Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting August 2022

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REGULARS

10 News 36 Paul Heiney 38 Andy Rice 46 Tom Cunliffe Berthing woes as the author finds himself boxed-in in the Baltic

98 Jess Lloyd-Mostyn

UNDER SAIL

18 Ionian secrets

Tom Fletcher takes us on uncharted adventures through the beautiful Ionian

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26 Cowes Week 2022 The most high tech regatta in the world?

Race director Laurence Mead believes so

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30 Jurassic Coast Clive Loughlin talks through a weekend’s passge plan to escape the Solent

50 Top 10 anchorages 52 SailGP Plymouth guide Elite sailors and fast-paced action

72 Charter guide: UK The delights of exploring home waters

74 Gulls Eye Discover Cornwall’s Megavissey Harbour

78 Interview: Pip Hare The inspirational solo sailor takes us for a blast on her new foiling IMOCA60

92 Interview: GT Yachts Behind the scenes at this busy boatyard

BOATS

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16 New boat news 40 On test: Elan E6 A cruiser-racer with stylish performance

66 On test: Spirit 30 New from James Bond’s yard of choice

90 Three of the Best

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Three of the finest brokerage boats

EXPERT’S FORUM

83 Expert’s Forum

From race tactics to cruising conundrums

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63 Buyer’s Guide Satellite communications

69 Launched Our picks and reviews Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting NOVEMBER 2020

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Welcome

EDITORIAL EDITOR

Sam Jefferson 020 3943 9261 sam.jefferson@chelseamagazines.com Georgie Corlett-Pitt georgie.corlett-pitt@chelseamagazines.com GROUP EDITOR Rob Peake ART & PRODUCTION EDITOR Gareth Lloyd Jones PUBLISHING CONSULTANT Martin Nott PUBLISHER Simon Temlett simon.temlett@chelseamagazines.com ADVERTISING ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Mark Harrington 020 7349 3734 mark.harrington@chelseamagazines.com SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE Charlene Homewood 020 7349 3779 charlene.homewood@chelseamagazines.com GROUP SALES DIRECTOR Catherine Chapman HEAD OF SALES OPERATIONS Jodie Green ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCTION Allpoints Media Ltd allpointsmedia.co.uk CHAIRMAN Paul Dobson CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Vicki Gavin MANAGING DIRECTOR James Dobson Published by: The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700 © The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd 2020.

All Rights Reserved. ISSN 1367-5869 (print) ISSN 2059-9285 (digital)

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Skipper’s View IN 2022 THE CHALLENGE OF CROSSING THE CHANNEL HAS A NEW ELEMENT: WHAT FORM TO DOWNLOAD BEFORE I GO? A FEW YEARS BACK, after a particularly hallucinatory singlehanded trip across the English Channel, I decided I wouldn't be making another crossing: the shipping lane, the wild weather, suddenly it all seemed a bit much. However, this month I was tempted back in order to help a friend move a 22' Hillyard to St Valery sur Somme so he could enter the canal system there. I reckoned he could do with a hand given the size of the boat. Anyway, the trip was, both eventful and enjoyable but I'm not here to bore you with tales of this jaunt - perhaps I'll leave that to a later issue. No, my reasons for mentioning it are that I have received a number of letters from confused sailors wondering what on earth they are supposed to do customs-wise now we have left the EU. Prior to leaving the UK, I too had taken a quick look at what we were supposed to do and began to fully understand reader's concerns. The Cruising Association has clearly spent a good deal of time trying to work it out and their website was instructive, yet the main words that stood out were 'under review'. Ultimately, I gave up and we set sail without filling in a single form. We duly arrived in Fecamp, where everything was closed. We then proceeded to Dieppe, an official port of entry, where we presented the boat's papers and ourselves. No extra forms were requested. The explanation for this seems pretty clear to me; the person who dealt with us at Dieppe took the same line as us - that all this is simply too confusing and stupid to bother with. It's bang in line with the general attitude of laissez faire that surrounds many things in France. A pragmatic approach and one that we were most grateful for. The problem is that we left the harbour office unsure of ourselves; if we carried on to St Valery were we going to get nobbled by someone less pragmatic and more officious? Probably not, but the doubt lingered. The plight of leisure sailors is nothing compared to, say, the Northern Ireland Protocol but the manner in which we have been largely overlooked in these political machinations is scandalous and negligent. The English Channel dishes up enough challenges without the further uncertainty of baffling, unresolved paperwork.

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CONTRIBUTORS

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission in writing. Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information in Sailing Today, but no responsibility can be accepted for the consequences of actions based on the advice portrayed herein.

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JESS LLOYD MOSTYN is a writer and blue water cruiser who is currently moored in Singapore

TOM CUNLIFFE is an author, journalist and TV presenter, and one of Britain's best-known cruising sailors

ANDY RICE is a journalist and veteran dinghy racer who has won championships at both ends of a skiff

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Don’t Menton it Summer cruising is all about pulling up at some beautiful port and nipping ashore for a sundowner. They don’t get much better than Menton at the easterly tip of the Cote d’Azur. This charming little port is the last stop before Italy and has a more down to earth feel to it after the glitz of Monaco. The architecture has a strong Italian influence as it has switched ownership between France and Italy a number of times over the centuries.

Photo: Gareth Lloyd Jones

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News

Ebb and flow EVENTS | NEWS | TALES FROM THE SAILING COMMUNITY

The IRC National Championship was won by 0.005 of a point by Niklas Zennström’s FAST40+ Rán, a nail-biting finish to a weekend of perfect sailing conditions in the Solent, the event organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

Rán’s mixed crew nearly let the title slip when they posted a third in the first race of the final day, the only blemish on their otherwise perfect scoreline.

Over in IRC Three, Rán’s rival for the overall win, Adam Gosling’s JPK 10.80 Yes!, scored a fourth in the same race. In the longer, round the cans racing that concluded the event, both scored bullets, meaning the title went to Rán by the tiniest margin.

“It is fantastic!” said Zennström. “We’ve won our class before [at this event] but never overall.

We had an amazing weekend so we are very pleased. It was fantastic sailing with good wind and good weather and also really good race management – we have nothing to complain about at all.”

The Skype founder was also enthusiastic about the new Grand Prix Zero class that encompassed all of the entrants competing in IRC One. “It has been really cool to have the other boats - the 43 and 46 etc - mixing it up. It works very well. With a few more boats, you get a critical mass on the start line.”

In their class, Rán ended the regatta nine points clear of Ian Atkins’ second-placed GP42

RICK TOMLINSON

IRC Nationals won by 0.005 of a point

Dark N Stormy and the third-placed young Dutch team on Van Uden.

While some of the Rán team – including Zennström, Tim Powell, Steve Hayles and Justin Slattery –have competed at the highest level in the Maxi 72, TP52 and FAST40+ classes, the crew is mixed with young, up-and-coming male and female sailors.

30-year-old British Match Racing Champion Mark Lees calls tactics. He said: “The boat is very good, but the team is the best I have been involved with. Niklas and Catherine [Zennström] have been fantastic in supporting young sailors and female sailors. The old guard are brilliant they have sailed together for years and are

super-experienced. We race hard, but there is a very good culture on board. I learn every day.”

After just losing out on the overall win, Adam Gosling and his crew on Yes! Were rewarded with the IRC Three win by seven points from John Smart’s J/109 Jukebox James Chalmers’ J/112e Happy Daize. Gosling said: “Rán sailed a really great regatta and they completely deserved to win. You only have to watch how they sail the boat. It is a master class.

“It is the first time we have been back on a sail boat since Cowes Week last year. We were supposed to have done some training weekends but the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations won out instead!”

Win Southampton Boat Show tickets We have teamed up with British Marine to offer the chance to win tickets for the Southampton International Boat Show, which takes place from 16-25 September.

The show’s new layout and expanded features will continue for 2022, encompassing everything from yachts to kayaks and paddleboards, plus tons of kit and sailing gadgets for you and your boat.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting is official media partner for the event and we’ll be bringing you a full preview in our coming issues, as well as online.

But meanwhile with luck you might get your show tickets sorted simply by entering our prize draw to win tickets, by clicking on the ‘competitions’ menu on our website at sailingtoday.co.uk

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

News

NEWS BRIEFS

PIP HARE OCEAN RACING/ OCEAN IMAGES

Southerly 48 completed Ocean Shipyard Limited was preparing to launch its first new build, the Southerly 48, as we went to press. The company, which took over the Discovery Shipyard site earlier this year, has another Southerly 48 and the first ever Southerly 42 still in build.

Pip blasts off in race around Iceland An average speed overnight of around 20 knots was enough to leave Britain’s Pip Hare in 19th place as the sun rose on the first morning of Vendée-Arctique Race, as we went to press.

The IMOCA fleet was sailing at a furious pace towards Iceland in the second edition of this 3,500-mile race, a qualifier for the Vendée-Globe 2024.

The first finishers are expected back in Les Sables d’Olonne around 25 June.

“Yes, yes, yes – we’re back!” were the jubilant words of Hare on her boat Medallia as she crossed the start shortly after 5pm on 12 June. “The race start was awesome, it’s just so good to be out here. I can’t wait to be out here for the next two weeks.

“Of course I want to do well – I’ll always be a competitor at heart – but success for us as a team is about what we’ve learned from the last race. It’s a long way to the next Vendée Globe in 2024, so I’m looking for consistent improvement over that time.

“The build up to this race has been really good – the team is working very well together and that’s

given me confidence. And the longer course of the Vendée-Arctique also lends itself to my style of sailing – I’m an endurance athlete rather than a sprinter, so an event that calls for resilience and stamina is much more my cup of tea.”

As if to back up her words, Hare revealed she had completed an ultramarathon through hilly Dorset shortly before leaving the UK. “The best average speed over 15 minutes last night was 29.4 knots,” reported Yann Chateau, assistant race director, on the first morning.

“The boat was going very hard last night,” said Swiss skipper Alan Roura on Hublot. “It’s a bit difficult to find a rhythm. I snacked on carrots because heating water is complicated. On the sleep side, I just managed to grab 20 minutes.”

Leading the pack on day 2 were the favourites Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée), Jérémie Beyou (Charal) and Charlie Dalin (Apivia), sailing at close to 30 knots at times.

Follow race progress on our website and we review the race in full in our next issue.

Pay by the day Burnham Week 2022 (above) is hoping to encourage entries after introducing a pay-by-the-day system. The popular English east coast regatta runs from 27 August to 3 September. burnhamweek.com 11th Hour Racing film Under the Hull, a documentary following the journey of the 11th Hour Racing Team in the Transat Jacques Vabre last year, was set to be released on the team’s YouTube channel on 15 June.

Medals for RNLI volunteers RNLI volunteers Alan Forrester (71) and David Leslie (77) received the Platinum Jubilee Medal, having completed 110 years of life-saving service betwen them. Both joined the charity in 1967 and already had the Silver (awarded in 1977), Golden (2002) and Diamond (2012) medals.

Club of the Year Nominations are open for the RYA and Yachts & Yachting Club of the Year Awards supported by Gallagher – and this year anyone can nominate any club, with a simplified process to encourage more entries. The public vote will be announced later in the year, with the winner announced at the RYA Dinghy and Watersports Show, 25-26 February 2023. Search for ‘Club of the Year’ on rya.org.uk Circumnavigation completed Australian sailor Mark Sinclair finished the 2018 Golden Globe Race in May, after stopping at home in Adelaide for three years, and then resuming his trip for a 174-day solo voyage to the finish line in France – just in time for the start of the next Golden Globe Race on 4 September, from Les Sables-d’Olonne.

PIP HARE OCEAN RACING/ OCEAN IMAGES

Big names are back INEOS Britannia have re-signed veteran Freddie Carr (below) as part of the grinding team and also flight controller Leigh McMillan, both of whom were in the 2020/21 America’s Cup crew. The next Cup will take place in Barcelona in 2024.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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News

Crews ready themselves for Round Britain & Ireland Race test Professional and amateur crews are lining up for one of the toughest tests in modern sailing, the non-stop Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race.

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s famously gruelling 1,800-miler starts from Cowes on 7 August, with IMOCAs, MOD70s, grand prix yachts and a record 15 double-handed crews which include one father-daughter team.

Roughly three times longer than the Rolex Fastnet Race, the course sends the competing teams around myriad headlands with the accompanying tidal strategies making navigation and tactics non-stop. Coupled with the notorious British and Irish weather, the Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race is arguably the toughest pro-am race in the world.

At least half of each boat’s crew must have completed a minimum of 500 miles of offshore racing within 18 months of the race start, including the skipper, to qualify.

“This is not a race like any other in the RORC Programme,” said RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone. “It is a very tough race in remote locations with a lot of navigational work required.

Ultimately the qualification process combined with the crew working together will result in success for the teams. This is not a race to put a crew together at short notice, it is a race for a well-seasoned and well-practiced team.”

The race is run every four years, with the overall winner decided by IRC time correction.

Antoine Magre, who was on 2018’s winning boat, Pata Negra, and will be racing this year on Class40 Palanad 3, said: “It is a very fast and a very harsh race; that is the attraction. You know you are going to have storms to deal with and it can be very wild and hostile. It is a complete race in terms of seamanship skills.”

Will Naylor will skipper the British Army Sailing Association’s Sun Fast 3600 Fujitsu, his fourth

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

time competing. He said: “There is no better sailing test of the military skills of leadership and teamwork. Getting round in one piece is down to the crew.”

Since the double-handed class for the race was introduced 12 years ago, 25 teams have started, but only nine have finished. This year Dee Caffari and Shirley Robertson are attracting the headlines as they join forces on a brand new Sun Fast 3300, RockIT. As well as her six circumnavigations including the Vendée Globe, Dee set the RB&I Women’s Monohull Course Record as skipper of IMOCA Aviva in 2009 and then broke that record as part of Sam Davies’s crew on the VO65, Team SCA, in 2014, finishing in just under five days.

She said: “Assuming a traditional clockwise direction, the first part is really good sailing in open water; past the Fastnet and onto the west coast of Ireland, that’s the enjoyable part, but then you get the stress.

“You are getting more tired when you reach the top of the course, Muckle Flugga. It is further north than Cape Horn is south and the two rocky outcrops are amazingly very similar.

“After that you come down the North Sea, scattered with oil rigs, wind farms, sand banks and shipping lanes. The pressure is really on when you are really tired, and probably a bit frustrated. It is no wonder that everyone finishes really broken. This race is all about management at multiple levels: management of yourself, your teammate and the boat.”

Two-times Olympic medalist Shirley said: “This race has a different kind of intensity –

racing for 2,000 miles is new to me. It is a long time, 24-7 with two people in a very small boat.

“We are going to have to pace ourselves, prioritise rest and really look after each other.

