Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2018 i Yachting World

We’ve done it! We made history in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race with a record breaking 9th line honours and setting a new race record,” crowed Mark Richards, skipper of supermaxi Wild Oats XI after crossing the finish line of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race in December. But the crew’s celebrations were to be short-lived. Arch-rivals LDV Comanche, who finished only 26 minutes behind, vowed to pursue a protest at a port-starboard incident in Sydney Harbour. The did and they won. Wild Oats XI was penalised by one hour, meaning the line honours and a new race record of 1d 9h 15m went instead to skipper Mark Cooney and the crew of LDV Comanche. The penalty arose during a portstarboard incident just after the race start. Port tack…

A disguised carbon motoryacht has been spotted test sailing from BAR Technologies, the commercial design and development arm of Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover BAR America’s Cup team. Princess Yachts confirmed that they are working in partnership to develop a new ‘superboat’. The motoryacht was covered in dazzle camouflage, a paint technique designed to disguise the lines of boats. Our colleagues at Motorboat & Yachting magazine, who first uncovered the spy photos, adjudged the boat to be around 33-37ft with a pair of high-performance Volvo sterndrives, suggesting big petrol V8s are likely to be one engine option. If so that would indicate a top speed of well over 40 knots. However, the involvement of BAR raises the question of whether this may be a foiling prototype. The America’s Cup team, meanwhile,…

Last year was a record one for British boatbuilder Oyster Yachts as its order book in 2017 reached more than £80 million. This figure includes commissions for 25 yachts across its full range from its smallest 475 model up to a 118ft superyacht. “We’re particularly pleased with the response to the new family-focused yachts, the Oyster 565, 595 and 675,” said CEO David Tydeman. Meanwhile, the first of two Oyster 118s in build is nearing completion and is due to start trials in June.…

Will Beneteau’s brave decision to produce the first series-built monohull with foils pay off? I think so. This startling VPLP design looks half modern offshore race boat, half crazed contraption from a Star Wars film. In the flesh its aggressive features instantly draw you in, particularly the full bow, long bowsprit and angular, narrow coachroof and yes, the strange orange wings that look like insect legs. Those novel foils are not designed to lift the boat out of the water but to replace the weighty 300lt ballast tanks used on the Figaro 2 by creating side force and reducing leeway. They retract to within the boat’s maximum beam for docking and are well above the waterline to maintain structural and watertight integrity in the event of impact. Typically, the breeze…

The Neel 51 sparks the most interest in current production multihulls by some margin. Yes, the sheer size and space that it presents, including nearly 30ft of beam, is overwhelming at first sight, but go for a sail and the overriding impression of the boat quickly centres on its performance. It wasn’t that the Neel 51 could match the low wind speeds of our trial, from 7 knots right down to 3 knots, and keep moving whether reaching under kite or fetching under genoa. It was more that I could actually feel the relatively lightweight boat (15 tonnes) accelerate, sense the heel – a hull lifting even – and feel the single rudder working. It proved a revelation to all the judges, who commented on how much they enjoyed the…

The coastline of south-east Alaska and northern British Columbia is a fractured network of islands, like a broken pane of glass, and the Inside Passage threads in between them. My husband Neil and I arrived in Sitka, Alaska, from Hawaii at the end of June and spent three months cruising the inshore waterways in our Liberty 458 Distant Drummer. After a great trip down through south-east Alaska we entered British Columbia (BC) at Prince Rupert. We continued our journey south through the Inside Passage to Queen Charlotte Sound and then sailed down the west coast of Vancouver Island to Victoria. The voyage was a feast of magnificent scenery and tranquil anchorages, hot springs, historical settlements and salmon. Salmon everywhere. Approaching Prince Rupert from Ketchikan, Alaska, required us to come out…

48ft wood/carbon racer cruiser This striking design is for a very experienced German owner who wanted to build an offshore raceboat in timber for events including the Rolex Fastnet and Sydney Hobart races that would also be suitable for shorter family cruises. He’s also looking for a boat with longevity – one that he can sail for as many as 20 years – so a long term view was important. “The main vision is to build true racing yachts using timber as a construction material for the hull, as opposed to mimicking something from the past,” says designer Thomas Tison, a structural engineer with America’s Cup and aerospace experience. “Timber has a lot going for it, when it is selected very, very carefully and engineered correctly. It allows the building…

Bon appétit Two days out of Vilamoura, Portugal, bound for Porto Santo, Madeira, photographer Tor Johnson set up his camera for this image aboard Keala, the Jeanneau 44i he’d bought in La Rochelle last summer. “It was a relatively calm crossing,” Johnson said. “We had four crew, and by the second day we all had our sea legs, so a good dinner was welcome. “It seems eating becomes one of the focal points for the crew. Everyone is always ravenous. I know I lose weight at sea. It would be interesting to know how many calories a sailor expends just keeping his balance.” Full throttle This year’s Sydney Hobart Race was an absolute flyer. Here Wild Oats XI is storming towards Hobart in a new record time for the Rolex…

