Innehållsförteckning för August 2016 från Sailing Today

‘ALMOST AS MANY COLLISIONS ARE WITH FIXED OBJECTS AS WITH OTHER BOATS’ Collisions are to blame for most sailing yacht insurance claims, according to new industry research.Figures from a study by Bishop Skinner Marine revealed that 26 per cent of claims it received in 2015 were as a result of crashes. Dean Hunt, Bishop Skinner’s senior claims handler, said that almost as many collisions were with fixed objects such as buoys and pontoons as with other boats. And in cases when a yacht hit another vessel, it was normally a moored boat in a marina that was struck. Damage caused by storms or heavy weather was the second most frequent claim, at 24 per cent, and usually happened while boats were on moorings or berthed in marinas during the winter…

Lu said: “That digger is making an awfully loud sound moving those rocks… and it doesn’t even look that big.” She had the binoculars out and was watching a digger scoop up rocks on the beach. Every now and again there was a rumbling sound that rolled out over the anchorage. “It’s not the digger” I said, “that’s the volcano” We were anchored off San Vincenzo on the east side of Stromboli and at intervals there would be a puff of smoke from the crater and that low rumbling sound that was, as it turned out, coming from the burping mountain above. It seemed to permeate everything, even the boat at anchor. Stromboli lies at the northern end of the Aeolian Islands that snake down to Vulcano 15 odd miles…

‘BEFORE OUR PACIFIC CROSSING WE PACKED FRUIT WITH A BORROWED VACUUM SEALER’ Since moving on board, choosing to live and sail full-time, we both agree that we have never eaten better in our lives, despite being two foodies from London. The test of a gourmet galley is how to cope with the challenge of a long sea crossing and now, with two oceans under our belts, we feel as though we’ve really learnt the ropes. A good technique for organising fresh food on board is to store it carefully. String hammocks and hanging items helps keep them aired, plus it’s easy to check which ones are ripening fast and need eating first. Some fruit and veg does well stacked in trays, crates or boxes and stored in the coolest part…

If you believe the survey published annually by Germany’s biggest sailing magazine, Hallberg-Rassy yachts are consistently rated the most desirable on the market. The Swedish marque has a fine reputation for bomb-proof, traditionally-built cruisers that are designed to take on the world’s oceans in comfort and safety. Magnus Rassy, the son of one of the company’s founders, now runs the business and he is clear. “People dream of one day owning a Hallberg-Rassy” he says, looking up from his smartphone for a moment. He has been busy posting photos from our sea trial on Instagram and Facebook, and is gleefully counting the number of ‘likes’ and shares. By the end of the afternoon, more than 3,000 people have seen the pictures – a respectable 10 per cent of Hallberg-Rassy’s registered…

We had overwintered in Oxelösund, south of Stockholm with Fera, our Tanton 43 cat-ketch. She has unstayed carbon-fibre masts and is very easily handled; a reliable and loved family member for many miles, since 1988. Our first trip of the 2015 season had us heading west through the Göta canal. On 26 May we were motoring in very light southerly winds under generally blue skies on the large freshwater Lake Vänern. The crew was Stella, my wife and myself, on watch. Below was Helen, a not-very-seagoing, but close friend who had come to join us on this trip, on the basis that it would be “safe and with calm water”. She was playing Connect 4 on the saloon table with the two youngsters aboard. Around midday at about 58°28’N, 12°31’E,…

COMMENT OF THE MONTH All puffed up The main photo from the River Blackwater article from the July issue [ST231] is not only a fantastic photo of the quayside here at Maldon, but I am a permanent crew member on the boat (in the black shirt holding the boom out from the starboard rail). She is a Beneteau First 285, and it’s rare to have spinnakers at that point on the river, for a number of reasons – the channel from the end of the promenade (300m off our stern) to the quay ahead of us is only 20-30m wide at high water and the river goes through several significant bends. It was only due to several factors (a rare easterly, light winds, lifted keel and crossed fingers) and the…

