Innehållsförteckning för January 2025 från Yachting Monthly

A veritable Who’s Who of global circumnavigators gathered together in Les Sables d’Olonne at the end of October to applaud the latest names inducted into the International Association of Cape Horners (IACH) Hall of Fame. First to be recognised was four-time French circumnavigator, Loïck Peyron, a former Jules Verne Challenge record holder, followed by two fellow French heroes, Jean Le Cam and the current circumnavigation record holder, Francis Joyon. Joining them in this very select group of 40 sailors that now have their names inscribed on the Honours board were Whitbread/Volvo race veterans Dr Roger Nilson from Sweden and 10-time Australian circumnavigator Andrew Cape. The sixth inductee, Britain’s Mike Golding, joined the ceremony via video link from the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean. ‘It is a fantastic honour,’ he…

Blue skies heralded the ARC+ 2024 rally as the fleet of 94 yachts departed Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on the 850-mile voyage to Cape Verde, the first stage of their Atlantic crossing to the island of Grenada. A record 27 multihulls started on 10 November, with Erik Larsson’s Outremer 52 Appa (USA) first to cross the line, followed by Baptise Peix’s Outremer 49 Oxane (FRA), and Simon Cook’s Outremer 55 Sizzle (GBR). These boats are all crewed by friends and family, including young children. Sizzle has the rally’s youngest crew, with eight-month-old Charlotte. The 67-strong cruising division for monohulls was next to the line, with Carol Wu’s Hallberg-Rassy 340 Aria Legra (GBR) crewed by veteran racer Peter Hopps in pole position followed by Andrew Heppel’s Oyster 595 Carina (GBR) and…

Oddity’s double glazing, insulation and heating create a warm, homely environment as I bash out this column. We’re currently on a chilly mooring in the Yealm Estuary as another season’s closure is heralded by a cloud of leaves as they drift past on an outgoing tide. The weather gods conspired against us this year as, with seeming intent, they gifted fleeting spells of idyllic sailing, but out of sync with our spare time. Throw in breaking my wrist and we are left with a sense of loss that makes this final few days on board all the more precious. For all that, there have been highlights, with a couple of Channel crossings and time in the Channel Islands where we were able to catch up with friends. Trapped by weather,…

Does a metre really make that much difference when it comes to boat length? It may be one small step up in size, but it represents a giant leap for the normally understated Swedish yard Arcona. Take a look at their stunning new flagship, the Arcona 50, and you’ll see how different this boat is to the rest of their fleet. Stefan Qviberg, the yard’s resident designer, passed away in 2018 having drawn every Arcona from 1982 onwards. The new designer had some big boots to fill. Conveniently, the design duo of Niels Jeppesen and Ariadna Pons had recently stepped away from X-Yachts to establish their own design practice. The potential accusation that the Arcona 50 looks more like an X-Yacht is therefore not entirely unfounded, though Arcona would respond…

The journey started two months before our transit date, logging on to the website of the canal’s Small Craft Service, ASEM, to register the boat, and request a transit date. I wanted to be sure we reserved a specific date as we had guests joining us for the transit and their schedule didn’t give us much flexibility. The website requires you to upload photos of your boat from various angles. It’s glitchy and slow and I had to make a few calls to the helpline to get it to work. In some ways the site was harder to navigate than the canal itself. In the past, the only option to pay for the trip was depositing a chunk of cash at a bank in a sketchy neighbourhood of Colón, with…

The transit takes me over the bar at what seems to be one of the deepest parts (1.4m). If I stay on the transit I then shouldn’t miss seeing a red port-hand buoy 50m to the left of me at the point where the cliffs seem the closest. A problem I might have is other boats either entering with me or leaving. All may stop me using the transit and, if so, I will need to keep to starboard. If I do get pushed off the transit to the right (east) between the bar and the red buoy, I need to be careful that I don’t get caught up in the rest of the bar (named ‘The Bar’ on the chartlet) on the eastern side. But how to identify if…

HENRI LLOYD KNITWEAR WINTER WOOLLENS www.henrilloyd.com Henri-Lloyd has launched an extensive new range of warm and stylish high-end knitted products designed specifically for the demands of winter sailing. The Knitted Beanie (above), for instance, which retails at £60, is crafted from lambswool and recycled polyamide and comes in a choice of two colours – traditional navy blue or off-white. The new Acle Knit quarter-zip jumper (below), meanwhile, is a chunky and cosy sweater tailored for a relaxed fit and cold-weather layering. Available in cream or navy blue and retailing at £175, it comes in sizes small to XX-large. A third notable offering in the range is a hard-wearing and seamless Falmouth Gansey, based on the sweater traditionally worn by West Country fishermen. Also made from a lambswool mix, it features…

