Innehållsförteckning för April 2022 från Yachting Monthly

Red tape hampers the romance of setting sail. It is easy to chafe at bureaucracy and to feel that rules undermine a sailor’s responsibility for their own fate. There can be few, however, whose bravado would not fade rapidly amid genuine peril, replaced by relief at the sight of another boat coming to their aid. I can’t imagine the crew of Charlotte Jane III bemoaning pre-start safety checks when they were rescued mid-Atlantic by fellow ARC yacht Magic Dragon in an excellent display of seamanship and pragmatic use of safety equipment (p36). Much noise has been made about Marine Conservation Zones and the tiny proportion of areas that may impact on sailors. Sensible management measures at places like Dorset’s Studland Bay are being hammered out, and the end result will…

The Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) has awarded double amputee Dustin Reynolds with its highest honour – the Barton Cup – during its 2021 awards. The skipper, who lost his left arm and part of his leg in 2008 after he was hit by a drunk driver, took seven-and-a-half years to circumnavigate the globe solo, via the Panama Canal. He started and finished in Kona, Hawaii. Reynolds, who was a recipient of the OCC Challenge Grant and in 2018 was recognised with the OCC Seamanship Award, had little sailing experience or money when he started his circumnavigation in his 1968 Alberg 35 sloop, Rudis. By the time he reached Thailand, the boat was falling apart and, after a successful crowdfunding campaign, he bought the 1983 Bristol 35.5 Tiama, to continue his…

Yachting Monthly is offering a cash prize for the best article about the marine environment as explored by boat for a second year. A total of £4,000 is available for the winning entry, with £2,500 going to the author and £1,500 being donated to a marine conservation charity on their behalf. This year, the judges are inviting entries that focus on the issues of climate change and of biodiversity loss, and how these are impacting the marine environment as seen from the deck of a sailing boat. To reflect Brian Black’s personal love of Arctic sailing, the judges will also highlight the best article about high latitude voyages. The Brian Black Memorial Award was established last year in order to commemorate the lives of Brian and his wife Lesley Black.…

Hull one of this new 50ft model has just been launched in the yard’s home waters of the Slovenian Adriatic. She is the largest of the performance cruising E-line, with a new hull designed by Rob Humphreys. His design includes an aft chine for extra volume and stability. ‘She will have a real turn of speed in comparison to the GT6, even though they share some similar initial characteristics,’ says UK dealer Tim Norris at Boatpoint. ‘The E6 will have a low displacement for her size, so will be interactive when sailing. She has been set up like all Elans for relatively easy short-handed sailing.’The lay-up uses e-Glass and vinylester, vacuum-infused for strength and light weight. There is a fixed bowsprit for launching big sails and twin rudders aft for…

Due to be unveiled at the Grande Motte Multihull show from 20-24 April, the Lagoon 51 is still partly shrouded in secrecy. The shipyard has billed it as a more sustainable yacht, with better on-board circulation and ‘great fluidity’, which sounds like a byword for more open spaces. Like all recent Lagoons, it has been designed by the multihull experts at VPLP, who had this to say about the boat: ‘We designed the Lagoon 51 as a perfect synthesis of the modernity of the shapes and the sail plan, with living space on deck and inside that is unequalled on a boat this size.’ What we can already tell from early renderings is that the flybridge uses much more space on the coachroof than the previous Lagoon 50. This includes…

The VHF crackled into life. The cruise commodore announced: ‘The conditions are perfect. Let’s stop for lunch at Hyskeir.’ We promptly concurred; I had never been to Hyskeir Lighthouse but knew that its anchorage was revered by the Penguin Cruising Club. I reached for the pilot book, eagerly telling the crew that after automation of the lighthouse the island group was deserted. ‘And we’ll be able to moor up at the quay and go ashore,’ I enthused, instilling an anticipation we duly discovered wouldn’t be fulfilled. ‘It’s so remote there’ll be nobody there’. Our cruise’s three boats altered course towards the white pillar on the horizon, and I read up on the anchorage and approach. To quote from my somewhat out-of-date edition of the Clyde Cruising Club’s pilot, ‘Hyskeir (Oigh…