Limbering up for the Bosphorus Cup in late May, the Farr 55 Orient Express VI presents an extraordinary spectacle as she tacks in close to the shore. In the background, trucks and cars thunder across the Bosphorus Bridge, connecting Europe to Asia 64m above sea level. The Ortaköy Mosque was built on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I in the mid 19th century. The water here is deep enough right up to the quay that one French participant said: “You can’t believe how close you can come to the shore. You think you can nearly take a glass of wine while you are tacking!” The Bosphorus is a busy waterway (see ST229) and there are many marinas around the fringes of Istanbul.…

Spirit 47CR £750,000 When East Coast-based Spirit Yachts announced its CR range of bluewater cruisers back in 2015, there was much anticipation. Now the first model of the new range is nearing completion and promises to be a real beauty. Like all its yachts, she’s of wood/ epoxy construction, but unlike many of her sisters, she features a good deal more beam and freeboard. At 47ft she’s a handy size for extended cruising and there is accommodation for five or six people. As you can see, the yacht is well on her way to completion - but all that wood means lots of coats of varnish to come before she’s ready to go. spirityachts.com Feeling 13.90 £244,000 Since Southerly Yachts imploded a couple of years back, lift-keel yachts of a…

Brixham has 500 berths for boats of up to 60ft and sits on the southeast side of Brixham Harbour with views across Tor Bay to Paignton and Torquay. There has been a marina on the site for 26 years and has been in the ownership of MDL since 1990. This means MDL berthholders get free reciprocal berthing. Access is at all states of tide and tidal range is about 4.8m. Greatest depth in the marina is about 5m, getting shallower closer to shore, so boats with deeper draughts should make their needs clear. Being a seaside town-centre marina, there is a definite peak season. Marina manager Shaw Smith said: “We are a destination marina and at the height of summer everyone leaves the Solent and comes down here. We’ve never…

Brixham is a natural stop-off for boats on their way from east to west (or vice versa), coming from Weymouth and going across the wide curve of Lyme Bay to Dartmouth. It’s about 40nm from Portland Bill. The River Dart offers some of the best of West Country cruising. The entrance, about 8nm from Brixham, is deep and wide, and flanked by castles, but it can see tides of 3kt at springs. Depending on your draught, and timing it with the tide, you could make it the 8nm upriver to Totnes. Be aware that you must pay dues to use the river – so anchoring is not free (85p per metre per day) and comes with conditions; the skipper must be aboard during the turn of the tide. There are…

Bahamian mooring is a system of anchoring that reduces the distance of swing. The boat lies to two anchors: one set forward, one aft. The technique gets its name from the fact that around the Bahamas there are many long, thin channels between sand bars and, to prevent being blown onto the sand bar and grounded, vessels used to anchor fore and aft and swing in the middle. Even if you are not in the Bahamas you might want to use a Bahamian moor: if wind and tide were opposing each other or if the wind was flukey and cross tide, or if you were anchoring in a narrow channel, you might find that lying to one anchor resulted in the boat swinging further than you would like. HOW TO…

Back in 2004, I briefly became a yacht broker. It only lasted the summer and during those heady months I sold no boats. I was the agent for Legend Yachts, an up-and-coming American marque which was taking advantage of an exceptionally weak dollar to make inroads into the British and European markets. Back then, they were marketed as comfortable, voluminous cruisers available at a very affordable price – ‘a lot of boat for your money’ was my sales patter. Ironically, just as I beat a retreat from the world of boat sales, so too did Legend. Like many, the company seemed to disappear into the wilderness during the recession. But it has now returned. No longer called Hunter Legend, but Marlow Legend. The company is now owned by Marlow Yachts,…

ISLES OF SCILLY REGATTA 26-29 AUGUST, ST MARY’S HARBOUR For the first time, a flotilla of classic and traditional boats sail into St Mary’s harbour from Falmouth. There will also be a 10nm Round the Island Race, a Parade of Sail, and a visit from a Type 23 frigate. visitislesofscilly. com/islandsregatta ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT COWES WEEK 6-13 AUGUST, ISLE OF WIGHT It’s back for the 190th time and highlights include the RYS ball on Saturday 6th, family day including a cardboard boat race on Sunday, Ladies’ Day on 9th, Youth Day on 10th with a party at UKSA, and fireworks on Friday 12th. aamcowesweek.co.uk RIO OLYMPICS 5-21 AUGUST, BRAZIL Follow the fortunes of Team GB’s sailing team as they take on the top sailors from around the world…

