Innehållsförteckning för February 2018 från Sailing Today

Bags of bravura Leave the sailing kit to the sea Handmade in Italy from bespoke lacquered cotton, this durable holdall will hold everything you need for your travels. The material is waterproof, so as well as looking super smart, it’s super practical too. It comes with a removable shoulder strap, leather top handles, and the handy front pocket allows for quick access to passport, travel documents etc. There’s also an external padded pocket for your laptop or tablet, with extra pockets inside to satisfy even the most organised of explorers. Finished with silver hardware, this is one very sophisticated sailing kit bag. • £1,595 • smythson.com Decked out Fix up look sharp Sometimes it’s all about achieving the perfect look for the occasion, and Billy Ruffian’s Leander Boat Shoe will…

‘When an unexpected failure comes crashing along in mid-ocean - as keeps on happening in the real world’ When I first shipped out for the West Indies, the ARC hadn’t been thought of. Sailors chose their own time to leave, nobody inspected their yachts and the odds on any sort of certificate of competence were long. We read the pilot books, gleaned further information from classic cruising accounts, then stocked up and stood out boldly for the horizon. A number of items considered critical on today’s boats didn’t feature on the average inventory a generation back. For most people, refrigeration still lay in the future and navigation by the sun and the stars was universal. What you’ve never had, you don’t miss, however, so cruising around only dimly aware of…

‘I realised that the concept of getting into such a situation was not so far flung’ I have to say, from the point of view of logistics: Never again.” Film producer Pete Czernin reflects on putting together The Mercy, his star studded film about the doomed singlehander Donald Crowhurst. As producer, Czernin is the man who is responsible for seeing the film through from the original idea to ultimate fruition. He’s clearly someone who isn’t afraid to take on a big project and he has enjoyed major success in the past with films such as In Bruges and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Yet there must have been times when he questioned his own judgment in picking a story which revolves around an Englishman who is slowly losing his grip…

You could say that Fairview Sailing was founded by accident rather than by design. It all started back in 1987 when founder, Gordon Hobson, moved down to Southampton for work. He wasn’t a sailor and knew little of the sport which so embodied his new hometown. However his brother, Bryan, was a sailor and took every opportunity to travel down from his home in Sheffield to sail on the Solent. The racy conditions of the famous waters were an irresistible draw for Bryan, and before long, he had the idea to fulfil a lifelong ambition and buy a yacht. The initial plan was that the yacht would be berthed in Southampton where Gordon could take care of her while Bryan was up north. Bryan would then sail her whenever he…

OLD HARRY ROCKS These famous cliffs will be your first landmark when approaching the harbour from the south PARKSTONE The local town has a small selection of shops, restaurants and cafés ENTRANCE The marina entrance is maintained to a depth of 2.5m BROWNSEA ISLAND Perfect for daysails, Brownsea Island offers plenty to see and do Salterns Marina lies within the natural protection of Poole Harbour on the Dorset coast. This beautiful and very busy harbour is thriving thanks to its south coast location, making it ideal for west and east coast cruising, visits to the Isle of Wight, and cross-Channel adventures. The historic port town of Poole, on the harbour shores, has a host of exciting activities and tasty seafood restaurants to delight in. Starting with food, often at the…

A forced hot air heating system not only keeps the boat warm and toasty, but it also reduces condensation, which is the most common cause of mould in a boat. Marine boilers can be fuelled by diesel or butane/propane gas (LPG), but diesel is the most common in marine applications, especially if the main engine runs on diesel. PLANNING THE INSTALLATION Although marine diesel heating systems can be DIY installed, most would choose to use a reputable installer as it can be quite a complex task requiring mechanical and electrical engineering skills and a fair bit of knowledge on how best to mount the boiler and run the ducting, exhaust and fuel pipework. Installing it yourself may also invalidate the warranty on some units. Whether you choose to install it…

