Innehållsförteckning för May 2024 från Sailing Today

With a multitude of coral reef atolls encompassing aquamarine water, secluded anchorages and miles of low lying coconut palm trees, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d arrived in a tropical paradise when sailing in the Tuamotus in the heart of French Polynesia. Save for one thing. When it comes to exploring the South Pacific, the Tuamotus has a reputation among sailors that has long since earned them the nickname of the “Dangerous Archipelago”, due to the shallow, sharp reefs that surround the atolls. Lying 930 miles north-northeast of Tahiti, the Tuamotus form the largest group of coral atolls in the world, covering a total area of 772,204 square miles, but with a land mass of just 328 miles. Barely rising above sea level, all but one of the 76…

“This was the first time France has ever won gold in this hotly contested fleet” Sometimes all the stars align and a team is able to bring a really special performance together in really challenging circumstances. Erwan Fischer and Clement Pequin brought their A+ game to the 49er World Championship in Lanzarote in early March. In more than a quarter of a century of Olympic skiff world championships, this was the first time France has ever won gold in this hotly contested fleet. Victory couldn’t have come at a better time for the French to be getting their act together, just four months before the Paris 2024 Games and the Olympic Regatta due to be contested in Marseille. The French trials have yet to be decided, although it’s hard to…

Cruising – Peloponnese I often ask myself why sailing long distances is so enjoyable, usually when alone on my watch late at night. I think I ask it repeatedly because the answer is always different, like the journey itself. On stormy nights, when tired and stressed, my answers are vulgar. On calm, beautiful starlit evenings, the peace and joy of the journey itself is the answer. The good times always outweigh the bad though. The slow speed of travel measured out in pencil on the chart calms me; there is nothing to do and no responsibility apart from continuing steadily to your destination. The journey begins So it was with great anticipation that I stepped aboard the shiny new Bavaria 46 ready to depart on a journey to circumnavigate the…

Dinghy Show With the buzz of the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show still in the air we’ve rounded up some highlights from this jam-packed marine event. This year, the Farnborough Exhibition Centre had even more in store, housing over 170 exhibitors,with talks from experts including members of the British Sailing Team, GB ParaSailors and watersports champions. The weekend was kicked off by show hosts Eilidh McIntyre, Lee Timothy, Peter Hart and James Hardy, from which point it became a sea of excitement and a festival of marine adventure experts and enthusiasts. Highlights from the expert talks We were treated to a masterclass on forecasting by the British Sailing Team’s Meteorologist, Simon Rowell. His weather forecasting tips pulled in a varied crowd, from kids to professionals, as he led us through…

SWEDEN YACHTS 42 | FREYA From 2004, Sweden Yachts 42, Freya is a superb example of these much-coveted performance cruising yachts. Her current owner has fitted a new Selden mast for in-mast reefing, accompanied with a brand-new mainsail by Sanders Sails. Below decks, her accommodation does not disappoint, sporting a recent upholstery upgrade and top-quality new mattresses. With her extensive updates and impeccable maintenance, Freya exudes both elegance and performance. She is in lovely overall condition throughout and is ready for new sailing adventures. Year: 2004 LOA: 13.25m (43’6”) Beam: 3.90m (12’10”) Draft: 1.80m (5’9”) Displacement: 10,000kg Hull Construction: Glassfibre Keel: Fin Engine: 1 x Volvo D2-55 55hp Designer: Peter Norlin/Jens Ostmann Accommodation: 6 berths in 3 cabins Location: Lymington, Hampshire Contact: berthoninternational.com craftinsure quote: £961 SOUTHERLY 110 | DUE…

Five skippers complete the ultimate challenge It was a race like no other; six Ultim Class trimarans racing solo, non stop around the world in the ultimate high speed battle across a 22,000nm racecourse starting and finishing in Brest and taking on the mighty Southern Ocean. In the end, the finish was somewhat anticlimactic with winner Charles Caudrelier in Maxi Edmond de Rothschild building up such an extraordinary lead over his rivals that he was able to take a two day break in Horta on the way back up the Atlantic in order to sit out a weather window – and still win with two days to spare. Nevertheless, the race has still presented an extraordinary spectacle and is a true testament to the endurance of the sailors who competed…

Cruising – Channel Islands This article is aimed at the many experienced south coast sailors, who have always wanted to go to the Channel Islands, but for one reason or another have never actually made it. It is also for those who have made the trip, perhaps many times, but who have always taken the easier options of hopping between the marinas at Cherbourg and St Peter Port. Fortune favours the brave, and the efforts in getting there will be more than justified by the fantastic scenery and the whole-new-world that can be found there. For one thing there is something immensely satisfying about sailing around an island – and there are lots of those to choose from. This article plans an adventurous holiday lasting between seven and nine days,…

Cruising – Croatia Given the growth in the sailing holiday charter market in Croatia in recent years, you’ll find most charter companies operate from this destination, including Sailing Holidays with no less than nine charter bases spread throughout Croatia, The Globe Sailor, Nautilus, Activity Yachting, Seafarer, Dream Yacht Worldwide, Plain Sailing, The Moorings, Silver Sail, and Sunsail. With a flight time of approximately two and a half hours, and four main airports – Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, and Zadar – logistically travelling there is relatively straightforward. To make it even easier, you’ll also find that some companies have direct flights to places like Pula in the north which are more closely located to their sailing bases. Having minimal transfer times is a particularly good feature if you are travelling to Croatia…

