Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i Sailing Today

Dean & Reddyhoff and Quay Marinas have announced plans to merge their businesses. The deal is expected to complete in the next three months and the combined business will operate the second largest number of coastal marinas with the widest network around the coast of the UK. With 11 marinas across the UK. The new business offers visitors and berth holders access to the stunning boating destinations of Cowes, Hamble and Portsmouth Harbour, Dorset, the Bristol Channel, Irish Sea and the Clyde. As part of the deal, there is a planned £10 million investment programme over the next five years. Alongside 11 marinas, 4,000 berths and 150 staff boat repairs etc will continue to be part of the business. Current berth holders will benefit straight away with berth swaps between…

Moody DS41 Moody Yachts has a proud history and its Bill Dixon designs take you back to an age when British boatbuilders were dominant in the yacht cruising scene. Nowadays, it is one of the few survivors with other big hitters such as Sigma, Hunter and Westerly all falling by the wayside. Moody, however, was rescued by German giants the Hanse Group and in recent years has carved its own niche of deck saloon cruisers. This is the latest launch and, happily, she too is penned by Bill Dixon. The yacht is dominated by the deck saloon and opinion remains spit on the ‘patio door’ entrance – though it is mighty useful. It also means that the interior is incredibly light and the DS41 promises to be a very practical…

The Najad 395cc follows the Hallberg-Rassy trend of trying to be progressive while also staying true to its core values of quality and seaworthiness. In terms of quality, they definitely succeed both above and below decks. The boat is also easily handled by a couple and sails well. The centre cockpit configuration makes more sense for Najad’s core customer base and irons out a lot of the quirks that were initially a problem on the 395ac. That said, there is still something slightly quirky about the 395cc. Essentially, she just feels a little different from a run-of-the-mill yacht these days. This gives her a certain charm all of her own. How buyers will adapt to the fact that the Swedish blue water manufacturers are moving away from skeg-hung rudders and…

There are many attractions to choosing a boat with good performance potential for cruising, especially one that’s configured for short-handed sailing. For a start, the slippery hull shape and generous sail area boost light-air performance, which translates to more time having fun and less tedious time spent motoring. Equally, you can expect the boat to be more responsive to sail controls and trimming, adding to the fun factor and making the boat more rewarding to sail. And decent deck gear, in a carefully thought out layout can make sail handling a breeze, even when working alone, which helps to tame the powerful rig. However, one of the biggest advantages of a performance design is fast passage making. In effect this makes weather windows bigger – you can get further before…

If coming from the north via the Firth of Clyde channel and the Hunterston channel between the mainland and Great Cumbrae Island, look out for the yellow HUN special marker [Y Fl (4) Y 15s], followed three-quarters of a mile further on by the red port hand HUN 3 [R Fl R 2s]. Largs channel is over a mile wide, with deep water. The entrance to Largs Yacht Haven is south-east of HUN 3, less than two miles on – look for the spherical red and white safe-water buoy [RW LFl 10s] and the port and starboard entrance markers just beyond. If your approach is from the south, the Hunterston channel is marked by red and green marks, decreasing in number from HUN 14 (port [Fl R 2s]) and HUN…

Around half of ST’s readers report that they own boats, and will be only too familiar with the costs involved. Berthing along can cost north of £10,000 in prime spots, with annual maintenance, painting, repairs and refits all adding to the cost of ownership. But before you cancel your subscription and turn to the bottle in a dudgeon, consider this: there are more ways than ever before to get out on the water for a fraction of the cost and hassle of full ownership; or, if you are an owner already, to reduce that cost. There’s that staple of charter ownership in the sun, of course, but it is innovative online platforms like Borrow a Boat that are really shaking the market up. CEO Matt Ovenden says: “The boat charter…