Through the years of sailing, there have been plenty of times when we’ve been flying along on a reach, toe rails underwater. It’s an exciting way to sail, but can be scary for youngsters. Our current boat has two single-line reefs and two slab reefs. The section of the sail above the fourth reef is reinforced so that it can act as a storm sail, cutting the need to rig a trisail. On a boat with a young family crew, this is a much easier manoeuvre. Weighing about 15 tonnes, SeaEye reaches well once the wind hits 10 knots and when it hits 18 knots, we consider putting a first reef into the mainsail. The boat sits up more stably in the water with no loss of speed and the…

◾ Check all through-hull fittings for leaks before you are released from the slings. ◾ Fire up your engine, heating and generator if you have one and give them all a good service. ◾ If you have a battery tester, check each battery individually. If not, companies such as Barden UK will often test your batteries for free. ◾ Get your gas system tested and signed off (this is not something to skimp on). ◾ Check your fire extinguishers are in date, have pressure and are in good condition. ◾ Make sure your life raft and lifejackets have been serviced and your hydrostatic release units (if you use them) are in date, along with your flares. ◾ Check your lee cloths are in good condition and well attached ◾ Make…

How many protected marine areas are there in the UK? There are currently 371 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the UK that include Special Protection Areas, Marine Nature Reserves, SSSIs, No Take Zones and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in England. MCZs were set up in 2009 and have a higher level of protection for important marine wildlife, habitats, geology and geomorphology. There are 91 MCZs. They will be supplemented soon by Highly Protected Marine Areas. Ireland is looking at defining its MPAs, and has a network of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas (www.npws.ie). Where are they? All around the coasts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and offshore into the North Sea and Atlantic. An interactive map of these can be seen on the mapper tool…

We’ve all got a story to tell, yet those who flock to the seas manufacture the most electric of tales. This is the story of a girl who was heading down the wrong path, became the fighting underdog and is now conquering change for women all over the world. It takes a standout character to create a global shockwave and that’s exactly what Tracy Edwards has achieved in empowering girls through education. Tracy Edwards MBE has received more than enough backlash, derogatory and sexist comments, especially by the press, yet this has not fazed her. In fact, this no-nonsense, straight-talking sailor thrived on the negativity to prove everyone wrong as she made history skippering the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, and becoming the…

Fort Belan provides a good anchorage at the south-west entrance to the Menai Strait. It is a useful stopping-off point for those waiting for the right tides before making the passage through the strait. It also offers a quiet place for the night for sailors who would rather avoid the bustle of Caernarfon a bit further up the channel. On the chart it looks like it could be a useful anchorage spot before navigating the busy waters around the top of Anglesey, but to get to Fort Belan you have to tackle the entrance over the Caernarfon Bar. The sands of this bar are constantly changing, particularly after a westerly gale. Although well marked, the positions of the buoys often alter and often don’t correspond to what the chart might…

It can be tricky to spot when your woven sails are ceasing to pull their weight. Chris Jeckell of the eponymous Norfolk sail loft has this advice: ‘Generally a sail needs replacing once the sail has become baggy or misshaped as the performance will suffer and this means that the draught in the sail has moved aft making the sail much deeper and harder to trim. ‘A good way of checking the draught is to take a photo up the sail from the mast. Draw a straight line between the luff and the leech. If you do this each year you will be able to watch the draft move aft. Also, if you need a lot of helm to go in a straight line, this is a good indication that…

HALLBERG-RASSY 46 The Hallberg-Rassy 46 set the benchmark for blue-water cruisers in this size range. It has won praise from all sides: reviewers and owners alike, with more than 130 made. Built about a decade earlier than the Malö 46, there are many similarities between the two, including a partial skeg-hung rudder and long-ish fin keel. They’re two tonnes heavier, which is not necessarily a bad thing for long-term cruising, and one tonne of that is in the keel. Owing to her heavier design weight, she’ll probably be better at absorbing the extra stores required for ocean sailing. The sail area is increased proportionally, so performance shouldn’t be compromised much, although a comparison of the polar diagrams suggests it will take a bit more wind to get her moving than…

Boat owners are being advised to take steps to mitigate the effects of biodiesel on their inboard engines. Marine fuel experts are reporting a rise in the number of sailors finding increased filter plugging from a new contaminant, carboxylic acid, or soap, forming due to Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) content in diesel. Most skippers are only aware of the problem when their engine stops. In the UK, FAME content in diesel is 7%, but will rise to 12.4% by 2032. Some marinas, like MDL, advertise selling FAME-free diesel but others don’t, and carboxylic acid could also be a problem for sailors who have to use jerry-cans to take fuel from the forecourt pump to fill up their boats. PRACTICAL NECESSITY The RYA advises that ‘it is highly likely’ that…