Athena Pathway How often do you hear about initiatives promising to skyrocket hidden talent to the glitzy world of sailing or any other sport for that matter? Generally, a lot of PR fluff that is not really aimed at the likes of grass root/club members but more likely for those who have been nurtured from a young age through Olympic or training programmes, or have been fortunate enough to be talent spotted during their early racing career. As with all top-end sports, it’s a tough, competitive environment and, with limited opportunities to demonstrate talent, only a select few make the top grade. Thankfully now however, with the likes of the Athena Pathway, which is spearheaded by two-time Olympic gold medallist Hannah Mills OBE and with support from Sir Ben Ainslie,…

Poole Harbour, Dorset claims to be Europe’s largest natural harbour and is one of the most delightful, unspoilt havens in the country. As well as being home to an historic quayside, some of the most beautiful, clean beaches, and anchorages on the south coast, the harbour is also made up of many different habitats with mudflats and salt marshes, which makes it important ecologically for the birds and wildlife that live there. Poole is also unquestionably one of the most popular cruising destinations on the south coast, or start points for venturing further afield with places like Studland Bay, and Swanage – part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site – on its ‘doorstep’ to the south and west, and the Solent, and the Isle of Wight and Chichester Harbour…

Nautitech 48 Open Nautitech was one of the first boatbuilders to bridge the gap between pure cruising catamarans and more sophisticated performance cruisers. It did this by giving its boats better feel on the helm, with the wheels situated outboard, and designing a hull form that had decent upwind performance while eschewing the costly addition of daggerboards. It has been a successful formula and the company has now launched its new flagship, the 48 which looks to continue in the same vein as older models, just on a slightly larger scale. ● nautitechcatamarans.com HH44 HH Catamarans is an American company that has been building catamarans in China for a number of years now. Generally it has stuck to big boats in the 50ft plus bracket with a focus on fast…

Fog’s not what it used to be. Time was when our whereabouts was down to an ‘analogue’ estimated position, and any poor masher who hadn’t kept the dead reckoning (DR) up to date was left blundering around in confusion. We know where we are today thanks to GPS, and AIS tells us about any ship over 300 tons heading our way with malice intent. We still have to dodge small fishing craft, yachts, navigation buoys and a hundred-and-one further hazards not declaring themselves electronically, but most will be spotted by radar if we have it. The result of this progress in the space of a single generation is that, when we see a bank of fog coming our way, nobody need clutch the coaming with white knuckles wondering what to…

Boat test – Bali Catsmart They say that one of the keys to happiness and wellbeing is self acceptance. The ability to take a good, hard look at yourself and say, ‘well, this is who I am, take it or leave it’ is a hugely important step if you want to achieve a degree of serenity. What has this got to do with the Bali Catsmart I hear you cry? Well, it’s just a gut feeling I have but, in the world of yachts, more specifically multihulls, Bali catamarans is the marque that is the most willing to accept what it is and feel at ease with this. Unlike some yachts that try to be all things to all sailors, the Bali is unashamedly a cruising catamaran and the company…

Boat test – C-Cat 48 Think of an Italian yacht and I generally think of a stylish cruiser/racer; I’m thinking Grand Soleil, Solaris, Eleva, Italia, ICE yachts – I could go on but the point is made and, frankly I love this genre of yacht. I mean who doesn’t want to sail faster than average in a boat that is better looking than average? What doesn’t spring to mind when I think about Italian yachts is multihulls. Sure, there are a few manufacturers now, but they are new to the game. Multihulls were long the domain of wild haired Frenchmen (and women) and pipe-smoking Englishmen (and women). Those days are long gone, however, and the Italians are warming to the idea of putting together a boat with two hulls instead…

Buyers Guide – Vinyl hull wraps You can’t always tell a boat that’s had its hull wrapped. It isn’t always about a big logo splashed across the bow or a riot of colour adorning the transom. An increasing number of boatowners are choosing to have a single colour applied and some even want a transparent film to protect the gelcoat beneath. So, although you might not be able to spot it, more and more boats around British waters have their topsides clad in vinyl. Protection is the number one reason to spend the thousands of pounds required on the job. The vinyl film used is hard-wearing and sticks well, preserving the hull of the boat from small knocks and scrapes as well as the degradation caused by ceaseless UV attack.…

NORTH BASSENTHWAITE WEEK 3-11 August, Bassenthwaite SC, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria OVERVIEW: Nine days of racing in the beautiful Lake District, with a great family environment. Camping available on site and a full social programme for all ages. Mix of fleet and handicap racing, with some races run as a series while others are one-offs. Excellent value summer race week and one of the most popular open events in the north of England. INSIDER TIP: Discounted ‘early bird’ entries open from 2 April. SPONSOR: Craftinsure. WEBSITE: bassweek.org.uk FILEY REGATTA 13-14 July, Filey SC, Filey Bay, North Yorkshire OVERVIEW: Great family-friendly open regatta over two days with three or four races per day. Sail in four handicap fleets in beautiful Filey Bay. Food and drink available from the beach side clubhouse all…