Innehållsförteckning för February 2019 från Sailing Today

Fischer barograph Ease the pressure with this special barograph If you’re one of those sailors who struggles to fill the hours between October and April, why not consider installing a scientific grade barograph on the windowsill of the study? Whole hours may be usefully whiled-away gazing at the ‘needle’ scratching its spidery trace across paper, and the thrill of witnessing the onset of that first high pressure of the sailing season will be indescribable. This fine instrument is produced by Fischer of Germany, and is engineered to perform accurately on board ship. Polished brass and mahogany ensures it will look the part in your study – or your superyacht’s stateroom. • Fischer-barometer.de • €2,484 The Harpy Houseboat Floating home drenched in history We’re not sure if anything that floats can…

“Every sailing holiday starts with a curry.” My golden rule of sailing is not in any RYA training manual, charter boat brochure, or pilot guide. But when it comes to taking friends sailing, it serves me well. If truth be told, a Chinese or pizza will work just as well, but getting together for a night out to talk boats is important if you have previously spent no time onboard together. It is a time for a skipper to get to know his crew, learn what experience they have and understand what they are seeking to get from the charter. So over bhajis, bhunas and biryanis, we began planning a week’s charter sailing in Greece that was still over 12 months away. My wife Clare and I would be taking…

OYSTER 565 The last model launched by Oyster before its restructuring and the successor to the Oyster 56. This Rob Humphreys design is the baby of the range and she features the option of a fixed keel or a stub keel with a centreboard. oysteryachts.com CONTEST 57CS Dutch boatbuilder Contest has a burgeoning reputation for high quality yachts. The 57 has been around for almost a decade now but remains a stylish yacht that features a similar blend of quality, blue water potential and speed to the 54. contestyachts.com SOUTHERLY 540 Perhaps the most obvious alternative to the Discovery 54 is the Southerly – given that they have the same lines. The big difference of course is that the Southerly features a swing keel which gives this boat the potential…

One of the most frequently asked questions at my lectures and seminars is when is the best time to leave on a world voyage. To anyone looking over 50, my answer is: as soon as you can, while to younger ones is not to leave it too late. However, I always make the point that I am hardly the right person to answer that question having left my job at the BBC World Service in 1975 aged 35 to set off on a six-year voyage with my wife Gwenda and our two young children. Our voyage was a great success; we covered some 68,000 miles, visited over 60 countries, and would have continued if the children hadn’t reached the age where they needed to complete their education ashore. Shortly after…

“I brought Gianna to Royal Quays Marina after buying her in Holland in 2015, since when I have cruised her extensively on the local North East coast, as well as further afield to Scandinavia, the west coast of Scotland, and the South Coast and Channel Islands. Wherever our cruises take us, I realise that few marinas compare with my home berth at Royal Quays Marina. The new showers and toilet facilities are the best I have come across, the marina is always tidy and well maintained, and the staff are friendly and helpful. Plus there is a great new cafe.”…

As well as an ideal location from which to start a North Sea passage to places like Den Helder and Ijmuiden – the two main entry points for boats crossing to Holland – Royal Quays Marina is in the perfect position for cruising sailors wishing to discover the beauty of North East Heritage Coast. This largely unspoilt coastline stretching from just north of the River Tyne to the Scottish border is an ideal area for exploring. Visit some of the pretty ports and anchorages such as Blyth, Amble, Berwick upon Tweed, or south to Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby. Discover the rich history that makes Northumberland’s beauty spots such as Farne Island, Holy Island and Seahouses so famous. Or for a longer passage, sail further up Scotland’s East coast to Eyemouth…

Sailing to farther-flung, and lesser-known locations has become an obsession of mine. But alas, these pristine bays are becoming ever harder to find. Often the reality is arriving at what the almanac describes as a peaceful anchorage on a Caribbean island, only to find it chockablock with yachties roasting a cow on the aft deck. I stumbled upon Sri Lanka while looking for a 10-day cruising holiday that was within my time frame and budget. It was perfect. Sri Lanka is an island nation, positioned just above the equator. Tropical monsoon winds guarantee sunshine to all corners of the country throughout the year. With 1,340km of coastline, it seemed perfect for sailing. So why has this paradise not been invaded by flotillas? Somewhat perversely, we have Sri Lanka’s recent and…

Technology group Wärtsilä surprised a tech convention in Helsinki with its ‘lifeboat for buildings’ concept, designed to be used for severe flooding and rising sea levels caused by climate change. It’s not a real product, of course, though Wärtsilä Ship Design says it does feature existing smart technologies such as autodocking, dynamic positioning and wireless charging. The autonomous lifeboat concept is (theoretically) powered by 100% renewables, with synthetic fuels and solar energy. “This hypothetical lifeboat is a way for Wärtsilä to amplify the need to move climate change discourse to action,” says the company.…

