Winter 08 | Issue 77 â‚Ź1 (Where sold)
Beneteau
Montecarlo On Test in Malta
& Man Overboard!
PLUS
Maltese Circumnavigator Hanse 430 & Comet 41S On Test New Atlantis 48 Chefs Ahoy Cruising Cornwall
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07 09 11 12 15 19 20
Editorial Ten Fathoms Man Overboard
The MacDonald Chronicles A Beaufort Scale for alcohol
Beneteau Montecarlo 37 B&Y’s Cover model this issue
Interview: Jonas Diamantino We catch up with Comanche Raider’s Skipper
Euromed Zammit Tabona retains title
23 31 33 36 39 40
Heading North ‘Diary of a Maltese circumnavigator’
Atlantis 48
Hanse 430e B&Y tests this epoxy-hulled 43 footer
Comet 410s
World Sailors of the Year Claire Leroy and Ed Baird honoured
Chefs Ahoy! Shrimps and salmon onboard
Cruising Cornwall
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FINALLY, A SPORTS CRUISER YOU CAN REALLY OPEN UP.
When creating the new SC38 our designers had the bright idea of using our innovative, convertible roof. This easily-retractable, translucent roof provides the flexibility to enjoy the cockpit whatever the weather. But being creative they didn’t stop there. They also introduced a full-beam skylight, spacious saloon and a separate head and shower. They even found space for three full sized berths in the aft cabin. Combined with our use of contemporary materials and quality finishes, the new SC38 convertible really does feel like a home from home.
FOR SALES INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER NAUTICA LTD 21/23 Msida Road Gzira GZR 03 Malta Tel: +356 21 338 253 Fax: +356 21 343 821 www.nautica.com.mt info@nautica.com.mt
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INSTINCTIVE INNOVATION.
A WORD FROM THE
EDITOR Welcome to the 77th issue of Boats and Yachting - the first one to be distributed for free with The Times. Even though the magazine had been published successfully in its previous format for over 16 years, we felt that the move to more exposure had been waiting to happen given the increased popularity of boating on the Maltese isles in the past few years. Even though everybody gets to hear about the high profile boating events like the Rolex Middle Sea Race and the Powerboat P1 Grand Prix of the Sea, there is much more to the boating scene than two events, and given the right exposure, more people could follow and participate in this most relaxing of interests. Many people who have never been involved in boating are often put off because it is often perceived as a sport or hobby which is the preserve of a small, ultra rich elite minority. This, however, is not the case. The biggest stumbling block is usually financial, but if one is prepared to carry out some maintenance work to cut on the costs, a second hand boat large enough to cruise to Sicily can be found for the price of a modest car (so just imagine what you could get for the price of an expensive car or a second house). Running costs are higher than that of a car, granted, but if you factor in one holiday per year with the family (which you’ll be getting for “free” now), you have the maintenance sorted too, but you’ll be getting much more than just one holiday. You can use a boat every day of the year, from the regular weekend getaways in summer to the mid-week afternoon you take off spontaneously in winter because the weather is fine, not to mention that a boat gives just as much enjoyment on the pontoon. There is no restaurant or club which can give you the feeling of having a glass of wine on deck on a cool summer evening.
“...On Deck will be giving you all the latest news and updates every six weeks...”
www.boatsandyachting.com Issue Number 77 Winter 2008 Boats & Yachting is a quarterly magazine about boats, marine equipment, windsurfing, diving and all other marine activities and sports in and around the Maltese Isles. Cover Photo: Beneteau Montecarlo 37 © muscatazzopardi.com Published by:
Directors Matthew Bugeja Richard Muscat Azzopardi 236, Mdina Road, Qormi, Malta Tel: +356 2149 0539 +356 27 300 500 Fax: +356 2149 8893 www.bma.com.mt info@bma.com.mt Editor Richard Muscat Azzopardi editor@boatsandyachting.com Deputy Editor Greta Pace greta@boatsandyachting.com News & Features Editor Gustav Pace
Boating is also easily accessible to people who do not want a full commitment of boat ownership. Various local companies and individuals offer chartering services where you can get a boat including a skipper and host from as little as one afternoon up to a week or more, and many people even charter overseas to get the same enjoyment in various locations.
Contributors Vanessa Macdonald, Deborah Ratcliffe, Wilfred Sultana, Godwin Muscat Azzopardi, Joe Schembri
Back to the magazine, though - Boats and Yachting as you knew it is changing. The first major change is that initially it will be published quarterly, but don’t despair, we’ll still be offering you a boating fix at more regular intervals. On Deck, which is also available with today’s issue of The Times, will be giving you all the latest news and updates in the boating market every six weeks, so make sure not to miss it. It will also contain B&Y’s brokerage section, so if you’re looking to buy or sell a boat, this is definitely the paper to look out for. Boats & Yachting will continue delivering the top drawer features you’ve been used to in the past years, from what it means to be a boat owner, cruising destinations with tons of insight, features about major events, boat tests and much more. We’ve even included a boat inspired recipe page for the first time to give you ideas of meals which can be prepared easily on board but will still impress your guests if tried out at home.
Designers Bertrand Fava Malcolm Bonello
Now please enjoy the magazine but before letting you get on with it I would like to end by asking you to send in any feedback about the new B&Y or any sea related opinion you might wish to get off your chest to editor@boatsandyachting.com. We’ll be looking forward to publish your opinions in following issues.
It is understood that all material supplied by agents (printed or otherwise) to promote their products is supplied with all necessary permissions for reproduction. Whilst great care and attention has been taken by the editorial board to ensure accuracy of text, advertising and other published matter, we disclaim all responsibility for any omissions and errors. The editor and Publisher do not necessarily agree with views expressed in articles/ adverts/ letters etc. appearing in this publication.This magazine is being published in strict compliance with the laws of Malta. Any litigation is to be handled in Malta.
Richard Muscat Azzopardi
Art Director Matthew Bugeja matt@bma.com.mt
Prepress and Printing Progress Press Advertising & Subscriptions: +356 2149 0539 +356 9989 5100/1 info@boatsandyachting.com
BOATS
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Light Hearted
Ten fathoms Man overboard‌no it’s not funny...
I
had fallen overboard. I saw the boat pulling off until my wife managed to take the sails down and motored back. With the limited and confused help of the children, the eldest was only 13 at the time, I had managed to grab the lifesaver and a rope, but no amount of maneuvering could bring me close to the boat; the rope seemed to be attached to a point to port of the boat. There was no way I could approach the boat. I shouted to my wife to put the ladder over the side. Then the boat started to drift away again at an alarming rate, drifting sideways in a stiff breeze. I was screaming out to my wife, and what I was saying did not make sense. My legs refused to help. I woke up with the blanket rolled around my legs. My pillow was soaking wet. In the disorientated period until I went back to sleep I realized that the dream could easily have reflected a real life situation. My wife and kids would never manage to pull me back on board from the water. I bored my wife and children to death, preaching about the need to rehearse a man overboard situation. A number of faces fell .No one could enthuse to the idea. I was clearly making too much of a fuss. But I was determined . After all it was my life that could be at stake. I had read so much about man overboard experiences that I thought I knew it all. But the next time we used the boat I decided to have a rehearsal in man-overboard recovery. Of course the chances are that a man will go overboard in a large sea and strong wind. I was cheating. I went into the warmish June water inside a quiet bay with no wind to speak of and a slight swell. As a reserve plan I prepared a halyard and ran an experimental try, making sure the crew knew what to do. I was sure I could always climb back via the bathing platform but the point of the exercise was to avoid using the bathing platform in my first try. Many factors
writes Godwin Muscat Azzopardi.
became immediately apparent. My wife and two of the children could not lift me any height above the surface pulling on a rope. Reaching the stanchions was impossible for me. My strength drained surprisingly quickly in my repeated efforts to lift myself as possible out of the water to reach any part of the boat. Surprisingly and inexplicably the water became colder in spite of my efforts and I was shivering.
