Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2015 i Yachting World

Handing over the keys to a service team, as the Volvo Ocean Race crews are doing (page 42) is the norm for many ordinary boat owners. But these teams are handpicked experts working on identical one-designs. For the rest of us the experience has its pitfalls, as we all know, neatly encapsulated in that sad and worried headshaking gesture an engineer makes when signifying that the last person to fix the generator/engine/autopilot was a bit of a cowboy and now it’s going to cost you to put it right. It’s hard to the find the time to keep complex boat systems running, let alone tackle a refit, should you even have the inclination. Anyway, modern equipment is complicated and often fitted into such inaccessible areas that quite simple jobs, such…

Team Vestas Wind’s new goal is to focus on the two short legs from Lisbon to the finish in Göteborg. This is no longer about winning – that possibility vanished when the boat hit the reef – but the benefits of a remarkable turnaround of events. For a sponsor whose wind power business is based on clean and green credentials, recovering the Volvo 65 from a sensitive area has been especially important. Getting back into the race before the finish in June is the icing on the cake, but it also says much about the new-style Volvo Ocean Race. Social and environmental responsibility is an essential aspect of any modern racing campaign and, while most of us understand and agree that our sailing world should minimise its impact, this doesn’t…

This is Austrian climber Mich Kemeter performing one of his most difficult stunts: a 22m slackline walk between the masts of two Volvo Ocean Race yachts, Alvimedia and Team SCA, moored in Abu Dhabi at the end of Leg 2. The two boats were carefully anchored and the line rigged 27m up in the air, but despite being a calm day the boats were moving slightly. Kemeter was taking on a ‘Walk the Line’ challenge sponsored by Red Bull and due to be shown this spring on redbull.tv…

An incredible mid-ocean recovery of a man overboard during the 2013/14 Clipper Race has earned skipper Sean McCarter the Cruising Club of America’s prestigious Rod Stephens Seamanship Award. The trophy is given ‘for an act of seamanship which significantly contributes to the safety of a yacht or one or more individuals at sea.’ McCarter was skippering the 70ft one-design Derry-Londonderry-Doire on a leg across the north Pacific from Qingdao in China to San Francisco when crewmember Andrew Taylor was washed overboard during a headsail change on the foredeck. Taylor was found after nearly one hour and forty minutes in very rough, cold water. Taylor had on him a personal AIS beacon, but it was only after some time in the water that he realised it had not properly activated. Meanwhile,…

Warren Brown, one of Bermuda’s most influential sailors, has died aged 85. A veteran of 20 Newport Bermuda races, Brown covered more than 300,000 miles, competing in the Admiral’s Cup at Cowes, SORC events in Florida, Middle Sea Race and Marion to Bermuda race, and cruised to all corners of the globe. He also represented Bermuda at the 1972 Olympic regatta in Kiel and managed the Bermudian team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. In 1988, the Cruising Club of America awarded him its Blue Water Medal for his adventurous exploits first to the Arctic and then down the Atlantic to South Georgia, the Chilean fjords, Antarctica and on round the world. He owned a series of yachts named War Baby, the first being an International One Design in which…

The technology exists to analyse stresses caused by hitting a rock at speed and to calculate the fatigue damage over a chosen life, say ten years for an out and out racer and 40 years for a cruising boat. Then to design the hull structure, keel bolts and keel for those conditions. The reason we don’t sail long keel boats with skeg-hung rudders is that they are slower and more expensive than the oversize dinghies we do sail. Bluebeard Maintenance is key. I look after racing yachts with the high aspect ratio fns. We race the boats hard and it is inevitable that we have grounded at high speed. After this I have taken steps to have the keel inspected, keel bolts torqued and in some cases ultrasounded. I have…

Speed skating All aboard ‘The Deuce’, at 54ft the largest and fastest ice yacht in the world, beautifully restored, adorned in titanium and not for the faint-hearted. Google ‘Deuce 54ft YouTube’ Foil wrapped Epic artistic (and dramatic) video of the foiling GC32s at Key West Race Week. vimeo.com/117864320 Flying again Catch our first-look video of the new bright yellow Dragonfy 25, the first family multihull designed to fly two hulls! See Yachting World’s YouTube channel In the mood A beautiful and evocative VOR video by Amory Ross that captures the deep serenity of ocean sailing as well as the excitement. Google ‘The essence of sailing’…

On sale 12 March Man overboard In Part 7 of our Bluewater Sailing Series, Dan Bower looks at the tricky issue of recovering a man overboard if you’re sailing downwind under spinnaker World ARC in Columbia The World ARC made its first visit to the emerging cruising destination of Columbia in January. Toby Hodges caught up with the crews in the cultural haven of Santa Marta Vestas: what went wrong? We detail the findings of the official report into the grounding of Volvo boat Team Vestas Wind and what we can all learn from it On test: Moody 54DS So voluminous is this Moody that it merges the worlds of monohull, multihull and motor yacht. Toby Hodges puts her comfort to the test in sub-zero Baltic conditions On the River…

