ask for. For thanks to Dan, I’m unplugged, off-grid and virtually ohmless, watching the sun go down in the anchorage off the shingle beach of Osea Island with no other company than my thoughts and memories, as Snipe rocks gently to the…

Fishing has been Shetland’s main industry since the days of the Vikings: the first longhouse dwellers supplied dried fish to boats on their way to Iceland and Greenland. In the Middle Ages, there was trade with boats from Norway, the Netherlands and all round the Baltic. Lerwick and Baltasound hosted huge herring fleets in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Now the fishing industry includes aquaculture, and still brings in double the money of Sullom Voe oil and gas terminal, agriculture and tourism combined. Shetland is Scotland’s second biggest port in terms of tonnage of fish landed, but that doesn’t include the eight pelagic vessels which catch a huge holdful, sell it online to Norway or Ireland and deliver it there. I don’t see them in our voe, of…

Trailer-sailers: just for pottering around harbours? Absolutely not. Over the years PBO has met owners who’ve sailed thousands of miles in theirs; battling Force 7s in open water, and even crossing the North Sea. But of course, harbour-hopping and creek-crawling has its appeal. What could be nicer on a sunny weekend, than launching in calm waters where you can enjoy ‘pure sailing’ but with the safety of an outboard, plus any number of lunch and overnight spots where you can drop the anchor? The smaller your boat, the less money you’ll have to spend on maintenance, leaving more time for fun on the water. If you can trail it too, you’ll never get bored of your cruising ground. Hein and Hilary Kuiper were ‘big boat’ sailors before setting up their…

Red Fox The Red Fox is roomy, stable and a good deal faster than she looks, thanks to her unballasted, asymmetric bilge boards, which also feature on the big sister the Red Fox Vision. These boats offer the benefit of a greater lift/drag ratio than a normal symmetrical keel, boosting windward performance by virtually eliminating leeway. What’s more, you don’t have to put up with an intrusive keel box in the middle of the cabin. Because of these underwater weapons, the Red Fox can get away with a substantially chunkier hull than other sporty 20-footers. Jeanneau Sun Fast 20 With a long waterline, healthy spread of sail and modest displacement (780kg), the Jeanneau Sun Fast 20 promises a ‘more than respectable performance.’ Other attractions include the self-tacking jib and asymmetric spinnaker…

With boats, as with most things, form follows function: a boat’s shape reflects what it’s designed to do. In many cases, that means you can get a pretty good idea of a boat’s likely performance and handling qualities from a cursory glance, though, of course, there may be hidden secrets below the waterline. Sailing yachts with narrow hulls are often more easily driven, smoother to sail, better balanced, more tolerant, more predictable and better able to handle extreme conditions than wide-bodied alternatives. Much of the time, they are also faster. Their principal drawbacks are that they can be wetter to sail – more prone to going through the waves than over them – and less roomy below decks. In these days of pressure to maximise volume for any given length,…

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Ropemakers describe various methods in their manuals and online videos about how to make a continuous rope splice, but nearly all result in a splice thicker than the rest of the rope. On my 50ft brigantine schooner Britannia the boat’s furling line layout is such that a splice would not pass through the jaws of the winding drums or the rope clutches. To be able to use a continuous loop, the splice needed to be no thicker than the diameter of the rope, and needless to say, it also had to be very strong. After a lot of experimentation and testing, I arrived at a method to splice two ends of a double-braided line together, resulting in a uniform thickness the same as the rope, which has been officially tested…

I’ve always been put off spray painting by the thought of buying a compressor and choosing a gun from the myriad of options. But then I discovered the airless spray gun. For under £30, I got a compressor and spray gun all in one – and you can find ones which fit Makita, Dewalt or Ryobi batteries. The kit comes with a bunch of handy accessories which, as a first-time user, I was glad of. There are a couple of cleaning tools which I needed after each job, and both could do with being a bit longer to reach parts they don’t quite reach. I also received some paint filters to make sure the paint is smooth and won’t block the gun. A DIN cup is included; a small funnelled…

