Yachting Year 2020

YACHTING RACING | CLASSICS | CRUISING

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ROB PEAKE EDITOR

WELCOME TO

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W

elcome to 2020 edition of The Yachting Year, our annual celebration of the sailing world. Over the next 130 pages you’ll find the latest boats, the newest kit, advice for your own sailing, a look back at some of the extraordinary sailing events of 2019 and a look ahead at what is to come.

The editors of our three sister titles – Sam Jefferson from Sailing Today, Steffan Meyric-Hughes at Classic Boat and myself at Yachts & Yachting – write exclusively in The Yachting Year on what each of us sees as the key things to look forward to on the water in 2020 and beyond.

As The Yachting Year goes to press I have spent the past few days talking to the first athletes announced for Team GB in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Sailing is always one of the first sports announced by the British Olympic Committee and so it was this year, with the names of 12 of the 14 sailors going to Japan made public in late autumn. Talking to them, for interviews running up to the Games in Yachts & Yachting magazine, I was struck by their desire not only to win but to inspire younger sailors. I can’t wait to see how they do on the rolling waters of Enoshima.

One of the team is Hannah Mills, returning to Olympic competition after winning gold in Rio and silver at Weymouth. In this edition of The Yachting Year, Hannah recalls her first ever Olympic race, back in 2012, when things didn’t quite go to plan. It makes comforting reading for the mere mortals among us.

The other big event for sailing fans this coming year is the Vendée Globe, starting in November. During the several months of the last race I was all but glued to my mobile phone’s Vendée Globe app. This edition promises even more excitement, as several British sailors take to the startline – including at least three women – and of course we will all be watching to see if Alex Thomson and Hugo Boss can do what no other British sailor has ever done. A Vendée win for Alex would be momentous for British sailing – and for Portsmouth pubs.

One of the highlights of my own sailing this year came last summer when I did the Round the Island Race with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. It was a near windless day and most of the fleet retired. What made is special was the crew of young people on board, each of whom had recently finished treatment for cancer. Over the course of the race they went from shy, introverted teenagers to a fun, bubbly crew of new friends.

The way they bonded on board was a clear demonstration of the excellent work that the Trust does and I am delighted that it has been Yachts & Yachting’s charity of the year for 2019.

I hope you enjoy reading about my day with the Trust and everything else in this issue of The Yachting Year. Fair winds for 2020!

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 3

Contents 60

ROPE TECHNOLOGY Which lines to choose for your kind of sailing?

14

THE YEAR AHEAD FOR PERFORMANCE SAILORS

By Yachts & Yachting editor Rob Peake

32

YEAR AHEAD FOR CRUISING

SAILORS By the editor of Sailing Today magazine

44

YEAR AHEAD FOR

CLASSIC BOATERS By the editor of Classic Boat magazine

22

THE SPIRIT OF TRADITION Anna has cutting edge tech, but classic looks

58

66

BOATS OF NOTE

SAM LLEWELLYN

Racers, cruisers, dinghies and classics

We meet the bestselling sailing author

76

CLASSIC CRUISER

The “last” of a great marine marque

106

AVIA WILLMENT

40

CHARITY OF THE YEAR We do the Round the Island Race with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

Metre boat champion!

114

84

NEW GEAR FOR 2020 The best and the latest of kit for your sailing

UK CHARTER Sail in British waters

118

SAIL TECH Latest developments in sail technology

122

50

SAILING THE CYCLADES Rod Heikell on cruising this idyllic archipelago

4 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

REGATTA PLANNER DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

96

HANNAH MILLS LOOKS BACK Olympian recalls her first race at Weymouth 2012

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50

A winning year PICTURE ROLEX/KURT ARRIGO The Volvo Open 70 Wizard rounds the Fastnet Rock in the 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race and heads for Plymouth for an overall win in the event at her first attempt. The boat, owned by David and Peter Askew, also won the 2019 Transatlantic Race, RORC Caribbean 600 and picked up a class win in the Newport-Bermuda Race. Not too shabby a season, by anyone’s standards. For all the latest sail racing news plus practical advice for your own racing, visit yachtsandyachting.co.uk

FIVE GO ROUND THE ISLAND The Nutter family – Craig, Kate, Jack, Molly and their Harrison Butler cutter Sabrina – enjoy a day to remember in the Round the Island Race WORDS CRAIG NUTTER

6 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2018

WATERCOLOURS SUE PEAKE

THE YACHTING YEAR 2018 | 7

FIVE GO ROUND THE ISLAND The Nutter family – Craig, Kate, Jack, Molly and their Harrison Butler cutter Sabrina – enjoy a day to remember in the Round the Island Race

8 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2018

Wish you were here PICTURE C/O ELAN YACHTS Elan’s latest yacht, the 45.1 is built high up in the Slovenian Alps many miles from the Adriatic Sea. The boat has been a big hit on the charter market, particularly in neighbouring Croatia, where the joys of chartering are illustrated perfectly by this photo; limpid waters that seem to beg you to drop the hook and plunge in! Seafood, deep water, myriad islands and stunning Venetian architecture...Croatia is cruising at its best. For all the latest cruising sailing news and advice on cruising destinations visit sailingtoday.co.uk

THE YACHTING YEAR 2018 | 9

A racing incident PICTURE INGRID ABERY A dramatic startline clash between two old classics at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2019, the 1911 7-Metre Fife

FIVE GO ROUND THE ISLAND Endrick (seen here to the right) and the 1892 gaff cutter Marigold. The impact caused three crew

members to land in the sea but nobody was seriously hurt. For more about the most beautiful boats afloat visit classicboat.co.uk

The Nutter family – Craig, Kate, Jack, Molly and their Harrison Butler cutter Sabrina – enjoy a day to remember in the Round the Island Race WORDS CRAIG NUTTER

10 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2018

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THE YEAR AHEAD

IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR RACING SAILORS

Editor of Yachts & Yachting Rob Peake on what he is looking forward to in the racing world in 2020

I

t is going to be a great year for anyone who likes

would like to see changed. Indeed, as I write, in November,

MAIN The Olympic

following sail racing. To mention just three of the big

the Finn Association is petitioning World Sailing for a rever-

regatta starts on

events to look forward to, we have the America’s Cup

sal of the decision.

July 24 in Enoshima

World Series, which will probably give us a good idea of

Meanwhile the Mixed Offshore class is a great develop-

who is competitive for the Cup itself a year later, we have

ment that should be celebrated. It is the result of a directive

the Vendée Globe starting in November, and we have the

from Olympic chiefs that sports should work towards diver-

Olympics. The Olympic regatta on Enoshima Bay will

sity and equality. Other sports are introducing new mixed

undoubtedly be a great one, but this past year the

events: a mixed relay time trial made history at the road

Olympics has been the cause of some upheaval, after the

cycling world championships in the summer of 2019.

Finn was removed from the Paris 2024 games, and at the

The Mixed Offshore class wasn’t universally welcomed,

same time a new Mixed Offshore event was announced, a

but its proponents say it will be a huge boost for sailing

long-distance race for double-handed men and women

generally. Firstly, it will be the only Olympic event that runs

crews.

through the night. Starting and finishing in Marseille, the

Anyone who has followed elite sailing will mourn the loss

race will last for three or four days and with a one-design

of the Finn, a class that GB sailors made their own for many

fleet, all penalties will be taken on the water, so whoever

years and which has spawned some of the greatest sailors

crosses the finish line first will be Olympic champion.

in history. For up-and-coming ‘heavyweight’ singlehand-

Bay in Japan

An event that lasts round the clock means round the

ers, there is now no option for them in terms of an Olympic

clock media coverage. While one half of the world is asleep,

pathway. That is a sad state of affairs that many people

the other half can still watch live Olympic racing, brought

THE YACHTING YEAR 2019 | 15

to us via onboard cameras, live interviews with the sailors

ABOVE The new

they now had 10 months to prepare for the rough waters of

and no doubt endless graphics and analytics showing the

Jeaneau Sun Fast

Enoshima.

changing naunces of athlete and boat performance.

3300 is aimed at the

There were some obvious choices, not least reigning

growing short-

Olympic Champions Giles Scott in the Finn and Hannah

“For the IOC, television ratings matter and post-Olympic

handed scene and is

Mills, now campaigning the Women’s 470 with first timer to

IOC funds for sports are based on those numbers. Sailing

seen here sailed by a

the Games, Eilidh McIntyre.

is currently in Media Group D, the second bottom group,

mixed crew. Will the

behind badminton. A viewing audience over days and

Sun Fast be

equipment right for Tokyo,” said Dylan Fletcher who with

nights, which the offshore event will provide, could be a

considered for the

Stu Bithell will be going to their second Games.

game changer.”

Olympic Offshore

World Sailing Offshore Vice Chair Matt Allen has said:

He also points to the event being more appealing to

event?

“It means we can really focus on the details and get our

There were suggestions, early in 2019, that Fletcher and Bithell might not be able to to handle the dual responsibili-

more sailors, compared to a dinghy-only regatta: “Remem-

ties of an Olympic campaign and being key members of

ber there are 10 sailing medals. Now one of those medals

the British SailGP boat. The opposite seems to have been

will be representative of the sailing that more than half of

true, as they have had to learn to operate at a higher level

sailors have done. That is indeed a milestone.”

of speed and concentration than even the 49er demands.

Flying one of the SailGP F50s at 50 knots requires – one

There are trial Mixed Offshore events being held in various places worldwide, the first completed by Oakcliff

can only imagine – lightning reactions and nerves of steel,

Sailing on Long Island, which had 34,000 people viewing

both useful attributes in the flighty 49er. The world’s best

on live feeds from the boats on Facebook alone.

49er sailors of recent years, notably Burling/ Tuke and Outteridge/ Jensen, have clocked up a lot of foiling time

Meanwhile, late this summer the RYA put out a call for British two-person, mixed-gender teams to take part in the

on International Moths, A-Class cats and foiling America’s

2019 EUROSAF Mixed Offshore European Championship,

Cup catamarans. While he had some time off this summer,

held in Italy in October. Henry Bomby and Hannah Diamond

Fletcher did the same, winning the UK Moth Nationals in

were chosen and the duo have their sights set on the Olym-

style, beating one of the top US Moth sailors to boot. Bithell

pic regatta in Marseilles 2024.

was not far behind him. Fletcher’s fiancée, Charlotte Dobson, will also be going to her second Games in the women’s

A recent statement from World Sailing says: “The Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat will join kiteboarding, windsurfing, multihulls, singlehanded and doublehanded dinghies and skiffs [in the Olympics], promoting the diversity of the sport. This in turn will support World Sailing’s desire to promote and grow universality in all disciplines and increase female participation with gender equal medals and athletes.”

OLYMPICS As I write, most of the British Olympic sailing team has just been announced. Two classes are yet to be decided – Laser Men and the Nacra 17 mixed catamaran – but 12 of the sailors who will be going to Japan in the summer of 2020 posed for a photoshoot in Poole, all looking relieved that

16 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

It means we can really focus on the details and get our equipment right for Tokyo

skiff, campaigning the 49erFX with Saskia Tidey. Fletcher

ABOVE American

and Dobson are set to get married just a month after Tokyo

Magic up on its foils

2020, and so the race is on to make sure they’ll be celebrat-

in Newport Harbour

ing medals as well as sharing wedding vows.

Luke Patience won silver at his first Olympic Games,

RIGHT Clipper Race

London 2012, crewed on that occasion by Bithell who made the switch from 470 to 49er soon after their success seven Most crew members have no previous sailing experi-

years ago in Weymouth. Patience raced at Rio 2016 with Chris ’Twiggy’ Grube but missed out on a medal. Their

ence before they are trained up by Clipper, and they then

form has been patchy in the past couple of years but the

embark on 40,000 miles of ocean racing that is as close

experienced 470 duo have come on strong in the latter part

and tough as most events you could name. One example of

of 2019 and have identified the areas to work on if they’re

this came in the finish line duel between Qingdao and Visit

to beat the 470 Men’s favourites from Australia, Sweden

Sanya at the end of the second leg, from Portimão to Punta

and Spain.

del Este. After 5,196 nautical miles and 26 days of racing,

Alison Young is back for her third Olympic Regatta

the two were neck-and-neck in the final approach to Yacht

in the Laser Radial and continues to show world class

Club Punta del Este. Chris blogged on the Clipper website:

promise, particularly in the stronger winds which could be

“We have been match racing Visit Sanya, China for days.”

From Punta del Este the race headed 3,555nm across

a feature of next year’s event in Enoshima. For the RS:X windsurfing representatives, it’s a first time experience for

the Atlantic to Cape Town. From there, the teams experi-

26-year-old Tom Squires and 20-year-old Emma Wilson.

ence the Roaring Forties in the Southern Ocean as they

Like Eilidh McIntyre in the 470, who is following in the

race across to Fremantle, Western Australia; around to the

footsteps of her father Mike who won Star keelboat gold

Whitsundays in Queensland, Australia; back into the North-

in 1988, Wilson’s mother, Penny Way, represented GBR in

ern Hemisphere to China where teams will race to Qingdao,

women’s windsurfing at the 1992 and 1996 Games.

Great Britain is the only nation to have qualified an athlete into all 10 sailing events, and team leader Mark Robinson will need all his sailors to be at the top of their game if the sailing team is to bring back the four to seven medals expected by UK Sport.

CLIPPER RACE The Clipper Race has become part of the sailing scene and it is easy to overlook how extraordinary the event is.

Created by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the event is now in its twelfth edition, which started from London on 1 September 2019. The fleet will complete its circumnavigation when it returns eleven months later, in August 2020. Divided into eight legs, it is the only race in the world where the organisers supply a fleet of eleven identical racing yachts, each with a fully qualified skipper and first mate.

The AC75 is a completely new concept and has presented plenty of challenges

via Sanya and Zhuhai; across the Pacific Ocean to Seattle; to New York, via the Panama Canal; and then it’s a final Atlantic crossing with stops in Bermuda and Derry-Londonderry, before the crew arrive back to London.

AMERICA’S CUP As The Yachting Year went to press, the four America’s Cup teams were afloat and were foiling, a significant step forward not just in Cup history but in the history of yacht design. The New Zealanders wanted to break the mould and they did, with a new AC rule that even turned the heads of experienced sailors and got the commentators going in style – “it’s a step too far, it’s too expensive, it’s dangerous”, and all the other complaints the Cup has provoked on a regular basis ever since Herreshoff’s day.

Defender Emirates Team New Zealand christened the first new AC75 Te Aihi (Dolphin) in Auckland on 6 SepTHE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 17

tember. The New Zealand launch was followed swiftly by

ABOVE FROM LEFT:

awareness about the ocean plastic crisis. The crew col-

the American Magic team, whose 75ft monohull Defender

Ocean racers Phil

lected oceanographic data for a new ‘science programme’

became the first of the new class of boats to foil, taking

Sharp and Pip Hare

organised by the race and carried out with event partners

flight across the waters of Narragansett Bay on Rhode

11th Hour Racing, Volvo Cars and Bluewater. In October

Island. It wasn’t long before Te Aihi got foiling too, later in

2019, that data was presented at OceanObs ’19, a lead-

the month.

ing ocean science conference, where Dee said: “At source, manufacturing and supply chains need to be challenged

Meanwhile in Portsmouth, Ineos Team UK caused gasps as its slab-sided AC75 was unveiled on 4 October. It was

so levels of plastic production are minimised. As consum-

an extraordinary moment as the boat was named Britan-

ers we have a great deal of power and increasingly people

nia, the name of the famous royal yacht of the late 1800s

are better informed and more discerning, using sustainable

and early 1900s. The original Britannia was a thing of great

brands by choice. If this trend continues, companies that

beauty and deadly speed.

are not already taking action to reduce their use of plastic will be forced to reconsider if they start losing customers to

Emirates Team New Zealand design chief Dan Bernas-

their more environmentally proactive rivals.”

coni was central to the development of the AC75 Class Rule before turning his team’s attention to the design of Te Aihi.

An interesting new addition to the growing work on en-

He said: “There’s a huge amount of innovation in the de-

vironmental matters by sailors comes from British offshore

sign and build of the AC75, more than we saw in the AC50s

competitor Phil Sharp, who is now seeking the funding for

in Bermuda. The AC75 is a completely new concept and

an IMOCA for The Ocean Race.

Phil is looking for €12m, aiming to build a new boat and

has presented plenty of challenges across many areas, but this is precisely what the Rule was designed to do – to push

run a project that will push the boundaries in the use of

development to the extreme. We haven’t been conservative

zero-carbon fuel technologies, rather than simply looking to

in any aspect of our design.

adapt what is available now. He is setting out to use hydrogen fuel cell technology to power an electric engine. Stored

“It’s not long until we need to commit to the design of our second boat, which we will ultimately race in the 2021

hydrogen (lighter than diesel and clean – the only by-

America’s Cup, so we need to test as many of our ideas as

product is water vapour) passes into a fuel cell stack which

possible in the yacht we’re launching today.”

produces electricity. He is using his existing Class 40 boat as a test lab to validate cutting-edge renewable technology.

Before the Cup, we can get a hint of how the teams are shaping up, with the first America’s Cup World Series event in Cagliari starting on 23 April, 2020.

CLEAN OCEAN RACING The Volvo Ocean Race has become The Ocean Race, starting next in 2021, and over the coming year things will hot up considerably as teams enter in what are now two classes – the high-performance, foiling, IMOCA 60 class and the one-design VO65 class which produced close racing in the last two editions of the race.

In the last race, British sailor Dee Caffari skippered the Turn the Tide on Plastic boat. Alongside trying to win the coveted trophy, part of the team’s mission was to raise

18 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

The aim is to be competitive without a gram of carbon fuel on board

“You could run container ships on exactly this technology.

Fuel cells are going to be a big thing in shipping because they are more than twice as efficient as traditional combustion engines and they produce clean energy,” he says.

“The aim all the way through is to be competitive without a gram of carbon fuel on board and to showcase this scalable technology. We are very much pioneers in this field. There is a lot of uncertainty, not least in the marinisation of some of these ideas that work well in a land environment.”

VENDÉE GLOBE The ninth Vendée Globe will be on every racing sailor’s radar in 2020. It starts on 8 November 2020 – at precisely

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13:02 – from Les Sables-d’Olonne. As I write, with a year to

ABOVE FROM LEFT:

London Boat Show in its last years, where most of the

go, the number of entrants – 34 so far – is a record and the

Round the Island

punters appeared to be grumpy old gits complaining there

race organisers have enlarged the race capacity to include

Race; Hugh Boss

was nowhere to sit down, Ally Pally is a vibrant and fun

all of them. UK sailors will have plenty to cheer, with five

launch; the RYA

atmosphere that leaves a distinct feeling of positivity about

British entrants lined up to compete.

Dinghy Show

the future of our sport.

The show is by no means exclusively for the youngsters.

Alex Thomson’s new boat has just been launched (see below). This will be his fifth Vendée Globe and he will be

Last year I met lifetime Laser sailor James, recovering from

looking to improve on his third and second places in the

a knee operation and now positively evangelical about his

last two editions.

new Challenger. I joined various other beardy blokes getting misty-eyed over a 50-year-old wooden Mirror. I had a

Meanwhile Sam Davies, who was fourth in 2008/9, but retired with a broken mast four years later, is sailing Initi-

look at new versions of the boat I used to love capsizing,

atives-Coeur, Michel Desjoyeaux’s former 2008-9 Vendée

the Contender, and wondered if it was time to get stuck in

winner Foncia. The boat has been refitted this season with

again.

And then I went for lunch with the finalists of the RYA

second-generation foils. Sam had a great start to the year, winning the first ever Figaro 3 event, racing double-handed

Club of the Year competition. Being a club volunteer used

with Yann Elias.

to be a somewhat thankless task, but no longer after the RYA set up this excellent competition which recognises

Miranda Merron, a very experienced Class 40 sailor, returns to IMOCAs with Campagne de France, the former

the incredible hard work put in by sailing club volunteers

Temenos II/Great America IV, which was fourth in the hands

nationwide. The 2019 competition winner, Royal Torbay YC,

of Dominique Wavre in 2004/5 and 12th with Rich Wilson

was keeping busy this year by putting on the J/70 worlds,

eight years later.

the RS200 nationals and Laser masters, amid a lot of other

Pip Hare, based in Poole, was star of the Southamp-

activity. Meanwhile on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, fel-

ton Boat Show, powered by Borrow a Boat, in September,

low finalist Otley SC runs around 2,800 Sailability sessions

with visitors swarming all over her IMOCA 60 Superbigou.

every year, using 11 dinghies. That’s work that changes lives.

Built in a garden in Brittany by the Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm, Superbigou has competed twice before in the Vendée Globe.

HUGO BOSS Talk of the performance sailing world in August 2019 was the new boat launched for the Vendée Globe by Alex Thomson. This foiling IMOCA 60 design, just 7.6 tonnes, was built at Jason Carrington’s Hythe yard and is the result of more than two years of work by naval architects VPLP and Carrington, with a team of more than 100 engineers and boat-builders. It has an almost totally enclosed cockpit, those on board spending most of their time under cover. This Hugo Boss is the sixth Thomson boat to

“We innovate, we push boundaries and we’re not afraid to do things differently.”

As I write I have just helped judge the 2020 RYA Club of the Year awards, where the judging panel heard many equally impressive stories from other clubs around the British Isles. As well as rewarding the winning clubs, the competition is succeeding in its aim of sharing know-how and good practice between clubs. Yachts & Yachting magazine is proud to be closely associated with the competition.

See you at the next RYA Dinghy Show in March 2020.

ROUND THE ISLAND RACE The race that every sailor wants to take part in, be they a confirmed cruiser or obsessive sail tweaker, is the Round the Island Race. This coming year, 2020, the race will be starting earlier in the year than usual, on 30 May, to take

carry the name of his sponsor. “What makes us one of the

account of tides, and now boasts a festival tent on Cowes

most exciting teams in this sport is that we display the

Parade to create an atmosphere before, during and after

courage to lead,” Thomson said. “We innovate, we push

the event.

boundaries and we’re not afraid to do things differently.”

All being well, he will finish the Vendée in early 2021.

RYA DINGHY SHOW

It was another year for the smallest boat in 2019. While the largest monohull, Jethou, took the line honours in its class, the much sought-after Golden Roman Bowl was won by an Alacrity 18 bilge-keeler called Eeyore, skippered by

They tell us that not enough young people are getting into

Jo Richards, who is a respected yacht designer based on

sailing, but it’s hard to believe if you visit the RYA Dinghy

the Isle of Wight.

Show at Alexandra Palace in March. This is the busiest and liveliest boat show I have been to in years. Compared to the

20 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Entries will be open for the 2020 Round the Island Race by the time you read this. See you on the water!

12TH - 14TH JUNE 2020

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2019 Awards WINNER 22 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

A MAINE EVENT Inspired by a classic aesthetic and built in wood, yet boasting the highest modern specification, Anna is used as a family ‘day-sailer’ and won a Classic Boat Award in 2019 WORDS CHRIS MUSELER, PHOTOS C/O LYMAN MORSE THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 23

S

howcasing a boat at any classic yacht regatta in Newport, Rhode Island, is not for the faint of heart. “Blending in” means being perfect, in every way. We are not just talking about the lustre of endless layers varnish or brightly polished bronze, or even matching white lines and crew uniforms. The proportion of staysail to yankee to mainsail and mizzen must be flawless.

The sheerline cannot waver from the exceptional lines of Stephens, Alden and Burgess. And if a boat has all this, then it must be sailed balanced, barely disturbing the cobalt blue ruffles of a Narragansett Bay sea breeze.

Late last summer, in a 15-knot breeze, one such regatta was underway as a parade of yachts sliced their way upwind towards the finish line off the tip of Rose Island and its diminutive, homely lighthouse. Every boat was sailed to perfection, toerail just kissing the white foam created by the bow wave and occasionally buried for a few seconds as a puff of wind rolled down the Jamestown hills and pressed the mostly slender 1920s and ’30s boats on their ears.

That day I was sailing my portly little schooner Magic downwind, as we like to sail, admiring these beauties, all famous in the annals of sailing history, until one steed turned us around, literally.

I stared and instinctively turned the helm like one catching a spontaneous street concert by, say, The Rolling Stones (you decide). The 65-footer was Anna, and I had heard about her.

What stopped us literally in our tracks was not just her sheer, not just the slightly modern, but no less perfect proportion of main and jib, but her balance. And her balance in those sneaky little puffs hitting the fleet from up over the hills by the Newport Pell Bridge. Her toerail came to the sea, a curled bow wave rolled along it and pealed off a few feet before the transom and she rumbled evenly along. Steady. Quick.

As I caught the stern view that the rest of the fleet will be seeing more of in the coming years, I realised that Anna

24 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

was at the tip of an evolution. Her beam was markedly wider than others I saw that day. Her transom, still refined and elegant, a touch wider too. But her proportions spoke of the powerful lines of S&S and the deck joinery revealed the finest the British could attain at the turn of the century, a standard often unmatched in contemporary attempts.

