Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Sailing Today

SAILGP SPECTACLE AT COWES 10-11 AUGUST ISLE OF WIGHT Sailing’s ‘Formula 1’ descends on Cowes with a free spectator village and the prospect of edge-of-your-seat racing between high-tech foiling cats representing six nations – including GB. Adult £55 Child £35 sailgp.com/races/cowes SOUTH COAST BOAT SHOW 17-19 MAY OCEAN VILLAGE, SOUTHAMPTON A boat show with the emphasis purely on yachts, with all the big manufacturers present southcoastboatshow.com LENDY COWES WEEK 10-17 AUGUST ISLE OF WIGHT The annual highlight of the season at Cowes – join the crowds to spectate or socialise lendycowesweek.co.uk BRIXHAM HERITAGE REGATTA 25-26 May Brixham, Devon Spectacular trawlers under sail, with many other classics besides brixhamheritageregatta.uk/ SCOTTISH ISLANDS PEAK RACE 17-19 May Oban to Troon Sailing around Scotland and running up hills – for fun - allegedly Entry…

Neo 350 Neo Yachts is an italian boatbuilder based in Bari that has carved out a reputation for stylish cruiser/racers with a strong emphasis on performance. The 350 is the latest addition to its fleet. As you can see from the pictures, it’s a very stylish and purposeful looking yacht. The lines were penned by Bernardo Ceccarelli, who is vastly experienced. Weight has been kept down to a relatively modest 4,500kg and the interior is smart yet relatively spartan. | € 170,000 | neoyachts.com Beneteau Oceanis 30.1 The 30.1 is an exciting new addition to the Beneteau range and is the smallest in its Oceanis bracket of cruising yachts (separate from the much racier First range). Yet there is a little bit of racing heritage in the 30.1 as it…

‘The graceless ballet of dragging, folding and wrapping commences’ I thought I’d already stumbled across every management issue surrounding the running of a boat, but there’s always one more. I wonder if you are kept awake at night like a chap whose anxious plea I read recently? He was asking fellow boaters – I think he was a motor boat man – if anyone could help him devise a piece of software. With a basic computer bought for a few quid, he wanted to count the number of strokes his windscreen wipers made. Like me, you may now be pausing for thought. Why on earth could he possibly want to know? I can see it might be handy to measure the frequency with which a bilge pump runs, or even…

The sheer beauty of this place never fails to blow me away by, so let’s start by painting a picture of this coastline and what it means to me. Please forgive my poetic licence while I try to conjure up the imagery that will do it justice. A long sailing season, from April through to the end of October, transports us through the many different moods this stunning archipelago offers up. Early season, the Adriatic still has a certain cool freshness. The light is sharp, crisp and these islands seem to gleam like freshly minted coins against that pure profound deep blue of the sea; the sky a lambent, glorious blue. There is something heavenly, spiritual, untouchable in its beauty. By mid-June, summer is well and truly upon us and…

Given that Jeanneau has to produce a yacht that works for both private customers and charter companies – and to a budget – I am deeply impressed that it is able to continue to innovate. The 410 picks up where its last launch, the 440, left off but it is far more than just a rehash of that design. Taking racing concepts and putting them into cruising yachts does not always make sense, but in the case of Marc Lombard’s work it seems to have paid dividends. The result is an impressively roomy yacht that has a genuinely surprising turn of speed. The interior is well thought out, innovative and – most importantly – a nice place to be. The performance was surprising. I came away very impressed. PERFORMANCE: BLUE…

There can’t be many sailors out there who actively enjoy sailing slowly. Perhaps there are a couple, I don’t know, but for me, a big part of the pleasure of sailing is sliding effortlessly across the water. "Buy a dinghy then," I hear you cry. Well, yes, but the other part of the joy of cruising is the promise of the open horizon – to sail beyond the sunset and all that. For that you need a cabin and a modicum of comfort. Which brings me to the subject matter of this boat test; the Elan E4. From the moment we raised our sails to the breeze right through to when we luffed up and dropped them, our speed never dropped below 7kt. We sailed joyously, playfully and at speed…

In November it’ll be four years since we had our yacht Calypso, a Bavaria 37, commissioned and brought her to Swanwick. We had sailed out of Swanwick for some years previously on a friend’s yacht and we knew that when we bought our own we would keep it there. It has always been and still is a very friendly place. The staff are very attentive and genuinely seem to care about the berth holders and their experience. There’s a real sense of community and there’s always an opportunity to have fun at the berth holder parties! Its location is ideal, just a short trip up the river and you have all of the Solent and beyond at your disposal. No matter how adventurous (or not) you are feeling, or how…