The quality of radio transmissions between HM Coastguard’s Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres and vessels at sea looks set to improve after the installation of a ‘state-of-the-art search and rescue radio network’. Lee-on-the-Solent has become the first of 165 HM Coastguard radio sites to switch from the outdated legacy copper-based network to fibre technology. Radio sites in Crystal Palace, Humber Bridlington and Brighton Marina will be switched on soon before all 165 sites move to the new network over the next two years. The replacement technology will result in increased security and bandwidth, allowing the HM Coastguard to invest in future advanced search and rescue technology that requires a digital connection and high bandwidth. It will also improve the overall resilience of the radio network. The agency’s commercial and programmes director,…

Yachts competing in Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) category 0 to 3 races now have to be inspected by a qualified person within 24 months of the start of the race or after a grounding, whichever is later, according to new rules introduced by World Sailing. The RYA has compiled a list of surveyors who can conduct the inspections to a level set by the RYA, based on the OSR requirements: www.yachtingmonthly.com/offshoreregulations…

Dover Harbour Board is seeking to install a 70m outer wave wall screen in an attempt to solve problems with swell at the new Dover Marina in Kent. Following the completion of the marina in the Outer Harbour, officials found that wave heights under southwesterly storm conditions, in combination with high water, led to the ‘unacceptable movement of the floating pontoons’. A 14.4m-long inner wave wall screen was installed at the entrance to the marina, between the Marina Curve and the new Marina Pier, in December 2020, but a review has found that ‘further wave attenuation measures’ are needed before the facility can be used by boats. The board has applied to the Marine Management Organisation for a Harbour Revision Order and a marine licence to build a larger outer…

Niche Dutch shipyard Jachtwerf Heeg is expanding its successful Pointer range with the launch of a new 30-footer. It is the largest Pointer to date, and the largest for the yard, which has specialised for more than 60 years in building small open boats and race boats for local conditions in GRP. The Pointer brand launched in 2014. The boat has modern hull lines with a plumb bow, a bowsprit and decent interior space. It has been designed for coastal and offshore sailing, with a large sailplan totalling 46m2 upwind and a shallow draught. There is room for eight in the cockpit, but the boat is also designed for single-handed sailing. Choose between a tiller or a wheel on a tilting pedestal. There is a bathing platform aft, a comfy…

France’s RM famously builds its yachts in plywood and epoxy, and claims that the new 1380 will be the largest such cruiser ever built. The hull is designed by Marc Lombard, with racy lines and blue-water capabilities. She should be a fast yacht when she hits the water, with a rig that allows a downwind sail and a second headstay, thanks to the long bowsprit. The boat has twin rudders and underwater choices including bilge keels and a high-performance lifting keel. Below, the interior is a matter of choice, but typically minimal. Various configurations are possible, but the Owner’s version puts a large cabin in the forepeak. There are two heads/shower rooms and a semi-horseshoe galley to port. The first hull is due to be built in April. SPECIFICATIONS PRICE:…

One of a crop of new catamaran brands coming through at the moment, Vaan is distinguished by its obsessive focus on combining performance with sustainability. Its first model, the R4, was launched before Christmas and will be on show at La Grande Motte in April. The hull is made from aluminium, up to 60% of which is sourced from recycled metal obtained from old window frames and road signs. Vaan founder Igor Kluin is absolutely clear that this is a more sustainable option than building in non-recyclable GRP. Decking is crafted from cork, while the modern, uncluttered interior makes use of plant-based Lyocell fabric and a leather alternative made from pineapple leaves. The exterior design is different to other cats, too. Kluin calls it a ‘cabriolet’ because there is only…

Most sailors are satisfied enough to cross an ocean in a well-found cruising yacht, ticking off a bucket list wish and experiencing the oddly reassuring feeling of being totally insignificant out there in the great blue yonder. Every year some 200 yachts with 1,200 crew leave the Canaries to sail in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers to St Lucia in the Caribbean in time for Christmas. There are also an unknown number of independent voyagers crossing that ocean both ways every year. They all know that the North Atlantic covers an area greater than North America and Europe combined, and so take great care in their preparations. But there is another breed altogether who see an ocean as a proving ground for marking human endeavour. Rather than take a passive…