Anna is considered a spirit-of-tradition yacht: modern fin keel, rudder and underbody, with an efficient rig and sail controls, but with a layer of aesthetic charm and precision, craftsmanship and history, that connects the object to the beauty of a past the world is not yet ready to forget.

Launched in 2017, she was supposed to be bigger. She was supposed to have a finer transom. She was supposed to look a lot like a Fife. But she nears perfection. And in the 20-year-old genre of the spirit of tradition, she is the state of the art.

THE ART OF COMPROMISE

BELOW LEFT: Engraved wheel, sign of a ‘new classic’ BELOW RIGHT: Hydraulic boarding ladder

Anna’s owners and designer Bob Stephens of Stephens Waring Yacht Design don’t shy away from the fact that this grand and elegant, large yacht, is actually a “really big daysailer.” The type can be confusing. Do you need 65 feet of boat to enjoy a day on the water? But Anna actually started out, in her first iteration, much bigger – closer to 80 feet. Stephens says that thoughts of extended cruising in the Caribbean drove the size to include comfortable accommodations for owners, guests and crew. Visiting five yards in Maine to select a builder, the owner saw a 65-footer being built and it made more sense to him than the 80-plus footers. “He asked me, ‘Why can’t the crew just stay in an apartment?’” recalls Stephens, who has helped design the archetypical spirit of tradition yachts Goshawk, Isobel and the W-46. “It became evident that the real use was for daysailing.”

With an updated design brief for daysailing as often as possible, some classic racing, and short offshore hops

MAIN: Anna’s powerful 17ft beam stands up to a New England sea breeze INSET: Luxurious cockpit comfort blended into ornate joinery

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 25

along the eastern seaboard, Anna shrunk but was designed to do “all that with all the modern systems possible and all the classic style possible”.

Stephens collaborated closely with the South Carolina couple who commissioned Anna. Between them, we’re told, they covered all bases, one being concerned with the functionality of the boat and sail plan above decks, the other smitten by the turn-of-the-century designs of William Fife.

Lyman-Morse, a gold standard for production and custom boatbuilding in Maine, was selected to build Anna in cold-moulded wood construction. Martha Coolidge was brought in to design the interior joinery, drawing on her years studying and consulting in the restoration of the US’ finest classics including her own beloved S&S six metre Jill. A two-year design and build process got underway.

“One of the nicest things about Anna is the rail around the topsides,” says the owner about the elegantly integrated mahogany trim around the cabin house. “Some people forget that if you’re moving around that area, it’s not just about walking, you are hanging on. That rail must be functional, architectural and aesthetically pleasing.”

26 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE: Lavish interior in teak with stained walnut cabin sole

CHANNELLING FIFE

There’s no way Martha Coolidge will call her interior joinery concepts for Anna a compromise. Like her hull form, Anna’s interior sets a high watermark for combining contemporary sensibilities and traditional styling. Though Stephens Waring drew the above deck joinery, below was Coolidge’s world.

Coolidge is a student of classic yachts and was a friend of Olin Stephens. For Anna, the owners gave her solid direction from the start. “She wanted a lot of details used

by Fife,” she says, referring to the owner’s love of the 1924 Fife schooner Adventuress, restored by Rockport Marine.

“She was a total newbie but she has a great eye for proportion and patina. She loved the ventilation detail on Fifes even though she didn’t know what they did.”

Martha Coolidge has described her own work as “masculine” but she went even further with this project.

Interior doors and accesses were given more “angularity” and squareness that stand out in the landscape of painted ceiling and varnished joinery.

Bearing in mind Anna’s intended use – daysailing with friends and family in comfort and style – the cockpit and saloon below flow effortlessly together, connected by

purposeful but refined wood detailing that came together with great effort. “I must have gone through 20 interior drawings,” recalls Coolidge. “This involved a lot of hand-carving. At the end of the day it’s a carpenter carving to a drawing.” She added that she had never drawn hand-carved details. “It was fantastic. Really exciting. We were pushed to be particularly excellent.”

MOVING TRADITIONS FORWARD

If you don’t know who Joel White is, you should. In his 1997 New York Times obituary, John Wilson summed up his influence on global sailing boat design by stating: “In a world gone crazy for gadgets and goo-gaws on boats, he preserved a sense of elegance and purity.”

When White’s two W-Class 76-footers, White Wings and Wild Horses, were launched in the late 1990s in Maine, the 28 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Building with all the ancient and modern tools, the team used precision and creativity in 3D-modelling, joinery and finishing details

yachting world was speechless. Fanciful yet sparse sheerlines, towering 95ft carbon masts, sleek varnished cabin houses and powerful, trim underbodies with bulb keels and spade rudders. The spirit of tradition type had arrived in earnest.

Anna is a descendant of White’s brilliance. And though, side by side, the boats would draw some commonality, Stephens has hidden much of his development under the skins of the hull’s wood veneers.

“In the early days of spirit of tradition, we were still drawing from the pretty narrow design window of the early 20th Century Universal and International rule boats,” says Stephens, who designed the W-46 after White’s death.

“These still had long overhangs and narrow beams. We have been trying to expand the horizons of what traditions you can use and Anna definitely reflects that.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY TIM WRIGHT

The Antigua Yacht Club presents the 33rd Annual

Stephens looked at the huskier cruising yachts of the past for the boat’s generous beam of 17 feet but allowed for a narrow waterline. Besides the advances in composites technology, he says velocity prediction programs and computer modelling of the hull is where performance, a DNA requirement of a spirit of tradition yacht, and style, are merged.

“How technology enters into the hull shape is in 3-D modelling,” says Stephens. “We look at them in a qualitative way, to see it in a way Olin Stephens wasn’t able to in 1950.”

ONE YEAR ON

Anna spent 2018 cleaning up on the race course. More importantly, she gave tremendous pleasure to the owners while the boat and crew rested and day-sailed in the cool, deep coves of Nova Scotia. For 28 of 30 days, the owners went for a spin or moved to the next harbour near the working and colourful port of Lunenberg. It was September and the owner says, “It was beautiful. There are no lobster pots at this time of year and the boat is really designed to be comfortable.”

With an in-boom roller furling main and furling jib, Anna is easily sailed by two crew. Though the powered chromed winches in the cockpit fit with the fantastic 30 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A true daysailer, the only cabin is in the forepeak; overlapping racing jib is replaced by smaller self-tacking jib when cruising; 65ft affords generous dining area in the raised saloon; Anna in profile

joinery work surrounding them, they are precisely placed for all sail-handling. Even trimming sails is comfortable.

In 2019, there was more of the same day-sailing, short ocean deliveries, and some racing for Anna. Whether sitting peacefully at anchor in the Canadian Maritimes or cutting around a course in southern New England, there’s something about this yacht that just works. Her breed is new in the cosmic scheme of yachting, and she is showing an eye-pleasing progression, all the way down to the lifelike gold leaf feather that hangs from the end of her cove stripe.

When pressed about rules of thumb in yacht design, maybe some areas where Anna is a departure, Stephens identifies the virtues and flexibility that the spirit of tradition envelope affords. “Lots of aspects that are created as rules of thumb are considered essential to the design, otherwise you destroy that design,” he says. “That’s not the case. In the 1980s there was lots of discussion about what makes a perfect sheer. If you use a true planar sheer (where you lay the model upside down on a flat surface and the sheer touches all the way around), you’re guaranteed to have a pretty good looking sheer. But you’re also sure it will not be a spectacular sheer. With a boat as lovely as Anna, we don’t want a pretty good sheer, we want a spectacular sheer.”

Anne T. Converse PHOTOGRAPHY MARINE • TRAVEL • EQUINE PEOPLE

P.O. Box 209 Marion, MA 02738 | USA 508 728 6210 anne@annetconverse.com www.annetconverse.com

THE YEAR AHEAD

FOR CRUISING SAILORS Editor of Sailing Today, Sam Jefferson, on what he is looking forward to in the cruising world in 2020

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he cruising world, while not shaped by regattas

BELOW: Zakynthos

CHARTERING BLISS

like the sailing season of our racing brethren, is

Island in the Ionian,

Speaking of destinations, the charter market continues to

nonetheless run to a schedule. Cruising is an

one for your cruising

expand and thrive, with all the major operators opening up

inherantly relaxed pastime, one that most people

bucket list in 2020?

new bases and improving and upgrading their current

choose in order to escape the relentless pressures of

fleets. One interesting development has been the growth in

modern life, yet the world around us and our climate

popularity of ‘by the cabin’ charters which cater for both

provides a very defined framework for our cruising

sailors who just want to relax and those new to our

activities. We all know, for example, that as the first green

marvellous pursuit, who want to learn the ropes with

shoots of spring start to peep through, it means the

minimal amounts of stress. Amanda Monroe of Dream Yacht

summer season of sailing in the Mediterranean is once more

Charter explains: “By the cabin charters allow guests to

upon us. As the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

book a double en-suite cabin on a comfortable catamaran,

begins to descend, we sailors can take solace in the fact

then sit back and enjoy the scenery while a professional

that the Caribbean cruising season is just limbering up,

skipper takes care of all of the sailing and an on board host

with great rolling swells and palm fringed beaches

prepares all the meals.

beckoning us on.

“As an example, In Thailand, catamarans have between 4

This is the beauty of being a cruising sailor; there is

and 6 cabins and follow a fixed itinerary, calling at stunning

always something to look forward to; some promise of a

spots including Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Island and Koh

foreign shore or the chance to visit some undiscovered

Phi Phi Don. By the cabin departures are guaranteed,

destination. We have, in fact, the best schedule in the world.

regardless of the number of cabins booked.”

loosely put in our cruising Filofaxes for the year ahead.

ISTOCK

Over the next few pages I look at some of what we can

Sticking with Dream Yacht Charter, their fleet has some exciting new additions to its fleet that tie into its remark-

2013 DESTINATIONS

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 33

Experience

Poole

POOLE QUAY BOAT HAVEN

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BOAT SHOW

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7th - 9th JUNE 2019 BOAT SHOW

• Floating docks for jet skis and RIBs up to 6.1m

©Poole Regatta Photo - Ian Roman

• 24 hour security

Enjoy all the attractions of Poole, Bournemouth and beautiful Dorset. A warm welcome always awaits!

SWINGING MOORINGS

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Relax with a glass of wine, on a sunny afternoon, on your own swinging mooring in Poole Harbour overlooking Brownsea Island.

Away from the madding crowd, these offer E HARBO youOLultimate privacy, peace & tranquillity.

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poolequayboathaven.co.uk VHF Channel 80 call sign “Poole Quay Boat Haven”

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able expansion plan. Their fleet increased by 228 yachts in

ABOVE: The Atlantic

clients is available and local chefs, guides and professional

2019, with 59 due for delivery in Q4 including 44 destined

Rally for Cruisers

crew guarantee a memorable stay aboard the yachts.

for the company’s Caribbean and Nassau bases. The new

starts from the

Caribbean fleet includes five Sun Loft 47 monocats,

Canary Islands, with

RALLIES

designed by Jeanneau and architect Philippe Briand to

hundreds of boats

If you own a yacht and fancy spreading your wings, then

attract younger customers to sailing holidays. More on that

cruising in company

the huge growth in rallies means the world is your Oyster.

shortly in our brief look at new boats.

to the Caribbean in

Speaking of Oysters, the Oyster World Rally is back for its

time for Christmas

third iteration. It kicks off in 2021 and entry is now open and

each year

with places limited to 30 yachts, you might want to start

The charter industry certainly seems to be in good shape. Indeed, charter operator TheGlobeSailor reports that it has enjoyed a boom in business in 2019 and its figures are

shopping around for a new Oyster 565 so you can take

revealing, with an overall increase in the number of

part. In lieu of that, the indefatigable World Cruising Club

bookings (+11%) particularly driven by catamaran rentals

(WCC) has been busy as always and things really start off

(36% of bookings compared to 30% last summer). One

each November with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC).

third of catamaran rentals are for Lagoon catamarans,

This is the original rally that really got the ball rolling and it

which remains the preferred brand for boaters, with an

remains hugely popular, widely viewed as the best way to

average budget of 5120€/week in high season. In addition,

make the long hop across the Atlantic in company. It’s a

23% of customers who chartered in the Mediterranean have

rally that has spawned a plethora of offshoots including the

requested the services of a skipper (1200€/week on

World Rally which caters for those who wish to expand

average). Between June 1st and August 31st, the average

their horizons yet further after making the Atlantic crossing.

budget for a group of eight people approached 6000€.

One intriguing development is the ARC plus, which has

There are plenty of exciting up and coming companies

been growing in popularity and allows yachts to deviate

out there and one that caught our eye was Boataffair, which

from the traditional course straight from the Canaries to St

seems to point toward a more tailored approach to the

Lucia, in order to enjoy a fascinating detour to explore the

subject of chartering. Boataffair describes itself rather

Cape Verde Islands. The event has grown so much in recent

intriguingly as a ‘yacht experience company’ based in

years that there is now a separate finish in St Vincent to

Switzerland. They offer a handpicked selection of premium

accommodate the extra boats that can’t be jammed into St

catamarans and motor yachts in Thailand. Natalya Walker,

Lucia’s Rodney Bay. Other events organised by the World

co-founder of Boataffair, explains that they work closely

Cruising Club include the ARC Baltic, held over a six week

with the yacht owners to unlock local knowledge of the

period in July and August and giving you the opportunity

cruising grounds. A concierge service experience for their

to explore this fascinating cruising ground in company. The THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 35

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World Cruising Club holds too many events to list here but

ABOVE: The Round

ed the Southampton Boat Show’s place as a fixture in the

a look at their website is enough to put into your mind all

the Island Race will

calendar for British cruising sailors planning to buy new kit

manner of sea-going adventures in your own yacht.

take place in May

or even dreaming of a new boat. Scotland’s Boat Show,

in 2020

based at Kip Marina, has also beaten the chill and continues

HOME WATERS

to go from strength to strength, which is great news for the

The Round the Island Race is known as “the cruisers’ race”.

BELOW: The

industry. It will also be interesting to see if the South Coast

Yes, this annual circuit of the Isle of Wight has a plethora of

Southampton Boat

Boat Show will be carried forward into 2020. This was a

cutting edge racing yachts on the startline, but many

Show, in 2019

show set up by a selection of English south coast brokers

people simply sail round with little competitive instinct

sponsored by

who wanted a high summer, no-nonsense show that was all

other than to make last orders in the beer tent on The

Borrow a Boat,

about boats and intended to attract people who were dead

Parade. The race is an incredible day out for all and a real

continues as the

set on buying one. Initial reports were highly favourable, so

celebration of sail. The event is scheduled early in 2020,

British marine

fingers crossed it gets the go ahead next summer. Certainly,

May 28, to take account of the tides and other factors. The

industry’s biggest

it filled the gap that was left by the untimely demise of the

success last year of Eeyore an 18ft bilge keeler, albeit

showcase every

London on Water show.

heavily modified, demonstrates beautifully how the

September

Corinthian spirit is alive and kicking in this event.

Beyond the Round the Island Race lies a myriad of

If you fancy heading abroad, two shows have become real focal points. The Düsseldorf boat show, officially known as boot Düsseldorf, continues to lead the way with its truly

smaller events laid on by class associations and courtesy of admirable work by those worthy organisations, the Cruising Association and the Royal Cruising Club. Lectures, seminars, cruises in company and just plain and simple, friendly meet ups with like-minded sailors are all laid on throughout the year.

BOAT SHOWS Not all of us sailors are fortunate enough to be able to escape for the north European winter months, sadly.

However, there is a constant stream of boat shows through the winter months to keep us content while we wait for the sailing season to return. Many were saddened by the demise of the London Boat Show, but it has firmly cementTHE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 37

LA CAUTIVA- 76’

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Described as being “one of the most handsome yachts we have ever know” by a well known broker in Antigua. At 76’ with the ability of eating up 240 miles a day she is an ideal cruising Or charter yacht for 6/8 guests with 2 crew. Equally suitable for the Classic Circuit Spirit Classes. Built in 1976 of steel and having undergone a virtual rebuild refit, the most recent £100,000 refit included new rigging and paint.

7

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breathtaking array of kit and new boats trumping all others,

CLOCKWISE FROM

promising to launch a new sub 50ft ‘baby Oyster’ in the

all served up in a Pilsner and Bratwurst infused fug that

TOP LEFT: the Sun

next couple of years.

certainly makes February a month to look forward to.

Loft 47 from

Meanwhile, in somewhat warmer climes, the Cannes

Sticking with the east coast, we have welcome news

Jeanneau aims for a

from Spirit Yachts which has just launched the Spirit 111,

Boat Show has emerged as the big autumn boat show –

younger market;

which is the biggest single masted wooden yacht to be

and it’s in a superb location. The event is so popular that it

Excesss cats offer

launched since Shamrock V back in the 1930s. Impressive

has now been split over two marinas after the original

performance; the

stuff. Spirit Yachts claims that this is one of the most

location of the old port became oversubscribed. You take a

historic launch of the

environmentally friendly yachts out there. A Torqeedo

ferry ride over Cannes harbour to see the other side of the

timber Spirit 111; the

electric propulsion system using a 100kW motor will propel

show, not a great hardship.

Rustler 57 is a blue

the yacht silently for up to 40nm at eight knots from

water mile-eater

battery power alone. Whilst sailing, the propulsion system

NEW BOATS

will regenerate the four BMW lithium battery banks by

With boat shows come new boats. I will refrain from going

rotating the propeller shaft whilst the yacht is under sail. All

to go into too much detail on this because our Boats of

power-consuming components have been carefully

Note article in this issue gives a full picture of the impres-

selected to be highly efficient and will use minimal energy

sive range of the latest launches. Yet there are several

without impacting performance or comfort.

exciting trends that are worth flagging up. Despite the

In the meantime, the Beneteau Group has pointed the

stormy waters of Brexit, the British boatbuilding industry is

way forward in other ways. The company is thinking of a

doing well.

younger market with recent launches and its all new

Down in Falmouth, the long anticipated Rustler 57 hit

‘monomaran’ is a fine example of this. This is the Jeanneau

the waters and is a real beauty, looking every inch the

Sun Loft 49 which marries a conventional hull with a radical

pedigree blue water mile-eater she is.

layout designed specifically for the charter market. They

Meanwhile, up in Marchwood, the Discovery Group

have clearly looked closely at recent trends – perhaps most

continues its expansion with the Revelation class; an all new

notably the almost terrifying success of ‘floating festival’

range that promise to offer sportier cruising while retaining

The Yacht Week and its derivatives – and designed a layout

the excellent quality of finish and fit out that we have

that caters for these requirements – the galley is in the

become accustomed to from this manufacturer.

cockpit! This is a radical approach and it will be interesting

Heading further north and east and we have seen an exciting new launch from a rejuvenated Oyster Yachts with

to see if it works.

The new range of Excess catamarans also offers a more

the long promised Oyster 565 hitting the waters. And there

exciting alternative to some on the market, by upping

are more exciting developments to come from this great

performance and giving the boat a ‘youthful’ feel. You

British marine marque, with Oyster CEO Richard Hadida

sense there is a change in the air in the market as a whole.

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 39

T

he best thing about the day? The fact that, given everything else, retiring didn’t matter. Yes, we delayed the call until we really, really thought all vestige of breeze had deserted us, and checked again to see if there was any wind up ahead at Bembridge, and recalculated our time to Cowes at 1.7 knots under sail – and even then, you could see our skipper Dan didn’t want to tell the crew. But did it mar the experience of taking part in the 2019 Round the Island Race? Wandering back through Cowes later that evening and considering our 13 hours on the water, I looked back on a truly great day afloat. Retiring really didn’t matter.

LEISURELY START

We weren’t, admittedly, the most competitive of crews. For the real racers out there, after weeks or months of preparation, the 2019 Round the Island Race turned out to be a frustrating one.

Our preparation, on the other hand, was a barbecue at East Cowes the evening before – cooked by Trust CEO Frank Fletcher – followed by ice creams all round.

After fried eggs and strong coffee the next morning, we were off the pontoons for 7.30am and took what might be called the scenic route over our 8.30am start line, somewhat to the north and safely away from the melee under spinnaker over by the Squadron.

I had shipped aboard with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, voted Yachts & Yachting’s charity of the year and also the Round the Island Race’s chosen charity. My crewmates were young beneficiaries of the Trust, each of them having completed cancer treatment, some only recently. Skipper for the day was the aforementioned Dan Monk, who got the sailing bug when he first sailed with the Trust as a teenager recovering from acute myeloid leukaemia. Today Dan is 33, a picture of good health with thousands of ocean miles under his belt. He also has a way with the Trust crew that clearly they love. For a shy teenager, having a skipper who knows what you are going through is priceless.

SEA CHANGE

Does sailing really have the power of rehabilitation? Can being on a yacht for a few days turn an under-confident 14-year-old who feels battered by chemotherapy back into a bubbly, fun-loving adolescent? Talk to anyone involved in the Trust and that is the effect they speak of. “It tops up your happy levels,” said Harriet Miller, who sailed with the Trust when she was younger. For the Round the Island Race she was one of the Trust’s ‘graduate volunteers’, helping out on board and acting as a positive example to the younger crew of someone who is living a full life, post-treatment.

Dan was also joined by two volunteer crew leaders – professional skipper Nick Sheard and consultant paediatric surgeon Max Pachell. While all of them were great skippers, were vigilant of the crew’s safety and mindful of the crew’s behaviour, there was no organised effort at team-building over our day afloat. Yes, Dan kept up a fine line in Essex banter and the deck rang to plenty of laughter. Other times we played word games and we chatted. But mostly the simple experience of crewing a yacht together was left to work its magic. Some of the young people tried helming, some sat quietly on the rail.

“Often they need to find their voice again and they need to 40 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

A DAY TO SAVOUR Rob Peake ‘wins’ the Round the Island Race with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

MAIN PICTURE AND ABOVE Young beneficiaries of the Trust enjoying the day; trust volunteer Harriet Miller at the helm in a rare moment of breeze

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 41

CARRIED BY TIDE

find their physical boundaries,” Frank said to me later.

“Plus most of them have never met anyone else their age who’s had cancer. The boat is a safe environment where they can open up and share what are deeply personal experiences with others who understand.”

DOWNWIND START

“Okay guys, the plan for today is surprise attack,” said Dan, as we kept well clear of our fellow 1,200 competitors bunched on the island shore. It gave us the chance to savour the quintessential Round the Island Race sight of hundreds of spinnakers.

Often this is a post-Needles spectacle, but we had a downwind start and Gurnard was hidden behind a multi-coloured plethora of kites. With the tide going the same way, it was flat seas, little wind and glorious sunshine. The Solent was at its clearest milky green and the only thing stopping me wanting to swim, as we sat parked in a patch of calm off Lymington, was several huge jellyfish floating near the surface. (That and the Trust rules on “no swimming”, I noted.)

“Remember, surprise attack!” Dan urged us as the jib flapped in a mild Force 1. “We keep well out of the way and then come round the back. Rob mate, did they tell you it was going to be a long day?”

Back in 2005, when Dan was 19, he took part in the race for the first time, just months after receiving the news that he had relapsed. Having beaten leukaemia once, now it was back. “They called me on the morning of the race, as we were setting off, with my blood test results and told me I had a chance of surviving. Doing the race means a lot to me.”

He returned to hospital immediately after the race for a bone marrow transplant. Dan talks about his cancer experiences in candid terms. There’s zero self-pity, plenty of black humour, plenty to think about. Amid the full gamut of emotions one feels listening to him talk, comes the message that the effects of cancer treatment, physical and mental, last long after the patient has left hospital.

“Our work starts when the treatment stops,” said Frank.

“For many young people picking up where they left off before their diagnosis isn’t possible. They have lost confidence and there is a fear of what the future holds.”

ABOVE: With the Needles in our wake, some of the crew try fishing off the rail with a sweet!

Back in the race, ahead of us was a scene straight out of the National Gallery. Hundreds of yachts spread out on a glassy sea around the Needles. Would we make it round?

There was not a ripple to be seen. Worse still, we could see the boats that had rounded the Needles were getting away – they had wind. A fishing pot drifted past to port. For now, at least, the tide was taking us in the right direction.

The Trust will run 35 sailing and adventure trips this year. The charity owns three yachts – one in Cowes and two at its base in Largs, Scotland. Ellen was inspired to set the Trust up 16 years ago after seeing a similar organisation in France. The crew I was sailing with were too young to have known Ellen’s great voyages. Today, her focus is her eponymous Foundation, working to promote a circular economy, but she joins the Trust crews on a regular basis for barbecues, sails and another thing the Trust does well, water fights.

RACE IN A RACE

“Breeze!” The lines went taut, the boat heeled and the crew went from leeward to windward rail as we hit a giddy 6 knots and realised with some relief that we were going to round the Needles. Most of the fleet ahead had chosen the inshore route past Freshwater Bay, but we took a flyer out towards… “France, anyone?” suggested Dan, as the Needles got smaller in our wake. Two of the crew, Tad and Sophia, tried fishing off the rail with a sticky sweet. Others chatted and attempted a flying bowline.

We’d spotted the two other Trust boats off Hurst, but now they had got away and the race was on to overhaul them. The day might involve more than 1,000 boats, but for us the competition was to be first Trust boat home. “I am loving this breeze,” called Dan above the wind from the helm. “Guys, let’s get back in this race!”