Simon Speirs, 60, from Bristol, was taking part in the South Africa to Australia leg of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, on board GREAT Britain, when he was swept overboard. Organisers said the retired solicitor was clipped on and wearing a life jacket when he was washed over the side in gale force winds. Mr Speirs’ death follows that of Andrew Ashman, 49, during the first leg of the 2015/16 Race, after he was knocked unconscious during two uncontrolled gybes on 4 September 2015, and the death of Sarah Young, 40, in the same race, after she was washed overboard on 1 April 2016, during the China to Seattle leg. As the third fatality in as many years, questions are being asked as to whether a race, involving…

ATLANTIC ODYSSEY MAKES LANDFALL The 36 sailing yachts, which make up the Atlantic Odyssey, have made landfall in beautiful balmy Barbados. The arrival follows an epic 2,700 mile passage, across the unforgiving waters of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands. Sea Dragon won the day as the first yacht to arrive into port. She set sail from Tenerife on 18 November and, in spite of several days of light winds, completed the passage in just 17 days. The first children to arrive into the Caribbean were Nathan, Bradley and Luke Tucker on board their yacht, Rogue. They'd spent some of the time during the crossing messaging children at a number of schools in Barbados and will now meet up with their new friends. The happy sailors will now spend…

Comfortina46 £poa German manufacturer Comfortina, has carved out a niche in producing quality performance cruisers. In recent years their smart range had begun to look a little dated, but that is not a charge that can be levelled at their new 46. This thoroughly modern design also boasts a certain timeless elegance. She features well-proportioned, conservative lines that make for an easily driven hull and hint at speed and also comfort in heavy conditions. Down below she lives up to her name, boasting a certain air of cosiness that many other cruisers in this bracket lack. Comfortina.de HH 48 £tbc Unlike many manufacturers, HH Catamarans seem to have started big and are now moving to smaller yachts. Their latest model, the HH 48, is a fast bluewater cruiser, designed by…

There I was, thinking I’d just about got every electronic make-life-easier gizmo on the boat, and then a crewmember turns and utters those fatal words, ‘you really do need one of these’. I couldn’t possibly want anything else, I said. My mate was holding in his hands something that looked like the apparatus Word War II Spitfire pilots used to wear round their heads. Brown and bulky, with a long snaking lead, he announced that they were ‘noise-cancelling headphones’ and that every boat needed a pair. Not familiar with them, I suggested that headphones were about making noise, not cancelling it. He patiently explained, as if to his great grandfather, that what this hefty and expensive pair of ear-muffs did was to cancel out all the extraneous and distracting noises…

“We wanted to keep the project as authentic as possible,” Czernin reflects, “and we were very fortunate to enlist the services of Jim Dines of TS Rigging and Heritage Marine.” Dines was first contacted back in 2015 about sourcing a trimaran to replicate the Teignmouth Electron. After some research it was found that a few were in existence globally and although the hulls are the same, they are all different on deck when it comes to accommodation, rig and layout. The Teignmouth Electron was specially built with a modified deck house and structure to optimise it for a singlehander with very low cabin top and watertight stowage in the hulls separate from the main hull and much more watertight subdivision than a standard boat The yacht itself is still in…

Right, a quick quiz before we get down to business here. What was Hanse’s biggest-selling yacht in the UK in 2016? I was going to put the answer at the bottom of the article but rather than keep you in suspense, I’ll just tell you straight off that it was the Hanse 588. Yup, that’s right, a 58ft yacht. Not its small and eminently affordable 315 I hear you cry? Nope. In addition, I recently attended the start of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers and the most popular yacht on the startline was the Hanse 575. Bigger appears to be better these days and I would argue that few manufacturers have grasped this concept better than Hanse Yachts. I mean, even its small yachts are big and they are priced…