Spindrift 2, the 40m trimaran owned by Dona Bertarelli, dismasted on its way to the start line for the round the world record. The trimaran was heading to the Créac’h lighthouse line off the Isle of Ouessant in a 30-knot breeze and rough seas when the mast suddenly failed on 15 January. Skipper Yann Guichard commented: “Everything happened very fast! In a few seconds, the mast was down. We have been waiting for two months for this new attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy: this window was our last chance. It is a big disappointment for the whole team, both at sea, and on land as we were all ready. We have spent a lot of time optimising the boat, and everything collapses in a few moments. “The most important…

A flare that went off in the hands of a worker at a recycling centre in December has highlighted a serious problem with the disposal of out-of-date pyrotechnic items in the UK. The flare exploded as the refuse worker was sorting household waste and ricocheted around the room he was in. Fortunately no one was injured. In common with all other types of fire risk materials, flares should never be thrown out in household waste. But what should be done with out-of-date flares? Flares have to be carried for many offshore events and are mandatory in the UK for commercial craft and pleasure craft over 13.7m. Yet the coastguard has stopped accepting out-of-date flares for disposal and it has become almost impossible to get rid of these dangerous pyrotechnic items…

DISRUPTIVE DESIGN, BOLD NEW HULL SHAPES AND YES, FOILS – IT’S AN EXCITING ERA FOR PRODUCTION YACHTS. TOBY HODGES TESTED THE 15 EUROPEAN YACHT OF THE YEAR NOMINEES AND REVIEWS THE FIVE WINNERS What are the most entertaining, innovative, well built and best value yachts on the market? These are typical questions we get asked. The reason we can answer them confidently is that, as well as conducting our own independent tests, Yachting World also sits on the panel of judges for the European Yacht of the Year awards. This involves shortlisting the best annual prospects into five categories before testing them all to elect the winners. Now in its 15th year, these awards are the most thorough and unbiased of their kind for new production yachts. All 12 judges,…

Nautor’s Swan’s design competition to create a spectacular yacht for its 50th anniversary resulted in this alluring yet aggressivelooking beast with muscular, powerful lines by Juan Kouyoumdjian. The ClubSwan 50 is a trendsetting yacht that celebrates the pure pleasure of sailing. It’s a fast and fun owner-driver, one-design yacht but, like a Wally, it has a dual purpose and an afterlife, as it has a cruising mode too. The €1m price tag has done little to deter buyers: there have been over 20 orders so far. I originally tested the prototype soon after it launched in Finland in June 2016, before a second trial on this hull No16 for European Yacht of the Year last autumn. Both times demonstrated that, even in light breezes, this is a yacht that dazzles…

KIALOA II is a 1963 S&S yawl, which this year became one of an elite handful of yachts to complete both the Fastnet and Sydney Hobart Races, having sailed from Plymouth to Sydney The Sparkman & Stephens-designed Kialoa II took line honours in the 1971 Sydney Hobart race for her renowned owner Jim Kilroy, finishing in just over three and a half days. This year, the restored 1963 maxi actually completed the Sydney Hobart with a quicker time on her second attempt – despite being 46 years older and breaking her boom some 350 miles out of Hobart (see page 13). Owners Paddy and Keith Broughton can also be proud of their 54-year-old yawl becoming one of just a handful of yachts to compete in both the Fastnet and Hobart…

Rock hopping It may have taken nerve, but this cruiser was rewarded with (almost) perfect seclusion. Photographer Gilles Martin- Raget recalls: “This photo is taken on the western side of the Lavezzi Archipelago in the Bonifacio Strait, with those characteristic granite round, and sometimes pink, stones. “This very popular place for cruising is a national park, and marks the border between Corsica and Sardinia. “There are many very private moorings for small yachts and catamarans but it can be very windy. The only port nearby is Bonifacio, so making the call to leave before a mistral gale warning is issued is critical…” yachtingworldmagazine #ywbackfire…

‘IT IS ALWAYS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN SAILING IN THESE FISHING AREAS WHERE THERE ARE SO MANY BOATS’ In the final stages of Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race, Vestas 11th Hour Racing was involved in a serious collision 30 miles south-east of Hong Kong on Friday 19 January. The Volvo 65 collided with a fishing boat, which resulted in the death of a member of the fishing vessel crew. A statement issued by race organisers read: “The Volvo Ocean Race is deeply saddened to inform that the collision between Vestas 11th Hour Racing, a team competing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18, and a fishing vessel has resulted in a fatality of a crew of the fishing vessel. “On behalf of the Volvo Ocean Race and Vestas 11th Hour…

