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If we went in for special or themed issues here at ST, you could be forgiven for thinking that this one is an ‘anchoring special’. It would be overdue too, as the day-to-day business of writing for or editing a sailing magazine actually generally involves little of the dark art of dropping the hook. Without giving too much of the game away we typically conduct boat testing and boathandling subjects from a walk on marina berth somewhere and we usually have to leave swinging to anchor for a peaceful night up a dark creek to our readers. As always though we can call upon the services of a vast range of fanatically knowledgeable freelancers.

In the case of anchors and anchoring, one such expert is Australia based Jon Neeves, who’s thought provoking article on p-98 questions the industry’s standard anchor holding tests and their skirting around the rather crucial issue of snatch loading. What this guy doesn’t know

about anchors, (and the galley arrangements of all cruising catamarans currently available in the southern hemisphere), is not worth knowing.

Meanwhile ‘Your Cruising’ on p-72 combines the anchoring misadventures of ST regular Jim Mottram with an equally sobering experience from Alastair Cameron in which he demonstrates that even those boats on a swinging mooring are not immune to dragging or breaking free. Back in ST’s home waters we’ve been thinking a lot about another of anchoring’s stresses; tripping a fouled anchor. We’ve finally put the magnetic trip line that we first introduced readers to in the April issue through its paces. It’s a clever idea in principle, as traditional tripping lines often cause more trouble than they solve due to tangles and the fear of some numpty tripping a buoyed trip line in the attempt to pick it up as a mooring.

Turn to p-26 to find out if it proved to be as clever in execution.

Jake Frith

WWW.SAILINGTODAYDAY.CO.UK SEPTEMBER 2012 SAILING TODAY 03

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new boAt test

BENETEAU

OCEANIS 41

One of the new range of Beneteau’s renowned and continually evolving Oceanis range of cruising yachts, the Oceanis 41 takes on a whole new look.

Duncan Kent reports… photos: ricK bUettner

40 sAiling todAy September 2012

ST185 NEW Benneteau41_th_dk_gf_JF.indd 40

17/07/2012 12:47

beneteau OceaniS 41

under sail, while it also allows for a generous, light and airy interior that has been created for luxurious family cruising.

Taking on some of the Sense range’s more contemporary features such as her low, sleek coachroof, GRP mainsheet arch and hull chine, she looks very different to the Oceanis 40, which she now supersedes.

In many ways I miss the more curvy superstructure of its predecessor and the loss of her ‘eyebrow’ style coachroof window design, but, judging by the products from many of the other production yacht boatyards, squared off edges would appear to be the ‘now’ style.

Her interior lends itself to some flexibility in that you have three layout options – two or three double cabins and one or two heads.

TESTED

In order to keep up with all the latest trends and technological advances in the production of cruising yachts, Beneteau is one of many boatyards that are continuously listening to its clientele to try to improve its yachts in every way. This new Oceanis, along with her 45ft and 48ft sisters, brings a much more open feel to its boats – both inside and out.

The 41 features a wide, wide transom with twin helming stations and an ingenious stern bench seat that turns into a spacious boarding/swimming platform at the touch of a button.

The new boat is beamier than ever, 4.20m as opposed to the 3.96m of the old 40, which gives her even greater form stability and stiffness

September 2012 sAiling todAy 41

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USed boaT TeST

pHoToS: rod lewiS

CHEVERTON CARAVEL ST185 Uesd_ChevCaravel_TH_jf_gf_JF.indd 48

17/07/2012 12:13

Cheverton Caravel

D Would the pride of ownership and the promise of admiring comments at every port drive you to purchase a beautiful classic wooden boat? Toby Heppell takes a look at an Isle of Wight built 1962 Cheverton Caravel, and asks whether she would lead him to pick up the sandpaper and varnish brush.

uring the 1950s and early 1960s small mid20ft yachts were a very much in vogue craft.

Many were emulating the Folkboat and popular examples can still be seen on the water today, the Stella being perhaps the best known.

These craft all tended to be similar in dimension, designed with a cockpit able to seat a family of four and berths to fit the same number. The trend for these cruisers went hand in hand with the increased popularity and accessibility of sailing in general and family cruising in particular.

In addition to a great number of family day cruisers appearing on the market at this time there was also starting to be a lot more experimentation in the manufacturing methods being used. Also, at this time, large sheets of hardwood were harder to come by, all of which contributed to the end of the clinker built period and saw a new age of various planking techniques such as strip planking and cold moulding.