In my father’s distant memory lay Hiscocks and company, the pioneering sailors who, during his childhood, had planted the seed of a life on the sea. St Helena always seemed to receive special recognition in these epistles, as it was an important stop in the long haul from South Africa to the Caribbean, Bermuda, or the Azores. He’s long had it on his list of destinations for his own vessel and, as a result, the island was firmly on our itinerary when we sailed from Namibia. On moving up the Skeleton Coast, we went as far north as Walvis Bay, partly because it created a favourable heading to St Helena in the South Atlantic trade winds. The angle allows a fast reach with a two- or even three-sail rig, for…

Salterns Marina is located within Poole Harbour, on the south coast. Approaching the harbour from the south or west, identify Handfast Point and its attached Old Harry Rocks. Keep a good distance away as the tide here can be strong and can kick up a chop in wind over tide conditions. If approaching from the east, the urban sprawl of Bournemouth is conspicuous and Old Harry and Anvil Point beyond will again be your marker. As you get closer still, you’ll see Swash Channel clearly marked with buoys. The Swash Channel will keep you in deep water and lead you into Poole Harbour. The channel is accessible all times of day. There’s a small boat channel to the western side of Swash Channel. This is the recommended entrance for small…

Good winching techniques are essential on any boat – and especially so on bigger boats where the loads are greater – not least to ensure safety and to avoid personal injury, but also to make life easier for the crew and avoid inconvenient issues such as riding turns. This article will mostly look at headsail winches, which can be among the most heavily loaded, and can involve pulling and winding long lengths of rope. Firstly, make sure you lay the rope around a winch in the right direction – as basic as that may sound, people do get it wrong. In the vast majority of cases this will be clockwise, but you might come across custom-built handed winches, which might be clockwise on one side of the boat and anticlockwise…

RUSTLER 36 | ELEANOR MARY Eleanor Mary, previously Saoirse of Cork II, is a very special Rustler 36. She’s a traditional and very elegant long distance cruiser built to an incredibly high standard. She was built in 1997 for a couple to sail round the world on. They spent five years fitting her out with bespoke internal joinery completed by MB Yachts. She has a non-standard layout with a storage locker aft of the chart table and, instead of a conventional tiller, she has a custom made wheel. Her current owner took ownership in 2008 and has spent the last nine years cruising around the coast of northern France and England. She was sought after a decade of North Atlantic sailing in a large gaff cutter. ‘I was hugely impressed.…

ONLY IN ENGLAND FEBRUARY 1-28 - GREAT YARMOUTH The ‘Only in England at Time and Tide’ touring exhibition of photographs by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr, displays the eccentricities of English social customs over the past fifty years, and depicts fast disappearing ways of life. visitnorfolk.co.uk SMUGGLERS, SHERLOCK & LEGLESS RAMBLER 1-28 FEBRUARY - EASTBOURNE Discover the hidden secrets of East Dean, the final home of Sherlock Holmes, a haven for smugglers, and popular for its famous Legless Rambler real ale, sampled in the fifteenth century smugglers pub, The Tiger Inn. visiteastbourne.com THAMES ROCKETS 1-28 FEBRUARY - LONDON Experience a change of pace on the water with the Thames Rockets. Departing from St Katharine’s Pier, you’ll speed along to an especially created soundtrack, immersing you in the history of seafaring…

I realise I’m some 500 years late to put it to the man direct, but I’ve always had my doubts about Christopher Columbus. Granted, heading out into an unknown ocean was a bold move - I don’t deny that, but what has always got me is that he was actually searching for Japan and China and, on arrival in the Caribbean, he managed to convince himself that he’s found a corner of the far east with a slightly less oriental feel to it. He even noted in his log a mild disappointment that the Arawaks he encountered seemed to have a totally inadequate grasp of preparing sushi - evidently he’d been promising himself a seafood treat as he made the long arduous journey across. Despite this, he is frequently lauded…

