Innehållsförteckning för February 2016 från Sailing Today

OYSTER YACHTS HAS RELEASED a statement related to the sinking of Polina Star III which highlights ‘a possible weakness in the process used to build the inner structure’ of other 825s. The company released the update after photos emerged online of the hulk of Polina Star III, which sank in July after it lost its keel. Oyster’s update said an inspection of other 825s showed the weakness, understood to be a problem with the way the structural grid was attached to the hull. Two 825s, Albatross and Maegan, had their grids reinforced and have since crossed the Atlantic with the ARC. “This process has not been used on any other Oyster Yacht built over the last 40 years and will not be used again,” the company said. To see the…

Floating wind turbines are to be installed for the first time in UK waters under a pilot project announced last year, which could begin generating electricity as early as 2017. In November, the Scottish government gave consent for the world’s largest floating offshore wind development, Hywind Scotland, which will see five 178m-tall turbines floating vertically in the sea 13nM off Peterhead, near Aberdeen. Each turbine will be attached to a heavy steel cylinder filled with stones and ballast water which extends up to 100m below the surface of the sea, to provide stability. They will be anchored via heavy chain to three suction anchors, buried up to 1,200m from the turbine itself. The technology for providing a stable, buoyant base for the turbines comes from Norway’s Statoil, where it was…

As many stories do, this one begins in a pub. We were hanging out with a couple of friends discussing our plans for the holiday. Bastiaan’s father had a little Etap 22i, but it was already taken by one of his brothers. So even though we really wanted to go sailing that wasn’t an option. The night progressed and we continued to come up empty handed. That was until the drinks had been flowing for quite some time and another friend told us he was hitch-hiking to Barcelona. We were still focused on sailing and told him that hitch-hiking by car was really not the way to do it. Right there, we decided that it would be possible to hitch-hike by yacht. In our minds, sailors were the right kind…

“It is about safety in the end,” says Perrin from under his almost Gandalf-like eyebrows. “You do feel very responsible,” admits Mark with a grimace, when I ask him whether editing Britain’s best-selling nautical almanac causes any sleepless nights. “With the best will in the world, we do sometimes make mistakes,” Perrin continues. Readers are very quick to point out errors, as well as changes. “We always get people asking us to change such-and-such back to the way it was the previous year.” But with more than 45,000 updates made to Reeds every year, including those to the numerous chartlets designed in-house by almanac manager Chris Stevens, that’s clearly not possible. Nothing in its thousand-plus pages is safe from the editors’ red pens. My notion of a pair of itinerant…

Through the glowing light of the full moon, I can just spot the contours of a white lighthouse, firmly positioned on a grim rock ahead of us. “You see that lighthouse over there?” asks skipper Romeo. “Yes, I can see it, but it’s not working.” “Exactly!” he says with a grin. “Here, you cannot rely on anything. It all depends on your karma. The merciless karma. Welcome to Cape Verde!” The wooden jetty of Santa Maria, the harbour village of the windward island of Sal, is a hive of activity. Lugging our heavy bags we make our way through the crowd. Colourful fishing boats come and go with the catch of the day. Fishermen, villagers and market women with babies in slings are watched by a handful of tourists. A…

DOIRLINN CHANNEL Can be transited on approach to high water but going around Calve Island is easier and not much further FERRY ROUTE The Kilchoan-Toberymory ferry arrives several times a day. Take care not to obstruct its turning circle ANCHORAGES Anchoring is permitted in most areas (see p53) and Aros Bay is a favoured peaceful spot TAIGH SOLAIS The lighthouse-inspired building houses the THA office, toliets, showers, laundry, and aquarium and more THA MOORINGS Visitors’ buoys are blue with a white top, marked THA and have yellow pick-up buoys Think of the perfect British fishing village and there’s a high probability that Tobermory is not far removed from what you picture in your imagination. It is is a small fishing town on the northeast corner of the Isle of Mull,…