The 24ft Cheverton Caravel MKII is just

one such boat, built on the Isle of Wight by Dave Cheverton and Partners in the early 1960s. The boat is a rigid framed, stripplanked yacht and represents one of the first designs to be built this way in the UK. I am sure I am not alone when I say I have often been tempted to buy an old, wooden cruiser with classic lines and sparkling varnish. However, my friends, family and sanity usually get the better of me and I realise I am not the continuous varnishing and sanding type. My lack of passion for sanding not withstanding I do always find myself drawn to the wooden boats in marinas I visit. Whether tattered, rotting hulks or bright shining displays of what can only be many hours of lavished attention or indeed anything in between.

I was, then, very happy to step aboard Paean, a 1962 MKII Caravel under the ownership of Phil McGowen since 2010 and something of a labour of love since.

Paean is neither at the rotting nor the sparkling end of the scale but being slowly updated by her owner and beginning to look truly lovely for it with the almost GRPfair hull looking most impressive.

AbouT THe owner Phil McGowen’s Cheverton Caravel was a 45th birthday present to him from his wife. Having spent a deal of his youth sailing dinghies, Phil had been away from sailing for roughly 20 years. It was, then in his mid 40s the father of five decided it was high time he got a cruiser for the family to sail on in the hopes his own children might find the same charms he did. The price paid for the Caravel in 2010 was initially a bargain of just a few thousand, though he admits a fair amount more money has been poured into the project since then and countless hours of his own time. Since purchase, Phil has spent the winters working on his labour of love and the summers enjoying many a fine sail.

September 2012 Sailing Today 49

ST185 Uesd_ChevCaravel_TH_jf_gf_JF.indd 49

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17/07/2012 11:46

cruiSing

Cruisers meet ashore in Oligamu to discuss the situation and options.

Amanda and the boys leaving Pegasus for England.

phoToS: JaSon lawrence

pirAte pASSAge With the ArAb Spring threAtening increASed regionAl unreSt JASon lAWrence did A lot of Soul SeArching before deciding to trAnSit the gulf of Aden And Suez cAnAl. here in the firSt pArt of A tWo-pArt feAture, JASon tAkeS the plunge And depArtS the MAldiveS for Aden. aving lived on Pegasus our Atlantic 46ft Catamaran, for three years, cruised through the Pacific, around Australia and through Indonesia, we were keen to head back to Europe and complete our circumnavigation. Leaving Thailand after Christmas, it would be in the Maldives that our course would dictate the future, either NW across the Arabian

Sea with all its pirate dangers or S to Chagos, Mauritius, Reunion Island, South Africa and beyond.

The Southern route was long and seasonally dependant. It would be June before we could be South of Madagascar, and head into South African waters. At that point we would coast-hop down to Cape Town, being prepared to leave by mid January for the leg up to the Caribbean. A

PEGASUS LOA LWL Beam Draft Displacement Sail Area Cutter Designer Launched

Atlantic 46LR Catamaran 14.73m 48ft 4in 14.32m 47ft 7.87m 25ft 10in 0.86m to 2.08m 2ft 10in to 6ft 10in 6,350m 14,000 Lbs 125sqm 1,350sqft Chris White 1997

64 Sailing Today September 2012

ST185 Maldives_th_jf_JF.indd 64

17/07/2012 11:10

maldiveS to aden

Main: Local boat in the anchorage at Oligamu. Right: Jason and Amanda.

quick run N would see us ready to leave again late May for the transatlantic back home via the Azores.

We would need to sail 2,200 miles between March and November, 8,000 between November and June, immediately followed by 4,500 miles in June and July.

A demanding and daunting schedule for Amanda, our two young children and myself.

The alternative was to sail from the

Maldives to Turkey, some 3,500 miles between February and April, leaving us to make the onward journey home, some 2,850 miles at our leisure. The southern route would effectively be over twice the mileage and take another year.

Historically the pirates had been working the N coast of Somalia, along the GOA (Gulf of Aden), with very few attacks in deep ocean. This year seemed to be different,

and the game had definitely changed to a more dangerous one.

The strong La Nina conditions in the pacific had made for unusually light NE monsoon winds. With calm conditions in the Arabian Sea, the pirates had ventured deep into the NE and were attacking ships a thousand miles from their traditional hunting grounds. With the use of pirated mother ships and investors to finance operations

September 2012 Sailing Today 65

ST185 Maldives_th_jf_JF.indd 65

17/07/2012 11:10

CRuiSing

togetheR

alone back in June, a flotilla of 17 cRuising yachts set off fRom falmouth to PaRticiPate in the WoRld cRuising club’s Rally PoRtugal event. this yeaR, theRe aRe moRe couPles than eveR taking PaRt. sam JeffeRson caught uP With a selection of them to find out Who’s WeaRing the saloPettes When it comes to making this bReak foR fReedom.

