Innehållsförteckning för September 2015 från Sailing Today

SWAN’S NEW SONG Swan 54 c£767,000/€1.1m Famously finnickety Finnish luxury boatbuilder Nautor’s Swan has announced plans to launch a new 54-footer next year. Designed by long-time collaborator German Frers, the boat will be semi-custom, brimming with options for rig, joinery and equipment. She is described as a bluewater cruiser, and will include all the standard creature comforts, but expect her to be fast, like all the Swans. True, the hull is laid up in GRP, not carbon fibre (a racier version will follow, however), but with fine lines, lots of sandwich foam technology and a high-performance lead keel, she’ll be slippery. The standard configuration is for three double cabins, with a workshop/crew cabin. The galley is large for its class, and the cockpit has plenty of entertaining space. Allied with…

In addition to the 12 award categories open to public vote, our expert editorial panel will decide a further three special categories: T&Cs Competition closes on 23 August, when a winner will be chosen at random. Holiday is for one week, 5-12 June 2016, for two people. Includes flights from Gatwick and transfers to resort, newly-refurbished bedroom with balcony, sea views and ensuite. Full breakfast each day. Also includes Ocean Elements’ free Active Pack, worth £355 per person, which covers all your windsurfing, dinghy sailing and RYA tuition, as well as paddle-boarding, kayaking, mountain biking and beach fitness and much more. For full T&Cs, see chelseamagazines.com/ terms-and-conditions LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT This is an award that allows our panel to recognise achievements in sailing that transcend a single voyage or event. The…

Lefkas Marina is situated on the northeast corner of the island, tucked between the town and a narrow isthmus. The harbour is known to be one of the calmest in the Ionian thanks to its position in a shallow lagoon, behind the banks of the canal. One of the most modern marinas in Greece, it has been operating 24hr per day, 365 days per year since 2002. Lefkas has 620 berths and can accommodate yachts of up to 45m (147ft) LOA and 4m (13ft) draught. There is hard standing for some 280 boats and a large covered shelter. A selection of yacht services can be found there, and the fuel dock on pontoon K includes facilities for the disposal of black water and oil. Marina staff will guide visitors to…

No question, solar, or more properly photovoltaic, power generation is on the up, just as it is with wind and water turbines. Working well alongside each other for in-built redundancy, together they make a formidable cast. Each has strengths and weaknesses but individually these have flattened with advances in production technology. We all know power management is king aboard a cruising yacht, particularly as we bring more and more amp-hungry kit on board, even though some is now more power economic – LED lighting, external coolers for refrigeration. Led by the market, we’re becoming reliant on comforts. The norm now was utterly unimaginable 20 years ago. And it’s not just distance cruising that’s suited; renewables apply equally to any boat, any size, particularly with electric starter motors. Little more than…

The ‘sharing economy’ is becoming a popular phrase. In essence it means that people with resources, like boats, share and trade those goods and services with people who do not. Airbnb, where homeowners rent out their spare bedrooms or whole houses, is probably the most visible example. Many yacht owners will find that they have a valuable asset that sits idle for far more time than it gets used. And, even though it’s idle, it is still costing money – moorings, maintenance, insurance. But there are ways to turn it around so that your yacht starts to pay for itself. In all cases we present here, ensure you have a conversation with your insurance company about what you’re doing and check with the MCA or relevant local authority whether your…

SOUTHAMPTON BOAT SHOW 11-20 SEPTEMBER The UK’s leading on-the-water boat show returns. ST readers can buy tickets to the show for £13 (saving up to £9) by entering code EX12 on the website. 2015 also sees the Global Challenge Experience, a 90-minute taste of life on board a 72ft ocean racer. Prices start at £54, including your show ticket. Use code ST15 to book. • southamptonboatshow.com BART’S BASH 20 SEPTEMBER, WORLDWIDE This year includes the event Sailing for Bart: cruisers can log how far they sail and how many people they have with them on their yacht. Last year 30,734 people took part and more than £366,000 was raised for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation. • bartsbash.com NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM 1 SEPTEMBER, GREENWICH Learn how the…

There were near-perfect sailing conditions for the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race in June. A 1,584-strong fleet, carrying more than 15,000 sailors, set sail from the start line off Cowes to circle the island anti-clockwise in westerly and southwesterly winds of about 15 knots. After last year’s RTIR, when there was very little wind, this time, for the 84th edition, every one of the 1,389 boats that finished were across the line before the scheduled 2200 cut-off in order to qualify for a result. The first boat over was the MOD70 trimaran Concise 10, in a time of 3hr 30min 24sec. Leopard 3 was the first monohull to finish, after 4hr 40min 34sec. Most cruisers competed in the ISC (Island Sailing Club) classes, where the overall winner…