We need to be well prepped, think about everything in advance and have real confidence in the boat.”

Perhaps the most remarkable entry is father and daughter crew Jim and Ellie Driver, racing the Sun Fast 3300 Chilli Pepper, having placed 16th in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race.

Ellie is 20, studying Naval Engineering at Southampton University. She said: “Me and my dad get along really well and we have different skill sets and when we bring them together, we understand what each other needs.

“This has let us work out how to best sail the boat, it is a really special experience, but mum does have a few fits when we go offshore.”

Other double-handed competitors to watch include veteran Gavin Howe sailing with Lerwick RNLI lifeboat crew Maggie Adamson, Richard Palmer and Jeremy Waitt on the much-travelled JPK 10.10 Jangada (left), who were seventh in the recent RORC Transatlantic Race, as well as Rob Craigie and Deb Fish, who have raced together for seven years and have 20 Rolex Fastnet Races between them.

The race is separate to the Royal Western Yacht Club’s Round Britain and Ireland Yacht Race, which started on 29 May and which features stopovers.

See next issue for a full interview with Dee Caffari and Shirley Robertson. roundbritainandireland.rorc.org

Paralympics bid at crucial stage The bid to have sailing reinstated in the Paralympics is at a crucial stage, with governing body World Sailing submitting its application in June and the result known by the end of January 2023.

Sailing was featured in the Paralympic Games for 16 years between Sydney 2000 and Rio 2016, but after being dropped in 2015 it was not part of Tokyo 2020, it will not be part of the Paris Games in 2024 and the next chance is Los Angeles in 2028, where there will be 28 Olympic sports and 22 Paralympic sports.

World Sailing CEO David Graham said almost everybody at the organisation was involved in the bid, which must meet International Paralympic Committee criteria. World Sailing’s goals are to increase youth participation (below the age of 30) to 20% of total athletes and grow the number of female participants to 30% and ultimately to achieve gender parity.

Graham said: “We strongly believe our Para Sailing strategy is closely aligned to the IPC’s guiding principles and that we can deliver on the criteria set out in the IPC Questionnaire.

“It was made clear to us that the IPC Governing Board will take a much more active role into deciding which sports gain entry into LA28, and they are looking not only at fact-based evidence but a strong narrative to support the Paralympic Movement.

“Everyone is starting from the same position, no sports are guaranteed a place and we can absolutely demonstrate that Para Sailing is one of the most inclusive, diverse and universal sports on the planet today. Ultimately, the IPC Governing Board will decide which sports will be included at LA28 whether a sport meets all the set criteria or not. We will do our absolute best for our community to see Para Sailing reinstated at LA28.”

Meanwhile the RYA has launched a network aimed at increasing racing opportunities for disabled people in the UK and supporting sailing’s reinstatement in the Games. Packed with resources, training opportunities and advice, the hub will offer sailors, volunteers, coaches and supporters a place to come together as a community and grow the opportunities available. Search for ‘Para Sailing Hub’ on rya.org.uk

Position: The Ninja Cleaner

© Sailing Energy / Princesa Sofía Mallorca

An unholy mess has unfolded. Send in the Ninja Cleaner

The Ninja Cleaner is a useful crew member to have on board. Broaches can be messy. The Ninja Cleaner has the skills to get the mess sorted, quickly. Take this shot, from the Hempel World Cup Series Allianz Regatta in June. “Like, wtf just happened?!” Firstly, outward demeanour is key. Facial expressions, after all, say so much about our inner feelings. The mark of the great Ninja Cleaner is total calm when faced with postcapsize carnage. The Ninja Cleaner gets on with it, instantly liberating lines from indecipherable tangles, comprehending unholy mishmashes of sails and even, here, keeping one nifty foot on the tiller extension. The lesser sailor might, in this moment, be letting go some choice expletives. What we have here, however, is an experienced practitioner, who knows her role in re-ordering, in unmuddling. It’s a dishonourable mess that needs laundering fast. The Ninja Cleaner can do it.

The opposition know she’s deadly.

“The lesser sailor might be letting go some choice expletives...”

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Viewpoint

Para sailing for all The bid to restore sailing to the Paralympics is worthy, but there are wider issues that must be fixed

W

orld Sailing is in the midst of submitting its bid to have sailing reinstated to the Paralympics, a process which CEO David Graham is happy to say, in our article on page 11, is involving almost everybody in the organisation. World Sailing is well aware that the significance of the bid, for the sport and disabled sailing in general, could hardly be overstated.

That’s not to say that disabled sailing is in a shabby state. Far from it. In the UK, there are charities all around the coast offering places on sailboats for people with varying disabilities. Volunteers do sterling work at hundreds of sailing clubs, offering dinghy rides every weekend to those who would otherwise not be able to get afloat.

We are proud this year to be partnering with the Disabled Sailors Association, based in Portsmouth, whose catamaran Spirit of Scott Bader is one of the busiest boats on the Solent, out every day from March to late season, offering places aboard for people with all disabilities. Demand is such that the charity is fundraising for a new boat which would double its capacity.

The RYA has launched a Para Sailing Hub, offering advice and more with the aim of “increasing opportunities for disabled sailors to race and train, locally, nationally and internationally”.

And elite para sailing has continued apace, despite the disappointing Paralympic decision of six years ago. The number of countries fielding sailors in international para regattas has increased by 30%. At the Hansa World Championships in October 2021, 181 para sailors from 23 countries took part.

That kind of global participation will be key to the success of the bid, but World Sailing has plans to increase those figures well beyond the stipulations of the International Paralympic Committee. By next year it aims to have increased worldwide participation to 45 nations. There is also work to increase youth and female participation. The new U25 Para Sailing World Championships later this year include male/female crews.

There are 750 para sailors registered with World Sailing, so overall the numbers are tiny when compared, for instance, to the 14.6 million disabled people in the UK alone, but this is elite sport. The aim is participation and of the course the aim is medals, which in turn provide ongoing inspiration for countless others, older and younger. Our own writers Hannah Stodel and Helena Lucas are just two examples of successful Paralympic sailors who have become figureheads for the sport in general.

The picture, though, is not entirely rosy. At a grassroots level there is always a risk of box-ticking and number-counting –

organisations being more concerned with getting people afloat for 15-minute taster sessions than in real participation. These ‘passenger rides’ can provide great mental health benefits, but the beneficiaries are not actively sailing, any more than they’d be driving from the back seat of a car.

At club level, the general policy can sometimes be more segregatory than inclusive, with disabled sailing not part of regular club racing. That is not the case everywhere, with the common sight of the Challenger class the obvious example, but how often do you see a 2.4mR (or any other dinghy designed for disabled people) on the Thursday evening startline?

This raises another complaint – that many disabled sailing dinghies are too expensive for those who are on low or fixed incomes. That life costs more if you’re disabled is well known.

At club level, sharing equipment is one solution but it doesn’t always work out. In a revealing 2019 survey by the Disabled Sailors Association into the state of disabled sailing generally, one competitor said: “Having to wait for my boat while someone is taken for a ride in it is affecting my ability to practice for International events.”

Another said: “I have stopped going to the sailing club as groups of people coming for ‘a sensory experience’ monopolise the boats and I am restricted to 30 minutes of sailing time.”

Separately, you don’t have to dig far to find stories of patronising comments and even of disabled people being refused access by a ‘disabled sailing charity’. In the survey one sailor said: “I had a stroke and lost the use of my left arm, but I must look okay as I was refused by my local club because I was ‘not disabled’!”

Comments like these lift the lid on the untold story of disabled sailing. The headlines tell a very different tale and mislead the public into believing that ‘disabled sailing is okay, it’s happening’.

The nuances are only felt by those at the sharp end and the unfortunate conclusion that many disabled people come to is that “disabled sailing is run by able-bodied people with no mandate and who don’t understand”.

A successful bid to re-enter the Paralympics, creating (hopefully) those medal-winning moments that make the front pages, won’t improve things overnight, but as with so much in sport, it can create role models and pathways for others to follow. World Sailing will find out in six months if it’s been successful, but success now or not, people with all disabilities able to actively take part in all kinds of sailing, alongside able-bodied sailors, must be the real long-term aim.

“I was refused by my local club because I didn’t look disabled”

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

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New boats A look at the latest launches from around the globe Scuderia 65

Punch 1270 Speaking of obscure French boatbuilders, anyone out there remember Punch?

No, I’m not talking about the long running British satirical magazine but the rather rugged multihull boatbuilder based on the Caribbean island of Martinique. They built fast Alain Mortain designed catamarans out of epoxy ply with, ahem, a certain lack of finesse. Anyway, many models have stood the test of time and are still out there making fast passages. Now the company is back and first off the line will be a Punch 1270, a modernisation of the 1250. To improve the hull bottoms the 1270 will be strip planked, which allows rounded hulls and PET foam and biosourced resin will also be used. l multicap-algarve.com

Ovnicat 48 French boatbuilder Alubat is best known for its rugged Ovni range of aluminium swing keel ‘go anywhere’ monohulls. It is therefore perhaps understandable that when the company unveiled an all aluminium catamaran at the 2018 Multihull Show, interest was muted and the project appeared to be gently shelved. Yet, having gone to the expense of designing the Ovnicat, the manufacturers clearly feel that it is worthwhile pursuing the project and the boat is back on the agenda.

The relaunched boat retains the main characteristics of the initial project and will be built entirely in aluminum, except for the roof. l alubat.com

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Remember Harry Miesbauer?

Oh alright, me neither. Anyway, he’s an Austrian yacht designer based on the shores of Lake Como. He has his own web page and everything. Not only that but he has designed this rather impressive Scuderia 65. Not only that but he has had the boat built, launched and sailed – so he definitely means business. This all carbon monster was designed to cut a dash on the race course while also being comfortable and easy to sail. The results have been compelling and the boat has picked up results in events such as the Aegan 600, around the Greek islands, or the Cinquanta or the Barcelona Race. l masteryachting.com

Aeolos P30 The Aelos P30 is, if nothing else, most definitely a head turner with its startling looks certainly drawing the eye. It is, however, also a serious racing boat and the aim of the manufacturers was to produce a yacht that rated well in ORC and was capable of going well around the cans while also performing strongly in offshore double handed races. The emphasis is on light wind prowess and, to this end, displacement has been kept to an absolute minimum.

All boats are baked from carbon prepreg, a process frequently used in the automotive industry. It all adds up to a very light, tasty boat, weighing in at just 1.5 tons – not a lot for a 30 footer and, as a direct comparison, the Dehler 30 OOD weighs 2.8 tons.

Arsouin Hybrid 40 Ever heard of Jean-Pierre Bigot? Me neither but anyway, he’s clearly a big noise in his native France and he has put forward plans for an interesting new boat powered both by its sails and also an electric motor. The boat is designed for a couple and follows the formula of many

tough French go anywhere yachts, featuring a lifting keel, shallow chined hull made out of aluminium plus twin rudders. The new boat features a broad, open cockpit and twin tillers.

Down below the accommodation is roomy and clearly laid out with long range cruising in mind. l arsouinmarine.com

l aeoloscomposites.com Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cruising - Undiscovered Ionian

Undiscovered Ionian Tom Fletcher goes off the chart in the Ionian to share some charter skipper secrets in the popular sailing area

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

PHOTOS CLIVE LOUGHLIN/ISTOCK

h, the Ionian! Beloved of Brits since the time of Lord Byron. From the bustle of Fiscardo to the tranquility of Kastos, the Inland Sea is as familiar as the Solent to many sailors. And there lies the bane of the local charter skipper’s life!

Returning guests at Sail Ionian, where I work as a charter skipper, are always asking for new ideas on where to go.

Route plans can be challenging when a guest has sailed in the area every summer for the past ten years! However, if you’re willing to put in a little effort and sail a little further, then a raft of new options opens to you. Mainland Greece is an unexplored paradise compared with the Ionian islands circuit. Quiet harbours and amazing archaeological sites await, and I promise you won’t see a single flotilla.

The routes here vary in terms of difficulty and distance. They are primarily designed for the more experienced sailor, who has spent time in the Ionian before and is confident both stern-to mooring and long lining. Having said that, the first two routes are the easiest. They do not involve anything other than a long day’s sailing, being confident anchoring and leaving the boat. They could be added to a normal week in the Ionian. If you are chartering it is always a good idea to talk over routes like these with your company.

At Sail Ionian we would discuss your experience, and would try to make sensible recommendations based on that.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cruising - Undiscovered Ionian

A Diverting Stop on the Way to Corfu: Ammoudia & the Underworld!

Most yachts will aim to break the trip from Lefkada to Corfu by stopping on Paxos or at Parga. However, just south of Parga on the mainland lies the quiet, large bay of Ammoudia.

The bay is home to a small fishing village, a large sandy beach, and the mouth of the river Acheron. It is well sheltered and the holding is good in sand. Anchor in the lee of the north headland to benefit from its shelter once the afternoon winds pick up.

Always drop an excessive amount of scope and reverse well on the anchor to ensure it is firmly dug in before leaving the boat! Ammoudia is a lovely alternative to the busier stops, and also sets you up for a shore visit to both the Necromanteion and the Springs of Acheron.

The Necromanteion was an ancient Greek temple devoted to the god Hades and was believed to be the gate to hell! Only three miles from Ammoudia, the ruined temple is an entertaining shore trip. You can wander the ruins, and even follow in the footsteps of ancient people, who came to communicate with the dead.

Descending into a dark, spooky, underground chamber, reputed to be the entrance to the underworld itself.

Continuing inland a few more miles in a taxi will lead you to the Springs of Acheron. The small river flows through a picturesque mountain gorge, and you can wade up through the shallow cold water as far as you wish. Eventually you will have to swim and clamber over

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

rocks so take some wet shoes with you. It’s a beautiful place, and a great antidote to the heat of the summer. If you take a lilo or inflatable ring you can drift down sections of the river. It’s hard to see how the ancient Greeks believed Charon the ferryman would carry the souls of the dead across this beautiful river to the underworld.

The West Coast Escape: Day Beaches and the Big Blue

People tend to not even consider the west coast of the Ionian islands.

It’s as if the chart really does have ‘here be dragons’ written on it. Certainly, there are very few options for spending the night amongst the steep cliffs and beaches. As a day sail though, the western coasts of the outer islands are an exciting opportunity. On the whole, devoid of other yachts, the white cliffs and deep blue of the Ionian are a sight to behold.

I’ve swum from the back of a yacht here. On a flat calm day, a mile from the shore, with nothing on the horizon, we stopped the engine and leapt from the bathing

PREVIOUS PAGE

The stunning beach of Navagio or Shipwreck Bay on Zakynthos is one of many beauty spots of the Ionian - just don't expect to escape the crowds here!