In a perfect 20 knots and sunshine, it was hot pasties and sandwiches all round, followed by strong coffee. We still had a way to go. The radio blared the best of the 1980s and we started thinking about when to tack. We held on and finally went with the tide at 1.30pm. Would it be enough to bring us back into the fleet? As we closed in on Blackgang and St Catherine’s Point, spirits flagged somewhat. Our gains were less than hoped for and the

“

They called me on the morning of the race with my blood test results and told me I had a chance of surviving.

Doing the race means a lot to me

”

DAN MONK 42 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

wind had gone again. And this time it was serious. On the VHF we heard there were mass retirements, with no breeze at Ventnor, or further on at Bembridge. There were very few boats behind us – we must have been among the last to round the Needles. We were in a windless hole, tossed around idly by the St Catherine’s overfalls, with a long sail home.

One by one, the yachts around us dropped mainsails and motored off. Nick rummaged around in the galley and reported back – there wasn’t much dinner. Our 7.30am departure from East Cowes seemed a long time ago and we were barely half way. With a sigh, Dan called the crew back from the foredeck for the chat he’d been putting off.

“I need to tell you about the dilemma we’re in,” he began. The young people sat silently. The adults knew what was coming – the sensible thing to do was call it a day.

Dan went on: “Lots of boats have retired. If we carry on sailing…”

He hadn’t got halfway through his spiel before the protests began: “Sail!”

The young people didn’t want to retire.

“Sail!” “SAIL!” “SAIL!” Dan paused. Each of the crew was given a chance to choose and each freely chose.

“Sail!” “Sail!”

The adults looked at each other. Dan looked at the horizon.

After a pause, he said: “You see, this is what you get with a bunch of people who are fighters. It’s not easy giving up.

I mean, that’s why we’re all here, right?”

He looked at his young crew, who nodded in understanding.

The sails remained up, the engine off. We drifted on in silence, our thoughts to ourselves.

Then, an idea occurred. All the other Trust boats had retired, bar one, a yacht called Shabeene. If we could just hang on, maybe Shabeene would call it a day too and then we would, in a manner of speaking, win the Round the Island Race! After all, the last Trust boat sailing was surely the winner?

REFLECTIONS

Over fish and chips back at the base that evening, it was time to take part in a long-running Trust tradition. Chairs were put in a circle on the marina lawn and we took our

ABOVE: Barely a breath at Hurst but boats at the Needles were getting away

places for “best bit, worst bit, funniest bit”. This game follows every Trust trip, each participant required to share his or her experiences of the day. It took a while to get round the 50-odd people there, but each one was worth waiting for. Dan’s “best bit” was the moment when our young crew defied expectations and unanimously opted to sail on. How many other teenage crews would have done the same?

My best bit? Well, clearly, winning the Round the Island Race. Shabeene retired at 6.20pm, leaving us as the last Trust boat sailing. Victory, in a manner of speaking, was ours.

I had another “best bit” As we’d motored back that afternoon, the crew, who had met only the previous evening, spent three hours chatting on the foredeck.

Seeing them sitting there happily in a circle was a startlingly clear demonstration of the effect the Trust’s work can have. “Often coming out sailing with us is their first time away from home since the treatment,” said Frank. “It’s about regaining their independence, realising they can have fun and make friends again.”

Given all that, retiring really didn’t matter.

THE ELLEN MACARTHUR CANCER TRUST The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust is a national charity that supports young people aged 8-24 in rebuilding their confidence after cancer through sailing and other outdoor adventure trips.

For more information about supporting the Trust or to refer someone you know, visit ellenmacarthurcancertrust.org

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 43

THE YEAR AHEAD

IT’S A BIG YEAR FOR CLASSIC BOATS Classic Boat editor Steffan Meyric Hughes on what he is looking forward to in 2020

2

I

f you were in a pub quiz and had to guess the oldest yacht club in the world and its age, your thoughts would probably turn to the great, early sailing nations of Britain, Holland or, perhaps, France a couple of centuries ago... maybe even a young USA as a wildcard. You’d be wrong.

The first two yacht clubs with any claim to the title are in fact based in Russia and Ireland. The Russian Neva Yacht Club was formed in 1718 at the behest of Tsar Peter the

Great, but the Royal Cork Yacht Club, dating from 1720, better fits the ‘club’ part of the description, having been Main: Astor, with

formed by a band of enthusiasts. In 2020 it will celebrate,

Latifa on the horizon,

unbelievably, its tercentenary.

at the 2013 Fife

A summer of events to include everything from classic

Regatta and (inset)

yachts to modern cruising yaschtsmen, to dinghy racers

Fintra’s bow,

and powerboats is still shaping up, but this, surely, will be

displaying the

the event to keep an eye on in 2020. That’s saying

hallmark Fife dragon

something, too, as 2020 will be a Brest year, when the

motif

combined might of Brest, the quadrennial festival that

Above: The Royal

could lay claim to the biggest traditional sailing event (in

Cork Yacht Club will

terms of participation) in the world, joins forces with the

celebrate 300 years

nearby Douarnenez Festival (possibly the second biggest,

MAIN PICTURE MARC TURNER

2013 DESTINATIONS

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 45

2

or thereabouts). Away from sailing, 2020 is also a year for the five-yearly ‘Dunkirk return’, during which the extant fleet of little ships from the famous evacuation of 1940 turn out in great numbers to retrace that historic voyage to France. It’s always a big deal, not least as the driving force for most of the restoration and upkeep to this most special, loved fleet of historic vessels.

Another thing that only happens every five years… ish… is Fifes on the Clyde – last run, in fact, in 2013. It is, of course, the great gathering of yachts by YOICHI YABE, CB ARCHIVES

the Scottish master in their home waters, and in its relatively short history has become an event of near-mythical status, perhaps as much as anything else for its ability to draw many of these boats from their usual homes in the Mediterranean. The Med will remain, of course, in 2020 and beyond, Panerai or no, the centre of the earth for the big-time of classic yacht sailing, from Antibes to Saint-Tropez.

THE BOATS Those who appreciate dinghies of formidable speed, raced

Top: The Brest and

were, if not quite commonplace, at least the mainstay of the

Douarnenez

classic sailing industry and culture. An entire world sprung

spectacular

up to restore legends like Altair, the Moonbeams and so on.

by the best technical sailors in the world, will have their

Much of what we take for granted now, everything from

eyes peeled for the 2020 Olympics in and around Tokyo.

Above: Cynara being

shipwrights to boatyards, to skilled architects, chandlery,

Those of a classic bent might be more interested in the

restored in Japan

bronze deckware, sailmakers and cloth, rigging, regattas...

nearby restoration of Cynara (née Gwendolen). There was a

and (inset) sailing in

the list is endless – comes from the giant projects of that

time, a decade or more ago, when these mega restorations

her heyday

era. But things changed. Everyone has noticed over the last

46 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

EMILLY HARRIS

15 or so years, roughly since the Mariquita rebuild, that

Top: The 194ft

Shemara, Malahne, Haida 1929, Bluebird of 1938 and yet

these super-restorations have dwindled, due partly to the

Marala (1931) arrives

others take to the water after decades of being mothballed.

lack of candidates left to restore. Cynara has always been

at Pendennis Shipyard

Now it’s the turn of the 194ft (59.1m) Marala, built in 1931,

one of the last Holy Grails, with the problem that she’s in

for restoration

whose restoration has begun at Cornwall’s Pendennis

Japan – home, perhaps, to the world’s best carpenters, but

Shipyard. When you consider the epic size of just one of

not a centre of big-yacht restoration. Now, finally, the

Above: restorations

these vessels, not to mention the cost – which, although it

restoration of this mighty, 95ft (29m), 1927 Nicholson ketch

of smaller classic

never is mentioned, must be nudging up to £100 million in

is underway.

boats remain

some cases – you know something is going on. And the

popular

trend is repeated all the way down the scale. It wasn’t so

By and large, though, the focus of classic yachts has shifted downwards (the wealthy folk who once would have

very long ago that we introduced a powered vessel

had giant yachts are increasingly sailing much smaller

Below: Bruno

category to our Classic Boat Awards, and these days it’s

classic yachts at Mediterranean regattas), outwards into the

Troublé

bursting at its seams. Boatyards are now accepting a

spirit-of-tradition yachts and replicas, and sideways into

steady stream of mid-20th-century cruising motor yachts

motor yachts. The recent launch of the incredible Spirit 111,

of 40ft (12.2m) or so in length, for complete restorations,

which will be sailing by the time you read this, is testament

usually for retired couples fleeing the ‘empty nest’ for a

to the current enthusiasm for increasingly sophisticated

grand adventure. Make no mistake, classic motorboats are

spirit-of-tradition yachts that embrace a modernity beyond

on the rise, whether replicas, restored, built traditionally or

that of most modern yachts, but come wrapped in the

built in the spirit of tradition.

elegant hide of the 1930s aesthetic. In the same vein, we

As mentioned, those with the funds to carry out rebuilds

see the incredible continuing run of Truly Classic 128s from

are moving into smaller boats, and that will no doubt

Hoek in the Netherlands – always a country to keep an eye

continue. Alongside the noticeable rise we’ve seen in

on for replicas, recreations and spirit-of-tradition yachts,

boatyard restorations of small, modest yachts such as

and a nation of talented designers and world-class shipyards.

Stellas and Folkboats (traditionally the sorts of boat the

As for the motor yachts, there is something big afoot

owner would fix up himself), we’ve seen a rise in staff

here. There has been an amazing boom in the rebuild of

numbers and expanding facilities at classic boatyards. And,

1930s superyachts. In the last decade or so, we have seen

believe it or not, Rome-based yard Tecnomar is restoring an THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 47

2

incredible four first-rule 10-Ms for a very enthusiastic owner

Above: Leo Goolden

They are the third generation of wooden boatbuilders – the

bent on buying every first-rule 10 in the world – more on

restoring the Albert

first, of course, being the ‘real deal’ men, who go back to

that to follow. Similarly, Bruno Trouble’s one-man mission to

Strange-designed

the time when wood was king; and the second being the

restore the smaller (or at least smaller than the J Class!)

Tally Ho

wealthy baby boomers who kick-started the revival in the

Universal Class yachts of the early 20th century continues unabated – more on that to follow, too.

THE NEXT GENERATION

1970s and ’80s.

Below: Ash Faire-

This third generation are men in their 20s and 30s, even

Ring restoring the

teens, taking on mammoth projects of build and restora-

half-sized 1922

tion, often with like-minded friends and volunteers, always

There is one thing over the last couple of years that has

Thames sailing barge

on a shoestring, and always with grand adventure in mind

excited me – and should excite everyone! – more than

yacht Growler

at the end of the rainbow.

anything on this illustrious list, and it is this: through the

First and best known, and interviewed in Classic Boat in

magical modern fraternity of YouTube and crowd-funding,

2019, is Leo Goolden, restoring the 1916 Albert Strange-

a whole new breed of boatbuilder is emerging. They are

designed Tally Ho in the middle of nowhere in Washington

young, personable, media-savvy, skilled and passionate.

State. His YouTube videos are brilliantly shot, his boatbuilding skills creative and accomplished, his project magnificent. His films have been watched by hundreds of thousands around the world, perhaps millions.

The huge viewing audience leads to small donations from many fans on the Patreon fund-raising website, while volunteers – the roaming international young, essentially – help fill the gap in labour left by not doing the job in a traditional boatyard.

Others are following: the two rock-climbers in their 30s building a larger Suhaili-type double-ender on a farm in Massachusetts from trees they have felled themselves (that’s the ‘Acorn to Arabella’ project), and now the 17-year-old Ash Faire-Ring, restoring a half-sized Thames sailing barge in Norfolk, helped by the multinational Jotun Coatings.

Perhaps Jotun has seen a glimpse of the future? It is GOING these young men we will follow with the most interest in GOING 2020 and beyond. Perhaps the future of old boats is in G O N E...

youth. That would be something to get really excited about.

48 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

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ISLANDS OF MYTH AND LEGEND The Cyclades are steeped in history and greatly untouched by tourism. For the cruising sailor they are an idyll, but one that deserves seamanlike respect WORDS ROD HEIKELL

50 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 51

T

he Aegean offers a different sort of beauty to its Greek neighbour, the Ionian. It’s a starker, more savage beauty is much closer to the iconic images of Greece that you generally see on postcards. At times it feels like someone has turned up the contrast to a ridiculous level. If the beauty of the Aegean feels wild and untamed then that is also often reflected in the weather. Years back when I first sailed down to Greece the word ‘meltemi’ would provoke fear and loathing into anyone thinking of venturing through the Cyclades. This was the devil wind that could keep you holed up for days and quite possibly put you off sailing in the Aegean ever again. Of course it didn’t, but those of us sailing around the Aegean learnt a healthy respect for it and in the height of summer, in full meltemi season, many of us still ventured out in small yachts that would probably be considered unsuitable compared to modern yachts.

In today’s world with bigger yachts, reliable diesels and a smartphone full of weather forecasts, the meltemi seems less of a menace than it once did. But it’s still there and anyone sailing around the Cyclades should respect it. In terms of geographical location, the Cyclades start at Cape Sounion, where the Saronic Gulf ends and the Aegean starts. It is the group of islands below here and is an area steeped in Greece’s mythological history.

CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Kolona bay on the island of Kithnos; architecture and scenery at Milos; Tinos harbour, just down from the church of the Panayia

THE MELTEMI

The prevailing wind in the summer in the Cyclades is the infamous meltemi blowing from the NE–N–NW. The meltemi begins to blow fitfully at first in June, blows strongest in July, August and September, and dies during October. In July and August the meltemi blows at Force 5–6 and may reach Force 7–8 on occasions. It may blow for 1–3 days or it may sometimes blow for two weeks at a time. There is no way of knowing just how long it will blow. Some years you get a strong meltemi season and others not. It has a thermal component in that it loses some strength at night and increases again in the day. The direction of the meltemi varies down through the

52 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

BELOW: The anchorage at Manganari, Ios, with the Meltemi in full force

Cyclades. In the northern Cyclades it blows from the NE, curving to blow from the N in the middle Cyclades and curving again to blow from the NW–WNW in the southern Cyclades.

Outside of the meltemi winds are still predominantly from the N although there are also winds from the S, especially in spring and autumn. One thing you do need to be aware of are violent gusts off the high land on the lee side of the islands when the meltemi is blowing. These gusts may be considerably stronger than the wind strength on the open sea – gusts of Force 7–8 may be experienced when the wind on the open sea is Force 5–6.

About now you might be wondering why on earth go there. Well it’s important to remember that there are a lot of days of gentle Force 3-4’s and days of glassy calms where you can see the wake of the boat stretching behind you to the horizon. And it is the Cyclades with all those whitewashed cube houses looking they have grown organically out of the rock and surrounded by turquoise water. The word Cyclades comes from the Greek kukloi, meaning a ring and for the ancient Greeks the islands ringed the sacred island of Delos. Not coincidentally Delos and nearby islands were at the centre of ancient trade routes.

With a bit of time and forward planning these islands are enchanting places to visit and will reward the visitor with memories like no other. I may be biased but there really is nothing else like it.

There are a lot of places to go in the Cyclades and any island hopping routes going eastwards or westwards can incorporate as many islands as time allows or just a few of the islands on the way. Here are a few suggestions that you can mix and match depending on your planned itinerary.

Andros Kéa

Ikaria

Tinos

NORTHERN Kithnos CYCLADES Sérifos MIDDLE CYCLADES

Páros Naxos Sifnos Amorgós Amorgós

SOUTHERN CYCLADES

Ios Astipalaia Thira

Anáfi

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 53

EAST FROM THE ATTIC COAST Going east from around Athens with the prevailing winds is a sleigh-ride down through the Cyclades and you can pretty much take variable routes depending on your inclination and where you want to end up on the eastern side of the Aegean. Below are a few recommended stops on the way

Kithnos

On the northwest side of the island, Ormos Kolona and Fikiadha are two bays separated by a sandbar. Not surprisingly they are usually referred to as Sandbar Bay. Kolona is the bigger of the two and has good shelter from northerlies and southerlies. Ashore there is a taverna on the slopes above the bay.

On the northeast corner of Kithnos there is the harbour at Loutra with good shelter from the meltemi. It gets crowded in the summer but you can usually find a berth.

Tavernas and limited provisions in the hamlet. On the beach there is the old hydropathic institute, though the hot water also bubbles up into the sea in the corner of the beach and you can relax in the warm water for free.

Tinos

The island is a bit off the usual route across the Aegean but well worth a visit. The main harbour is well protected and the old part of town is enchanting with a good selection of tavernas. Greeks visit Tinos for the Church of the Panayia (Virgin Mary), a sort of Greek Lourdes, visited by the sick and disabled seeking a cure. If the number of gold and silver votive offerings in the church are anything to go by it has a good success rate.

Mikonos

You either love it or hate it though I’m somewhere in the middle. The new harbour is somewhat out of town though it does have the merit of good shelter compared to the old harbour. It’s a bit of a walk into town or you can hire a scooter or get a cab. Mikonos town is a picture postcard of what you imagine a Cycladic town will be like, all white-washed cube houses trimmed in blue and wild with bougainvillea on the edge of the sea. It also has some pretty chic and up-market bars and restaurants around the narrow cobbled alleys as well as a bit of tat for 54 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE LEFT The new harbour at Mikonos ABOVE RIGHT Have your stern-to mooring skills ready BELOW: cobbled streets in the old town

the hordes off the cruise ships. By night it is a quieter place.

You can potter down the channel past Delos or if you want to visit it’s easiest by tripper boat from Mikonos.

This was the centre of ancient Greece though you have to think that given the absence of any good harbours it was more symbolic than the centre of trade for the Aegean.

Paros

South of Mikonos is the island of Paros. The enclosed bay of Naoussa on the north of the island is a useful hurricane hole where there is good shelter from the meltemi anchored in Ay Ioannou. There is nothing here except the odd naturist sunning themselves and if you want a taverna you need to go to the village of Naoussa in the SW corner.

Good shelter in the small marina and a convivial ambience in the old village.

If you want more in the way of amenities then head for the capital of Paroikia on the NW side of the island where there are lots of tavernas and the hustle and bustle of a busy ferry port.

Amorgos

One of my favourites in the Cyclades is Katapola, the main harbour for Amorgos. Amorgos is a bit like a giant slab of granite that has been sliced off a mountain and set down in the sea. Katapola is the ferry port and the village lining the quay is one of those places that attracts eccentric souls fleeing from the urban hell of Athens. Good tavernas on the waterfront and good shelter tucked under the ferry quay. Take some time to visit the monastery tucked into a cleft in the cliffs on the south side of the island. I’m not a religious person but there is a special calm to the place that cannot be denied.

Levitha

The last stepping stone going east is the small island of Levitha with a handy sheltered bay on the south side.

There are moorings in the bay for a small sum and the one family that lives on the island have a rustic taverna a short walk from the bay. Goat stew is a specialty. Take a torch for the trek back in the dark.

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Specifications

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WEST FROM THE DODECANESE Going west you will have the wind forward of the beam, sometimes hard on the wind, for the passage back to the Saronic and the Peloponnese. Plan a few lay-days in secure spots if time allows so you are not beating your brains out keeping to a tight schedule.

Ios

It’s a bit of a haul from somewhere like Astipalaia to Ios, but doable. Now I know you are going to say what about Thira. By all means potter through the caldera, but there are few good places to stop over in and the easiest way to see the chora perched on the pumice cliffs above the crater is to take a ferry from Ios. On Ios you can anchor in Manganari on a sandy bottom where there is good shelter from the meltemi or go around to Ios port if you decide to take the ferry to Thira.

ABOVE LEFT: The chora on Folegrandos ABOVE RIGHT: Like sugar on a dusted bun, the chora at Livadhi, Serifos

Folegandro

Like Amorgos, Folegandros is a chunk of rock wedged into the sea. The main harbour at Karavostasi is reasonably well sheltered from the meltemi if you can get on the stubby quay. If you anchor off the holding is dubious in places and a strong meltemi swirls down the steep slopes into the bay like a banshee. Still, it is worth persevering as the place is a gem. The hamlet around the harbour has a number of tavernas, but the glory of Folegandros is the chora sitting high up on the edge of a cliff on the western side of the island. A mini-bus wends its way up the gorge to the chora and back down again on a more or less regular timetable and although it is now quite a chic spot for those in the know, still it is well worth the effort to visit it.

Milos

If you thought the caldera of Thira was big, reflect on the fact that the caldera in Milos that you anchor in is even bigger. There is a pontoon at Adhamas for visiting yachts or you can anchor off. On the way into Adhamas you pass the old fishing village of Klima where the sea literally washes the bottom of the brightly painted fisherman’s houses. It’s worth a wander around to or take the dinghy for an easier trip.

Milos has been undergoing something of a culinary revival and there are some very good restaurants using local ingredients dotted around the island. Apart from Adhamas there are other anchorages nearby and around the nearby islands of Kimolos and Poliagos.

56 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Serifos

The last island on the stepping stone route west. Livadhi, the main port on the southeastern side of the island, is where most people will head. There is good shelter in the recently expanded harbour or you can anchor out. There is plenty of room in the large bay with good shelter from the meltemi but what it lacks is good holding. The bottom in the bay is notoriously bad holding. Anchor well!

What you get for your trouble is a view up to one of the most picturesque choras in the Cyclades, a sugar-loaf of white cubes dusted around the steep slopes of a conical peak. There is much to like about Livadhi with a good selection of tavernas scattered around the bay and the chora itself. A bus runs regularly up and down to the chora and you should make the effort to visit – don’t worry, there are good cafes up there to slake your thirst. After Serifos you make for the Saronic. Even when the meltemi is howling around Serifos, the closer you get to the Saronic the less wind there will be until you often end up motoring to Poros or any of the other home islands here.

ROUTE PLANNING Route planning in the Cyclades is really a matter of going E or W. Anyone who has sailed there will know that getting back through the islands from the E against the meltemi is the problem. If you are going E the meltemi blowing down from the NE–N–NW will give you a sleigh ride to the Dodecanese or Crete. At times there will be too much wind even for a beam reach and you may have to bear off under headsail alone.

How to get back to windward through the Cyclades is a much debated point.

I favour going S in a great semicircle around the southern Cyclades where the wind is less strong and you can make to the N through the Saronic islands. From Kós or Kalimnos head for Astipálaia, Anáfi, Thíra, Íos, Folégandros, Kímolos and Mílos. Others maintain that you should go N in the eastern Cyclades or the Dodecanese and then W through the northern Cyclades.

CHARTER CONTACTS HDM Sailing: hdmsailing.gr Kiriacoulis: kiriacoulis.com Sunsail: sunsail.com Sailing Hollidays: sailingholidays.com Dream Yacht Charter: dreamyachtcharter.co.uk Seafarer: seafarersailing.co.uk Sail Aegean: sailaegean.eu Globe Sailor: theglobesailor.com

SAM LLEWELLYN

Man of all seasons His sailing thrillers are best-sellers and he’d like to stop yachting becoming caravanning WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPH ROB PEAKE 58 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

L

Llewellyn got his first taste for the alternative. It was 1971 unch at the Llewellyn household is terrine, strong and London was a colourful place. “It was before the cheese, locally pressed apple juice (I was driving) arrival of punk, so people were still being reasonably nice to and a sumptuous homemade fruit cake. From each other,” he recalls. “London went very weird in the across the table, Mrs Llewellyn, otherwise known mid-1970s.” as successful children’s author Karen Wallace, gives me her But amid the weirdness, a career was brewing. “A friend two latest books, each signed with a personal message for worked at Pan Books and she said: ‘Our horoscope writer my son and daughter. As we eat, Llewellyn is selfhas died. I need eight horoscope books done now!’” deprecating and quietly hilarious. We’re in a 15th-century Llewellyn turned out the lot in six weeks and so hall house in Herefordshire that he and Karen converted impressed was Pan that it gave him a job. It was a glorious 20 years ago – all low ceilings and wooden beams. It’s a time to work in the publishing industry, but the office life bracing January day and the doors are wide open “to get was not for Llewellyn; it wasn’t long before he upped sticks some fresh air in”. Then, coffee, before we retire to to a shack just off Lake Huron in Canada with his new Llewellyn’s airy outhouse, where he writes as a journalist Canadian wife – Karen – and promptly landed a book and author, edits The Marine Quarterly and noodles away contract himself. on the dobro.