The use of harnesses is not an unnecessary bother in relatively calm conditions especially if your crew is young or inexperienced My wife threw me a warp and I knotted it around my waist. The other end was attached to the boat and while I was tying the rope the boat was drifting sideways at an alarming rate, even though there was no wind . I shouted to the crew to haul me towards the stern, hoping to use the bathing platform, But it was I who had to do most of the work pulling on the warp. There was absolutely no way I could get one knee on to the platform . I hung there on my midriff but that quickly became very painful. My wife managed to slide the ladder out of its slot at the end of the platform. But the motion of the boat, even though the swell was light made it impossible for me to go up. There is a big difference between getting back on the platform when the boat is at anchor and when it is drifting sideways in a NE swell. I nursed a few bruises on my shoulders for the next few days. I hung on to the platform until my wife produced the spinnaker halyard and I was winched high enough to sit on the platform. The rope around my waist was not a good solution. It cut into my back and had me swinging around uncontrollably for some time. There are, of course, lessons to be learnt. The use of harnesses is not an
unnecessary bother in relatively calm conditions especially if your crew is young or inexperienced. If conditions are difficult, the harness needs to remain attached to a convenient point on the boat while the mainsail is being reefed or any other risky operation is undertaken. A rope passed down to a person in the water is not a satisfactory solution. It is common sense to carry a type of helicopter harness or strop on the boat. This supports the body and the lifting attachment is at mid-chest height. If you attempt to use the boarding ladder on the platform the boat needs to be beams-on to the sea. If it is bows on, the pitching motion will not only pull the ladder out of the person’s grip on the way up, it can cause serious injury on the way down. Motoring while trying to recover a person in the water may not always be a viable option. If the propeller is close to the platform it may be advisable to turn the engine off but this should only be done after the person in the water is secured by a lifeline to a suitable point on the boat. I cannot imagine how it is possible to bring a person over the guardrails if there is no platform save through the use of a winched halyard. Things are easier if it is possible to open the guardrails and one friend suggests that at one point guardrails are replaced by lanyards between two stanchions. The lanyards can be easily cut with a knife in an emergency. This will reduce the crucial height at the right time. I would really encourage short-handed sailors and those who sail with just wife and/or young children to have rehearsals. The trick is not to do it in a crowded anchorage in summer, both because you need space for maneuvering and also because you cannot foresee the level of appreciation of the audience! BOATS
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Light Hearted
The
Macdonald Chronicles
Beer is thicker than water. Any sailor worth his salt will know the sea and wind states that define the Beaufort scale (those of us that were at the Vikings Easter Camp should remember that we were sworn to silence... or else!) But is that really the only indication we need as to how safe it is to go boating?
stream of people who file down the pontoon and count how many of them are bearing food and how many of them have boxes that clink and clunk. Of course, some people’s boxes emit no glass-inspired noises at all. Don’t be fooled. They probably bought box wine and duty-free plastic bottles.
Surely the level of alcohol consumed by the skipper is just as important?
Indeed, disposing of the evidence can get a bit tricky. We have found that the best thing to do is to take bottles to the bottle bank on the marina by roster. For days after “one of those weekends”, we go down to the boat in turn and leave with a plastic bag each time.
Let us start by establishing that alcohol has always played a role in serious yachting. Heaven help us, even the Royal Navy used to dose their sailors with rum on a daily basis. It wasn’t until 1740 that they started to realise that alcohol might affect their reactions and started to dilute it – presumbly ice was in short supply in the Caribbean in those days and Coca Cola was not invented until the 19th century. Still, even the Navy realised just how hard it is to part a skipper from his drink. They did not abolish the rum ration until 1970, by which time sailors had fought and won several wars, so it couldn’t really have been that bad... Sailors will go to desperate measures to get their drink while out at sea. Legend has it that Horatio Nelson’s body was preserved in a cask of rum to be taken back to England but that it was empty on arrival. Apparently, the sailors drilled a hole in the cask and drank its contents, Nelsonian fluids and all. Good grief. Of course, things are easier nowadays. If someone dies on board, you just flag down a refrigerated container ship... And most of the hardcore navy types I know tend to get pickled from the inside out and then die, rather than the other way round. It is always dangerous to generalise but anecdotal evidence would certainly suggest that we Maltese enjoy a drink or two. Sit down and watch the steady
But back to the alcohol scale, which I have dubbed the Drunk In Charge of Keelboats Scale or DICKS for short. Force 1 would obviously be the soft drink, iced tea and sparkling water imbibers. I have never personally met any of these but they must exist somewhere. Their boats probably go in a straight line even when tacking. Force 2 is the category of sailors who would, on land, have just one beer or glass of wine, because they are the designated driver. These leave the pontoon without forgetting to unplug the shore power. There is a bottle of wine on board – which is used to marinade the fish they catch. Force 3 belongs to those sailors who start off insisting that they will only have one beer but have to be sociable when friends drop by and insist on joining them in “one for the road”. This sailor sits very contentedly behind the wheel, with an inane grin on his face, all the way home. Force 4 sailors have a lot of friends, all of whom invite them on board for a drink. It takes so long getting around from boat to boat that there is scarcely time to eat anything. Sometimes, they manage to get down below for a quick
nap but often wake up and find that they forgot to tie the dinghy on. Force 5 is getting into serious territory. The drinks are poured at the pontoon before they leave and they have difficulty picking up their mooring buoy in Ghadira so go round to St Paul’s islands and drop anchor instead. The table in their cockpit is festooned with so many empty bottles that guests eat their food off plates on their laps. No one is actually telling any jokes but you can hear the laughter from six boat lengths away. Force 6 is reserved for those who never actually make it off the pontoon. Force 7 is getting rather dangerous. The skipper cuts his finger at least twice while slicing the lemons for the gin and tonic and slips on an ice cube, banging his head on the crate of Chardonnay. There is blood everywhere. One guest suggests that gin has antiseptic properties and the skipper bravely dunks his finger into her drink. It works. Force 8 and 9 are hard to distinguish because the skipper is seeing double. He is furious with the irresponsible Jetskiers, the irresponsible motorboaters and the irresponsible dinghy-revvers that constantly wobble his glass. He stands on the bow shaking his beer at them, singing a sad little ditty about the disintegration of social values. He then falls overboard and sobers up long enough to get back into the cockpit and open another bottle. Force 10 is rare but no less dangerous. This is the boat that tacks even when the sails aren’t up. On the way home, the skipper squints at the coast and wonders why he cannot recognise anything, until a long and protracted scraping noise reassures him that he has well and truly run aground on the reef off Maghtab. Just the place to sleep it off... BOATS
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EXTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHS © RMA (MUSCATAZZOPARDI.COM) / B&Y
On The Cover
ON THE
COVER
MONTECARLO 37 by Richard Muscat Azzopardi
Even though Beneteau is one of the most popular sailing brands in the Mediterranean, we have seen very few power boats built by the world famous French Yacht yard around the Maltese Islands. We’re pretty sure that that is about to change thanks to the arrival of the new Monte Carlo range of sport cruisers. In addition to having beautiful lines thanks to its Italian designer and a name which inspires confidence thanks to the solid reputation built by the French yard over the years, the Monte Carlo 37 we took out to sea has a very smooth ride and brilliant performance to power ratio thanks to the patented Air Step technology used in this new range. 12
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I arrived at Ta’ Xbiex Marina eager to try out the Monte Carlo 37’s performance since I had already heard from some of my colleagues abroad that they were impressed with the overall package, but the overall package starts off with first impressions, and the first impressions were good. The boat is a definite stunner, even in the blue livery of the boat on display locally. While Beneteau have made quite a bold statement coming out with the red hull, Malta was given the honour of having the first blue production hull. Before getting to the performance of the boat and all its wizardry, I was taken on a tour of the interior while the boat was prepared for our sea trial. The cabins are relatively spacious, even though not class leading. What really impressed me was the aft (guest) cabin which is one of the most spacious I have seen on a boat this size. The designers managed to fit in a large forecabin, a saloon and galley and a decent sized head. As is becoming
customary in most modern boats, designers are not only making the best out of every nook and cranny, but also using the right colour schemes and materials, indirect lighting and clever usage of LEDs to add to the sense of space and airiness. While stepped hulls have been around for quite some time, different manufacturers have taken different routes of going about implementing them to the best all round advantage, and Beneteau’s is one of the better systems we’ve seen. In theory, a standard stepped hull creates a cushion of air beneath the hull. This in turn reduces the surface tension of the hull on the water to lower drag and results in much greater efficiency - essentially giving more performance from the same amount of power. Air Step is not simply a stepped hull, but a whole system which also brings air down into the step from deck level (just under the wind shield) through two
On The Cover
tubes. The end result means that the boat lifts off into the ever more efficient plane at a reduced speed which means that you can cruise at more economical fuel consumption levels.