Most sailors will arrive in Tobermory from the south or east, from the Mull of Kintyre or the Crinan Canal. SailScotland has a handy tip on its website for visitors sailing this way: “By timing your departure from Crinan, Ardfern or Craobh Haven for two hours before low water Oban, it is possible to carry a fair tide for over eight hours up to Tobermory. Typical ‘tidal lift’ is well over a knot, increasing the time that one is able to continue with sails rather than engine.” The Sound of Mull runs southeast to northwest. Tidal flow can be up to 3kt at Duart Point, marked by a castle, at the southern end, so it pays to time the trip with the tides. When you first enter the sound from…

It is almost inevitable that as a boat owner you will have reason to go aloft at some point. Although you might prefer to put matters in the hands of a professional rigger, in some circumstances and locations that might not be an option or you might simply want to avoid the inevitable costs. So here we investigate the reasons you could have to go up your mast and how to do it safely. MAINTENANCE AND SOLVING PROBLEMS The best way to minimise unwelcome surprises aloft is to carry out regular inspections – typically when you first buy a second-hand boat, at the start of the season, and before and even during long voyages. Look out for rope chafe and its causes, broken strands on wire rigging, loose shackles and…

I recently test-sailed the Saffier 33, a high performance daysailer/weekender that left me pondering yachting as we understand it today. Basically, the CEO of Saffier argued that the day of the cruising yacht was over. People didn’t have time to spend weeks on end pottering up and down the coast in wholesome 35ft caravans, he reckoned. In this day and age they wanted a weekender that boasted speed, low maintenance and style. If you want cruising, go to the Caribbean and rent a whacking great catamaran and spend the week sunbathing in comfort, he said. It was an interesting view that I eyed with deep scepticism – until I sailed his boat. It was simply excellent. “Never mind the ensuite heads and combi grill/oven,” I thought as we planed downwind.…

It is a warm summer’s day in Sweden’s Skaeryard and you are out for a gentle sail among the rocky islands off the west coast when you come across another sloop headed in the same direction. You are aiming for a pass called the Jungfruhålet – it is narrow and the granite hard. But you have faith in your boat, your charts and your sailing knowledge, so you sheet in, concentrate on your course and challenge your neighbour to a friendly little race. All around the coast of the Skagerrak Sea in western Sweden and southern Norway are seascapes like these, which lie west of the island Tjörn in Bohuslän, Sweden, with thousands of scattered, rocky islands and natural anchorages. Summer tidal range is less than a metre, currents are…

An adventurer who has swum, run and cycled between Land’s End and John o’Groats has now sailed the route. Sean Conway was crew on a Class 40 racing boat in December for the near-700-mile trip. Sean, 34, claimed it as a world record – and ST was surprised to hear that no record exists for sailing from Land’s End to John o’Groats. Sean, who hadn’t sailed before, said he thought it’d be straightforward. “The first 24 hours are a straight line. We’ll get the sails up, point in the right direction and go for it.” But while the sail was conducted offshore and largely in darkness, he said he still rated the swim, which took four months, as far harder. Phil Sharp, a Vendée Globe hopeful skipper from Jersey, and…

Grand Soleil 58 Performance £572,000 Grand Soleil yachts have always possessed an enviable knack of blending style, comfort and speed and coming up with an excellent yacht. The new 58, due for launch in spring 2016, looks like it will continue that tradition. She will take over from the 54 as the flagship of the Italian marque. One look at that sleek hull and low coachroof and you can immediately see that this is a vessel designed with performance in mind and her displacement will be comparatively modest and combined with a generous sail area. The standard interior will comprise a forward owner’s cabin, two double cabins in the stern, and an optional crew cabin in the bow with its own deck entrance and head. keyyachting.com Solaris 47 £297,000 With…

No-one can turn out a stylish product like the Italians. Udine-based Solaris did have a reputation for building rather un-Italian solid, quality custom yachts. Yet a couple of years ago it was as if the company suddenly remembered it was an Italian outfit and turned on the style – with eye-catching results. Marry stylish looks with good build and electrics, and there is a hope that you can find the love of your life without having your heart broken. Solaris Yachts looks like it may well have managed that. Vertical transom After all my Italian hyperbole, the irony is that the Solaris 42 is designed by an Argentinian, Soto Acebal. He’s a naval architect with a decent idea about how to pen a pleasing hull shape – he cut his…