Swanwick Marina’s location on the River Hamble makes it an ideal base from which to explore the Solent, with easy day cruising to Portsmouth, Chichester, the Isle of Wight Lymington or Poole. The tides and winds may well dictate your choice for you, but at least in the Solent you’re protected from the worst of the weather and almost every day the sea conditions are kindly enough to allow an enjoyable cruise and there’s always something to see, from enormous cruise ships to regattas fleets to curious dolphins. Favourite spots of mine are as follows: for the Isle of Wight, go straight across the Solent and through the chaos of Cowes to tack up the more peaceful parts of the river Medina for lunch at the Folly Inn. Or head…

Garmin has always specced its MFDs to use its proprietary BlueChart cartography. But with the leap from second to third-generation (g3) charts, Garmin has introduced limited Navionics data for the first time ever, to provide more accurate depth contours. It has also extended its Auto-Guidance tool, which can suggest a track based on depth and air draught. Previously this had only been available on the premium BlueChart Vision charts. The Vision line has also been updated to g3, and now includes high-res satellite imagery, photos of ports and harbours plus 3D MarinersEye rendering.…

The Beneteau Group has announced a partnership with NEOLINE that will see its yachts exported to the US from Europe under sail. “Groupe Beneteau exports nearly 80% of the boats built in Europe. The United States is the main destination for these exports and the North American market represents almost 30% of our revenues,” says Magdeleine Allaume, Beneteau’s supply chain director. “The exceptional dimensions of our boats and the need to safeguard their quality at every stage during their transportation makes this flow a real logistics challenge. As the world’s leading builder of recreational sailing yachts, the use of sails for maritime transportation was a completely natural choice for us.” To meet the environmental challenges involved with maritime transportation, NEOLINE is developing an industrial-scale freight transportation solution that is powered…

The 2019 London Yacht Show has been cancelled at the 11th hour, leaving the capital with no significant boat show to speak of this year. The LYS was due to be staged in St Katherine’s Docks in early May, with organisers intimating it would offer the capital a smaller but more targeted platform for the yacht industry following the demise of the London Boat Show. Following what is described as extensive consultation with key stakeholders and brands within the UK yachting industry, the event was due to be a rebranded and relaunched version of the previous London On Water Show – with a focus on the high-end boating and luxury goods market. Organisers planned to create an opportunity to showcase yachts on the water, alongside a floating luxury pavilion, in…

There is always something rather special about a circumnavigation. Whether it is around the world or just a nearby island, it provides a sense of achievement that can be lacking from a ‘there and back again’ passage. As with any passage, planning is essential, not only to arrive safely but also to accomplish it in a decent time so the crew is left happy. There is nothing more soul destroying than tacking back and forth, making no progress against a foul tide, simply because the skipper hasn’t invested in a set of tide tables or in learning how to use them. Why bother? For many Solent sailors there is little obvious reason to venture to the south side of the Isle of Wight. It has no marinas, no harbours and…

This is not intended as a manual – heaven forbid – but it may be helpful to share some things learnt by experience (not always bitter) when cruising in ice, as you will all soon be heading up or down there with things being so crowded in temperate latitudes. Cruising in ice is best done in steel or aluminium boats. There can sometimes be a lot of discussion as to which is better – steel is easier to repair, aluminium is lighter and stronger – and so the discussion could go on. It is a matter of personal choice, and finance. Aluminium is more expensive. But, having said all that, GRP is stronger than one might think. Faced with the Meek Channel in Antarctica with no leads at all, we…

Following on from our trip across the Mediterranean in Bella Rose, an Oyster 545, Captain Barry and myself had left her in Malta (see ST 264). The next leg of the trip was to head to Africa. We couldn’t wait to get the shopping done and the yacht prepared to start our next exploration. For a few hours after leaving Malta, the sea appeared a dirty green, more green than blue. The further we sailed away from the island, the more the sea turned a radiant cobalt blue. The next day was a full day at sea, and with 1m choppy swells, I couldn’t shake seasickness. Despite using a patch, wristbands and taking tablets, I still felt constant nausea. During the late afternoon, with no wind and therefore motoring, the…

Art of the sea The works of artist William H Bishop Son of a Second World War fighter pilot, Bill was named after one of his father’s heroes, the First World War Canadian fighter ace, William Avery (Billy) Bishop. Bishop's parents lived next door to the daughter of the great marine artist WL Wyllie (1851-1931), who encouraged him, even presenting him with about fifty of his old brushes. He is now a leading marine and wildlife artist – and this picture of the 135ft J Class Ranger could be hanging on your wall. £15,500 bishopmarineart.com Menai magic Rooms with a view Terrors of the fabled Swellies aside, there are fine sailing grounds in reach of the Menai Strait and this property could be the perfect base from which to enjoy…