ABOVE

The upper reaches of the River Acheron - none too hellish

BELOW

The anchorage off Ammoudia

platform. Sunbeams disappeared into the vertiginous depths below the keel. I’ll never forget it.

The west coast of Lefkada hosts the world-famous beaches of Egremni and Porto Katsiki. Egremni is easy to anchor off, with miles of white sand beneath sheer cliffs. Similarly, north western Kefalonia has spectacular Mirtos beach. Both Egremni and Mirtos are only a couple of hours’ sail from the nearest harbours.

They are best enjoyed early in the day, as after lunch it can become rolly and uncomfortable on anchor without shelter. Pick a day with light winds if you can, or ideally an atypical wind with easterly in it, and you’ll have less swell to worry about too. When choosing a spot to anchor, approach the beach very slowly and with a crew member on the bow. Depths generally shelve slowly, but the occasional massive boulder is visible in the clear water and must be avoided.

A Few Days Away from the Crowds: The Gulf of Amvrakikos

I remember the first time Preveza dropped astern as I was entering the Gulf of Amvrakikos. One of my guests asked me if we were going the right way and where all the other yachts were! Warnings in the pilot book about shallow depths and shifting sandbanks only emphasized the feeling of exploring a new area. It is a real contrast to the Ionian with its deep, clear sea. In fact, Amvrakikos’ main drawback is the brackish water, which means it’s not for everyone. If you want clear water for swimming stay away. But what it lacks in one area, it makes up for in another.

Quiet harbours, amazing seafood and deserted ruins make for a

refreshing adventure. Part of the area is also a nature reserve, and bird and marine life abound. It’s common to see both dolphins and turtles here.

The Gulf opens up once past Preveza, which has a beautiful small old town just behind the seafront. It was the scene of a huge naval battle, between the combined forces of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra against the Roman Emperor Augustus. The ruined city of Nikopolis, founded after Augustus’ victory, can be visited, but much of it is sorely neglected. Beware of fish farms and lobster pots and always keep a close eye on the depth gauge, particularly when anchoring near the ruins. Charted depths can be out of date here. Anchorages are easy to find though, and you will usually be the only yacht in sight! The holding is generally good with thick mud, but make sure you get through the weed.

The main port of call is the harbour of Vonitsa. Towering above the town, and visible from afar, is an old Venetian castle. Mooring here is easy with lazy-lines and there are the tavernas and shops you’d expect from a small Greek seaside town. Around a mile east

of Vonitsa is a beautiful anchorage called Koukouvitsa. A small chapel on a promontory is joined to the shore with a pretty bridge. Depths are generally around 5m and holding is pretty good, if a little weedy.

After a night here, head to the north of the Gulf, to Koronisia for lunch. Go slowly, and pay close attention to depths around this small island, which is joined to the shore by a causeway. Do not attempt to get into the small harbour unless you have a draft well under 1.5m! I usually anchor off the eastern shore in 3–5m. The reason you are here is for the local Ambracian shrimps! Huge, great big, juicy prawns caught that morning, grilled over charcoal in front of you. Seated at a taverna resembling a beach shack, this is back-water Greece at its finest. The local wine is only for the brave though!

A Week Off the G121 Chart: The Gulf of Corinth

Very few yachts make the trip into the Gulf of Patras. Fewer still continue into the Gulf of Corinth with the Corinth Canal currently

ABOVE LEFT

The beach of Egremni on the west coast of Lefkas - an uncluttered anchorage

ABOVE RIGHT

Kioni on the island of Ithaca - very beautiful but very much on the flotilla trail so consequently quite busy

BELOW LEFT

Koronisia - a nice stop off for lunch in the gulf of Amvrakikos

BELOW RIGHT

Vonitsa - another Amvrakikos delight

closed. As an antidote to the busy Ionian, it can be very refreshing. I would suggest four or five nights to get the flavour. Though you could extend that, and once the Canal re-opens it is a spectacular trip through. The south coast is dotted with beach resorts and the city of Patras itself. The northern shore, however, is more mountainous and has some interesting ports of call.

When taking a charter yacht out of the Inland Sea area the main concern is the lack of support. At Sail Ionian we offer immediate support with a fast RIB from Lefkas town in the north, to Kefalonia in the south. Most other charter companies offer a similar area.

Outside of this area a degree of self-reliance is expected as support times will be much longer. Make sure your yacht is well maintained, and your charter company offers additional spare parts for easy fixes.

The first leg of this route is a longer sail than many in the area are used to. Set off from Vathi on Ithaca or alternatively Kalamos. From either you should have the typical NW wind behind you. It is around 25nm to Petalas Bay where you can spend

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cruising - Undiscovered Ionian

the first night in splendid isolation, feeling like you have already escaped the crowds. There are no tavernas or facilities here. Just drop the hook in the northern bay in around 3-5m and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Holding is good in thick mud and weed. Petalas is a nature reserve and a great place for bird spotting.

The second day’s sailing is a similar distance, your destination is Messolonghi and the entrance to the Gulf of Patras. This small, marshy town with old houses built on stilts was the place of Lord Byron’s death.

It is also home to some of the best seafood in Greece. The entrance to the harbour, and small marina, is along a dredged channel. Clearly buoyed, it is easy enough to navigate.

The next day you will enter the Gulf of Corinth. At the narrowest point, the north and south of mainland Greece are joined by the spectacular Rion Antirion bridge. Over 2km long with towers 160m high, it is one of the biggest cable-stayed bridges in the world.

It really is quite an experience to sail beneath. The feeling that your mast might not clear the bridge may just be an illusion, but it’s an exciting one! Be careful as winds in the narrow channel can be strong and gusty. There is a VHF procedure detailed in the pilot book to ensure you pass beneath a designated arch to separate traffic.

14nm further into the Gulf the small island of Trizonia lies close to the northern shore. Aristotle Onassis originally wanted to buy

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Trizonia before he settled on Skorpios. The island could have been very different but as it is, it is a sleepy back-water with a contented community of liveaboard residents.

The big bay on the eastern side of the island is home to a long-neglected marina. The water hides many a lost lazy-line so be careful. If the weather allows, long-line onto the outside of the breakwater and save yourself the worry. A short walk reveals a charming little village with a few cafes, tavernas and a little beach.

Trizonia has a lazy atmosphere as it bakes in the summer heat. To my mind, this is what the Ionian must have been like before my time.

You will have the water more or less to yourself for a nice day sailing, before reaching Galaxidi the next afternoon. After around 15nm due east, consult the pilot book for some bearings to help navigate between the small islands at the harbours entrance. Galaxidi

ABOVE

Galaxidi, deep in the Gulf of Patras

BELOW

The ruins of Delphi can are about an hour away from Glaxidi by taxi and well worth the trip

is a pretty enough harbour, with a modern Greek portico that makes it stand out. Moor stern to along the main quay, it’s a little bit tight to get the anchor where you want it, but not too bad. Galaxidi is a relatively busy tourist town, but is worth a stop for a shore-based expedition. The ruins of Delphi lie around an hour’s taxi journey from the harbour, and should not be missed. Delphi was one of the most important sites in classical Greece, and hosted its most famous oracle. The ruins of temples and city-states treasuries cling to the side of a mountain. The site is on the hitlist for most tours of Greece though, so don’t expect it to be quiet.

If you get there early you can beat the crowds, and the heat of the day.

On an aside, the area near Delphi is also very pretty. Mount Parnassos hosts Greece’s largest ski resort. Yes, you can ski here, Greece has 25 ski resorts! Arachova, just five miles past Delphi, is a pretty but cosmopolitan little mountain resort. Particularly in winter when Athenians flock to the slopes.

Back on board for the return leg west to the Ionian, head for charming Nafpaktos. The old harbour entrance is very pretty with its ancient fortifications. The harbour itself is very small and it’s easier to anchor off though you can get in on a yacht if you’re confident and spot a space.

If anchoring off, drop a good amount of scope. The afternoon katabatic winds can pick up quickly while you are ashore. A panicked dinghy ride back from a leisurely lunch is so undignified! The town is chic, with harbour-front restaurants, and is overlooked by a castle. A popular

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Cruising - Undiscovered Ionian

weekend destination for shore-based tourists, but not many yachts stop here. Nafpaktos used to be known by its Venetian name, Lepanto, and was the scene of a famous naval battle in the 16th Century.

A Southern Ionian Odessey: Zakynthos and Katakolon for Olympia

Zakynthos is a much quieter yachting destination than the central and northern Ionian islands. Though its main harbours are not as pretty, it has its highlights, and has more than enough to keep a sailor busy for a week or so. Most people’s first port of call, when crossing from Kefalonia, is the small island and port of Ay. Nikolaos on the north east shore.

There is usually space to go stern to on the southern quay, but watch you don’t take a space used by a ferry or day trip boat. It is a nice, relaxed stop for the night, however be careful of the price of the fish in the tavernas, they have a reputation for overcharging. A visit to postcard famous Navigo Bay with its shipwreck is easy from here, and is best early in the day before the tour boats arrive.

Zakynthos’ eastern shore is littered with anchorages and warrants exploring at a leisurely pace. Spend a slow day enjoying all it has to offer whilst making your way south to the large Laganas Bay. The area is a turtle sanctuary, the pilot book explains the regulations on where you can anchor. It’s not uncommon to see the turtles from an anchored yacht here. Laganas itself, unfortunately, is a busy, loud resort town. However, find the stunning beach bar on tiny Cameo Island at the south west end of the main beach, which is well worth a visit.

Around 20nm southeast of Zakythos lies Katakolon on the mainland Peloponnese coast.

The harbour itself has nothing to write home about. In the summer months it is a port of call for cruise ships. Thankfully they depart in the evnings and leave the harbour much quieter for the overnight yachtsman. The reason for a stop here is that it allows you take a trip ashore to explore the classical Greek ruins of Olympia. Olympia was host to the first classical Olympic Games from the 8th Century BC and was one of the most important locations in ancient Greece. With over 70 ruined buildings it is a fascinating site and you can easily spend a day wandering its ancient streets.

Returning north to the Ionian up the mainland coast would present Messolonghi or Petalas, mentioned earlier, as convenient stops to avoid re-tracing your steps and break the journey.

Finally, a word of caution.

As stated, some of these destinations are only suitable for the more experienced sailor.

Anchoring in deep water with a weedy seabed can be difficult even for professionals. It’s best to discuss

ABOVE LEFT

Olympia is within range if you stop off at Katokolon on the Peloponnese mainland

ABOVE RIGHT

Being confident in the art of long lining is vital if you want to get off the beaten track

BELOW

Cameo Island off Zakynthos has an excellent beach bar

About the author: Tom Fletcher has worked for Sail Ionian for the past 11 years. He has sailed extensively in the area, skippering adventure sailing weeks circumnavigating the Peloponnese, and likes nothing more than taking a yacht off the beaten track. Go to sailionian.com for full details on chartering.

these options if you are chartering, before attempting them. Remember the company you have rented from will offer limited engineering support out of the immediate Inland Sea area too. So, whilst you may not encounter dragons, be careful not to create your own, while you are a long way from assistance. A well-equipped and well-maintained yacht is therefore a necessity. Firstly, ensure you have 60m plus of chain and a good anchor, at Sail Ionian we find Rocnas are the best for the local seabed. Secondly, check your GPS and chart coverage for the areas you’re looking at. You will also need a Greek Waters pilot book.

Third, don’t set off without full fuel and water tanks – harbours off the beaten track have far fewer facilities.

Finally, be prepared that you may have to deal with your own problems if they come up. For example, will you be capable of freeing a rope from your propeller if you need to?

The weather conditions will also dictate your options. If you are going to be heading into the Gulf of Patras you can expect different weather patterns from the Inland Sea. You will also need to look further ahead than just for the next couple of days. Ensure you can get both to your destination, and back, without encountering bad weather. Meteo. gr is the national weather website and has good wind maps in English.

A good charter company will offer advice in this area too, and maybe even a weather forecast by text message each morning!

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cowes Week

Tech to impress

In recent years, Cowes Week has pioneered high tech solutions to solve race course dilemas. We spoke to Regatta Director Laurence Mead for a special insight aurence Mead, Regatta Director at Cowes Week likes to call the event “196 years young” and the “world’s most technically advanced regatta”. So, is there truth to that bold claim or not? He likes to say that the goal is “world class regatta racing” and trying to manage 700 boats over 40 different races every day certainly does require a different

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

approach to your average boat race if that goal is going to be met.

It was not unknown in the old days for competitors to be sent round a race mark to port whilst other fleets were using the same marks around to starboard. Not ideal! Mead is quick to point out that that type of incident is from a previous century, but exactly what technology does Cowes Week use to run the regatta?

ABOVE

Race action from last year, when innovations included daily skippers briefings

FACING, TOP

Laurence Mead is Regatta Director

FACING

Tech innovations have removed the guesswork from course navigation

Unique challenge

Upgrading the technology started 25 years ago with an early attempt at automating the course setting process, and after several iterations that now works very well. Feedback from competitors, which the regatta seeks after racing every day, shows that improvement, with satisfaction on the courses often in the high 80% range. The course setting software gives predicted finish times by class,

PHOTOS C/O COWES WEEK/PAUL WYETH

makes sure that no major clashes occur on the racecourse and gives the race team wind angles for all the different legs at a glance. The problem comes with those pesky windshifts however. With so many boats on so many different race courses it’s impossible for the race team to make changes and a 25° shift, not unknown in sailing, turns a broad reach with a spinnaker into a fetch with white sails only, the one wind angle most classes still prefer to avoid. That said, many of the bigger IRC boats have invested in all sorts of flying jib arrangements and in 2021 Class Zero had a long fetch back from Lymington in Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cowes Week

20kn of southerly breeze which the crews enjoyed as they got to set, in some cases, three jibs in front of the mast on the way back.

The race team run a series of war game training days prior to the event so little subtleties, like the need to widen the wind angle for classes with big asymmetric spinnakers as the wind builds is taken into account. The big issue, which technology still can’t deal with easily, is a dying sea breeze leaving fleets stranded. More work is being done on the average speed tracking to better predict shorten course requirements which is the main area of focus in 2022.

Cowes Week also makes changes to the starting procedure and

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

it’s often a hot topic at the Cowes Week sailing committee meetings according to Mead. Careful readers of the sailing instructions will know that be X-Ray flag remains up for four minutes after a class start, rather than being lowered when the offending boats have returned.

This is because Cowes Week runs a sophisticated VAR review system and can isolate each individual boat over the start line early by replaying video frame-by-frame to track even the top of a mast where the numbers can’t be seen. By the time the boats all get back the team will have worked their magic and identified the offending OCS boats. The simple fact is that general recalls make a mess of any start sequence but when that is two

ABOVE

Sophisticated start line technology ensures slick race operations but it still takes more than two hours to get all classes away

BELOW

Competitor satisfaction rates are high, thanks to the organisers' willingness to employ new technology

BELOW RIGHT

The regatta's social side remains legendary and there's a great line-up for 2022

hours 20 minutes long they need to be avoided at almost all cost. Cowes Week start line VR system means that this can become a reality. It also means that competitors need to think about the start in a different way, accepting that a clean start is even more important than ever.