A proposal to turn St Lucia’s historic national monument, Pigeon Island, into a dolphin park is being bitterly opposed by yachtsmen, environmentalists and animal lovers. One of the most vehement opponents is Caribbean pilot book author and sailor Chris Doyle, who writes: “Allen Chastanet, prime minister of St Lucia, plans to bring a Dolphin Discovery dolphin experience to Pigeon Island. The consequences of this plan will be permanent and devastating to St Lucia’s premier historical monument. “The plan is to chop out a huge chunk of the hill on Pigeon Island and construct a giant building with a walkway out to concrete dolphin pens that extend several acres into the anchorage. “When the causeway was built in 1972 there were plans to cover Pigeon Island in condos and the like.…

Sailors are being encouraged to check their safety tethers cannot snag on deck fittings after the failure of a tether hook led to a fatal man overboard incident. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has issued a safety bulletin concerning the use of safety harnesses on deck, as part of its investigation into the death of 60-year-old Clipper Race crewmember Simon Speirs, who fell overboard during a headsail change in the Indian Ocean on 18 November last year. The MAIB’s advice that yachts “should be arranged to ensure that the tether hook cannot become entangled with deck fittings or other equipment” is a timely reminder to all sailors to check harness leads, jackstay lines and any potential snagging points on deck. The issues the MAIB raises also leads us to…

A new ‘smart’ kill cord that reminds you when you’re not wearing it was launched in January by our sister magazine Motorboat & Yachting. The device came about through a competition for an improved kill cord design following the death of RIB owner Nick Milligan and his eight-year-old daughter, Emily, off Padstow in May 2013. The family had fallen overboard and, with no kill cord attached, the RIB continued driving round in circles. John Barker, a reader, came up with a solution and, together with Landau UK, has spent the last three years developing and refining the Lifecord. It is a direct replacement for the simple clip-on cord widely in use and operates a boat’s kill switch in exactly the same way. However, it also features a built-in alarm than…

The La Rochelle yard known for many years for its ketches designed and equipped to a proven formula, continues to transform its range in a bold, modern style. This new 50, the first sloop Amel has built in two decades, is a vibrant, voluminous, contemporary and, I think, quite brilliant new addition to the luxury cruiser category. Although she is still very much a bluewater cruiser, the deck space and more manageable size will be suitable for shorter cruises and Med holidaying too. Amel wanted an ‘easy and safe’ yacht, so, for example, it has opted for twin rudders, which make for easy control of her modern, wide hull shape. And the rudder posts are housed in watertight compartments for safety. Hull integrity was an obsession of founder Henri Amel…

We were particularly impressed with the way Jeanneau went outside the box with its new line of Sun Odyssey designs. This is the eighth generation of a family cruising line that boasts over 17,000 boats. When you consider that the initial design discussions for this latest incarnation started four years ago, and factor in the longevity needed from each model run, the decision to go with this full-bow, hard-chined shape was a bold move. Although IMOCA 60s and Mini 6.50 race boats have had increasingly full bows for some time, Jeanneau is the first cruising yacht manufacturer to adopt this approach. The main benefit it brings here is evident as soon as you see the forward cabin, which is wide and voluminous enough to rival that of a 50-footer. Once…

‘AFTER WE SOLD HER SHE VANISHED LIKE A DREAM IN THE NIGHT’ As the miles slide away under the keel, those of us with a history of cruising tend to remember our first serious boat with affection. A glance at my own list of yachts shows how far things have come since I bought my 32ft wooden gaff cutter Saari in 1972. Today, my wife Ros and I sail Constance, a 1987 American Mason 44, a conventional glassfibre cutter. She’s not exactly stateof-the-art, but her long keel and hefty displacement suit us well. Down below, her joinery is superb and her layout is traditional Yankee with an offset companionway that allows a decent aft cabin with an aft cockpit as well. When I took Saari on, the generally held ideal…

INTRODUCED BY TOM CUNLIFFE Jean-de-Sud and the Magick Byrd by Yves Gélinas $24.99. Order online from 59-north.com Yves Gélinas is the archetype of a French-speaking solo navigateur. More or less penniless at the time of this voyage, he is competent, spiritual, artistic and driven by an unshakeable self-belief. Having made passages already from his native Quebec to the West Indies and Europe, he finds himself in St Malo, all set to sail back to the Gulf of St Lawrence. The straight passage is not enough, however. Like Bernard Moitessier before him, he opts for ‘The Long Way’. This means attempting the voyage around the world non-stop via the great capes of the Southern Ocean in his Alberg 30, Jean-du-Sud. Radio contact with his supporters fades out when he is dismasted…

Spinlock Cento The Cento has a ‘grown-up’ style similar to Spinlock’s Deckvest LITE. It is available in pink and blue and has a high-quality finish. The jacket was easy for children to slip over their heads but they struggled with the off-centre push-through buckle. The jacket received consistent high scores for comfort in and out of the water and was the lightest of our sample at just 700g. It is one of the more expensive jackets, at £117, but it covers a wide weight range of 20-50kg and comes with a five-year warranty, if registered. Overall: Great for regular sailors and a clear favourite with our older girls. Sizes available: 20-50kg Weight: 700g £117.00 Ocean Safety Kru XF Junior The XF junior is a no-nonsense jacket covering a weight range…