Innehållsförteckning för November 2023 från Yachting Monthly

A man from Florida has been arrested by the US Coast Guard off the coast of Georgia after trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a ‘hydro pod’ vessel that resembles a giant hamster wheel. The US Coast Guard cutter Valiant intercepted Reza Baluchi about 70 miles (110km) off Tybee Island, Georgia, in August. Baluchi told officers he had planned to travel more than 4,000 miles to London in the home-made vessel. ‘US Coast Guard Seventh District crews terminated the manifestly unsafe voyage of Mr Reza Baluchi and rescued him from his makeshift hydro-pod vessel,’ the Coast Guard said in a statement. Iranian-born Baluchi, who has attempted four similar voyages since 2014, threatened to kill himself during a three-day stand off with the Coast Guard. He later confirmed he didn’t…

Your crew is a direct reflection of you as a skipper. If you are stressed, difficult, dictatorial, and generally ill-tempered, then that is the team you will create. If you are relaxed, measured and confident, then day-to-day life on board will mirror those qualities. You essentially set the tone, and should ask yourself on day one ‘What qualities do I seek in my crew?’ and then be the epitome of those same values. When dealing with inexperienced crew, seek improvement, not perfection. I write those words with considerable feeling as a newly minted skipper – you will get many things wrong, procedures and processes as you sail will fall below theoretical goals as set by the books and established methods. But it is key to remember that you are improving…

Discovering the unknown and finding places you have never been to before is one of the greatest appeals of sailing beyond our home waters. Entering an unfamiliar harbour can, however, be difficult and stressful, with plenty of scope for getting things wrong. It’s never going to be possible to make arriving in a new port entirely predictable and straightforward, but solid preparation can reduce these challenges and make arrival the exciting and satisfying experience it should be. Whether the harbour you are sailing into is tricky or not, there are a few things that need to be considered when preparing, including your boat’s characteristics, the crew’s level of experience and your knowledge as skipper. Even as a young boy sailing dinghies on inshore waters, coming back in to land was…

1 MILFORD HAVEN WATERWAY and Cleddau estuary offer delightful, sheltered sailing with various mooring and anchoring options. Milford Marina is 5 miles east of the mouth of the Milford Haven Waterway and has visitor berths available. Call 01646 696312 or VHF Channel 37 for Marina Control to book. The marina has a tidal lock gate – call VHF Channel 14 for access. Neyland Yacht Haven is a small marina within the Milford Haven Waterway with visitor berths. 01646 601601; www.yachthavens.com/neyland-yacht-haven. 2 DALE BAY/SANDY HAVEN Anchor overnight in Dale Bay or Sandy Haven near the mouth of Milford Haven for an early start to the islands. If you plan to head south from the mouth of the Cleddau estuary, you must call the Castlemartin Range Control on 01646 662367/VHF Channel 16…

A Whitbread Round the World Race reunion in the run up to the race welcomed veterans, including Tracy Edwards and Sir Chay Blyth, and current crews in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the iconic race. Some 83 former Whitbread skippers and crew were there enjoying a beer and offering good wishes and advice to the crews about to set sail. Sir Chay Blyth, who skippered the Gurney 77, Great Britain II, in the first race, winning the third leg from Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, hosted the evening, sharing his experience of the race. Tracy Edwards chatted to veteran Whitbread journalist Barry Pickthall and shared memories about the hostility and sexism that the Maiden crew faced in 1989-90 as the first all-woman crew to sail around the world.…

Ann Davison had set out from Plymouth in her 23ft sloop Felicity Ann on 18 May 1952. Now it was November 1953, she was approaching New York and her voyage was at an end. Now, I thought, there is nothing to do but get underway for the 79th Street Yacht Basin to complete the trip. A prospect that was immeasurably saddening. It had been a way of life for so long now I found it hard to imagine any other, and dreaded the thought of having to lay Felicity Ann up for the winter and taking to a shore life. I tried to comfort myself by thinking of spring, when perhaps we would be able to sail again, but at the same time I knew irrefutably that the spell ashore…

FROM £699 LIFOS GO 72 SMART LITHIUM BATTERY www.solartechnology.co.uk Ideal onboard space-saver designed with the latest cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate battery technology to provide the equivalent energy of a 130Ah lead acid battery, despite being a quarter of the weight and a full third smaller, at just 188mm x 299mm x 179mm. It’s fitted with Bluetooth app connectivity so you can monitor its onboard performance via Android or Apple smart devices, with up-to-minute data, including current, voltage, power (watts) and state of charge. An alert will warn of a low state of discharge giving ample time for a recharge. Up to four Lifos Go 72 units can be connected in series if required, with each battery’s internal BMS (battery management system) ensuring all of the lithium cells are perfectly balanced to…

