Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Cruising Helmsman

Yachties took the opportunity to thank hundreds of volunteer firefighters and their families from brigades around Australia and took them sailing for a fantastic day on the water. Families arrived at event hubs for a morning barbecue before they stepped onboard a variety of boats, including active and cruising sailing vessels, and motor cruisers. Neil Driscoll, founder and managing director of Above and Beyond Boating who established this charity event, said it was amazing to see the boating community and volunteer firefighters come together for this day after months of preparation and discussions with multiple organisations to make it happen. “My wife and I started talking about this event after seeing the devastating fires and the impact it had upon the firefighters. “We came to the conclusion that although people…

Propeller coatings company, Propspeed, will be represented by two known distributors in Australia: Sam Allen Wholesale and All Marine Spares. It is intended these partnerships will increase accessibility to yacht owners for Propspeed’s award-winning product line. Both companies will be displaying Propspeed products at Sydney International Boat Show on July 30-August 3, 2020. Sam Allen Wholesale is a family owned and operated business established in 1977. Specialising in marine, RV and industrial accessories. Sam Allen Wholesale has been a member of the Boating Industry Association for over 37 years. All Marine Spares (AMS) has been distributing Propspeed products for the past 18 months and have been successful in the growth of Propspeed through its customer base since the introduction. The All Marine Spares team has spent 25 years focused on…

FOR centuries the Malacca Straits have been one of the most important trading routes in the world. Over the centuries Indian, Arab, Portuguese, Chinese, British and Dutch vessels have all sailed in these waters. Todeay vessel types have changed, various types of giant ships from just about every nation pass through these straits daily. Whether they are picking up electronic goods, tin, rubber, palm oil, natural gas, crude oil or just passing through, one third of the world’s shipping moves through the straits yearly. Sumatran sloops and large timber coastal traders also still sail the straits trading with Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and beyond. These are large wooden sailing or motor powered ships and are a sight to be seen when they are loaded with cargo and making way through the…

SURROUNDED by the clear beautiful waters of Port Stephens, Soldiers Point Marina is mostly hidden from the world, nestled as it is deep in the harbour. But it is no wonder that Soldiers Point Marina is one of the world’s best, one of only seven marinas in the world to be awarded the Platinum Anchor accreditation under the Global Gold Anchor Scheme. The accolade, however, does not do full justice to the facilities and service it provides to its marina members. I was given a two day immersion of the marina along with the opportunity to tour Port Stephens aboard one of its Sailtime boats. Port Stephens, in New South Wales, is a beautiful and bountiful natural harbour. It has 26 stunning beaches on our doorstep, from tranquil bays to…

CHANGES at Beneteau over the past several years continue to roll out through the series of yachts coming off the production line of the world’s largest boatbuilder. We have seen the First range of Beneteau’s resurrected via a combination of buying a sport boat manufacturer as well as launching the bigger keelboat range. Now we are also seeing the revamping of the Oceanis line. This is the third in the Oceanis line to come out in the past couple of years and utilises lessons learned from its predecessors. For starters, once again, while the company uses the same interior designers for all its yachts, the hull design is opened to all that may be interested. The 30.1 has been designed by Pascal Conq from the Finot Cong naval architecture firm.…

ATL Composites is celebrating 40 years of operations, supplying composite products to the marine, automotive, industrial and construction industries in Australia and around the world. Paying tribute to the vision of founder, Arnie Duckworth, who established the business in New Zealand in 1977, plus the efforts, expertise and ingenuity contributed by ATL staff over the decades, director Nicholas Cossich said “without question, 40 years would have been impossible without the dedication, hard work and skill of our past and present talented staff who are very much looking forward to the future challenges and opportunities that our dynamic industry always presents.” The origins of the company are rooted in boat building, in the late 70s when Mr. Duckworth, an avid sailor, relocated to NZ after a period working for the legendary…