Our 1980s Yamazaki Yachts 34, Zen Again, is an IOR (International Offshore Rule) 3/4 tonner masthead cutter, with a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder, displacing 6,000kg loaded for blue-water cruising. When we purchased her in 2010 she had a full-sized mainsail, conventional mainsheet and traveller, a simple rope kicker, two mainsail clew reefing lines, and ‘slugs in mast slot’ mainsail luff attachment. She was designed for fully crewed racing and we quickly found that the main issue with the mainsail systems was safety. The full-sized mainsail may have been good for light airs whilst racing with four crew on the rail, but it was just too big for cruising. The mainsheet and traveller were in the cockpit, creating a ‘death-zone’ during gybes. The rope kicker required a boom topping…

Propeller fouling causes a marked drop in performance, while electrolytic corrosion can cause serious propeller damage. Propellers should, therefore, be cleaned annually – but a quick clean of the prop any time that your boat is out of the water will always be worthwhile. CLEANING PROPELLERS Thoroughly clean the prop using this order: paint scraper, wire brush on an electric drill, waterproof abrasive paper. Examine the blades for ‘dezincification’, which appears as a mottled red/brown appearance on the surface, indicating that the zinc in the bronze alloy has been corroded away. Severe corrosion will show a pitted surface and can weaken the blade significantly. If dezincification is present, check the anodes. Saildrive legs have relatively small anodes, so dezincification is more likely on heavier, folding props. This could require frequent…

The Yachting Monthly Triangle race will take place once more as the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club (RCYC) resumes hosting the popular race, starting in June 2025 in Falmouth. The YM Triangle was originally hosted by the RCYC in 1984 before it moved to the Royal Torbay Yacht Club, who ran many successful editions. For 2025 it is reverting back to the RCYC in Falmouth with a start date of Sunday, 8 June. The course remains the same – Falmouth-Kinsale-Tréguier-Falmouth – with prizegiving on Friday, 20 June. The Kinsale-Tréguier leg will also be a qualifier for the 2027 edition of the Azores and Back Race (AZAB). Just prior to the YM Triangle, the RCYC will be hosting the AZAB when it celebrates 50 years since the first race. It is anticipated…

The Bavaria Owners Association has a new Commodore, Ceridwen Austin, better known as Crid, who is keen to bring a higher profile to the friendly association that offers support and fun events to hundreds of members worldwide. Crid has begun a series of new initiatives, including a new crew finder service, discounts from local businesses, upgrading the website and forum, and a regular newsletter. The Bavaria Owners Association was started at the beginning of 2000 for sailors who own or have an interest in Bavaria yachts, both sail and power. It is particularly active on the south coast with frequent rallies, barbecues, safari suppers, rounders matches, and dinners at the local yacht club. Crid, a businesswoman who has been a finalist for Business Woman of the Year, has been sailing…

Can I squeeze over this tidal sill on neaps? Q Tom and Jane are on holiday in North Brittany with their two children. They are on their 11m yacht with a 2m draught. The weather has been hot, with a large area of high pressure 1036mb and little gradient wind but pleasant breezes. They are planning to visit Binic, an attractive port with berths for visiting yachts in a wet basin in the centre of the town. The entrance to Binic dries 5.5m so entry is only possible at high water. The marina has a hydraulic flap gate which opens when the height of tide reaches 8.5m. The French tidal information refers to coefficients which indicate range of the tide. For Binic the coefficient required for entry has to be…

For this article we chose Salcombe. It is a popular destination and although only a few hours away, I hadn’t visited for a few years. I think the entry is quite interesting as it’s one of those ports where as long as you get the basics right, it’s pretty straightforward. Salcombe is known for its bar which is really only a problem (for most) around low water springs or in a strong southerly wind. There can also be strong currents in the channel which means a little extra focus is required when turning around and mooring up. From Dartmouth, I have to pass the headland at Start Point, so it was timing this correctly that was the most important thing to get right on this trip. The entry time would…