FOLLOW THE SERIES HERE… www.yachtingmonthly.com/howitworks It’s unfortunate but true that the hull on any vessel will have to have some holes in it. This will usually be for the wet exhaust, the stern tube, and the sea inlets and outlets. Typical sea inlets on a yacht will be for the engine raw-water cooling system and the toilet raw-water inlet. Typical outlets and overboards, meanwhile, will be for the engine raw-water cooling (if the engine has a dry exhaust) and the toilet overboard, as well as for the bilge pump overboard, and the galley/sink overboards SKIN FITTINGS Before we look at the valves needed for inlets and outlets, we should think about how the valves are actually attached to the hull. On steel and aluminium hulls, a short length of pipe…

Two incredible stories won this year’s Brian Black Memorial Award, in association with B&G and YM. For the writing prize, Tim Linsell wrote about sailing from Norway to Svalbard, eloquently capturing his wonder at encountering whales, mountains and glaciers by boat, but dismayed by the rate of change in the Arctic. ‘The sea and the experiences I have had sailing on it have had a singular impact on my life,’ said Linsell. ‘Being offered the chance to share some of these stories means a great deal, and I hope that it will encourage others to share their own.’ Winning the video prize, Irenka and Alan Wood have been sailing the world with their three young children since 2017. Their fun, informative and emotional video Every Ripple Helps captures the joy…

BESTEVAER 36 In a world in which yachts are constantly becoming larger, this Dutch brand is bucking the trend, with the smallest-ever model in its 20-year history. It’s intended to offer performance along with shoal draught and the ability to safely dry out on a beach. These rugged aluminium pilothouse cruisers have always reflected what former professional skipper and renowned naval architect Gerard Dykstra wants in a boat of his own: a safe, comfortable, and good-looking yacht for unrestricted, short-handed sailing. It has been the perfect formula for a lifetime of ocean sailing, high-latitude work and solo racing. The 36 follows in a similar spirit, but is also intended as a boat in which Dykstra can spend extended periods in the shallow waters, lakes and coastlines close to home that…

The Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood gave me a shock when I went there to interview curators and admire the ancient toys and equipment of bygone infancy. There, in a case devoted to teenagers of the 1960s, were two items I recognised. One was a tin of Beatles-themed talcum powder, with The Fab Four stamped on it with their pudding-bowl fringes and collarless jackets. The other was a roll-on girdle with suspenders, teen size and style. I reeled back in horror, asking what on earth was the point? And the horror increased when the curator explained how expensive it is to preserve these marvellous things from the past and keep the cases in the correct temperature and humidity. My teens were a museum piece. Already! I am glad to have…

Q I have a yacht that I bought in the Netherlands in 1992. I have a VAT certificate from the Dutch authorities, issued at the time of purchase. I kept the boat in the Netherlands but relocated her to France in 2007. I am considering bringing the boat to the UK. Am I correct that if I do I will have to pay UK VAT on the value of the boat? If so how is that value determined? Would VAT be due on any other element, such as the cost of transporting her? Tom Williams A Robin Baron, Chair of the Cruising Association Regulatory and Technical Services group, replies: Assuming that during his ownership and prior to the end of the Brexit transition period (2300hrs UTC on 31 December 2020)…

When the new moon holds the old one in her lap, expect fair weather. Just as the moon reflects light onto the earth, the earth reflects light onto the moon. This is called earthshine and allows us to see the dark part of the moon occasionally. When the dark part of the moon can be seen next to the new moon, it indicates that the air is very dry throughout the atmosphere. This should indicate a period of fair weather. However, if you cannot see the dark part of the moon, a depression may be coming as that indicates the air high in the atmosphere is damp, potentially long before this moist air reaches the ground. Also, showers require a humid atmosphere, so if the dark part of the moon…

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Hundreds of spectator boats cheered the start of the Ocean Globe Race on Sunday 10 September, as 14 iconic yachts raced through the line off Cowes, at the start of a 27,000-mile global circumnavigation in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Round the World Race. A flotilla of well-wishers, including Britain’s largest working steamship, Shieldhall, waved and clapped the fleet to the starting line opposite the Royal Yacht Squadron on the Isle of Wight, where Sir Chay Blyth, a fellow circumnavigator, fired the starting gun. The race celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race, which means taking on the world’s toughest oceans without modern technology, using no computers, satellites, GPS, or high-tech materials for navigational aids. The Whitbread Round the World Race started from Portsmouth…

