Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting May 2023 - Sample issue

South Pacific Paradise

Choosing to sail across an ocean is a huge undertaking for most boat owners, so Jenevora Swann and her husband Fergus planned carefully before crossing the Paci c

French polish

French

manufacturer Lagoon is the master of producing comfortable, practical cruising catamarans, and its new 51 certainly doesn’t disappoint

People occasionally ask me what is the worst boat test I have ever undertaken. It’s a fair question as in my career I have probably tested over 100 boats. Anyway, I always reply quick as a ash that it was the Lagoon 42. Now, before the good people of Lagoon start getting incredibly angry, let me explain; the boat test took place in La Rochelle in the middle of winter and the boat grounded outside the marina on an exceptionally low tide – I was also painfully aware that it looked like I was going to miss my ight. We were therefore compelled to wait for the tide for a couple of hours in temperatures so severe I wanted to cry. On the ip side, the boat turned out to be a good one to be stranded on waiting for the tide, and we red up the heating and sat in the well appointed saloon and enjoyed the panoramic views of La Rochelle in February.

Anyway, just a little aside there but I have to say that to my mind a Lagoon should be enjoyed in friendlier climes and I’m delighted to say that, this time around, the test of the Lagoon 51 took place in 35°C o the coast of Spain. Hell, we even found time to drop anchor and go for a swim. It felt like the ghosts of La Rochelle 2014 were well and truly exorcised. It’s only right too that a Lagoon should be tested in warmer climes. Sure, you can sail one of these boats around the world – and many have – but to me this Lagoon should be anchored o some golden beach in the Caribbean, Mediterranean or Paci c, bathing ladder down and barbecue red up. ere is a reason that Lagoon is the biggest selling multihull manufacturer over the past couple of decades: it know what the people want and it knows how to deliver it. e Lagoon 51 sits in the middle of the company's current range and replaces the 50 and the 52.

e boat is designed by VPLP – as have most Lagoons in recent times – while the styling is by Nauta.

e result is a big cat with big volume clearly aimed at both the charter market and private ownership. e boat is 50 4in loa with a beam of 26 9in, and a

displacement just shy of 20,000kg –no lightweight ier in other words. e boat does not have foils – no Lagoon does – and the emphasis is on practicality and space. To this end, Lagoon has understandably stuck with the ybridge on this model and it is the smallest Lagoon to have access to the ybridge from both the port and starboard side.

e styling is very classically Lagoon but the boat does di er from some recent iterations as the rig has been moved further forward. at has been seen in a number of cat designs recently. is means that the self-tacking jib is out and the overlapping genoa is back in. is seems to have been done expressly

to improve circulation around the boat by removing the mast compression post from the middle of the saloon, and also allowing for more space on the bridge deck. Down below, you have a range of choices when it comes to interior layouts but if you’re really keen you can cram in up to 14 people.

Space exploration

Certainly optimising space seems to be a big priority and that starts from the moment you get aboard. e a ends of the sponsons are big and low to the water and double as bathing platforms. is allows for masses of space for bathers, plus the access on and o the boat was absolutely

Choosing your Cat

Multihulls have changed the game when it comes to bluewater cruising and there are many converts. Kate Ashe Leonard talks through the process of buying a bluewater cat.

Photos by James Hooper

hen I was just 20, I had my rst ever experience on a sailing yacht. It was on a crewed maxi racing yacht, and I stayed onboard with a group of backpackers as mere guests for two nights in the Whitsunday Islands. Blissfully ignorant about the seasonality of sailing, my cabin for the weekend was suspiciously cheap. It was January and cyclone season. I le the boat two days later resolute about one thing: I would never sail or stay on a boat for an extended period again in my life. Sixteen years later, I’m sitting with in the cockpit of our catamaran in French Polynesia. We are anchored at the island of Moorea in its lagoon fringed by coral reef under the backdrop of

Wthe island’s green mountainous peaks. It’s 6am and a black tip shark glides underneath the boat visible through the most transparent water, iridescent in the morning sunlight. Turtles occasionally surface for air. Yesterday we swam with a mother and calf humpback whale just outside the lagoon. ese whales migrate to this safe haven all the way from Antarctica to give birth and raise their young before returning on their long return voyage. I’m thinking about our own migration, how far we’ve come and the very rst steps we made. We’ve sailed over 16,000 miles and are almost half-way through our circumnavigation four years a er we decided to leave it all behind and buy a boat. It started back in August 2017 when we decided we needed a complete lifestyle change.

