Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2017 i Sailing Today

As a maritime nation, our history and heritage is intrinsically linked to the waters which surround us. Generations of sailors throughout history have taken to the high seas in search of new worlds and great fortune. However, times have changed; distant lands and oceans have been charted, air travel has literally taken-off, and the world can come to us via courier should we wish it. The need to take to the water has become purely recreational, and as such has fallen prey to gentrification, fast becoming viewed as a pursuit of the wealthy, with time and money to spare. And within those dwindling participation numbers, the average age has crept up and up. This was summed-up perfectly by Alex Vrolijk, in his interview with editor, Sam Jefferson, last month. “Basically,…

Neel 51 £625,000 Catamarans may well be the favoured multihull at the moment, but Neel is doing its damnedest to ensure that the trimaran is not overlooked. its new 51 showcases the potential of three hulls over two - or one for that matter. The big step is that the main accommodation stretches over all three hulls, making for a truly massive living area. She’s designed by Joubert/Nivelt, who know more than a thing or two about designing multihulls and that long waterline and decent sail area mean she promises to be a powerful performer. neel-trimarans.com Discovery 48 £625,000 There’s no mistaking that the hot news within the British marine industry this year is Discovery Yachts’ acquisition of Southerly (see interview on p58). The new 48 is one of the…

‘I’ve never seen sailing clothes as fashion items, strangely some people do’ You can kid yourself that there’s going to be plenty of summer left, but the harsh fact is that the game will soon be up. It will be that time of year when the dribble of cold rainwater down the back of the neck marks the turning of the season. I’ve been suffering it all summer, actually, but I suppose that when you stick your nose into the Arctic circle you must expect to spend much of your time with a dewdrop clinging to the end of it. The high latitudes are where the chilly polar waters meet the balmy, soupy flow of the Gulf Stream which reduces the tropical air to tears, large volumes of them, falling…

Bluewater cruising dreams come in all shapes and sizes. And let’s face it: a 67-foot boat is the stuff of dreams for most of us. The starting point must be several million in the bank, but if you’re genuinely in that market, what else should be on the list of must-haves and nice-to-haves? Contest makes those decisions very easy by focusing an enormous amount of energy and thought on the details of a successful cruising experience. Yes, the boat looks beautiful, is finished to high standards and sails well with her 3Di sails – more on that below but, honestly speaking, a semi-custom luxury boatbuilder that didn’t deliver these things wouldn’t be in business for long. Contest Yachts has been building boats in Medemblik, Holland since its first 25-footer in…

The novelist George Sand once wrote that vanity was the quicksand of reason and I for one have no particular reason to disagree. What I will add is that somewhere within that quicksand yachts must lurk. Unless you actually live aboard your yacht, it is intrinsically not a useful item. I mean, if you want to get to Cherbourg, the most sensible method is to get on a ferry. Reason doesn’t come into buying a yacht. Now. I realise that sounds a bit negative. But it isn’t. What it means is that cruising yachts occupy a far more noble purpose. They stand for more than just utilitarian requirements of getting us from A to B; things that are equally important to human happiness; freedom, escape, hope even and, yes, vanity.…

Times are changing in marine navigation with more and more newcomers and experienced yacht owners turning to technology to simplify the task of sailing from A to B safely. The smartphone and tablet have become an essential part of the modern navigator’s armoury, despite their obvious drawbacks – lack of protection against the elements, short battery life and poor viewability in sunlight. But then there are still plenty of traditional skippers using paper charts alone – they just navigate at the chart table and pop down when they need to confirm their position or course. So why not do the same with a tablet? Alternatively, mounting it below on a swivel bracket by the companionway means it can be protected, yet still shaded and visible from the cockpit. Putting aside…

Take a look at a chart of the Philippines, and it looks mouth wateringly inviting for any yachtsman: islands galore, and spaced at just a nice distance for good day sails. Go up a scale, and see how many tantalising bays there are; plenty of shelter if you don’t quite make that next destination. Look in a little more detail, and you might begin to see lots of reefs, and as you ponder how to avoid them and wonder if your anchor will actually find the bottom, but in any case by then you’re hooked! Well, those are some of the reasons that we sailed east from the Andaman Sea, instead of doing what most yacht do and heading west across the Indian Ocean. We had by then been in…

The tranquil waters of Padstow’s inner harbour belie the fearsome reputation of Cornwall’s north coast. In addition to being a stunning cruising ground, the surf battered headlands and long stretches of golden sands can be treacherous to the uninitiated. Indeed, just a mile from this peaceful harbour lurks the ominously named Doom Bar, the graveyard of many ships over the centuries. Padstow’s beautiful harbour therefore provides a perfect haven for the weary sailor.…