Going further

It’s not unusual these days to be given a QR code to download a WhatsApp group to receive communications from the race officials, but Cowes Week has gone considerably further writing its own App. The CW App both shares common information and also sends specific information to different boats, based on the code they are given to input by the

Essential info: Cowes Week 2022 Dates: Saturday 30 July – Friday 5 August Times: Racing from 10am daily Entry: You can enter on a ‘daily’ or ‘whole regatta’ basis via cowesweek.co.uk. Enter before Friday 22 July to avoid late entry charges.

Sailing Instructions: Available online from 22 July – make time to read them carefully!

Skippers’ briefings: Make sure you’re there! Full details available with Sailing Instructions.

First timer? Be sure to watch Cowes Week and The Cruising Association’s video with plenty of advice, via cowesweek.co.uk

race team. These codes identify the class of boat which means the fully automated system can send data straight from the course setting computer system, through the App direct to competitors.

Text messages are often delayed in the ether whereas the app messages are much more reliable.

The system also sends course length and bearing to each mark so the old-fashioned battle at Cowes Week, to either read course boards or write down the course from a radio message, is long gone.

The event also runs three hours of live TV online every day, showing all of the starts and some of the finishes and that is also in line for an upgrade in 2022. Borrowing shamelessly

from Sky’s coverage of Formula One the team plan to have live dock walk interviews with competitors, as well as a much enhanced Musto Morning Briefing, an initiative started in 2021. That morning briefing will be the first opportunity for competitors to get an idea of the race team's plans for the day, as well as understand the wind scenarios that the race teams are looking at.

No two weather models ever align completely of course so Cowes Week has a professional meteorologist to make sense of all of the data as well as look at local conditions.

All in all, Cowes Week is indeed 196 years ‘young’ and - outside of the battle for the Auld Mug - the world’s most technically advanced regatta.

ABOVE

Commentary is broadcast live from the race course via Cowes Week Radio, and there's also daily live TV coverage

BELOW

Young sailors from the Scaramouche Sailing Trust will once again have the opportunity to take part

Remember: All entrants or their representatives must register in person at the Regatta Centre (18 Bath Road, behind the Bandstand on Cowes Parade) before the end of their protest time limit on the day of their first race.

Special trophies: As well as daily, class and group prizes, boats can enter for a number of special trophies, including Musto Young Skipper’s Trophy (U25s), Newcomers Trophy, Ariel Trophy for Best Female Helm and Mermaid Trophy for best all-female crew on Women’s Day (2 August), Britannia Salver for sportsmanship, and the Sailing Today Trophy for the best performance cruiser.

Spectators: Non-sailors should head to the Royal Yacht Squadron for the best vantage point of the racing, or of course, get afloat! RIB rides and Spectator Boat Tours are bookable via cowesweek.co.uk.

Tune in to Cowes Week Radio for race action commentary.

Party time: See cowesweek.co.uk for full shoreside programme, which in cludes the not-to-be-missed Opening Party with DJ Mark Covell on the decks, as well as the overall prize-giving on Friday 5 August.

Look out for: Water filling stations and improved waste recycling around the town – part of the regatta’s sustainability programme, run in partnership with Sailors for the Sea, Clean Seas and The Green Blue.

Official charity partners: Jubilee Sailing Trust will have it’s 65m tall ship S/V Tenacious at the regatta – not competing!

– and sailors from the Scaramouche Sailing Trust will be in action on the water.

Questions? Ask Laurence directly via cowesweek.co.uk Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cruising - Jurassic Coast

Clive Loughlin plans a mid-tide weekend visit to the land of the dinosaurs

Go Jurassic for the weekend aving previously planned weekends in the Solent based around neaps (ST October 2021) and springs (ST May 2022), and midway between springs and neaps (ST July 2022), this article is based on a trip roughly mid-way between neaps and springs. I am assuming a prevailing SW wind of F4-F5.

The idea is that someone with a berth up the River Hamble

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

arrives at their boat on Friday afternoon, and needs to be back there by Sunday afternoon. With relatively minor variations it should also work for those with berths anywhere within the Solent area.

About time

The timings of high and low water at springs and neaps are always the same within about an hour, and change predictably each day between springs and neaps – so what follows should work for

BELOW LEFT

A map of the key marks and stopovers on the Jurassic Coast

BELOW RIGHT

With the wind from the SW, if we sail west on port tack, the tidal stream will take us where we want to go. (source: UKHO)

dates midway between neaps and springs, or a few days either side.

As the first half of the passage involves heading west, a bit of tacking will be required, but at least there is the prospect of a downwind return trip to balance the books.

This particular weekend will clock up close to 100nm, so I would not suggest it for a novice crew or if the weather is unkind – but for those with an adventurous disposition who are looking for a temporary escape from the Solent, it will be both

unforgettable and very satisfying.

I leave it to you to do the necessary passage planning, pilotage and secondary port tidal height calculations for your specific adventure.

PHOTOS CLIVE LOUGHLIN/ISTOCK

Planning

As always my starting point for passage planning is to make multiple copies of the Solent and Central S England tidal stream pages from the almanac, and then fill in the times (I prefer to use BST), so I have an hour-by-hour snapshot of what is flowing where for the whole of the weekend. The Admiralty Tidal Stream Atlas ‘The Solent and adjacent waters’ (NP 337) provides more detail and is well worth having – especially for tidal offset calculations.

This particular passage plan starts on Friday 8th July 2022.

This happens to be bang on neaps, but the plan should work for any weekend that starts a few days after neaps, with everything getting later by about 30-50 minutes each day.

Escape the Solent

The main aim for this weekend is to escape the Solent and venture as far west as we can manage in a weekend, while still having a fun time and not leaving the crew exhausted.

The aim of the voyage is to visit the truly spectacular Jurassic coast. This treasure is ‘guarded’ by St Alban’s Ledge, and safe passage beyond the ledge requires either that we go round it, go through it, or sneak through via the inside passage about 0.1nm off the Head.

Avoiding the Ledge altogether necessitates a diversion of about 4nm to the south before then heading back towards the coast, which all adds extra miles to an already tight schedule.

The other disadvantage of going further offshore is that the whole area is within the Lulworth Firing Range and therefore not to be trifled with.

ABOVE

The Jurassic Coast – shaped by dinosaurs

The Lulworth Ranges Information for Mariners 202

Don’t get shot

The good thing about doing a passage to the Jurassic coast at the weekend is that the firing range is normally (but not always) inactive. It is important to confirm this for your particular passage either by checking www.gov.uk for ‘Lulworth firing times’ or phoning 01929 404714.

The firing range is not particularly clearly marked on electronic charts where a collection of lightly dashed orange lines are labeled ‘D026’ which refers to a ‘Sea Danger Area’. Fortunately the Almanac provides far more useful information, and is my main source of reference, together with the MOD publication ‘The Lulworth Ranges Information for Mariners 2022’ (https://www.sailingtoday. co.uk/news/lulworth-firing-rangeswhen-you-can-sail-past-safely/).

For this article I am assuming you will not be shot at. However, if you ever find yourself passing this way when the range is active, spare a thought for the poor souls in the Range Safety Boats that are

Range Control, Lulworth Camp, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 5QF

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Cruising - Jurassic Coast

obliged to ride out the tumult of the St Alban’s Race in full swing.

The adventure begins

The aim for Friday afternoon/ evening is simply to get to the very user friendly and strategically located Yarmouth Harbour.

I am assuming SW winds, and so sadly this is one of those occasions when getting the engine on is probably the sensible option for the Friday evening. With luck you can raise the main and motorsail at 35° to the true wind to steady the boat, hopefully gain about 1kn, and at least give the illusion of sailing.

Assuming a mid-late afternoon start, the tidal stream in the Solent will initially be flowing east. However as it is close to neaps it should only have about 1 knot against if you stick to shallow water. I would tend to hug the northern shore and keep 5m or less under my keel.

Once the tidal stream has turned in your favour (1800 on 8th July 2022), head out to deep

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

water to get maximum benefit and recover some of the distance you lost to the contrary tidal stream.

Tomorrow will be a long day and needs an early start.

Saturday – Needles, Points and Ledges

It is about 25nm from Yarmouth to St Albans Head. Assuming 5 knots boat speed and a modest 1knot from a favourable tide, the passage should take just over 4 hours, or a bit longer if tacking is required.

The aim is to be in the Needles Channel at slack water (0630 on the 9th July 2022), or a bit earlier before the ebb sets in to the west. Note that for today’s sail, assuming wind from SW, you will have ‘wind against tide’ for the majority of the day.

The danger areas for ‘wind against tide’ are the Needles Channel and St Alban’s Ledge.

By setting off at slack water we can get through the Needles Channel before the tidal stream gets going, and so should have a smooth ride - albeit under engine.

ABOVE

Swanage Bay provides a sheltered anchorage with winds from the SW

BELOW LEFT

What all the fuss is about - rough seas over St Alban’s Ledge

BELOW RIGHT

St Alban’s Ledge extends 4nm from the headland (Source: Navionics - not to be used for navigation)

Plan B

If the wind is strong it might be best to leave the passage for another day. This is a judgement call for the skipper considering the boat and crew’s appetite. One option is to see how it goes, and then make an executive decision on the way over to St Alban’s Head. If the passage is proving to be hard work, I would head for Studland Bay and/or Poole Harbour and then come up with a Plan B.

Best course to windward You should be clear of the Needles Channel within about an hour of leaving Yarmouth, and the tidal stream will be starting to build and heading almost exactly SW for a classic wind-against-tide passage.

I would probably start off on a port tack, heading roughly due west and make best course to windward.

The tidal stream will conveniently push the boat south, and if the gods are smiling you should find yourself heading for Swanage.

Swanage Bay makes a delightful

and well-sheltered anchorage for a revitalizing coffee before facing St Alban’s Ledge. Admire the quintessential seaside resort and drop your hook to the north of the Victorian Pier. Catch your breath here before setting off to tackle the inshore passage, which has a very useful weak east-going back eddy 4 hours before HW Portland (1122 on 9th July 2022).

The inshore passage is quite narrow and very close to the headland. I aim to keep about 0.1nm off, with 10m under my keel. The passage is brief, and with St Alban’s Ledge astern you can then relax and wonder what all the fuss was about.

All about tides

The tides and tidal streams for the Jurassic coast are often referenced to HW Portland and/or the adjacent Weymouth. There is roughly a 5 hour difference between HW Portsmouth and HW Portland – so it is best not to get them muddled up.

My favourite guide for detailed tidal planning in this area is ‘Tidal

Cruising - Jurassic Coast

Streams between Portland Bill and St Alban’s Head’ (peter-bruce.com).

Google research

Although charts (digital or paper) are the primary sources of reference, I must admit to finding Google Earth exceedingly useful and interesting, and never more so than for the bays and coves of the Jurassic Coast.

These give me an excellent ‘feeling’ for the approach, and I particularly like that they often include boats for a user-friendly impression of scale. Print off copies before you go and have them on hand in the cockpit as you make the approach.

Scenic tour

The tidal stream will soon start flowing east and I recommend going for the full Jurassic experience and heading straight for Durdle Door, which is 9nm west of St Alban’s Head. Durdle Door is probably the most photographed natural arch in the UK. Sadly the best view is from land, but it is still worth a look – if only to marvel at the

ABOVE LEFT

Lulworth Cove looks like it's purpose made for anchoring but can deliver a nasty surge

ABOVE RIGHT

Approaching Lulworth Cove

BELOW LEFT

The author leaving Lulworth Cove in blustery conditions

BELOW RIGHT

Peacefully anchored in Mupe Bay

queues heading down the cliff path to join the wall-to-wall humanity that has already invaded the beach.

Let the tide take you the 1nm east to Lulworth Cove and pop in through the narrow entrance for a spectacular experience. Lulworth Cove is somewhat compact, being only 200m across. I tend to take crew into Lulworth Cove and do a slow u-turn in the centre of the cove, while everyone soaks up the beauty of the place – and then depart.

In very mild conditions it is possible to anchor in Lulworth Cove, but it is subject to swell with winds from the SW. Stay near the centre of the Cove to avoid the shallow ledges on either side of the entrance.

Time for lunch

By now (about 1430 on 9th July 2022) everyone will be ready for a break and a well-earned lunch.

Head just over 1nm further east from Lulworth Cove and enter the much quieter, but still jaw-dropingly beautiful Worbarrow Bay. Mupe Bay at the far west of Worbarrow

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Cruising - Jurassic Coast

Bay provides good shelter from the SW. Give Mupe Rocks a safe margin and then tuck yourself in close to the beach and drop your hook with 4m under your keel.

You can then either stay in Worbarrow Bay until it is time to head for home, or alternatively make your way sedately east before ending up in Chapman’s Pool (if conditions are mild) to await the slackening of the flood tide.

My preference is to chill out in Worbarrow Bay for a couple of hours: plenty of time for a leisurely lunch and a swim, or to get the dinghy and go ashore for a walk up to the top of the cliffs, from where you will be able to take some spectacular photos of your boat in the anchorage below.

Time to head back

A good time to head east across St Alban’s Ledge is 3 hours after HW

Portland on the last of the flood.

On 9th July 2022 this is at 1822.

Don’t let the views distract you from navigational prudence as you leave Worbarrow Bay. Keep 10m under your keel and 0.5nm offshore, to avoid the grasping fingers of Kimmeridge Ledge.

Keep a good lookout for lobster pots, as you head east over St Alban’s Ledge via the inshore passage.

Keep as close as you dare to the headland to seek out the narrow band of relatively smooth water.

Follow the coast round for another 10nm keeping about 1nm offshore, round Anvil Point, Peveril Ledge, and past Swanage.

Then head for Handfast Point for a close(ish) encounter with Old Harry and his Wife.

You could press on a further 5nm to a marina in Poole Harbour, but by now it will getting a bit late (2030

ABOVE

A good aerial view of Old Harry Rocks looking toward Poole Harbour

BELOW

Studland Bay provides a superb anchorage in prevailing winds

on 9th July 2022), and if conditions are mild I would suggest staying the night in Studland Bay. A wellearned beer or glass of wine will taste extra sweet with Old Harry in the background and the smells of supper wafting up into the cockpit.

Grass and horses

Clive Loughlin teaches for First Class Sailing in the Solent area and is a regular Sailing Today contributor.

