Sailing Today Issue 194 - June 2013

NEW LOOK, NEW CONTENT SAILING TODAY

GO FURTHER I SAIL BETTER I BE INSPIRED JUNE 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk £4.20 JUNE 2013 – ISSUE No 194

NOW

BIGGER BRIGHTER BETTER

Reef

Antarctica

hopping Get in among the rocks with our eyeball navigation guide

ANTARCTICA

Exploring the last great wilderness in a GRP boat

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FIRST CRUISE

INTERVIEW

Rocketman

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JEANNEAU 41DS

The fastest sailor in the world on cold toes and pizza

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PWLLHELI

BOAT ON TEST

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BATTERIES

Easy rider

YA

CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

Jeanneau’s nippy new 41DS is designed to be fun for two

GULL’S EYE

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BANE OR BOON?

Paul & Rachel Chandler love new technology

BATTERY POWER

Wet cell, AGM and gel – on the test bench

DIESEL ELECTRIC

Could hybrid power be the answer for you?

CH M MA

YA CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

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CH M MA

Rustler Sailing Today Mar 2013 v2:Rustler

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Rustler 44 |

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Rustler 42

| Rustler 36 | Rustler 33 | Rustler 24

At the heart of Rustler始s philosophy is a firm commitment to developing truly unique yachts that are distinctive in looks, design and performance.

Rustler yachts stand out in a sea of clones. They are beautifully built.

Built for real sailors and real situations.

Beautiful yachts, beautifully built Rustler 42 Principal Dimensions: LOA: 12.81m Beam: 4.06m Draft: 1.82m Disp:11791kg Ballast: 4671kg

Tel: 01326 310120 | www.rustleryachts.com Rustler Yachts | Maritime Buildings | Falmouth | Cornwall | TR10 8AD

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Welcome

LONDON OffiCe Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700 MANAGING EDITOR Sam fortescue 020 7349 3752 sam.fortescue@chelseamagazines.com NEWS AND FEATuRES Toby Heppell 020 7349 3753 toby.heppell@chelseamagazines.com PuBLISHER Simon Temlett simon.temlett@chelseamagazines.com PuBLISHING CONSuLTANT Martin Nott

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published by:

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Subscriptions and back issues +44 (0)1795 419842

Skipper’s View the long winter is drawing to a close and i’m thinking of heading for the water again... once the boat jobs are done

COLD AND HOT, then cold again, then hot; wind – perhaps too much; and plenty of rain. Not the ideal start to the sailing season! Just look at our test of the new Sun Odyssey 41 on pp40-46 for evidence. In need of a boost, we went in search of some early season sailing action.

The results are in our first cruise of the year feature on pp48-54, and include a potter, a daysail and a week’s trip. If your boat is still in the cradle, it might help renew your resolve!

In fact, my mind is far from the delights of hoisting the main and slipping the mooring into the stream. That’s because our Sadler 34 Summer Song is still high and dry on a sea of green grass, 30 miles from the coast. She’s been there since the autumn, when we decided to store her close to home, to work on her over the winter. The two main jobs required were revarnishing the interior woodwork (not including those louvre-effect door panels – that would have taken a lifetime!) and polishing the hull. Both are temperature sensitive, so have languished in the depths of this very long winter.

The good news is that I’ve finally staggered to the end of the varnishing over a couple of fine weekends.

There’s still the hull, and a plethora of little tasks to make her shipshape again. But I can at last see the light at the end of the polytunnel. Readers also frantically finishing winter jobs on board might find our battery test useful on pp58 to 62. The indefatigable Duncan Kent has personally put each of these batteries through its paces – so you don’t have to find out the hard way! We also look at the benefits of hybrid power (pp80-84), and whether it makes sense to upgrade your old donk.

After last month’s Bahamian rhapsody, we feature a stunningly-shot Antarctic odyssey from brothers Steve and Mike Powell. They had the comfort of a larger boat to help them, but their adventure is still awe-inspiring. I’ve always had an eye on the high latitudes for a cruise, and this story shows why!