For the very first time this year Sailing Today has partnered with our sister magazine, Yachts & Yachting to bring you the British Yachting Awards, truly a celebration of every aspect of the sailing world – from Caribbean cruising to high tech racing. This genuinely was a people’s vote and clearly the talent on offer inspired you, the sailing public, with thousands of you voting for your favourites in a diverse range of categories, from Cruising Grounds to Racing Performance. The votes in many cases were extremely tight, reflecting the strength of the sport and also its increasing diversity. With the winners picked by you, the boating public, the nominees decamped to the lavish environs of the Royal Thames Yacht Club on December 11 to find out the result. The…

I an Dighé is sitting in the cockpit of an Arcona 380 looking very at home. Proprietorial, one might even say. We’re bobbing amongst a forest of masts in the marina at the Southampton Boat Show, where he has been enthusiastically launching the Swedish yard’s newest addition: the 435. That he is new to the game of selling boats, you’d never guess. He talks enthusiastically about the new boat’s wider stern, creating a bigger aft cabin with more headroom than the old 430. “It hasn’t compromised her sailing abilities,” he tells the assembled members of the fourth estate as we scribble furious notes. “She just wants to go fast.” Ian has been at the helm of Arcona’s crucial UK operation for less than a year, acquiring it from the widely…

Back in 1492 Christopher Columbus headed off from Las Palmas and sailed across the Atlantic for the first time. It’s lauded as a mighty achievement. True, once he got across, he thought he had found Japan – that takes the sheen off things a bit – but nevertheless, top marks for effort. Mostly though, what a lucky swine. He lived in a time when the world was a mystery. One quick leap of faith, a gentle trundle across the Atlantic with the trade winds and, bingo – you’re a bloody celebrity. No Instagram, no hordes of followers on Twitter all he had to do was set off across an unknown ocean which many believed ended in a giant waterfall. These days you have to try a whole lot harder. Which…

Flushed with colour Having not undergone much in the way of a redesign since late Victorian times, the vendors of the classic Blakes sea toilet are hoping to make a splash with news of new colour options. The toilets, which were first designed in the late Victorian era for classic racing yachts, have featured various colours in their long and well-respected past although most were made in white. But now Blakes’ bowls can be made in any single colour imaginable. “Traditionally porcelain was not white,” says Graham Brown, managing director. “Pastels were the fashion for a long time during the 1960/70s and then white became the high-end look. That’s changing again. Colour is coming back into designer bathrooms onshore, and we’re bringing it back to Blakes. We’re delighted with the…

ARCONA 460 | AQUAVIT The Arcona 460 is a relatively light performance cruiser designed to be sailed comfortably by a couple or a family. Aquavit has been used as a family cruiser since her launch, and has been well maintained and upgraded over the years. The teak decks are in an excellent condition, while the gelcoat areas of deck and hull were professionally overhauled in 2016. She has a four cabin layout with a long linear galley on the starboard side and two heads. With a classic mid-blue interior and curved settee, she is stylish as well as comfortable below decks. Aquavit’s X-drive Carbon sails were new last year, while the main has a furling boom system and there’s a self-tacking track. She is equipped with an asymmetric spinnaker, a…

DÜSSELDORF BOAT SHOW 19–27 JANUARY, DÜSSELDORF Boot Düsseldorf – as those in the know like to call it – is an extravaganza for sailors, with dozens of new boats to ogle, and all the world’s major boatbuilders and kit manufacturers in attendance. We’re going too – so see you there! boat-duesseldorf.com 50 YEARS OF CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG UNTIL 3 NOVEMBER, BEAULIEU With a boat-tailed body and amphibious credentials, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang celebrates 50 years at the Beaulieu Motor Museum with a collection of never-before-seen memorabilia. Beaulieu.co.uk FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS TOUR 16 FEBRUARY TO 31 MARCH, UK Have a salt-water gargle, stick a finger in your ear and join Port Isaac sea shanty legends Fisherman’s Friends on their latest tour of the nation. thefishermansfriends.com BASIC ROPE WORK COURSE 9, 16,…

Long ago in a world where folks were more inclined to take the rough with the smooth I had a chum universally known as Typhoon Charlie. Charlie was something of a reprobate, sailing the seas in a 60-foot ketch coincidentally named Typhoon. The yacht had been paid for by his wife, a businesswoman from southern Europe who wished him no ill but for reasons of her own didn’t want him around any more. Like the rest our little group of sailors, Charlie was permanently short of cash and always kept a weather eye open for casual charterers. He was in a bar in Bequia when he ran across a bunch of loud young men behaving obnoxiously towards the locals. One of them had seen him come ashore and asked him…