As well as being a lovely place to visit in its own right, Tobermory is a great stop-over on a tour of the Inner Hebrides or for yachts heading further out to the northwest, to Skye and the Outer Hebrides of Barra, Uist, Harris and Lewis. It sits within a 40-mile diameter circle formed by Jura, Colonsay, Mull, Iona and Staffa, which form an easy and accessible cruising ground with hundreds of anchorages. Passages are just short hops from one peaceful spot to the next, with plenty of stunning scenery and wildlife to entertain – think seals, otters and golden eagles, and even red squirrels and deer ashore on some of the islands. Generally, the further north and west you sail away from the Scottish mainland, the fewer the boating…

Bremen LED searchlight A decent searchlight is required safety kit for serious cruising, and this one looks like a belter. Its 12W LED output is equivalent to about 90W of halogen, so it is much brighter than previous models. Its rubber housing is shock resistant and waterproof, so it can be immersed. And it comes with a decent 3m-long 12V flex. • £115 • aquasignal.net Zhik Isotak 2 Built around a proprietary composite membrane tested in the Rolex Sydney Hobart and Volvo Ocean races, the Isotak 2 wet weather gear is light, durable, waterproof and breathable. Zhik claims it is four times more “durably waterproof” than competitor membranes. The jacket and salopettes have Cordura reinforcing at wear points, large pockets on the leg and chest, and fleece-lined handwarmers.…

VAN DE STADT 39 | GYR Built originally with the intention of Arctic voyaging, this is a tough steel cutter with a lifting centreboard. The Van de Stadt round-bilge hull is 5mm thick steel with the deck and coachroof in 4mm steel. She takes elements from the Ovni range of ally cruiser - the mainsheet arch over the companionway - and a Vancouver 38. The centreboard was cast from the same mould as the Southerly 115 keel, but in lead rather than iron, and it can be locked either fully up or fully down. There is additional ballast in a Southerly-style keel plate. The present owner had the original interior refitted mainly in solid teak and there is lots of stowage and tankage for extended cruising. Outside there…

ARCTIC FORUM, ARTHUR BEALE 4 FEBRUARY, SHAFTESBURY AVENUE Cruisers who have explored the Arctic will talk about their adventures, show slides and answer questions from sailors hoping to do the same. The London chandler says: “This evening would be the perfect opportunity for anyone thinking of heading north, or way down south, to fire some questions and get up-to-date answers.” Starts 1845. Free (book in advance). talks@arthurbeale.co.uk THE WATER’S EDGE ART WORKSHOP 23 FEBRUARY, MALL GALLERIES, THE MALL, LONDON Keen artists are invited to join and learn from Michael Norman, whose own work captures the light and atmospheric effects he sees near his home by the Exe estuary and south Devon coastline. Easels and drawing boards are provided. 1100-1700, £60. mallgalleries.org.uk NOTTINGHAMSHIRE AND LINCOLNSHIRE BOAT JUMBLE 7 FEBRUARY, NEWARK SHOWGROUND…

Thousands of sailors arrived safely in the Caribbean as various Atlantic rallies wrapped up. Just under 260 boats headed for St Lucia in the 30th ARC and the ARC+. Volvo Ocean Race yacht Brunel set a new record for an ARC crossing, doing it in 8d 7h 39m 30s. The ARC was not without drama, as the crew of yacht Magritte was evacuated after the Moody Grenadier 134 started taking on water 100nM west of the Cape Verdes. The crew was rescued and taken to Spain by the cargo ship SCL Basilea but the yacht had to be abandoned. The next Caribbean island north, Martinique, played host to 40 yachts which completed the Atlantic Odyssey. The first Odyssey boat to arrive was Belgian catamaran Mercredi Soir, with its family crew…

A French inventor is on the verge of launching a touchscreen chart table which can be used for navigation, or double as an on board TV screen, a computer or a games console. Called Kara, after the inventor’s daughter, the screen comes in 32in, 40in and 46in sizes, and can incline and pivot on an extendable pedestal. It uses infrared sensors, meaning it works even when fingers are wet – unlike smaller touchscreens – and allows several people to use different apps at once. Its 8mm toughened safety glass is bonded in place so that the screen can resist even sharp knocks and heavy weights – it’s possible to use the screen for paper chart work, for example. The technology will at first be available as an option exclusively on…

