Innholdsfortegnelse for Jun-2018 i Yachting Monthly

Sailing is evolving. One of mankind’s oldest forms of transport, the boats we sail now have developed incrementally over centuries, and occasionally in great leaps. The foiling catamarans of last year’s America’s Cup were like spaceships compared to that regatta’s original vessels. Hydrofoils aren’t new, but only now have construction methods made them a viable reality. You might not aspire to slice upwind in a yacht on stilts, but it won’t be long until cruising yachts start using foils to improve performance and stability. In the meantime, less dramatic progress continues apace. Multihulls have overtaken monohulls in popularity on charter holidays; if a boat’s real estate correlates to a lack of familial friction, then these cats must be havens of harmony. Furthermore, the sailing performance and manoeuvrability they now offer…

Tributes have been paid to John Fisher, the veteran British racer who was lost overboard from Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag in the Southern Ocean during Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race from Auckland to Itajaí. Initial reports from the crew say that Fisher, 47, was on deck in the cockpit when an accidental gybe resulted in him being hit by the mainsheet system, knocking him off the boat. At the time, he was moving forward to tidy up the Fractional 0 (FR0) sheet and had unclipped his tether, which is standard procedure when moving between positions. Fisher’s fellow crew members believe that he was unconscious when he hit the water. He was wearing a survival suit with a wetsuit hood and gloves, and a lifejacket. SHK/Scallywag was 1,400 miles west…

The renowned Whitbread Round the World yacht Maiden has a new skipper at the helm. Susan Glenny, who founded female yacht racing squad The Sirens, will take over from Tracy Edwards, who led the first all-female crew in the 1989-90 Whitbread race. Maiden is undergoing an extensive refit at Hamble Yacht Services. The 58ft Bruce Farr-designed yacht was shipped back to the UK after it was found rotting in the Seychelles. Once she’s back in the water, Glenny will skipper the yacht on a three-year global tour in support of promoting and raising money for girls’ education around the world.…

Having read your article ‘Coming to the rescue: how to respond to distress calls’ (YM, February 2018), I noted there was no reference to a rescue technique which I observed when sailing from Falmouth to the Helford River in 1973. The wind was about a south-easterly Force 5 and I was skippering Goering’s old yacht Sperling which the RAF had ‘acquired’ at the end of hostilities. Off Newport Head, we came across a lifeboat standing by off a 35ft yacht, which was being blown on to the lee shore having suffered an engine failure. A search and rescue helicopter then arrived and to my astonishment, dropped a line on to the yacht and towed it off the beach. The lifeboat then took over the tow and brought her into Helford…

The winds and sea were too strong to set up the storm jib steering so I hand-steered for close to 18 hours before the conditions settled enough. This was the start of a 1,300-mile run to Tonga and the forecast was not looking good. I thought I had finally been pushed too far and figured I just needed to get to a port and walk away from the boat for good.’ His well-battered palm frond hat, burnt brown by the sun, casts a shadow over his tanned face as Josh Ghyselincks recalls his trip from Bora Bora, one of the more difficult moments during his voyage from Mexico to New Zealand ‘After another day, the wind died out and I flopped around, drifting for a day trying to rest. Finally…

It’s official: this year, for the first time ever, yacht charter businesses ordered more catamarans for their fleets than monohulls. Capable of creeping into the shallowest of anchorages, sailing flat and fast, while being incomparably spacious, catamarans win the numbers game hands down. Still, for even the most experienced monohull sailor, taking command of two hulls and two engines can seem a tall order. No need for trepidation though. The wind and sea remain the same. The theory of sailing is unaltered. What does change when sailing a multihull are the handling characteristics and some basic seamanship rules. These changes are the result of using beam rather than ballast for stability. Inherent in this is a lighter, more stable platform that accelerates quickly and has higher windage and different motion.…

Having left Falmouth, we had high hopes of making it to the Isles of Scilly. It’s usually an 11 or 12-hour sail downwind with the weather forecast looking okay. But we didn’t manage to leave quite in time, with refuelling taking longer than expected and the wind weaker than the forecast had predicted. The plan was to go to the islands for a day or two, then come back to Falmouth, waiting out for a good few days of solid weather to eventually cross the Bay of Biscay. By the time we rounded the Lizard, the most southerly point of the British mainland, we were already too far behind schedule and decided to turn into Mount’s Bay instead to explore some of Cornwall’s sandy beaches. The wind on the other…

