Innehållsförteckning för June 2024 från Sailing Today

Hanse 590 Hanse Yachts broke with go-to designer of many years – Judel/Vrolijk – a couple of years back and this was the catalyst behind the launch of a new generation of Hanses designed by the French team of Berret/Racoupeau. In addition to a marked change in styling, with inverted ‘dreadnought bow and hard chines aft giving the boats a more angular look, the main drive seemed to be to up the quality of the boats down below – which was certainly achieved. The new 590 is the company’s biggest boat yet of this new generation and offers easy sailing on a big scale. The new boat features an optional hard top bimini, a tender garage and acres of space down below. The boat will be officially unveiled at Cannes…

Cruising – Hidden Solent It’s Saturday night on a glorious mid August day in 2020, with the South Coast packed with boats, yet fewer visitors’ moorings than usual available due to Covid restrictions, and the Solent’s popular anchorages are jam packed. Yet a couple of hours before dusk we’re on our own, having enjoyed a leisurely swim followed by sundowners. The surprising factor is that we’re only 10 miles from Portsmouth and Gosport, where many thousands of yachts are berthed. And Zest’s 2.2m (7ft 2in) draught restricts the choice of anchorage compared to boats with a more moderate draught. My reckoning is that the Solent’s popular anchorages such as Osborne Bay and Newtown Creek are honey pots that suck people away from anchorages that would be considered very viable in…

As I swam ashore with the stern line at Gemiler Adasi near Fethiye, spellbound by the submerged ruins of a fourth century church clearly visible through the turquoise water beneath me, the incongruous beat of a 90s pop hit gradually increased to a shocking volume to shatter the narrow bay’s tranquillity. A towering, three-masted, pirate-themed gulet loomed into view on its track close to the row of yachts, parallel moored stern-to the sloping rocky coast scattered with olive trees and the remains of ancient buildings. Behind the huge skeleton figurehead glowering from the bow, revellers were jumping up and down, amassed on both decks, as the party ship cruised slowly past the island’s archaeological treasures, said to include the original tomb of Saint Nicholas. As the gulet dropped anchor at…

Some years back I was invited by the West Sweden Tourist Board to take a press trip to that area which would involve cruising around the area in a Swedish built Maxi yacht, sampling raw herrings, sweltering in saunas, whacking other journalists with bits of birch, eating Ryvita and generally discovering what a wonderful country Sweden was – especially if you aren’t paying. On the eve of departure, our hosts came to us with a look of extreme anguish and announced in funereal tones that, due to financial turmoil at the Maxi factory, Maxi Yachts could no longer supply a boat and it was to be substituted with – a Bavaria. Yes, it was clear that the word Bavaria upset this earnest man. But why? Perhaps because there seems little…

Martin is sailing around the world with his wife Ilke and their kids, Fedde (13), Aniek (11), Jurre (10), and Hidde (8), on their Bavaria 50 Cruiser. They left home in the Netherlands in August 2022 and, since then, they have sailed through the English Channel, Bay of Biscay, and across the Atlantic. They took their time discovering the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Suriname, the Caribbean, and a host of other interesting and exotic locations along the way. Currently they are cruising around the San Blas archipelago and preparing for the next phase of their journey through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific. Having known Martin since primary school, I couldn’t wait to interview him. How long did you dream about this trip, and prepare for it, before you…

Buyers Guide – Plotters & displays Bigger screens, faster processors and more power: marine is no different from any other branch of the electronics industry. This year, for instance, Navico is launching its new NSX Ultrawide touchscreen plotter, which is 63 per cent broader than its predecessor with a massive 1920 x 720 pixel resolution. At £3,320 for the 12in display and £3,950 for the 15in, it doesn’t come cheap and currently only exists under the powerboat-oriented Simrad brand. Next door at B&G, racers have the all-new Hercules processing unit – a black box that gives a better-than-ever readout of accurate sailing data. It can collect data from more sources, including third-party load sensors, and it does a very precise job of correcting for wave motion, heel and pitch. Exceptionally…

Ladies First as Tabarly and Maidens Triumph in Ocean Globe Race Female skippers and crew came to the fore as the Ocean Globe Race reached its denouement in Cowes with Marie Tabarly, skippering Pen Duick VI to line honours and then the all female crew of Maiden taking the overall race win in IRC to seal a magnificent race. Pen Duick VI crossed the finish line in Cowes at the Royal Yacht Squadron just before midnight on 11th April, after 37 days at sea, and sailing a challenging 6814n,. This outstanding result gave Pen Duick VI first in line honours and first in Leg 4 IRC handicap ranking for the McIntyre Ocean Globe Race 2024. Remarkably, the Skipper, Marie Tabarly, is none other than daughter of French legend Éric Tabarly,…

‘Love, soft as an easy chair…’ sang my watchmate for the 10th time since eight bells, following with a whistled version of what he imagined to be the next line. I thought how much better Barbara Streisand delivered the number and ground my teeth silently. The wretch was clearly missing his girlfriend, but why he had to load up his angst on the rest of us was beyond me. ‘Why doesn’t he finish the song,’ I thought. ‘Or better still shut up?’ Spike, for that was his name, and I were signed on as gash hands aboard a beaten-up vessel headed south for better weather which had so far eluded her. It was February. The gales blew, the mainsail was so old that only regular attention with the needle saved…

