Innehållsförteckning för May 2025 från Yachting Monthly

Diesel engines are miraculous inventions. Only when you try to replace them do you realise quite how much power a tankful of fossilised dinosaur juice contains. That comes in rather handy when a lee shore looms, or when the wind deserts you and you simply have to get back in time for dinner. We have, perhaps, become a little lazy, addicted to the convenience. Save for the last 100 years or so, sailors down the ages have had to rely on their skill and courage in the very real knowledge that they might not get home in time for tea, or at all, if they get caught out. Clearly, some form of motor adds both safety and ease. Given that some of the earliest auxiliary marine propulsion was electric and…

€1bn The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona had an economic impact of 1.034bn euros on the Catalonia region, a study by the University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Capital Nàutica Foundation (FBCN) showed. 17% Garmin saw a record 17% increase in revenue in the marine segment to $1.07bn in 2024, with a 5% increase in marine segment revenue in the fourth quarter, with growth across multiple categories. 200k Former British soldier Sam Gumble, 38, is suing for damages exceeding £200,000 after sustaining severe injuries from a high-pressure jet of water from a burst pipe aboard the superyacht Mar where he worked as a security guard. 50 years UK sailmaker and chandlery P&B, which has operated in the marine industry for over 50 years, has been acquired by Rhys…

Two experienced sailors, Heath Samples and Mark Hist, have invented Rudder Safe, a groundbreaking unit designed to deter orcas from coming into contact with yachts. Rudder Safe, which has a patent pending, is composed of a small propeller mounted on a stainless steel 316 bracket, with a memoryfoam fixing that creates a non-slip fitting over the rudder. It is clamped to the rudder by ratchet straps. The idea came to Heath and Mark after their Beneteau Oceanis 40 was attacked by a pod of three orcas five miles off Barbate in July 2022 while sailing from Scarborough to La Rapita, 100 miles south of Barcelona. Heath Samples is a Yachtmaster Ocean, an RYA instructor and a former RNLI ALB Navigator, while Mark Hist is an engineer, whose company MH7 Ltd…

From time to time, we get asked for advice on cruising routes from those looking to explore a new area. We are generally happy to oblige, as it usually isn’t too timeconsuming. It could be just a simple, ‘Shall I go north or south of Sicily?’ or, ‘Can you recommend a place to leave the boat in northern Greece?’ Our correspondents usually display a broad knowledge of the area, and have an outline of a plan and only need a few pointers. One time, we had a skipper looking for details on which ports he could get into, and more importantly, where he could refuel on a trip through the Aegean on his 250-foot motor yacht. The answer: not many! Occasionally though, it can be rather more open-ended, something more…

Quaker Girl is waiting patiently at the end of steep granite steps for her third skipper. Not that she needs three, or even one for that matter. But as I step on board, the usual argument about who is in charge breaks out – and, as usual, no one backs down. Our shared enthusiasm can sometimes get in a (modern) girl’s way. ‘It’s not that I don’t trust you,’ I state as I emerge from the galley with beer for them, and the almanac for me. There’s a 24-hour weather window that should get us to the Turks Head (St Agnes, Isles of Scilly) in time for dinner – and back. Our start is determined by the tidal gate at Penzance Harbour, and wind. Or lack of it. It’s a…

Craig Wood, a 33-year-old former British soldier from Doncaster, is set to embark on a world first – aiming to become the world’s first triple amputee to sail solo, non-stop and unsupported 6,000 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean. RYA Yachtmaster Craig is taking on this tremendous challenge to raise awareness of what disabled people can do and to challenge people’s perceptions. He also hopes to raise around £50,000 for limbless veterans charity Blesma and sail training charity Turn to Starboard. ‘My motivation is the potential to be able to change people’s perceptions on what people with disability can achieve,’ Craig told YM in an exclusive interview. ‘I love meeting people and they’re impressed by what I do.’ Craig is planning to set sail in March for up to 80…

Pip Hare has won the OCC’s Seamanship Award for exceptional skill and bravery following her dismasting during the singlehanded Vendée Globe 2024. Famously, Pip managed to set a jury rig and sail to Melbourne, Australia. Armed with a hacksaw and gloves, she removed most of the rig, preserving the hull’s integrity and saving the boom, furlers and one outrigger. Pip erected a jury-rigged mast, enabling her to fly the trysail and sail to Australia. Bob Bradfield won the OCC award for creating 750 highly detailed electronic charts, known as Antares Charts, of Scotland’s West Coast, which he distributes at cost. Victor Wejer won the OCC Lifetime Award 2024 for his long service, free of charge, to high-latitude sailors. For two decades Victor has been assisting small boats attempting to transit…