Perhaps because I clutched a bottle of Tanqueray in one hand, I was welcomed aboard with much bonhomie. It was genuine hospitality, but I’m sure bringing the skipper’s favoured gin must have helped. In any case, I arrived at Gosport’s Haslar Marina at the required hour of noon on the Friday before the Round the Island Race. As someone who normally cruises, I was keen to dip my toe in this mass-participation race-cum-family day out. I found a place on Helen and Stuart Appleby’s Solent Yacht Charter boat with the help of the Island Sailing Club, which has organised what is now one of the world’s largest yacht races since 1931. I’d expected talk to be race focused so was bemused at the words drifting up from the cabin: ‘Mum…

The unmistakable slender form of the L’Armendèche lighthouse looms into view, with its bright white paintwork and red lantern room. This impressive Art Deco-style structure marks the promontory of Les Sables d’Olonne, and has welcomed many a sailor to one of France’s most famous sailing towns. Les Sables d’Olonne conjures up all manner of feelings and excitement as the start and finish point of the quadrennial Vendée Globe race, and this year, as host to the Golden Globe Race. An intriguing name, Les Sables d’Olonne’s literal meaning is the sands of Olonne, and it’s easy to see why given the long sandy beach known as Grande Plage just east of the entrance, which stretched out before us as we rounded the corner on our Bowman 40, Wild Bird. There seemed…

With a serious expression, I was trying to explain to Carole that ‘we have to get 60km south, up the Seine to Melun by the first evening.’ Everything seemed so tranquil here on the River Marne at our winter base in Joinville-le-Pont on the outskirts of Paris, as we sat in the cockpit of our 24ft Snapdragon, Casabella, munching on croissants and sipping hot coffee. ‘Why?’ came her reply. I explained that since unstepping the mast in Calais more than a year previously and venturing through the canals and rivers to the French capital, the River Seine had been my least favourite stretch of water. ‘There will be nowhere to stop. There are random, shallow extremities and narrow bends. The river traffic is relentless, inhabited by huge, impatient, speeding barges,…

Caught on camera Ian Burton ‘Use the lock to reach your masthead,’ said a friend in Portishead Marina control. Tide out, I healed the boat over and replaced my faulty VHF antenna. Motoring astern, I manoeuvred my Eygthene 24 back into the marina in the warm sun with that confident glow you get with your first boat, one bare foot placed casually on the tiller ready to fend off the harbour wall, arms outstretched to turn back to my berth. The night before was cool, and now everything had a covering of dew, including my deck. As I pushed off the wall, my feet slipped, dumping me like a stricken tortoise. In the fall, I kicked my throttle lever fully forward. Trying to get up, I blindly grasped the tiller,…

Entrepreneur Richard Hadida has bought Oyster Yachts and all of its subsidiaries after Oyster Marine Holdings Limited went into administration in February this year. Recruitment is underway at Oyster Yachts following the sale of the British luxury boatbuilder to the gaming software entrepreneur. Oyster stopped production in February with the loss of 420 employees at its UK sites at Southampton and Wroxham in Norfolk, after Dutch private equity firm HTP Investments announced that it would no longer continue to financially support the company. Hadida has already formed a new management team, led by Oyster Yachts stalwart Paul Adamson, who captained Eddie Jordan’s Oyster 885 LUSH in the Oyster World Rally in 2014. Kim Stubbs, who was responsible for turning around the fortunes of Sunseeker International, has also been brought in…

Plans are underway to rebuild the sailing infrastructure at Holyhead Marina in Anglesey after Storm Emma sank 85 boats and damaged pontoons. The salvage and clean-up operation is still continuing weeks after 70mph gales hit the port on 2 March. So far, more than 25.3 tonnes of polystyrene and 2,700 litres of oil have been recovered from the port and nearby beaches. As of the first week of April, around 30 boats had been salvaged. Holyhead Sailing Club has stated on its website that boats still under the marina’s equipment are not being lifted out at this phase. Meanwhile, owner of Holyhead Marina Ed Hughes blamed uninsured boat owners for the slow start of the salvage operation, stating insurers ‘were worried about who was paying for what and who was…

The RYA says more sailors need to report fishing gear entanglement if the government is to be persuaded to take action. A recent petition by the Cruising Association calling for improvements to the marking of static fishing gear garnered nearly 11,000 signatures. The government responded by saying it would be ‘looking at areas in which the enforcement of regulations can be enhanced.’ It also encouraged the reporting of incidents via the RYA’s fishing gear incident reporting form to ‘help identify any potential solutions.’ The RYA said that in the past six months, it has received 138 reports of entanglement. It added that more evidence is needed to help ascertain the scale of the problem. ‘Like it or not, the government will do nothing unless they are persuaded by hard evidence…