After a fortnight at sea crews can sound a little odd as they step out of their private world onto the pontoon. The onboard banter that develops during a long ocean passage rarely makes sense to anyone else. Having been there myself, I was aware of this as I struck up conversations with some of the skippers and crews at the end of last year’s Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). But when one skipper started talking about “knowing when Molly, our sea cow, needed milking” it was difficult not raise an eyebrow. Had their large cockpit bimini lulled them into a false sense of solar security and encouraged them not to wear hats? Perhaps it was something in the water. Or had the trip across been so fractious that the…

Weeks before the start of the 2014 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race the focus was on the battle of the super-maxis. Five 100-footers would go head to head in the 70th edition of one of the world’s classic offshore races. But there were two grand-prix giants in particular that were stealing the show: Jim Clark’s new VPLP-designed extreme machine Comanche alongside the boat that had taken line honours seven times, scored overall victories twice and holds the outright course record, Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats XI. The little and large of the super-maxi scene, these two monohulls looked so different and yet provided incredibly close racing. With aft sections as wide and fat as a tennis court, Comanche has the looks of a potent offwind flyer; by comparison, Wild Oats’s skinny,…

1924 Per (Peter) Tangvald born in Oslo, Norway. 1940 His father buys him a sailing dinghy and hires a man to teach him to sail it. 1957 First Atlantic crossing, aboard Windfower, a 45ft yawl. 1959 Second crossing, aboard Dorothea, and the start of his circumnavigation. 1967 Dorothea sinks while on passage. Tangvald travels to Cayenne, French Guiana, to build a 50ft schooner. 1973 Launch of L’Artemis de Pytheas, and marriage to his fifth wife, Lydia Balta. 1976 Birth of Thomas Tangvald, on passage between Sri Lanka and Singapore. 1979 Murder of Lydia in the Sulu Sea. 1980 Marriage to Ann. Tangvald heads for Suez and the Med. In Tunisia the yacht is boarded by thieves who knock him unconscious and attempt to rape Ann. 1983 Carmen Tangvald born, in…

What is it? A wrist-mounted watch/smartphone/display for those on the move. Contact: www.astrayacht.com This is the first smartwatch I have seen that is designed for sailing – and it’s as neat to use as it looks, fusing the sailor’s thirst for gadgetry with high-street technology. The Esa watch means you can view your instruments on your wrist – if at a rather dinky size. It uses wi-fi to connect to onboard instruments so the watch can display performance information. The Esa watch has pre-installed software to allow it to show real-time performance data including TWA, speed and polar target data. It will also function autonomously using its own built-in GPS, including an excellent pre-start screen that includes time to burn. It is possible to use both an existing onboard router…

The 2014 ARC was an easy one on crews and gear. Although a slower passage, it was noticeably calmer than in 2013, when broken gear – including several broken booms – and torn sails were strewn about the docks in Rodney Bay. Speaking to the sailors in Saint Lucia after this year’s rally, we got a picture of some common gear failures and causes. We also gained an interesting insight into some of the stranger failures and the ingenious MacGyver-like jury rigs that enabled skippers to complete the passage safely. If there was a theme to the breakages in 2014 it was chafe and torn sails. “We kept checking everything really,” says Simon Pickard from Interlude I, a new Hanse 385. “But some things were kind of just hidden in…

17 Scanstrut iLife iPad case £87 A big step forward from an already excellent waterproof case. Much easier to get on and off, and use with waterproof closures for charging data cable and headphone socket. 18 Gill Compressor vest – 7 years Excellent buoyancy aid and now entering its seventh season of regular use. 19 Garmin Quatix – 18 months Apart from the normal functions, this navigator’s watch is proving to be very useful for post-race/training/testing analysis when looking at the track in detail. 20 Zhik Hydrophobic feece – 18 months Works far better than it now looks after a year and a half of abuse. 21 Zhik AroShell smock top – 18 months Amazing how just one carefully positioned pocket near your shoulder can transform the practicality of a…

In a storied history of sailing still in the making, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston has been awarded the Yachting Journalists’ Association Yachtsman of the Year award for the fourth time. The award, sponsored by online brokerage boats.com, recognised Sir Robin’s solo transatlantic race in the Route du Rhum in November, in which he finished 3rd in class in his Open 60, Grey Power. Sir Robin, 75, first won Yachtsman of the Year in 1969 for the feat that made him a national hero: winning the Golden Globe Race and becoming the first person to sail non-stop single-handed round the world. He won it again in 1994 jointly with Peter Blake for their record-breaking 74-day round the world record in the catamaran ENZA New Zealand, and for the third time in 2007…