The excellent Antares Charts (see www.antarescharts.co.uk) offer high definition and accurate largescale charting of a wealth of channels and anchorages in north-western Scotland. They can be presented (complete with your GPS position) on a tablet. I am a believer in keeping paper charts available, and it is wise to keep all charts and pilot books up to date. Over the past 20 years there have been many changes to the Hebrides area with new marinas, fish farm alterations, and moorings that have taken over marked anchorages. Beware local oddities such as magnetic anomalies (Compass Hill on Canna is an example) and remember that electronic vector charts can miss rocky hazards when under-zoomed. Always read and heed the pilot books and the small print on charts. The Hebrides boast a relative…

When the autopilot control failed, half an hour out of Crosshaven, en route to A Coruña, we simply switched to the wind vane and carried on. Even though we got the control head fixed in Portugal, that wind vane carried us all the way to St Lucia. When cruising in fairly remote areas we have learned the importance of resilience by design. On our OVNI 395 Barracuda we try and have at least two ways to do things that really matter – if the first method fails there’s no need to cancel the trip: we can just move to the second. It’s not always possible, but it is certainly a good philosophy to test things by. We apply this to, amongst other things, navigation, power generation, steering, fresh water, food,…

QMy Contessa 26 has been lifted out for the winter, but I will need to tune my rigging ahead of the sailing season. Is it best to do this while the boat is still on the hard or wait until it is back in the water? Is there an easy way to tune my rigging? Louisa Moore A Ben Sutcliffe-Davies responds: This is a really interesting question. In my view, anything like rigging or shaft alignment should always be done with the craft afloat. With regards to tuning, it depends on what the owner is intending on doing during the season. A proper rig check should consider the age of the wire, chainplate, back stay and fore stay security. Make sure you check the mast step for compression issues. There…

Halyards that remain in the same position for days or weeks on end will suffer chafe to outer sheathes and then inner cores. Many yachts in this year’s ARC suffered multiple halyard failures, some to the extent that they could no longer fly a full set of sails. The two lines most affected by chafe are headsail halyards and the preventer. Furling headsails tend to go up for the season and stay up, meaning the pressure point is never changed and there’s no opportunity for inspection. Preventers often have excess movement and take complex routes around things like cleats and fairleads. These make for aggressive points of contact compared with the dedicated sheaves and blocks of other running rigging systems. CHAFE CAN BE REDUCED BY SOME SIMPLE MEASURES: ◾ Ease…

It’s time to get a couple of friends and family down to the boat and go for a sail. You need to try and use every function on the boat, so pick a nice day when you can get all the sail up, the oven on, the anchor out and the nav and anchor lights used. All going well, everything is ship shape, but if not, better to find out now. Your marina handling skills (and confidence) may be a bit low so go easy on yourself (and you crew!) and give yourself time to hone your skills. If everything is working fine, this sail is also a good opportunity to do a couple of casualty overboard drills, picking up a mooring buoy, getting the pole up and doing some…

Water? Check. Gas? Check. Full fridge? Stores? Diesel? Check, check, check. The feeling when you know the boat is fully fettled and ready to go is one of the most exciting moments for me. The maintenance list is down to the ‘would like to do’, spares are on board for the essentials, everything that should move can, and everything that shouldn’t is secured. Spring is the season when we find out if our efforts to put the boat to bed for the winter were successful, and to discover where the winter gremlins have been playing their games. Going over the boat and all her systems is a sometimes tedious, often painful, but ultimately rewarding process. We call it putting sweeties into the jar – ready for those moments in the…

There are 33,000 species of fish on our planet, and that number is constantly increasing. Waters worldwide are teeming with these elusive creatures, but how much do we really know about them? Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thunnus) The Atlantic bluefin tuna is probably the most pursued fish in its nominal ocean – not the most fished for, trawled or hunted, but, literally, the most chased after. It is a predatory giant and the largest member of the tuna family. Atlantic bluefin tuna can reach 3m (almost 10 feet) in length and weight in excess of 450kg (nearly 1,000lb). It is a very sociable species, shoaling in its hundreds. The schools rampage around the top and mid storeys of the ocean water column at incredible speeds, chasing mackerel and herring shoals,…

Sailing is a conundrum to me sometimes. We all love to slip the lines, with the cares and worries that go with life ashore, and surround ourselves with the majesty of a Sgood seascape. We wax lyrical about weather and wildlife, yet how often do we sigh crossly then fire up the engine for a knot or two more pace? And how much do we covet new gadgets and doodahs to fill up our boats? Sails encapsulate this contradiction nicely for me. On the one hand they are the sustainable motors of our boats, turning wind into motion. They provide a constant challenge – willing us to trim and tweak for a slightly better aerofoil and a fraction of a knot more speed. On the other hand, they represent nothing…