Finally, there are a few new features this month. Gull’s Eye is now a splendid fold-out aerial shot (pp3439). And thanks to your feedback from last month, we’ve invited back Colin Jarman and his Riding Light column. He appears on p79, opposite another ‘new’ piece featuring readers’ questions.

Sam Fortescue, managing editor

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All Rights Reserved. ISSN 0044-000 No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission in writing.

Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information in Sailing Today, but no responsibility can be accepted for the consequences of actions based on the advice portrayed herein. The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd makes every effort to ensure that the advertising contained in this magazine is delivered from responsible sources. We cannot, however, accept any responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers. Sailing Today welcomes letters.

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CHRIS & LORRAINE MARCHANT left from Lowestoft in 2008 and have cruised ever since

jAkE kAvANAgH lives in Southampton, and is restoring a Corribee 21 and a ferro-cement Hartley 39

STEvE POWELL took Uhuru to Antarctica on a three-year trip and is now bound for the Med June 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk

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P E A C E

O F

M I N D

MA-500TR CLASS B - AIS TRANSPONDER

ICOM-UK Blacksole House, Altira Park, Herne Bay, Kent CT6 6GZ. UK. Telephone: +44 (0)1227 741741 Fax: +44 (0)1227 741742 e-mail: info@icomuk.co.uk website: www.icomuk.co.uk ST_194_004.indd 1

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Strap book Contents

Regulars 8 newS

First solo Asian; sun hits GPS; MCZs

12 new boAtS Gunfleet 58, Italia Yachts 13.98, RM 1360, Gt35, Dragonfly 32, Allures 39.9

14 ReADeRS’ letteRS liferaft, new look, leD torch and more

16 whAt’S on 19 bRoADSIDe 68 bookS 79 RIDInG lIGht 102 DISPAtCheS Chris & lorraine Marchant in thailand

Cruising

20 AntARCtIC oR buSt 30 InteRvIew the world’s fastest sailor Paul larsen on 65 knots and following in Shackleton’s wake

MIke Powell

Steve Powell dodges icebergs to explore the islands of Antarctica

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32 SeCRet PlACeS keyhaven River in the Solent

34 Gull’S eYe the gull returns, over Pwllheli, wales

48 tAleS oF the SPRInG on board for three very different first outings of the new sailing season

78 CRuISInG ClInIC

Boats

40 Sun oDYSSeY 41DS testing Jeanneau’s nippy shorthander

64-67 72

56 CoPPeRbottoMeD Rustler’s famous 36 is still in production

Gear

40

58 bAtteRIeS on teSt wet cell, AGM and gel cells

64 new GeAR 66 GeAR teSteD on board broadband; handheld vhF

Practical

Caribbean expert Chris Doyle explains the art of pilotage by sight

80 hYbRID PoweR Go electric, cut down on diesel fumes

eMIlY hARRIS

72 eYebAll nAvIGAtIon

may 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk

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Cruising

INTO THE ICE WILDERNESS To Steve Powell, Antarctica was the last ‘real’ sailing adventure.

He ventured into the ice in a GRP yacht. Photos by Mike Powell

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GULL’S IN ASSOCIATION EYE Pwllheli WITH

THE BOAT INSURANCE SPECIALIST

WWW.BOATINSURE.CO.UK

An Amlin Group Company

GULL’S EYE

PWLLHELI 50° 21’ .4N 003° 34’.6W

New academy A new sailing academy is due to be built shortly. It will be accompanied by new, high load pontoons.

Hafan Pwllheli The marina office is on the top floor of the building. The very impressive showers and laundry facilities are located on the ground floor.

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Entrance

FACTFILE

The entrance to Hafan Pwllheli is prone to silting and is very narrow, so care must be taken, particularly in the busier summer months.