A bit about me before I get started: sailing is in my blood. My great grandfather, Geoffrey Pattinson, was a member of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. He had raced his yachts Fanfare and Uomie in the Sydney Hobart yacht races. His yachts featured on the club walls. His son Peter Pattinson was the founder member of the Welsh Sailing School. But it was my mother, Sasha, who worked for a living on yachts from Australia, Caribbean and the Mediterranean who encouraged me to sail. I started sailing when I was seven years old, in my local town, Lochcarron, north west Scotland. When I was 11, I sold eggs and put the money toward buying a dinghy of my own. At 13 I started at Gordonstoun school which brought me…

LED strobe light The ODEO from Daniamant is a new high power white flashing light for emergency use. It runs for up to two days on a battery that lasts up to five years, and is perfect for your lifejacket or grab bag. It also meets the 1P68 standard so is submersible to 50m – but you should change the batteries annually for peace of mind. £50 daniamant.com Remote control LED searchlight Easy to install and control, weatherproof ACR searchlights fulfil a variety of uses, such as aiding night-time navigation, signalling other vessels, illuminating landmarks, assisting docking manoeuvres and man overboard searches. They’re available with remote control, too. c£360 acrartex.com Sailor’s Checklist The first English-language navigation guide written in the form of aviation-style checklists. Recommended by coastguards and translated and…

As a committed advocate for safety at sea, record-breaking yachtswoman Dee Caffari MBE has revealed details of her own first-hand experience of falling overboard during a recent offshore race, with the hope that the lessons learnt her story will benefit others. Dee, who has sailed around the world six times and is the first woman to have sailed singlehanded and non-stop around the world in both directions, was competing in this year’s SoCal 300 ocean race from Santa Barbara to San Diego starting on 30 May when the unimaginable happened and she found herself viewing the boat from the water. In a bid to raise awareness about the best safety equipment and procedures, Dee has admitted the fault is entirely her own for not clipping on with her tether. She…

Round the Island race organisers The Island Sailing Club have signed a twinning agreement with the organisers of the world’s biggest regatta, the Barcolana. Held on the second Sunday of October in Trieste, Italy every year, the Barcolana regatta was recognised by Guinness World Records last February as the biggest sailing race in the world. An astonishing 2,689 boats and over 16 thousand sailors crossed the 3km wide start line in 2018. The 2019 Round the Island Race will be taking place as this issue of ST goes on sale. It’s the largest sailing event in the UK and one of the biggest in the world, with over 1,500 yachts regularly competing for more than 200 prizes. As well as their grand scale, the two events have much in common…

3 AUGUST ISLE OF WIGHT/ HURST CASTLE See the spectacular Fastnet fleet set off from vantage points at Cowes Green, Egypt Esplanade and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, or Hurst Castle on the mainland. FOC. rolexfastnetrace.com COWES WEEK COMES AROUND AGAIN 10-17 AUGUST COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT The highlight of the sailing season for many – join the crowds to socialise or spectate cowesweek.co.uk DARTMOUTH ROYAL REGATTA 30–31 AUGUST DARTMOUTH, DEVON A favourite for west country sailors, and families looking for a nautical day out dartmouthregatta.co.uk SAILGP SERIES 10-11 August Cowes The first visit of the spectacular SailGP circus to Cowes sailgp.com SOUTHAMPTON INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW 13-22 September Southampton, Hampshire The UK’s premier annual boat show southamptonboatshow.com MALDON TOWN REGATTA 21 Sept Maldon, Essex A fun day for the…

The adventure had been a while in the planning, ever since we heard that there was going to be a Contessa 26 50th anniversary rally in Lymington at the end of July. An internet search revealed that Lymington was also host to an extensive salt-water inflatable obstacle course, so my co-skipper Rhiannon and I built our main summer sailing around the rally: from our mooring on the river Exe, up to the Solent for the Contessa rally, then across the channel to explore the Channel Islands before sailing back home to the Exe. Blue Fox is moored at the very friendly Starcross Yacht Club, from where we departed with great anticipation on 27 July. We were set to have a building W/SW wind behind us for the next few days…