I expect you’ve noticed how people in movies who fall from a great height generally make a noise about it. You never see a poor sailor shot off the royal yard in Pirates of the Caribbean without the standard howl of despair. In these Dolby-enhanced times it will be dressed up with a Doppler-shift change of pitch as the guy plunges seawards. Like most of us, I come across more of this on TV than in real life, so when it happens in the flesh I expect the full treatment. I was disappointed, therefore, on the morning when the old Yankee training schooner shovelled her bow into a six-foot, square-sided wave and the forward lookout was washed from his post. As luck would have it, the nipper didn’t go over…

About a decade ago I was sent a pair of socks to test for Sailing Today. They were described as being ‘very durable’ and, by God, they were because a decade later I still have the socks and they are as good as the day I was sent them despite being used once a week for a decade. Essentially, if the manufacturer had sent me seven pairs of these socks, I would never have had to buy any socks again. The manufacturer clearly had the ability to decimate the sock industry and I can only assume it was hounded out of business as a consequence by other disgruntled sock merchants. All of which brings me to yachts. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but back in the 1950s, some klutz…

Until recently, Albania was isolated under the communist rule of Enver Hoxha. A land of great contrasts, where the modern rubs shoulders with the past, it is slowly starting to open up to visitors, as my partner Rosemary and I discovered. We sailed into Sarandë from nearby Corfu. Entry was painless using the reasonably priced services of a local agent, which is recommended as this takes care of all the bureaucracy. Mooring at Sarandë was stern to the quay; facilities were basic but included electricity, showers, water and good security. Sarandë is the tourist gateway to Albania, with the UNESCO world heritage site of Butrint nearby. Dining out in Sarandë was cheap, with an abundance of fast food shops, quality restaurants and local eating establishments. Good shopping is available at…

I have motored up and down the River Hamble more times than I can remember, and in more capacities than I care to admit: RYA student, sailing school employee, weekend cruiser, yachting journalist and race crew member among them. And its upper reaches remains one of my favourite places in the UK. Think of the Hamble and your mind’s eye will probably conjure up a bustling waterway scene down near the mouth of the river, with boats everywhere jockeying for position: cruisers pootling out for a weekend; wind-chapped regatta crew dropping sail on the way back to their marina. Motor boats ramping up the throttle as soon as they pass the south cardinal. Dogs barking at seabirds at the Hamble-le-Rice slipway as pink ferries ply their cross-river trade to Warsash.…

From the Solent, the entrance to the Hamble can be easily identified by looking for the large blue sheds. Head for the Hamble Point south cardinal (Q(6)+LFl.15s), making sure you keep the small and hard-to-spot Bald Head green lateral buoy (Fl G 2.5s) to starboard, especially around low water. Once past the south cardinal, remain between the red and green piles, which are lit and fitted with radar reflectors. Keep to the starboard side of the centre line and definitely don’t cut the corner, as this is probably the most embarrassing place in UK waters to be caught high and dry. If approaching at night, there are sector lights and transits (Hamble Common 352º/172º Occ(2) RWG 12s Warsash 028º/208º Iso RWG 6s). Red and green lateral markers all the way…

More and more, multifunction displays are becoming the nerve centres of boats’ electronics. Their capabilities expand every year, with more processing power and greater networking possibilities. They combine a large waterproof display with a computing platform behind it. And in the way of all tech, the software – apps – are becoming all-important. Among the big four manufacturers, Raymarine and Garmin in particular regularly update their MFD operating systems, with each new version adding functions, from augmented reality to remote control for LED hull lights. Just as with smart TVs, or smartphones, the newer the model, the broader its range of capabilities. But even older units can benefit from the upgrades. When it comes to choosing a new display, think hard about the functions you realistically need – there’s no…

Weymouth Harbour is a great location to moor your boat and the ideal base to explore the South Coast. Our charming harbour sits on the edge of a modern town, while providing easy access for channel crossings to northern France and the Channel Islands, as well as lots of beautiful local favourites such as Worbarrow Bay, Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door. So whether you are looking to relax in our Georgian harbourside, enjoy the buzz of a vibrant town, or are seeking a base to explore further afield, Weymouth Harbour can offer you the best of all of them. Our great value annual berthing, ‘Moor for Less’, includes free use of the slipway, drying grid and shower facilities, plus no annual tie-ins (though you’ll find a lot of our customers…

Steinlager famously won every leg of the 1989/90 Whitbread round-the-world-race with the late Peter Blake as skipper, and is now used to provide sail training experiences to Kiwi schoolchildren. I had been invited to join the crew on a two-day training voyage. It was blowing a good force six as we sailed away from Auckland under reduced sail. We made our way east through the startlingly blue seas and through the gap between Waiheke and Chamberlins Islands, and then to the other side of Rotoroa Island where we dropped the sails and anchored. We launched the dinghy from under the mizzen boom and went ashore to explore – Andre, the skipper, particularly wanted to see if the island’s recently-introduced conservation programme would provide an extra dimension for children on sail…