Tracy Edwards and the Maiden crew became the first all-women crew to sail around the world in the 1989-90 Whitbread, finishing second in class, returning to Southampton to a hero’s welcome. Edwards, who was then awarded an MBE, is behind the current team who again want to make history. Maiden’s day job is as an ambassador to promote girls’ education through The Maiden Factor charity run by Edwards. The crew, ranging in age from 18 to 42, reflect this. Skipper Heather Thomas, 26, is an experienced sailor who began her career sailing dinghies at Otley in Yorkshire, then was in charge of a fleet of charter yachts before she was 20. Heather gives great credit to Ocean Youth Club North and the James Cook training boat for introducing her to…

Send your sailing gossip, diary dates, cruising news and club updates to Heather Prentice: heather.prentice@futurenet.com In 2024, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will have been saving lives at sea for 200 years and, to mark the milestone, the charity is inviting sailingclubs to celebrate with them. ‘All Hands on Deck’, launched at the 2023 Southampton Boat Show, is an initiative to get sailing clubs across the UK and Ireland to create a fundraising event of their choice. It’s hoped the money raised will ensure the lifesaving organisation can be there for generations of sailors to come. Sailing clubs are invited to organise their own race, connect with other clubs for joint sailing events or to plan a land-based charity day to show support for the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews.…

Retiring from the MAIB (Marine Accident Investigation Branch) has allowed me to reflect on developments in marine safety over the past few decades, particularly in the sailing sector, which is where I have the most experience. It began when I was plonked into my father’s leaky National 12, aged two, wearing a contrivance of a lifejacket that would never qualify for a CE marking today. When I joined the MAIB back in 1995, the organisation was half the size it is now. Paper charts were still the norm and AIS (Automatic Identification System) was still some way off. People often ask me whether I worry about going out sailing when I’ve been working for so long in an environment that highlights the dangers of what can happen when afloat. The…

The owner and skipper of a rowing boat trying to cross the Atlantic in a record challenge has received a 12-month suspended sentence after a 21-year-old was lost overboard in the middle of the Atlantic in 2016. Simon Chalk, owner of the 10.8m rowing boat Toby Wallace, had been attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Barbados in 32 days with a crew of eight rowers. On 14 February 2016, rower Michael Johnson, from Zimbabwe, was swept overboard by a large wave and soon became separated from the boat. In a case brought by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Chalk, aged 51, pleaded guilty to failing to take all reasonable measures to ensure the safe operation of his vessel. Chalk took part in the first Atlantic…

The yacht Perseverance has won the first leg of the 2023-24 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, sailing more than 1,000 miles from Portsmouth to Puerto Sherry, Spain. Yacht Club Punta del Este was second and UNICEF was in third place out of the 11 yachts competing. Perseverance is, however, second on the leaderboard behind Yacht Club Punta del Este which gained an extra three points by going for a scoring gate. ‘We had a fantastic welcome into Puerto Sherry with some local sherry and some flowers,’ said Perseverance skipper Ineke van der Weijden. ‘It’s beautiful weather and we came in first! We are feeling a little shell-shocked but super happy!’ Clipper Race Director, Mark Light said: ‘After making a fantastic move to the north early on day two, in…

Sailing alone brings out a certain mastery of life which no other activity can provide. All sailors plan to eradicate obstacles, but out on the ocean they still arise and must be overcome. You can’t park up and await assistance; quite often you can’t turn back either. There’s no one to help. So, when solo yachtsman John Passmore decided to promote his book, Old Man Sailing, to a new audience in France he decided not to rely on an agent or publisher, but to do it himself by sailing there. He had 1,000 leaflets in French printed and stowed away in a spare berth and – having completed the Jester Challenge Plymouth to Baltimore, Ireland – set off from that Irish port to the capital of single-handed sailing, Les Sables…

WATCH THE VIDEO www.yachtingmonthly.com/impression43 Designing a boat that will have a production run of 20 years is rare these days. Other than a few contemporary classics, genuine production boats tend to have a shelf life of 10 years or less. Not so for the Rob Humphreys-designed Elan Impression 434, which enjoyed a hugely successful life of just over 19 years, in various guises, all with the same hull. To have drawn lines that lasted that long is quite an endorsement. In all, over 600 of the 434, 45 and 45.1 variants were built. When Elan decided to update the model, it’s no surprise they went back to Humprheys Yacht Design for their new boat. Indeed, all seven current Elan models are from the Humphreys drawing board. The brief was simple.…

Fenders are bulky things to carry around on a cruising boat, and they need to earn their keep. Whilst it is useful to have them spread along the hull, and to have one on the shoulder of the boat whilst you manoeuvre into a berth, they should then be moved closer to midships at the point of widest beam to share the load, particularly in heavy winds. On the blue yacht pictured, at least four fenders are dangling in the breeze and the weight of the boat is consequently concentrated on the remaining fenders which are in contact with the pontoon. This causes pressure points and in heavy weather the few fenders doing all the work can get overloaded and burst. Once you have settled into your berth, shift any…