Yachts of all shapes and sizes will start arriving at Shellharbour Marina at The Waterfront, Shell Cove in mid-2021. Work on the boat harbour and tourism precinct is progressing with hotel and tavern operators secured, piling for the inner harbour complete and piling underway in the outer harbour for the chandlery, boat storage, dry storage, service and maintenance facilities. Designed to accommodate all vessels up to 30 metres, the 270 berth marina is being delivered in three stages. The first 116 berths will be ready in mid-2021 with the second and third stages to be delivered in 2023 and 2025. Elsewhere in The Waterfront, Frasers Property will soon release the most premium apartments to date. The Nautilus building will enjoy a harbourside position. The Waterfront, Shell Cove is a master-planned…

While being ‘hove-to’ and waiting for the storm that is Covid 19 to pass, Gary Hembrow from the Down Under Rally intends to resume cruising the SW Pacific later in the year, along with all those who also wish to head west to New Caledonia. To maintain the excitement they have released the 2020 edition of its Down Under Rally Go West magazine. online for free. The 2020 Go West magazine contains new content providing more value than ever before to assist those who will visit the countries that feature in the magazine and plan their onward adventures. Publishing this magazine and making it available free of charge would not be possible without the support of our Down Under Rally partner businesses, the majority of who feature in the pages…

THIS description is unapologetically multihull-centric, because that is what we sail. Sadly, we cannot afford to simultaneously own a monohull. There are installations on monohulls using the system described here, but the development work, plus this author’s experiences, are all on a catamaran. Our catamaran is 38 feet with a 22.5’ beam and draws 3.25’; weighing in at about seven ton in full cruising mode: water and fuel 600 kilograms, full food provisioning plus our crew of two. To put this into a monohull comparison, our cat is equivalent in windage to a 45’ modern monohull, say a Bavaria 45, which might weigh 13t of which 6t will be ballast. This bridle system, as described below, can be modified to use on a monohull where bridles are not common, but…

GRETEL II 50 THIS YEAR She has been turning heads for 50 years as Australia’s third challenger for the America’s Cup back in 1970, Gretel II now resides in calmer waters of Hobart’s Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania cutting a fine figure out on the Derwent River. Often considered the faster yacht during that cup challenge she took a couple of races off the Bill Ficker skippered Intrepid, also considered one of the fastest 12 metre yachts built. Launched in Sydney 1970 for media magnate Sir Frank Packer, built by Bill Barnett to a design by Alan Payne. She was the last America’s Cup boat to be built of wood. She is now owned by NSW yachtsman Mike Maxwell who commissioned a major refit in New Zealand in 2009 Read…

The MyState Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival took out gold at the national Qantas Australian Tourism Awards for major festivals and events. Festival general manager Paul Stephanus said the festival thanked the 400-strong volunteers for its success. “The festival was up against the likes of Vivid Sydney, Darwin Festival and the National Museum of Australia – titans of the tourism industry,” he said. The MyState Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival was last nominated for the award in 2015 and came runners-up. The Awards saw Tasmania take home 17 out of 25categories – more medals than any other state or territory. From its humble beginnings in 1994, the MyState Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival has grown into the most significant event of its kind in Australia, while injecting an estimated $30…

MOST recreational diesel engines are rated to 250 to 1000 hours of running annually and one hour in 12 at wide open throttle (WOT). But not so the N4.50, which is rated up to 3000 hours. Sure it has the same one hour in 12 at WOT but the additional running capacity infers the N4.50 was designed for a way longer service life than its direct competition. Unlike the trend towards electronically-managed common rail fuel injection, the N4.50 makes do with conventional in-line mechanical injection. This means that, when cruising to out of the way ports, you are more likely to find a mechanic who knows how to fix the engine should it develop a fuel delivery issue. JUST THE FACTS Having indirect injection the N4.50 is not as fuel…

CHOOSING A TENDER Yachts often feel too small when living aboard, but too big when on the hard or going alongside. Similarly, dinghies are way too small when in use, but too big and heavy when you need to haul them up a beach or on board the mother ship. It’s tempting to go for a roomy and seaworthy tender, but we do need to consider handling it ashore and aboard. The same considerations apply to the motor. Even if your boat is a coastal cruiser with davits, you will be lifting that weight daily. A big engine is wonderful for zipping long distances, but how will you get it aboard? Can you carry your tender up a beach, or will it need wheels on the transom? How are you…