Innehållsförteckning för October 2024 från Sailing Today

Cruising – Antarctica A quest to discover the untamed outdoors and leave behind the everyday to encounter heavy pack ice, ski unclimbed peaks, and experience amazing wildlife, provided the driving force to head off on a new adventure into the unknown. The primary objective of this voyage was the far south of the Antarctic Peninsula near the Bellinghausen Sea, where we were likely to find those extraordinarily beautiful and pristine silent unclimbed peaks. We set sail from Ushuaia to Antarctica on 31 December 2023. Our first destination was Puerto Williams, Chile to await a weather window for the Drake Passage. There was a New Year’s Eve party on the Micalvi, an old tug grounded in the port acting as a jetty for yachts. With views of the waterways of Tierra…

The plan had seemed sane enough when I hatched it. Having found a suitable boat to buy in Greece at a price below the average in summer 2023, I thought it would be a pleasant diversion to sail it back to my home port of Sete in the south of France the following year. Having left the boat in Vliho Bay, Lefkas, for the winter, I was now on the eve of my adventure and suddenly the sagacity of my plan seemed less apparent. Looking on the map, Sete suddenly seemed an awful long way away – some 900nm in fact. Best to take this thing one step at a time I thought. The first step was to get to Corfu where my crew (my dad) was flying into in…

After well over a decade out on the water, there are certain things that I will not go sailing without. Everyone has their own favourite tools and equipment on their yacht, but as a charter skipper with Sail Ionian, I take mine with me from yacht to yacht every day. So, if you’re chartering, you may want to consider some of these essentials... 1 Wet shoes When I first started as a charter skipper for Sail Ionian, I was usually barefoot. All the cool young skippers were. Then one day I was waiting for a boat to arrive in Spartohori. As they rounded the headland and sailed into view, I jumped up to run over and wave from the end of the pontoon. En route, I accidentally kicked a stubby…

Southampton International Boat Show The Southampton Boat Show 2024 is in our sights! Whether you’re on the hunt for new sailing gear, are a serious boat buyer, a watersports enthusiast, a foodie and live music fan, or just looking for a brilliant family day out, here’s everything you need to know for your visit. This all-rounder sailing show isn’t only for the serious racers of the yachting world. The Southampton International Boat Show caters to all, from dinghy club members, young enthusiasts, and classic boat lovers, to bluewater cruisers and all-out adventurers – it’s the perfect place to peruse the market, get to know some exciting brands, and hear about the latest boat designs, gear and technological advancements in sailing, while also being the perfect family day out… relaxing ashore…

SOUTHERLY 110 PERIDOT Peridot is a very smart Southerly 110, meticulously maintained and cherished through life. With great new upholstery and a stunning teak interior, her practical layout below deck can comfortably accommodate up to seven. Her centreboard arrangement provides masses of versatility, with a deep draft perfect for offshore cruising, and a shallow draft option making coastal and inland cruising a reality. She has voyaged to Norway as well as the Mediterranean and many points between. Perfect for exploring shallow harbours, creeks and inlets unavailable to her fixed keel counterparts. She is very current with some significant upgrades actioned during a recent refit. Year: 2008 LOA: 10.82m/35’6” Beam: 3.57m/ 9.22m Draft: 2.18m/ 7’2” (max) Displacement: 6,980kg Hull Construction: Glassfibre Keel: Centreboard Engine: 1 x Yanmar 3YM30 Designer: Rob Humphreys…

“It’s not like we didn’t see this coming, or at least those nerds like me who cover the Olympic circuit on a regular basis” If Emma Wilson had won gold at the Olympic Regatta, we wouldn’t still be talking about this. It always seems to need a sacrificial lamb in order for change to happen, or even to be discussed in the first place. If Emma Wilson had won gold, we would have celebrated her start-to-finish dominance of the women’s windsurfing in mostly windless Marseille, and the world would have moved on without a second thought about the rights and wrongs of the sudden-death format used in iQFOiL competitions. It’s not like we didn’t see this coming, or at least those nerds like me who cover the Olympic circuit on…

From bitter-sweet beginnings to a glorious golden finale, Team GB’s performance at the Sailing events of the Paris 2024 Olympics made for a rollercoaster of emotion. With the regatta defined by Marseille’s fickle conditions, 12 days of unpredictable, predominantly light winds fuelled by intensely hot weather made for extreme challenges for sailors and organisers alike. Dramatic scenes unfolded from the first medal – a bronze for female windsurfer, Emma Wilson, competing in the debut iQFOil class, adding to her (RS:X) windsurfing bronze from Tokyo. Yet, the heartbreak was plain for all to see. It so nearly could have – and should have – been gold... After going into the finals with a 31-point lead, winning 8 of 14 races in the opening series, Wilson earned a bye to the finals…

Windermere 17 Class Since the era of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the natural beauty of the Lake District has prompted many to wax lyrical. The blend of verdant hills, rugged crags and fast flowing streams plunging down the hillsides into the dark profundity of the lakes has inspired many. There are few things in this world that can embellish this bucolic idyll but it’s fair to say that the sight of the Windermere 17 fleet in full flight, skimming across the lake, varnished hulls glistening and white sails aglow accentuate the natural beauty of the place in a way that few man made objects can do. The Windermere 17 class celebrated its 120th anniversary this year and is remarkable in the fact that it is not only one…