After sailing from the Ionian, south to Pylos, then around tempestuous Cape Maleas, our circumnavigation of the Peloponnese had turned north. The first week’s sailing, which was reported in last month’s issue, ended at Athens’ Alimos marina where we changed crew and got ready for the return leg via the Corinth Canal. On the way to Athens, we had visited the Byzantine stronghold of Monemvasia before continuing to Hydra. The trip was made possible by the owner of a new charter yacht in Sail Ionian’s Yacht Partnership Scheme. Our time in Alimos marina couldn’t come to an end soon enough for me. After two nights, I was keen to be back on the water and away from the busy charter bases and their noisy sailors arriving and departing. Once our…

One of the wonderful things about our sport is that, however much racing you’ve done in different places on different boats and with different people, there are still new things to try. Even though I race around 3,000 miles most years, and occasionally more, I had never made it to RORC’s Caribbean 600 until this year’s edition. It also marked the first event in a new two-handed Class 40 campaign for myself and Richard Palmer, the club’s vice commodore. Sadly, he was not able to be on board for the race, and instead Jangada 40 sailed four up with Vendee Globe sailor Pip Hare, RORC commodore Deb Fish and Paul Brandel, who works for the boat’s previous owner, Louis Burton (also a Vendee Globe veteran). Paul was responsible for looking…

Charter - UK Sailing Schools Whether you are new to sailing, keen to improve your racing skills, or perhaps want to learn the art of foiling, there’s never been a better time to take the plunge. Gone are the days when a sailing school was all about beginners taking their first steps. Now, with areas of our sport requiring different skills, many sailing centres have diversified to meet the demand. In essence, this means as well as beginners and improvers, more and more centres have expanded their options and are running specialised training. Foiling is a good example because even if you are a competent dinghy sailor you will probably require some early guidance on how to make the transition and perfect the art of this relatively new form of…

From the start to finish of 2024, it’s hard to recall such an action-packed year in the sport of sailing. It kicked off in the most spectacular manner with the high-speed race around the world aboard those solo-skippered foiling trimarans, the 100ft Ultims. The Arkea Ultim Challenge-Brest saw six French skippers set out from Brest in January. Just 50 days, 19 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds later, Charles Caudrelier became the first to complete the 22,460 mile course only a day after celebrating his 50th birthday on board the Ultim, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild. In stark contrast to that high-speed offshore adventure, the focus of the top end of the sport shifts towards this summer’s Olympic Regatta, the build-up to which I’ve really enjoyed covering over recent weeks. A…

Yes, we’ve all heard it before: ‘The longest losing streak in sporting history’. That’s right, we plucky Brits can proudly lay claim to that title, having lost the 100 Guinea Cup back in 1851 and summarily failing to reclaim it since. Could this year be the one where we finally make the breakthrough though? No question, in Ben Ainslie and his team, we have the experience and with the backing of Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, we also have some financial muscle too – plus INEOS has teamed up with the Mercedes Formula 1 team to further boost their expertise. So how are we getting on? Well, in late March I was invited out to INEOS’ base in Barcelona to find out before chatting with the affable and extremely experienced crew…

River estuaries The Kinloch River flows north across the Highlands, becoming tidal beyond gravel rapids at the head of the kyle. Dominating the view south is Ben Loyal, the Queen of Scottish Mountains. The highest of its five peaks, An Caisteal, rises to 764m from low moorlands, such as the 98m high Cnoc na h-Iolaire where, indeed, the golden eagle might be seen, attention perhaps drawn by a mobbing crow. The single track road round the head of the kyle used to be part of the main road along the north coast of Britain. Now it carries very little traffic and has a warning that on the west side of the kyle it is no longer treated for ice and snow. There are various antiquities around the head of the…

Charter – Greece When people talk about chartering in Greece they are often referring to the Ionian. This northern area of Greece is definitely a charterers paradise due to the even spread of islands, good shelter and relatively docile winds. Yet the Ionian makes up only a small section of this extraordinary country and once you head into the Aegean, there is a wealth of choices to be made. Here, we look at some of the slightly less popular sailing grounds in the Aegean. Weather One of the reasons the Aegean is slightly less well frequented by charterers is because of the Meltemi. This is a north-northwesterly wind that can blow for several days at a time in the Aegean and requires a bit of knowhow to get to grips…

BENETEAU OCEANIS 473 | ALLEGRO OF YAR From 2002, the Beneteau Oceanis 473, Allegro of Yar is a great all-rounder, and is perfect for local cruising or for venturing further. Cherished and well-maintained, she has had numerous upgrades in her current ownership, including new standing rigging, new electronics and lovely, and very practical, Flexiteek side decks. Her comfortable accommodation delivers three cabins, two heads compartments, and a spacious saloon. Allegro of Yar is ready for the 2024 sailing season. Year: 2002LOA: 14.30m (46’11”)Beam: 4.32m (14’2”)Draft: 2.20m (7’3”)Displacement: 11,012kgHull Construction: GlassfibreKeel: FinEngine: Yanmar 4JH3 TE, 75hpDesigner: Groupe FinotAccommodation: 6 berths in 3 cabinsLocation: Lymington, HantsContact: berthoninternational.comcraftinsure quote: £POA BENETEAU FIRST 50 | OUR FIRST ONE Our First One is a well-maintained and comprehensively equipped Beneteau First 50 suitable for bluewater sailing.…