A new eco-friendly antifouling solution for boats is being trialled in Cornwall’s Falmouth Harbour. Rustler Yachts and Falmouth Harbour Commissioners are working with Finsulate to test its so-called bio-wrap – a unique material incorporating a fine mesh of nylon ‘spines’ which is laid on a boat’s hull as a long-term, low-maintenance and environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional antifouling products. It can be applied to all boats, with no loss of speed for yachts with displacement hulls Inspired by sea urchins which, due to their spines, generally remain free of barnacles, algae and other colonisers, the prickly antifoul is being trialled on the Falmouth fast patrol vessel Killigrew and launch Arwenack with the help of technicians at Rustler. The trial is part of Falmouth Harbour’s pledge to do more to preserve the…

Gipsy Moth IV is up for sale, with a buyer in Dubai reported to have expressed an interest in Sir Francis Chichester’s legendary yacht. The 53ft ketch was bought by Peter Tom and Ian Walker, after she was sold in 2021 by the now closed Gipsy Moth Trust. Tom and Walker planned to move her to St Peter Port to be used by the Guernsey Sailing Trust and operated as a tourist attraction. But the renovation and upkeep costs of the boat made the project unviable, according to the current owners, and she remains on the Hamble.…

Jean-Jacques Savin, 75, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a barrel in 2019, has been found dead at sea. The Frenchman was attempting to row solo across the Atlantic when he triggered two distress beacons on 20-21 January 2021. He had left from Sagres in southern Portugal on 1 January and was rowing for Ponta Delgada in The Azores. He had reported facing strong winds and difficulties with his solar power supply. The family of the former military paratrooper contacted the authorities and Savin’s 26ft canoe Audacieux was discovered overturned off The Azores by the Portuguese National Maritime Authority. The exact circumstances of his death have not yet been determined. In 2019, Savin spent 122 days in an orange custom-made barrel, crossing the Atlantic using just sea currents.…

The new 49CS is only the second in the range to depart from Contest’s tried-and-tested centre cockpit design – following its entry-level 42-footer. Billed as an aft cockpit boat, the 49CS is really more of a hybrid design, with a long aft deck but sheltered helm stations well in board and amazing height in the aft cabins below. Contest yachts are known for their high-quality build, and the 49CS is no exception, using one-shot vacuum infusion. At more than 20 tonnes it is not a light boat, but it would make an excellent base for a round-theworld trip, with its forward cockpit and tender garage in the transom. Being a Dutch-built yacht, headroom is generous, and the interior styling by Wetzel Brown has a sophisticated feel to it, with lots…

Groupe Beneteau continues to expand its Excess catamaran venture, aimed at younger owners who want a fun connection to the water, without a sky-high price tag. VPLP has drawn on its ocean racing experience, designing asymmetric hulls, foam-sandwich hull layup and higher bridgedeck clearance to reduce slamming. A towering square-topped main and an overlapping genoa round out a fairly generous 118m2 of upwind sail area, although bear in mind this is a heavy boat. Semi-island double berths at the aft end of each hull give a touch of luxury, and the whole starboard hull can be devoted to the owner, with a walk-in dressing room in the bow. Simple but attractive interior styling has been well executed by Nauta. MULTIHULLS SPECIFICATIONS PRICE: TBC LOA: 13.34m (43ft 9in) CABINS: 3-4 BEAM:…

A capable, well-designed catamaran from the La Rochelle-based builder, the new 51 features a deck design that makes the interior saloon and exterior cockpit work together. The glass panels of the rear wall of the saloon slide completely to either side, while the deck is flush, connecting the galley directly with the eight-person saloon table. The helmstation is bulk-headmounted, with a larger-than-ever flybridge set around it. All the control lines return to the three winches here, for easy handling. And the coachroof is inlaid with a generous 2kW of solar panels. There’s also a foredeck lounge, private cabin exits and a lowering aft platform. Configuration below is flexible, with the possibility of four to six double cabins with ensuite heads. In the Maestro version, the entire port hull can be…