The Harbour Guide and pilot books state that Salcombe can be very busy so it’s good to have an idea where you want to moor and also a backup location. I hope to try and moor on the visitor’s pontoon in ‘The Bag’, around the corner from the main town quay as it’s more sheltered. I should however, keep a lookout to see what mooring buoys are available as I pass them up the main channel and be prepared to come back and raft if necessary. The last thing to think about is to double check what time the tide is going to turn and have a look for good areas to turn around in as I am likely to be arriving around full flood (albeit neaps). In a perfect…

…FROM OUR FAMILY CRUISING CORRESPONDENT There are many folk who have stepped onto Sobek and made an immediate (although entirely understandable) mistake. They have assumed that I know what I’m doing. It’s not a long-lasting sensation, but in the early stages, it can be a bit discombobulating for all concerned. But this certainly couldn’t be said of my best mate, a dear old mucker of nearly 40 years. He’s seen it all, every level of muppetry imaginable, and always has the air of a spooked animal whenever I invite him to try something where I’m in charge. This changes to a bovine acceptance of imminent death once we’re underway, and then sheer, unadulterated, unfettered joy when I give up and turn for home. And so as he stepped aboard Sobek,…

www.yachtingmonthly.com/book Mabel Stock, her brother Ralph, a friend Steve and an unnamed paying passenger passed through the Panama Canal in December 1919 on the sturdy Norwegian cutter Ogre. They were towed to a quiet anchorage in Balboa away from the boat traffic but within rowing distance of the shore. There we dropped anchor, realising that though the Ogre was possibly the smallest craft ever allowed through the Panama Canal, yet she had given far more trouble than the biggest liner afloat could possibly have done. And yet, during the entire passage we had received the utmost courtesy, help and kindness from both those in authority as well as all concerned. It was in Balboa that an unexpected windfall saved the situation. My brother heard from his agent in New York…

Over the years we’ve also added a Selden Rodkicker boom support system, several foot blocks, a boom brake, Tides Marine SailTrack and mainsail tack reefing lines, and have completely re-invented the mainsheet. The Rodkicker eliminates the need for a topping lift, while more footblocks allow control of the headsail sheet, reaching sheet, staysail sheet and boom brake lines with one cockpit winch per side. The boom brake protects against involuntary gybes, and lets them happen safely if they do occur. The SailTrack provides a low-friction slot for the new mainsail cars, simplifying and accelerating reefing operations. The tack reefing lines support reefing entirely from the cockpit, and the new mainsheet is now entirely outside the cockpit. The changes mean we now have a safer boat, having saved us from injury,…

Anyone who buys a Vertue is buying a boat with a towering reputation. Ever since the prototype was launched in 1936, this modest little cruising yacht, with its well-judged sheer, cheeky spoon bow and deceptively slippery underwater shape, has travelled further and harder than anyone ever expected. Over 200 worldwide have been built to date, many by the Elkins yard in Christchurch but also by Cheoy Lee in Hong Kong, and even a few in glassfibre. But, whatever their pedigree, they are much sought-after and quickly snapped up when they come on the market. To many classic boat aficionados, they are quite simply the ultimate cruising yacht. A TOWERING REPUTATION It all started with the prototype Andrillot, built for Dick Kinnersly, who wanted a boat that had a fine entry,…

MarineShift360, supported by 11th Hour Racing, has unveiled its enhanced Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool to help marine businesses reduce their environmental impact at the design stage, where up to 80% of a product’s footprint is determined. At the heart of this launch is the Impact Accelerator, a programme dedicated to unearthing and scaling projects with the potential to create industry-wide sustainable impact. The Impact Accelerator provides participants with free access to industry-leading sustainability expertise, MarineShift360’s LCA tool, and a paid internship, removing cost barriers and enabling companies to turn sustainable concepts into actionable impact. This initiative showcases how collaboration and innovation can drive real progress across the marine sector, proving that impactful solutions are within reach and are scalable industry-wide. DISNEY SHIP SAVES FOUR New Disney cruise ship, Disney…

A 600,000-strong crowd at Les Sables d’Olonne gave a rousing send-off to the 40 skippers competing in the 10th edition of the Vendée Globe, one of the world’s toughest races. The skippers from 11 nations, who include six women, set off on the most famous and challenging of circumnavigations, with more than 24,000 nautical miles (45,000km) to cover solo, non-stop, and without assistance. Only one boat, Conrad Colman’s MS Amlin, was not able to cross the line on schedule, due to a technical problem, but started later. With barely enough wind to fill the sails, the fleet, led by Frenchman Paul Meilhat (Biotherm), Britain’s Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable) and Maxime Sorel (V&B-Monbana-Mayenne) covered just two miles during the first hour. The northerly winds then picked up off Cap Finisterre when the…