“I wasn’t thinking that writing would be a career. I’ve If you have not yet read a book by Llewellyn, I strongly never thought like that. Staying about two steps ahead of the recommend you do – and not because I was given a good bank manager has been about as career-ish as I’ve been. lunch. During a 30-year career, he has written on all manner And that hasn’t always worked. It’s a cliché, but I enjoyed of subjects; but for the sailor, his thrillers, which depict the English at school and fun with words. If you combine that full gamut of boating characters, from the America’s Cup with some good stories, away you go.” skipper to the commercial fisherman, are a rare thing. The Llewellyn has plenty of good stories. After the Lake Huron narrative flows thick and fast, but best of all, he never shack, he and Karen lived in a haunted castle in Ireland. “Icy dumbs down the boaty bits, so much so that one wonders at fingers around your ankles… very, very poor show,” he times if non-sailors aren’t lost. “Some people do complain, recalls. While in Ireland, he tried eel-fishing for a living. “I but as far as I’m concerned they can eat cake,” he remarks was beginning to feel rather broke. On my first trip I caught genially. “It’s about trying to steer that middle course a dustbin full of eels, then I knocked the dustbin over. I was between over-explaining and not doing so at all. One of the sitting in a dinghy full of eels in the most horrible things you can do as middle of a river, thinking: ‘There novelist is to talk down to your “People do must be more to life than this’.” reader. It’s nice to think that the There was. His books sold well, but books are being read by sailors sometimes in 1987, after his agent suggested he because there isn’t a lot of sailing complain, but write about his hobby, sailing, fiction.”

Llewellyn produced Dead Reckoning, Llewellyn’s latest, Singlehand, came they can eat cake” which was translated into 14 out last year, a sequel to his previous languages. novel, Black Fish, featuring the “Everyone got frightfully excited feckless but highly likeable anti-hero about it. It was a great relief! Always getting things Gavin Chance, an alcoholic former yacht broker who published but never hitting the middle of the target – it’s a seemingly can’t avoid getting involved with superyachtgreat pleasure when you do. You realise all that stuff was not owning oligarchs, Russian women and violent fishermen.

The tale is every bit as good as vintage 007 and perhaps it’s in vain and you might have a voice of your own.” telling that Llewellyn names Ian Fleming as one of his He wrote nine more, one a year, going off sailing for three favourite authors. The others are Patrick O’Brian for “the months every time to research the next one. majesty of the whole enterprise”, Balzac “for the people”, PG Sailing has always been part of his life, from a childhood Wodehouse who, he says, is “the greatest prose stylist since in the Isles of Scilly (“the boats tended to be ¾in oak Shakespeare” and “the immortal” Damon Runyon. reinforced with lengths of railway line”), then in Norfolk as Llewellyn is the son of a bishop and went to Eton and a teenager. The Llewellyn family fleet – crew includes two Oxford. He can characterise the upper-class twit to a tee, but adult sons, their wives and grandchildren – has included his new character, Chance, is different. “I thought it would “the usual panoply” over the years and today comprises a be nice to stop doing the polished blazer button and instead Deep Seadog cruising yacht (“I’ve got a project on sailing let’s have a bit of the seedy underside; where yachting stops the west of everywhere”), a fin-keeled Corribee (“beautifully being one of these supposed bourgeois preoccupations.” elegant to sail”), and a Drascombe Longboat (“it takes 12 on Several minutes later, he pauses from what has developed a picnic”). into a delicious rant about the “dishonesty” of some His day job, meanwhile, is editing The Marine Quarterly, over-charging boatyards that play a “confidence trick” on started in 2011 and now to his “astonishment” on issue 33. boat owners who know no better. Llewellyn peers at me “It’s impossible to say this without sounding pompous, but from above his glasses: “I am probably getting myself into we live on an island and we’ve got to have a relationship rather a lot of trouble.” with the sea. Sailing had become like caravanning, going After university, Llewellyn joined Sotheby’s and his life from one supermarket car park to another. You could easily since then has been anything but conventional. Search forget you were on the sea. I wanted to give people really online and you can enjoy a clip of his bass-guitar playing for good stories about all the things you can do with the sea – prog rock group Spread Eagle. “We made an album. Not we’ll have a story about fishing, one about spotting whales brilliant,” he says, but they were good enough to support breaching, one about sailing at night. It’s as much fun to edit Genesis and Lindisfarne, and perhaps it was here that as I hope it is to read.”

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 59

UNTANGLING ROPE Rope technology is advancing at a rapid pace, so which lines to choose for your boat?

WORDS RUPERT HOLMES 60 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

MAIN PICTURE: “What does pink do again?”

Down below on the previous Hugo Boss – the latest Hugo Boss has custom covers on its ropes for added longevity ABOVE LEFT: Southern Ropes’ braiding machine in action ABOVE RIGHT: English Braids blends rope according to its specific use

I

dentifying the optimum line for each job on board can be a challenge that sailors all too often get wrong, especially when it comes to materials for the outer braid. In particular, buying decisions for larger and more complex vessels can be particularly difficult and, unlike in other arenas, simply buying the most expensive line is no guarantee it will be appropriate for a specific purpose.

The solution, according to Nigel Saddington of Kingfisher Yacht Ropes is to buy from a rigger. “One of the big benefits is that you’re not simply buying the physical product – you’re also buying valuable knowledge,” he says.

“It’s all about advice and talking to the right people.”

Saddington also cautions that, while many race teams have someone on the boat with some rigging knowledge and who can splice, this doesn’t necessarily mean they have the knowledge of a trained rigger. This can even be true on top-level boats: “I’ve seen a lot of boats using the wrong lines for the wrong jobs,” says Phillippa Cavanough of Southern Ropes, “even to the extent of polyester covers on the runners of a Fast 40.”

“A common mistake is failing to understand that buying the most expensive line you can find doesn’t mean it will be matched to the task,” says Heide Giese-Bothe of Gleistein Ropes. “Equally there are those who, in attempting to keep to a budget, buy the wrong line and then have to buy twice.”

CORES AND FINISHING PROCESSES While the most notable recent developments have been in cover technology, it’s still important to get the right core.

For most performance rope this is made of UHMPE – high molecular weight polyethylene – the best known brand name by far being Dyneema.

Choosing an appropriate core is more complex than simply making the right choice of raw material, as Cavanough explains: “A polyurethane coated core makes it easier to splice and gives protection from UV, allowing the line to be tapered.” In addition, heat-setting ensures the coating sticks as well as possible. Finally, the line can be pre-stretched by running it under tension through two sets of sheaves to remove as much of the inherent creep as

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 61

possible. Not all lines undergo these three processes, but it’s important to understand what you’re looking at before buying.

OUTER BRAIDS

“There’s now plenty of tensile strength in rope, so development is more focussed on the covers,” says Rainer Wilhelm of FSE Robline. “For dinghies these covers are as much of the interface between the boat and the sailor as the tiller, so they are very important.” To stay at the forefront of developments his company works with many high level dinghy sailors, including a British 49er campaign.

“It’s similar on the big boat side, where covers are getting more and more specialised,” Wilhelm adds. “You need to have the right construction and materials to match the surfaces the ropes meet – the winches, clutches and sheaves.”

According to Saddington, for performance cruisers in the 35-40ft range the biggest recent changes are in the use of technical covers with different blends of Dyneema or Technora. Nevertheless, polyester is still used extensively – given that Dyneema and Technora are available only in limited colours, any bright colours in the cover are likely to indicate polyester yarns.

As performance sailing asks ever more from its components, in some applications the load bearing and heat resistance requirements reach the limits of the polyester covers that have traditionally protected Dyneema cores. For lines such as halyards, runners or spinnaker sheets that are continuously adjusted, or carry extreme loads, polyester is therefore increasingly blended with more technical fibres like Technora, Dyneema or Vectran.

Technora withstands temperatures up to 400˚C, whereas polyester melts at 230˚C and Dyneema at 150˚C. Another advantage of Technora is its grippy surface that holds well in clutches and on winches, albeit at the expense of abrasion resistance. UHMPE, on the other hand, has excellent chafe resistance thanks to its slippery nature. This quality makes it good for the covers of lines that need to run free when unloaded with minimal friction.

Heat resistance and holding performance is a problem across race boats of all sizes. To counter this, Marlow, for instance, recently launched a dinghy rope with blended Technora and polyester covers.

62 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE: Lines on a boat like an RC44 move at speed and have to withstand high temperatures BELOW: The latest blocks in the Nacra class allow lines to move faster, so the rope tech needs to adapt too

At the Grand Prix level custom ropes provide exactly the right mix of materials, with different materials blended into different sections of the cover. For instance there could be additional Dyneema for chafe resistance over sheaves at one end, but Technora at the clutches to make use of its good holding properties.

Some of the lines Gleistein Ropes is suppling for Alex Thomson’s new Hugo Boss will be custom made. “Alex needs robustness and longevity, so we did a lot of work on the cover materials,” says sales team manager Giese-Bothe.

“Some of the secondary lines are standard products, but the sheets and halyards are all of a specific custom construction, including colours.

Similarly, Marlow’s Grand Prix series is a range of custom ropes for boats such as Mini Maxis, big multihulls and Fast 40s. It’s used by high profile campaigns from Momo and Bella Mente to the British Sailing Team. Hoist markers, including glow-in-the-dark marks, can be incorporated, as can reduced diameters for tapers and increased diameters in way of clutches.

An obvious downside of custom lines is the cost, which has potential to exceed £20 per metre. “The challenge for rope manufacturers is therefore to how to create a range of standard products that incorporate as many of the benefits of custom lines as possible, at a price that’s suitable for competitive sailors who don’t have an unlimited budget,” says Wilhelm.

One alternative is to splice an additional jacket of Technora outside the cover of a standard line in way of the clutches, which increases holding power thanks to the grippy nature of the material and the increase in line diameter. Equally, for a boat that races very long distances offshore the same can be done with Dyneema at the end of a halyard to protect against chafe where it passes over sheaves or through spectacles.

English Braids blends rope depending on the specific use and can produce core and cover together in a single length, or supply them as separate components. The latter gives a very wide range of options for combining cores and covers. In addition, if you intend to taper a line, you only have to buy the length of outer braid you need, so there’s no wastage.

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PHOTO: CLIPPER RACE

Games and has an innovative mix of three fibres in the cover to give first-class grip in cleats and very long service life. An additional benefit is a reduction of the amount of splicing and other boat prep needed, which translates into more training time on the water.

In a similar vein, Armare Ropes, the company that supplies Emirates Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup, also produces dinghy packs that provide a top-quality set of lines without the hassle of individually measuring and splicing them. They are available for a wide range of classes from Optimists through 470s to 49ers.

ABOVE D2 Club

by Marlow is the main rope used in the Clipper Race fleet, offering most of the benefits of a high end rope without the cost

DECK HARDWARE

In many cases improvements in deck hardware are driving the need for development in lines. “We’re seeing a continued trend of advances in deck gear,” says Marlow’s Graham O’Connor. “The latest Harken blocks used on Nacras mean there’s more movement of lines and that movement is faster, which creates challenges for grip, abrasion and heat resistance. As deck systems constantly evolve, so rope has to evolve as well. That’s one reason we work with so many sailors in different fields.”

In bigger boats Justin Jones of English Braids points out that: “Deck hardware tends to be the weak point in the system today and clutches tend to hold a lot less than the break strength of the line.” This means a line may need to be sized for its grip characteristics. As an example, Spinlock XTS clutches are rated to hold a 14mm line at loads of up to 1,000kg. However, this figure drops to 700kg with a 10mm line, even with the correct cam for the smaller line is fitted.

It’s also worth noting that, while the standard deck gear of a new production racer-cruiser is likely to be significantly better than that of a pure cruiser, it may still be on the light side for being pushed hard with lines and sails that have no appreciable stretch.

According to Saddington, replacing a polyester line with a Dyneema one can see peak loads on deck gear increase by up to 40 per cent – a figure that may increase even further if a change to carbon sails is made at the same 64 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

HIGH TECH CLASSICS In addition to conventional hightech lines, Langman Ropes is one manufacturer that produces high tech ropes with a classic appearance and feel – perfect for classic regattas.

time. The deck gear has to structurally withstand this extra loading and clutches must have sufficient grip.

That’s to some extent why “cruising” grades of Dyneema have been developed. Given that paring the diameter down too far can cause problems elsewhere, many of these have a slightly thinner core, but thicker cover than a pure racing line of the same overall diameter. This enables a polyester line to be replaced by a Dyneema one, without dropping a size in diameter, and enables existing deck gear that’s in good condition to be retained. If the cams of clutches are worn they can be replaced without renewing the entire unit.

Marlow’s D2 Club is an example of what’s often called a cruising Dyneema and has half the stretch of polyester of the same diameter – so it offers most of the benefits of a high-end product, without the cost. It uses SK38 Dyneema with no PU coating and has a 16-plait jacket. D2 Racing uses the latest and strongest SK99 Dyneema, with a thinner 24-plait jacket, so the diameter of the core in the line is also marginally higher for a line with the same overall diameter.

Southern Ropes takes a slightly different approach – its Super Speed has the same diameter core and the higherpriced Super Braid but it’s not coated, heat treated or pre-stretched – so there’s more creep, but you’re getting a line that’s just as strong and with the same stretch characteristics as the more expensive option. It’s therefore a useful step up compared to braid on braid polyester, offering better performance at a good price.

A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Marlow is also making a drive towards sustainable sailing and is working with Conrad Colman in his 2020 Vendée Globe campaign. The company’s new Blue Ocean dockline is made of recycled plastic bottles. The yarn from the recycled material has exactly the same material properties as conventional polyester. The plan is to increase production so it can be used in all other applications in which polyester is incorporated, including the covers of high tech lines.

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48 BOATS OF

NOTE

From blue water cruisers to wooden dinghies, 2020 promises a bumper crop of exciting boats. We take a look at recent launches and what is to come SELECTED BY THE EDITORS OF SAILING TODAY, CLASSIC BOAT AND YACHTS & YACHTING

ENDEAVOUR Amel 60

Astus 20.5

Amel has followed up their very popular 50 footer with a new 60, which follows the same template in that she is single-masted – as opposed to the trademark Amel ketch rig – and features twin rudders. Despite this, she’s still every inch a blue water cruiser and the cutter rig breaks down the sail plan into manageable sizes for short-handed crews. The large hardtop gives protection from the sun and expansive aft deck offers plenty of space to relax. €1.65m; amelyachts.eu

One for the minimalists, the Astus 20.5 is described as a “coastal

66 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

cruiser” by her manufacturers but she is likely to be pretty quick, too. She measures a little under 18ft yet boasts surprisingly generous accommodation, with space for four people – if they like each other a lot. There’s also somehow space for a galley and heads. The Astus is trailerable and the sponsons can be folded to keep her nice and compact in marinas and when being transported. £32,000; astusboats.com

Bamboo Moth

Beneteau First 53

The idea behind this foiling moth is to use entirely sustainable

This reinvention of the First range has just been launched in

materials. Much of the structure is made from fast-growing

late 2019, after Beneteau ran an open competition to find a

bamboo. While this may not be the most aerodynamic shape,

new design team, which was won by America’s Cup designer

the idea is to open minds rather than be competitive. Hull#1 was

Roberto Biscontini and Lorenzo Argento. With a straight slender

made from a standard foam sandwich and the foils are carbon

bow providing plenty of forward space, and a 5-metre maximum

but the hope is that this will change to sustainable materials too.

beam further aft, she immediately stands out for her sturdy sea-

The prototype is up and sailing and has hit nearly 20 knots.

worthy looks. Performance is said to be impressive too.

ENDEAVOUR £POA; search for @bambooboatMI on Facebook

€916,000; beneteau.com

Beneteau Oceanis 30.1

Contest 85

The Oceanis 30.1 is the smallest in this bracket of cruising

The lines are penned by Judel/Vrolijk and continue the theme of

yachts, separate from the much racier First range. Yet there

the smaller Contests in that she’s a high quality yacht with a de-

is a little bit of racing heritage in the 30.1 as she comes from

cent turn of speed. This is most definitely a yacht in the custom

the drawing board of Finot/Conq who also designed the ultra

bracket, but hull number one has been launched and features

sporty Pogo 30. She’s a pretty little boat and her looks are

three suites with galley aft and vast crew quarters forward.

aided by a relatively modest 3m beam. This relative narrowness

There’s a second navigation centre and office plus workshop.

is to make her trailerable.

Remarkably, she’s designed to be sailed double-handed.

€70,000; beneteau.com

£POA; contestyachts.com

#DASH12

Dehler 30OD

Designed and built at an established Devon boatyard, the #Dash12 is a wooden planing hull for intermediate to experienced dinghy sailors, with a choice of rigs for fast yet stable sailing. The team behind it wanted a planing dinghy that required no hiking and performance stats show they hit the bullseye. The builder is “committed to reducing the plastic in our oceans, one boat at a time”. It also comes in a striking black hull.

From £10,895; dashdinghies.com

Dehler’s range has leaned towards the cruising end of the market, so the 30 OD (one-design) is quite a departure for this established marque, aiming for the growing single and shorthanded racing market. The heavily chamfered bow echoes the top Fast40+ race yachts and the latest generation of IMOCA 60s. She features a T-shaped bulb keel, twin rudders and hard chine. There’s an electric motor and a fairly stripped back interior down below. €99,900; inspirationmarine.co.uk

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 67

Dragonfly 40

Fareast 19R

The previous 25, 28, and 32 models have all proven themselves

New to the UK, this smaller version of the Fareast 28R

to be very fast, while offering remarkable comfort for a perfor-

offers performance at a more affordable price than some. The

mance mulithull. As ever with the Dragonfly range, she’ll feature

three-person sportsboat has an asymmetric spinnaker and the

the very practical folding arms that make her much more viable

backstay-less rig makes it possible to fly a powerful square-

in practical and financial terms than many of her rivals when

top main. You’ll find a carbon fin and lead bulb beneath the

parked in a marina. There’s a diesel inboard and a heavily flared

vacuum-infused hull. The 19R is an ideal club or sailing school

ENDEAVOUR £POA; dragonfly.dk

central hull, which provides an impressive amount of space.

boat and can be sailed fully crewed or shorthanded. £14,650; fareastboats.co.uk

Fareast SV14

FH75OS

In 2015, Alex Simonis from Simonis Voogd Yacht Design, was

Built by Trust Yachts and designed by VMG Yacht Design, the

approached by Peter Jacops of Disabled Sailing Thailand, to

FH750S is a high-standard production sportsboat made using

design a safe, modern, sporty and affordable boat for use

a fibreglass sandwich and resin infusion. All parts are built with

among the para-sailing community. What started out as a pro-

female tooling for the best possible finish. Special attention has

bono project has now become a production run. Fareast offered

been given to the appendages. The boat comes in two versions,

to build the first one thousand boats at a subsidised price for

one being the FH750, which is more akin to a daysailer and

those sailors with a disability.

squarely aimed at the club market with extra durability.

From $3,000; fareastboats.co.uk

£POA; trustyachts.com

Fountaine Pajot 45

Garcia Exploration 60

Design house Berret/Racoupeau has produced a thoroughly

French manufacturer Garcia has reputation for building rugged

up to date and interesting catamaran for Fountaine Pajot’s

‘go anywhere’ yachts and the 60 will be the flagship of the

latest addition to an impressive range. She features a relatively

range. The hull and deck are aluminium and the lines have been

fine entrance with dreadnought bows. As you’d expect, there

penned by Berret/Racoupeau Yacht Design. She boasts a cen-

is ample internal volume, with the standard version featuring a

treboard for getting into all those awkward corners and a host

huge owner’s suite. The 45 has a newly designed helm station to

of other practical touches tailored to serious blue water cruisers.

improve handling, promising excellent performance and comfort

Inside, the layout includes an interior helming station plus a very

for long passages.

roomy saloon. Several layout plans are available.

£419,000; catamarans-fountaine-pajot.com

£1.9m; garciayachts.com

68 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Grand Soleil 42LC

Gunboat 68

Italian manufacturer Grand Soleil stepped slightly away from its

A dream team of designers has developed the platform with

classic cruiser/racer template when it introduced the LC (Long

close coordination from the existing owners and crew. The core

Cruise) line of yachts. These have been aimed at sailors who like

design team includes VPLP. The lightweight, all-carbon compos-

the idea of cruising at speed. The 42 is the smallest of the new

ite construction is capable of handling a wide variety of offshore

range and offers the usual bags of Italian style combined with

sailing conditions. The design features long, high-aspect straight

a set-up optimised for ease of handling. The interior is light and

daggerboards, retractable rudders and wave-piercing bows.

ENDEAVOUR €309,000; grandsoleil.com

roomy, making this an ideal yacht in the grand tourer mould.

There are four, five, and six-cabin layouts. €5.5m; gunboat.com

Hallberg-Rassy 57

Hanse 508

Another polished performer from the Swedish masters of the

Successor to the hugely popular 505, the new model boasts

bluewater cruiser. The new 57 is chock full of thoughtful touches.

lively performance combined with a high level of comfort. The

Eyebrows were raised over the twin rudder configuration, but

German manufacturer has refined an already excellent product

this German Frers design has won over the doubters with a

and the result is compelling, with handsome looks to boot. The

seakindly hull and high quality finish in keeping with the brand’s

508 shares many elements with the larger 548, from the same

reputation. The centre cockpit and other classic Hallberg-Rassy

sail locker, owner’s cabin with ensuite back to the versatile

features remain.

heads, which can be a head and walk in shower.

€1.45m; hallberg-rassy.com

€280k; hanseyachts.co.uk

Ita 14.99

J/99

The 14.99 is the opening gambit from this Italian multihull

The J/99 has proved an instant hit, with 30 boats ordered,

manufacturer and they certainly seem to have hit the sweet spot

mostly off plan, within a few weeks of the prototype’s first sailing

with this stylish yacht. A fractional rig was the choice of set-up

trials. Although clearly aimed at the burgeoning short-handed

for ease of use single-handled or with a smaller crew. With the

scene, the boat is also set up to be raced fully crewed, suitable

boat’s displacement, the self tacking jib and square top mainsail

for amateurs and professional teams. The sail and deck plan in-

are enough to power the catamaran, and in light breezes the manufacturer recommends a Code 0, which will harm performance not a jot. €840,000; itacatamarans.com

corporate the latest developments from the award-winning J/121 and J/112E. The interior features twin aft cabins and a private forward head with sail locker. £91,000; keyyachting.com THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 69

Jeanneau Sun Fast 3300

Jeanneau Sun Loft 47

This is a fairly radical design for Jeanneau, constructed using

The rise of ‘by the cabin’ charters has prompted Jeanneau to

an infusion moulding process. The Sun Fast 3300 benefits from

come up with a radical new design optimised for the charter

exceptional rigidity and features a light, powerful hull, twin

market. In describing the Sun Loft 47 as a ‘monocat’, the French

rudders and straight keel. Jeanneau is aiming firmly at single

manufacturer is hoping to combine the benefits of monohulls

and short-handed racers. With the help of Jeanneau UK dealer

and multihulls in one package. The Philippe Briand design fea-

Sea Ventures, the brand new boat was sailed to an impressive

tures six cabins able to accommodate 12 people on board, plus

ENDEAVOUR €110,000; jeanneau.com

second in class in the Rolex Fastnet Race.

the skipper, and has four heads with showers.

Available for charter market only so far; jeanneau.com

JPK10.30

Kraken 50

Victory in the Fastnet’s IRC 3 and double-handed classes for

This is a yacht set up for crossing oceans and features compara-

Alexis Loison and Jean-Pierre Kelbert (Mr JPK himself, the boat’s

tively narrow, sea-kindly lines. In addition there is a skeg-hung

builder), on Leon, catapulted this newcomer into the spotlight.

rudder and the pioneering ‘zero keel’ which is fully integrated

The boat is aimed at the fast-growing single and short-handed

into the hull, meaning zero keel bolts and boldly claiming ‘zero’

offshore racing scene, with even Jeanneau entering the sphere.

wear and tear and ‘zero’ risk of the keel falling off. Kraken is

The JPK looks like a demanding boat to sail, exactly what her

planning to shift production to Turkey from Hong Kong, with the

likely customers will be wanting.

aim of keeping production costs low and quality high.

£POA; jpk.fr

£609,000; krakenyachts.com

Lago 26

Melges 14

The foils are sizeable, as the boat was developed to sail on

Popular in the US and now available in Europe, this rival to the

predominantly light wind lakes, so early take-off was key. The

Laser (recently considered as a replacement in the Olympics)

team report that in testing they have been able to achieve flight

offers impeccable heritage and proven performance. The cat rig,

in around 6-7 knots. The boat comes with three trapezes, which

which comes in three sizes, is easy to handle and the boat is as

might seem unnecessary in a boat of this size, but again this is

suited to racing as it is to carrying an adult and two kids for a

to allow a big enough sail area for take-off in the light weather,

fun day out, cockpit space being significantly greater than oth-

which requires some crew on the trapeze. And, as the company

ers of its ilk. Off the wind performance is exciting and when you

add, to go faster when it blows.

go over the M14 is easy to get upright. A lot of fun.

£POA; lago26.com

From £6,700; ovingtonboats.com

70 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Moody DS41

Nacra 15 FCS

Moody Yachts has a proud history and its Bill Dixon designs take

An interesting addition to the foiling boats on the market, the

you back to an age when British boatbuilders were dominant.

foiling version of the Nacra 15, aimed at experienced foilers

Nowadays, it is one of the few survivors – Moody was rescued

looking to transition to the Nacra 17, was called “a match for the

by the Hanse Group and in recent years has carved its own

F18 in flat water speed” by Y&Y tester Chris Rashley, who also

niche of deck saloon cruisers. This DS41 is also penned by Dixon

praised the rudder design, which curves inwards, thereby reduc-

Yacht Design and is dominated by the deck saloon; The ‘patio

ing the chance of injury if you fall in. He highlighted “a lack of

ENDEAVOUR €400,000; yachts.group

door’ saloon entrance is practical and lets in lots of light.

pitch stability” and the lack of rake adjustment on the rudder.