Studland Bay is a designated Marine Conservation Zone because of its seagrass beds and long-snouted seahorse population. There is a voluntary no anchor zone in the southern half of the bay. I would encourage you to stay within the spirit of conservation and either anchor in the north half of the bay, or preferably pick up one of the special mooring buoys (10T limit) that are for public use and free of charge, having been installed by Boatfolk and the Seahorse Trust.

Watch your depth in the north of the bay and be aware of the training wall that extends south from Shell Bay.

Sunday - heading home Fortune favours the brave and the early riser, because the aim is to sail the 17nm to Lymington before the contrary ebb tide gets established (0830 on 10th July 2022).

If you oversleep the 0500 wakeup call, hug the coastline and take the North Channel route to Hurst Point – but you will still face a painfully slow final few miles.

Duck into Lymington’s Town Quay for a general chill while the ebb tide does its thing. Then sneak out just after lunch to ride the flood tide back to the Hamble.

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Paul Heiney Every boat comes replete with its own set of niggles designed to drive the owner slowly mad. Yet sometimes there is a quick fix that has been staring you in the face voyage after voyage

I

suppose that somewhere in the world there is the perfect boat entirely free from niggles, by which I don’t mean major design faults that might imperil your life, but rather little things that make you curse on a daily basis, drive you to distraction, and have you sticking pins in images of the boat builder. If there is such a boat, I have certainly never owned it.

Niggles are those little things that can completely spoil your day, and your temper. On my boat for example, I was often driven to distraction by the lazy jib sheet dropping down the leeward shroud into the scuppers to lay there quite innocently until it was time to tack when it would wake from its slumbers and immediately snag itself beneath the bottle screw - it’s what they call attention seeking. A journey forward was called for, which was not always a dry experience. I’d pondered ways of curing this but didn’t fancy wrapping the bottle screws in tape, so decided that I was just going to have to live with it.

Then came a chap, versed in the ways of old squarerigged sailing ships, who came up with an inspired diagnosis. ‘Oh, this used to happen on all the old sailing ships. So much rope, so many things to snag.’ And then he told me what to do about it. ‘What you need,’ he said, ‘ is a timenoguy’, which you should pronounce as ‘timonoggy’ if you want to prove what an old salt you are. I paused. It was new to me. Still, if that’s what he thought I’d have to get one. But where from? Had I seen one on the web pages of those big online chandleries? I ought to phone them, but what if they asked what size I wanted or, more likely, just laughed?

And then he said, ‘I’ll make you one. Have you got a bit of cord? Or even string?’ The magic trick he then performed as to hitch the line to the shroud, and then across to the nearby guardrail so there was now no gap for the lazy sheet to drop into. Isn’t that genius? That sheet could never be trapped again.And isn’t equally baffling why such a simple, cheap and effective idea seems to have faded into history when so much annoyance could have been spared by the deployment of something so simple.

I wonder if it is because we have become so used to chandlers offering us an expensive solution to the simplest of problems, that we have come to believe that anything so cheap and basic could possibly be of any use? I suppose that instead of wasting time writing this I should now be talking to designers, packagers, coming up with a catchy name like ‘Miracle Sheet Saver’ and stuffing them into those hard, transparent plastic packages which rip your fingers when you try to open them. What do you reckon? £19.99 for a packet of four? Sit back and watch the money roll in.

There are simple ideas like this to be found on almost every boat because there’s no such thing as a boat without a niggle. I once asked a chap why he kept a small sink plunger by his bunk? Serious plumbing problems of a personal nature? No, it was because it was an easy way to lift the floorboards to reveal that part of the bilge that kept his beer, and his temper, cool.

‘Miracle Boat Floor Lifter’ anyone?

Got to be at least thirty quid a throw.

Most of my good ideas, or niggle-savers (another marketable title), have been nicked from others, like the seat made simply from two bits of plywood which drop into the slides usually reserved for the washboards. It provides a perfect and comfortable spot on which to perch in soggy weather, dry under the spray hood, feet in the warmth of the cabin and a clear view forward, and sight of the instruments on the chart table as well. That’s my ‘Miracle Hatch Seat’ and since it involves two pieces of plywood will have to come in at not a penny less than seventy quid. Any takers?

All of which preamble brings me to my very best idea of all, which I claim to be truly original so don’t even think of nicking my copyright. This ingenious innovation is the addition of an empty spice jar living somewhere near the galley stove and held in a clip so it can be easily removed. You’re wondering aren’t you? It’s to hold the used matches after you’ve lit the stove, silly, and the possibility of a fire must be considered if you throw them in the bin full of wrapping from your latest chandlery delivery. It’s called the ‘Miracle Match Saver’ in case you’re wondering. Price on application.

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ILLUSTRATION CLAIRE WOOD

‘Niggles are those little things that can completely spoil your day, and your temper’

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Andy Rice From RS Elites to Farr 40s to Olympic Kite boarding, when it comes to choosing race formats, finding the right formula can be a tricky task

O

ssie Stewart started hounding Russell Peters at least 30 minutes before the starting sequence had got underway.

It was the final race of the RS Elite National Championships, taking place in the mid Solent and hosted by the Royal Yacht Squadron.

Russell, along with his long-time crew mates Greg Wells and Jimmy G, had been the fastest boat in the 42-strong fleet of Elites, a three-person narrow keelboat originally designed by Phil Morrison for short-tacking up Chichester Harbour. In a straight line, Russell and his bunch of heavies were unstoppable although the much lighter crew of Ossie Stewart, his son Tom and the legendary talent of Geoff Carveth were somehow making their Elite point directly into the wind despite the worst of the Solent chop.

Without actually winning a race, Ossie had proven the most consistent, keeping all his scores inside the top four, bar a discarded black flag disqualification (BFD). Russell, on the other hand, had won five of the nine races before the race 10 showdown. However, he’d also picked up two BFDs along the way, so his back was against the wall.

Ossie, it should be remembered, won a bronze medal at the Barcelona 1992 Games, crewing a Soling for Lawrie Smith in the fleet racing/match racing combo event of the day. Going into the final day, the only way Ossie was going to be able to topple his arch-rival was if he could drag Russell back down the fleet to 18th place or worse.

That was going to be a hard task, but Ossie and his crew on More T Vicar started trailing Russell’s Riff Raff mercilessly even while the race committee was still setting up the windward leeward course. I was on board with Martin and Vicky Jones, preparing for our own battle for third place against Tom Hewitson’s 007 team on Shaken Not Stirred, Jo Hewitson and Colin Smith. Our job was more straightforward - try to win the race and get at least one boat between us and Double-Oh Seven.

In the end we had a full-on, ding-doing battle with 007. After changing places multiple times at the head of the fleet, we squeaked across the finish in first place but Tom and his team had sailed well enough to secure a well-deserved podium place ahead of us. Meanwhile Ossie was all over Russell like a rash. We counted the boats across the line. It was going to be close.

When we stepped ashore, Russell and Riff Raff were quietly relieved to have done just enough to hold on to overall victory, or so they thought. I got a message from a friend 15

miles away at Hayling Island Sailing Club who saw the results pop up on the Squadron website even before I’d climbed out of my wet gear. Ossie had pipped Russell by a point. It was an incredible turn of events, and even Ossie couldn’t quite believe it: “I don’t think I’ve won anything as a helm since about 1969 in the back of a Cadet.”

The two-discards rule in a 10-race series seems a bit generous to some. If it hadn’t been for that, Russell would have been toast before the final race and Ossie’s consistency would have put him in pole position earlier in the series. To me, one discard would be about right for dealing with those ‘acts of God’ that you can’t avoid - hitting a patch of weed, being run into by another boat, and so on. Back in the heyday of the Farr 40s, the class ran a no-discard Worlds which seemed very scary but still produced the most deserving winner by the end of the series.

Talking of scoring formats, it’s interesting to see how the new foiling classes in the Olympic line-up for Paris 2024 are bringing fresh ideas about how to decide a series. The priorities are different from an RS Elite championship as well, of course. Racing in the RS Elites, the Farr 40s and nearly everything else in the sailing world is not designed for an audience but for the pleasure of the participant. We can choose our own formats, our own number of discards.

Like it or not, the Olympic Games is increasingly becoming a made-for-TV spectacle. A bit like SailGP, to cite another example, where final-day jeopardy is what it’s all about.

Olympic sailing has to do its bit to retain its place alongside the X Games/Red Bull style sports now appearing in the Games, the skateboarding and speed climbing for example.

Most of the time the 10-boat Medal Race just doesn’t cut it. iQFOiL windsurfers and Formula Kite boards are both running series that reward performance on the final day. Whoever wins the final race of the series becomes the winner of the gold medal. The challenge is to make sure that the winner of the week, the Ossie-style consistency is still rewarded. I think the Formula Kite formula has hit the best balance of rewarding consistency with final-day, audience-pleasing jeopardy.

It’s frustrating to see the lack of willingness to experiment with different formats at Olympic level. It’s great to see that all the current 10 events have recently been locked in through to Los Angeles 2028. Now it would be nice to see some of the boat classes daring to follow the foilers and try something different. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t. But how do you know unless you try?

PHOTO SAILING ENERGY/WORLD SAILING

“To me, one discard would be about right for those ‘acts of God’ you can’t avoid”

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ABOVE The new Olympic Formula Kite class balances final day jeopardy with rewarding consistency; will the boat classes follow suit?

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Boat Test - Elan E6

Better by design Sam Jefferson takes the new Pininfarina styled Elan E6 for a spin and begins to question the definition of hull speed

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Boat Test - Elan E6

S

lovenian company Elan has a split personality; on the one hand is it’s Clark Kent – producing sober and extremely sensible cruising yachts that make up their Impression range of cruisers and on the other… well I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say that their sportier boats have superpowers but they do, to a certain extent, fly.

Certainly this was my experience of their new Elan E6 which, in modest flat water conditions on the Adriatic, proceeded to test my credulity by reeling off some really impressive speeds.

When I say Elan has a split personality, that’s unfair. It has multiple personalities. Alongside its Impression range of sensible cruisers and the sporty ‘E’ line of boats, there is also the ‘GT’ line of luxury fast cruisers. The company recently launched the smart GT6, designed

by Rob Humphreys and styled by Pininfarina and when it announced the similarly dimensioned but lighter E6, I assumed they had taken the GT6 hull and bolted a different keel and deck on the existing hull.

This would have saved them a pretty penny but is not the case.

The E6 has been designed from scratch by the same team of Rob Humphreys and Pininfarina. This unwillingness to compromise and

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penny pinch is laudable and the result is a boat tailored specifically to the cruiser/racer market.

Rob Humphreys has plenty of experience in this niche of the market and has approached the matter pragmatically, going for a fairly conservative hull that provides a good compromise between volume and wetted surface area. The bow sections are relatively fine and beam is drawn right aft. This is a true 46 footer, measuring in at 46’3” on deck excluding the bowspsrit. An

ABOVE Beam is generous and carried well aft BELOW The E6 is designed to heel early and sit in her hard chine

upright stem and transom means that waterline length is almost the same. Freeboard is pretty generous given the sporty nature of the boat and is offset with a chamfered toerail.

Maximum beam is carried almost all the way aft and is a relatively generous 4.49m. This is a touch more than the Dehler 46 but less than the new Grand Soleil 44. There is a hard chine aft and twin rudders which are significantly splayed outwards with the top inch or so of each one emmersed with the boat at rest. This points to a boat that is designed to power up early and sit on that chine.

The boat has a very deep (2.85m) T-shaped lead bulbed keel. There is an option of a shallower (2.4m) keel. Elan has also worked closely with laminate experts Gurit on this project and looked at ways of saving weight in the lay up. To this end, displacement has been kept to a fairly modest 11,250kg which compares with the Dehler 46 which weighs in at 11,500kg. Styling wise, the boat is distinctive and distinctively slick at that. Pininfarina is a world famous design house and they have brought a refreshing new perspective to yacht design and it shines through in many elements of the boat. The low, wedge shaped coachroof has an unusual but effective portlight setup and the the hull is grooved and shaped in an unusual but alluring manner.

This is a boat that looks aggressive even at rest and that extra money spent on styling has paid because the boat can’t help but draw the eye.

On deck, the test boat had slightly too light Permateek to my mind but that is not a huge deal and can easily be corrected. The rig is aluminium as standard (carbon is an option), with a fixed sprit for your Code 0.

Although the rigging is wire not rod, the hydraulic backstay tensioner and lack of a cockpit table (this can be fitted when not in racing mode), six decently sized Harken winches, plus traveller positioned directly in front of the twin helms points to a boat designed to be raced and cruised.

The cockpit is nice and open with a decent amount of storage under the

36

cockpit benches plus a tad more in the lazarette. There are cockpit seats and, on the test boat, these had a barbecue and fridge fitted – pointing to the cruising potential of the yacht. The bathing platform encloses things nicely although there is an option for a smaller, lighter version. The binnacles feature B&G instrumentation with a repeater display at the mast. The unusual and innovative approach to design detail was evident in the binnacles which were pleasingly shaped and well thought out.

From the helm, you have excellent access to both the main traveller and the mainsheet which is run on the German system so that it can be adjusted on either winch depending what tack you are on.

There are rope bins below and ahead of the primary winches are the secondaries for the headsail , with a third set on the coachroof for the gennaker. All the halyards are led to twin banks of jammers on the coachroof and the boat

ABOVE

Masses of cockpit space, uncluttered and well thought out

BELOW (L-R)

Pininfarina's design influence is clear throughout, the coachroof windows being one example; A cockpit table can be fitted if in cruising mode; Pleasingly designed binnacles

was far from too technical and could easily be handled by two.

The side decks are wide and the coachroof features a well positioned and substantial grab rail which would be useful if hiking out in wilder conditions. Up forward the deck is clear and uncluttered and there is a well proportioned forward locker for sails in addition to the anchor locker.

Down below

Heading down below was a real revelation. Again, the work of Pininfarina is clearly evident and the contrast with a boat interior designed ‘in house’ was notable. Not through one distinctive feature but a cumulative effect of many smaller touches that, when combined, gave the boat interior a slick and coherently styled feel compared to some. This was all the more marked because there was nothing particularly revolutionary about the layout, yet it felt different. In fact, the interior configuration was pretty

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

43

Boat Test - Elan E6

standard; a big L-shaped galley to starboard aft, a U-shaped dining area forward of that with a big twin leaf folding table with the port side leaf big enough to stretch across to the port side sofa if needs be, making for a huge dining area. This port side sofa also features a rather pleasing chart table which rotates out from the middle section of the sofa if and when it’s required. Very satisfying.

Aft to port is a very generous heads/ shower area with good separation – including a folding glass screen – between the heads and shower.