We worked together on the same project and our weekly schedule o en involved taking several ights either within Europe or to and from the US. We lived out of suitcases in the many hotels we had to stay in for work and a er two and a half years of airport queues, jetlag and an unhealthy lifestyle, we were exhausted. We had our home base, but also a at in south west London which was rented out. One evening we started to discuss whether it might be possible to sell our home and belongings to buy a boat to live and sail around the world on. We’d use some savings and the rental income provided by the London property to live o and maybe pick up some paid work here and there as we went.

My partner Jim was con dent I might really take to sailing despite

ABOVE Polaris, the author's Catana 47 catamaran

my rst experience years earlier. With few if any other ties we were more exible than many of our friends to just up and leave.

Mono or multi?

ere were three concurrent areas of focus to make it all happen: closing up our soon-to-be former lives, preparing ourselves to sail around the world and the search and selection for the right boat to take us there. Our work project began to wrap up and had become entirely remote, so we were much freer to make moves towards our dream to buy a boat. e rst thing we did was to put our home on the market. en, when our tenants in London moved out at the end of their lease, we transported our belongings there where we made a temporary home for ourselves. At that point,

we still didn’t know if we wanted a monohull or a catamaran. Jim had only sailed monohulls but his friend who’d lived on one in the Caribbean for years felt that, in hindsight, a catamaran would have been better overall for the additional space and comfort both at anchor and sailing too. Our plan was to complete a global circumnavigation in three to six years so, if we took his advice the catamaran for us needed to have great performance and safety attributes for the miles of bluewater sailing that lay ahead. Initially we began to investigate the Lagoon 42 and the Nautitech Open 40. As a result of the Southampton Boat Show we arranged to test sail a Lagoon 42 in Cornwall. We also met a Nautitech broker at the Dusseldorf boat show and our test sail of the Nautitech was scheduled to take place from Hamble, Hampshire. Jim’s family had had a boat in

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Chichester Harbour when he was growing up, he had completed a few yacht deliveries in his 20s and later had skippered a couple of bareboat charter holidays. I, on the other hand, had lived by my word and hadn’t been on a boat since the time in Australia. In the absence of having our own boat to practice on and concerned about my lack of experience, weekends were spent doing RYA sailing courses including Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Engine Maintenance and VHF Radio training. We immersed ourselves in sailing related activities and only spent money on things related to our goal to become full time liveaboards.

Boat shows and test sails

We attended two more boat shows, one at St Katharine Dock and the other at ExCel. e dates for both

A catamaran provides a stable and comfortable living space BELOW Solar panels are an important source of power

Dinghy & Watersports Show

he RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, presented by Suzuki, was a big success in its second year at Farnborough International Exhibition Centre, as thousands of sailors ocked to the venue over the weekend of 25-26 February. ere was a buzz in the hall as soon as the doors opened and the event was busy through to Sunday evening, with exhibitors showcasing dinghies ranging from a ames A-rater to a Topper. e show now encompasses windsur ng, wingsur ng and foiling, as well as paddleboarding. It also brings together clubs, training centres, class associations, equipment

manufacturers and retailers from across the small boat sailing and boardsports community. is year the show welcomed 8,500 visitors, 160 exhibitors and hundreds of boats and boards with some 74

expert talks and presentations taking place across the weekend.  RYA Director of Sport Development Rob Clark said: “ e atmosphere was alive with passion, enthusiasm and excitement as people browsed all the latest boats, boards and equipment, soaked up expert knowledge and hit the shops for some early-season boating bargains.

“ e RYA organises this show to bring together the small boat sailing and boardsports community, and it was absolutely thriving this weekend. I just loved seeing people getting involved in the interactive sessions, catching up with old friends and making new ones, getting inspired to get a oat and discovering new ways to do so.”

It’s always a great crowd and this year’s show was no disappointment, as small boat sailors showed their passion for their sport in all its forms over a buzzing weekend at Farnborough

BELOW: the RYA Interactive Zone was awash with visitors trying out the windsur ng, winging and sailing simulators, the trapeze rig and 360 VR Experience.