From €18,450; fluidboatservices.com

Neo 350

Ovni 400

Neo Yachts is an Italian boatbuilder based in Bari that has

Over the years Ovni has carved out a reputation as ‘the Land

carved out a reputation for stylish cruiser/racers with a strong

Rover of the seas’. Tough, durable go anywhere yachts. The new

emphasis on performance. The 350 is the latest addition to its

40 is a welcome addition to the marque’s range and she looks

fleet. The good-looking lines were penned by hugely experi-

the part: very aggressive with a Dreadnought bow and beam

enced Bernardo Ceccarelli. Weight has been kept down to a

carried right aft. There’s a hard topped sprayhood and down

relatively modest 4,500kg and the interior is smart yet relatively

below she looks a bit warmer and more welcoming than many

spartan.

of these ‘go anywhere’ boats have in the past.

€170,000; neoyachts.com

£256,000; northseamaritime.com

Oyster 565

Pegasus 50

The gestation period for the new Oyster 565 was lengthy but

An intriguing new design from Slovenia. The Pegasus 50 wants

this Rob Humphreys design has impressed many since its launch

to be a fast yacht that can be cruised in comfort. The figures

for the successful mix of modern style, serious comfort and

look like she will be fairly fleet-footed, as this is a 50ft yacht that

bluewater practicality, suitable for short-handed and full crews.

weighs in at a relatively modest 12,300kg. The yacht has been

The boat has great storage down below, large berths and full

developed in conjunction with the Shipman line of yachts that

headroom, plus a moulded-in bowsprit for easier flying of off-

are built in Slovenia. One of the most intriguing features is a

the-wind sails; twin rudders give better handling under sail and

fully gimballed sofa and table in the saloon that will keep crew

less drag.

on the level even in rough conditions.

£POA; oysteryachts.com

€480,000; pegasus-yachts.com

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 71

Privilege Signature 510

Reverso

The Marc Lombard design is surprisingly sleek and sporty for

The idea of an inflatable or foldaway boat that can fit into a car

what is surely intended to be a cruising catamaran and she

boot has long appealed to designers. The Reverso dinghy is

features an appealingly curved coachroof. Add to that the fact

made from a series of sections which can be slotted together

that she has a carbon mast and boom and you have a boat that

and when deconstructed fit snugly within each other. The

is certainly far more than just a charter caravan. Despite these

manufacturer claims the way the sections fit together makes

concessions to performance, she also features generous accom-

it exceptionally light and stiff for this type of craft – though at

ENDEAVOUR €995,000; yachts.group

modation with the galley/living area particularly well appointed.

57kg it is a third again the weight of an RS Aero. €8,590; redbeardsailing.com

RM 1180

Rustler 57

French boatbuilder RM has always stood out from the crowd

Rustler’s jumbo-sized blue water cruiser features the trademark

thanks to the company using epoxy/ply in the construction of its

classic flowing lines of Stephen Jones married to the Cornish

yachts. The 1180 is no exception to this rule and she is a smart

boatbuilder’s excellent reputation for quality. The Rustler 57 is

new design that boasts beamy aft sections with a pronounced

a big yacht for a relatively small company so her manufacturer

chine plus a dreadnought bow. Despite this, and other features

has taken its time with the build process. There’s no pandering

such as the twin wheels, at heart she’s not a racer, more a fast

to modern fads in her relatively narrow lines and the fully en-

cruiser, offering excellent accommodation down below.

closed cockpit and single helm position have been retained too.

€211,000; rm-yachts.com

£POA; rustleryachts.com

Scape 40

Speedlounger

Scape Yachts is a Cape Town-based multihull specialist.

The Speedlounger 8500 fits into that bracket of stylish, fast

Their 40 Sport is the latest addition to a market that is already

daysailers that aren’t really designed to race but do need to

fairly crowded. Scape’s offering gives sparkling performance

be fun and eyecatching. That, she is. She’s a Dutch design built

thanks to lightweight epoxy/foam construction married to

in aluminium and features extremely distinctive looks that are

wave piercing hulls. She’s a development of Scape’s less extreme

modern and sleek. The result is a yacht that is possibly not to

39 and the new boat features a stripped out deck layout with

everyone’s tastes but certainly dramatic and sporty. The

no central deck saloon, so weight has been reduced to around

combination of a light displacement and big sail area should

5400kg.

make her rapid.

$435,000; scapeyachts.co.za

€152,000; alufleet.nl

72 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Solaris 64

Spirit 50CR

Solaris Yachts has garnered a reputation for building quintes-

The 50CR is very much a Spirit in that she boasts slippery lines

sentially Italian yachts. That means lots of flair and style. The

and a generous, modern sail plan, coupled with wonderful

new 64 is no exception; the lines were drawn up by Soto Acebal

accommodation below. To preserve low stocks of teak world-

and are suitably dramatic, featuring what is fast becoming

wide, Spirit has taken the decision to deck its yachts in Lignia,

Solaris Yachts’ trademark dreadnought bow combined with low

a Douglas Fir derivative, giving a lovely warm glow to the deck

lines and clean, uncluttered decks. Down below, the theme of

with no loss of practicality. The company is leading the way in

ENDEAVOUR £POA; solarisyachts.com effortless style continues.

other ecological initiatives and the 50CR carries many of these. c£850k; spirityachts.com

Swan 48

Sunbeam 28.1

That Nautor’s Swan was launching a new 48 was welcome

The Sunbeam 28.1 is aimed at the performance-cruiser market,

news in an era where yachts just seem to keep getting bigger.

offering a large cockpit, with good facilities and accommoda-

Designed by Germán Frers, the 48 is a worthy descendant of

tion down below. The combination of a big ballast ratio and a

the previous Sparkman and Stephens and Frers designs. The

modern, reasonably powerful rig is likely to make it a sportier

new vessel is the successor to the 48ft Frers model launched in

cruising yacht than most, certainly one that will be exciting to

1995 and features much less rake at the bow and stern. As you’d

race. The company sees the 28.1 as the ideal choice for the fam-

expect from a Swan, it’s very well appointed.

ily that wants to go fast, offering a ‘premium interior concept’.

£POA; nautorswan.com

From €77,400; sunbeam-yachts.com

Tofinou 9.7

Topcat K2X

French manufacturer Tofinou has proven itself to be a past mas-

Topcat is a popular multihull manufacturer on the continent and

ter in the art of producing beautiful daysailers and weekenders

is the biggest builder of catamarans in Germany. Topcat’s range

that appeal to modern racing owners as well as to those in the

of boats share similar features. This new three-sailed K2X sits at

modern classic scene. The new 9.7 is no exception and straddles

the racier end of things, with beams that slot into an opening in

the gap between modern and classical styling with effortless

the hulls – easily be done by one person. Once any amount of

aplomb. She is a 31ft yacht but definitely sits in the weekender

rig tension is applied these provide enough torsional rigidity to

bracket. There is a sleek coachroof and modest overnight

offer a stiff platform. It also comes in a few different hull build

accommodation.

options, with racing versions featuring laminate sails.

€110,000; keyyachting.com

From €13,200; topcat.de

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 73

XCS catamaran

X Yachts X4(0)

XCS is an interesting project from the Beneteau Group. The

X- Yachts’ new line of cruiser/racers has been rounded off with

French manufacturer is parent company of Lagoon catamarans.

the new X4(0) and she promises to be a pleasing performer. The

Aware of the need to draw in new, younger customers,

new yacht is 39ft 8in overall in length so this roughly marries

Beneteau has developed the new XCS range, essentially

up with the model number if you delete the brackets. The yacht

stripped down versions of the Lagoon with changes to improve

itself is the smallest in their range and is due to be launched this

the sailing experience. Helming stations are on the sponsons. At

summer. She completes their range of yachts that sit between

ENDEAVOUR For the XCS 12: €311,000; excess-catamarans.com

present there is a 38ft XCS 12 and a 48ft 5in XCS 15.

their XP performance range and XC fast cruiser range. £266,000; x-yachts.com

NIGEL SHARP

INGRID ABERY

CLASSIC BOATS OF NOTE

Pellew

Ester

Wooden boatbuilder Luke Powell, of Cornwall, has spent four years

Not a boat for sale but one that will be turning heads in 2020, after

recreating an 1852 Falmouth Pilot Cutter, working with a team of

she was brought up from the seabed off Sweden and painstakingly

young apprentices. Pellew will be launched for the Falmouth Clas-

restored to her original 1901 condition. Ester was the most success-

sics regatta 2020. Find out more at thefalmouthpilotcutter.co.uk/

ful race boat of her era, her secret being a fin & bulb keel, designed

the-pellew and commission the build of a pilot cutter yourself via

many decades before the concept was supposedly invented.

Luke’s website workingsail.co.uk

ester1901.se

We Clean your Sails and Covers to find out more visit www.tiptopsails.co.uk 74 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

The multi-season anti-foul COPPERCOAT® is the most long lasting anti-foul coating available, with a treatment commonly remaining effective for a decade or more.

“The Clipper Race fleet has been exposed to a vast variety of conditions during the 2017-18 circumnavigation. After over 40,000 nm of racing the COPPERCOAT® remains well adhered and the hulls have been noticeably cleaner, a major contributor to performance. COPPERCOAT® has surpassed our expectations and as our preparations commence for the 2019-20 edition, we have every confidence that the anti-foul will allow superb performance of our race yachts for many circumnavigations to come.”

Image: Clipper Race

Mark Light Clipper Race Director

+44 (0) 1258 861059 COPPERCOAT.COM

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RO24, Units 3-4 Jarman Way, Royston, Herts SG8 5F

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT: Bollard cleat; the original shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bell; port light and boat hook

76 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

THE LAST SAUNDERS ROE Magyar, launched in 1939, marked the end of an era for her famous builder, who would go on after the war to build hovercraft and space rockets WORDS STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHS JOE MCCARTHY

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 77

I

t seems so unlikely now, but there was a time, and it’s still on the edge of living memory, when Britain seemed to be leading half the world on a technological collision course with the future. Between the two wars, British dominance in automotive engineering on land, at sea and in the air, seemed to be nearly unassailable. Before the war, the fastest motorbike you could buy anywhere in the world was the English-made Brough Superior and the fastest train was the Mallard. Rolls-Royce was still a superlative term and in the skies above western Europe, the glorious Supermarine float planes, with their elliptical wings, broke record after record in the Schneider Cup air races before going to war as the Spitfire. Bentley made Le Mans their own and dominated it throughout the 1920s.

Henry Segrave and Malcolm Campbell were the fastest men on land and on water – and under sail, Britain was the only nation on earth flamboyant and wealthy enough to challenge, albeit unsuccessfully, for the world’s greatest prize – the America’s Cup.

MISSILES AND STEAM LAUNCHES

No British firm – before or after the war – was more exciting in terms of the automotive technology of the day than Saunders Roe, based in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight since 1929. By the 1930s, ‘Saro’ as the company is also known, was an established seaplane manufacturer, building planes with model names like the Kittiwake, Valkyrie and London, many of them wooden-framed.

After the war, Saro went on to build helicopters, the world’s first operational hovercraft, missiles and rocketpowered fighter planes, while the prolific space division launched dozens of rockets into orbit throughout the space race era of the 1950s and 60s. Back then, if you wanted an ICBM, you would dial Cowes 2211.

Saunders Roe might not be the first name you would associate with a boat like Magyar but the firm’s 19thcentury roots are in fact in boatbuilding on the upper Thames. In fact, founder Sam Saunders built what might be the world’s first stitch-and-glue vessel in the form of the still-extant steam launch Consuta in 1898, and until 1939 Saro continued to build traditional motor yachts like Magyar, a twin-screw gentleman’s displacement yacht for river, coastal and estuary cruising. She is one of eight 78 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE LEFT: the telegrapgh is original Saro gear – the rest is either original or carefully sourced ABOVE RIGHT: Boarding ladder FACING PAGE: Sea-level boarding platform as specified

by Saro, but this one was bought and modified. Note the predominantly oaken interior and vintage radio

Medina Class motoryachts built by Saro and named after the river on whose banks the factory sat. She is, in fact, the last of the class, and the last yacht of any sort built there.

It wasn’t surprising, last year, to discover that Magyar’s engineer owner also has a 1929 Bentley 4.5-litre Sport. The car, reminiscent of those Le Mans wins of the 1920s, was parked beside the boat on a Thameside meadow at the Henley Trad, a few weeks ahead of Magyar’s re-launch.

Cars and boats appeared in John’s life in early childhood.

He started sailing around the age of 11 on holidays in Poole, then kept BSA and Triumph motorcycles as a teenager. With adulthood came a Bowman 36 sailing yacht, a 1970 GRP Holman and Pye design that John calls “a cheating classic” which he sailed with his wife from Corsica to England through the canals. “I started thinking of a more suitable boat – a motorboat – for that sort of thing. It had to be British, as I love British greatness. The 1920s and 30s were a period of particularly fine design.

Look at the Bentley – in the 1920s, it had OHC, 16V, twin carbs… advanced stuff, some of the acronyms you see on car boot lids today.”

The motorboat desire came into focus when John picked up a copy of the October 2011 issue of Classic Boat and caught sight of Magyar sistership Gralian. “It’s CB’s fault,” he says. He called John Buckley of Harbour Marine Services in Southwold, Suffolk, the yard that restored Gralian, and he put John Burgess in touch with the owners Jonathan and Helen, then on a round-Britain cruise. “I caught up with them in Milford Haven” remembers John.

“My first impression was one of pleasure at realising how usable these boats are. My brief was to be able to do something like that, again with a crew of two, my thenwife and me.”

After a year of searching, John spotted a small, obscure advert for Magyar, lying in Béziers in the south of France and owned by a liveaboard French couple with no English, so a stream of nonsensical Google-translated emails followed, then a flight to see the boat in the flesh. “They were jittery about my request to lift the boat out for inspection. Turns out they’d never taken the boat out of the water before,” said John, who had to get a diver down to clear the propeller before taking Magyar for a spin.

Prolonged negotiations followed, but in 2014 Magyar made her way by road to Harbour Marine Services for the

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 79

magic to begin. She had suffered modernisation over the years, and needed quite a bit of structural work. The Medina Class boats were low-displacement compared to, say, a Silvers launch of the same vintage. The framing was all in bent timbers, where the Silvers boats alternated two timbers to a heavier sawn frame. Then there are what John calls the “flying boat floors”, ie too light. When John the boatbuilder says “lightly built”, John the owner drily remarks: “They’re not built, they’re engineered, John.”

Quality was, at the time, of the ‘money-no-object’ sort, with nearly everything, including the hull, in Burma teak, the reason that even today, Magyar’s hull is all original bar a small area where collision damage was repaired.

The two clearly have a healthy rapport (“John Buckley is absolutely straightforward,” says the owner, “he’ll give you his view, but will respect the owner’s wishes”), borne of hours of communication, almost daily contact and monthly weekend visits when John would drive the four to five hours from Bristol to Southwold to spend the weekend on John Buckley’s motorsailer moored at the yard, and Saturdays going through the plans and progress on Magyar. The work carried out is too much to relate. “Every keelboat came out in two pieces,” remembers John Buckley. “She had all new deck beams bar four. New bulkheads and beamshelves, and new blockings in oak.

These are normally softwood, but the owner wanted oak.

MAGYAR TYPE

Saunders Roe Twin Screw cabin cruiser LOA

45ft (13.7m) BEAM

11ft (1.4m) DRAFT

4ft 6in (1.4m) BUILT

1939 DESIGNER

Saunders Roe

LEFT: Sistership Kelvinia, on a farm in France, acted as the ‘donor vessel’ for much of Magyar’s superstructure

80 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

They are better in oak – just more expensive.”

A particular challenge was to remodel the wheelhouse to its original compound-curve shape – not an easy challenge in tongue-and-groove timber.

SADNESS AND RENEWAL

The initial work took more than a year, before the owner, and the project, was struck by personal tragedy when John’s wife died. The plan had been for the two of them to take long cruises on Magyar. In terms of expenditure and personal investment, John had passed the point of no return – as he points out, buyers are not interested in a half-complete project – so he decided to finish. Now that Magyar was to be restored as “an article rather than as a dream”, and for charter and eventual sale, rather than cruising, the standard of restoration went up a notch.

Around this time, John learned of another Medina class, this one the direct sistership Kelvinia, abandoned on a field in northern France. They were built side by side in the same shed in the same year, so Kelvinia was perfect to provide all the bits that Magyar had lost over the years.

Enter Peter Gregson, the sage behind the Wooden Ships brokerage of Dartmouth, Devon, a man with a famously long memory and fluent French. John and Peter travelled to Kelvinia to strike a deal with the owner, and Magyar ended up, as John put it as “the bottom half of Magyar and the top half of Kelvinia”, although in truth, quite a bit of Magyar’s superstructure is her own.

The internal deckhead was a happy accident. “I got yellow cedar from Stones Timber for the deckhead, as the owner wanted to look up and for it to look like an old-fashioned deck.” It is, in fact, a modern, ply sandwich deck, with two layers of 9mm Robbins Elite marine ply in the middle. “In 3,260ft of the yellow cedar, I found one single knot, and it was so nice we varnished it rather than painting it.” The rest of the interior is characterised by carefully-sourced oak, with the pleasing medullary rays of that timber found throughout. The deck was another challenge, with owner John wanting unbroken plank runs,

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hiding the few joints under deck gear. “Sourcing 4.8m lengths of teak is not easy,” confirms boatbuilder John. All portlights were refurbished by Peter Tracey at Davey and Co, who did “a superb job”.

RAISING THE BAR

A few years ago, I was on a visit to Harbour Marine, and saw Magyar in primer grey. I remember John saying she was going to be one to watch and that he had raised his bar on the project. It’s worth noting here, for those unfamiliar with the yard, that Harbour Marine has carved out a rare niche in these mid-20th-century cruising motor yachts in the 40-50ft range and mostly tiwn-engined, or ‘twin screw’ in the language of their era.

The yard has restored, in addition Gralian of course, nearly countless ‘Silver’ yachts to the design of John Bain and others less well known. So when John says that this one’s special, one had better listen. She’s special for many reasons. Firstly and most obviously is the boat itself – the canoe stern, the stepped sheer and the handsome superstructure create an intensely maritime aesthetic.

Magyar might be properly referred to as a ‘yacht’, but something so distinctly naval and restrained clings to the design that ‘ship’ seems more fitting. Then there are the thoughtful details, from the deck boxes and air vents on deck to the miniature guttering under the portlights on the inside, which drain the condensation of the night, the breath of your dreams if you like, into the bilges of the boat.

Then there’s the Saunders Roe provenance. Then the sheer practicality: the tender on davits and sea-level folding gangway, so the owner can embark and disembark like a naval commander; private accommodation in two cabins and more in the saloon, even a bath (“they had baths and hot water even in 1939,” says the owner). Add to 82 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT: galley was extended, one of the few layout alterations; the heads; wheelhouse with its drop-down windows on leather straps, as original

that a Burmese teak hull, a keel-up restoration, and MCA coding for up to 60 miles from a safe haven and you are part of the way to understanding Magyar’s appeal.

WAX CASTING

It is the attention to detail, more than anything else, that sets Magyar apart. Thanks to the availability of original drawings, John Buckley’s experience with the sistership Gralian, the donor boat Kelvinia, and the willingness of the owner to spend what it takes to reach perfection, Magyar might indeed represent a pinnacle for this sort of boat. Early this summer, after spending a day with Magyar and her owner near Hurley Weir on the Thames (I was relegated to the role of chase boat driver for photographer Joe, but we had plenty of fun with the boarding ladder and the tender, for which we had to cut a new bung using a wine bottle cork and Stanley knife), I got back in touch with John Buckley, and one anecdote told the whole story.

“You know the drawer pulls?” he asked drily on the phone, referring to the delicate escutcheon mouldings. “The owner had them sand-cast as original, but they weren’t up to scratch, so we had them re-cast in wax. Take that detail and multiply it by everything on Magyar.”

I wonder if owner John, with a car background, went a bit ‘Pebble Beach Concours’ with Magyar. We are, after all, talking about 10-12,000 man hours here... but the result is a perfect gentleman’s motor yacht, just as Saunders Roe intended before the rumble of war, then computers and plastic swept lovely little ships like this away forever.

Magyar is available for charter and will be for sale in the near future. Harbour Marine is busy completing another of the eight Medina Class boats – Maimonde – and has yet another, half-complete, awaiting an owner.

See classiccruising.co.uk and southwoldboatyard.co.uk

This year at “boot” Düsseldorf: 35 DS and

Sirius Deck Saloon Yachts since 1971 Fancy a 48 foot interior on a 40 footer?

Welcome aboard!

40 DS

14 different interior layouts 360° real deck saloon view with interior helm 112 m2 (1210 sf) sail area on the wind

nominated for: “Best

Sirius 35 DS

RECOMMENDED

Sirius 310 DS boat test

5 different rigs, 6 different keel versions including swing and modern twin keels

Bluewater Cruiser“

“highest score we’ve ever awarded,

by some distance: 93/100 “

“an amazingly big little yacht“ ...“between tacks of less than 80°“ ...“the Sirius 310 DS sets the standard“

Genuine deck saloon yachts built individually to your specific requirements. Visit us at the at the world biggest boat show “boot” in Düsseldorf (Germany) held from 18-26 Jan 2020, at “HAMBURG ancora YACHT FESTIVAL” 5-7 June, at Båter i Sjøen (Oslo) 3-6 September and Southampton Boat Show 11-20 Sept on board of our Sirius 310, 35 and 40 DS. We are also happy to bring you in contact with UK owners of the boat of your choice for an exchange of experience or test sails. You are also very welcome to visit us for a tour through our boat yard and for test sails on all our models in Plön, 55 miles north of Hamburg.

Contact: Torsten Schmidt phone +49(0) 173 653 87 21 Contact UK: Andy Torrance phone +44(0) 770 331 44 65

www.sirius-werft.de

Specialist insurance broker Worldwide cover Exclusive policies High latitude

0344 545 6132 For a quotation please call

www.simonwintermarine.co.uk

S a i l & M o t o r Ya c h t I n s u r a n c e

Simon Winter Marine Limited is an Appointed Representative of Winter & Co (Marine) Ltd Winter & Co (Marine) Ltd is authorised and regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority

SAILING TODAY

Oktober 2017

Sirius

Lifejacket

The popular Crewfit 180N Pro was made available in a heavyduty option – the Crewfit 180N Pro HD. This features 500D heavy-duty front body panels to provide maximum durability, as well as reflective tape on the cover for maximum visibility.

It is aimed at those working in the marine environment – including marina and charter boat operatives, as well as leisure users – who are looking for a level up in durability.

From £95 crewsaver.com

Insulated jacket

Part of Gill’s popular OS range, this insulated jacket offers style and lightweight practicality afloat and ashore. £180 gillmarine.com

GEAR ESSENTIALS

50

Mini VHF radio

About the size of a pack of playing cards, the waterproof HX40E VHF transceiver offers a powerful 6 Watts of transmitting power. standardhorizon.co.uk £159.95

FOR YOUR WISHLIST

AIS VHF radio

B&G’s V60-B mid-level VHF radio has the capability to send and receive AIS position data. The V60-B has a large screen, intuitive interface, built-in AIS Class B Transceiver, a front-mountable, mechanical design for ‘easy’ installation and optional H60 wireless handsets with inductive charging. navico.com £924.99

84 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Henri Lloyd Fremantle This relaunch of the Henri Lloyd brand shows a host of ingenious advances in clothing tech. Among innumerable clever features, the top third of the salopettes is a fast-drying, wickable four-way stretch material.

The jacket can be opened to cool you down without it flapping around in the breeze.

Jacket £1,000; salopettes £660

Helly Hansen midlayer

Helly Hansen introduced its own Lifaloft insulation technology last year but this is the first marine product featuring the superlight and superinsulated material. “So mobile and comfortable you’ll forget you’re wearing it,” they say. Helly has incorporated high breathability and flexibility to give full stretch while the exterior of the midlayer is waterproof. £160 hellyhansen.com

B&G wind sensor Optimised in more than 500 hours of wind tunnel testing and 200,000 hours on the water, this is mounted on a spar that elevates it from sail plan disturbances, meaning measurement error is negligible. £POA bandg.com

Musto glove

A four-way stretch mesh fabric construction gives these gloves a ‘dynamic fit’ system. £35 musto.com

Electric outboard The new top-spec Travel motor is equivalent to a 3hp petrol outboard, and has push-button start, plus integrated onboard computer with GPScalculated range and runtime data. A lightweight, high-performance lithiumion battery clips on top of the motor, and will power a small inflatable at two knots for up to 46 miles. At 5.5 knots, range drops to five miles – more than enough for most dinghy and tender applications. £1,869 torqeedo.comsalopettes

Quick-release harness

In two quick steps the sailor can rapidly remove the entire harness. Zhik realised that when you’re being dragged in the water, lifting yourself off the trapeze hook can be near impossible. If your dinghy turns turtle, unclipping from the hook may not be enough to free you from trouble. The T3 is a potential life-saver. £199.95; zhik.com THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 85

Anchor light The warm glow from this lamp hung in the foretriangle should ensure a safe night at anchor.