Twin doubles aft offer more light than many and, again, good amounts of space. Up forward is the master berth which was a big space with a fairly palatial shower/heads off to starboard. This is about the biggest I have seen in any boat I’ve tested and I’m not quite sure how Elan won the extra space. That said, there is an

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

option for two extra berths forward with the heads shifted to starboard and a bunk room to port. Ultimately there is nothing revolutionary about the layout but, for all that, it felt inexplicably different. Difficult to put your finger on, but there was a feeling of style throughout, from the way the shelves were all cut to drop down in a wave shape to the chamfered fiddles for the galley worksurface, it just felt a cut above. There was also very good feeling of both light and warmth which was in part due to judicious choices of wood tone.

The only thing that jarred were the companionway steps which looked a bit too plasticky for my taste.

Under sail

So the boat looked good; would it sail good? Only one way to find out and the Adriatic dished out an absolutely classic day for a test sail. Kicking off

ABOVE LEFT

A very light, stylish saloon

ABOVE RIGHT

A huge stateroom forward

BELOW

Individual styling detail makes the boat a head turner

with 5kn of wind that rapidly built and peaked albeit briefly at 17kn. I was interested to see how the boat performed in light airs with relatively broad aft sections but she seemed none too sticky. This was largely because she powered up very early, meaning most of her derriere was out of the water. The angle of heel was not, however, too precipitous. I’d imagine in super light conditions she might have her work cut out against an Italia 14.98 with a beam some 14cm narrower, but there wasn’t one around to test our paces. As it was, the boat went well in the very modest breeze, and we were soon trucking along hard on the wind at 5kn plus in 7kn of breeze. The wind rapidly filled in and steadied at 12kn or so. In these conditions, hard on the wind, we were going 7kn-8kn and the boat was a joy.

The helm was actually a bit stiffer than some, not sure if the cables needed a tinker or it was deliberate as the boat tracked supremely well and was sensitive to a small touch.

Just as the wind peaked at 17kn we decided to put up the gennaker and were soon careering along on a beamy broad reach at 9kn plus.

Given that hull speed is around 9kn for a boat of this waterline length, I was bemused to see the log max out at 10kn. To be fair, the boat at this point was hard pressed and there were tremblings and shudderings beneath the hull that suggested the boat was pondering getting on the plane. The twin rudders provided acres of grip despite being relatively hard pressed and there was minimal weather helm and no sense that the boat was overpowered. Gennaker down, we then close reached back to the marina logging a steady 8.5kn in a 14-15kn breeze. Pure joy.

ALTERNATIVE BOATS

DEHLER 46SQ This Judel/Vrolijk design was launched back in 2015 and is a stylish, pacy boat that shares much with the Elan in terms of its target market. The boat has just been relaunched as the SQ with a brighter, more practical interior.

Inspirationmarine.co.uk

SAM’S VERDICT This is a fine example of a cruiser/ racer. The boat had excellent pace in varied conditions and is a good compromise between internal volume and comfort with spicy performance. The Pininfarina styling definitely gives the boat a bit of an ‘X’ factor and ensures you will be noticed – in a good way – wherever you go. It would be interesting to see how the boat performs on the race course and

Elan are hopeful that they will find a buyer who hits the racing circuit with a fully tricked out and stripped out version. For me, the boat was plenty fast enough and I was beguiled by the blend of style and comfort mixed with a generous helping of speed.

PERFORMANCE: BLUE WATER ABILITY: LOOKS:

ITALIA 14.98 Launched in 2020, this Italian yacht is a light weather flier which also has a good deal of panache when it comes to styling.

A touch lighter than the E6, probably due to reduced beam, this would make an intriguing match on the race course. grabauinternational.com

THE SPEC LOA: 15.30m / 50ft 2in.

Hull: length 14.10m / 46ft 3in.

LWL: 13.68m / 44ft 11in.

Beam: 4.49m / 14ft 9in.

Draught: 2.80m / 9ft 2in.

Displacement: 11,250kg / 24,802lb Engine: Yanmar 57hp Sail area: 1,171.77 ft2 / 108.86 m2 Price: €379,900 ex VAT Builder: elan-yachts.com UK broker: boatpoint.co.uk

X4(6) X Yachts has long been one of the benchmarks of the quality cruiser racer and despite their X4(6) coming across as a algebraic headache, the boat is beguiling. Smaller and slightly lighter than the E6, this boat has been a hot favourite since its launch in 2018. x-yachts.com

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

45

Tom Cunliffe

Tom Cunliffe

G

ales in mid-latitudes generally seem to arrive in two packages.

The first is the honest frontal depression cruising past our boats on the side nearest the pole. The wind pipes up as the warm front approaches and pressure falls. It blows hard and we get soaked as the front passes and the barometer levels out. Up here in the northern hemisphere the breeze now veers and

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

hammers along solidly as the so-called ‘warm sector’ trundles through. A few hours later, or maybe longer depending on the nature of the system, the cold front arrives. A lively one can roar like a lion with heavy squalls, ditto rain or hail, a veering wind and the glass going up like the lift in Harrods on a Saturday afternoon, but in its own quaint way it’s glad tidings. Behind it, there’s blue skies and things quieten down, for a while at least, and we can draw

PODCAST Catch up with Tom’s columns now and in the future at sailingtoday.co.uk

breath. In other words, it might be nasty, but it doesn’t last for ever.

The second gale variety comes our way if we’re unlucky enough to get caught between an area of low pressure that’s taken roost close to a strong, stable ‘high’. In a situation like this the isobars settle down into a steady series of parallel lines which, on a bad week, will be a lot closer together than Mother would have liked. I don’t know the official name for this, but I call it a ‘squeeze’,

ILLUSTRATION: CLAIRE WOOD, PHOTOS TOM CUNLIFFE/COMMONS

A Scandinavian cruise prompts musings on the vagaries of weather and the dubious merits of box moorings

“The tempest howls and goes right on howling as it sets up a sort of local tradewind” and the big trouble is that it may go on for a lot longer than the effects of a passing summer ‘low’. The sun might shine, but the tempest howls and goes right on howling as it sets up a sort of local tradewind from which there is no escape.

I mention this because I’ve been stuck in a squeeze for the past three days on an island in southern Denmark. Back in Blighty it’s balmy summer weather and not far in the other direction lies an amorphous area of low pressure that doesn’t seem to have any interest in doing the honest thing and shunting off to Russia. So me and everyone else from the Skagerrak to Germany is copping the full benefit of a set of isobars anyone with a long stride could walk across. It’s blowing old boots and, by Sod’s Law, it’s blasting straight in onto my berth from the only direction hereabouts that’s open to wider waters. The fetch isn’t great, but it’s enough to raise a popple that slaps and bangs on the boats around me with their wide, flat sterns. My old-fashioned counter makes less noise, but it’s still hard to sleep for

the racket they’re making. I haven’t liked to ask how things are in their aft cabins. As if all this weren’t enough to satisfy the gods who delight in mariners’ discomfort, I’m stern to the action and my sprayhood is drawing like a trainee spinnaker.

Readers of experience will now be asking with good reason why on Earth I haven’t turned my boat around, or, in traditional parlance,

ABOVE A relatively calm entry into a box berth with no cross wind BELOW Bows to and well clear of your neighbour in a box berth

‘wound ship’, to head her up to the weather. The answer is that I’m in a ‘box berth’. Those lucky ones who’ve spent their lives sailing in tidal waters will never have come across these. They proliferate in areas of small or no tidal action where, it must be said, they make a lot of sense.

Here’s the deal: the marina berths line up along a jetty or harbour wall. A long boat’s length out, a row of stout posts is driven into the sea bed. To moor up, you come in between two of these, hitching stern lines to them as you pass. You then inch up to the jetty and run a line off each bow to cleats or rings ashore, and that’s you, head up to the dock at 90 degrees, totally secure. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? On a quiet day with a sensible helper ashore ready to take your bow lines and a crew of three or four who know what they’re about, it is. Try it two-up with nobody ashore, spice it up with a strong crosswind, and anything can happen. I’ve watched locals who’ve been doing it for years cocking it up and it’s hard not to conclude that there’s just no seamanlike method.

Once secure, however, you’re in fine shape. Where I am now, it’s blowing a steady 30 knots and my fenders aren’t even touching the next-door yachts. The boat is safe and my only problem is the one we always have. How do we get ashore?

Every perfect garden hides a

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

47

Tom Cunliffe

“Box marinas might be cheap, but berthing stress levels are high. Add an incompetent dockside bow-line helper and the picture is complete”

serpent and this is it. Compared with South-Coast UK or an average US marina, a Baltic box berth is cheap as chips, but before one gets carried away, it’s worth remembering that, in home waters at least, we can generally step ashore onto a wellmaintained finger berth or stride off our sugar-scoop counters to solid woodwork. There’s none of that up north. Unless you are prepared to be one of a tiny minority who manages to reverse in, stepping ashore requires the ingenuity of Pythagoras and the agility of a finely-tuned gymnast. Basically, you have to climb off the bow. The guys who build these docks probably arrange the height for mean sea level, but even in these theoretically tideless waters, winds can drive this up and down by a foot or three. Entry goes like this. My wife and I arrive in a likely-looking berth and edge in past the posts, lassoing them as we go by. This leaves me with a bunch of knitting in the cockpit as I struggle to keep the slack out of the propeller with two hands while working wheel and engine control with the other two. I need four, but nature has not been generous.

Meanwhile, Roz has nipped up to the foredeck where she has already

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ABOVE A handy solution to the sometimes major issue of getting on and off your boat in a box berth

TOM CUNLIFFE Tom has been mate on a merchant ship, run yachts for gentlemen, operated charter boats, delivered, raced and taught. He writes the pilot for the English Channel, a complete set of cruising text books and runs his own internet club for sailors worldwide at tomcunliffe.com

prepared a bow line on each side.

With luck, she’ll find a benefactor on the jetty who’ll take them, flip them over the handy cleats or posts, then pass them back as slip ropes.

Meanwhile, she’s calling distance to me, because at 44 feet plus pulpit away, with the quay wall possibly out of sight below the bow, I haven’t a clue when I’m going to ram it.

You’ll be getting the picture.

Box marinas might be cheap, but berthing stress levels are high. Add an incompetent dockside bow-line helper who turns the well organised ropes into a bunch of booglies then drops them into the water and the picture is complete. If no helpers of either persuasion present themselves, Roz, and every other foredeck hand in the business, has somehow to clamber off the sharp end with the lines. We have a small ladder we rig on one bow in case the dock is low. If it’s high, she has somehow to climb up off the pulpit and in case you’re asking yourself why I don’t hand her the wheel and do this awkward stuff myself, the answer is simple.

In terms of physical agility, she is ageing more kindly than I am.

Local boats have all sorts of clever arrangements for handling this

problem. The favourite is a sort of wooden step built into the pulpit, but, you know what? When we’re stepping aboard other yachts for drinks and general carrying-on, we always struggle. Nobody’s boat seems simple to board. Visitors to Constance always complain that she is far too high, or too far off the dock, or too low. The fact is, we all learn to live with our own arrangements while the rest of the world can’t seem to get it quite right.

It’s an observation on the human condition that is worth considering in wider terms than these.

And so here I sit, secure in my floating fortress, wondering when the settled weather back home will break, relieving Roz and me of the tyranny of the squeeze so we can get back to sea. Speaking of sailing, I can see a mate of mine powering up the fjord under headsail only.

Goodness knows where he’s coming from, but he’s going to have fun trying to stop. The gale has taken the water away. It’s ‘low tide’ and a proper scramble up to the dock. He’ll certainly want help with his head ropes, so I’m off ashore and I don’t fancy the pulpit leap one tiny bit.

Wish me luck. Here goes!

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Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Top ten anchorages in Brittany

A Breton Top Ten Navily is an app that relies on the feedback of its users to determine the finest anchorages and marinas around Europe. Here is a look at their top ten most highly rated anchorages in Brittany based on more than five user reviews 1: Anse de Morgat (below, photo, Marit) 48° 13.72' N, 4° 29.72' W Navily rating: 5/5 Characteristics: Mooring buoys available, Sand bed. Beach reachable by dinghy, max length 11.5m.

Tucked in to the south of Ushant, this peaceful anchorage earned rave reviews thanks to good access to a nice beach, plus shops at the small village of Morgat.

1= Anse de Saint-hernot (below, photo, Mathilde on eclipse) 48° 12.23' N, 4° 30.77' W Navily rating: 5/5 Characteristics: sand bottom, beach access.

A charming mooring to the east of Douarnenez that won rave reviews thanks to a combination of excellent protection plus crystal clear waters.

1= Anse de Combrit (above, photo, Mathilde on Eclipse) 47° 53.77' N, 4° 8.82' W Navily rating: 5/5 Characteristics: Mud river mooring.

A picturesque mooring on the river Odet above Benodet.

Not too much in terms of facilities but gained a very high score due to excellent protection and tranquillity while also being a tender ride from the town of Benodet.

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

4=: Ile Longue (above, photo, Dominique on Claire de la Lune) Lat/long: 47° 34.42' N, 2° 54.43' W Navily rating: 4.8/5 Characteristics: Sand bed, beach.

Lying in the heart of the Golfe du Morbihan and tucked to the east of Ile Longue this anchorage won rave reviews thanks to superb shelter, no mooring fees, wonderful tranquillity and good access to the nearby village of Larmor Baden.

4= Anse du Fret (above, photo, Stephane) 48° 17.17' N, 4° 30.22' W Navily rating: 4.8/5 reviews Characteristics: Sand bed, mooring buoys available.

A good anchorage not far from Brest but offering a stark contrast to the big town. A peaceful anchorage in the heart of the Parc Naturel regional d’Armorique with a nice beach and access to a couple of restaurants ashore.

Contact: +33298270197 4= Port Blanc (below) 48° 50.38' N, 3° 19.12' W Navily rating: 4.8/5 Characteristics: Sand bed, mooring buoys available.

A pretty anchorage which also offers mooring buoys. Located just to the south

of Treguier and offering a good day trip from the Channel Islands. The anchorage got very low protection rating as it is exposed to NW winds but the magnificent location evidently made up for this.

Contact: VHF Ch9 or +332 96 92 89 11 7: Port Kerel (main picture, photo, Michail on Caiphirina) 47° 17.77' N, 3° 12.25' W Navily rating: 4.79/5 Characteristics: Sand bed.

If it’s isolation you’re after, this may well be your spot. Situated on the southern side of Belle Ile en Mer, just off Quiberon, this spot offers good protection from most winds if not from a northerly swell.

This is a deep anchorage with no access to mobile phone signal – perfect for a total disconnect. The small village of Bangor is within walking distance.

9: Anse de Pen-Hir (above, photo, Jean Christophe on Bluebird) 48° 15.38' N, 4° 36.57' W Navily rating: 4.73/5 Characteristics: sand bed, beach and snack bar accessible.

