Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Cruising Helmsman

SAILING STRAIGHT AND NARROW Dear Phil, I hope this finds you well. How quickly things can change in the blink of an eye. Not long ago my wife and I were cruising up the east coast of Australia with the intention of jumping across to New Caledonia and Vanuatu, along with our dog on board, on an adventurous disposition (sic). Now however, through a series of most unfortunate and regrettable events, I find myself a guest of Her Majesty at a big inland clubhouse for naughty yachties, with my cruising plans and dreams now temporarily on hold. I was grateful to score a job in the prison library and even more delighted to find an excellent selection of sailing books and magazines; notably, several years worth of CH. I can…

JUST as most shark species must continually swim to pass water through the gills and oxygenate the blood, I am driven by a strong and mysterious force that keeps me seeking the most effective way to make positive change. My own nomadic blood has taken me on an incredible journey across five continents, over 20 different countries and four oceans on my quest to make a difference and live sustainably. At some point during these adventures of searching for low impact living and eco-alignment I realised the irony of my situation. I was part of the nomadic travelling community creating huge demand for jet fuel and mass plastic packaging for all the single use products served on airplanes and in airports. There had to be a better way to journey…

THERE is an old generosity idiom: “he’d give you the shirt off his back”. In Lewisporte, Newfoundland, this truly happened. We were the receivers of, not only a shirt off Peter’s back, but lasting friendship, support and much, much more. Lewisporte lies in the centre of Notre Dame Bay on Newfoundland’s north east coast, on the shores of some of the finest sailing in the world, when the ice eventually melts. We had flown into a community bonded by weather adversity and a culture of open-handedness, bred from the realisation that “you may not be the one who needs help today but tomorrow may be a different story”. After a foggy-headed, sandpaper-eyed 44 hour flight that deliriously detached us from reality, we landed in Newfoundland in jet lag daze. Packed…

Boat Works expansion goes ahead THE Boat Works in the Gold Coast has doubled its footprint by adding a hardstand and extra marina berths. Australia’s first dry marina on an adjacent site to its current facility will effectively double its footprint to 43 hectares. To accommodate the increasing number of vessels including large monohulls and multihulls cruising the east coast annually, the out-of-water storage will accommodate up to 150 boats from 25 feet to 65', in a dedicated, fully-secure fenced precinct, complete with CCTV and on-site caretaker. According to general manager Shane Subichin, the new dry marina will provide “peace of mind for owners, being a safe haven from the elements. “With the commitment from the Gold Coast Waterways Authority to dredge the Coomera River, owners of keeled vessels can…

WE HAD been on the water for three days and three nights by the time we reached Long Point; our 40 foot Adams-designed, Bluewater Cruising Yachts Polaris II was handling the conditions well. But, even with reliable forecasting the weather had occasionally thrown us a few surprises. Our three-person crew: skipper Rocket Robertson, his wife Margaret and me as their faithful sidekick, had worked well in the changeable conditions. As we prepared to leave the modest protection of Long Point north of Bicheno, however, we were about to encounter some more. TROUBLE OFF FREYCINET The anchor held fast and we departed Long Point after a surprisingly restful night, heading south towards Freycinet Peninsula. For no particular reason other than he had visited France not long before, the skipper set a…

THE rigmarole of stretching a cover over a dinghy while it is bobbing about in choppy water, prior to hoisting it on davits, can become a very damp business if you are not careful. Leaning right over either end, trying to stretch a cover over the wet bow and stern pods can quite easily result in a head-first dip in the drink. Britannia’s dinghy is an old model C10X Caribe RIB, ten feet long, so at least it has a solid floor to scramble about in. Soft bottoms are not as stable, so the chance of slipping overboard is greater. After disembarking any passengers at Britannia’s side ladder, I would then hand walk myself in the dinghy to the stern, where someone on deck would tie the dinghy’s painter to…

SHOESTRING SAILOR What price all the must-have gadgets? Many items once considered a luxury have filtered down to the budget cruiser. Even the most basic boats have become more complicated and, therefore, more expensive; while large but simple boats barely exist any more. Is it all necessary, desirable or just driving the price of cruising beyond the reach of the average cruiser? Can we find cheaper alternatives by looking outside the traditional marine suppliers? Should we consider going back to the basics, while accepting that some advances are worth their price? We would appreciate your thoughts on keeping cruising affordable for this year’s regular ‘Shoestring Sailor’ segment in Ideas Locker. Contact details at the bottom of the page. SHOESTRING SAILOR #1: ICEBOX, REFRIGERATOR, OR NEITHER? I had a poor introduction…

IT IS always exciting when you sail somewhere new that demands a fair bit of effort and an outer reef escapade rates high in our book. Sailing to secluded Great Barrier Reef sections most other visitors never get to see is a wondrous experience. A BIT ABOUT THE REEF Often called ‘rainforests of the sea’, shallow coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They occupy less than 0.1 per cent of the world’s ocean surface, about half the area of France where I hail from, yet they provide a home for at least 25% of all marine species. Of all the coral reefs, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest in the world. It comprises over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 1400…

WHERE are you on the cruising spectrum? Is sailing performance a priority, or are you looking for a floating home unit? If the pleasure of sailing is one of the attractions of cruising, especially if your budget is limited, perhaps you should consider converting an ocean racer for cruising. Since the late 1970s, racing yachts have had high volume hulls, which equals lots of room. They also become obsolete quickly, which means low resale value. On the other hand, some are also built very lightly with questionable keel and rudder attachment. We are not interested in these light, throwaway boats, but those that were well constructed initially. Any boat seriously designed to compete offshore needs reasonable strength and build integrity. Many relatively moderate, well-built superannuated racers could be converted to…

WHILE it is understandable most readers would be jealous of yours truly having the opportunity to sail test a myriad of yachts for Cruising Helmsman. The reality, however, may differ somewhat from the perception. It usually takes four hours to do a test: the first involves crawling all over the yacht taking measurements, photographs and copious notes. We then take the yacht out for a two hour sail, which involves putting it through various manoeuvres all the while taking even more notes and photos. I then transfer to a motorboat to take more photos of the yacht sailing. Then the last hour is usually sitting down below and finalising notes and making any more observations. It is a ‘get in and get out’ kind of operation, mindful of the yacht…