Manufactured in copper with a polished unlacquered finish, it is fitted with 4in dioptric lens and a brass hoop that folds down to stop it from swaying in the wind (not shown). £186.08 plus oil £7.50 (1L) arthurbeale.co.uk

Barton blocks These ‘classic’ Barton blocks come in four sizes, with or without becket and swivel. Under their traditional ash cheeks, they boast Delrin ball bearings, Torlon needle bearings, brass fittings and hardwearing gunmetal sheaves. £64-320 bartonmarine.com

Roll-top dry bag This new roll-top waterproof bag comes from the world’s largest manufacturer of drysuits, and is designed to withstand rough treatment, with welded seams and a clear window panel so you can ID the contents. £11.95-£29.95 typhoon-int.co.u

LED strobe light The ODEO from Daniamant is a high power white flashing light for emergency use. It runs for up to two days on a battery that lasts up to five years, it is submersible to 50m and will suit your lifejacket or grab bag.

From £50 daniamant.com

Tide clock This tide clock is battery powered with a quartz movement, a steel case and it comes in 4.5in and 9in variants and in a number of different finishes on the case. From £18 climemet.com

Raymarine Clearcruise An add-on to Raymarine’s Axiom display system, using cameras mounted on board to present a real life view on your plotter’s display of the waters ahead, overlaid with AIS, chart and waypoint information. £POA raymarine.com

86 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Tilley hat

Deck-fitted blocks

With a sun-shield, sunglasses tab and a foam-filled brim to prevent flapping, this classic hat is also super-quick drying and gives factor 50 sun protection. £80 tilley.com

A neat idea allowing you to easily replace the rope attaching deck-level blocks to the dinghy without bonding.

Part of the Pad-Tii range from Allen.

From £18.74 allenbrothers.co.uk

Trident Elite watch

British-made, the C60 Trident Elite 1000 limited-edition chronometer is made from Grade 2 titanium, and is capable of descending to depths of 1,000m. £1,250 christopherward.co.uk

Stay safe in the sun

Gill’s UV Tec range includes T-shirts, shorts, and trousers, offering UPF 50+ protection, as well as being quick drying, lightweight and water repellent.

From £30-£80 (T-shirt/trousers) gillmarine.com

Hot and cold one

Claimed to be the most heat-efficient thermos flask on the market. You can open it one-handed, the rubber bottom protects surfaces, and it keeps drinks hot for 12hrs, or cold for 20hrs. There is a wide range of colours and finishes. £22.99 sigg.com/uk

Dubarry boot

The ultimate in Dubarry form and function, the Ultima Gore-tex leather sailing boats are handsome, pricy and perfect for a Hamble pontoon. £279 dubarryboots.com

Chart art Chart prints from Chart Art allow you to select any area, perhaps your local waters or a sailing area that is special to the receiver. Chart Art will also print a GPS track.

From £129 chartart.co.uk

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 87

Raymarine AIS700

Kids’ safety

The latest Class B AIS transceiver from Raymarine, designed to integrate with Raymarine’s nav displays (its Axiom unit is pictured), will transmit your position to boats in the vicinity, as well as showing you theirs. £995 Raymarine.com

The Kid Safe+ personal flotation device from Helly Hansen features an asymmetrical design that helps turn children face up into a safe floating position without any effort. The ISO 12402-4 certified PFD offers the most up-to-date water safety protection available. The Kid Safe+ is constructed with soft foam for lasting comfort during use on or near the water.

From £70 hellyhansen.com

Bollé sunglasses These Bollés have a 1970s-inspired cool – and they float. £119 bolle.com

Team kit Musto is one of the backers of the British Sailing Team. The company’s range of British Sailing Tea- branded kit, available to buy, includes caps, t-shirts, jackets and this zip-up hoodie. £115 musto.com

Zhik Seaboot Designed for serious racing offshore with integrated gaiter for extreme conditions, the ZK 900 Seaboot has been developed following testing in the Volvo Ocean Race. Not a budget option but its tough neoprene and rubber construction, with high-grip moulded rubber sole, should see you through the worst. £249.95 zhik.com

88 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Smart AIS transponder

AIS data from Vesper Marine’s smartAIS transponders is available on the Navionics apps, Boating Marine & Lakes for Apple® devices and Boating HD Marine & Lakes for Android™ devices. Boaters can view Class A and Class B vessels and Aids to Navigation on their app’s nautical charts. Vesper Marine smartAIS transponders include the WatchMate Vision2, a standalone touchscreen transponder and the XB-8000, a black box transponder.

Vespermarine.com £TBC

Lifecell A buoyant platform that combines the functions of grab bag and lifefloat. Provides safe and waterproof storage for distress flares, handheld VHF, lightsticks, EPIRB and PLB, etc. Various sizes – and some are SOLAS approved.

TBC plastimo.com

Blakes toilet Wool pullover Historic London chandler Arthur Beale has this handsome wool pullover, the Beerenberg, available in several different “natural sheep colours”. It is British-made from British wool, using no bleach or dye, and only natural fibres, meaning “it will not the shed harmful plastic microfibres associated with artificial fleece”, and it retains water-resistant lanolin, which gives it a “lovely smell”. arthurbeale.co.uk £105

The classic Blakes WC now comes in a range of striking colours and can also be engraved with your yacht’s name (or something witty) in the porcelain bowl. Sea Sure, Blakes’ parent company since 2007, has also added an optional electric push-button flush to the range. The yacht loos were designed in the late 1800s. Sea Sure MD Graham Brown says: “Colour is coming back into designer bathrooms onshore and we’re bringing it back to Blakes.” From £4,600 blakesandtaylors.co.uk

Gerber multi-tool This keychain multi-tool features stainless steel pliers, wire cutters, a fine edge blade, spring-loaded scissors, flathead screwdriver, crosshead driver, tweezers and file, and a bottle opener that is exposed even when the tool is closed. £43.99 gerber-store.co.uk

Yacht fittings

Wonderboom speaker The Wonderboom waterproof bluetooth speaker is reasonably priced, hard to damage and if more than one are in the same space can be used to create stereo sound. We like the range of colours too. £69 amazon.co.uk

90 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Boatbuilding partners Tim Loftus and Dan Johnson have been turning out some fine boat hardware, which they call “an engaging offshoot from the main business”, based in Ullapool in Scotland. Tim says: “We’ve noticed a trend towards more period authenticity in fittings.

Historically, many boatyards would have had a forge and foundry. Ours came about when we were given a large quantity of scrap iron and old diesel oil.ӣPOA johnsonandloftus.co.uk

Fox's M&B Yachting Year November 2019.qxp_Layout 1 23/10/2019 08:44 Page 1

RIGGING ADVANCED TECHNICAL INSTALLATIONS

The complete refit and repair service for all racing and cruising yachts At Fox’s Marina & Boatyard, our team is a great mix of experienced cruising/racing sailors and time served engineers and craftsmen.

Whether you own a wooden classic or modern composite yacht, we understand our customer’s problems and how to resolve them quickly and cost effectively.

Fox’s Marina Ipswich Limited Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8SA +44 (0) 1473 689111 foxs@foxsmarina.com

TALK TO US ABOUT PREPARING YOUR YACHT FOR RACING OR OFFSHORE CRUISING – WE HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

foxsmarina.com

N 1 A38

Bolberry

The View

The View

Malborough

Devon, TQ7 3SR

Salcombe

W

E

The View is a luxury development of 3 & 4 bedroom traditional style houses and barn style bungalows, ideal for downsizers or

Soar

second home owners alike. Boasting stunning countryside views and only a short distance to Salcombe and its surrounding beaches, you will be sure to find your dream home at The View.

S

Visit www.bakerestatesltd.co.uk for pricing or call 01548 859 581 for more information.

Sailor’s checklist

Spray top

A navigation guide written in the form of aviation-style checklists.

Recommended by coastguards and translated and adapted

by English skipper Pip Hare, it compiles all major navigation rules as well as procedures validated by sea safety experts. Designed for both skippers and crew, it is claimed to be waterproof and tearproof too. £19.90 safetics.com

Forward Flow Neo Vest

Twin-layer stretch fabric with taped seams, neoprene waistband and adjustable cuffs and neck make the Magic Marine Racing Spray Top a favourite with Olympic Champion Santiago Lange. €139 (£122 approx) magicmarine.com

Waterproof socks

Forward’s ‘WIP’ acronym stands for Water Impact Protection.

We tried its Forward Flow Neo Vest 50N over the 2019 season.

Our testers reported that it gave great support for the back.

Without being over-tight, the spine is perfectly supported due to its longer length than some buoyancy aids. There are many padded panels. The red interior with black exterior gives it a sophisticated and racy look.

50N £79.99 forward-wip.com

Thin enough to be worn under wetboots, waterproof and windproof yet also claimed to be breathable. £40 gillmarine.com

Floating luggage Optimum Time For many years the big yellow Optimum Time watches were the must-have accessory for the racing sailor, offering countdowns, programming and large digits.

This snappily titled OS1331R watch has all the features of the big yellow watch but in a more stylish package. £69.95 marinesuperstore.com

Radio-controlled yacht The DragonForce 65 and big sister, DragonFlite 95 restricted one design yachts are both designed to offer simple and affordable entry into the world of radio-controlled sailing. Both are supplied with everything you need to get you on the water, either with or without the radio system.

From £149; radiosailing.co.uk 92 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

A new technical

range of rucksacks and duffel bags from Overboard has pinch and seal fastenings that are guaranteed to be waterproof.

Drop your luggage in the water and it will float too.

The bags come in a range of sizes including a vast 90-litre duffel bag. £49.99 – £179.99 over-board.co.uk

Really great marina. Good staff, nice on site chandlery, showers and restaurant.

Matt G

-

350 fully serviced berths Safe and secure moorings 24 hour tidal access Restaurant, bar and conference room Chandlery Heated workshop Shipwrights, engineers and outfitters Shipw Yacht brokerage Refurbished shower and toilet block Free Wifi Direct rail links to London

- Web: www.burnhamyachtharbour.co.uk - Tel: 01621 782150

Customers can be assured of a warm welcome at our on site Swallowtail restaurant and bar, overlooking the yacht harbour and the river Crouch. It is open 7 days a week all year round.

For further information or to make a booking please visit its website www.swallowtailrestaurant.co.uk or call 01621 785505

BAREBOAT CHARTERS

SKIPPERED & CREWED CHARTER SPECIALISTS

SAILGRENADINES.COM +44(0)800 321 3801

SAILIONIAN.COM +44(0)800 321 3800

PRIVATE OR GROUP SAILING COURSES

Spinlock kneepads High-flex panelling moves with the leg and knee to ensure the kneepad stays in position, while high-stretch, soft-touch moulded foam provides support and protection to the patella. There’s a tough moulded outer fabric, while a sticky rubber compound on the knee increases grip in all conditions.

Available in S, M and L, from £35.60 spinlock.co.uk

Zhik hi-vis buoyancy aid The most flexible and comfortable wetsuit in the world will be meaningless if you then put on a buoyancy aid that is built like a 1920s lifejacket.

Zhik’s P2 PFD Hi-Vis option is slim – slimmer still on the back to allow you to duck under the boom – and is designed in panels, so that each panel moves with you. £115; zhik.com

Oakley for sailing Oakley have developed their first ever pair of frames specifically for watersports, the Split Shot, with high optical and impact standards and Iridium® lens coatings.

From £140 oakley.com/en-gb

Ginger rum Spytail Ginger Rum is available across the UK, based on a 19th Century French recipe of infusing fresh ginger and spices in Cognac barrels. £28 for 70cl;

whenwearegiants.com

Change robe

Best known for its stand up paddleboards, Red Original produces a range of accessories including this change robe. £45 redoriginal.com

Dog fashion from Herreshoff A Herreshoff-branded dog collar. An adjustable webbing collar and 6ft lead decorated with a Herreshoff-emblazoned ribbon.

Collar $25, lead $38 shopherreshoff.org

94 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Racing Companion A handy waterpoof flipover booklet which acts as a bullet-point refresher and quick reference when out on the racecourse. £7.99 fernhurstbooks.com

RAIATEA 1938 Classic twin screw motor yacht Price: £217,000

Raitaea was designed by John Bain and built by James A. Silver of Roseneath in 1938.

She belongs to the generation of the Little Ships of Dunkirk. She is still in her original state and had only three owners: the Perrier family who built her, the Kulukundis and the Condellis. She has been lovingly maintained till this day. UK flag.

ACCOMMODATION: Cabins/berths 4/6, Bath/W.C. Saloon, Dining room, Galley, Crew quarters with en suite facilities.

NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT and INSTRUMENTS: Compass, Echo sounder, V.H.F. DECK GEAR: Windlass, 2 Anchors, 2 Davits, Swimming ladder, Awning, Passerelle, Deck shower. Tender 3.30m/8hp ENGINES: Twin 220hp Perkins Sabre SAFETY EQUIPMENT: Life raft for 8 persons, Life jackets, Emergency tiller, 10 Fire Extinguishers (powder and Co2).

SPECIFICATIONS: L.O.A./L.W.L: 20.72 m Beam: 4.60 m Draft: 1.82 m Hull material: teak Deck material: teak

AB FELIX LTD 18, Akti Moutsopoulou, Piraeus, 18535 Hellas Tel: +30 210 4282148 Mob:+30 6944 500604 annika@abfelix.com

‘HAVE A STEADY FIRST DAY’ Hannah Mills recalls her opening race at Weymouth 2012 with Saskia Clark. “Have a steady first day,” their coach had advised...

WORDS ANDY RICE PHOTOS INGRID ABERY

96 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

Above: Hannah (left) and Saskia with their eventual gold medal in Rio 2016 and (main photo) competing at Weymouth 2012

I had been absolutely buzzing since it was announced that there would be an Olympic Games in London

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 97

H

annah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre are looking in great shape to defend the Women’s 470 Olympic title that Mills won with Saskia Clark at Rio 2016.

Having previously won silver and bronze medals at the previous two 470 World Championships, Mills and McIntyre were gunning for the gold at this summer’s Worlds in Japan – and they got it. With barely a pause between regattas, they and the rest of the 470 fleet quickly moved on to Ready Steady Tokyo, the Olympic Test Regatta. After a very solid qualifying regatta they entered the final day ready to go into a match race for gold with the French team in the Medal Race. Unfortunately, Mills and McIntyre started a fraction too soon and as they turned back to restart they knew that the gold had got away. Still, a silver medal hot on the heels of victory at the Worlds has set them up nicely for the final run-in to Tokyo 2020.

Tokyo will be Mills’ third Games, while for McIntyre it will be her first. However, McIntyre has grown up steeped in the knowledge of what it takes to win an Olympic medal, her father Mike having won Star gold for Great Britain in a thrilling contest at the 1988 Games in Korea. Mills’ experience will be a vital asset to take to Tokyo, with London silver and Rio gold showing just what a formidably competitive force she can be when it really matters.

Strangely, for someone who in her youth was known for her fiery spirit and never-ending quest for success on the racecourse, these days Mills sometimes struggles to summon up her competitive spirit. Whereas she used to have an endless supply of competitive willpower, now it’s as though there’s only a limited battery available to her, which she has to charge up and use only when it’s needed the most. “Everything I used to do was a competition, every aspect of my life was like that,” says Mills. “That’s what drove me on. That’s what motivated me. As I’ve got older, I’ve probably got less competitive. I think your values about yourself change. The things that are important to you, they change. I think my competitive streak, whilst it’s still there, is definitely not as prominent.

These days I have to make a really conscious effort to become the right person mentally; to find that mental toughness and that attitude to winning. It’s getting harder and harder for me to be that person at the right time.”

There’s a word she doesn’t like applying to herself, yet she knows she’ll need it if she’s to win Olympic gold next year. “You need to be ruthless, and for sure I am ruthless

We managed to pull back a few places on the first beat

in certain areas, but being that person doesn’t make me happy. There were a couple of years during the Rio cycle when I was struggling to be this person that I actually didn’t enjoy being. I came to learn more about my personal values and what was important to me, spending more time with friends and family, giving other people time rather than focusing so much on my own goals.”

Mills says that taking meaningful breaks away from the sport, and being with friends and family is what replenishes the energy and focus she’ll need if she’s to win a third Olympic medal in Tokyo.

As Mills looks forward to Tokyo, she is mindful of the things that will win you Olympic medals, and also those moments that will make you lose them. Asked to identify a race that epitomises both sides of the coin, she recalls her very first day competing on the Olympic stage, back on day one of the regatta in Weymouth in the summer of 2012.

ABOVE: Hannah and Saskia went on to win silver at London 2012 BELOW: Working hard to secure a podium finish

RACE 1 LONDON 2012

PHOTO: PEDRO MARTINEZ

When we crossed the line, I seem to remember we just both let out a big sigh of relief

98 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

“I had been absolutely buzzing about that whole Olympics ever since it was announced seven years earlier that there would be an Olympic Games in London. Sas [Saskia Clark] and I approached that Olympics with the attitude of needing to grab this opportunity and thrive off the buzz and the circus that is the Olympic Games, and put that into our performance. We wanted to gain energy from it and gain confidence from it rather than feel the weight on our shoulders and the fear that it might hold us back from delivering our best performance. Along with our coach, Joe Glanfield [double silver medallist in the 470], we spoke a lot about the first race. How are we going to approach it?

Joe’s mantra was a steady first day, a conservative first day, which I don’t know if we ever actually managed to do for him, but that was certainly what we always aspired to do.

And so, that first race was about conservative sailing, getting off the start line, getting a consistent couple of races in, and walking away having not lost the Olympic Games on the first day. You can’t win it but, as they say, you can certainly lose it.

“For race one we were out in Weymouth Bay, an area we knew very well. We knew that in a southwesterly breeze

with the tide stronger on the left hand side, that the left was likely to be pretty strong. The start line had been laid pretty square, maybe a slight port-end bias of five degrees or so. So we were pretty keen to take the pin and it was probably 18 knots, so fairly breezy. We wouldn’t be looking to do too many tacks on that first beat and we thought the safe, conservative start probably was to try and take the pin because actually it wasn’t that busy and people were fairly spread out. So we thought, ‘this is a moment to grab the opportunity and not let it slide by’. We lined up for the pin end, but as we started, our centreboard hit the anchor line of the pin-end boat, and Sas and I looked at each other in total panic because, in the moment, neither of us knew whether you had to do a 360 penalty if you hit the anchor chain of the start boat. Of course, Joe made sure we knew that rule after the race was over! But here we were at the first day of an Olympic Games, and because we didn’t know for sure, we decided we just had to do a 360. But then, with the fleet ahead of us, we had to tack and we sailed off to the right-hand side of the course.

“We managed to pull back some places on the first beat and we rounded the top mark in about 12th or 13th. So by then we knew we were still in the race, and Sas and I knew that our downwind boat speed, particularly in those conditions, was pretty phenomenal compared to the fleet.

So we knew we just had to get around that windward mark still in touching distance and then we could claw back places, to at least get a countable result from the first race.

“Next it was on to a reach. Generally not a lot happens on the reaches, we always looked at reaches as very black and white. You’re either in a position to attack or you’re in a position to defend to the death because gains and losses can be pretty dramatic if you get your hoist and positioning wrong. So, we were just in a defend-and-hold mode because the pack in front of us had extended a bit and then there was a big bunch just behind us. So, we were holding our position and then just needed to get round that reach mark, then we could really let the afterburners go and try and claw back distance on the group ahead of us.”

By the top of the next beat, Mills and Clark had closed the gap on the group in front and were in a position to attack down the run.

ABOVE: The pair battle against Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout of the Netherlands, who took bronze at London 2012

“We had hauled our way back into the top 10 and we were always quite fast on the run, particularly when it came to getting the angle into that final leeward mark right. Because of the way the waves were running across the course that day, you needed to heat up quite a lot on port gybe to get the optimum VMG. Everyone would often gybe early and get that a bit wrong and then have to soak a bit lower and slower, whereas we always committed pretty hard, which is what we did on that run, and came in at a really hot angle.”

CATCHING WAVES

But with that sixth place, we’d only given five points away to the lead boats

“There was quite a big swell that day, so the key was being able to catch the waves, because they were moving quite quickly. So, if you could heat it up and try to get to the same speed as the waves, then you’d actually be able to ride them and come down lower as a result. But if you’re pushing low to try and get round a mark, you just never catch the waves and you end up going pretty slow. So I was still sat to leeward, trimming the main in quite hard and with some kicker on. Sas started popping out on the wire, but it was quite challenging for her because she needed to be on and off the wire with the apparent wind moving round so much when we’re catching waves and when we’re not. So, a lot of movement and a lot of body weight shifts from both of us. But it worked, because we generated an awful lot of boat speed to cruise past another three boats near the bottom of that leg, which meant we came away from a potential disaster with a sixth-place finish.

“When we crossed the line, I seem to remember we just both let out a big sigh of relief that we hadn’t completely messed up our first race of an Olympics together. You know, there’s so much expectation and pressure that you just want to deliver. And that could have been a make or break moment right there. I think if we’d come off the line after doing the 360 and not managed to claw any points back, suddenly the pressure of the rest of the nine races at the series would have really felt almost too much to overcome. But with that sixth place, we’d only given five points away to the lead boats in that race, and it still felt very doable. Coming through that race without too much damage helped shape our attitude to the rest of the week.”

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VIRGIN ON CRUISING PERFECTON Sun, sea and perfect sailing – the Virgin Islands have it all. And who better to guide you through them than Don Street, the man who charted the islands back in the ’60s WORDS DON STREET

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V

irgin Islands cruising is probably the best in the world. There is enough wind to sail 90% of the time and for the vast majority of that time you are sailing in relatively sheltered waters.

There is no beating to windward against a big sea and it is seldom more than two hours sailing between anchorages.

The only long sail is if you decide to visit St Croix, the forgotten Virgin. If you sail to St Croix from one of the numerous anchorages in Flanagan’s Passage, it is a 32-mile reach to Christianstad, the most beautifully preserved colonial town in the entire eastern Caribbean. It is the only major town in the entire Caribbean that, because of its shoal harbour and the impossibility of anchoring offshore, cannot be visited by cruise ships.

The Virgins in recent years have received some negative press. Sailors complain of crowded anchorages, full of mooring buoys strictly for rent, forcing you to anchor in extremely deep water. This is caused by yachtsmen having the lemming instinct and following others to crowded anchorages.

In 2016 my good friend and shipmate Geoff Curtain lent to me his Olympic 48 for two weeks. This was December through to January, the height of the charter season. I took my daughter, son-in-law and their two offspring – three generations of the Street family and all very good sailors – on a 14-day cruise. For six nights only we had crowded anchorages and these were places we sailed to specifically in order to visit well-known hot spots.

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STARTING FROM ST THOMAS

If you are starting your cruise from Charlotte Amalie on St Thomas, go to Street’s Guide pgs 5-7 for information as to how to ease the pain of fighting your way eastwards through the islands; go to the information on the back of A 23, pg 6; or visit imray.com/chartnotes A 23 and print out pg 6. These sailing directions were written in the days when we were all sailing monohulls. Some of which went to windward well, some not too well. But all went to windward better than the vast majority of modern charter catamarans. head eastwards up the south coast of St Johns, stopping at one of the seven anchorages, eyeball your way into the anchorages. The easternmost anchorage, Salt Pond Bay, is a good jumping off point for a fast 32-mile, often hull speed reach to St Croix.

If you have started early in the day or have started from Red Hook, bypass Caneel Bay and have a lunchtime stop at Trunk Bay. It has the softest beach sand in the entire Caribbean. It will be a rolly anchorage, that is what puts the sand there. Do not spend the night. It is only a short two-mile beat on to Francis Bay, which is well sheltered, no rolling. It is national park area and you must pick up a buoy, as there is no anchoring allowed.

You may want to skip Francis Bay and continue east to check in to the British Virgin Islands at West End. If so, do NOT beat to windward through the Narrows. Sail north, kissing the west end of Great Thatch, then sail east until you can tack and kiss the west end of Tortola, where there is deep water right up to shore. Then, tack up into Sopers Hole, anchor and clear. Or stand on, on port tack and you may pass to windward the east end of Little Thatch and on to anchorages in St Johns.

If you are good at reef piloting, there are two options.

Haul over about 64°40.36’W then eyeball your way in. Or New Found 64°40’W then eyeball navigation. In either anchorage you are certain to be the only boat there. Both are outside of the national park area so there are no mooring buoys. If you are not good at reef piloting, skip these two bays and continue on up the coast of St Johns and over the top to Round Bay or another anchorage in the area. From here, you can head off to St Croix on a fast 32-mile reach, or take the short hop to Roadtown to check into the BVI.