Crowdy Head is an artificial boat harbour on the north coast of New South Wales. It was built in the 1960s and designed to provide a haven for a small fishing fleet and is now also home to a permanent Volunteer Marine Rescue vessel. The harbour’s relentless swell makes it uncomfortable for cruising yachts and at best it’s an overnight stay. I stopped there on arrival from Port Macquarie, 26 miles further north, but was glad to set sail the next morning on my journey south. My plan was to pick up a mooring buoy at Broughton Island, an uninhabited island about 55 miles south of Crowdy Head and named after Commander William Broughton who surveyed the area in 1795. If I made better time than expected, I’d head for…

A new interactive map to report abandoned boats in Fal and Helford attracted 170 entries in a few months. “That’s probably about half the wrecks on the two estuaries, if you count abandoned boats in boat yards and small boats tucked up in trees,” said Jake Burnyeat, who set up the Wreck-Free Fal and Helford forum. “Honestly, when you start looking, you find small boats and canoes shoved in bushes, all over the place.” Jake, who is a keen sailor added: “I have a lot of sympathy for people who abandon boats, because there’s no other easy option. There are all sorts of reasons people end up with a boat they can’t manage anymore. It might have been a parents’ boat and they’ve died and the kids have got to…

New measures to protect sensitive habitats and species in 30,000km² of English seas from a fishing technique where nets are raked along the seabed are subject to a consultation, that ends on 1 September 2025. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) proposed management measures within 42 offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which account for approximately 13% of English waters, include prohibitions of fishing using bottom towed gears within 31 MPAs, plus prohibitions on fishing using bottom-towed gears or static gears (traps and/or bottom set nets and lines) in four MPAs. The measures would also prohibit fisherman from using traps in one MPA, and prohibit fishing using bottom towed gear and ban the removal of spiny lobster, also known as crawfish, in one MPA. The Wildlife Trusts is calling for bottom towed gear…

Ocean Youth Trust South chief executive Mark Todd has been made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List ‘for services to sailing and to young people’. Mark has been at the trust’s helm since 2010 and was previously staff skipper for nine years. He is also chairman of the Association of Sail Training Organisations, an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, Yachtmaster Examiner, and sits on the Yachtmaster Qualifications Panel. Mark said: “When I started sailing with the trust, I saw at firsthand what sail training can do for young people – improving their wellbeing and helping them reach their true potential. That was 25 years ago, and I have enjoyed being part of the sail training community ever since.” He added: “It has certainly changed my…

Four new British Sailing Talent Academies have been launched and are open for applications. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) will be providing quality, regular training opportunities ‘closer to home’ for promising sailors aged 17 or under who have less than six months’ experience in the ILCA 4, 420, 29er or iQFOiL class. New academies at Datchet Water Sailing Club, Leigh & Lowton Sailing Club in partnership with Leigh Sports Village, Rutland Sailing Club and the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy will be regionalised performance hubs across England, working alongside existing Home Country talent programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Sailor development will be focused initially on transitioning from junior to youth classes and developing sailors with high performance potential. The deadline for applications is 1 August. ■ pbo.co.uk/talent_academy…

A dinghy instructor at the Royal Channel Islands Yacht Club has been awarded this year’s Jersey Clipper Bursary, worth £1,000. Jamie Le Marquand, 17, will use the funds to take part in the 2025 Tall Ships Race. He will join the crew of Excelsior, a 1921-built Lowestoft smack, sailing from 21 July on the Scotland to Norway leg. Jamie said: “The Tall Ships Race is an exciting challenge that will give me the chance to sail offshore, work as part of an international team and expand my sailing skills.” The annual Jersey Clipper Bursary, a legacy from the island’s three campaigns in the Clipper Round-the-World Race, was established in 2007 through the generosity of event sponsors UBS, Dandara and Les Pas Holdings. A runner-up prize of £500 was awarded to…