Low-lying plains, saltmarshes and a temperate climate make the Thames Estuary unique. With peaceful anchorages, old gaffers and majestic Thames Barges, this ‘Swallows and Amazons’ landscape has changed little since Arthur Ransome’s day. But, in these shallow waters, there is arguably no better place to learn to sail a fin keel, deep draught vessel and no more rewarding a place to cruise in one. Resolute: deep draught – good choice Having originally learned to sail in the Thames Estuary, we returned to these waters after buying Resolute, our Maxi 1100. We had decided against a shoal draught vessel, so with a 2m fin and bulb keel we had no plans to let Resolute take the ground. During our time together, her fin keel, directional stability and angle of tack delivered…

‘So, we are sort of going at a slow jogging pace really, aren’t we?’ The nature of the experience of travel is hugely dependent on the speed at which you move. When we first told people that we had grand plans to sail around the world, those that didn’t simply blink back at us with disbelief would nod slowly, as if the concept of doing such a thing was at least understandable in some way. If, instead, we had told people that we were going to journey around the world, travelling at an average of only five miles an hour, then they would probably have thought we were completely bonkers. The reality of sailing full-time on a heavy displacement monohull is that there are go times and slow times –…

X-YACHTS X6 PRICE: £2.26M Like the Contest, this boat is semi-custom, with almost any aspect of her design and lay-out up for discussion. She is sleek and fast, with optional features including hard-top bimini, twin carbon wheels, Park Avenue boom and more. x-yachts.com OYSTER 675 PRICE: £2.4M New in the British boatbuilder’s ‘coupé’ range, the 675 is conceived as a minisuperyacht, with the possibility of crew quarters if necessary. She has twin rudders and options including carbon rig, swing keel and extended aft deck. oysteryachts.com DISCOVERY 67 PRICE: £1.975M The flagship of the Discovery range of bluewater specialists. The centre cockpit allows for a glorious stateroom aft. Otherwise, this is a bluewater cruiser par excellence, with a fantastic, high saloon table that gives 270-degree views. discoveryyachts.com…

THE VILLAGE Fambridge village is located just to the NE of the marina and has a train station and a popular pub THE RIVER CROUCH Head eastwards and, with a fair tide, Burnham-on-Crouch is an hour or so away AMPLE DEPTH The depth within the marina is maintained to 1.5m at MLWS Fambridge Yacht Haven lies along the peaceful and picture perfect River Crouch on the east coast of England. With direct deep-water access to the coast, it’s ideally located for exploring the east coast rivers and swatchways, offering a treasure trove of anchorages along the way. Fambridge itself is a beautiful rural idyll, offering quiet cruising for those who want to escape the hustle and bustle of busy town and city marinas. With open fields as far as the…

Fambridge Yacht Haven is located on the north bank of the River Crouch. Approaching from the east coast, you’ll pass through Burnham Fairway, Essex Marina, and the commercial Baltic Wharf at Wallasea Island on your port (south) side. You’ll also pass the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and Crouch Yacht Club, on your starboard (north) side. The river is wide and deep, up to North Fambridge and can be accessed at all states of tide. Keep clear of Bridgemarsh Island, a very large area of flooded marshland on your starboard side. It can be completely submerged at very high tides and if you stray from the channel, you risk running aground. Approaching North Fambridge, you’ll see Fambridge Yacht Haven’s Yacht Station on your starboard side. The Yacht Station’s mid-river moorings and…

It probably goes without saying that every mariner, whether working at sea or simply sailing for pleasure, would like to have access to charts that are as accurate as they can be for the area in which they’re navigating. But how many would be willing to help those that create and update those charts by making their own vessel’s instrument data available to the cartographic agents and authorities? The use of crowd-sourced depth data for chart updates is not new. It has, in fact, been happening since the turn of the century, but only in certain closed commercial networks. Now, with the recent introduction of standalone NMEA wireless instrument data routers and wifienabled Multi-Function Displays (MFDs), crowd-sourced sonar chart enhancement has increased the accuracy and usefulness of all digital cartography,…

Waterproof camera - VIRB Ultra 30 This is a great find for any watersports video enthusiast. Firstly, and most essentially, it’s waterproof. It captures images and videos, and those images will be clear and smooth, thanks to 3-axis image stabilisation. It has built-in sensors and GPS to record speed and altitude, and the high-sensitivity microphone will capture clear audio in and out of its waterproof case. And if you can’t wait to share your adventures, then HD live streaming can beam your images around the world via wireless connectivity. • £390 • garmin.com Portable Marine Stereo No matter what time of year or where you are, everything can be improved by a bit of music or, if you’re miles from shore, a little connection to the outside world, through the…