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RIGHT: Trunk Bay on St John has the softest sand in the Caribbean according to Don

ST JOHN TO ST CROIX

BELOW Christiansted in St Croix pre-Hurricane Irma. The port is happily back up and running

If heading for St Croix, Guide Ch 11, A234 – note this chart is in fathoms and feet, not metric. The rhumb line course is roughly 200° mag 32 miles, allow for about a 1 kt set to the west. It should be an easy, fast reach. When approaching St Croix, do not head for town, head for the notch in the hills east of Christiansted until you pick up the sea buoys. Follow the buoyed channel in, heading for Ft Louise Augusta. Following the channel buoys until Ft Louise Augusta is aft of abeam. Then favour the shore and pick an anchorage as close to shore as possible to stay out of the current. There is 8ft of water right up to shore, or continue on and anchor at St Croix Marine and Development yacht yard and marina.

Dinghy into town and explore the 18th- and early 19th-century Danish colonial town. The whole lower end was declared a heritage site in the early 1950s. Although the interior of buildings may be changed, the external façade cannot. Thus Christiansted is the best-preserved town in the entire Caribbean – and despite taking a terrible hit from Hurricane Irma, it is now back on its feet.

The next day rent a car and take a glorious drive west to Mahogany Road, taking in a mixture of forest and cliffside ocean views. This leads on to Frederiksted, St Croix’s second town, featuring many old, restored buildings. Then take Centerline Road to Estate Whim, a beautifully restored estate with a working cane crusher windmill. If time, head to St Croix YC or on to east end, the easternmost point of the US. The next day, a short six-mile beat along the coast to Buck Island, moor bow and stern close to the beach, dinghy in the water and explore the marked and labelled

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CHARTS COURTESY OF IMRAY AND DON STREET

underwater trail. The day charter boats depart at about 1500hrs so you have the island to yourself until about 1000/1100hrs. This is a good time to head to the BVI to Roadtown and check in. A 36-mile course about 020° mag and generally a fast, close reach.

TOP: Looking down from Gorda Peak toward Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda ABOVE: Anegada

THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

If you have not gone to St Croix but have sailed to Roadtown to check in to the BVIs, then it is a fast, short reach to Peter Island south coast, which has five different anchorages.

A personal suggestion is Sprat Bay South, with a max draught of 7ft. You will be guaranteed to be alone and no need to launch the dinghy; snorkel direct from the boat.

This is an anchorage for a boat that has a crew member competent enough to look aft and give helm orders to the helmsman to stay on range and transit. Also someone should be standing ON TOP of the bow pulpit, eyeball navigating to back up the crew member calling helm orders!

Nav to Key Point is easy, read and and follow the directions for range and transit and you have an anchorage sheltered from the sea but guaranteed good breeze as it funnels through the saddle between the hills on shore and the hill on Key Point. For the other three anchorages, Welk, White and South Bays, feel your way in, eyeball 104 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

navigating backed up by depth gauge. On the other hand, if you bypass Peter Island, you can continue on to Norman Island, which offers three anchorages. Minor Carstarphen cove is a good option and you can pick up a mooring buoy and enjoy a quiet night. For privacy, head to the SW corner of Norman Island, to Privateer Bay. Anchor bow and stern. You are within easy dinghy distance for an early morning visit to the caves before moving on.

The third anchorage, the Bight, will be crowded, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a case of scouting out an empty mooring buoy. From here you can visit Treasure Point caves, a must stop while in the Virgins, which you explore in your dinghy. The caves are

CHARTS COURTESY OF IMRAY AND DON STREET

so named because in the 1870s, a chest of treasure was found on a ledge in the southern cave. The treasure formed the basis for the Creque family fortune in St Thomas, ownership of the then-big shipyard on Hassel Island, along with other commercial properties. Wake your crew early, 0630, and feed them tea or coffee and toast. Then into the dinghy and off to the caves. The early start will give you and your crew a good hour, or hour and a half, to explore the caves before the flood of dinghies start arriving at 0830/0900hrs. Then a late big breakfast and it’s decision time: do you stay in Norman island for the day or a go for the nine-mile sail, two-mile easy reach,

ABOVE: Chart St Thomas to Virgin Gorda

then seven hard on the wind, NE course, long starboard tack, short port tack to Inner Bluff bay? This was one of my boat Iolaire’s favourite anchorages suitable for vessels drawing up to 7ft. On the south coast of Buck Island at about 64°31.4’W you will see the guano-covered Whale Rocks. Leave the rocks to port, eyeball your way through the gap in the reef, round up and anchor. Caution, Simon Scott says in his guide, leave Whale Rocks to starboard and bear off. That leads to wide, shallow Hans Bay. This bay is suitable for catamarans and wind and kite surfers, but not to boats drawing over 5ft.

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CHARTS COURTESY OF IMRAY AND DON STREET

VIRGIN GORDA

From Inner Bluff Bay, head east five miles to another must stop while in the BVI, the Baths in Virgin Gorda. They are huge granite rocks with pools underneath them. The Baths are on the southwest corner of Virgin Gorda. Anchor just north of the Baths in Spring Bay, where there is a fairly wide shelf which permits easy anchoring. A bow and stern anchorage is recommended in case a ground swell develops during the night. As with the caves in Norman Island, go for an early morning coffee or tea, then off the boat by 0700hrs. Dinghy to the Baths, enjoy the Baths for an hour or an hour and a half, before the flood of people starts to arrive via shore or dinghy, then head back to the boat for a late but big breakfast.

From here, it’s on up the west coast of Virgin Gorda.

Note there are two entrances to Gorda Sound – Anguilla Point entrance and the main entrance. Do not use the Anguilla Point entrance if there is a ground swell running or you draw over 6ft. Once inside Gorda Sound there are numerous choices for anchorages and shoreside facilities.

The 2017 hurricanes completely destroyed the very popular Bitter End resort, but it is well on its way to recovery. Other facilities were damaged and have been repaired. For up-to-date information check Simon and Nancy Scott VI guide, which has just been revised and updated.

If you draw less than 7ft, you might squeeze through at high tide (the channel is sand not rock.Head to Eustacia Sound leaving Saba Rock to port. In Eustacia Sound you will find very few boats. It is almost two miles long and well protected by a barrier reef that provides excellent diving. Anchor close behind the reef, but put out a stern anchor in case the wind dies. Enjoy snorkelling directly from the boat, no need to launch the dinghy. The Sound is perfect for wind and kite surfing, dinghy and Laser sailing.

Alternatively, just rig a hammock, lie in it, drink in hand, enjoy the scenery and do nothing.

Next comes an easy 12-mile reach to Anegada, to Settling Point anchorage. The entrance channel has a max draught of 7ft and that is pushing it. The channel shifts, do not rely on the buoys, eyeball with pilot standing on top of the bow pulpit. Ashore Reef Hotel and Neptune Treasure are both famous for their lobster and fish. If on 106 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE: View and chart of The Baths on Virgin Gorda

approaching the anchorage looks too crowded, west of Pamanto Point is another anchorage and hotel. Anegada has mile after mile of great beaches and off-lying reefs that provide excellent diving.

Time to head west to Trellis Bay, Marina Cay and Scrub island, all of which will be crowded. Or on for a long downwind run of 22 miles to Jost van Dyke. Anchor in Great Harbour to visit the famous Foxy’s Bar & Restaurant.

This is considered a must stop because of Foxy’s renowned calypso singing.

If you are on a two-week charter, time to head back to base, well satisfied that you have been to the caves on Norman, the Baths on Virgin Gorda, listened to Foxy, and hopefully were able to work in two glorious fast reaches to and from St Croix and enjoyed the forgotten Virgin.

If you are a cruiser on your own boat, this story just scratches the surface of the Virgin Islands. You can explore and find dozens of uncrowded anchorages over weeks or even months.

PASSAGE PLANNING AND PILOTAGE To really enjoy the US and BVIs forget about your electronic charts and chart plotters – use Imray Iolaire charts, plus the navigational and piloting directions in the booklet that accompanies the chart. You can also get them on the internet: www.imray.com/chart notes. In addition, buy Street’s Guide to

DON STREET’ S TIPS

Puerto Rico, Spanish, US and British Virgin Islands, available from Imray and Amazon. Use Street’s Guide as a pilot book. Buy Simon and Nancy Scott’s Virgin Island guide (readily available in the VI) for up-to-date shoreside information and descriptions of harbours favoured by the bareboaters, harbours you may want to avoid.

As Tom Cunliffe says: “Circle in red in Street’s guide the anchorages Street describes that are not described in other guides. Visit those anchorages and be guaranteed an uncrowded anchorage.”

My guides were written in the days when boats sailed to windward. The booklets that accompany Charts A231 and A232 note how much faster will be your progress beating to windward with a fair tide rather than foul tide.

I also show how to figure out high water. Some US and UK tide tables for the Virgin islands are wrong. There are two tides a day in the US and BVIs. Check the tidal section in the booklet for further information.

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108 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

HOME WATERS ESCAPE The British Isles offers some of the greatest sailing in the world, so why bother going anywhere else for your sailing break this summer?

WORDS SUE PELLING

T

he UK may not be blessed with a guaranteed Mediterranean-style climate but what it does have is one of the most beautiful, varied coastlines in the world. Whether you are keen to opt for a charter holiday or beach club-style dinghy/ watersports holiday, there are oodles of opportunities waiting to be discovered. For those with a bit of time on their hands, now or in the future, a round Britain sailing voyage is definitely one for the bucket list. With more and more focus on adventure sailing, there are now several companies offering this sort of holiday.

Given its generally unpredictable climate, the UK is not bursting with purpose-designed, package-style, beachbased, or flotilla holiday options but because there are hundreds of top-rated sailing schools and training centres around the coast and inland, the opportunity to ‘build your own’ holiday is an option. The way to do it is to select your UK location and seek out the nearest sailing centre or charter base where you can sign up for a week of sailing or tuition. Then if you need accommodation, book a cottage, hotel or B&B/Airb&b close by and enjoy the local surroundings as well as the sailing.

This option is particularly ideal for those new to sailing and/or for those who want to combine a family holiday with a bit of sailing on maybe a one or two-day course.

The UKSA at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, for example, is not a sailing holiday centre, but runs a full programme of RYA sailing courses throughout the year including fun days and seasonal camps for children during the summer holidays.

Rockley Watersports, on the picturesque Dorset coastline, has a vast range of courses on offer plus for those who simply want to get out on the water and have a go at a new and exciting sport, Rockley has introduced Adult and Ladies Only Sailing Days.

Youngsters too can enjoy either a week long residential holiday, or take part in holiday camps or taster sessions at Rockley’s Poole Park and Birmingham locations.

Other centres that run a variety of courses (not specifically holidays) to suit all abilities include Andrew Simpson Sailing, The Watersports Academy, Action Watersports, Bray Lake Watersports, Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre, Liverpool Watersports Centre, Lagoon Watersports, and Rye Watersports, which runs THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 109

courses as well as a specific two-day kids’ camp. Dover Sea Sports Centre is also keen to promote its School holiday activities.

ONBOARD

One of the most popular water-based holiday areas in the UK is the Norfolk Broads. It can become extremely busy at the height of the summer holiday season. Off-season though, it is possible to pick up a good deal and enjoy the delights of this beautiful part of the country.

Check out Oliver’s Sailing Holidays, a small sailing holiday business, situated at Martham Ferry in the heart of the Broads National Park, which offers 120 miles of rivers and lakes to explore.

Hunter’s Yard specialises in traditional Broads-style sailing boats and offers bareboat or skippered charter for one or two weeks aboard two, three or four berth cabin yachts, or traditional open dayboats.

Other classic yacht holiday companies include Cornishbased Classic Sailing, VentureSail Holidays and Trinity Sailing. Classic Sailing has a good choice of vessels available for holidays including pilot cutters, gaff ketches, classic yawls, three-masted sailing luggers, Brixham Sailing Trawlers, barques, brigs, brigantines and gaff-rigged schooners. As well as voyages in the UK, this company organises holidays further afield to places like Antarctica,

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ABOVE: Mylor Yacht Harbour has a sailing school and Sailability base, with holiday cottages inland of the old quay

BELOW LEFT: Rockley Watersports has a base in the sheltered waters of Poole Harbour BELOW RIGHT: Exploring the south coast with Universal Yachting on one of the company’s new Dufours

the Arctic Greenland, Iceland, South Georgia, Faroes, Scotland and Norway.

As a prime holiday location it is not surprising the West Country has a good range of sailing holiday options.

Mylor Yacht Harbour in south Cornwall has teamed up with Mylor Sailing School to offer discounted RYAaccredited sailing courses. Combined with the yard’s self-catering holiday cottages on offer, this could make an ideal holiday option for all ages and abilities.

Freewinds Yacht Charter based in Falmouth caters for family sailing holidays with a choice of bareboat or skippered charter on one of the company’s yachts that include Swan and Bavaria yachts.

There is no shortage of charter companies on the UK south coast so depending on your requirements (skippered or bareboat charter) it really comes down to the type of boat you require. Universal Yachting has three new Dufour yachts added to its fleet this year and offers bespoke holidays to suit your requirements.

Nomad Sailing specialises in Family/Group Sailing Holidays in the UK so it is worth checking availability. All holiday prices stated include all food on board (three meals a day plus snacks), mooring fees, fuel and use of waterproof clothing, which means there are no nasty surprises.

Hamble Point Yacht Charters welcomes family charters and (for a small additional charge) the company allows

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The west coast of Scotland with its dramatic coastlines, lochs, remote islands and sandy beaches is a highly popular cruising ground. For a choice of six, 10 or 12-day holidays aboard Aquila, a Bruce Roberts 345 design, on Scotland’s west coast, try Oban Sea School.

ADVENTURE HOLIDAYS

Sail away for an extended holiday, off the beaten track with one of the many adventure companies such as Classic Sailing, or Celtic Cruising & Snowdonia Sailing School.

There is also Elite Sailing that offers some of the most exciting adventure holidays under sail including a seven-day Irish Jig voyage from Penzance to Dublin via the Isles of Scilly, or a 47-day voyage around Britain.

Premier Sailing, Yacht Discovery, and Cornish Cruising also host round Britain voyages of varying lengths.

For a real taste of adventure combine a sailing and walking holiday, and explore the Hebrides on a traditional yacht. Check out Wilderness Scotland that runs holidays aboard Eda Frandsen – a classic and beautifully converted 70-year old gaff cutter. Escape the ‘rat race’ and take a seven-day voyage from the remote peninsula of Knoydart, often referred to as Scotland’s last wilderness, to the Isles of Skye and Rum. One of the most iconic sailing events in Scotland and definitely one for the bucket list is the Malts Cruise which 112 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Traditional Norfolk Broads boats from Olivers Sailing Holidays; remote waters on Eda Frandsen with Wilderness Scotland; The next Malts Cruise takes place in July 2020

includes in its itinerary the islands of Mull, Rum, Skye, Jura and Islay, and of course the lochs of the west coast.

This two-week World Cruising Club (WCC) summer sailing voyage that regularly attracts up to 20 yachts is unique in that it offers a combination of exceptional cruising along this breathtakingly beautiful area of Scotland with a journey of discovery into the world of Scottish single malt whisky.

One of the good features of the Malts Cruise is the option there is to sail in company or to explore alone. The event is social with a rendezvous every few days in a different anchorage or small port, where crews can enjoy WCC laid-on activities, sightseeing and of course distillery tours and tastings.

The next cruise is planned for July 2020 so there is still time to make preparations for this special event. While it is possible to take part in your own yacht, chartering is a popular option particularly for those travelling from afar.

Choose from one of the many charter companies that offer bareboat and skippered charter from Oban, Crinan, Inverkip and Clyde marinas.

SAILABILITY

Those with impaired health or a disability can enjoy sailing in the holiday season at one of the many Sailability centres based around the UK. Clubs like Poole Sailability in Poole Harbour also offers places to compete in Poole Week, which is a great way to enjoy a family holiday. For the

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visually impaired, Suffolk-based East Anglian Sailing Trust has plenty of holiday opportunities including an eight-day cruise from 6-14 September.

For those with a competitive spirit, one of the best places to enjoy three days of on the water activities is at RYA Sailability Multiclass Regatta on the protected waters of Portland Harbour. This event runs from 5-7 July at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and could be the ideal thing to combine with a holiday in the area.

For first-timers there’s a chance to Try Sailing and, for those unable to sail a conventional boat because of the physical demands, there is a chance to have a go at sip and puff sailing.

One of the most active Sailability centres on the east coast is The Woolverstone Project, which offers sailing at Alton Water Sailing Centre and Royal Harwich YC – both great areas for a summer holiday.

Adventurous types keen to experience life on the ocean waves should consider signing up for a place aboard the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s square-rigged barque SV Tenacious, on a Sail Training Tall Ships Races or regatta.

STS Lord Nelson, the Trust’s other vessel, has now been decommissioned but Tenacious continues to operate, giving mixed ability crews the chance to crew a tall ship on a voage at sea.

EXPERIENCE DAYS

Newcomers to sailing or those who want to take their sailing expertise to a new level may enjoy one of the many sailing experience days on offer. Combining a summer UK holiday with some fun days out can be relaxing, rewarding and extremely inspirational.

While there are many Experience Day companies offering sailing as an option, it is important to do a bit of research to choose the most convenient location and type of sailing experience required.

Into the Blue has a special-price Sailing Day in Dorset, dinghy sailing in Poole Harbour plus sailing Taster Days, while Escape Yachting has all sorts of exciting sailing experiences on offer including evening Wine and Spirit Tasting Sails on The Solent, or a day cruise from Lymington.

For a real taste of adventure opt for Escape Yachting’s two-day cruise and visit some of the Solent’s pretty 114 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

ABOVE LEFT: A chance to team together and get up in the rigging with the Jubilee Sailing Trust ABOVE RIGHT: The Woolverstone Project BELOW: See dolphins with Experience Days

harbours such as Hamble, Beaulieu, Lymington, or Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Universal Yachting also runs a selection of sailing experiences including a four-day Channel Island trip.

If you are planning a holiday in Scotland then Experience Days offers a whole range of days out including options for sailing experience days in the Edinburgh area.

The Half Day Edinburgh Sailing Experience taking in the Forth Bridge and other highlights of the Firth of Forth is particularly popular.

Red Letter days is worth checking out for another selection of interesting sailing experiences including a day of racing in Brighton, a relaxing Sailing Afternoon with Cream Tea for Two on the River Orwell or, for something completely different, a Land Yachting Experience in Kent.

The place to consider if you are looking for serious race action such as the Rolex Fastnet Race, or an opportunity to race across The Channel in a RORC race aboard a Class40 is Dream or Two Sailing.

For a chance to race at Cowes Week, check out Virgin Experience Days’ Champagne Sailing Day at Cowes Week 2019.

SAILING REGATTA WEEKS

Why not consider combining your summer holiday with a regatta week? There are a huge number of regatta/family weeks taking place throughout the summer season all around the UK. Cowes Week, Dartmouth Royal Regatta and Salcombe Week are some of the most popular regatta weeks and therefore attract a huge entry but there are plenty of others to choose from.

Most regatta weeks are located in desirable coastal family holiday locations so finding local accommodation for the week is not usually a problem, although it is a good idea to book early. Burnham Week, Ramsgate Week and Pyefleet Week on the east coast are just a few that offer good racing. You will also find that at some clubs, particularly the smaller ones, race teams are calling out for extra crew so it is worth contacting the organising club to register your interest.

To guarantee your place on the startline, however, find a regatta that offers yacht charter, such as Freewind. Choose from two of the most popular West Country events – Fowey Royal Regatta or Falmouth Sailing Regatta Week – and enjoy a friendly yacht regatta in a historic harbour.

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FULL CIRCLE She grew up racing cars, but today is a marina owner, a world champion sailor and now she is rebuilding a classic 1930s 8-Metre yacht WORDS STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES

116 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

The next year, campaigning Siris in Sweden, Avia came upon what was to become her next yacht: the classic 8-M Ilderim II (now named Athena), a 1939 8-M from Tore Holm, one of the master designers of the Universal Class. She had an engine and good interior but turned out to need a substantial rebuild. “I now had two 8-Ms! Siris had my heart, but Ilderim II was the better boat.”

Siris was better in light airs, but she was seaworthy too. She sailed through a Mediterranean storm in 2005, making a steady six knots just under bare poles.

Around this time, Avia was keen to race harder and switched down to the more popular 6-M class to learn lessons she could take back to the 8s, as the 6-M class was actively developed until later than the 8s.

By 2007 she had sold Ilderim II (she would hold onto Siris until 2018) and all her 6-Ms (bar one, Tempest) to help finance a bold project. It is worth noting that by this point, Avia had already won the Coup d’Italia and the Coup de France, major yacht races contested in rotating classes, including the 6-M and 8-M classes. But it was not enough: that bold project, started in 2009, would be the commission, design and build of a new 8-M yacht to be the fastest in the world. By the time Miss U was launched in 2014, there was not much time for trials. “She flew upwind but was a dog downwind,” said Avia. By 2017, Miss U fulfilled her brief and won the worlds in Norway. She’ll race again this year, then this winter, after exhaustive research, have a new keel fitted to make her, Avia hopes, the fastest 8 in existence at the 2020 Worlds in Holland.

Thereafter it seems Avia will have had enough of the moderns for a while: her new 8-M project is a replica build of the 1938 S&S yacht Prelude, the original of which sank on her delivery trip near San Diego, California.

“I kidnapped Olin Stephens when he came to England,” Avia reveals. She first met the great designer (1908-2008) in 2001 in Finland. “I already knew about Prelude, so we got chatting and I persuaded him to sell me the rights to build her anew. But there are lots of mysteries in the drawings, so I really wanted to quiz Olin about them.”

Not long after that, Avia took her chance at an S&S meeting in England. “Ted Heath [ex-British Prime Minister] was there, along with Olin, among others. I got to meet them both. This was where I kidnapped Olin and took him back to my house in Warsash for three days. He became part of the family and played with the kids. We talked about painting, his war and everything else besides.”

It’s worth mentioning that Avia fully endorsed Halsey Herreshoff ’s endorsement of Olin – “simply the best man there ever was” – and Avia got the answers she needed about the new replica Prelude, for which she’s been collecting timber over the years, with some of it built into various components, awaiting for the build proper to begin. “My heart is in the classics. I’ll be 60 in 2021, and my plan is to swallow the anchor in the moderns, sell Miss U [the modern 8-M] and spend my retirement pottering on Prelude.”

JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR

W

hen people tell you they are “straightforward,” be on your guard because it can sometimes mean a brittle façade that hides an insensitive or aggressive interior.

In Avia’s case though, it simply means she does not speak in lies or euphimism. She is well known as the one of the world’s top metre boat sailors and, more than that, a force within the International Class, particularly in terms of the 8-Metres. She’s also the owner of Universal Marina on the River Hamble near Southampton, which is where we have met for a sandwich and a coffee. It’s the 8-Ms we’ve met to discuss, what with the class having its worlds in Cowes this 20-27 July. Now, almost any other class sailor would jump at the interview as a chance to evangelise, but Avia recognises the class’s limited appeal – on paper at least. These are not the best boats for racing, after all, particularly in Britain where entire fleet of 8s (modern and classic) can probably be counted on if not two, then a few hands.

Most of the moderns are on Canada’s Lake Ontario and the only decent concentration of classic 8s is in Scandanivia – particularly Finland.

They were built as racing yachts and are not particularly good for cruising (although there is the Cruiser 8 if you’re determined).

Nor are the 8s plentiful, or cheap.

And, as Avia herself puts it: “We’re at the end of an era in this class.

It’s hard to build a new one when you have to ship it to Canada to race.”

So, the questions remains: why an 8? “Mental obsession! When you race one, the power and momentum feel very different to a plastic fantastic. When modern, competitive sailors try it, they don’t realise – they think you can throw it around. You have to do everything more calmly and slowly to preserve momentum.”

Much of that will apply to any classic yacht of course, but the reason Avia loves the 8s particularly is the size. “6-Ms are too small. They are like little ponies - they jump around. And 12-Ms are huge. That’s a whole different level. The 8-M is on a human scale – the perfect size. It’s like da Vinci’s man in a circle. They relate to human form.”

Avia was brought up in Surrey and on the Sussex coast and started sailing dinghies at 10, but never competed. By the time she had gained her degree and become an architect, Avia was more interested in racing cars than yachts. Her father, John Willment of JW Automotive, was one of the key players behind Ford’s famous Le Mans 24-Hour victories in 1968 and ’69. Avia raced with some success in suped Austin 7s, Formula V and Sports 2000. After the birth of her two children, a friend got in touch to say there was an “old classic yacht” on a pig farm in Norfolk. “I had no idea what it was,” said Avia, who bought it on sight. It won’t surprise you to learn that it was an 8-M: Siris, a second rule boat from Morgan Giles, built in 1925. In 1999, Siris headed from pig farm to Fairlie Restorations and a year later emerged as new, engineless and pure, to race in Italy and the south of France in the first season of her second life.

She was a beautiful boat – and the wrong boat. “I made a few mistakes with Siris, thinking she would be good for family cruising, but an engineless 8 is not ideal for that.”