America’s Cup watch Historic home brand Bremont releases race range British watchmaker Bremont has released a special collection to mark its role as official timing partner of the 35th America’s Cup and Oracle Team USA. There’s the classic Bremont AC I, inspired by the simple lines of the J-Class yachts, and the AC II in rose gold, with the Auld Mug – the cup’s trophy - motif outline on the two subdials. They come in Bremont’s English-made America’s Cup leather wallets. The more modern Oracle Team USA Series watches, Oracle I and II, are sailing watches designed to be used on and in the water, and are waterproof to 500m and have an automatic helium valve. • bremont.com • £3,395 - £13,995 Workout on the waves Keep fit…

SOUTHERN ROUTE The approach from the south, from Ligia, is via canal and under power cables with 40m clearance ANCIENT LOCATION The marina is next to the old harbour and is very close to Lefkas town CALM WATERS Lefkas is one of the calmest natural harbours in the Ionian and is well-served by yacht services FLOATING BRIDGE The floating bridge opens every hour on the hour and southbound traffic has priority NORTHERN ROUTE From the north, access is via the Lefkas canal, marked at the entrance by Santa Maura castle Lefkas – also called Levkas and Lefkada – is an island in the Ionian Sea of northwest Greece famed for its white beaches and cliffs (lefk es means white in Greek). The fourth largest of the Ionian islands, it has…

Yachts approaching Lefkas will use the Lefkas canal, which is described in various places as being dredged to 4.5m or 8m (8-26ft), and being 40-100m (130-328ft) wide. From the north, the entrance to the canal is next to the conspicuous Santa Maura castle. There is a small breakwater but don’t go too close to it, as it frequently silts up off the end and there is often a dredger at work there. The north entrance to the canal is lit at night by a port hand light at the castle (Fl (2) WR 12s) and a starboard light flashing green every 1.5 seconds. At the end of the castle is a floating bridge that opens on the hour, every hour, between 0600 and 2200. It may also open on demand…

We had only a few months to equip our newly-purchased Moody S38, Mad Fish, for ocean sailing. While solar power was very much wanted, we had limited deck space for mounting. We settled on one GB-Sol 70W fixed panel mounted off the pushpit. It was designed to be removable, but we have never had to. It wires very easily into the Duogen regulator, so installation was simple. We sailed from the UK with our two boys (Oli then 10, Ethan then 8) and completed the ARC 2012, and sailed for a season in the Caribbean before returning to the UK with ARC Europe 2013. Our main current draw while at anchor is the fridge, which consumes 5A when running. We found that the 70W panel gives around 2.5A of charge…

Seafresh Ocean Whisper 30 An efficient unit, British built, producing 30lt for 13A of current. Quiet and compact. • sailfishmarine.co.uk • £5,874 Sea Recovery Ultra Whisper 200 Produces 32lt/hr using 13A of power. Available in compact or modular form for different installations. LCD display, automatic salinity monitor and auto flush. Very quiet. • fischerpanda.co.uk • £7,380 Schenker 30 Basic A hugely efficient system that can produce 30lt/hr using 9A of current. Comes with automatic flushing system and remote panel. External pump. • mactrashop.co.uk • £4,752 SLCE Aqua-Base Eco 35 Manual or automatic versions. Produces 35lt/hr using 12A of current. Energy recovery and remote panel (auto version). • slce.net • c£4,420 ECH O Tec 200 2 Up to 32lt/hr at 19.8A. Modular system,…

There’s a martial theme running through Wauquiez’s boat range. We’ll be running a detailed review of the French builder’s Centurion 57 in the next issue, but this test concerns the smaller 29ft 6in “day boat”, called the Optio. Students of antiquity will know that this was a rank equivalent to lieutenant in the Roman army, and gave the word connotations of ‘choice’ because the Centurion could select his own Optio. Wauquiez may be hoping that owners of the larger Centurion similarly choose the Optio as a fun daysailer or weekend cruiser, and indeed some owners already have, according to director Patrick Bloch. First presented in Cannes in late 2013, the boat is delightfully sleek-looking, with a chine for stiffness, nearly-flush decks and a striking black mast, which can be specced…

GREECE DESTINATION UPDATE LATEST REPORTS COMING in from cruisers in Greece are that it is pretty much business as usual – but that cash is king. Visitors to the country are not limited to the maximum withdrawal of €420 (£292) per week, but there are warnings that ATMs may run out. The Foreign Office is advising British visitors to take enough cash with them to cover the duration of their stay, and not to presume they will be able to exchange sterling for euros in Greece. VAT has risen from 13 to 23 per cent on a range of services including restaurants – putting an extra euro on a €9 (£6) plate of calamari. The credit and debit card system is still running but there are reports that some vendors…