HAFAN PWLLHELI Contact: +44 (0)1758 701219 www.hafanpwllheli.co.uk Berths: 400 Facilities: Wi-Fi, electricity, showers, 50t hoist, laundrette Tides: Dover -0300 VHF: Channel 12 Maximum size: 80ft Price: ÂŁ2.40 per metre per day

Dinghy events A significant number of international dinghy events take place here and numbers will increase with the construction of the new sailing academy. Dinghies launch from the beach, so normally have little effect on cruisers.

JUNE 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk

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On test

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Space maker Jeanneau’s roomy Deck Saloon range has recently been expanded with the launch of its new 41DS. Duncan Kent reports

Emily Harris

T

he most recent launch in Jeanneau’s renowned Sun Odyssey DS (Deck Saloon) range of ocean cruising yachts, the 41DS supersedes the older 42DS and is little sister to the 44DS, 50DS and 54DS. Creating an attractive looking yacht with a deck saloon at just over 40ft (12.2m) is no easy task, but Jeanneau’s stylist, Franck Darnet has done well with the 41DS. Although she’s one of the most streamlined cruising yachts of her size, I felt her gradually sloping ‘eyebrow’ superstructure didn’t quite suit this length of boat and would be more at home on a 50ft plus (15.2m) yacht.

The 41DS uses the same Philippe Briand-designed hull as the recently launched S/O 409, and as such she’s equally quick and agile. Thoroughly

Easy to handle

The s/O 41Ds has been specifically designed to be sailed by a couple on their own, with all control lines leading aft to helm-side winches

up to date in all aspects – flush hatches, twin wheels, walk-through transom and much more – she also sports several desirable options such as Jeanneau’s much-vaunted 360 Docking system, incorporating a 360-degree rotating sail drive leg and bow thruster, which is purported to make parking up idiot-proof.

Flexible design

With 50 years of boatbuilding behind it, the Jeanneau yard (now part of Group Beneteau) has bags of experience when it comes to the creation of offshore and ocean-going bluewater yachts. In addition to highly-skilled design teams and the use of clever CAD design software, the yard also says it listens carefully to its owners and does its best to incorporate any useful suggestions into its next boat.

As well as high-tech computer aids for the drawing stages, Jeanneau uses a very contemporary composite build process, which it calls Prisma. In short this is a vacuum-bagging, resin injection system not uncommon in boatbuilding these days. But married to rigorous material inspection and analysis, the process ensures uniformity throughout the moulding June 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk

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On test

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POWER ON DEMAND TIME TO REPLACE YOUR OLD SERVICE BATTERY BANK? DUNCAN KENT TESTS A SELECTION OF THE LATEST FLOODEDCELL, AGM AND GEL BATTERIES TO SEE HOW THEY COMPARE

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t this time of year, fitting out thoughts often turn to the state of the batteries. If it’s time for a change you’ll have to grapple with an array of technology, so our group test also offers some detailed advice on what might make one type of battery better for your boat than another.

There are three broad categories of marine battery – well two actually, the third (dual-purpose, aka ‘leisure’) is more of a hybrid. A starter, or cranking battery, is designed to provide high amperage for short bursts to turn the engine over, whereas a deep-cycle domestic or service battery gives slow, steady discharge to run lights, fridges and nav systems.

They all rely on the same build principle – lead plates surrounded by acid, forming a cell. The more thin plates you put into one cell the more surface area is exposed and therefore the greater its cranking capacity.

Using thicker plates reduces cranking capacity, but increases the ability to provide continuous power over a long period.

good and, apart from the danger of gassing and acid leaks, they can provide excellent value for money.

One step up is the valve regulated lead-acid (VRLA) battery – similar to open, flooded types, only they are sealed, bar an emergency relief valve.

They are known as ‘recombinant’ models, which means the gases

‘AGMs are far more tolerant to overcharging than flooded lead-acid or gel type batteries’ produced internally during charging (oxygen and hydrogen) are turned back into water, keeping the moisture level in the battery constant. They can’t spill and never need to be topped up with water, but they are more sensitive to overcharging than open cells. A voltage-controlled charger is necessary because they are unable to vent gases as an open, flooded cell can.