In order to win, first you have to finish the race, and this is probably especially true of foiling. Where you may struggle to get around the course within the time limit or even ‘foil’ in the first place in marginal conditions (or maybe because you struggle to foil is the reason you struggle to get around the racecourse within the time limit). It is certainly more tiring when you first start and do lots of swimming than when you are flying around the racecourse. So, a very different experience to transitioning to or even starting in keelboats where you will definitely be able to get around the course, the question is just how much time it will take? Before we go any further it is worth pointing out to…

Lewmar Ultra Low Profile Hatch Lewmar has designed and developed an ultra-slim hatch, combining practicality, aesthetics, and ease of installation. The corrosion-resistant lower frame features a silver anodised aluminium finish, providing excellent resistance even in harsh marine environments. Multiple seal profiles are used to guarantee compression and excellent watershedding capabilities. The hatch also features a newly redesigned hinge system, and the friction lever mechanism ensures the lid is held open securely in any position up to 90 degrees. Whether you’re building a new boat or upgrading an existing one, this hatch provides a sleek solution. You can visit Lewmar on stand J261. lewmar.com Awlcraft 3000 paint The latest launch from Awlgrip, Awlcraft 3000 is the next generation of high gloss premium acrylic urethane topcoats and utilises the advanced AkzoNobel colour…

‘...I am ready to weep from frustration as I emerge from the office’ Sailing can be an absolute pleasure; sails billowing happily, a flat sea, sun glittering on the water. Today is decidedly not one of those days – it’s the sort of day when cruising is just plain annoying. And, despite being aware of just what a sulky sort of statement that is, given our rare privilege to cruise worldwide full-time, I am not immune to that feeling when you simply seem to have got out on the wrong side of bed. It started last night. Our sleep was disturbed by a nasty chop creeping steadily into the anchorage. It built more as the early dawn light began to seep in, and we resigned ourselves to an early start,…

WAUQUIEZ 55 Wauquiez is a marque that has been much revered in cruising circles since it first started building elegant cruisers back in the 1960s. Its new 55 is definitely intriguing and one of the striking features is the centre cockpit with the helm offset to port under a well protected solid plexiglass sprayhood. Another interesting feature is the option of a swing keel which gives you an almighty 4.2m of draft when lowered and 1.6m when raised. Aside from that, the boat dares to be different by supplying two Volvo D2 engines as standard. The interior looks extremely spacious and full forward sections plus plenty of beam to ensure that there is a huge interior space. In addition, the centre cockpit allows for a huge aft owner’s cabin. ⬤…

Last week on the Baltic Island of Rödlöga I was presented with yet another use for the long warp I keep tucked away at the bottom of my rope locker. It doesn’t get many outings and this occasion wasn’t as spectacular as the time in northern Norway it preserved me from being swept away by a katabatic gale off a hanging glacier, complete with the pontoon to which I was securely moored. Nonetheless, it did its job when asked and, once again, I was grateful to the misguided sailor who had tossed it into a skip all those years ago for me to rescue. Perhaps he condemned it because it does have a few odd strands poking out here and there. It may not look much, but it’s plenty strong…

Moody Yachts is a British icon that, back in the early 2000s, went all continental on us after being taken over by German manufacturer Hanse. While prior to this Moody had made a broad range of yachts, its new owners opted to specialise in deck saloon yachts – thereby carving a very specific niche for the marque. Thankfully, although production of the yachts was moved to Germany, the services of designer Bill Dixon were retained. Dixon had been involved with Moody since the beginning and his input was part of the very DNA of the company. That remains the case right up to the present day, with the new Moody DS48, launched earlier this year. As with all the Moody range, the new 48 has its own distinctive style that…

Brittany Navily is an app that relies on the feedback of its users to determine the finest anchorages and marinas around Europe. Thankfully, they are happy to share that data with us. This month we look at five anchorages in southern Brittany which gain the highest ratings by users of Navily’s app – scores being based on anchorages with four or more reviews. For more information, go to navily.com. Port de l’Argol – 47° 20.62’ N, 2° 52.43’ W A perfect score for this pretty little port on the island of Hoedic at the mouth of the Gulf. Not strictly an anchorage, the port has a selection of mooring buoys plus the option of going alongside the quay as space allows. Contact +33632830887 or go to VHF Ch9 to book…

Look at any marina and you’ll notice that a huge percentage of privately owned cruising yachts hardly ever go anywhere. They just sit in the marina year after year at great expense, and often deteriorate. Eventually these precious assets get sold off at great financial loss, and often the process repeats itself again and again under new ownerships. So, what’s the answer? Unless you know you’ll be using your yacht on a regular basis, and/or will be using the boat for racing, it really does pay to ‘do the sums’ and work out whether you should consider the growing trend of boat share ownership. This sad trend in boat ownership over the last decade or so has prompted a growing move towards loaning or sharing in the marine sector with…

Amongst the legion kit decisions you’ll make ahead of a Transatlantic crossing, those relating to sail selection must be some of the trickiest. And though you’ll want to be well covered with reaching sails, plus storm sails in case of a real blow, it is the downwind choices that usually provoke the greatest head scratching. It’s a quandary that faces those heading to south Brittany or the Baltic just as much as those going transatlantic. On longer offshore passages, you need to have the right downwind options. That’s why we turned to the World Cruising Club and its famous database of the equipment used by those joining one of its rallies. More specifically, we mined the list of 290 boats that undertook the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) and the…