Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från Sailing Today

For those of us of the monohull persuasion, heeling is a fact of life. Once the wind moves onto, or forward of, the beam, life is lived at an angle. My friends who sail multihulls think we’re all crazy to put up with it, but monohulls do come with certain inbuilt advantages. Although they heel over relatively easily, their stability rises as the angle from the vertical increases. Even lying on their topsides with the mast in the water, most of them are still trying to self-right. The multi, on the other hand, has only two truly stable states. Right way up or upside down. Mercifully, for a well-designed tri or catamaran, you have to work really hard to achieve inverted status, so the problem doesn’t arise except in extreme…

TJV preview On 29 October, 100 double-handed crews will take on the longest transatlantic race – the Transat Jacques Vabre – Normandie Le Harve. Setting sail from its namesake port in northern France, this biennial ‘coffee route’ race has had varied finish points over its 30-year history; for the second consecutive edition it is bound this time for Martinique. The race tests top sailors in four classes including an IMOCA fleet that has doubled in size since the last edition, the ever-popular Class40, plus Ultim and Ocean Fifty trimarans. Course lengths vary for each class – the larger boats racing as much as 6000nm and passing through the doldrums twice – before all re-converge at the finish. Given the time of year, the autumnal might of the north Atlantic presents…

Anyone who’s been fortunate enough to experience the wonders of sailing in Caribbean waters will know/inform you, just how spectacular it really is. Good winds, constant sunshine and crystal clear, warm turquoise water are undoubtedly the Caribbean’s unique selling points but there is far more to it than that. The Caribbean is known for its warm and friendly welcome so, as well the tropical sailing experience that offers a chance to explore remote, white sand-lined beach ‘secret’ anchorages, visitors have a chance to really embrace authentic island life and the traditions that go with it. With such a lot going for it, the Caribbean has therefore, not only become a favourite choice for charter holidays in general over the northern hemisphere winter months, but it has also become a destination…

“What’s that over there?” asked Hilary. I looked over my shoulder. Bright red flames flickered in the night sky, not far from where we were on watch in the cockpit of Margeo IX, our Bavaria 51, chartered out of Athens. It was June 2022 and we were five days into our week of chartering Margeo, of which I was the skipper. The previous day we had arrived in Perdika having sailed from Ermioni. The trip had been mostly carried out under engine, for there had been little wind save for the last few hours before we arrived at the small port on the southwest coast of the island of Aegina, south of Athens. As we left Ermioni the skipper of another yacht remarked that other boats were seeking refuge before…

The pilot chart concept Pilot charts have been the most important passage planning tools since the middle of the nineteenth century. In spite of all the advances in electronics and aids to navigation, any prudent navigator planning a longer voyage should continue to refer to pilot charts as valuable sources of information on weather conditions, tropical storm seasons and critical areas, as well as prevailing winds and currents. Windrose The windrose arrows fly with the wind and the length of each arrow shows the percentage of the total number of observations in which the wind has blown from that cardinal point. The number of feathers shows the force of the wind, which has been recorded most frequently from that sector. The wind force is measured on the Beaufort scale, with…

A mini adventure gets underway A fleet of 90 mini transatlantic racers set off from Les Sables D’Olonne on 25 September bound for the Canary Islands, the first leg of this epic transatlantic race. The solo racers were forced to endure a 24-hour postponement after bad weather was forecast off Finisterre before barrelling out into the Atlantic in these tiny racing machines. The event, founded in 1977 by UK sailor Bob Salmon, is viewed as one of the ultimate tests of seamanship and is rightly seen as the breeding ground for future stars of the sport. It is undertaken with no weather routeing permitted. As usual, the crossing takes place in two stages, starting in Les Sables d’Olonne, stopping over in Santa Cruz de La Palma in the Canary Islands,…

In In between all the other events I’ve attended over the past few months, I didn’t get a chance to update you on the Allianz Sailing World Championships. This is the big event that only happens every four years where all 10 Olympic disciplines contest their Worlds at the same place at the same time. It’s a huge undertaking for any venue, and Scheveningen – the seaside resort near The Hague in The Netherlands – was creaking at the seams when the Olympic bandwagon rolled into town in mid-August. This event was the first opportunity for sailors to qualify their national spot for next summer’s Olympic Regatta in Marseille, so there was a lot of tension in the air along the sandy beach of Scheveningen. Meanwhile not far away further…

Training I’m going to start this article in a slightly obtuse manner by talking about my aunt. You may be astonished to hear that she was married to my uncle, a passionate sailor and – when it came to boating – a total lunatic. My aunt had very little interest in sailing but was repeatedly dragged out on unsuitable days to supply the storm-tossed crew with sandwiches and hot drinks while they sailed through a set of overfalls or negotiated a drying sandbar – usually while repeating the mantra ‘where the hell are we’ (this was in the days before GPS fixes). After several years of this, my aunt got sick of this and decided to take matters into her own hands. She did her Day Skipper exam and was…

I think it’s safe to say that J/Boats has never been afraid to follow its own path when it comes to designing yachts. Its ethos, laid down by company founder and designer Alan Johnstone back in the 1980s was always to produce fast, relatively simple cruiser/racers. There was no particular secret to its success; Johnstone always started with a relatively narrow, easily driven hull and added a moderately deep lead keel, spade rudder and generous sail plan and let the boats do the talking. It’s a simple formula but, by goodness, it works a treat. Along the way, iconic yachts such as the J/35 have developed a fearsome reputation on the racecourse while also being easily adapted as fast cruisers. Which brings me to the new J/45. Its latest boat,…