For some time now I have been banging on about the fact that boat manufacturers are just too damn good these days. The big manufacturers simply can’t afford to turn out a bad boat and – to their credit – they very rarely do. The result is boats that always perform competently but – just sometimes – they are a little bit bland. This isn't a claim I could level at the Najad 395cc, a yacht that has enjoyed an intriguing development process. The boat I tested was more than just a competent performer, she also had a certain amount of character – possibly borne out of her unusual development. Najad is one of the band of Swedish manufacturers that came to prominence in the 1980s and garnered a name…

The J/99 enters an increasingly crowded market place and stands out among many for being optimised for a single rudder. In many respects it’s a Contessa 32 for the 21st century – a thoroughbred that offers more space, a drier ride and more performance reflecting the on-going advances in yacht design. Yet it still offers the ability to ride out a proper gale at sea. This is not a bargain basement boat – there are many craft with larger interiors that can be bought for the same money, but they’re nothing like as much fun, or as rewarding to sail. It’s easy to see where the extra money goes to create a boat like this – it’s akin to making the difference between a carefully engineered sports saloon and a…

Serviced by a team of 14 staff, Largs is part of the Yacht Havens group, a long-standing, family-owned British company with nine locations around the UK, including Troon Yacht Haven in Scotland, and one in the Netherlands. First opened in 1984, Largs Yacht Haven now has 730 berths fully serviced with power and water and welcomes visiting yachts up to 100ft LOA. Visitors are encouraged to book a berth in advance and the marina offers special deals, such as buy seven nights, pay for five. For boat owners looking to stay longer, there is space ashore for 230 boats, dry berthing for RIBs and motor boats up to 26ft, plus the option of Dutch berthing for owners who live far from Largs – the boat lives ashore and is launched…

We inherited our berth at Largs Yacht Haven when we bought our Maxi 1100, Night Owl, in 2005. Ann and I cruise the whole of the Clyde, and we take a five- or six-week trip up the wonderful west coast of Scotland every year. We live only half a mile north of the marina, so that was a major factor. It isn’t the cheapest marina on the Clyde but it’s the best: great facilities that are regularly updated (the latest number plate recognition system for cars is great; previous upgrades include new pontoons, dredging, new loos, faster wifi, and tarmac boat yard and car parks), and the staff are helpful and friendly, plus there’s a big range of support services. I’m the voluntary membership secretary of Largs Sailing Club, which…

This is a different take on the sharing economy which allows owners to rent out their floating assets for overnight stays. Renters don’t take the boat out or start up the engine, so it is a much simpler transaction with a much broader potential client base than peer-to-peer charter. Anyone who wants to stay near the water could make use of the service. For boatowners, this eliminates the question of insurance and reduces the trust you need to place in a customer. Bedsonboard recommends a certain daily rate, but you’re free to set your own – just as with Airbnb, for instance. For a hypothetical two-cabin 40-footer that is 14 years old, they suggest charging £187 per night. The company takes just a five per cent cut. bedsonboard.com…

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate prediction centre is predicting that a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season is most likely this year. The outlook forecasts a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season and a 30% chance of a below-normal season. The hurricane season officially extends from June 1 to November 30. For 2019, NOAA predicts a likely range of 9 to 15 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 4 to 8 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including two to four major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become…

Paint your boat Commissions by a leading marine artist Talented marine artist Anna Boulton is in demand, exhibiting at high profile regattas including Antigua Classic, St Barth’s Bucket and the forthcoming Classic Regatta in Palma in August. She’s been commissioned by the owners of internationally renowned classic yachts such as Mariette, Ranger and Shamrock V, and if you ask nicely, she’ll sketch or paint your yacht too. Prices for commissions range from £800 to £3,000 for drawings, while works in oil range from £5,000 to ten times that amount for grand artistic endeavours. ● £800 (from) ● annaboulton. com Belmore House, Cowes A home fit for potential RYS commodores… There’s a reason this fine house lies only 200m from the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes. It was built for one…