PHoTo: WCC/FiguEiRA dA Foz

82 SAiling TodAy SePtembeR 2012

ST185 RallyPortugal_TH_JF_gf.indd 82

16/07/2012 13:11

Rally PoRtugal

W “some PeoPle envy us and What We aRe doing, otheRs think We aRe comPletely mad” Stephen and Lynne Farnsworth: Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42DS Scarlet Lady

hy do we go sailing? In the course of my journalistic career, I have asked this question - or seen it asked by fellow journalists - hundreds of times. The usual answer is some vague waffle about freedom, the broad horizon etc.

And, of course usually it is pretty much nonsense when I go sailing I generally end up exactly where I started from in the same muddy berth. In between there may have been a fleeting thrill of freedom, but its often recognisable as an illusory one.

However, chatting to some of the participants in the Rally Portugal event, it was clear many of them were chasing a far more tangible freedom; many were giving up jobs, selling homes or renting them out and heading off into the unknown. Ever since it was set up Rally Portugal has shepherded countless adventurers, off on longer passages, across the dreaded Bay of Biscay. Many use it as a stepping stone to an extended trip around the Mediterranean, while others join up with the Atlantic Rally For Cruisers in the Canaries and carry on across the Atlantic and perhaps beyond.

What fascinated me more than anything was the leap of faith involved for many taking part. To give up everything you have worked for over many years is a far braver act than the moderate challenge of traversing the Bay of Biscay. Also striking was the age of the participants; almost without exception in their fifties to sixties. Many were taking early retirement. Most were couples - more than in any previous Rally Portugal in fact - and I was interested to look at the dynamic within the relationship: who was the driving force behind the venture, had there been a lot of give and take in order to get them over the start line, what kind of a couple actually has the wherewithal and drive to undertake such a trip later in life. I could only think of my own parents in their very comfortable home and imagine the immense strain the very idea of such a trip would have put on their relationship. Anyway, we caught up with a few participating couples to see how they planned to pilot their boat and their relationships through the potentially stormy waters ahead.

Why go on Rally PoRtugal as a stePPingstone to longeR cRuising?

Company of like-minded people before going it alone Extra reassurance and support particularly in safety terms Expert Advice from Hamble School of Yachting who ensure you are fully prepared Reassures you are fundamentally able to do this Social interaction tour or an excursion planned at each of the eight stopovers Cost Fee is £625 - £725 depending on the size of your boat and for that, you get free berthing for three days in Plymouth and then your fees covered at all the stopover marinas along the route until you arrive in Lagos

SePtembeR 2012 SAiling TodAy 83

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16/07/2012 13:11

SEAMANSHIP

THE

PERFECT STORM (JIB)

The very worst time to familiarise yourself with the workings of your storm jib is when you are about to need it in earnest. Hamble School of Yachting invited us aboard their boats to take us through three different varieties.

88 SAILING TODAY SEPTEMBER 2012

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17/07/2012 11:55

STORM JIBS torm jibs are considered by many sailors to deserve a place only on a secondary list of safety gear, somewhere well below lifejackets, harnesses, liferafts and the like. To an extent this is deserved, as the very best heavy weather tactic is to not find yourself in heavy weather in the first place, so some would argue that on a carefully planned cruise a storm jib will see no use. With decent modern weather forecasting and careful passage planning, if you are not long-term cruising, there’s every reason to expect that this sail will spend its entire life crammed into the bottom of a damp locker somewhere. This lack of likely use, however should not be considered a lack of importance, because, just like your car airbag or seatbelt, you hope never to need it but it’s crucial that it works when you do. We took a look in the forecabins of some of HSY’s sailing tuition fleet to look at their storm jibs and how they are best rigged.