Monte Carlo 32 and are working on the 27 and 42, all to be released within the next 18 months. The fact that Air Step is patented should give them a good head start, because they shall get a minimum of ten years of exclusivity. This means that they have to really make an impact on the market before anyone launches direct competition using similar technology.
The sea on the day we tried the Monte Carlo 37 was slightly choppy, perfect to try out the much flaunted technology I have just described. The boat handled perfectly, but it was impressive to see the results of the Air Step first hand. After having heard so much about it it was pleasant to feel the boat planing at just over 12 knots and immediately levelling out into a smooth cruise. We managed a top speed of around 31 knots and I was just as impressed by the handling of the boat in sharp turns as I was by the complete stability.
Beneteau have really come up with a trump card with the Monte Carlo 37. It shows that they want to be just as big in the power boat market as they are in the sailing boat market. This range of boats would have been the line to make or break their serious contention, and having tried out their first offering I’m pretty convinced it will put them up there in terms of volume.
So confident are Beneteau of the success of their Monte Carlo range, that they have already launched the
For more information about the Beneteau range please contact Mediterranean Yacht Sales.
Beneteau Monte Carlo 37 Specs LOA
12.10 m
Hull length
11.31 m
Beam
3.77 m
Draft (min/max)
0.9 m / 1.10 m
Air Draught
3.95 m
Displacement
7070 kg
Cabins
2
Berths
4/5
Fresh water
200 L
Fuel tank
650 L
Engine Options 2x260 HP Volvo D4 Duoprop EVC C 2x300 HP Volvo D4 Duoprop EVC C (As tested) Starting Price: €189,500.00 ex-VAT Price as Tested: €217,100 delivered & commissioned, ex-VAT
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Interview
IntERVIEW WItH:
JONAS
DIAMANTINO
SKIPPER, GASAnMAMo InSURAnCE CoMAnCHE RAIDER So how does it feel to be one of only three Maltese boats to complete the race, a race that had 58 starters and only 13 finishers? Jonas: Amazing and unbelievable! The crew and I are all still on a natural high. For us the Rolex Middle Sea Race is always about finishing the race and having fun, doing well or winning would be considered a bonus. How would you describe this year’s race in terms of the weather and fun? Jonas: Did we have fun? I can’t answer for the rest of the crew but as for me, yes, for the most part it was fun, but there were many scary hours when I was not having fun. The weather was extreme to say the very least, there were hours of absolute calm and hours of severe storm. We knew the wind was going to be pretty breezy around the track, but when, on occasion, it exceeded 60 knots, then it was no longer fun. I understand you stopped a couple of times along the way, why was that? Jonas: Each stop was a safety call I made. In the early hours of the morning of the second day we were heading towards the Straits of Messina, when the wind built up to well over 50 knots. We had very little sail area up at the time but even so it was too much, we therefore decided to make for shelter in Reggio. In Reggio we removed the mainsail and put up a storm trysail and a no.4 Jib, and 20 minutes later we carried on racing. We also stopped in Palermo for several hours but this was because the sea was mountainous and the slamming of the boat as she fell off the back of the waves was very frighten-
ing. I was worried that we might break the boat and crew could get hurt so I decided we should take shelter and wait for more favourable weather; after seven or eight hours we continued. Is sailing an expensive sport and how long have you been the Skipper of Comanche Raider? Jonas: I have been the skipper for the last six years ever since I brought her to Malta in 2001. Yes Racing is a very expensive sport so I need sponsors to race, I couldn’t afford it on my own and of course you need a crew. Fortunately I have a fantastic and dedicated amateur crew, without them sailing wouldn’t be half as fun. It is commonly perceived that sailing is only reserved for the rich, is that true? Jonas: It is easy to understand why there is such a perception, what with all the super yachts around and the costs of the Americas Cup common knowledge. However there are many many teams racing around the world who depend on sponsorship in order to sail. Sailing looks like a pretty relaxing hobby, is it the same in racing? Jonas: Cruising sailing can be quite relaxing but racing is a completely different. There is little chance to relax, a good crew will continuously make sail position adjustments or sail changes depending on the sea and wind conditions. How important is camaraderie within a crew? Jonas: For me it’s of primary importance. Whilst we are there to race and try and win we are ultimately there to have fun. Sailing in tough conditions is exhausting both physical-
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Interview
ly and mentally. After days of bad weather everyone is wet & tired, tempers tend to flare and nerves fray. A good crew who has sailed together for a long time will soon see the signs of exhaustion in their fellow crewmates and take action to prevent the situation getting worse. If the crew is not tight or confident in the skipper then the atmosphere on board can quickly lead to mutiny. As a rule I keep my core crew who I am confident will support all my decisions and act on my instructions. This years Middle Sea Race is a good example; when at one point I suggested that we go into Palermo for shelter, some of the crew did not agree, but once I made up my mind and gave the instruction to turn back to Palermo there was no discussion only immediate action to turn the boat round, no easy feat, in what were very heavy conditions. So how competitive is sailing? Jonas: At any level of racing competition between boats and crews is very high. Whilst skippers can often be best friends at the club before or after races, during a race the racing rules govern your actions and any infringements are often met with a very verbal reprimand and usually a trip to the protest committee. Nonetheless each and every competitor in a race is willing to stop racing if a fellow yachtsman or yacht is in trouble. This was clearly evidenced during the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race when Atalanta II stood by the stricken Loki for many hours. Even though there was nothing they could do to help save Loki, I am certain that the crew of Loki appreciated their support’ comfortable in the knowledge that if the situation had gotten worse Atalanta II would have been there to rescue the crew. Some may call it heroism, I just
16
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think its good sportsmanship and part of our human nature to help those that are in trouble. Comanche Raider is sponsored by GasanMamo Insurance, how does that work out? Jonas: It works out superbly well. Comanche’s annual race campaign is run on a shoe string budget, so without the very generous sponsorship of GasanMamo Insurance we could not be half as competitive as we are. So you are happy with your sponsors then? Jonas: Yes, I am very happy with GasanMamo Insurance not only because they are my sponsors but because they were one of the first sponsors on the local yacht racing scene. They have stood by us from the early stages when we were all a lot less experienced. Also, the staff at GasanMamo are all fantastic people, we had the chance to meet many of them this summer when we took them out in small groups for their first sailing experience, which I think for the most part they enjoyed. Last but not least lets not forget that they are the insurers of the boat so it is comforting to know that the GMI lighthouse is looking over us should anything go wrong. Will you do the 2008 Rolex Middle Sea Race? Jonas: For a long time I have been saying that this year would be my last Middle Sea Race. Now I am not so sure anymore. I’d really like to win it one day, however with all the high tech younger yachts around we are unlikely to do so in this boat, but who knows maybe one day I’ll have a boat that will give us a better chance of winning it!
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Euromed
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OVERALL RESULTS:
RETAINS TITLE The 2007 Euromed Championship was a resounding success with tough competition between racers for top positions and an even higher racing standard than previous years. Maltese overall title defender, Thomas Zammit Tabona just managed to win again by a mere half a point advantage over Dmitry Tretiakov, a member of the highly competitive and strong Russian team. Probably one of the most outstanding sailors of the event, young Russian cadet Maxim Nikolaev, has consistently placed high in the fleet throughout almost all the races achieving two firsts in the last two races. The girls also kept the local flag on top, with Small Nations Games silver medalist, Ella Fleri Soler, managing to hold onto her overall first placing with Nia Jones (GBR) and Melissa Hamilton (GBR) closely behind in second and third places. The Juniors were set a slightly
shorter course, however competition was just as strong, positions changing after every race with Ugo Pace (ITA) managing to grab the coveted first place. Benji Borg raced extremely well in the Laser Radial Class, gaining a first position in almost every race. Christoph Podesta and Jan Rossi fought it out between them to gain second and third placing respectively. Matthew Deacon Smith (GBR) is the outright winner of the smaller Laser 4.7 Class, coming first in every race, followed by Antonio Lagana (ITA) and Elisabeth Backelandt (BEL) in second and third respectively. Light, shifting winds and wet conditions did not make it an easy event for the race officers, although the final race had a perfect sailing breeze from the south east. In spite of all this, the impeccable reputation that Maltese yachting officers enjoy internationally was confirmed with the success of this year’s Euromed Championships.
Ltd, Virtu Ferries, MEDEX, Seabank Hotel, Good Earth, Nestle and Network Publications who helped make this year’s Euromed possible. The Euromed Malta Championship was organised by the Malta Young Sailors Club in partnership with KMS (Kunsill Malti Ghall-Isport) under the auspices of the Malta Sailing Federation.
