Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i Cruising Helmsman

When I first saw that glimpse of land at 12:05pm on the 11th May after 31 days at sea, tears welled up in my eyes as a sense of relief. That lingering question that had been in my mind for so many days of “when will we get there”, had just been answered. I had spent the last couple of hours scanning the horizon to see if I could spy that first glimpse of land as I knew we were getting so very close to being able to spot it. I was so excited, just like a child on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to come. My realisation that land was potentially in front of us was when I could see a small clump of clouds just above the blue…

This was the last time the Sydney International Boat Show would be held at the interim twin facilities of Glebe Island and Darling Harbour. While the past three exhibitions were not too onerous on exhibitors and attendees, everyone is looking forward to it coming together again at the rebuilt International Convention Centre Sydney. Statistically, the show passed muster: 50,000 visitors through its doors, which has been relatively stable over the three years. It has been the response from the exhibitors this year, however, that drew the most interest. Most, if not all, yacht brokers registered vigorous interest in their yachts. Many were sold, mono and multihull. In monohulls, the popular size appeared to remain at the 35 to 40 foot range but with an added interest at the bigger end…

Some members of the European Union joined together in an agreement to facilitate the movement without passports of people across the borders of the member states, thereby applying restrictions on the movement of people from non-member states. Citizens from some non-member states require visas for entry into the Schengen area but Australia is not one of them. The 90 day maximum period during any 180 days period still applies. The Schengen rules also require the payment of VAT on a yacht for it to move freely but yachts registered in non-member countries can stay for a maximum 18 months, before exiting the Schengen area. During the 18 month period the yacht can only be used by the owners and cannot be chartered, which conveniently fits the fractional ownership rules being…

Regular readers Dayna Russell and Shelley Wright have nominated Hans Clemmensen, from his yacht Seagoon, for the last monthly Cruiser of the Year Award. Hans has been sailing the Pacific for 24 years and Papua New Guinea for 19 years. In 2013 he started the ‘Louisiade solar light project’. Hans collects old or ‘second’ solar panels, batteries, cable and LED lights in Australia and transports them aboard Seagoon to the islands in the Louisiade archipelago of PNG, where he installs them in local villages. Hans believes that the islanders need a helping ‘hand up’ rather than a ‘hand out’ and teaches the locals how to maintain the systems themselves. Each year since 2013 Hans and usually a volunteer crew member, have taken solar equipment to the Louisiades. In 2014, after…

Australian yachts arriving home are being told their yachts have to be imported and, perhaps, include a duty to be paid. When friends left Australia in 2013 they queried entry requirements and were told: “None. Just turn up.” Photos to prove there were no improvements would be an advantage. Returning almost three years later they were told that because their yacht had been out of the country for over three months it would have to be imported and they should have hired a Customs Agent to export it in 2013. There had been no such requirement then or when they had left on a previous cruise in 1997. I left Australia in 1999, returning the same year; departed again in 2001, returning 2002 and there was no such requirement. But…

All the better to see your way Perfect for the cruising sailor, Dolphin Eveready has introduced LED technology to its latest Dolphin Lantern. The Dolphin LED lantern features the same ergonomic design with four powerful LEDs offering 200 lumens of light output, meaning it shines twice as bright compared to the previous model. It has a beam distance of 250 metres, as well as a wider beam width. In addition, improved battery efficiency offers 65 hours runtime. Over the past 49 years Dolphin torches have become a staple item not only in Australian households, but also with yachts around the coastline. With more than 20 million Dolphin torches sold in Australia and New Zealand, Dolphin claims the market leader and one of the most reliable and durable range of torches…

That toilet paper question Having seen the massive amount of maintenance that goes into charter boat toilets, I listened up when the subject of toilet paper came up at a recent cruiser’s discussion. To flush or not to flush, that was the question. Along with what type to use: two-ply, three-ply, cheap and thin, the expensive stuff from the chandlery, etc. With regard to what has become the standard marine toilet – electric flush with macerator, discharging to a holding tank – the consensus was that the less toilet paper flushed the better your chances of avoiding trouble. Many people just do not put the paper down the toilet, binning it instead in a variety of containers from sealed plastic bins to paper bags. This is the favoured method on…

Our first ‘big’ boat was an eleven metre ketch in 2004, which we sailed around Moreton Bay. Then in 2006 we upgraded to a commercial ten metre Seawind which we ran in charter, sailing north to Bowen and south to Recherche Bay during our holidays. As a commercial skipper and largely self-employed, it was a matter of planning the trips well in advance and getting the time-frames right. Deciding to live aboard when the kids left home, we sold everything and upsized to a 2003 model 13m Belize. At 13 ton, she is a cruising catamaran, not a racing cat. But we had set our goals a bit higher than coastal cruising. Several of our friends, including Noel and Jacky, Linda, Tony and Clare and Andre and Warren and Debbie…