A new alarmed kill cord has been launched which is designed to ensure boaters never forget to clip on this vital piece of safety equipment. The Lifecord has a built-in alarm that senses when it is being worn and reminds the user when it is not, much like the seatbelt alarm in a car. It won’t trigger immediately, giving the user time to start the engine. The Lifecord was the idea of John Barker, who worked with YM’s sister magazine Motor Boat & Yachting to develop the product after reading about the deaths of Nick Milligan and his daughter Emily in May 2013. Neither Nick nor his wife remembered to reattach the boat’s kill cord after stopping to change drivers. The Lifecord costs £89.95 and is distributed through Landau UK.…

Tofinou is well known for its pretty day boats and weekenders, but it’s less well known for its larger yachts (the Tofinou 12 and 16) that the company still regards as day boats rather than cruisers. The 10.c is a departure from the French company’s day and weekender philosophy. It’s aim was to make a more cruiser-like yacht, a cruising Tofinou with the addition of a separate aft cabin and a more practical galley arrangement down below. All in all, this makes her a good prospect for coastal cruising. Like all Tofinous, she is designed to be easy to maintain and sail: lines are led undercover to the helm and while she can be cruised with a partner or family, she can also be easily singlehanded for those times when…

Twin-engined catamarans have wonderful manoeuvrability. They can turn in their own length, which is good as they usually have twice the beam (or more) of an equivalent monohull and will slip sideways in a crosswind due to reduced lateral resistance and higher hull and cabin tops. Most of the boat is out of the water. When docking, know the crosswind and current effects and allow for them, and how quickly you will come to a stop with engines in neutral or hard astern. Because multihulls are lighter and have a higher wetted surface area than a monohull, they have reduced momentum and will generally pull up quicker. TRIMARANS Not all multihulls are the same. A trimaran generally has a wider beam, single engine and rudder, and less internal space. They…

Q Phil and Anne are beating against a westerly Force 4-5 wind off the north Brittany coast in their Beneteau Oceanis 36 (11m long with a draught of 1.5m). They set off from Roscoff bound for L’Aber Wrac’h, a passage of 32 miles assisted by a spring tidal stream. It is now low water; the favourable tide is slackening and will turn against them very soon as they approach L’Aber Wrac’h in early afternoon. It’s been hard work, and they are looking forward to mooring up and enjoying the harbour and maybe sitting outside a French café for coffee, although they have not visited this area before. While Phil steers, Anne is looking at a possible shortcut into the main channel that would save two miles of sailing to windward…

Now in its 82nd year, the Round the Island Race (RTIR) will take place on 7 July 2018, with the first boats crossing the start – the Royal Yacht Squadron line at Cowes – from 0630. You don’t need previous racing experience, and each year, approximately 16,000 sailors on 1,600 boats take part. There are split start times according to the yachts’ ratings which helps separate those who are keen racers from those who are out for more of a leisurely daysail anti-clockwise around the Isle of Wight. There aren’t many other races where you have the chance as a ‘novice’ to race against the professionals in the sport. You will need insurance to take part in the race; if you’re in doubt about whether you’re already covered, tell your…

When sailing folk think of a performance keelboat, a J/Boat will most likely spring to mind. One of the most prolific boatbuilders in the USA, J/Boats has been satisfying the cravings of racing sailors for 40 years. Over the last couple of decades, the yard has produced a number of ‘performance cruisers’ that not only offer the speed, agility and sheer competitiveness of the racing models but also offer a good number of excellent cruising features such as top-quality fittings, spacious and comfy accommodation, and ease of handling with a small or lighthanded crew. The versatile J/97 has repeatedly won her class at many major European regattas, and in 2011 was named IRC Boat of the Year in France. Under sail, she is well balanced, easy to handle, and with…

The circumstances surrounding the keel failure and capsize of Tyger of London is to be examined by the MAIB. The Comet 45 S was on passage from La Gomera to Tenerife when she broached and lost her keel in Force 6-7 winds close to Punta Rasca on 7 December 2017. Her mast hit the water and she capsized. The crew of the Royal Artillery Yacht Club flagship, St Barbara V, witnessed the incident, and sent an immediate Mayday before rescuing Tyger’s five crew. They were all wearing lifejackets. One of them had to be freed after becoming trapped beneath the commercial yacht by her harness. The crew were taken ashore at Las Galletas where they were looked after by the Spanish authorities. Tyger of London was salvaged a week later.…