Top: Thomas Zammit Tabona makes it a back-to-back victory for Malta. Below: Thomas Zammit Tabona & Ella Fleri Soler.
Overal winner Thomas Zammit Tabona (MLT) Optimist Class: 1. Thomas Zammit Tabona (MLT) 2. Dmitry Tretiakov (RUS) 3. Gianandrea Fiorillo (ITA) Optimist Girls: 1. Ella Fleri Soler (MLT) 2. Nia Jones (GBR) 3. Melissa Hamilton (GBR) Optimist Cadet Boys: 1. Maxim Nilolaev (RUS) 2. Alexander Moskvichev (RUS) 3. Gal Cohen (ISR) Optimist Cadet Girls: 1. Noya Baram (ISR) 2. Marina Sheherbarova(RUS) 3. Ella Stoggall (GBR) Optimist Junior: 1. Ugo Pace (ITA) 2. Arron Holman (GBR) 3. Karl Miggiani (MLT) Laser Radial: 1. Benji Borg (MLT) 2. Christoph Podesta (MLT) 3. Jan Rossi(MLT) Laser 4.7: 1. Matthew Deacon Smith (GBR) 2. Antonio Lagana (ITA) 3. Elisabeth Backelandt (BEL)
Event organizers thank Air Malta, Malta Tourist Authority, Adira Sailing Centre, RLR BOATS
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Cruising
SAIL CORNWALL Chartering has taken off – even here in Malta it’s possible to hire a yacht or power boat for an hour, day, week or longer. Worldwide the choice is infinite for example – Hawaii, New Zealand, South Africa and Cornwall, writes Deborah Ratcliffe
B
eing Cornish I have to admit to a little bias here – but sailing in the waters around the Cornish coast is amazing. The sheer diversity of conditions is remarkable – not only do you have tides to calculate, rivers to navigate, shifting sand banks and lobster pots doing their best to trap your prop, but you have the ever changing weather and a vast power and sailing fleet ever determined to impede your progress. In the height of the summer the numerous clubs hold daily races from tiny dinghy’s, darting like gad flies to the more genteel but none the less cut throat racing of the glorious Falmouth Working boats, evoking a time gone by – ‘When men were men and sailors really sailors!!’ to quote my father-in-law. None of this bow thrusters or electric winch lark! Yet after all that apparent chaos, sailing in these waters is a dream. Stunning headlands, hidden bays, secret creeks, quiet anchorages – even in the height of summer - brilliant riverside pubs and eating houses and weather that could at times be better but adds to the challenges of the holiday! Falmouth is a perfect place to base yourself if you want to sail in these 20
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YACHTING
waters. There are many companies offering bareboat and skipper charter, and, if time is aplenty, an ideal place to combine with a few days ashore exploring the delightful Cornish countryside. First, go to www.cornwallmarine.com a positive treasure trove of information to get you started. It gives a good overview of the area and services available. Their Marine Directory book is superb and gives a full summary of the local boat scene including an up to date tide table, sea sense – practical things like local emergency numbers, harbour information, your awareness of your surroundings and a comprehensive list of local suppliers to the boating industry - from boat builders to yacht charterers. Getting there is relatively easy– during the summer Air Malta fly to Exeter, which is just an hour or so’s drive from Falmouth - dual carriageway all the way. Overnight accommodation needs to be booked early as Falmouth is a leading Cornish holiday resort. Visit www. cornishtouristboard.co.uk to see a good selection of hotels. The Greenbank Hotel is right on the river, practically next door to the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club (who are currently hoping to arrange reciprocal facilities with the Royal Malta Yacht Club) and a few minutes
walk from Falmouth Marina. Pop across the river in a ferry and stay in the lovely village of St. Mawes, perhaps at the Idle Rocks Hotel or relax in one of the many local pubs offering down-to-earth but comfortable accommodation. Choosing the charter company can be difficult but go to www.boatingcornwall.co.uk and the site will flag up a few companies – I found the easiest way was just to type in Cornish Yacht Charter and then trawl through the result of the internet search engine. So now you’re there, yacht ready to go – but where? Depending upon the time available you could sail down to the beautiful sub-tropical Scilly Islands. Palm trees and daffodils, golden sands and blue waters spell out the magic of Scilly - a collection of five inhabited islands just 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall - St. Mary’s, Tresco, St. Martin’s, Bryher and St. Agnes surrounded by a myriad of uninhabited islands! Many of these ‘islands’ are mere rocksjust out of the water on a spring tide – they are protected as nature reserves so check out local landing or approach restrictions – rather like Filfla. St.Mary’s is the best landfall and you can usually pick up a visitors buoy with ease – but in the height of summers it’s best to call up the Harbour Master
Cruising
to check availability. If there is a swell running then you will be in for a lumpy night. Try if possible to tuck in behind the harbour wall. This is gentle sailing ground – island hop - a few minutes’ sail will take you to another ‘desert’ island! But watch your charts with eagle eyes! Scilly has been the graveyard to many a good ship! When you pass the Wolf Rock Lighthouse en route you can feel the power of the sea, as even on a calm day the swell climbs a surprising distance up the side of the tall stack. On a stormy winters day I have seen the lighthouse from the Cornish coast literally disappear in the frenzied waters! If you really only fancy day sailing then the Fal Bay is literally your oyster (these wonderful molluscs are actually grown to perfection in the Helford River and are fabulous with a cold glass of Chablis, a squeeze of lemon and a hunk of fresh bread!) The River Fal is navigatable up to the city of Truro – it’s tidal so you need to check the tables out. Truro has been a busy port for centuries and vessels up to about 80 metres can still get to the wharves on a full tide. When we sailed there we never got further than Malpas – the Heron Inn to be exact! We would
pick up a mooring and take the dingy ashore for a lunch snack and then head back down in the afternoon – tides permitting to the ancient Pandora Inn for dinner. Watch the tide because if it is high when you arrive for the evenings pleasures you can guarantee it will have dropped and you have to carry your dingy perhaps 50 yards through knee deep oozing mud…..! They are putting in a new pontoon though to sop this gloriously muddy problem! Washing down decks takes on a whole new meaning as the mud has a tendency to become superglue, and makes the annoying mess we get from the sand blasting at Malta Dockyards look like mere dust! The upper reaches of the river are truly beautiful – sailing isn’t an option as the river becomes too narrow. The river banks rise at times quite steeply - with a cascade of green fields reaching to the waters edge, dense woodland covers much of the area and the odd house perches on the waters edge. It’s quiet and very peaceful. But for real sailing then Falmouth Bay is excellent. As you leave the harbour of Falmouth – one of the best natural harbours in the world – you run close to the Black Rock almost dead centre of the harbour entrance. See www.fal-
mouthport.co.uk/ Then the open waters of the English Channel lay ahead of you – go to port pass St Antony’s Head and a plethora of small harbours await –Mevagissey and Fowey are the most well known. The Cornish coast can be challenging and especially around headlands you need to stand off. A lee shore here in a storm is a recipe for disaster! Go to starboard from Black Rock and fly across to the Helford river, pick up a mooring or drop a pick at Helford Passage and use the dingy to explore the myriad of small creeks – remember Daphne Du Maurier’s novel ‘Frenchman’s Creek’? This small hidden creek was her inspiration. You can sail right up to the tiny village of Gweek – we used to live there – but again watch the tides. We tend to play safe and use the dinghy to explore. The Fal coastal area is exceedingly beautiful, sailing can be fabulous – Cornish weather permitting – but even then it presents different challenges and a different reaction! This is what makes sailing so special worldwide! WEB LINKS www.boatingcornwall.co.uk www.cornwallmarine.com www.cornishtouristboard.co.uk www.falmouthport.co.uk/ www.falriverlinks.co.uk
Left: Saling into Falmouth Marina Below: Taking a tour on the Fal
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Circumnavigator
5th
Diary of a Maltese Circumnavigator’
HEADING NORTH “Few sailors experience heavy weather, Virtually all sailors worry about it, And if you aren’t afraid you just don’t know the facts.” Joe Schembri
“H
i Joe, where are you headed?” “ North this time” “ How long are you going for?” “As long as it’s fun” “Is this is your third trip north?” “Yes it is” “Going around the world?” “Yes I am” My wife and I enjoyed chatting with our dockside friends, in an easy, familiar manner, about when we were going to sail around the world . They created more enthusiasm and helped make our dream to sail around the world more real. The first trip south that I took was more than enough to expose my weakness and show that I was not yet ready. Getting the yacht ready for a voyage around the world is the most important part of the big commitment, the big step. But there are many other aspects of heading off cruising to far away places too. I had taken two trips north before this one; just to make sure that I was ready to sail my boat around the world. However, it takes more than sailing experience to make safe passages to distant places. You need to know how to manage your yacht in all situations, in my case the yacht was a 50` ketch. Management of a small vessel is an important part of seamanship, even though a more fundamental discipline is to try to avoid storms in the first place. Even with the best