Hidden away south of Ushant, this is a very highly rated anchorage providing good protection and access to an excellent beach. The creperie located just above the beach was also a hit.

10: Plage du Coz Pors (below) 48° 50.02' N, 3° 31.23' W Navily rating: 4.71/5 Characteristics: Sand bottom, anchoring and mooring buoys, water point and snacks available A big anchorage facing onto a lovely white sand beach surrounded by rugged pink granite rocks. Located not far from Lannion. There is a good selection of bars ashore in season and you can explore the island of Renote at leisure. There is a 12 Euro charge for a mooring buoy.

Contact: +33296153800 For more details, go to navily.com

8: Plage de Brouel (above, photo Anne-Laura on Lestat) 47° 34.87' N, 2° 48.85' W Navily rating: 4.75/5 Characteristics: Sand/mud bottom, , beach and water point accessible Situated in the heart of the Golfe du Morbihan, this anchorage garnered strong reviews thanks to a combination of good shelter and holding combined with access to the small island of Arz. There is a nice village on the island which is 10 minutes walk away.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Advertorial - Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth

Take a seat for SailGP On 30-31 July, elite teams will race in one-design foiling F50 catamarans on Plymouth Sound at speeds exceeding 60mph – including Sir Ben Ainslie at the helm of the British boat. Here’s everything you need to know...

PHOTOS C/O SAILGP

F 52

or the second year in a row, fans heading to the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth will be able to witness incredible on-water racing scenes and get up close to an impressive line-up of world-class athletes.

Plymouth is proud to be known as Britain's Ocean City, and the event will be hosted in partnership with Plymouth City Council.

AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

This year's line-up sees Canada and Switzerland joining defending Season 2 Champions, Tom Slingsby’s Australia, home favourites Sir Ben Ainslie's Great Britain, Denmark, France, Japan, Spain, New Zealand and the United States.

Absent from the debut Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth last summer, Ainslie will be back in the driving seat at this year's Plymouth event, and looking to give

ABOVE

Whether you watch from afloat or ashore, this year's SailGP event in Plymouth promises a gripping spectacle

home fans something to cheer about – aiming for his first victory on home soil. He says: “Last year’s event was fantastic, delivering on all fronts with close racing, perfect weather, big spectator numbers and even a whale!

“It will be great that now Covid restrictions are lifted even more fans can visit and watch the action from Plymouth Hoe, with its natural amphitheater providing one of the best viewing areas for

Essential info Race village open: 12pm to 6pm Racing takes place: 2pm-3.30pm Download the SailGP App via App Store and Google Play Store Tickets and more info are available via SailGP.com/GreatBritain Can't make it to the event? This (and all SailGP events) are broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK

Racing for $1 million: how it works How does racing work? At each SailGP event, there are five fleet races. The event leaderboard totals all the points the teams have scored throughout the event (10 points for first, nine points for second, and so on), with the three highest ranking teams at the end of those five fleet races then qualifying for The Final. The winner of The Final is declared event champion. They receive 10 points towards the overall Championship Leaderboard, with second nine points, and so on down the fleet ranking.

These points are then added together as the season progresses, with the highest ranked teams at the end of the season qualifying for the Grand Final. The winner of this is then declared Season Champion and receives the $1m prize money – sailing’s biggest prize.

Plymouth is one of 11 events that make up Season 3.

any sailing event in the world.

“For our home event we also have exciting plans with our new charity partner ‘Protect our future’ to showcase Plymouth’s brilliant environmental credentials with the aim to help empower young people in the City with scientific knowledge to combat climate change.

“From a personal point of view, this will be the first time I have competed on home waters for nearly six years and there is nothing quite like it, we can’t wait.”

What to expect

The Plymouth event will be the third in the global championship’s calendar, following opening events in Bermuda and Chicago. It follows a highly successful event last year, also run in partnership with

Plymouth City Council, which drew an estimated 27,500 spectators.

The F50s will race on The Sound, with three fleet races on Saturday and a further two followed by the Final on Sunday. Weather and wind permitting, the finish line will be directly opposite the Fan Village, located at Hoe Park.

Once again, the Fan Village will be buzzing, and admission tickets are now available to buy online (adults from £4.75*; children free).

Ticket holders can expect live commentary and large screens, athlete appearances and the winner’s presentation live on stage, sponsor activations, live music, plus a wide selection of food and beverages.

For an extra special experience, Waterfront Premium tickets (adults from £45*; children £23) allow

Bermuda Chicago, USA Plymouth, UK Copenhagen, Denmark Saint Tropez, France Cadiz, Spain Dubai, UAE Singapore Sydney, Australia Christchurch, New Zealand San Francisco, USA

14-15 May 2022 16-17 June 2022 30-31 July 2022 19-20 August 2022 10-11 September 2022 24-25 September 2022 12-13 November 2022 14-15 January 2023 18-19 February 2023 18-19 March 2023 6-7 May 2023

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Advertorial - Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Plymouth

Team guide Tom Slingsby’s Australia is the team to beat, having won both the inaugural season and Season 2. He faces competition from Sir Ben Ainslie’s Great Britain Team, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke’s New Zealand team as well as Jimmy Spithill’s USA team. There will also be some new faces this season, with Canada and Switzerland joining the team line-up.

Australia Driver: Tom Slingsby Australia enters Season 3 as two-time SailGP Champions, after dramatic victory in the recent Grand Final in San Francisco in March.

Undoubtedly the team to beat.

Canada Driver: Phil Robertson Having sailed with the Spanish team last season, Phil Robertson is creating history in Season 3 leading Canada’s first-ever fully pro sailing team.

Denmark Driver: Nicolai Sehested The Denmark SailGP Team presented by ROCKWOOL, led by multi-time round the world racer Nicolai Sehested, includes multiple Olympic and world champions. They finished sixth in Season 2.

Spain Driver: Jordi Xammar The Spanish team is the youngest to compete in SailGP, known for its high risk approach, receiving the first ever black flag in SailGP at the British event last year.

France Driver: Quentin Delapierre Season 2 saw ups and downs for the French team, who changed

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

drivers mid-way after disappointing results from Billy Besson. They will now be looking to build their form.

Great Britain Driver: Sir Ben Ainslie Sir Ben Ainslie’s team was in contention for Season 2’s Grand Final up until the penultimate event, where a crash with Japan saw qualification slip from reach.

A more conservative approach to Season 3 could well see them top the podium.

Japan Driver: Nathan Outteridge Aussie Nathan Outteridge and Brit Chris Draper lead Japan's rising stars in a slick team with a podium record in Seasons 1 and 2. Logistical challenges mean they'll be absent from Plymouth; their boat is on loan to Canada.

New Zealand Driver: Peter Burling No longer the new kids on the block, Peter Burling and long-term partner Blair Tuke lead a formidable team with an impressive skill set honed in high performance sailing. Hotly tipped as one to watch.

Switzerland Driver: Sébastien Schneiter This newly formed team is led by GC32 world champion and double Olympian Sébastien Schneiter, the youngest driver in the series. Brits Stu Bithell and Rich Mason are also bolstering a team of next-gen talent.

USA Driver: Jimmy Spithill The American team is led by twotime America’s Cup winner Jimmy Spithill, who saw plans to claim the Season 2 trophy from Australia evaporate after a dramatic final day collision. The team is ready to exact revenge in Season 3.

ABOVE

Ten drivers, ten nations - an incredible line-up

INSETS

Above, Ben Ainslie; left, Tom Slingsby

BELOW

Expect thrilling close quarters action from the high tech one-design F50s

access to an exclusive area within the official Fan Village giving the best vantage point, commentary and big screens, plus complimentary drinks, extra dining options, comfy seating, and luxury toilets.

For those wishing to watch from afloat, SailGP has partnered with Plymouth Boat Trips. Official spectator boats will offer the closest vantage point to the racing and allow fans an unrivalled view of the worldclass athletes and supercharged F50 catamarans as they compete at electrifying speeds across Plymouth Sound. Premium tickets are available (from £130), which include exclusive access, refreshments during the three hour trip, and carbon offsetting.

Great Britain SailGP Team - no more 'go big or go home' The British team developed something of a reputation for going all-out in Season 2, with both high drama and top results. Along the way, they set the SailGP speed record of 58.9mph. A big crash in St Tropez, a capsize in Cadiz, and a fearsome collision with Team Japan in Sydney were memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Twice they were docked season points and consequently missed a place in the grand finale.

Can a more consistent approach pay this Season? It certainly seemed so at the Season 3 opener in Bermuda, where they placed a solid second overall in a largely incident free event.

Speaking at the time, Driver and team CEO Sir Ben Ainslie said: “There’s a long season ahead and we wanted to take a more conservative approach after some of the challenges we had last season. This event is a first step in the right direction.

Bring your own boat

If you are planning to watch the action from your own boat, you can watch for free from an area approximately 100 metres outside the exclusion zone. Register online in advance to receive all the essential race course details, and tune in to live commentary via VHF. Make sure you arrive in plenty of time to get the best position on the race course boundary. Note that the race exclusion zone will be in place from 13:00 until 17:00 (Friday to Sunday), identifiable by large visible orange buoys at regular intervals.

For a truly memorable experience, you can purchase a premium SailGP flag which allows you special

access to a position at one of the turning gates for a real close up of the action. Flags cost £150.

Tour the team bases

On 26 and 27 July, there will be the opportunity to go behind the scenes at the SailGP Team Bases for an exclusive tour of the ‘pit lane garages’ where athletes and shore teams get the high tech F50s race ready.

Seeing the F50 is up close is truly something else! With a wingsail towering at 24m tall and state of the art foils, the cutting-edge one-design catamaran used by all SailGP teams is awe-inspiring.

These exciting 45 minute tours (adults £21; children £15) offer a

“The final race was difficult for us as we had a bad start. We had an approach that we wanted to come in a little bit late, gybe on the foil and then go over the line. Unfortunately, we messed up the gybe and killed too much and couldn’t get to the line. After that start we had to get loose to give us a chance of moving back up the places. We were able to split and separate and move back past Canada and towards Australia.

“Australia, however, sailed a fantastic race and it was always going to be difficult to move up on them. It was clear we weren’t going to get past Australia unless they made a horrendous error.

At that point we decided to start to protect second place and stay in front of Canada. With 11 events throughout the season, this competition rewards consistency. I don’t like losing but we use that as motivation and learn from it and it was important we took home the second place.”

ABOVE

The British team in flight, with Ainslie at the helm

BELOW

The fleet in action earlier this year in Bermuda

BELOW RIGHT

Racing will once again take place just off The Hoe

rare chance to see SailGP’s wingsailed boats in detail and watch the elite athletes as the teams prepare for battle on The Sound. *Excludes VAT, booking fee applies

SailGP's wider impact SailGP has pioneered a number of programmes to connect sport, sustainability and inclusivity...

In 2021, in a sporting first, SailGP made sustainability action part of its rules, creating the Impact League to track the positive actions teams take. For this event, SailGP will work with Plymouth-based Ocean Conservation Trust to deliver free engagement and educational opportunities, and a local impact project in Plymouth Sound National Marine Park. The city will also sign the league’s Climate Action Charter, committing to clean energy and wider ocean conservation, and will benefit from SailGP Inspire - the league's youth and community engagement programme. The UK event will be notable as being one year on since the implementation of the Women’s Pathway, promoting inclusion across all levels, that sees female athletes racing onboard every F50 in Plymouth.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Boat Test - Spirit 30

Spirit in smaller measures

I

The new baby in the Spirit Yachts range is also their first open boat.

Steffan Meyric-Hughes finds sailing this beauty an absolute breeze

pswich based Spirit Yachts has been around for almost three decades now, with the unwavering ethos of building fast, elegant spirit-of-tradition yachts in modern epoxy-saturation timber construction – ‘dry boats’ as they are sometimes known in the industry. That consistency of purpose means that today, everyone knows what a Spirit is, and the

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Spirit name has achieved the almost unheard-of in boatbuilding; it has become a brand. Endorsement in two Bond films has helped with that, in Daniel Craig’s first appearance as 007 (Casino Royale, 2006, in which he sailed a Spirit 54 in Venice) and more recently in No Time to Die, in which Daniel Craig, in his last outing as Bond, sails a Spirit 46 in the Caribbean.

The yard has been building bigger and bigger yachts over the years, including the recent, spectacular Spirit 111, the largest wooden yacht built in Britain since the J Class Shamrock V in 1930 – actually, by volume, the 111 is considerably bigger. Spirit has also opened up a line of motorboats that are proving equally popular. These days, if you want a new Spirit

the students in a two-year degree, a boat that is small but incorporates everything. And everything on the 30 can be extrapolated up for building the bigger boats.”

First impressions

yacht, you’ll be in for a bit of a wait – delivery will be in 2024.

Calling card

The Spirit 30, then, as the company’s first open dayboat, is an anomaly.

“Various strands came together” says Spirit founder Sean MacMillan, and the two principal reasons the Spirit 30 exists today are the Dusseldorf Boat Show and the lack of skilled boatbuilders in Britain today.

“Dusseldorf ’s an important show, and it’s very expensive to take a fullsized boat there,” says Sean. “And if you do, you can’t put a full-sized rig on when you get there, which I never think looks quite right. We wanted an easily towable boat that could be displayed properly.” The other reason was Spirit’s planned new academy, that will offer a new, degree-level boatbuilding apprenticeship in association with the University of East Anglia. “We wanted boats that could be built by

Sitting at the dock, the Spirit 30 is exactly what you’d expect; above the water at least, she’s got much of the early 20th-century English one-design keelboat about her – long, sweeping sheer, counter stern, sharp bow, swept timber deck and a tall, fractional bermudan sloop rig.

It’s elegance over accommodation

ABOVE A well thought out and ergonomically pleasing cockpit BELOW Traditional styling and glistening varnish is very much the order of the day and sit comfortably alongside modern features such as the carbon fibre mast

all the way, with considerable fore and aft decks, although the cockpit is well appointed, with the right ergonomics for sailing. The standout items here are the cockpit coaming, a breathtaking piece of compound curvature wooden sculpture; and the twisted tiller. The joke is that if a customer brings a boat back with a straight tiller, they will know something has gone wrong. This one was sold before completion to a very experienced local sailor who keeps an 85-footer in the Med, so he could enjoy day-sailing and club racing at the drop of a hat.

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Boat Test - Spirit 30

A windy sail

We leave the dock quickly under the Torqeedo pod motor sited in front of the rudder, with the controls hidden under a drop-down panel.