ABOVE: e Sailing Today with Yachts and Yachting team enjoyed a roaring trade at the show, with a subscriber o er of Dartmouth Gin proving to a be a very powerful draw

ABOVE: club sailor Ken Fowler, who aims to complete his Yodare challenge this summer, sailing his RS Aero around each of England and Wales’ 250 islands, attracted one of the biggest crowds of the show as he talked about his fundraising challenge.

RIGHT: the Show’s three stages (Suzuki Main Stage, Knowledge Zone and an expanded Watersports Stage) all attracted big crowds. Here keen ILCA sailors glean some top tips from British Sailing Team members Sam Whaley and Hannah Snellgrove. ere were also winging workshops and plenty more.

ABOVE: Olympic gold medal-winning father and daughter Mike and Eilidh McIntyre take questions from a packed crowd, with SailGP sailor Hannah Diamond hosting. Eilidh recently announced she will not be defending her Tokyo title in the 470.

ABOVE: the model yacht-racing pool had a long queue, with experienced practioners and newcomers trying their hand at the sport. A lively compere kept all entertained over the microphone.

20m, vessels over 20m must call ‘KHM’ (Kings Harbour Master) on Ch11 for permission to enter or leave the harbour by the main channel.

Once you spot e Lightship, call on Ch80, call sign ‘Haslar Marina’ or ring 02392 601201 to request a berth from the friendly berthing team. As mentioned previously, during peak season it is recommended you call ahead to ensure there are berths available.

To make navigating into the marina as easy as possible, there are black piles at the end of each pontoon, which are marked with letters – odd numbers to the le and even numbers to your right.

Cruising ground

Basing yourself at boatfolk’s Haslar Marina either as a berth holder or a visitor is an ideal option for making the most of the extensive south coast cruising ground. ere really are so many places of interest to visit and explore along the stretch from Selsey Bill to Anvil Point.

For those keen on heading further a eld out the Solent, Poole Harbour is a delight (approximately 30nm), or further still along to the Jurassic coastline, a World Heritage Site which extends approximately 95 miles from Old Harry Rocks, near Swanage in Dorset to Exmouth, Devon. e coastline is dotted with anchorages like Lulworth Cove, Worbarrow Bay, and the sheltered waters of Portland Harbour (approximately 58nm).

But you really don’t have to travel that far from Portsmouth to take in all the glorious cruising options with the likes of Chichester Harbour just ‘around the corner’ to the east and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At high water there

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BELOW

are 29 square miles of local cruising opportunities within the harbour, with the likes of Bosham, Birdham and Itchenor all pretty places of interest with attractive villages that o er plenty to see and do ashore.

With easy access to the Solent, it doesn’t take long to venture across to the Isle of Wight either, with stop-o s in Seaview, and Osborne Bay – a great place to drop anchor for lunch and a have a swim. Cowes (approximately 9nm) is a popular sailors’ haunt with plenty of restaurants and pubs to suit all tastes, but beware the summer season gets extremely busy there, particularly during the annual Round the Island Race and Cowes Week.

Finally, a bit further towards the Needles on the Western Approaches is the delightful town of Yarmouth (17nm), which has a marina and well worth a visit. It’s a great place for dining out, with plenty of pubs and restaurants, including the Terrace – a waterside Michelin star restaurant.

FACTFILE

Haslar MARINA

Postcode: PO12 1NU

VHF: Ch 80

Call sign: Haslar Marina

Email: haslar@ boatfolk.co.uk

Tel: +44(0)2392 601201

Prices:

Annual berth: starting from £544 per metre

Flexi Berthing: starting from £40 per metre per month

Visitor berth: from £4.10 per metre per night

Short stay: (up to 4 hours) from £15

Weekly: £24.60 per metre

On site services:

Yacht brokers – boatpoint Portsmouth: +44(0)2392 414188

Boatyard – boatcare +44(0)2392 584374

Sea school and yacht charter –Andrew Simpson Watersports: +44 (0)2392 522777

Four Seasons Yacht Charter: +44(0)2392 511789

Nearest chandlery:

You Boat: +44(0)2392 522226

Places to eat and drink:

The Creek: +44(0)23 9400 2461

The Lightship: +44(0)23 9400 6170

Old Harry Rocks at the southern end of Studland Bay, Dorset, is a pleasant place to anchor for lunch in ne weather

Worbarrow Bay on the Jurassic coast lies just to the east of Lulworth Cove on the Isle of Purbeck

PHOTO: ISTOCK

PHOTO: ISTOCK