Cost per Ah produced, this type of marine deep-cycle service battery is very reasonable when compared with more sophisticated types.

Wet cells

The first choice is between a pure deep-cycle service battery and a hybrid ‘leisure’ device. Then you have to look at different battery types to determine what will work best with your set-up on board.

At the simple end of the spectrum is the heavy-duty, open celled, thickplated ‘traction’ battery – the sort often found in forklift trucks. Don’t dismiss these out of hand and presume the latest fancy technology is always best. Some are extremely

Left: Modern boats, like this Morris Yachts M36, need plenty of battery power Right: Only one battery; the Victron AGM, fell victim to ST’s test schedule, betrayed by this suspicious bulge in the casing

AGM batteries

Instead of containing the liquid electrolyte of the common-or-garden flooded cell lead-acid battery, absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries have glassfibre matting between the plates that contains the required fluid in ‘moisture’ form rather than liquid form. This creates a very safe, efficient and robust marine battery that is far more tolerant to certain mistreatment such as overcharging, than gel batteries.

They can also deliver a much greater current if required (such as for emergency engine starting). In addition to being a totally sealed device, AGMs have a much lower electrical resistance than flooded lead-acid cells, so the battery can be recharged faster.

Being effectively sealed lead-acid cells (a type of VRLA), AGMs can be charged using the same type of constant-voltage charger as that used for ordinary sealed batteries – preferably a device with a two, or even a three-stage process. The usual default recommended charge voltages are 14.4-14.8V for the bulk stage and 13.2-13.4V for the float stage. However, as the construction and plate thickness of each model varies, the recommendations are often printed on the battery itself and can sometimes be slightly higher.

As with standard flooded-cell batteries, AGMs should ideally not be discharged deeper than 50 per cent of their capacity (at which point their voltage drops to 12.2V) if you want them to last their allotted lifespan. In fact, only discharging 20 per cent will extend their life considerably. For the same depth of discharge, an AGM battery could June 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk

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Seamanship

EyEball NavigatioN The arT of reading The waTer for hazards and depTh among The rocks has served sailors well from The scillies To The souTh pacific, as caribbean experT chris doyle explains

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n my first trip to the Tobago Cays in the Grenadines, I was using the chart, had totally miscalculated my distance from the northern tip of an island and ran aground on the outer reef. I was paying too much attention to the chart and not enough to what I could see around me.

Looking at the water colours and being able to interpret what they mean is the art of eyeball navigation.

It is not always easy. When sunlight hits the water only some of it passes the surface to light up the depths; the rest gets reflected. But the higher the sun, the more light penetrates the water and the more you can see. To really make sense of the underwater, you need the sun to be behind, or to one side, or nearly overhead. If the sun is ahead of you, the reflected light overwhelms everything and you cannot see beneath the surface at all.

The next thing you quickly learn is that the higher up you are, the farther you can see ahead and the better you can see underwater, which is one reason that historic sailing vessels had crow’s nests. Don Street, perhaps the Caribbean’s best known navigator, was always urging people to “send a man to the spreaders” and not to approach new shores after 4pm, when the low sun makes eyeball navigation very hard.

I have spent most of my life sailing in the tropical waters of the Caribbean,

writing cruising guides. Exploring poorly charted areas is part of the job and I have all the modern navigational tools, including a GPS chartplotter. GPS has been the most dramatic leap in navigation since the invention of the chronometer, which it has made obsolete.

20-30ft dark blue

As water deepens, its shade of blue darkens. Not to be confused with black or dark brown reef

Low tech science

But my most reliable navigational aid among reefs is polarised sunglasses; I feel lost without them. When the sun hits the water, much of the reflected light is polarised. The sunglasses block this, allowing you to see what is underneath. They also have the unfortunate attribute of blocking the light from my chartplotter, which is also polarised, so I have to do neck stretches to see the screen. Polarised lenses come in a vast array of colours (see new gear, pp64-65); I find brown to be the best as it brings out, rather than blocks, the browns and yellows that are going to help identify a reef.