ARE YOUR LITHIUM BATTERIES SAFE? Best practice afloat ATLANTIC CROSSING Tricky times aboard Arkyla and the lessons learned SAILING THE PELOPONNESE Rounding Cape Maleas without shredding the sails BE THE FIRST TO READ IT Subscribe at www.yachtingmonthly.com Spain included in Cape Horners fame? I’m a very old YM subscriber and always read it with great interest. As a captain, I’ve played my part in the marine world. Nine years ago, I completed a circumnavigation – this had been a dream since I was a child. My great-grandfather (1830) was a sailboat captain and thanks to this, I fell in love with boats, seas and harbours. During my childhood I spent my holidays in Vinarós, (Castellón de la Plana, beside Valencia) a small, beautiful fishing village. In 1960, I began studying…

The sun shines bright in the sky and the gentle wind moves a lock of hair on my cheek. I turn the wheel, tack and pull the sheet towards me. Carefully I watch my electronic chart, because I’m beating, leg after leg in the narrow straits between the islands on the Swedish east coast. Behind me I hear the low humming of an engine, and on my next tack the sailor speeds up, turns his head and gives me a strange look, as if I am the one who is behaving weirdly. ‘Tacking is primitive,’ one of my friends said this summer. I was stunned. Really, because I couldn’t disagree more. Beating to windward is a basic and fundamentally necessary skill for a sailor. And as I’m tacking my way…

1 MOOR WITH CARE If you rely on the dinghy as your only way to get ashore, wherever you secure it, consider the rise and fall of tide and, if packed in with other craft, with the length of strop that you leave, what could happen if other dinghies left, the tide came in, or swell increased? 2 ONBOARD ESSENTIALS Keep the pump in the dinghy if you can, and oars, just in case you’re immobilised. 3 ONLINE RESOURCES If you enter an anchorage and see where everyone else has left their dinghies, don’t assume that you know better. Apps like Navily, www.navily.com, or the Cruising Association’s CAptainsMate, available to members of the Cruising Association, have lots of useful information like where to anchor and the conditions that you might…

LEGAL AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS All travel to Antarctica is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System. Obtain permits through your home country or flag state before you leave Argentina. Insurance is essential. Visiting yachts are obliged to follow protocols laid out by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). Website: https://iaato.org/visiting-antarctica/information-for-yachts PRE-DEPARTURE REQUIREMENTS The risks and challenges are heightened when travelling into the ice. The skipper and crew should all have advanced sailing experience, particularly in polar conditions and be trained in medical emergencies and survival techniques. The yacht should carry a well-stocked medical kit with additional supplies for treating hypothermia, frostbite and injuries. Crew should practise emergency drills, including abandon-ship procedures. Crews should use realtime satellite data and weather forecasts to avoid storms and navigate through ice fields. It…

LAST DAYS OF THE SLOCUM ERA £28.15 Graham L Cox, Random Books, £28.15 This second volume of Graham Cox’s sailing autobiography finds the author generally more assured and successful in his projects, though he still notices in himself a tendency to be persuaded into unwise decisions or to make spontaneous errors. The book is dominated by his happy ownership of Arion, a steelhulled Tom Thumb 24 which he eventually converts to a junk rig. This is certainly a book for junk rig enthusiasts, with much space given to discussing issues such as sail camber. There are many photos and friendships but, regrettably, no maps. His cruising area is Eastern Australia, the Coral and Tasman Seas. But then he sells Arion. Evidently, this story is not yet done. SPLICING MODERN ROPES…

HOW CAN I HELP? Running and maintaining our fleet is our biggest cost and therefore our main challenge. If you are interested in supporting us, the things we need most are: 1 Financial support, in the form of sponsorship and donations (particularly for family sailing). 2 Yachts – we need yachts, ideally sized being between 32 and 38-feet. 3 Consumables in the form of oil filters, fuel filters, oil, coolant, alternator and water pump belts, impellers, anodes, outboard servicing kits, first aid kits, safety equipment etc. 4 Volunteers – we are always looking for volunteer skippers but also volunteers to support with boat maintenance.…

The material, colour, and condition of a yacht’s deck can dramatically transform its overall look and feel. Over the years, marine decking materials have evolved, moving from natural, traditional hardwoods to more advanced, sustainable synthetics. This shift mirrors the environmental consciousness that was once at the heart of early marine practices. Historically, shipwrights used Stockholm tar, a natural, water-repellent and rot-resistant substance derived from pine-tree sap, to preserve and waterproof caulking of decks on wooden vessels. This eco-friendly approach exemplified early efforts to maintain boats with the materials available at the time. Today, modern decking options are continuing that trend, offering environmentally conscious alternatives to either real teak from the rainforests of Myanmar, or oil-derived synthetic decking, without sacrificing durability or aesthetics. Mandy Boughton, managing director at Ancasta Yacht Services,…