The RYA Coastal Skipper qualification is the next step up from Day Skipper and while the Day Skipper is designed to show that you are able to take charge of a small cruising yacht by day in familiar waters, the Coastal Skipper extends these boundaries to longer passages and night time sailing. The particular course described in this article is probably more adventurous than most, and so it should not be taken as ‘typical’. An instructor will always take many factors into account when planning a course and these will include the experience of the crew, the boat, the weather and viable cruising destinations. I hope the following will give anyone considering doing a Coastal Skipper course a good idea of what to expect and the reasons for doing it…

The well-known cruising ground of the Southern Ionian is becoming more and more popular year-on-year – perhaps to the liveaboard community’s dismay but certainly to the taverna owners’ delight. If you’ve sailed the Ionian or visited the likes of Lefkada, Ithaca or Kefalonia you will know that it really is a sailor’s paradise. And the reason it’s so popular? The ease of hopping between islands with line of sight navigation, predictable weather patterns making afternoon sailing exciting and discovering a new swimming spot around every corner to bathe in warm turquoise waters – to name a few! The summer months of July and August bring in many a charter yacht so apart from avoiding the unmarked shoal between Scorpios and Meganisi, we also like to avoid the crowds. Harbours fill…

Last year Discovery Yachts took the bold move of acquiring Southerly Yachts which for many complex reasons had gone out of business a couple of years before. This financial catastrophe certainly had little to do with the quality of their yachts which were, by and large, excellent swing keel cruising yachts that were just as at home crossing oceans as creek crawling. The reason I am opening this boat test in this rather oblique manner is that one of the big spin offs for Discovery Yachts was that they could bolster their own range of excellent blue water cruisers with some of the Southerly designs. They did this by retaining Southerly branding for the swing keel models but also offering a fixed keel option that could then be branded as…

Swedish yacht designer Stefan Qviberg, best known for his collaboration with Arcona Yachts, has died aged 69 after a long struggle with illness. His work with the brand’s founder, Torgny Jansson, helped position Arcona among Europe’s serious sailors as one of the world’s best-respected builders of cruiser-racers. The yachts he drew attracted attention as much for their sleek lines and Scandinavian pedigree as they did for their strong race performances. Jansson paid tribute to a man he considered a close personal friend after 36 years of work together. “Stefan’s passion for sailing and yacht construction have greatly contributed to the success of Arcona yachts and the company’s strength in the performance sector.” He went on to describe the “absolute privilege of having his talents only to the service of Arcona,”…

When you sail into River Tyne after a tough day on the North Sea you can be sure of a warm welcome as you make your way two nautical miles up river to Royal Quays Marina. Snuggled away in a sheltered location on the north side of the Tyne, and built around Newcastle’s historic Albert Edward Dock, Royal Quays Marina offers the cruising sailor the perfect base from which to explore the north-east coast of the UK. With its all-tide access, it is operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week by a friendly and knowledgeable team headed by Matthew Simms the Marina Manager, and has top class facilities including new luxury washrooms, all maintained to a high standard throughout the year. The marina is also part of an…

To ensure the safest possible entry and exit into the River Tyne, skippers of all vessels under 20m LOA which are carrying a VHF radio are requested to report in to Tyne VTS on VHF channel 12. When approaching the pier-heads use ‘Tyne VTS, this is vessel ‘your boat’s name’ piers to Royal Quays, over’. The same applies when leaving: ‘Tyne VTS this is yacht ‘your boat’s name’, Royal Quays to sea, over.’ Access to the marina basin is via double-sector lock gates, so it pays to take a look at the marina website for simple entry/exit instructions. Shipping movements in the area, particularly the cruise ships which frequent the Port of Tyne cruise berths adjacent to the marina, may dictate your approach/exit but connecting with the Tyne VTS will…

The advent of AIS looked likely to make radar largely irrelevant to sailors, but a flurry of technical innovation has kept it on many wish-lists. And no wonder: radar fills the main gaps left by AIS, notably providing visibility of smaller boats that don’t carry transponders. It can also pick up coastline, floating objects as small as a Portuguese pot buoy and even rain. Though installing radar is not cheap, the price has fallen in recent years as the technology develops, and there is now a strong offer for the sub-60ft sailing market. You can add this capability to your boat for around £1500, plus or minus a bit on installation costs. Gone are the days when you had to buy a dedicated radar display, but you will still need…