planning, the day will come when you have to pass the sternest test in sailing, that is when you encounter a severe storm at sea. In our first trip north we had ventured as far as Mackay in Queensland, some 1200 miles north of Sydney. In this trip we had the three children with us. During the next passage north we sailed as far north as Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, after we crossed Torres Strait. This time we sailed without the children, sailing a total of more than 5000 miles. After these trips I felt ready to let go of the lines for the last time and head north towards Queensland and west towards the Indian Ocean. The two and a half years spent building Bahhar were behind us now. Sometimes nice things happen when you least expect them and this was one of those things; I received a phone call from Bob, a friend of mine, who asked me whether i wanted to move my yacht to Sydney Harbor next to his boat, a 45` wooden ketch built in Mauritius and sailed single-handed to Sydney. “Yes I would like to do that but Sydney is an expensive place Bob, I cannot afford those berthing fees” I said. “Mate, it’s a free berth as that place is owned by a friend of my mine and I already told him about you and he said OK, so get moving before he changes his mind” From then on, during most weekends, Bob and I used to go sailing and `race` each other as well as cruise in Broken Bay, about fifteen miles north of Sydney Harbor. What a gem for Sydney sailors. Many yachtsmen describe Broken Bay as a BOATS
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Circumnavigator
place that is really unique. Not only is it a magnificent water wonderland, but you also have an endless variety of pursuits. In all my years of sailing around the world, I never seen a better cruising ground; you can sail from a crowded marina to a totally secluded anchorage you can have all to yourself, surrounded by miles of natural flora and the longest river on the east coast of Australia - Hawkesbury River at 350 miles long. Bob had two boys of the same age as my three sons and while we prepared dinner and made sure that the anchor was secure, the kids took the dinghies and went ashore. Sometimes they disappeared for hours going trekking upriver. They had as much fun as we did. This is the pleasure of cruising with friends. It was now more than two months since I had moved my boat to Sydney Harbor and sold my comfortable home in the western suburbs of Sydney to move permanently onto S/Y Bahhar which was to be our home for the next ten years, a move that I never regret. As we made this transition from life on land to life on the water, we began to understand that this new environment was going to reshape our style of living, a new lifestyle which increased our love of boating - we were now live-aboards. It took us at least four months to prepare the yacht for the next trip. We had enough propane gas for our stove for about six months, fresh and canned food, 200 gallons of water, 180 gallons of diesel, plus all kinds of navigation books, two sextants, a hand held compass, 261 charts including Ocean Passages of the World and a British Admiralty publication
board to cover Latitudes 0 to 45 degs N/S inclusive. Spare parts for our diesel engine - a 50 HP Leyland Thornicroft, a sewing machine so we could repair the sails if we needed to and a good sized medicine box recommended by my family doctor were also part of our horde, as I knew that in some places were we going visit there is no guarantee of finding medicines you might need. We were under sail for many hours with the log showing our top speed of 7 knots, averaging 5 knots and heeling about10 degrees, with the breeze increased to F4 plus as the small waves becoming longer and fairly frequent with white horses. The boat loved these conditions. You can’t have sailing conditions better than this; I begin to feel the confidence that with this ketch I can go cruising anywhere - credit to John Pugh who designed Bahhar. However, there were other issues that I needed to take care of before I could say I was ready to slip the lines and head for the oceans, or long coastal cruising - navigation, which so far I haven`t mention in my previous episodes - was one of them. We know that sailing and cruising is great fun until you get lost, but many believe that you only can get lost when you are far away from land. Coastal cruising has many hazards; navigation is one of them, as I know so well. (Sure, today we have GPSs and other HT navigation aids but what happens if you’re out of juice?) During a trip to south Jarvis Bay the previous year, I had missed my destination by about six miles even though I was only about four to five miles away from the coast. That day I was “saved” when I called the coastguard for assistance on my 27hz and they had lots of “FUN” saving me. At that moment my ego defense mechanisms collapsed and not long after that I attended two courses in celestial/coastal navigation and meteorology at the Sydney Technical College. Sure enough, these helped me gain confidence in my sailing/cruising.
that makes hundreds of recommendations for long voyages. We also carried sailing directions for the part of the world we plan to visit and three sets of Sight Reduction Tables (Pub 229) designed to facilitate the practice of celestial navigation at sea. The tables are primarily used with the intercept method of sight reduction by entering arguments of latitude, declination, and local hour angle (LHA) and obtaining tabulated altitudes and azimuth angles. I had Vol.1, 2, 3 on
Even though the passage downwind may look easy, with the trade winds, pleasant warm weather and maybe catch a fish for dinner, as soon as you get near the atolls and islands the demand on your seamanship and navigation is tough. The reefs, currents, lack of navigation aids and poor anchorage can make cruising here a constant concern, as I found out when I nearly lost my yacht and maybe more when I missed a dangerous reef between Cook Islands and Tonga in the mid-Pacific some years later. Safe navigation relies on the navigator knowing where one is all the time. We were now about five miles south of Lake Macquarie heading north. Lake Macquarie is a popular place for yachtsmen cruising this part of N.S.W as it is one of the friendliest places on the coast. It also has all kinds of facilities, includBOATS
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RESIDENCES Villa
Mellieha
by B&Y
SEASIDE Ref: S818aii
B&Y teamed up with a real estate expert in seaside residences in Malta. The selected residences will fulfil the aspirations of the most discerning property hunter, as well as the yachting community, who will enjoy the delight, ease and handiness of stepping out of their homes and straight onto their boats. Moreover, we believe that these residences will increase in value while enjoying a high demand for rental. The selected locations and residences are:
Apartment Portomaso
Ref: S871
Apartment Sliema
Ref: S847k
Semi-detached Villa enjoying fantastic open sea & country views. 550sqm living space on 3 floors consisting of 3 double bedrooms (all ensuite), 2 utility rooms, pool & jacuzzi with sundeck & BBQ area, kitchen, living, dining, study, bathroom, WC, large terrace & a semi-basement enjoying a 3 car garage, games room, WC & gym. Shell form.
210sqm apartment consisting of a large seafront balcony, kitchen with appliances, living/dining, 3 bedrooms (including 1 single), walk-in-wardrobe, bathroom, ensuite & inter- connected car space. Accessible from the marina & use of the complex's amenities. Temporary ground-rent, highly finished, partly furnished & well priced!
1st time advertised! New block enjoying on-plan apartments overlooking Spinola Bay & with unobstructable views till Sliema. they consist of 2 double bedrooms, ensuite, bathroom, kitchen/ living/dining & large southfacing seafront terrace. Highly finished! (Smaller/larger units available).
Lm360,000 €838,574 (Prices in Mellieha starting at Lm50,500 €117,633)
Lm355,000 €826,928 (Prices in Portomaso start at Lm265,000 €617,284)
Lm184,700 €430,235
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF * ALL 3 OFFERS :
Apartment Sliema
Apartment Sliema
Ref: S237b
Ref: S655
FREE flights, travel & accommodation
NO EXPENSES such as notarial fees, public registry searches, finishing of property etc
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
Forming part of a lovely Qui-si-Sana seafront block. This apartment is situated on the 8th floor enjoying fantastic views from the terrace. Including 3 double bedrooms, ensuite, bathroom, kitchen/living/ dining + car space. Well finished & freehold.
New apartment (220sqm) enjoying seaviews & forming part of Tigne's exclusive gated community together with all the necessary amenities. Consisting of 3 double bedrooms, kitchen, living, 2 bathrooms, box-room, laundry room, terrace & 2 balconies. Highly finished. Including 2 car garage.
boatsandyachting.com/property
Lm260,000 €605,637
Lm230,000 €535,756
we will cover the rent should you purchase!
*up to 1% of the buying price of the property.