This summer I’ve been cruising in the Swedish Baltic where idyllic anchorages are thick on the water. Stockholm lies through a maze of islands away to the west. Solitude is a bonus, but it’s in short supply these days, even here. Fortunately, as my sheltered havens fill up in the afternoons, the antics of crews more than make up for it. Last night provided rich entertainment. Right now, my boat is swinging in a land-locked natural harbour a quarter mile across, surrounded by tiny beaches, small cliffs, pine trees and smooth, steep-to boulders. By around six yesterday evening the sea breeze was easing after a perfect day. The sun that had shone since dawn was dipping, and the cove had fallen largely silent except for a couple of small girls…

The Aegean offers a different sort of beauty to its Greek neighbour, the Ionian. It’s a starker, more savage beauty is much closer to the iconic images of Greece that you generally see on postcards. At times it feels like someone has turned up the contrast to a ridiculous level. If the beauty of the Aegean feels wild and untamed then that is also often reflected in the weather. Years back when I first sailed down to Greece the word ‘meltemi’ would provoke fear and loathing into anyone thinking of venturing through the Cyclades. This was the devil wind that could keep you holed up for days and quite possibly put you off sailing in the Aegean ever again. Of course it didn’t, but those of us sailing around the…

Largs Yacht Haven is located among lochs and islands with fishing villages and harbours as near as half an hour’s sail away. The inner Clyde offers ideal day cruising, while the more open west coast and Ireland is only a day away. Known as the ‘Jewel of the Clyde’, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae, is 4nm from Largs and it’s a great spot for shopping, golf, fishing and cycling and has a sandy beach. There are overnight moorings available. Just 6nm from Largs is the pretty and lively fishing harbour Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute. There are visitor pontoons in Rothesay harbour and nearby Port Bannatyne. Members of the Facebook group Sailing and Cruising Scotland recommend a trip round the Kyles of Bute, then round to Portavadie, Loch Fyne; also…

Think of locks and what can often come to mind is a man with a beard the size of Brian Blessed’s leaning on a wooden beam and then taking a pull on his pipe as a narrowboat chugs into the lock in some deeply landlocked part of the UK. It feels a million miles away from the sea and the sort of boating that we take part in. Yet locks can often be a prominent part of a sailors landscape. Many marinas feature a tidal lock and the more adventurous sailor can negotiate a route across Scotland via the Crinan Canal without even dropping his or her mast. Another route close to hand that sailors may well want to use is the Dutch inland waterway route up the Scheldt, past…

Superyacht owner Sir Richard Branson once said: “Everyone should have a Duvalay.” More than one million luxury Duvalay sleeping bags have been sold since the multi-award-winning product became a BBC Dragons’ Den success story. Combining optimum sleeping comfort with incredible ease of use, the Compact version is ideal when onboard storage space is minimal. It consists of one luxury polycotton cover with two pocke – the bottom pocket holds the memory foam topper, while the top pocket holds the duvet. Simply undo the straps, unrol and it’s ready to use. Every Duvalay is reversible for left or right-handed access two positioned together make a double. Enter now at sailingtoday.co.uk/competition…

BAVARIA 38 | AD LIB The Bavaria 38 is an enduring popular model that has been in production since 2002 – big enough for a family but small enough to be easily handled by a couple looking for a sub-40ft yacht. Ad Lib is a 2010 launch featuring the owner’s internal layout, with a double cabin at the bow and another at the stern. The advantage of the two-cabin layout over the three is that the stern cabin and heads are both larger and what would previously have been the third cabin has been reconfigured as considerable storage space. This newer model has an updated hull design and layout and is specced to the max: she has a Webasto heating system to all cabins and head, Volvo Penta…