Peter Bruce, the renowned racing yachtsman and editor of Heavy Weather Sailing, the authoritative book on surviving storms at sea, has died, aged 83. Peter represented Britain on seven occasions, four times in the British Admiral’s Cup Team – winners in 1977 and 1981 and the top individual boat in 1979 – twice in British teams for the Australian Southern Cross series and once as the sighted skipper of one of the British Team’s blind sailing crews. A regular contributor to YM, he wrote most recently about hidden anchorages in Scotland.…

…FROM OUR ENVIRONMENTAL CORRESPONDENT Let’s restore wildlife!’ The clarion cry of the politician. ‘Restore it! We’ve lost it! Bring it BACK!!’ You’d think I, as a lifelong environmentalist, co-creator of the Brian Black Memorial Award for Marine Environmental Journalism and wildlife enthusiast, would love that, that I would leap up and shake your hand and say, ‘Let’s do it!’ But no, the very idea of restoring wildlife makes my head ache. There is a biodiversity crisis, we are in the midst of the sixth great global extinction event and it is killing off species faster than anything seen before in the 4.6bn year history of our planet. Possibly 10,000 times faster than what could be considered ‘normal’. So why don’t I want to restore it? To ‘restore’ is to attempt…

HALYARD TENSIONER 32 RIGGING SOLUTION FROM £309 www.seldenmast.com This innovative new design from leading rigging specialist Selden Mast has been created by the Swedish firm to help eliminate cumbersome coils of halyard lines that inevitably build up under the sprayhood or at a yacht’s mast when a furling sail has been hoisted. Once the sail is hoisted, a messenger line is fixed to the halyard and hooked onto the upper attachment point of the car. A temporary tail line is then secured to the lower point, leading back to a winch for final tensioning. As the car slides down the 32mm-wide track, the pin-stop plunger engages in the trim holes, one after another, until the desired luff tension is achieved. Both the tail line and the messenger line can be conveniently…

Turn to Starboard (T2S) is a Cornishbased sailing charity supporting individuals who have been affected by military service and their families. Retiring from the armed forces, or coming home after intense, probably dangerous, possibly disturbing tours of duty can be unexpectedly difficult for some people, particularly if it was unforeseen or following an injury. T2S beneficiaries are often living with complex mental and/or physical challenges resulting from their time in service and can sometimes struggle with the transition to civilian life. Some miss the camaraderie, the unspoken sense of purpose. Others experience a loss of identity. Those who have experienced trauma or the death of friends may feel that they are alone in a world where such things cannot be talked about. Some service veterans seek comfort in drugs or…

BEN SUTCLIFFE-DAVIES, Marine Surveyor and full member of the Yacht Brokers Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA) www.bensutcliffemarine.co.uk The First 27.7, with its amazing performance, will appeal to quite a small niche racing and fast passage-making market sector. It’s important to establish that the boat has been used and raced. With many of these craft now over 20 years old, it’s essential to fully inspect bilges for any signs of matrix detachment and/or repairs. I’ve seen water trapped between the hull and internal matrix pan liner being a common problem. It can be quite obvious once all sole boards are lifted and then if you just stand on the internal linings between the matrix frames you can often feel it squelch! Inspect out of the water too, the drop keel especially,…

Replacing a yacht’s deck isn’t always necessary. If you have a teak deck showing signs of wear, there are several options for restoring or repairing it, depending on its condition, your budget, and long-term maintenance preferences. Cleaning and restoring teak: For light to moderate wear, regular cleaning and treatments can restore the natural colour and appearance of teak. Sanding and repairing teak: For more significant wear, sanding can smooth out rough or weathered surfaces, renewing the teak’s look. Re-caulking the seams: If the caulking between planks is damaged or cracking, re-caulking can prevent leaks and refresh the deck’s aesthetic. Partial teak replacement: For small areas of damage, replacing just the affected planks is a cost-effective option. Full deck replacement: If the teak deck is severely worn (less than 4mm thick),…

Moored by the prop James Stevens When I did my Yachtmaster Instructor course, it was impressed upon me that any nautical mishaps were always the responsibility of the instructor. Blaming the trainees is not an option in the subsequent inquiry. I was reminded of this when running a course as chief instructor for a sailing school based on a river that had pile moorings. Picking up fore and aft pile moorings is always a good power exercise for would-be yachtmasters so the final task for the skipper of the day on the course was to secure the yacht between the piles, organise a cup of tea, then take us back to the sailing school. It all started fine; the skipper motored carefully into the tide to the stern mooring and…