‘We are not just sailors but mechanics, engineers, plumbers and electricians’ It seems that the kindness of cruising strangers is the glue that holds the sailing population together. It’s funny when you think of how the stereotypical image of a sailor is a rather solitary figure. In order to separate the flesh of a fresh conch from its bone it is important to make a hole in its shell one ring in from the outside at an angle the same as 2 o’clock on a clock’s face – Valois taught us that. Similarly, when laying a second anchor in a storm, you can attach the chain to your bow cleat and set the anchor by going in a dinghy away from your boat – Asmat told us that. Or, when…

The coastline of northern Cornwall has the reputation of being inhospitable to mariners. Stretching from Land’s End in the south to a few miles short of Hartland Point, its rugged shore earned the historical nickname: ‘The Wrecker’s Coast’. For centuries, its local population gained a reputation for smuggling and luring ships onto the rocks for plundering by means of false lights. While this coastline is certainly strewn with rocks and reefs, it has no need of such malign human assistance; in adverse conditions the coast’s natural dangers bare their teeth as fierce storms and onshore gales create a lee shore with no secure havens. Passing craft pray against gear failure while battling to gain the shelter of all-weather harbours such as Falmouth, Milford Haven and Ilfracombe. Yachtsmen Such doom-mongering tends…

JEANNEAU 54 £314,000 New in 2016, this Philippe Briand designed cruiser offers similarly good value. The 54 is part of a revamp for the line that began with the much lauded 64 and she boasts many of the same clever features, including a certain intangible superyacht styling. jeanneau.com BENETEAU OCEANIS 55 £321,000 Designed by Berret/Racoupeau, the 55 is another natural competitor for the 548 and is another design that is well up to date and carefully thought out. Distinguishing features include the arch above the cockpit which incorporates the mainsheet. beneteau.com DUFOUR 520GL £302,000 Another comfortable cruiser from another French giant of the industry. In common with most Dufours, the 520GL is a bit sportier than her French sisters, yet she remains a cruising yacht through and through. dufour-yachts.com…

‘In production since 2011, the Sirius 35 still seems far ahead of her time in so many different ways’ It’s a hideous cliché to say that the German nation as a whole has gained a reputation for being both thorough and efficient when it comes to working methods. I imagine it must get pretty tedious for Germans themselves, but if they want to put a stop to such shocking stereotyping, they should think about not producing yachts like the Sirius 35DS. This is a yacht so meticulously thought out and relentlessly clever in its use of space that a tour of the yacht will have you repeatedly cooing with pleasure and surprise as the next innovation or clever touch is revealed. What makes this even more surprising is that the…

Salterns’ location at the centre of the south coast, mean it’s overflowing with cruising options for day sails, weekend adventures, or further afield. There is of course the temptation of the buzzing east coast, with Lymington, Brighton, Cowes and beyond on your doorstep. However we’d recommend you take advantage of Salterns’ location and head for the wild west. With the draw of the dramatic Jurassic Coast, and lesser-sailed waters, it’s an exciting prospect. Weymouth and Portland is a short sail along the west coast and could be reached by lunchtime, perfect timing to tuck into the famous fish and chips or tasty Bakewell tarts at The Nothe Tavern, located right by the harbour. There are plenty of places to moor here, including Portland Marina & Boatyard, and Weymouth Marina. And…

Chelsea Magazines, publisher of Sailing Today, Classic Boat, and Yachts & Yachting, has teamed up with Dream Yacht Charter for this fantastic competition to give away a once in a lifetime luxury charter holiday in 2018. The lucky winner will get to choose their dream holiday from an incredible list of 47 destinations across the world, and choose when to go. The winner will sail aboard a three-cabin monohull, offering accommodation for up to six people, so family and friends are welcome to join in the fun in paradise. Dream Yachts Charter’s T&Cs below; for full T&Cs, please check online Terms and conditions: An incredible one-week Dream Yacht monohull in one of 47 amazing Dream Yacht Charter locations. You choose where you go. Your trip will take place on mutually…