I‘ve weathered many a storm down south, offshore, inshore and at anchor. The latter is always the preferred location given a choice. With lines to the rocks or trees, well-secured with wind whistling through the rigging and no need of an anchor watch, it should be an enjoyable, if not an inspiring experience. During lengthy periods hunkered down, when not reading from our extensive library or writing in our journals, we defaulted to the art of conversation at the saloon table, usually over a bowl of popcorn and a bottle. Lively debates evolving into full-blown arguments were common. “Hamish smugly plugged in the Encarta dongle and read out nine pages of text to settle the argument. We had just heard the bald truth, and the truth was ugly” Obscure topics…

TWO THEMES recurred consistently in interviews with the skippers of the five super-maxis in this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart: good management and the right people. In both regards the core of the Wild Oats XI team has remained remarkably consistent over the decade since she was launched and the contribution that made to their recordbreaking win in 2014 should not be underestimated. But no amount of experience and expertise can make good a shortfall in boat speed. So what have been the major modifications necessary to keep Wild Oats XI on the pace? Regular crewmember naval architect Steve Quigley cites five changes that have contributed most to Wild Oats XI’s winning ways over her nine-year lifespan. The first was the removal of the forward rudder and the installation of the…

Toby Hodges comments With 25 yachts tested by 11 magazines over two weeks in two locations, the European Yacht of the Year is the most thorough competition there is for production yachts. The five categories included Bluewater Cruisers for the first time in 2015, an exciting addition. The standard of entrants was again high. This led to some close decisions, particularly in the Family Cruiser and Performance Cruiser categories. It is good to see yards taking this competition seriously and pushing to improve – witness the Bavaria Cruiser 46. We couldn’t help but feel, however, that a number of new builds suffer from trying to do too much, particularly with regard to cockpit arrangements. This mainly applies to the larger Mediterranean designs, which try to combine sleek styling with offshore…

Gill Regatta Race Timer Getting a good start is crucial in any race. This watch is designed to make the pre-start numbers as intelligible as possible. Gill says its new Regatta Race Timer has the largest and clearest display (26.5mm) on the market today. The countdown timer has an easy-synchronise function, loud audible alerts and a key lock function. The 50m water-resistant watch can be wrist, bracket or mast-mounted. Price £70. www.gillmarine.com Ostrich Pillow As single-handed sailors will testify, taking a power nap is good for you. So as long as you have the space to carry one, and you are not at all self-conscious, this Ostrich Pillow might appeal. It’s a cosy, wearable pillow that goes over your head with holes for your face and hands. You’ll look daft,…

Our Bluewater Sailing Techniques series looks at essential topics for anyone planning to go bluewater cruising or to make an ocean passage. Each feature is accompanied by a free video online, and in January we will launch the interactive app. The Bluewater Sailing Techniques series carries on from two previous, successful multimedia series we have done in partnership with marine insurance company Pantaenius: the Sail Safer, Sail Faster series with solo sailor Pip Hare and our Storm Sailing Techniques series with Skip Novak. Both of these are still available as an iPad app from the iTunes store. Don’t miss any of the Bluewater Sailing Techniques series Subscribe to Yachting World. We have a special offer running to get a digital subscription with every print subscription. See ‘subscribe’ at yachtingworld.com…

I’ll come straight out with it: there are some boats that hit the spot from the outset and for me the VX One is on that list. In fact, I’ll go further. This two- or threecrew 19ft performance keelboat was my favourite boat of 2014. It is, quite simply, superb. Bridging the gap between dinghies and keelboats has always been tricky. What’s good for those used to hiking with their well-trained quads, honed stomach muscles and backsides that only feel right if they keep slapping the tops of the waves is not what will appeal to those more used to hiking facing outwards. For this group, draping their bodies over a 4mm wire like washing on a line, occasionally lifting their sea boots over the waves, is the norm. So…

RRs 18.2(d) – ‘If there is reasonable doubt that a boat obtained or broke an overlap in time, it shall be presumed that she did not.’ RRs 44.2 – ‘After getting well clear of other boats as soon after the incident as possible . . .’ etc. scoring penalties (RRs 44.3(a)) – ‘A boat takes a Scoring Penalty by displaying a yellow fag at the frst reasonable opportunity after the incident.’ (RRs 31) – ‘While racing, a boat shall not touch a starting mark before starting, a mark that begins, bounds or ends the leg of the course on which she is sailing, or a fnishing mark after fnishing.’…