Beneteau First 260 Spirit | MG Spring 25 | Parker 27 Legend 27 | Jeanneau Sun 2500 From the mid-1980s onwards, Hunter Boats in Essex produced a succession of popular and comfortable 26-27ft cruisers that sail well and offer modern, bright and spacious accommodation. Key selling points included a separate double owner’s cabin aft and a heads compartment at the foot of the companionway, where it is easily reached from the cockpit and is close to the boat’s centre of motion. Easily-handled rigs, with self-tacking jibs and single-line mainsail reefing added to the appeal. Yet, Hunter Boats had its roots firmly in the racing sector, and these were still designs with good performance, even in twin keel format. The first of these was the Horizon 26, which was based on…

Hein Kuiper’s first trailer-sailer was a Sportina 680, ‘a really light, Polish-made boat’, though he and wife Hilary had been sailing much bigger boats in the Solent for 20 years before they set up Boats on Wheels. It was during a break between yachts that they thought, why not bring over small boats from the continent, where they’re cheaper and more widely available? “In actual fact, we discovered the prime market was here in the Solent, where it costs a fortune to moor,” says Hein. “We started refurbishing trailer-sailers, and then went on to importing new boats as well.” Being Dutch, Hein is familiar with many of the great boats sailed on the Continent, and have sourced a few of their favourites for the UK market. “Certain countries tend to…

Just a few decades ago, a 40ft yacht was considered big and luxurious. These days, when you enter a Mediterranean marina, anything less than 50ft is seen as a small boat. Yachts have grown not just in size; every new generation has more equipment, electrics, electronics and gadgets installed. Back in the day, a refrigerator and an electric windlass were considered luxurious optional extras. Now, some sailors find it unimaginable to sail without these, along with many other things like air conditioning or a watermaker. Previously I have sailed around the world via the three Great Capes aboard the 40-year-old 34ft home-built sloop, HIR 3. I have also worked as a delivery skipper, recently sailing an almost new 55ft Hanse 588 from the Canaries to Croatia and, during the trip,…

Box berths are where you put stern lines out to piles and lie bows-to a pontoon which may, or may not, have short finger pontoons between the berths. Sometimes, there’s a line strung between the piles and the pontoon, and this may prevent you from blowing down onto another boat. Boxes come in different sizes, even within the same marina. Try to select a box which is slightly wider and longer than your boat. Entering a box significantly wider or longer can mean problems putting out a second stern line. Boxes present the single-hander with the dilemma that they should be on the bows ready to step ashore with the lines and at the same time stand in the stern to drop lines round the piles. I've not yet discovered…

Every marine engineer we have talked to has said that you need to realign your engine with the stern tube when the boat goes back in the water after a period on the hard, but how do you do this when your boat has a dripless seal? It is possible to drop the shaft back just aft of the thrust bearing to have enough room to align the engine gear box to the shaft at the thrust bearing. Alas, with a dripless seal, you also need to align the engine with the stern tube so that the dripless seal will not leak. You cannot do this once the stern tube is covered with either a bellows or the hose of the lip seal type of gland. The problem We had…

Maldon is famous for its colourful Thames barges, its salt, and losing to the Vikings. But my abiding memory is its mud: not just ordinary mud but a sort of creme caramel mousse into which my 22ft harbour launch Morgana sank softly last winter after her passage down the Thames and Lee Valleys in 2023 (PBO, July 2024). But Morgana was kept warm, safe and sound in her berth in Jim Dines’ boatyard alongside the Thames barges, Essex smacks and other native vessels, ready for departure in the spring of 2024. Not for the first time I didn’t get away as early as I had hoped. Bad weather played its part but I was also short of crew; this was partly due to infirmity among my ancient mariners but also…

My East Coast passage went more or less to plan thanks to my new crewmates, Chris and Dave. The fact that Chris has his own boat to sail, and a new 52ft Laerling yacht to build and sail off round the world, and that Dave is a busy journalist with deadlines to keep, are tributes to their willingness to help this blow – in from the Thames and South Coasts. Despite, or perhaps because of his irredeemable sense of humour, Dave was resilient, resolute and reliable. He made himself a comfortable bunk on one of the aft deck seats and stayed on board for five days and five nights – which is a record even for me. He wouldn’t read my poetry, but he was no trouble. Ideally, I’d have…