Former mountaineer and yachtsman Dr Roger Chisholm has died aged 66. Dr Chisholm’s determination to sail, despite being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, was featured in May’s edition of YM (‘Swapping half ropes for halyards’). His friend Dr Peter Davies said: ‘He died peacefully on 17 March 2018 with his ex-wife Sally and his two children, Ellie and Owen, at his bedside.’ Having been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, Dr Chisholm used what time he had left to write his autobiography, Don’t Look Down: An Adventurous Life with MS (Scotland Street Press, £19.99) in six months. In December 2017, he presented his book and a film he’d made with friends, Revisiting the Dubhs Ridge, to a packed lecture theatre at the Salford Royal Hospital, where he had worked as a…

Q We have a small 31ft craft and have the usual problems of accommodating anchors and sufficient cable. Thirty-five metres is the absolute maximum chain that we can carry for the main anchor, yet this is sometimes not enough, especially at springs if we want to veer enough chain in a blow. Having read about experiences of yachting in the 1930s and ’40s, it seems they often employed an angel slid down the cable to assist in stopping the catenary of the chain straightening out. Does such a device work? David Durling A Ken Endean, author of Coastal Turmoil: Winds, Waves and Tidal Races, replies: An angel (or chum) is certainly useful. On London Apprentice (27ft), we carry one of 7kg and another slightly smaller, both homemade from scrap lead…

Under sail, multihulls respond to the wind quickly. They accelerate with gusts and slow with lulls. As a result, the apparent wind (the wind you feel) changes quickly also. On many multihulls, it is easy to become complacent as to the true wind direction and strength. You may appear to be pointing high and flying along when in reality, you have moved the apparent wind forward as you have accelerated and are actually laying off and losing ground to windward. There is a sweet spot for each multihull where the sea state and wind strength combine to give you the optimum velocity made good (VMG) to windward. This is not usually pinching hard to windward and it is also unlikely to be screaming away on a reach thinking you are…

Fowey is one of the best-loved cruising destinations on England’s south coast, but most visiting yachts stay on the deep-water moorings off the town and only a few venture upstream of Wiseman’s Pool because the river shoals abruptly to drying banks. Even so, there are viable anchorages for boats that can take the ground, or for a short stay over high water, and one of these is ideal if you would like to eat a pub meal while admiring your boat against a backdrop of classic West Country scenery. Between Wiseman’s Pool and the junction with the River Lerryn, the estuary bed is firm sand and gravel for much of its width, with muddy stretches along each shore. The area of sand and gravel is fairly level, with one or…

Les Sables d’Olonne is about 200 miles south of Ushant and therefore more likely to be a stopping point when cruising south rather than a specific destination. Les Sables d’Olonne can be identified by two large blocks of flats and the tall L’Armendèche lighthouse. The harbour entrance has a conspicuous red-topped white lighthouse at the end of the west breakwater while the green-topped lighthouse on the east breakwater is less easy to spot. From the southeast, use the transit of the green-topped breakwater light with the crenellated, white-topped La Chaume lighthouse on 320°. This leaves all the shoals to port and the water is deep until within 400m of the harbour entrance. This approach should always be used in bad weather. From the north or north-west, start close to la…

Danish boatyard X-Yachts has an excellent reputation for building tough and fast sailing yachts that are easily driven. X-Yachts are renowned for the hull strength, largely due to their galvanised steel floor grid, to which the keel and rig are connected. This not only stiffens the hull greatly, but also diverts the rig stresses away from the hull and deck. She has higher freeboard than the J/97, giving better headroom (1.83m/6ft) below, and her long coachroof significantly adds to her interior volume too, making her feel more open and airy below. Below, X-Yachts created a warm, cosy feel thanks to an abundance of teak or mahogany joinery and veneer. The layout is practical, although the level of workmanship exceptionally high. Mattresses and settee cushions are thick and comfy, the latter…

Below decks on this Swedish cruiser, quality is the first word that springs to mind. Hardwood abounds with beautifully finished edges, fiddles and louvred locker doors, and the upholstery is thick and sumptuous. The galley and nav area are separated from the saloon by two half bulkheads, the former equipped with cooker, fridge, twin sinks and reasonable stowage, while the forward-facing chart table opposite has chart stowage inside and drawers beneath. Just behind is a spacious heads with shower, seat and wet locker. The only aft cabin, to port, has a big double berth and stowage in a tall locker. Headroom is ample and ventilation via a portlight. Saloon headroom is 1.88m (6ft 2in), dropping a little by the forward bulkhead, while the table is accessible both sides and seats…