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3ft shallows

I do most of my eyeball navigation from deck level, an elevation that is usually adequate. But extra height helps, and when Jeff Fisher and I were working in poorly charted areas off Venezuela, I built ratlines so we could easily climb 6ft (1.8m) off the

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The very light ‘pinot grigio’ colour of the water here indicates less than a metre over sand

‘My most reliable navigational aid among reefs is polarised sunglasses; I feel lost without them’

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deck. Even this relatively small boost in height dramatically improved our ability to see underwater.

Reading depth

The essence of eyeball navigation is observing any change in water colour.

In a shelving sea over perfectly white sand, the colours vary with the depth.

From black or indigo to a lustrous, dark blue in the depths, the colour lightens to a much brighter blue as you get into water around 40ft or 50ft (12-15m) deep. When the water is only 12ft to 15ft (3.7-4.6m) deep, it

sailingtoday.co.uk June 2013

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10-15ft

tHE SKiPPER’S talE

This ketch is anchored in turquoise water 10ft to 15ft over sand

Treasure Bay on Martinique’s wild east coast doesn’t even feature in some pilot guides, deemed too well protected by reefs. But after a week of rock-hopping, we decided to give it a try, approaching from the south at midday, with the sun at our backs.

We were already inside the outer reef, so there were no breaking seas to betray the shallows. But with a man perched on the pulpit and the helmsman glancing at the plotter, we felt our way safely in around a sharp dogleg in the 15m channel.

In the bay, we motored gently over towards a good-looking cove to anchor, the plotter assuring us there was no further reef to contend with. Imagine my horror, then, to see a line of brown through the water, approaching the bows, and seconds later a firm crunch that brought us to a standstill. We’d aced the entrance and flunked the easy part. SF

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Coral head

becomes a more brilliant turquoise and, as it gets shallower, it lightens until it is the colour of sand (and you have run aground!).

Years ago there was a tiny bay of brilliant white sand in the Tobago Cays covered with 8ft (2.4m) of water. Every charter yacht owner anchored his boat there, climbed the rocks nearby, and took a photo for his brochure, because it looked as if the yacht were floating in the air over sand with a distinct shadow, while behind the deeper water was a brilliant blue.

Sea grass/weed

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On a sandy bottom, weed will stand out as a dark green, except in very shallow water, as here

It would be nice to make an identikit of colours and assign each colour to a certain depth. To some extent we do this in our minds, but in practice, light is ever-changing, and water that looks a brilliant light turquoise with the sun in one direction will look a much darker blue-green from another angle.

Spotting a reef

At its easiest, eyeball navigation is finding your way in shallow, protected water between reefs that almost touch the surface over

Water depth The water colour will change steadily from deep indigo through turquoise and on to a sandy colour on an evenly shelving shore, provided the sun is out and not directly in front of you

WWW.WYATTSAILING.COM

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Beware! The dark brown to black smudge is a dead giveaway: here be reef

light-coloured sand. When a reef is close to the surface, you can usually make out its brown colour. It does not take much time to be confident enough to beat along it, sailing straight for the reef, then tacking at the last minute.

This is fine as long as the bottom is sand and reef, but what happens when there is weed? This is much harder, because weed looks blackish under water – much like rock. In good light you will be able to tell the difference between weed and a surface reef, but if the reef is about 6ft (1.8m) deep, you can no longer distinguish its colours so well. In Venezuela we found a large area marked as shallow reef on the charts to be navigable water, about 8ft to 10ft (2.4-3m) deep over weed, which made us wonder whether they had used aerial or satellite photography.

Another useful sign of a reef, rock, or shallow water is breaking water. If it occurs in a long line it is often a clear indication of a reef. In more isolated spots it can indicate a rock or shallow patch. At sea, in rough June 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk

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