GREEK TAX TO HIT CRUISING BOATS The Greek authorities have devised a new tax on cruising boats using their waters, which could see many boats facing bills of over £1,000 a year. The Greek government announced a levy called TPP several years ago, which was unpopular but was deemed legal by the EU. It had not yet come into force, waiting for payment systems to be put in place, but had been set, with even the price bands agreed. Now the government has announced that it has drafted new legislation. The charges would be: LOA 8.1-10m – €30 per month; LOA 10.1-12m – €40 per month; LOA 12.1m+ €10 per m per month. So a 13m (42ft 7in) boat would be paying €130 a month, or €1,560 a year. A…

iPhone and iPad charger Power bank charges iPhone 6s and looks good too You’re on watch and don’t have a 12v power point in the cockpit when the light on your device starts to dim… Enter the Besiter Mercury 10 power bank for recharging mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads and Android phones. It claims to charge an iPhone four times, a Samsung Galaxy S6 two-and-a-half times and an iPad once. We got 2.5 out of it for an iPhone 6 – and there are two USB ports so you can charge two devices at the same time. Looks good in black and grey or white and gold. • £35 • kavson.co.uk Well-papered down below Marine-grade wallpaper covering is durable and wipeable From wallpaper heritage brand Cole & Son, which has…

Dehler 36 Nancy M LOA: 36ft 1in (11.0m) LWL: 29ft 6in (9.0m) Beam: 11ft 6in (3.5m) Draught: 6ft 1in (1.9m) Built: 1993 Elbow lead singer Guy Garvey could have written One Day Like This for Nancy M’s mini cruise in Strangford Lough in early May, for right from leaving Bangor the weather couldn’t have been much worse, but by noon the sun shone and it did indeed look like being a beautiful day. At 0630 we cast-off on the flood to begin the 30-mile passage south along County Down’s rock-strewn coast in a cold, rough easterly. On board were husband Rob, daughter Alice, and friends Christina and Colin. There was a moment of excitement as we swooshed through Copeland Sound between the islands and Donaghadee on the 4.5kt tide, but…

WAVE SCREEN Arriving at the marina, pontoons A-I will be to port, with A closest to shore and F closest to the wavescreen and G-I on the far side SMALL BOAT MOORINGS Pass between these, through a channel marked with red and green buoys BREAKWATER Victoria breakwater is half a mile long and there is a red light at its end (Oc. R. 15s) TOR BAY The bay, with Paignton and Torquay in the distance, is deep and mainly hazard-free SW COAST PATH Passes right past the marina and either into town or out to Berry Head nature reserve Brixham in south Devon is the quintessential English fishing port. Once home to a fleet of 300 wooden trawlers, it is still an active fishing harbour, with more than 100 fishing…

Dragging a fixed blade propeller through the water under sail can shed up to a knot of boat speed in light winds, or 12 miles during an average day’s sail. For some cruisers, this loss of performance isn’t an issue, and is usually cancelled out when sailing hard anyway, but for keen racers and bluewater sailors, every extra bit of sailing speed is welcome. In today’s market, there are three clear solutions to reduce propeller drag. The first is the folding propeller, where the blades quite literally fold closed. The second is the feathering prop, where the blades turn parallel to the flow of water, presenting a minimal profile. The third is the self-pitching featherer, of which there are currently just two examples. THE INITIAL DECISION The first question to…

JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY 33I | CARPE DIEM They call it ‘the beachable boat’ – a 33ft Jeanneau with lifting keel with minimum draught of less than three feet. She is built in GRP with a fractional sloop rig and comes with furling genoa, battened mainsail with two single-line reefs and a stack pack, plus a cruising chute with snuffer. The cockpit has teak seats and steps and a solid teak table and a full tent enclosure. Winches are Harken self-tailers and there is a full set of instruments including a Raymarine HybridTouch chartplotter and 4kW radar. Below there is accommodation for six in two double cabins plus two single-seat saloon berths, and one head. Diesel heating; power comes from a 15hp Yanmar engine. She has been Coppercoated and…