Mini submarine Dive up to 100m in your own two-man submersible Put your davits to good use and unleash your inner James Bond at the same time with your own personal submarine. U-Boat Worx is a Dutch company that builds four different lines of submersibles capable of carrying up to five people to depths of 300m. This is the HP Sport Sub 2, which seats two in its little dome and can dive to 100m. It looks a little bit like a sports car – but unlike Bond’s Lotus, it doesn’t convert into one. Comes with imaging sonar, underwater lights and a navigation system. They also do one in yellow (the C-Researcher 3) but you can’t live in it. • Price on application • uboatworx.com Pure Pop DAB…

It is often surprising to me how many people say that they would love to do what we’re doing and go out sailing longterm to far-off exotic lands but are unable to because they suffer from seasickness. Yet what’s more unexpected perhaps is that I reply somewhat nonchalantly that I too get seasick. That’s right, we’ve sailed halfway round the world, been living aboard our floating home for nearly four and a half years, crossed two oceans and popped out a couple of babies en route and the chink in my armour is that there are still certain types of sea-state that can make me feel quite ill. My first-ever day sailing was spent crossing from Gibraltar to Morocco in a sloppy sea one January. The wind was blowing Force…

XC-42 PRICE: £246,000 The Xc-42 boasts similar levels of quality and a similar marrying of performance and comfort, but with greater stress on cruising comfort and less on out-and-out racing prowess. x-yachtsgb.com ADVANCED A-44 PRICE: £477,000 If you are going to take the concept of style and sparkling performance to its logical conclusion then surely you end up with this yacht. A 44ft Italian ‘daysailer’ with bags of style, great performance - not much bluewater potential. advancedyachts.it CONTEST 42CS BASE PRICE: £290,370 In many ways a different, heavier beast than the Solaris, but the Dutch Contest 42 boasts strong performance coupled with high quality semi-custom build. Like the Xc-42, the emphasis is slightly skewed toward cruising. Somehow she’s just not quite as stylish as the Solaris. contestyachts.com…

Thirty-five visitor moorings for hire – look for the blue buoys Tobermory harbour is run by a local association (Tobermory Harbour Association, or THA), which has been built up over the years from a small community group with limited resources to a professional organisation with good facilities. The harbour offers good shelter in all but strong N/ NE winds, when there can be a swell. There is no marina as such but there is a choice of accommodation for visiting yachts: moorings or a walk-ashore pontoon. There are 35 visitor moorings for hire – 30 suitable for boats up to 15 tons, two for up to 25 tons and three for up to 80 tons. Visitor buoys are blue with a white top and yellow pick-up buoy. They are marked…

Keeping the boat’s log up to date can be viewed as vital to shipboard life, a necessary chore, or a superfluous piece of pen pushing. I find there’s something rather reassuring about it when out cruising. It isn’t mandatory, but somehow a regular update on position and any other sundries sets a comforting cadence to a voyage and makes you feel like you’re doing more than just fooling around. Keeping a log is a legal requirement only on vessels over 150 tons, but if you have ever been boarded by the French authorities, you will understand how frowned upon it is not to have some basic record of your voyage. When we asked Richard Falk, RYA training manager and chief examiner, he was very clear on the practical reasons for…

Standing rigging, the structures that hold the rig in place, is manifestly vital on a yacht, but owners often neglect regular maintenance and don’t always check for wear and tear. Apart from ensuring the rig is in seaworthy condition to reduce the risk of the mast tumbling down in the first lively gust of the season, regular maintenance is usually an insurance company requirement. Evidence of a poorly maintained rig could cause problems in the event of a claim, or may well invalidate an insurance claim. Every insurer is different so it is worth checking with yours to find out how often a check/replacement is required. WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS? So you have checked your rig and decided it’s time to replace it. Most cruising boats will opt for 1x19…