LINJETT 36 When we sailed this boat’s big sister, the Linjett 39, last year, we thought she was a gorgeous cruising boat that would appeal to proper cruising sailors. With a more traditional hull shape, narrower waterline and seaworthy layout, she also sailed extremely well upwind in a blow. As a Swedish boat, she also had the level of finish and craftsmanship that you would expect from a Scandinavian boat. Her little sister, the 36, is designed to be an evolution of those ideals, sitting between the 34 and the 39. There are nods to modern ideas, such as the fixed bowsprit (a first for Linjett), twin wheels (though single rudder) and large hull windows, but she has staunchly resisted ultra-wide hull shapes, hull chines or wide open cockpits. Instead…

Long ago, in the days when paper charts were precious, navigators would sketch out the relevant details in their notebook and take it on deck rather than risk the chart getting damaged. Navigator’s notebooks have blank and lined pages for this reason, so sketch maps are not a new idea. However, I think a slight adjustment to the theme adds real benefit and ease, even when most of us navigate primarily from our on-deck chart plotters, although the rationale may be slightly different to what it once was. The Royal Marines (and the Army) still make three-dimensional models of the area on the map they will be going to when giving ‘Orders’ (military instructions; look online for ‘model pit’ to see what I mean) as it’s a good way to…

When coming into the bay from the east I’ve got a couple of options. I can aim for the other headland (Bolt Head) until I pick up the prominent, well-documented transit (given as 000°) and turn north; or try and intersect it somewhere before I get to the bar. Distance-wise there isn’t much in it but there are pros and cons to both. Continuing towards Bolt-head, a light north-east wind keeps me on a broad reach, which is slow. Once I get to the transit, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to sail north so I’ll be motoring (which does have it’s benefits because I’ll have less to do) but that’s the end of my sailing for the day. The transit is also quite close to rocks and should my…

Henry, my grandson, and I decided to sail together for the Fowey Sailing Opal series, the last yacht race series of the season, as his dinghy season was complete and he was at a loose end (sailing-wise) until his winter sailing started with the RS Tera South West Squad. The Opal series is based on handicap starting, with slower yachts setting off first. So, on 23 September 2023 I was skippering my 18ft yacht, Doux Bisou, a Beneteau 18 SE daysailer, with Henry as crew, in one of the series races. I was then aged 70 and Henry had just turned 13. I have experience of dinghy sailing over many years but class myself as moderately competent. Henry has six or seven years’ dinghy experience and is a competent single-handed…

Lordship, my Westerly Sealord, had been stranded in the Dominican Republic for two months. I had been sailing from Martinique towards Cuba with two friends. We were having trouble with our batteries, so we stopped along the south coast of Hispaniola. In the evening I went up the mast to retrieve a halyard when I spotted damage to the shrouds. A few strands of the cable were broken at the tang. The Dominican Republic didn’t have facilities to swage new shrouds, so I ended up staying for much longer than I wanted. My crew left disappointed and I spent the time waiting for replacements, planning my next steps. I started looking at Haïti, and contemplating why I sail. For me, a large part of that decision is the desire to…

Approaching a yet unvisited island never loses its charm. The feeling of anticipation as it appears from the morning mist as you draw closer. This one appeared on the horizon at about five in the morning. As we came into the lee of the island, its silhouette gradually turned from grey to dark green and I was looking forward to discovering this new, fresh, unknown little world. I was pleased to arrive with the first sunshine. My daughters were sleeping below decks and I let them sleep, quite selfishly. I wanted this mood all to myself. It was only just before we entered the harbour that they came on deck, curious. A HAVEN FOR ARTISTS Hanö not only lends its name to the entire large bay, Hanöbukten, it is also…

SOUTH COAST ONE DESIGN (SCOD) Vertues had already shown what could be achieved by small boats when Charles Nicholson (not the great Charles E Nicholson but his nephew Charles A Nicholson, an accomplished designer in his own right) was asked to design an inexpensive cruiser-racer for members of the Island Sailing Club in 1955. What he came up with was a clever mix of spacious accommodation (for the era) together with a surprisingly fast hull (in a breeze at least) – oh, and 6ft 2in headroom under the doghouse. Luxury indeed. The first six boats were built at Clare Lallows of Cowes and promptly won the first six places overall in the 1956 Round the Island Race. More than 100 boats were subsequently built by various yards on the South…