The weird and wonderful language of sailing may be confusing to landlubbers who tend not to appreciate that a sheet is a rope, a kicker does not have feet, and the boot-top has nothing to do with wellies. Some people may think it elitist or even snobbish, but using the correct terminology among fellow yachties is unambiguous and shows that we (probably) know what we are doing. Indeed, using the wrong terms can lead to confusion (which red rope?) and makes you stand out as someone who is not fully in command of the situation. I’ve noticed some Americanisms creeping in: ‘dock’ for berth, ‘moor up’ instead of secure, ‘sailboat’ for yacht, and ‘lie against’ in place of lie alongside. I even spotted a post on Facebook recently talking about…

Q Anne is regretting attempting an ambitious passage from Penzance to Plymouth in Flinders, her 8m yacht with her husband as crew. There was a good breeze at the start of the trip, but the wind died and progress has been slow under power. Instead of arriving at dusk Flinders is approaching Plymouth in the early hours, and, to make Hooe the passage harder after a long day, they have just entered a fog bank. Anne is navigating using an iPad. There is no radar or AIS on board. As Plymouth is their home port they know the way in to the west of the breakwater which is marked by a lighthouse with a foghorn. Anne was hoping to pick up the light to guide them in but it is not…

During the afternoon of Christmas Eve 2019, I was steering a tubby old steel ketch called Cristina on a delivery passage slowly westward along the south coast of Isla Las Aves Barlovento. The sight of the low-lying coral reefs and mangroves of the South Caribbean atoll brought back memories from 50 years before when Ann and I had been shipwrecked on that very same shore in our yacht Starlight, a 27ft wooden Stella. Fate had interrupted our voyage to Australia by crashing us into Venezuela and we had made our home there. I was tired out from lack of sleep and the stress of dealing with Cristina’s many tantrums up to now. I had first seen her only four days earlier when I had been asked to deliver her to…

Setting off from our swinging mooring at Rudders boatyard, Burton, in Pembrokeshire, we have to travel the length of the Cleddau estuary to reach open water. With the wind and tide in our favour we get whooshed along towards our destination, northwest of the mouth of the Milford Haven waterway. It’s an impressive stretch of water; a deep, wide natural ria that is home to the second-largest port in the UK. As we sail past oil and gas tankers parked up at the refinery berths, we are dwarfed by their immense proportions; 200m long and several storeys high they create a wind shadow that brings us to a near standstill. Holding our nerve, momentum carries us their length and we drift back into the wind as the sails fill and…

The eight-month adventure follows the original Clipper route and is split into four legs, sailing around the three great Capes: Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin, and South America’s notorious Cape Horn. Stopovers include: Cape Town, Auckland and Punta del Este. THE FIRST LEG: 6,650 miles, Southampton to Cape Town. The first boats are expected to finish between 9-21 October. THE SECOND LEG: 6,650 miles, Cape Town to Auckland, New Zealand. It starts on 5 November and is expected to finish between 14-23 December. THE THIRD LEG: 8,370 miles, Auckland, New Zealand to Punta del Este, Uruguay. It starts on 14 January 2024. The first boats are expected to finish between 9-18 February 2024. THE FOURTH LEG: 5,430 miles, Punta del Este, Uruguay to Southampton. The first boats…

Tapio Lehtinen was the first to sign up for this race. He is a veteran of the 1981-82 Whitbread race and the recent Golden Globe Race, where he struggled with gooseneck barnacles. To keep his spirits up, race organiser Don McIntyre told Tapio about his next big project, the OGR. Tapio grasped the opportunity of the 2023 OGR as a chance to bring a new generation of Finnish sailors to global ocean racing. The selection process has been rigorous, starting with 107 applicants and running over two years. The process has included psychological tests as well as sailing ability and has offered various insights on the way – such as the different qualities developed by a sea scout training as opposed to a dinghy racer background. The final team has…

Being hit by the boom is not unusual, but headbutting it is. It was the second morning of our Ionian cruise and we were about to manoeuvre out of Episcopi, when a praying mantis appeared on the bimini. Louise leapt up to look, but the boom was in the way. Concussion is worrying; what is appropriate action when at sea in a foreign land? Consulting doctor friends in the UK, we proceeded with caution. Louise was ‘out of it’ all that day, sleeping fitfully, and not really herself for days. Chartering for the first time in several years, now with Sail Ionian, we arrived at Vliho. Dumping our bags aboard Firefly, a Bavaria 34, we went for a briefing with Neil, one of the owners. Once we’d finished, we headed…