Now, this is the one thing about Med sailing that can really give UK sailors the heebie-jeebies. Back in the UK, we’re used to horrible tides and hideous weather but Med mooring is something new. Put simply, it involves backing towards the quayside while dropping your anchor, securing the stern to the quay, and then tightening up on the anchor. Simple enough? Yes. But if you screw it up, I guarantee it will be in front of a full taverna of ‘experts’ critiquing your technique. So, what’s the key to making it easy? Well, it’s utterly facile to say, but you need to be prepared. There’s not much to it, but the amount of times I have seen a boat back in while the crew are still wrestling with fenders…

CHERUBINI 44 CUTTER | METEOR Massively easy on the eye, this Cherubini 44 Cutter, Meteor was originally splashed in 1977 but has been totally reworked by her current owner. Every aspect of this yacht, both systems and cosmetics, has been uprated in recent years, no expense spared, and no compromise made. An elegant yet practical bluewater mile-muncher, Meteor is reliable, wickedly quick and reasonably priced. According to the broker she is definitely the prettiest yacht in any anchorage. Year: 1977 LOA: 15.24m (50’) Beam: 3.65m (12’) Draft: 1.58m (5’2”) Displacement: 13,517kg Hull Construction: Glassfibre Engine: 1 x Beta B-60, 60 hp diesel (2013) Designer: John Cherubini Accommodation: 6 berths in 2 cabins & saloon Location: Fairlie, North Ayrshire Contact: berthoninternational.com craftinsure quote : £POA SWEDEN YACHTS 45 | CEILIDH…

Brenta 34 Italian manufacturer Brenta actually launched its B34 back in 2020 but it made its debut at Cannes Boat Show this year and caught the eye thanks to smart styling. This is a fairly lightweight (3,300kg) yacht with a sleek profile which, despite its size, is designed for day sailing and weekending. As such it is fast, sleek and reasonably easy to handle. The interior is stylish and fairly roomy but headroom is a tad limited. ● b-yachts.com Dufour 44 French manufacturer Dufour has really pumped up the volume with its latest generation of yachts. The new Umberto Felci designed 44 follows on from the 37 and 41 which have already drawn plaudits thanks to their remarkable ability to create internal volume without looking overly dumpy. The 44 continues…

We are at anchor in Fiji’s pristine waters and tropical heat with kiteboarders and wing-foilers dashing by, but we’ve put our own gear away. Instead, we sit behind our laptops, sipping our coffees while analysing the weather and making departure plans. It has been gusting relentlessly over 30kts for weeks. We are itching to leave but we know it is wiser to wait. We have just two more passages until we complete our transit across the Pacific and arrive in Australia via Vanuatu. As we prepare ourselves for the miles ahead, I think back to the first time we crossed an ocean. What an adventure that was. Out there on the Atlantic, surfing its swell, being pushed along by the wind, and catching fish. The replenishing sight of the sun…

The North Sea made me feel like a small boat far out to sea with a broken rudder and three reefs in the main. I didn’t know where I was going and I wasn’t getting there fast. The wind and tide were buffeting my hull, while my compass spun randomly around, and around, unable to settle. The best I can do is drop my drogue, heave-to and work the problem. I always say, ‘When you don’t know what to do, start what you know.’ So here I am, doing what I know. I’m writing about how the North Sea showed me the reality of my situation. How it broke the sailor within me. When I boarded the plane to Inverness 16 days ago, I had a plan. I thought my…

North Sea Big Trade breezes, warm turquoise waters and a vibrant après-sail scene – the Caribbean race season offers something to tempt racers of every level. Spanning January to April, the season here is the perfect antidote to the UK’s most wintry of months. And it’s eminently doable: whether you have your own boat or fancy a charter, whether it’s your first visit or you’re a seasoned pro, whether it’s serious competition or laid-back vibes you’re after, the Caribbean sailing scene promises visitors a warm welcome, whichever regatta takes your fancy… First up – getting there. If you plan to race your boat, why not start as you mean to go on? Sure, you could cruise your way there, or perhaps charter or ship your boat and fly, but if…

In 1980 I set off early in the season to research the harbours and anchorages in Greece for a guidebook on sailing around Greek waters. It was early in the season to be setting off when depressions still rumbled on through Greece and the likelihood of bad weather is high. Still I’d prepped the boat in Levkas and was eager to be off researching the book. The idea was to do an eccentric circuit around Greece and then cut through the middle in a couple of zig-zag voyages to pick up the bits in the middle. I had no idea what I was in for. And I was alone in this endeavour with what turned out to be a faulty autopilot so I had to hand-steer most of the time.…

Choosing a favourite anchorage in Greece is a bit like going to the old pick-and-mix stand and getting lost amongst the variety of sugary sweets to choose from. So, 10 favourites could easily become 20 or 30. Anchorages can have a special resonance for all sorts of reasons: from their beauty, to their solitude, to safety and all-round shelter, to old nostalgic associations and more. For this limited choice you have every reason to disagree and wonder why on earth I left out your favourite anchorage in Greece. Because it’s just 10 of them. Greece has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean and moreover the coastline was drawn by some god, or maybe Slartibartfast from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, with a shaky hand so that it has lots…