Apartment Ta' Xbiex
Ref: S469
A 210sqm seafront apartment forming part of a new block. Consisting of 3 double bedrooms, en-suite, bathroom, walk-in-wardrobe, box-room, 2 yards, kitchen/living/dining and a balcony enjoying views of an international yacht marina. Interconnected 2 car garage included. To be sold advanced shell form. Freehold Lm250,000 €582,343 (Prices starting at Lm47,250 €110,063)
For any enquiry whatsoever kindly contact B&Y on:
Apartment Senglea
Ref: S798a
Seafront ground & 1st floor duplex or 2nd & 3rd floor duplex situated on 2 roads. Enjoying 120sqm of luxury space consisting of 2 bedrooms, kitchen/ dining & separate living both enjoying open sea views till Birgu's super yacht marina, Fort St. Angelo and Valletta with its bastions and Grand Harbour. Lm140,000 €326,112 (Prices starting at Lm38,000 €88,516)
(+356) 2149 0539 (+356) 9989 5100
or by email on: property@boatsandyachting.com
Apartment Sliema
Ref: S819a
Last 2 apartments on-plan! Forming part of a new seafront block in Tigne' enjoying views till Valletta. Situated on the upper ground floor (or 1st floor) consisting of 2 bedrooms in 80sqm living space. Advance finish & freehold. Lm120,000 €279,525 (Prices starting at Lm52,500 €122,292)
Details of further properties are available at your request
Circumnavigator
ing a slipway that can handle up to about 20 tonnes and boasts sandy inlets, secluded bays,protected foreshores and nearby beaches perfect for swimming, fishing, cruising and scuba diving. I sailed along this coast while practicing coastal navigation, using the sextant to plot horizontal angles and the hand bearing compass to plot my position; this is the basis of coastal navigation. Since I was enjoying this passage, I made up my mind that our next stop would be further north to Newcastle Harbor. I took this decision when the wind was backing to south east, noticing that a moderate swell had already began to develop. Besides, by the time we would approach the entrance, the tide would be ebbing and although the sand bar at the entrance is one of the easiest on the coast, still, because of a strong tidal stream it could be very dangerous to go over the bar with the wrong tide direction. My kids protested about my decision, as they wanted to spend a day or two at Lake Macquarie. Newcastle Harbor is the mouth of the Hunter River with two breakwaters extending from north and south headlands. We were now about 17 miles south of Nobby`s Head: an island that is now joined to the mainland by one of the breakwaters and affords protection to the entrance in a heavy south-east swell such as the one we begin to experience, as the south-east wind now increased strength into a steady 25 knots with some gusts on the 30+knots. With plenty of daylight I was not that worried, as the boat was really built for these conditions. I was enjoying steering and keeping the bow on the desired compass heading as we reduced the sails to maintain a speed of 7 knots to make it into Newcastle Harbor in the next three hours. The whole family was enjoying this passage now even though sometimes I got that odd wave hitting the boat broadside with the cool sea spray reaching our cockpit. ”Dad look I think we hooked a fish” young Stephen yelled. “I thought you had withdrawn the fishing line” I said, half heartedly as I changed my heading to slow down the speed of the boat so it would be easier to bring the line in, which we did; and with it came a beautiful three kilos worth of Kingfish. We were now about one hour from the harbor’s entrance, the waves were coming thick and fast, building into mean looking rollers and each time they hit the steel hull we could feel the powerful force behind these waves. “Dad, over the port side of the bow straight ahead, I can see a ship that looks aground” .“Yes Pat. I know about that ship”, as I picked up my binoculars and could see the wreck was the 53,000 tons Norwegian bulk carrier Signa.The story about this wreck had, seven years previously in 1974 created a lot of interest so later when I had some time I went to the library and condensed some of the facts which I wrote down on my log book. The storm had created so much havoc in Sydney – Newcastle area, that few people will ever forget this mother of all storms. I remember driving south from Coffs Harbor north of Newcastle and in the peak of the storm driving on the
highway in a big car. The winds were so strong that I could not steer the car as it was shaking with each gust of wind, I had to stop the car as I was afraid I would go off the road. This was Saturday 25 May 1974. On that day the Australian weather bureau issued a preliminary strong wind warning for NSW waters. Some hours later it was replaced by a fullblown gale warning with winds on the high side of 50 knots from south southeast. At this time most ships anchored off Newcastle were preparing to stand out. At around midnight most ships weighed anchor and were riding the storm well away from the dangerous lee shore of Newcastle Bight.The only ships that remained at anchor were Cherry, a Chinese ship, which could not raise the anchors as her anchors and cables had twisted around each other; A Norwegian Bulk carrier in this case the whose master chose to ride the blow so as not to lose his place in the queue, and the third was the ill-fated Sygna, which neglected to take the warning seriously and whose crew was not concerned because of the ship’s tonnage. At 22.00 hours Capt. Lunde, the Shipmaster, gave orders to the first mate to wake him if the weather worsened. By 01.00 hours Sygna was adrift, dragging her anchors towards the beach. By the time the captain gave the orders to lift the anchor and get under way it took them 45 minutes and by now the winds were steady at 70 knots with gusts of 110 knots. With wind and waves inducing forces, the ship dragged portside to wind towards the beach. By now the anchor was home and the master issued orders for full speed ahead but the unladen ship with her huge topsides refused to respond and insisted on lying off to starboard. The master tried one last desperate move by ordering full rudder to starboard, hoping to get away by pointing the ship towards the open
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Circumnavigator
sea, but it was too late and Sygna was suddenly hard on the beach and on one of the nastiest and deadliest lee shores on the eastern coast of Australia. Fortunately no lives were lost, as early that morning the Newcastle Water Police fired a line to the ship from the beach and used it as a drag-line for a lifeboat. This did not work and the crew were finally rescued by helicopter because by 08.00 the wind had dropped to 10 knots. With the memory of this tragedy and the sun disappearing fast below the western horizon, I was a bit concerned as I knew that with these conditions a vessel should at all times be given plenty of sea-room when approaching the harbor.
The next day we went shopping in the city of Newcastle, which is the second largest city in NSW. Later that night another gale was in the making with winds of around 45 knots, a reminder that the reputation of this coastline should always be taken seriously. For the next three days we were very disappointed by the grey sky and never ending showers. We missed the sun as the further north we sailed we came to expect to see the sun each day. We moved around the boat at random, cleaning and preparing for the next passage North towards Port Stephens and Broughton Island, and further up the coast toward Crowdy Head...
Another one of those nasty waves hit the yacht broadside on the starboard side, it shook the boat with such a force that the boat jerked causing us to lose the RDF radio that was on the doghouse close to the companion way, “Sorry dad we lost the RDF, I put the radio on the top of the doghouse to take a bearing of AM station that is in the center of the city. I should have tied it down�. Patrick was more worried than I was about loosing that radio, “Its OK son, I can see the green light on the north side of the breakwater on our starboard side. We will soon be safely inside the harbor,� I said with some satisfaction as I knew that soon we would be tied to one of the free temporary berths made available to visiting yacht by the Newcastle Water Police Department.
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Yacht Preview
ATLANTIS 48
PREVIEW
Flexibility is the key word for this new 15-metre yacht to be launched soon.
T
he Atlantis 48, jointly designed by Atlantis Product Development and Carlo Galeazzi is an example of how designers may conceive a yacht that meets the individual needs of boat owners without deviating from construction philosophies. The 48 will thus be available in four versions: with or without a door between the cockpit and dining area and with two or three cabins. The version without a door consists of one large open saloon on the upper deck, with a dinette on the left and a cocktail cabinet with a plasma TV set on the right side, sheltered by a hardtop with a crystal dome and flooded with light thanks to the large lateral windows in Azimut’s unmistakable style. The one with a door, on the otherhand, features a sliding door separating a sheltered interior from the open deck, fitted with furniture and a sun lounger that can be converted into a sofa with a dining table. The stern deck’s size is generous enough to house the up-down tender in order to simplify haulage and launching. As for the interior, both the two and
three cabin versions feature the main suite astern with the guest cabin in the fore. Cabins are double-bedded with additional spaces which make them roomy and comfortable. The central saloon is also flexible in terms of layout as well as size according to whether the yacht has two or three cabins and whether the third cabin has a bunk bed. Two heads, one for the main cabin, the other with direct access to the fore cabin offer ample comfort for both owner and guests. The interior is large and airy with well thought out spaces, unveiling the touch of Carlo Galeazzi’s practiced hand. Style is elegant but functional with top quality materials including fine wood coupled with crystal surfaces and fine textiles. The craft is mounted with the new Volvo Penta Ips 600 propulsion (two 435 hp engines), offering excellent performance, higher acceleration, fuel economy and manoeuvrability at high speeds. For more information about the Atlantis 48 please contact Esprit Yachting limited. Design: Atlantis Product Development and Carlo Galeazzi (interior)
ATLANTIS 48 • SPECS Hull Length f.t.