One of the conundrums with our boat Oddity has been the navigation area, for I’m not sure that a dedicated nav station is required. Truth is there isn’t one, and given that construction is beyond the point of no return the decision is cast in stone – gulp! This break from tradition boiled down to space, modern navigational aids and chart design. When I started sailing we used Admiralty charts, which are wonderful but given their size are not very practical when crumpled up on a small boat. It wasn’t until I came across a proper chart table on the tugs that I experienced them in all their glory. The chart station had good lighting, all the tools and publications to hand and, being an island-style table, more than one…

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Q Tom is the owner of High Pressure, a 10m cruiser racer with a symmetric spinnaker. He has sailed dinghies for years but has just purchased his first yacht. Tom is very experienced with spinnakers when dinghy racing but he lacks the same knowledge when it come to navigation. He has three crew and is currently approaching the Needles, intending to sail to Cherbourg, which is 60 miles to the south. The internet is telling Tom that the wind at the Needles is 15 knots at 000º, true north. The trip is therefore directly downwind. Tom knows that when sailing with the spinnaker, the best velocity made good is about 120° to 130° from the true wind direction as measured by the boat’s instruments. He knows that in gusts he…

Jeremy Wyatt of the World Cruising Club explained that steering failure has been the single biggest cause of abandonments during the rally’s 36-year history. It left me wondering what preparations other boats had made for steering failure, rudder damage and rudder loss. Wolfgang Hass, skipper of Jeanneau 54DS Gian, emphasised the importance of having an effective emergency tiller set-up. ‘Most emergency tillers are very short and you don’t have much leverage,’ he explained. ‘I have had additional eyes welded onto mine so that I can attach lines to it and control it from a winch’. He was also carrying some plywood boards, already epoxy coated, and he’d asked Sika (of Sikaflex) to equip him with whatever substances might be useful en-route. It was the fastidiousness that you’d expect from a…

◾ Check hull for any cracks, delamination, corrosion (if metal), and impact damage and get repaired. ◾ Scrape test all through hull fittings to expose any corrosion. Exercise and grease the valves. ◾ The propeller should be tight and blade bearings smooth when you rotate them. ◾ Ensure the P-bracket (if you have one) is secure and there is no play in the bearings here or in the stern tube. If you have a sail drive, check the diaphragm and gaiter. ◾ Give the hull a thorough anti-foul and change all the anodes. ◾ Check your rudder bearings are in good shape. ◾ Clean any keel coolers. ◾ Make sure your log is clean and rotates freely. ◾ Protect your prop with one of the manproducts available. ◾ If you…

ack in 1987, Pequod was the first privately owned Argentine sailboat to reach Antarctica. Her owner-skipper, Hernán Alvarez Forn, wrote Antarktikos, in which he recounted the nautical feat. As a journalist and a sailor he was better known as Hormiga Negra (Black Ant). A well-known columnist and editor of yachting magazines, writer of nautical books and with copious nautical miles, he circumnavigated the globe more than eight times. In 2018 I was looking to buy my first sailboat. Around the same time I was reading Antarktikos, which stoked my dreams of sailing to remote and pristine places like Antarctica. It seemed like fate, therefore, when I saw an ad for Pequod on the internet. I didn’t hesitate for a second and started on the adventure of restoring her to her…

THE SUSTAINABLE SAILOR The accolades, honours and records that follow Mike Golding’s name are impressive. He first made an impression skippering yachts around the world with the BT Global Challenge Round the World Race, winning on his third race in 1996/7, having recently set the record for the fastest solo circumnavigation east to west in 1994. He progressed on to the Vendée Globe, participating in four editions of the solo round the world race, including rescuing a stricken Alex Thomson in 2006. He’s led the British Admiral’s Cup team and campaigned in the Extreme Sailing Series. Mike is now Chair of World Sailing’s Sustainability Commission, as well as being a public speaker, a consultant and coach. Not to forget, of course, that he also sits on the judging panel of…

South-Coast sail loft Crusader is working hard to reduce its own impact on the environment. Waste is minimised by optimising use of sail cloth and canvas, and local partnerships have been established to find uses for old sails, including garment manufacturers and local schools for projects. Having sails made by your local manufacturer helps to reduce your new suit’s product air miles, compared to sails made overseas, as the cloth may be manufactured in Europe, shipped to overseas factories and then shipped back to the UK, where a loft that can design, cut, sew and service your sails in one place reduces the transport impact dramatically. The loft now also offers climate neutral sailcloth. Dyneema and other high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) fibres have a large carbon footprint, being derived entirely…