The number of pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean – including attempted hijackings – was zero in the first quarter of this year, according to official statistics. Piracy in the waters off Somalia has been falling since 2012, and this spring hit the lowest level since 2008, when attacks started being recorded, and when piracy took off. But ST has seen reports of yachts crossing the area again – transiting the North Indian Ocean and entering the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden – despite on-going official advice that it is not safe to do so. Attacks reached a peak in 2011, when there were 176 attacks against vessels and 25 hijackings. In January of that year, 736 hostages and 32 ships were being held for ransom by Somali…

The Channel Islands’ most enduring assets lie not in bank deposits but the granite reefs and rocks that emerged on the Continental shelf some 8,000 years ago. Add the ebb and flow of one of Europe’s largest tides and you have a diverse and challenging mix that has drawn yachtsmen and women for generations. Today’s first-time visitors to the islands enjoy advantages unknown to early mariners – GPS navigation, comprehensive and well-maintained marks and a wealth of large-scale charts and guides. With a modicum of experience in tidal waters and a good working knowledge of coastal navigation, venturing off the well-worn tracks to discover the offshore reefs can be a rewarding experience. In these unique areas you can savour the transformation of the landscape over low water at spring tides,…

With few hazards, clear waters, reliable sea breezes and point-and-go sailing, the Ionian islands are a cruiser’s dream. Being so close to the airport, Lefkas is often a jumping-off point for exploring the Ionian, and many charter companies have their bases there. The island is conveniently positioned in the middle of the Ionian chain. To the north are Corfu, Paxos and Anti-Paxos, with secluded bays, beautiful natural harbours and white sandy beaches. On the mainland in this area are pretty waterfront fishing villages including Plataria, Mourtos and Parga. The southern islands include Ithaca and Kefalonia, made famous by the film of Louis de Bernières’ Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. The Kefalonian port of Fiskardo is only about 10nM south of Vasiliki, which is on the southern shore of Lefkas. On Lefkas island…

We were late converts to solar panels on JJ Moon, our Contest 43. The advice we received before setting out from cloudy southwest England 10 years ago was that, although effective in favourable conditions, they were expensive and you didn’t get much ‘bang for your buck’. But three years later, while cruising in the Mediterranean, we decided to have a go at a circumnavigation and from then on, our general approach was to build in redundancy at every turn, particularly with power generation. Harnessing solar energy was constantly under review. After a few years in the sunny, frequently windless tropics we felt the need to reduce engine and generator hours and when in Thailand we installed the panels. We were very pleased with the result. Ours are two 80W panels…

You will hopefully sail without ever running aground, if you use good planning and attention to detail, coupled with a healthy degree of caution. However, if you do accidentally get stuck in the putty, then it is important to be aware of the danger, to consider its seriousness, to act quickly and to have an exit strategy. The seriousness or otherwise of your predicament depends on the wind, tide and seabed conditions at the time, and where you are on the tidal curve (see ‘Tidal-curve timings’). You might have heard of techniques like emptying the water tanks to lighten the boat but time is of the essence if you are going to stand a chance of getting off in a falling tide. Using the engine straight away is your best…

ISLAND PACKET 485 | ANDANTE OF MERSEY Andante of Mersey has been owned by only one person since she was designed by Bob Johnson and built in Florida in 2004. She took part in the World ARC in 2008/9, so she has already proved her seaworthiness for bluewater cruising. What she may lack in style she makes up for in practicality: nearly 52ft long, and able to sleep up to 10 people in three double cabins plus the saloon, a long keel and centre cockpit. She comes equipped with a long inventory and is ready for further bluewater explorations. The owner says: “She was most comfortable, having a stability index of 66, which was one of the reasons why I bought her. “She has a very good cockpit…

I doubt my first sailing experience could have been in a location easier on the eye than the aquamarine waters of the British Virgin Islands, writes Sian Lewis . The all-female crew aboard Hot Stuff set off from Jolly Harbour in Antigua for a rather hardcore 24-hour crossing to the BVIs – the trials of my newbie seasickness were tempered by the delights of spotting dolphins and the incredible views of stars above us at night. Once we rolled into the archipelago it was impossible not to relax as we spent our days hopping lazily from island to island, getting to grips with the basics of sailing and finding our sea legs. The places we explored were like something from a storybook, from the spooky pirate lore…