WHAT IS A STORM JIB? As most cruisers sail with a roller reefing genoa, a more specific question that novices ask is, ‘why can’t I just roll up my genoa really small to cope with heavy weather?’ While in light or medium airs, a roller genoa will work as an effective sail, serious problems begin to arise when it’s rolled down to a scrap of cloth in heavy weather. Firstly, no sail is a flat sheet of fabric; it is cut with a dished shape, or draught. So as it is rolled around the forestay it progressively becomes tighter along the leech and foot, creating more draught, and therefore power in the belly of the sail at the very time you don’t want it. Too much power in a genoa means the boat will be heeled, rather than driven forward, and too much heel will mean an increase in leeway, especially if sailing upwind. Maximising your ability to fight your way off a lee shore is a key safety concept for any boat. Some modern roller genoas are cut with foam inserts in the middle part of the luff to help take up some of this draught when reefed, but it only partially resolves the problem. Another

aspect is the fact that a roller genoa needs to be made of a light enough sailcloth to fill in light winds and this compromises it in heavy weather. While it is unlikely for the sailcloth to fail, strong winds put an awful lot of strain on the sail prematurely stretching and ageing it. This same increased strain is also felt on the reefing equipment, one common and undesirable upshot of which is a snapped reefing line. If this happens the sail unrolls with a massive bang, often tangling the remains of broken reefing line up inside the line drum, and suddenly providing the boat with massively more power than she can sensibly cope with. The now loose sheets can tangle themselves together, the sail flogs dramatically and the tangled line drum means another reefing line cannot be quickly fitted. Often the only solution is to send someone up onto the foredeck to take the sail down; which is a risk worth avoiding in heavy weather. If the incident occurs on a lee shore a call to the RNLI often results. As an aside, the lowly, usually stringy roller genoa reefing drum line is one of the most important lines on a boat, but it has a hard life with most of it sat on deck year round, wide open to UV degradation.

A useful tip is to change this line every year; you can always chop the old one up and use the bits for fender lines.

Anyway, back to storm jibs, what is required for a heavy weather foresail is another separate sail cut from much heavier cloth, often hank on rather than relying on a boltrope in a sleeve. Additionally such a storm jib will also be more heavily stitched together, be cut quite flat for strong winds, and as an added bonus will often be bright orange for visibility.

When we all sailed with a quiver of different sized hank-on foresails, a storm jib was simply the smallest one of the lot which we would change down to in due course. Now most of us have a roller genoa the challenge is to ensure that our storm jib is practical to fit, either around or instead of the boat’s rolled up headsail. As usual there is no right answer to these challenges and sailmakers have come up with a number of different solutions, three of which we look at below.

TYPES OF STORM JIB 1: HANK ON WITH SLEEVE 2: DEDICATED INNER FORESTAY 3: BOLTROPE LUFF

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STORM JIB RIGGING

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We dry rigged our three storm jibs while tied to the pontoon in 3kn of wind. These are the perfect circumstances to perform such an exercise, as we found that all was not exactly how we would like it to be. This dry run also allowed us to get clear in our minds the orderkin As s?which we would do things. Which of the stays should the storm jib’s sheets go inside or outside of? Is there a tie handy to put round the rolled genoa?

Should we take a shackle key or pliers onto the foredeck with us? These are all questions only easily answerable with a dry run. Once we are happy with everything, regular outings in medium breeze to actually change the sail at sea can provide additional preparedness.

DEBUG AND CHECK We also encountered several maintenance issues.

Remember, these are sails that hardly ever get used and so often end up at the bottom of a damp locker. Storm sails need checking regularly for loose stitching, free operation of sail hanks, condition of ties. One of the sails we checked had frayed ties, some of which were too short to go round the rolled genoa. Another had an over-long tack line, that if rigged would have taken the sail to the mast tip. These were minor issues when tied up in a marina and took only minutes to fix.

DEDICATED SHEETS It did not matter which of the three systems we used, in all circumstances we all agreed that a storm jib should have its own sheets. Having to remove the genoa sheets, often re-run them and tie or clip them to the storm jib was always an undesirable additional task.

RIG EARLY Just as it is always good seamanship to reef sails before you have to, the same applies to changing down to a storm jib. On setups with a separate forestay, or a cutter rigged yacht where the storm jib is rigged on a permanent inner forestay, it is often possible to have the storm jib rigged for ready use, bagged and tied with halyard clipped on ready to hoist. This is well worth doing when it is believed heavy weather is imminent as the crew’s time on the foredeck is vastly reduced if it becomes time to hoist the storm jib. What is not such a good idea is tying or bungeeing a storm jib ready for use along the rail at the bows without it connected to something along its luff.

In worsening conditions it can be expected that green water will be coming over the bows and this can soon fill a sail and tear it free unless well secured. If there is a dedicated stay for it that can be rigged still allowing sailing with the genoa, and the storm jib is connected at head, all luff hanks and clew, and its halyard is shackled down to the deck or under a pulpit so it cannot raise itself, it can be acceptable to pre-rig the sail.

SEPTEMBER March2012 2011SAILING Sailing TODAY Today 89

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