15.27m
Hull length
14.22m
Width
4.35m
Fuel capacity
1,100 lt
Water capacity
420 lt
Cabins
2/3
Beds
4/6
Heads
2
Maximum persons onboard
14
Length/width ratio 3.51 Engines:
2 Volvo Penta Ips 600 6cylinders aligned in a single row
Horsepower
435 (320 kW) at 3.500 RPM
Capacity
5.500 cc
Weight
approximately 901 kg
CE Certification Class B BOATS
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Boat Test
HANSE 430e BOAT TEST
Words and exterior photos by Richard Muscat Azzopardi
sea on the new Hanse 430e and we did not need to tack. The obvious options to avoid the relative hassle of tacking were usually either motoring your way around or sailing without a jib or genoa, but Hanse’s decision to include self-tacking equipment on every boat they produce will have made life easier for many a new and experienced boat owner alike.
L
ee ... Ho! - one of the most vivid memories I have of my childhood revolves (no pun intended) around tacking. I was first introduced to sailing on a large boat at the age of four and the first few practice runs involved the family rehearsing the manoeuvre before setting out for our relatively long first trip. This Lee.. Ho act was the defining moment of any stretch of sailing, so imagine my surprise when I was out at
Do not be fooled though, there is much more to this range of yachts than this (incredibly practical and useful) party trick. Every Hanse now has the particular lines which make boats by the brand immediately recognisable when you approach them at the marina dare I say a baby-Wally look? The 430 is no different and it oozes class and a sense of purpose, especially with that beamy hull and wide aft. I’m not a big fan of boats with an open back, and still believe that a closed cockpit is a safer and probably more practical option - and Hanse provides an optional bench to partly cater for potential customers who agree with me on this. The cockpit is large and the two wheels mean that you can steer from either side when heeling. Entertaining outside is also well catered for with a table and ample seating space. Concep-
tually one gets the feeling that this boat was really designed to enjoy life upon rather than to be a serious rough weather sailor. I don’t doubt that the boat could take all the rough weather you could throw at it, especially thanks to the epoxy hull, but I feel that it was designed with Mediterranean cruising in mind. This is by no means a bad thing, because with our climate it is much better to have a boat designed for enjoying life aboard, especially when you have the peace of mind that should you be caught in serious storms you still have a boat which will bring you back to harbour safely. The boat is also pretty fast, especially when you consider that the boat I was trying out had completely standard sailing gear (which includes North Sails). In around 15 knots of wind in a relatively rough swell, the boat handled very easily and was never slamming into the waves. We peaked at around 7.5 knots, but were averaging a more than decent 7 knots for most of the test sail. In the last four or five years we have learned to expect quite a bit from Hanse’s interiors. Usually the interior in a Hanse is closer to a modern apart
Insert: The interior of the 430 is both spacious and practical. Hanse ensured that every nook and cranny is utilised.
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Portomaso Marina, St. Julians, PTM01, Malta. t.+356 2138 8050 f. +356 2138 9655 e. info@boatcarelimited.com w. www.boatcarelimited.com
Sole Representatives of: Douglas Marine moorings & fittings Elan Motorboats Italia Marine cleaning products Salona sailing yachts
Give your boat the treatment it deserves! Call now for a quote on our Boatyard Services.
Boatcare services include: • Boat Washing • Routine Maintenance • Guardianage • All Yacht Yard Works • Installations • Brokerage • Yacht Chandlery
Portomaso Marina, St. Julians, PTM01, Malta. t.+356 2138 8050 f. +356 2138 9655 e. info@boatcarelimited.com w. www.boatcarelimited.com
Boat test TRUE WIND POLARDIAGRAMM HANSE 430 0 140 % GENOA 105% JIB
ment than a traditional sailing boat, and the 430e is no different. With a very modern look and a nice combination of woods and leather, the saloon and galley are very welcoming. The boat also features three full sized cabins which should sleep six very comfortably. The fore cabin gets its own head with a decent sized shower too. The yacht we tried also had a couple of interesting extras fitted in. The retractable bow thruster makes handling in tight marina berths a child’s play, but it also keeps perfect hydrodynamics when shut. The other major difference was the Gori Propeller which was
retrofitted by the dealer locally. This folding three blade propeller not only adds speed to the yacht when under motor and folds to perfect aerodynamics when under sail, but also helps start and stop the boat much more quickly when berthing or in an emergency. Hanse have gone out and created a modern classic once again with the 430. It looks good, sails well and is available for under €140,000 (or under Lm 60,000). For that kind of money you’d be looking at a 37 or 40 footer usually, yet here Hanse have managed to come up with a brilliant boat with an epoxy hull and many other extras.
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judel/vrolijk & co March 2007
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For more information about Hanse Yachts, please contact Yachting Partners.
HanSe 430e SpeCS LOA
13.30 m / 43´7”
Hull length
13.15 m / 43´2”
LWL
12.00 m / 39´4”
Beam
4.18 m / 13´9”
Draft
2.20 m / 7´3” (standard) 1.80 m / 5´11” (option)
Displacement
10,9t / 24,031 lb* 10,4t / 22,958 lb (option)*
Ballast
3200 kg* / 7.064 lb*
Engine
29,5 kW / 40 HP
Fresh water
320 L*
Fuel tank
220 L* *approximate figures
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Boat test
T
he 40 foot sailing yacht segment is one of the most densely populated of them all, with competitors from all the major yards putting in some of their best boats at this level. Within this category, the one of the most popular kind of boats is the cruiser/ racer, but defining which boats should fit in here is already a tough choice. First of all, if a 12 metre yacht is designed to race, there is usually little space left inside, which ends up defeating the purpose from a cruising aspect, so designers are always having to juggle interior space and performance, while
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COMET 41S
keeping an eye on the quality of the build and finishings and keeping the price in check. This is what really stood out in the Comet 41S, the Italian yard managed to come up with a boat which is incredibly fast, spacious (especially in the 3 cabin/ 2 head version) and with finishing which is nothing short of what you’d expect from a Italian boat builder. All this was somehow managed without reaching compromises and still coming in at a decent price point, so we really expect the 41S to do well locally. Founded in 1961, Comar was one of
the first yards to use fibreglass for production craft. Today the Comet construction is a still based on a marriage of cutting-edge technologies and skilled artisan workmanship. Most of the components found aboard a Comet – from hull to joinery, from opening hatches to steelworks – are all custom made in-house at Comet’s plant. The hulls and decks are made from Airex sandwich, combining unidirectional and biaxial fibres and epoxy-vinylester resin. The Airex is glued to the skins using vacuum bagging and the reinforcements are layered directly on to the
Boat test
hull, something which avoids the use of inner moulds and delivers maximum structural rigidity. In line with Comar tradition, the 41S offers a vast choice of interior layouts. These range from a version with two cabins and one head, complete with separate shower box, to one with two heads and three cabins, all of which are furnished comfortable double berths and large lockers. One feature standard to all versions, however, is the forward sail locker. The saloon is bright and airy thanks to long side windows and five openable hatches. The saloon faces the galley which includes plenty of stowage. Cherry wood and polished steel give a modern yet cosy feel to the interior too. Great liveability and a rich amount of details are the most striking features of the Comet 41S’s deck. The cockpit is dominated by the large central wheel beyond which a large open area extends towards the sea. The coachroof, dotted with hatches and characterised by the typical Comet inset windows, has recessed channels for the halyards. A multitude of fine details include custom made flush hatches, winches inset into the coaming, Harken deck hardware as standard and steel components manufactured inhouse by Comar. The biggest challenge with this model was to pack the substantial appeal of its bigger sisters, the 51 S
and 45 S , into just 12 metres. We learnt from Comet that this meant long hours at the drawing board and computer not to mention the construction of numerous scale models as they tried to strike just the right balance between hull and coachroof. The result is the beautifully unforced, performanceoriented forms we’ve come to expect from the Comar Sport series: fine bow sections and vertical overhangs, designed to develop the waterline to the utmost and make the hull soft on the waves. Although never interfering with the finely wrought proportions of the hull, the deckhouse design delivers excellent interior liveability. Out at sea the very nippy Comet 41 S is surprisingly responsive and docile to wheel too, thanks to the good hull balance and rudder’s efficiency. Comet are represented locally by Esprit Yachting.