SUNSHINE AND SQUALLS Lendy Cowes Week was filled with all the excitement and drama expected of an event involving thousands of crewmembers and hundreds of boats. Running across eight tempestuous days coastal a rollercoaster of conditions saw low winds and leaden skies on day one, swiftly followed by glorious sunshine and gusts up to 25kt, on day two. Ladies Day brought a strong breeze, under cloudless skies, while ‘Wild Wednesday’, witnessed several yachts dismasted in winds gusting up to 35kt as torrential and unrelenting rain hammered down. As John Hamilton, on Rebellion, said: “On the way out to the start it looked like the Apocalypse was coming.” The epic week of racing drew to a close, under calmer skies, as Giovanni Belgrano’s yacht, Whooper, a classic Laurent Giles 38, was…

Anchors, anchors everywhere Tarvel bag for everything from pens to pen-knives Sticking with our favourite theme, these nautical inspired travel bags, from the Natural History Museum, can safely transport anything you need on board. It’s a useful place to store essential sailing tools so you always know where to find them when you need them, or you could transport toiletries, make-up, tickets etc. The list is endless. They come in a range of sizes, and have a ring on the side so you can tie them down, ensuring your precious possessions do not go sailing overboard. • from £18 • nhmshop.co.uk Model sailor Miniature maritime classic recalls glory days If you have a hankering for the glorious maritime days of old, then this 1930s model yacht will fit perfectly into…

 Strike up conversation about fuel in the average waterfront pub this summer and the subject was bound to turn to the crackpot Belgian policy of fining any yacht found with more than seven parts in a thousand of red diesel in its tanks. ‘If I were younger and less experienced I might have been tempted to have a crack at it’ For Brits, the answer to this nonsense is simple. Go somewhere else. With France and Holland on either side, the only problem is which of these splendid destinations to select. For many of us, France isn’t far at all, but for the skipper with small tanks and no wind, the Netherlands might pose more of a challenge, which brings me to the nub of this column. My current yacht…

My trip from Inverness to Norway came about almost by accident. Initially, I was hoping to fly out to Gåssten, a converted Swedish minesweeper, for some ski touring in Norway with Fjord Adventures. At the same time I received an email: ‘We are on the way north to the west coast of Scotland, do you know where there are any moorings we could pick up?’ Obviously a man after my own heart not wanting to pay marina or mooring fees. We duly met up in Oban where Tim had moored Shadowfax, of Lord of the Rings fame but this was a boat, by the Oban Sailing Club, which I had not recommended as you are duty bound to give a donation for picking up one of their moorings. During a…

‘John is a fantastic ideas man and he enjoys the challenge of setting up a business’ Talk can be cheap and when some marketing wonk tells you that they believe 100% in their product, it’s not always easy to believe them. Yet when Sean Langdon, the newly appointed CEO of Discovery Yachts says this, I genuinely do believe him. The reason? Because he has just financially committed himself lock stock and barrel to Discovery Yachts Group, having ploughed his life savings into the company. You don’t do that unless you believe in a product. “How do I feel? Pretty good. It has had its moments, but overall, really good,” he reflects: “Discovery is a great brand and I think we have a real opportunity to achieve something special here. The…

The Southampton Boat Show has to be up there as one of the high points in any sailor’s calendar. September simply wouldn’t be the same without this all singing, all dancing celebration of all things nautical. This year promises to be something extra special. Sticking firmly to the mantra of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ this year’s event sticks to the tried and tested template of previous years, but with certain refinements and improvements. ‘There’s a plethora of free attractions for visitors to enjoy, including a cruise’ Premieres Southampton Boat Show has always been a great place to scout out new kit and cast covetous glances over the latest designs. It’s always the new yachts that catch the eye first and there is a plethora of premieres taking…

Win one of the world’s first, portable, man overboard systems which connects with your smart phone. Just download the mobile application, switch on the tag and you’ll create a virtual tether between yourself and the phone or tablet it’s connected to. If the worst should happen and you take a tumble overboard, then an alarm will be triggered and the mobile device will track you in the water. Combined with that, you’ll win a top of the range marine head torch, perfect for the night watch. For your chance to win, enter at sailingtoday.co.uk/competition…

TRAFALGAR NIGHT CELEBRATIONS 20 & 27 OCT - PORTSMOUTH Climb aboard HMS Warrior for the traditional Naval celebration, commemorating Nelson’s famous victory. Watch the parading of the beef with the Trafalgar drummers and join the Captain in a toast. There’ll be performances from the Old Sea Dogs during dinner, then singing and dancing with the Warrior’s live band. visit-hampshire.co.uk HARWICH INTERNATIONAL SEA SHANTY FESTIVAL 13-15 OCTOBER - HARWICH This year marks the 12th anniversary of Harwich International Shanty Festival. Join the town of Old Harwich in concerts, barge trips, street theatre, maritime crafts and much more. harwichshantyfestival.co.uk OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL 4 OCTOBER - PORTSMOUTH The Ocean Film Festival is heading back to Portsmouth, with a brand new selection of the world’s most amazing ocean films, both above and below the…