“I kidnapped Olin Stephens when he came to England”

Avia made a particular request that we acknowledge in print Theo Rye, late naval architect and Classic Boat technical editor, for all the help he gave her over the years.

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 117

SAIL FORCE What are the latest advances in sailmaking and how can you choose the best sails for your boat?

WORDS RUPERT HOLMES

MAIN PICTURE: The life-span of sails has increased hugely in the last decade or two, with offshore racing sails now able to cover thousands of miles LEFT: The key advantage of a string or membrane sail is that fibres can be laid exactly along load paths

118 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

T

he holy grail of sailmaking is to produce a sail that’s light, has good longevity and maintains its design shape over many seasons and when under load. “We are all in pursuit of modulus, i.e. resistance to stretch,” Bill Pearson, head of materials for North Sails, told the Yacht Racing Forum in Lorient recently. “If a material will resist stretch then it will have more than enough strength for us.”

Today’s sails have the potential to last for incredible mileages – for instance François Gabart’s North 3Di Endurance mainsail had already covered 45,000 miles when he set out on his last record-breaking solo round the world voyage. This material is the same as the standard 3Di RAW product, but with the addition of protective outer filament tapes that create a tougher structure.

Similarly, Doyle’s superyacht sails now offer a four-year warranty.

A smaller boat racing a more typical offshore season would be unlikely to reach these extreme mileages with the same product. As with any other sail, flogging is the problem as this eventually breaks down the resin in the glue that holds the fibres together. Loose fibres on the surface of the cloth, particularly near the leech, are evidence of the glue system starting to break down.

Nevertheless these sails are capable of retaining both their shape and structural strength over extended periods – a number of competitive boats are using sails that have clocked more than 10,000 miles.

PANELLED LAMINATE SAILS

A number of competitive boats are using sails that have clocked more than 10,000 miles

With the exception of radial panel arrangements, sailmaking barely changed in almost three decades between the advent of polyester cloth in the mid 1950s and the early 1980s. However, since then there have been a number of major revolutions. All were aimed at reducing the weight of a sail, while reducing stretch.

The first revolution was the advent of laminate sails in the early 1980s. The laminated material was produced on a roll and stitched together in the same way as woven polyester (Dacron) sails.

A laminate sail is essentially made of three elements: structural fibres, a method to hold them in place, and outside protection.

Early laminates used Kevlar as the main reinforcing fibres. However, this suffers from a number of problems, including poor resistance to ultra-violet light. As time progressed a wide range of other fibres were introduced, ranging from polyester through Pentex, Technora, Dyneema to various grades of carbon.

The fibres of a laminate sail are glued to a plastic Mylar film, which keeps them in the correct orientation and spacing. While this is the best material we have for the purpose, it will eventually break down. When it does so, the structural fibres are vulnerable to further damage and the sail is nearing the end of its normal life.

The addition of a protective taffeta layer creates sails that will last longer for offshore use, albeit at the expense of additional weight and higher cost.

The popular Liteskin layer is a lightweight taffeta, usually dyed a fashionable black colour. UK Sailmakers’ also offers what appears to be a neat solution, with taffeta on just the areas most prone to damage.

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 119

Laminates have been steadily improving over time and today’s materials are a huge improvement on earlier formulations. Laminate sails have significantly better shape retention than a woven sail cloth, even if made of polyester, as the fibres are laid flat. Nevertheless, outside of one design classes and economically priced cruising sails, fewer panelled sails are now being produced than in the past.

ABOVE: A wide variety of sail fabric options are available; what’s best for one team or boat might not be for another BELOW: Membrane sails can be made on a mould or formed from several panels stitched together, as these are here

PHOTO: PEDRO MARTINEZ

The next development was a string sail, which is still a laminate construction, but with the sail built in effect as a single structure, with continuous fibres that are aligned with the main load paths on the sail. The grid of fibres is still held in place with Mylar film. Nevertheless, this is a bespoke way of creating the material for each sail and is far more efficient in an engineering sense than a panelled laminate construction.

“In 2005 we started using a grid of yarns and plastic film that was produced in zones that were then connected together to create the full sail,” explains Peter Kay of OneSails. “That product is still made and at the time it represented a quantum shift in technology from tri-radial laminate construction to a membrane sail.”

The key advantages are that the optimal number and strength of fibres can be specified for a specific boat and these are laid exactly along the load paths. “The corners and leech are the highly-loaded areas, and a membrane sail allows you to put extra strength in these parts of the sail, while engineering weight out elsewhere,” says Tony Strutt of Ullman Sails. This can significantly reduce the weight of the sail, which translates into improved performance, and also reduces waste. Additional fibres can also be incorporated into a sail intended for very long distance offshore use.

There are two fundamentally different ways in which membrane sails can be produced. Perhaps the best understood is the process that was used for North’s 3DL product, which was produced in one piece over a three-dimensional mould. However, most are produced in horizontal ‘zones’, up to four or five of which are stitched together to create the three-dimensional sail shape.

A key advantage of a zoned membrane is that the lamination process can be optimised with heat and high pressure applied by rollers, which isn’t possible with a

PHOTO: PAUL WYETH; C/O NORTH SAILS

STRING OR MEMBRANE SAILS

120 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

moulded sail. “To create a superior laminate we use one atmosphere of vacuum pressure, plus a 12-tonne roller and heat to activate the glue,” adds Strutt.

“Early on we identified that lamination quality was important to us, so our membrane sails are produced in zones,” explains Mike Sanderson, CEO of Doyle Sails. The shape comes from luff round and broad-seaming, in just the same way as a panelled sail. “While the material is still on the cutting table, and held firmly in place by vacuum pressure,” Sanderson adds, “the panels are marked up with a pen in the plotter head to show exactly where the broadseams need to line up, as well as the location of camber lines and additional reinforcement for batten cars and so on.” These marks can be seen by both customers and measurers to indicate the sail was assembled as per the original design.

Anyone doubting this is a method of building fast sails should remember that this is the way in which the sails used by Quantum Racing, winner of the TP52 Super Series in three of the last five years, are constructed. Similarly the Quarter-Tonner Whiskers has achieved a consistently good results using Ullman membrane sails.

Membrane sails are available from a wide range of different sailmakers. When choosing it’s important to be sure you’re comparing like with like – in particular the type and number of structural fibres and the finishing details. This is arguably harder with string sails than with panelled laminates, where it’s easier to compare the features of two branded sailcloths.

The price differential between panelled sails and membranes has been reducing. That’s partly a function of the inevitable wasted material when triangular panels are cut from a rectangular roll of cloth. Manufacturers have also introduced streamlined membrane products that are less costly to produce. Doyle’s Delta range has a choice of only two outer layers and reduced fibre options compared to the company’s top end Stratis product. This means all the fibres can be laid without changing the head on the machine. Compare that to Hugo Boss’s Doyle mainsail, where the machine head had to be changed four or five times, a process that takes 40 minutes, and it’s easy to see how the costs of a more sophisticated sail can stack up.

TOP BUYING TIPS SHOP EARLY While panelled sails can be built by almost any UK loft, there are a much smaller number of manufacturing facilities for membrane sails, which are spread around the globe. The time between ordering a sail, getting the boat measured, the sail designed, then built and PHOTO: PAUL WYETH; C/O NORTH SAILS

shipped home can be several months.

LOOK CLOSER We’ve come to see black sails as a sign of a high carbon content and high modulus. However, many fibres used in these sails are not naturally black and must therefore be dyed to achieve this effect. Just because it is black it doesn’t mean it contains carbon – and even if it does, that might not be what you need.

DITCHING THE FILM

More recent changes in sailmaking strip out the Mylar film, as with North’s 3Di range. Instead strips of fibres are glued together to create the fabric. This has all the advantages of a string sail in terms of being able to engineer strength into any part of the sail, while further reducing weight and thickness.

The first composite sail was Alinghi’s black sail in the 2010 America’s Cup. This was all uni-directional fibre, plus adhesive, without a plastic film. “It changed the visual language of sailmaking,” says Pearson. “At the same time, dropping the plastic film made it a more sustainable product. Plastic film served us well for 40 years,” he adds, “but if we don’t need to be using it, we shouldn’t be using it.”

3Di sails are made from a unidirectional pre-preg tape, using mostly carbon and Dyneema fibres. The latter provide flexibility, have good resistance to ultra-violet light, and a high elongation at breaking load. A 15 per cent increase in modulus is gained just by changing from a conventional yarn to laying those same fibres directly onto a tape. The difference is that yarn (or thread) is made of some 800 individual fibres twisted together, so the fibres are not in a straight line within the yarn when laid on the sail.

OneSails is another sailmaker that produces sails without a plastic film. Its 4T Forte is a three-dimensional homogenous material typically made of 15 to18 layers of polyethylene arranged in a double-diagonal layout, to which the fibres are attached. It’s a high modulus product and the most popular in the range, according to Peter Kay. A beneficial side effect of using polyethylene is that the sail can be recycled.

New this year for OneSails is Vantage 1 Filmless. This is still made in zones with discontinuous fibres, as with the ‘classic’ Vantage 1 membrane, but it has layers of taffeta instead of the plastic films. This extends the life of the sail, as it eliminates the problem of film break down.

DINGHIES & SPORTSBOATS

This part of the market is where most performance panelled sails are now made, whether in woven fabrics or laminates. Nevertheless there’s still a huge amount of development work going on in this sector.

ABOVE: North’s distinctive 3Di range uses strips of fibres, glued together to create the fabric

“We’ve done a huge amount of development of panelled sails for one designs including the J/70 where we’ve had back-to-back wins in the Worlds, Etchells, Star and other classes,” says Sanderson. A key tip is to analyse the location of your major championship each year to inform sail design decisions. “But don’t go too far in optimising for the most likely conditions. Like banging a corner that’s too risky – you have to be fast in a range of wind speeds,” he adds.

“Before buying start by taking a look at other people’s sails in your class,” says Nigel Grogan, MD of Hyde Sails.

“Examine them for problems like bumpy seams, uneven or irregular stitching, and for the finishing details. These are still done by hand on all sails, but can make a huge difference and are therefore a good guide to the quality the sailmaker is operating to.”

Equally, it’s worth choosing a sailmaker with a track record in your class, especially if you’re in a position to gain podium points. The same also applies for different disciplines of racing; for instance, classic regattas. It’s always worth asking long standing class members too.

THE BEST SAILS FOR YOU? It’s easy to assume that, by buying

All cloth stretches and breaks down, so

the most expensive sails, you get the

the lowest priced materials won’t give

best product. However, the reality is

good performance for long.”

that if this leaves you short of budget

Woven fabrics tend to be flexible

for coaching or boat prep, then the

and durable. They have different fin-

additional expense will not have

ishes that modify their properties, but

been used efficiently. “The difference

the key is the tightness of the weave

between racing with a good quality

– the tighter this is the less the sail will

panelled sail and a membrane sail is

stretch and the better it will hold shape

very small indeed,” cautions Nigel

over time. “There’s a big range of 4oz

Grogan of Hyde Sails.

dacrons,” Grogan adds. A low cost

“The essence is budget,” he adds.

training sail may well be made from

“Often there’s a series of compromises

a low-grade cloth that will lose shape

that have to be made: how much you

quickly and stretch more in gusts, de-

spend has a bearing on how good your

creasing forward drive, while increasing

sails will be and how long they will last.

heel and leeway.

THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 121

EVENT GUIDE 2020 The Olympics will take centre stage in 2020, but there are many supporting acts St Maarten Heineken Regatta

Les Voiles de St Barth

18-26 January One of the world’s leading boat shows, boot

5-8 March

For serious racers in yachts of all sizes, pros

Düsseldorf spreads 1,800 exhibitors across 17

Bigger than ever for its 40th birthday bash.

and amateurs enjoying dreamy conditions.

vast halls. Almost every boatbuilder under the

Pros and amateurs in every kind of boat.

lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com

sun will be here and you can buy anything

heinekenregatta.com

boot Düsseldorf

from a shackle to a superyacht. boot.de

RORC Caribbean 600

Antigua Classics

11-18 April

Antigua Race Week 25 April – 1 May

1-7 April

Falmouth Harbour – another tough week of

24 February

Classic Boat magazine is official media partner

racing and partying.

Top Caribbean offshore race. The varied fleet

for this quintessential wooden boat event.

sailingweek.com

sails out of Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, for a

antiguaclassics.com

slalom course round the Leeward Islands.

Cervantes Trophy Race

Attracts some of the world’s most exciting

Cherbourg race

boats, modern and classic.

10 & 12 April

A brisk Cowes to Le Havre blast for many

caribbean600.rorc.org

Sponsored by NJO Sails, opening Channel race

boats doing the RORC series.

for Junior Offshore Group members.

rorc.org

RYA Dinghy Show

in association with Yachts & Yachting

jog.org.uk

8 May

Vice Admiral’s Cup

29 February - 1 March

RORC Easter Challenge

Organised by the RYA, this London show is a

10 & 12 April

Well-attended by top IRC competitors with

must for anyone interested in dinghy sailing.

IRC racing season gets underway in the Solent.

excellent Solent racing organised by RORC.

rya.org.uk

rorc.org

rorc.org

122 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

15-17 May

AMERICA’S CUP WORLD SERIES April 23-26 A serious spectacle in Cagliari, Sardinia, as the four teams that have entered the next America’s Cup (USA, NZ, GB and Italy) go head to head for the first and only time before the Cup itself, which takes place in February and March 2021 in Auckland. americascup.com

2020 OLYMPICS 26 July - 8 August The Olympic sailing regatta takes place on the rolling waters of Enoshima Bay, known for its exciting conditions, with several medal chances for Team GB. sailing.org

Cowes Spring Classics 15-17 May Popular season opener for classics of all sizes, with a fancy dress theme at the party: dress according to the age of your yacht! cowesspringclassics.com

Les Voiles d’Antibes

J/Cup 2-4 July Always a great turnout for this highly competitive and good-natured event raced in J/Boat classes. keyyachting.com/j-cup

3-7 June Lovely French regatta with around 90 stunning classics moored under the old stone arches, seen by many as the first Med classic event. voilesdantibes.com

Falmouth Classics 12-14 June Wonderful range of old boats with a great atmosphere ashore. This year it kicks of a new classic West Country series linking Falmouth Classics, Dartmouth Classic Regatta (27 & 28 June) and Fowey Classics (28-31 July).

Three Rivers Race 6-7 June Premier sailing event on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, organised by Horning Sailing Club.

3rr.org.uk

falmouthclassics.org.uk THE YACHTING YEAR 2020 | 123

MED CLASSIC CIRCUIT May to October The greatest show on earth, as some of the most stunning and famous yachts ever built gather for regattas in Italy, the south of France and Spain. Things kick off for most boats with Les Voiles d’Antibes in May, with further events in Argentario in Italy, Cannes, Barcelona, the Balearics and bi-annually in Monaco.

The finale is Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, which features the unlikely mixture of old classics and Wally yachts. The partying ashore is punishing, the sailing exhilirating, the boats to die for.

You can often find space as crew. argentariosailingweek.it puigvelaclassica.com veledepoca.com lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr velaclasicamenorca.com

The top guns from the pro ranks line up

Suffolk Yacht Harbour Classic Regatta

against hotshot amateur crews in the Solent.

12-14 June

rorc.org

Friendly event from the marina that is

IRC Nationals 26-28 June

a real hub of classic activity on the River Orwell on the UK’s idyllic east

Tall Ships Races Talls ships race between Lisbon, Cádiz, A Coruña, and Dunkirk. sailtraininginternational.org

Dun Laoghaire Regatta

coast, with a wooden and modern boatyard and classic chandlery on site.

EMILY HARRIS

2 July - 9 August

syharbour.co.uk

Abersoch Dinghy and Keelboat Weeks

Falmouth Week

Quality racing on the waterfront for cruisers, one-designs, dinghies and classics, with 500

26-31 July dinghies/ 18-23 August keelboats

Cornwall’s answer to Cowes Week with great

entries standard. dlregatta.org

All classes of dinghies from around the UK for

racing and evening entertainment ashore.

the dinghy week, while the keelboat week is

falmouthweek.co.uk

11-14 July

Volvo Cork Week

for small keelboats, cruising and race yachts

7-16 August

13-19 July

including a strong IRC fleet.

Cowes Week

The Royal Cork Yacht Club will be celebrating

scyc.co.uk

8-15 August

the 300th anniversary of its founding in 1720, making the 2020 edition even more epic. corkweek.ie

Half-ton Cup

One of the world’s great regattas, for serious

Wroxham Week

pro crews but also for families, for amateur boats and for lovers of beer

29 July - 4 August

and fireworks.

Dinghies to yachts and classics on the

cowesweek.co.uk

26-31 July

Norfolk Broads, a stunning location and a full

Still thriving after 50 years with some of the

programme ashore. The regatta closes with

Mersea Week

most competitive sailors taking part, this year

the keenly contested Diamond Jubilee Gold

16-21 August

from Cowes.

Challenge Cup.

Family and friends-oriented racing on the

rorc.org

nbyc.co.uk

sheltered River Blackwater in Essex, with the varied modern and classic fleet including local smacks and barges and the town getting

Fife Regatta 4-11 June

MARC TURNER

The gathering of the Fife clan takes

124 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

place again in the great designer and builder’s Clyde home waters. fiferegatta.com

behind the regatta in style. merseaweek.com

Dartmouth Royal Regatta 22-29 August Racing for big and small boats, much fun ashore, a river procession and fireworks. dartmouthregatta.co.uk

CELEBRATE CORK300 300 years ago the worlds first yacht club was established, now there are thousands of yacht clubs worldwide. Cork300 will be a year of celebrations of Where It All Began.

We will celebrate sailing, its communities, Cork Harbour and our beautiful coastline and promote environmental awareness and responsibility towards the seas.

Join us in 2020 for the largest sailing festival in Ireland and to celebrate one of the greatest maritime events taking place in our lifetimes.

VOLVO CORK WEEK - JULY 13-17

• ICRA National Championships • 1720 European Championships • Beaufort Cup 2020 • International Dragon Class Southern Championships • SB20 Southern Championships • Classic Regatta

OTHER KEY EVENTS

• International Power Boat Festival - July 11 • IRC European Championships - July 13-17 • Royal Cork Fleet Review - July 12 • Wild Atlantic Way Cruise in Company - July 12-22

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKS

• National 18 Class Championships - August 2-7 • Irish Optimist National Championships - August 13-16 • Irish Laser Class National Championships - August 20-23 Plus a huge range of harbour support events.

Web www.cork300.com www.corkweek.ie www.royalcork.com #cork300 Email info@cork300.com Phone +353 21 4831023 Royal Cork Yacht Club, Crosshaven, Co Cork, P43 HD40. Ireland.

ROUND THE ISLAND RACE 30 May One of the biggest yacht races in the world, as competitive or as relaxed as you want. roundtheisland.org.uk

BRITISH CLASSIC WEEK 18-25 July One of the premier events in the UK classic calendar, now with a separate competition judging authenticity. britishclassicweek.co.uk

BREST AND DOUARNENEZ 15-19 July The Douarnenez Maritime Festival only happens every two years. It’s worth the wait. brittanytourism.com

MALDON TOWN REGATTA 19 September Smacks and classic wooden yachts race up the River Blackwater. maldonregatta.co.uk

DEN PHILLIPS

J/111 Worlds

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez

RORC Transatlantic Race

30 August - 5 September

26 September - 3 October

21 November

No quarter given as legions of crack sailors

Saint-Tropez’s heady mix of modern and

From Lanzarote in the Canary Islands to

gather in Cowes for this one-design class’

classic is sure to set pulses racing again, on

Grenada, this transat is raced by top multihulls

world championships, last held in Chicago.

shore and in the gulf’s cobalt blue waters. The

as well as professional and amateur yacht

j111worlds.com

Med season closer and one to remember for

crews.

anyone lucky enough to be there.

rorctransatlantic.rorc.org

Cannes Yachting Festival

lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr

Global event for all kinds of new boats, held

Rolex Middle Sea Race

Selden Sailjuice Winter Series

over two sites in the old port.

17 October

November onwards

cannesyachtingfestival.com

A cutting-edge warm-water classic over 606

If you want to keep racing your dinghy

nautical miles from Malta around Sicily and the

through the winter, this umbrella circuit is

island of Lampedusa, the last edition won by

where to be, taking in events around the UK,

Rambler88.

normally kicking off with the Draycote Dash.

rolexmiddlesearace.com

selden.sailracer.org

the winner is the boat to dredge the most.

Vendée Globe

Lovely atmosphere amid east coast mud.

8 November

mersearegatta.org.uk

The IMOCA fleet heads south for three months

Youth Sailing World Championships

8-13 September

Mersea Oyster Dredging Match 13 September Unique event for smacks and bawleys, where

12-19 December

of punishment or more, with Alex Thomson

The best sailors aged 19 and under head to

and Hugo Boss leading the charge for glory

Base Naval de Aratu and Yacht Clube da Bahia,

11-20 September

and several British contenders also likely to be

Salvador in Brazil Poland for the 50th edition.

The UK’s biggest mainstream boat show, with

in the running.

sailing.org

gear, clothing and new boats to browse.

vendeeglobe.org

Southampton Boat Show

southamptonboatshow.com

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers

Rolex Sydney Hobart Race

10 November

26 December – 31 January

25 September - 3 October

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers sets sail from

One of the great offshore yacht races, starting

Three classes battle on Narragansett Bay,

Las Palmas, bound westward to the Caribbean.

on Boxing Day every year and attracting top

hosted by the New York Yacht Club.

Three routes are now available.

competition for tough racing, often in heavy

nyyc.org

worldcruising.com

seas.

ORC/IRC Worlds

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THE JOYS OF NAUTICAL ENGLISH

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Dave Selby writes for Classic Boat

f course, nautical English is mainly designed to confuse and impress, and works best when it does both at once. They teach this on courses, which garner certificates, which impress non-sailor friends when they come round for dinner, but confuse those with any intention of going sailing.

The solution to this is to do more courses, which eventually stops normal people coming for dinner. To achieve this, all you need to do is respond accordingly when they ask the way to your toilet where all your certificates are arranged at eye-level – both for men and women. Here is an example of a student’s work: “Toilet?

Aah, you mean heads with an “s” which is properly plural although we only have one. You will find the heads with an “s” by laying a transit down the hall three points north of north, north-east-west until you reach the bannister post.

Then turn 360 degrees true-magnetic to larboard and you’ll find the heads with an “s” abaft the pantry to leeward of the scullery. And please correct for deviation over the bowl. I don’t want to have to swab the ceilings.”

Now to the appraisal. Of course, this is far from perfect nautical English. In proper sea parlance ceilings aren’t ceilings at all, but neither are they floors; as everybody knows ceilings are the internal covering planks on the side of a vessel. Likewise nautical floors have nothing to do with floors. I’m rather surprised I even had to explain that.

This student earns extra marks for the use of larboard in place of port, which is in danger of being understood. The use of the archaic “pantry” and “scullery” in place of the modern forms “cupboard” and “another cupboard” is creative, but the overall fault with this student’s work is that far too many words were pronounced as they are spelt. This is wrong. Far better than leeward, is looward,

130 | THE YACHTING YEAR 2020

which is certainly appropriate in this case, but is in danger if being understood and is therefore better abbreviated to loo’ard, then loord, lord and eventually to ld.

Overall, it’s a fair stab by a below average student with delusions of adequacy. Examiners will, of course, take into account that this student’s life chances have been hampered by a severely advantaged background.

So there you have it. If you apply yourself the conscientious student will soon find that he, or even she, has refined his, or even her, peer group of normal friends down to zero, which allows more time for courses. If you haven’t yet achieved this and still have normal friends who come for dinner try talking about springs and neaps.

Springs, you’ll explain to your diminishing circle of dinner guests aren’t spring greens but spring tides, which don’t just happen in Spring but twice monthly, except when they’re not tides at all, and then they’re ropes for tying your boat up, but of course ropes can also be sheets as well as springs. By the time you get on to explaining that neaps are not in fact neaps and tatties (ie turnips and potatoes in shore-based English), you’re former normal friends will be so impressed they’ll be reaching into the wet-locker for their “jackets” or more properly southwesters, which can be abbreviated to sou’wester but is even better misunderstood if shortened further to sou’ster, and eventually just to s’r.

And thus the diligent student will have even more time for even more courses and ever more advanced confusion.

In this respect mentoring by former students is invaluable.

At our club, as soon as the tearful red-faced students pile out of class and slump at the bar with their little bulging satchels and throbbing brains, kindly graduates of previous years stop all talk of loft conversions, mortgages and pension short-falls and get stuck into mentoring.

Mentoring, in strict nautical English, involves explaining how much easier courses are these days than in yours, enquiring whether they’ve yet memorised the sight reduction tables, as every student should, or have begun tackling angles of perplexity. “What?” cries student.

“Oh,” says mentor. “To calculate the correct angle of perplexity simply reduce a sun sight to chart-datum allowing for collimation error whilst dividing by the square root of Thames measurement on the vernal equinox.” (Read twice if necessary – it took me weeks to memorise that). By now most students will have adopted a near perfect angle of perplexity - about 73 degrees top dead centre – along with an occluded frontal lobe.

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