Comet 41S Specs LOA
12,47 m
Hull length
12,46 m
LWL
10,90 m
Beam
3,92 m
Draft
2,20 m
Displacement
8,000 kg
Ballast
2,500 kg
Engine
Lombardi Marine 40 HP
Transmission
S-Drive
Mainsail
52 sqm
Genoa 110%
45 sqm
Genoa 135%
55 sqm
Spinnaker
114.80 sqm
Fresh water
400 L
Fuel tank
150 L
Cabins
2 or 3
Berths
4/8
Heads
1 or 2
Design
Vallicelli & Co
CE Category
Class A
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The Elan E340 One of the many Award Winning boats from Elan* Germanischer Lloyd Yacht Plus
E410 ELAN YACHTS: HIGH PERFORMANCE CRUISER RANGE: NEW!
NEW!
E31
E340
E380
ELAN IMPRESSION RANGE: FAST CRUISER RANGE:
*The Elan E340 is the winner of:
- Europen Yacht of the Year 2007 for boats under 10M - Val Nautica Yacht of the Year - Boat of the Boat show at the Vene 2007 BAT in Helsinki - Boat of the Boat show at Internautica 2007 & is one of the first boats to be certified Germanischer Lloyds Yacht Plus
E410
E450
Photos: ROLEX/Carlo Borlenghi
Awards
CLAIRE LEROY &
ED BAIRD ISAF RoLEX WoRLD SAILoR oF tHE YEAR AWARD WInnERS ships in her hometown of St Quay Portrieux, France, and the 2007 Women’s Match Race European Championship.
Above: From Left: Arnaud Boetsch, Rolex SA, H.M. King Constantine, Claire LEROY and team. Below: Ed BAIRD (USA), male winner in speach during Awards Ceremony
T
he International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards are recognized as one of the highest honours a sailor can receive in recognition of his/her outstanding achievements and 2007’s official award ceremony took place on November 6th in Estoril, Portugal at the Penha Longa monastery. The exceptional winners for 2007 are Claire Leroy (FRA) and Ed Baird (USA), making this night a true tribute to match racing. Claire Leroy has been the # 1 skipper on the ISAF Women’s World Match Race Rankings since May 2005. Skipper of “Team Ideactor”, Leroy has taken her love of the elements and dominated the match racing circuit, winning the 2006 ISAF Nations Cup, the IX International Women’s Match Race Criterium, the 2007 ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Champion-
As Claire was announced the winner of the female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year by ISAF President of Honour His Majesty King Constantine, she came to the stage with two of her teammates, Ophélie Théron and Elodie Bertrand. “Thank you for this great honour,” said Claire, still shocked upon receiving her 2007 award. “It’s very emotional to me and I would like to thank my crew. Sailing is a wonderful team sport and it’s an incredible honour that the sailing community thinks that we are one of the best teams in the world- I still can’t believe it!” But Claire Leroy was not the only sailor who left with a silver World Sailor Trophy and a prestigious Rolex timepiece. American Ed Baird took home the male 2007 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award for his incredible achievements as helmsman aboard Alinghi, winner of the 32nd America’s Cup. “There are all kinds of things that come into your mind as wanting to say for something like this, but ‘wow!’, is the big one!” exclaimed Baird as he accepted his award from ISAF President of Honour His Majesty King Harald V of Norway and Arnaud Boetsch of Rolex SA. In a voice that showed true emotion, Baird had no qualms about showing his appreciation, saying that Alinghi’s win was “not just me- it was a massive effort
by a big, big team... It certainly is the most wonderful thing that has come along; to win the America’s Cup with this team and to have such a fantastic year and then to be recognised like this- it’s magical.” Baird has a long history of triumphs in the world of international match racing both in and outside of the America’s Cup. Baird is the only American to have ever won the ISAF Match Racing World Championship - in 1995, 2003 and 2004. He is the only American ever to have ranked number one on the ISAF World Match Race Rankings list and in 1995 was honoured by his countrymen as the USA’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. All but one nominee was present last night for the Award Ceremony at the Penha Longa and no one knew ahead of time who the winners would be, making for justified anticipation from all corners. Along with Leroy and Baird, the nominee list for the 2007 ISAF Rolex World sailor of the Year Awards brought together an incredible number of accomplishments in the sailing world. All who attended the ceremony felt honoured to be in the company of so many talented sailors and presenter Gary Jobson encapsulated it so well when he said: “Sailing is important because it gives us a chance to enjoy freedom and sailors are goal oriented, well-travelled people who pay attention to life’s details.... Our sport is all about having a good time.”
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Recipe
CHEFS AHoY! I think one of the most important things at sea is the food, but, cooking on board is often a chore, so I hope to come up with some quick and easy recipes in each issue, to make the taste buds tingle and keep work to the minimum! To be honest I sometimes can’t stay down below for long when sailing – I need the fresh air topside! I keep culinary
SIZZLING SHRIMPS SERVES 4-6
I love this recipe – it looks as if you have spent ages preparing it! An easy dish to make at home but it needs to be kept chilled until ready to cook. A griddle/frying pan on a gas ring can be used, but you can’t beat the taste of the ‘barbie’!. Serve with fresh bread and a rice salad. INGREDIENTS 3 CRUSHED GARLIC CLOVES 50ML OLIVE OIL 200ML TOMATO SAUCE 2 TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR 2 TABLESPOONS CHOPPED FRESH BASIL 1/2 TEASPOON SALT 1/4 TEASPOON CAYENNE PEPPER - OR TO TASTE
1 KILO FRESH SHRIMP, PEELED AND DEVEINED FOR COOKING: SKEWERS • In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together including the shrimps for the marinade. • Cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring once or twice. • Thread shrimps onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. • Cook shrimps on preheated lightly oiled grill/griddle for 2 to 3 minutes per side until opaque. • Baste all the time with the marinade. NB: If using wooden skewers soak in water for at least overnight to stop them burning. I once had an emergency when they caught fire!
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masterpieces to the pontoon or perhaps at anchor! So I go for ready made snacks – often simple things liked stuffed Pitta bread or Wraps as I find sandwiches disintegrate too quickly. I love those quick snack pots of noodles and pasta – all you have to do is boil a kettle (or have a flask of hot water ready). Great for filling those gaps and great for the washing up!
SALMON WITH OLIVES, GREEN BEANS, ANCHOVIES & TOMATOES. SERVES 2
This is a very simple dish - it can be easily cooked aboard in the oven or on the BBQ. I adore the fresh salty taste and serve it with spicy potato wedges to zest up the flavours of the salmon! Just microwave or bake a couple of large potatoes: whilst warm slice into wedges and dust with Cayenne pepper – be careful as Cayenne can be very hot! Drizzle over some oil and place on a baking dish. Put either in the oven or BBQ for 20 mins before cooking the salmon – turn 2-3 times. INGREDIENTS 4OZ COOKED GREEN BEANS 12 CHERRY TOMATOES 1 LARGE HANDFUL BLACK OLIVES 1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL 1 HANDFUL FRESH BASIL LEAVES 6 ANCHOVY FILLETS – 1 SMALL TIN WILL BE ENOUGH 2 SALMON STEAKS 1 LEMON PEPPER . • Heat oven to high and get a strong heat on the BBQ • Marinate the green beans, olives and tomatoes together with the olive oil, the torn basil leaves and little pepper to taste. • On a plate squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the salmon, season with pepper and add a drizzle of olive oil – gently massage in! • Put the salmon at 1 end of a roasting tray and the green beans mixture at the other. Lay the anchovies over the green bean mixture. • Roast for approx 10 mins in the oven until cooked to taste. • Serve each one with a quarter lemon. • On the BBQ place the salmon on one end of a sheet of foil – curl up the edges - at the other end place the vegetables, put on metal tray and cook with lid closed for approx 10 mins.
ABSOLUTE 39 From € 277,000 + VAT
ABSOLUTE 41 From € 320,000 + VAT
ABSOLUTE 45 From € 400,000 + VAT
ABSOLUTE 47 From € 416,000 + VAT
ABSOLUTE 52 From € 725,000 + VAT
ABSOLUTE 56 From €780,000 + VAT
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