Outside in the Orwell, it’s blowing old boots, whipping the wide, tidal river into cold, sharp peaks and troughs the colour of chocolate. It’s nearly gusting 30 as we head straight into it, buckets of cold water flying back like grapeshot. We double reef the main, which climbs up the carbon mast by means of a halyard that comes down through the foredeck to a winching station on the keelson, where it’s well out of the way. The 95 per cent jib unfurls on its roller. The usual jib for this boat is 105 per cent, but on this boat, the owner has requested a self-tacker, which necessitates a slight reduction in area. This trip out into the estuary is beginning to look like a really bad idea, then we round a bend in the river, the wind eases a bit, the river calms and we turn around and run before it. I take the helm, and with the wind behind us, wonder what all the fuss was about a few minutes ago. We flew downwind a few degrees off a dead run, surfing onto the plane on the small, following seas, without a hint of body roll.

By the time we have to turn and face the wind again, the sky has split apart, lighting the clouds’ undersides

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

and the tops of the waves. The next half hour gives one of those sails you know will be lodged deep in the hard drive for a long time.

Off we go on one screaming reach after another, mainsheet free of its cam cleat in one hand, tiller in the other. The mainsheet, which runs through a purchase to a swivelling jammer cleat set on a pedestal in the middle of the cockpit sole, is easy to pull harden and ease and the helm is pleasantly neutral, an easy one-handed tiller even in these conditions, but with the reassuring tug that lets you know she’ll round up into the eye of the wind if you let go. The log reads about 7.5 knots as the boat flies into the wind, heeling

ABOVE Classic lines married to an extremely light displacement make this boat the ultimate wolf in sheep's clothing BELOW The test boat was fitted with a self tcking headsail

over readily, but with an increasing stiffness that makes you want to sail like a hooligan, hiking up high on the side decks and throwing your body weight back over the gunwales.

So we do. The ergonomically correct cockpit means not only that the seats inside are well placed for foot bracing, but the side decks are also perfect for sitting out high, making the most of crew weight placement and giving great forward visibility. On a day like this, and a boat like this, sitting out high on the side is the only place to be, but it’s amazing how many boats in this size bracket – where crew weight placement still matters – don’t have comfortable side deck seating.

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Boat Test - Spirit 30

Add lightness

I only found out later that the weight of the Spirit 30 is just 1.7 tonnes including the battery and drive, and that more than half of that weight is in lead in the keel. “It’s all about the power to weight ratio” says Sean.

“She’s incredibly light. You’d never do it in GRP. You might be able to do it in carbon.” It’s clear from talking to Sean over the years that he and Spirit are on something of a mission to champion wood, and it’s at least as much from a performance perspective than an aesthetic one. Wooden yacht construction has come on light years since the mid 20th century and a modern, ‘dry’ wooden yacht like this is stronger, lighter and stiffer than one built just about any other way. It’s God’s own carbon fibre.

Maintenance of a cold-moulded wooden yacht like this is comparable to any other form of construction, and the other benefits of wood – insulation, feel, sustainability – are only offset by one factor: cost. The Spirit 30 is a cool quarter of a million or so, but that’s in line with similar offerings, and it’s unlikely to put off the Spirit client.

Soon we’re back at the dock, having used the quiet Torqeedo pod drive to nose our way into our berth. The Spirit 30 is intended for ‘lake and coastal’ where she’d prove to be the perfect weapon for club racing and day-sailing, singlehanded or with a crew. The boat’s dimensions, built and weight also commend her to trailing – part of the original brief – and as a trailer-sailer, the boat could explore new territory anywhere, or act as the passport to classic regattas in Britain and Europe. The Spirit yard has its hands full now with a full order book for the next couple of years, but the size of the 30 means they will fit a build in around the bigger projects – so you might be looking at a year or less.

60

ABOVE The 30 out in somewhat more clement conditions than on test day BELOW A knife like bow

NOVEMBER AUGUST 20222021 Sailing Sailing Today Today with Yachts with Yachts & Yachting & Yachting

STEFFAN’S VERDICT This is a really beautiful little boat that demonstrated how modern and traditional design and building techniques can be blended seamlessly to create a magnificent yacht. Part of the joy of owning a yacht is looking back at it as you leave the mooring at the end of the day and feeling a swell of pride in your vessel. You can't help but do that witrh this beautiful boat. The other big joy of boat ownership is enjoying scintillating sailing

and, again, this is a boat that delivers when it really matters. In truly testing conditions, the boat excelled and was a great advert for modern wooden construction techniques given her extremely light displacement. The only real downside is the price. As they say, you get what you pay for.

PERFORMANCE: PRACTICALITY: LOOKS:

THE SPEC LOA: 30ft (9.2m) LWL: 21ft 4in (6.5m)

Main and 105 per cent jib: 384sqft (36m2)

Beam: 6ft 3in (1.9m)

Assymetric spinnaker: 700sqft (65m2)

Draught: 5ft 3in (1.6m)

PRICE: £250,000

Disp: 1.7 tonnes

CONTACT: Spirit Yachts, Ipswich, Suffolk: spirityachts.com

Ballast ratio: 40-50 per cent

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Buyer's Guide - Satellite Communications

The final frontier in communications Satellite communications have changed the extent to which we can stay in touch and weather route when offshore. Sam Fortescue looks at the latest options atellite communications are no longer simply the last resort in an offshore emergency. In our hyper-connected existence, they are increasingly a comfort that we can’t do without when sailing far from land. From the thoroughly modern-day luxuries of posting to social media or sending a video clip, to confidence-inducing measures such as downloading the latest weather data wherever you are, sat comms are ubiquitous for bluewater cruisers and racers alike.

The technology required varies according to what you want to do with it, as does the cost of staying connected. It’s all a question of bandwidth. The good news is that prices are falling on the back of major investment by key players like Iridium and Inmarsat, and thanks to competition from terrestrial

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

satcomms providers, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink and the UK’s OneWeb. Airtime is getting cheaper, and so is the hardware that uses it.

Iridium’s NEXT generation of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites is a case in point. Comprising 75 new satellites, the constellation was completed in 2019 after eight launches. Dan Rooney at Iridium described it as the biggest tech

BELOW (L-R)

The OneWeb satellite hub; The Iridium 9575 handset

refresh in history: “We migrated all of our previous users onto the new satellites with no downtime.”

The new satellites have enabled Iridium to roll out the Certus data service, using lighter, cheaper ‘user terminals’, as the antenna and black box receiver is called. Certus 100 is the entry-level service, and the most appealing for sailing users with a download speed of up to 88kbps (previous generations of the Iridium handset could manage no more than 2.4kbps).

It requires just a tiny rail-mounted antenna and a black box built by Blue Sky Network (with support from Mailasail’s Ed Wildgoose). With a maximum consumption of 18W, the system is low power and can even be fitted with a SIM card to take advantage of fast mobile networks when in range. With a price tag of £2,999, it is not much more expensive than the slower handset devices.

Airtime costs $97 per month for 10MB or $190/m for 25MB. There are Certus terminals that run up to speeds of 700kbps (£8,099) for those with more voracious data appetites. The antenna is a bit bigger, at 36cm diameter, and airtime contracts can be agreed on a monthly or an annual basis. Current monthly rates are $575 for 100MB of data, with a promotion at $1,275 for 2GB. Iridium still does its familiar low-band systems, including the Extreme 9575 handset (£2,138 including antenna) and the popular GO!, for which your mobile phone is the user interface. For the GO!, you would pay £1,634 (inc. antenna), with data charged by the minute not the megabyte. A minimal 75 minutes per month cost $112.50, while a more generous 200 minutes is $599. If you are planning anything more than downloading simple GRIB files, it will quickly pay to invest in a Certus unit. That’s because download speeds are glacial – no more than 18 kilobytes per minute – so a single GRIB file could take 20 minutes to download.

Inmarsat is the best-known name in higher bandwidth satellite communications via its Fleet Broadband platform. Backed by 14 geostationary satellites orbiting over 22,000 miles up, it serves the midband market, offering fast speeds of 150-500kbps.

Costs vary according to which package you go for, but the Fleet Broadband 150 costs £5,999, with the FB500 priced at £14,399. It’s cheaper if you go for an annual rather than a monthly plan, but sailors will probably prefer the flexibility of the latter. Airtime costs $956 per month for 100MB or $2,173 for 1.5GB/m. Bear in mind, too, that the antenna is larger than

on the equivalent Iridium units.

But Inmarsat is also investing in LEO capability, and plans to launch 180 satellites in coming years. It has also launched the first of two new I-6 geostationary satellites, aimed at doubling network capacity under the codename Elera. This can offer speeds up to 1.6Mbps, but is geared at enabling small packets of data to support the Internet of Things.

There are key benefits for sailors.

“Elera will bring smaller terminals, lower power consumption but on the same basis of global connectivity and flexible price plans, because we know there are seasonal requirements and voyage-based requirements,” says senior VP Peter Broadhurst. “That will lower the cost and open up lots of possibilities for the leisure sector.”

Other prospects

Huge investment is going into developing satellite broadband for parts of the planet not served by copper or optical fibre phone lines. OneWeb, Starlink and China’s GalaxySpace are investing in constellations of tens of thousands of small satellites, with download speeds reportedly up to 400Mbps.

However, only OneWeb has put serious thought into the marine sector – albeit at the larger end of the spectrum. Its marinised parabolic antennas measure 69cm in diameter and weigh 22kg, encased

ABOVE LEFT

Inmarsat's nerve centre

ABOVE RIGHT

MailaSail's Red Box

BELOW

The Lacuna LS200

in a plastic dome - identical to the Fleet Broadband 500 antenna built for Inmarsat users. The difference is in the capabilities. “OneWeb’s LEO network will have a total usable capacity of over 1.1Tbps,” says Ben Griffith, VP of Mobility.

“Each of our 648 satellites will deliver an incredible 7.2 Gbps – delivering hundreds of Mbps.”

We won’t know about coverage and pricing for the maritime sector until next year, so it is hard to assess whether the service will be of interest to leisure sailors.

Starlink’s dish and black box router will set you back £529, with a further £89/month for unlimited downloads – expensive for terrestrial but unheard-of-cheap for marine. But the dishes are motorised and heated, and therefore totally unsuitable for use on small boats. The company did not respond to enquiries about a marinised user terminal.

Low data

At the other end of the bandwidth spectrum, there are also some interesting developments. British company Lacuna offers very cheap satellite connectivity via an emerging low-bandwidth protocol called LoRaWAN – Long-Range Wide Area Network. Speeds are slow, and the service is designed for lots of very small packets of data – ideal for remote monitoring of a boat’s systems or GPS tracking.

Each transmission is limited to 50 bytes, so it is not practical for weather or anything more than a simple text message. But Lacuna has launched six of its 30 satellites, with distant plans for up to 240. And though you may have to wait for a satellite to come into view, the kicker is the extremely low cost of use. At the moment, a terminal costs around £200, and each packet of data is 1p.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

63

Buyer's Guide - Satellite Communications

A well-established alternative for text messages and basic tracking comes courtesy of Globalstar’s Spot-X. Coverage here is not global, although sailors in the Med and Atlantic Ocean should experience no connection issues. The Indian Ocean, Pacific and high latitudes are another matter. The Spot-X costs €299 and subscription plans start at €11.95 per month. Thuraya really only covers the Med fully.

Garmin also offers marine weather forecasts over its inReach satellite messaging unit (£399.99). Iridium delivers the service, with subscription costs starting at £14.99 per month.

But for the 7-day marine forecasts, you’ll pay £1 for every request.

The forecast includes wave height, ocean currents and visibility.

Predictwind One of the biggest names in marine weather forecasting for leisure sailors is Predictwind, whose app appears on many a phone. It is a run on a subscription model and has an intuitive user interface that animates wind arrows and gives you the option of using one of 11 different data sources.

The standard subscription ($249/ yr) and the pro forecast ($499/ yr) are both designed to run over satellite, but the cheaper option only runs to 50km resolution, which is enough to spot big weather systems rather than local effects. MidAtlantic this is unlikely to be much of a problem, as real observations are few and far between.

You use the Predictwind Offshore app (phone, tablet and laptop) to identify the area you’re interested in, before you connect to download the forecast. A range of options allow you to strip out unwanted data and reduce file sizes, and output is a genuine GRIB file. You can access wind, rain, wave, cloud, temperature, sea temperature and current as part of the forecast.

The app is optimised to work with Iridium’s GO! Unit, which downloads data at 2.4kbps – that is 18kB per minute. Predictwind recommends keeping each GRIB download to 200kB or less, equating to 20 minutes of download. You will get through your contracted

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minutes fairly quickly doing this, which is why Predictwind has introduced a popular all-youcan-eat data allowance priced at $139.95 per month. Weather routeing is also available. predictwind.com Teleport-It Technical wizard Ed Wildgoose has developed a package of marine comms services for bluewater sailors, under the MailaSail brand.

It includes optimised email, hugely efficient GRIB weather and even web browsing, plus the ability to switch over onto 4G as soon as you make landfall.

The heart of his system is software called Teleport-It, which promises to slash data usage and satellite call costs by

ABOVE

PassageWeather provides high level weather files

BELOW

Predictwind does very much what it says on the tin

up to 90 per cent. It does this by preventing your computer and its apps from downloading updates, stripping images and signatures out of emails and giving access to detailed GRIB files using a very simple email. Wildgoose’s motto is: “We expect you to save far more than the subscription price in call cost savings.”

Teleport-It will work with the Iridium and Inmarsat phones that Mailasail sells, and is hardwired into Wildgoose’s RedBox Pro, billed as a complete on-board communication platform blending wifi, 4G, satellite and providing GPS tracking and NMEA instrument data in one unit. Subscriptions to Teleport-It cost from £10 per month, and the Redbox Pro costs £719. mailsail.com Passageweather This is a free service which provides high-level weather files for every area of ocean between 70N and 70S – that is the Antarctic Peninsula and the North-West Passage. As well as wind strength and direction, it covers surface pressure, wave height and direction, plus rain, fog and water temperature.

Many sailors will be familiar with the service, which allows you to select from a series of pre-defined sea areas for your forecast. The best resolution gives data points 15nm apart – or half that in US coastal waters, allowing you to look 180 hours ahead. The data is from the Global Forecast System as run by the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction.

While the interface is webbased, there is a low-bandwidth page that gives you direct access to clickable links for each information set in each sea area. This saves unnecessary downloads, but even then, file sizes are hefty. In order to see a wind forecast between the Canaries and the Caribbean, for instance, you would download a .zip file containing 30 images totalling nearly 700kB – a big packet of data for non-broadband satellite link.

Passage Weather also supplies custom weather routeing, starting at €50 per report. passageweather.com

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Buyer's Guide - Satellite Communications

Sailgrib This is a well reviewed app, but one word of warning: it is only available for Android phones, not iPhone. It is, however, certified to work with the Iridium GO! which means it will work over a lowband satellite connection.

Sailgrib gives you access to weather data from multiple sources, which allows you to choose the most effective in your area and to compare different forecasts. There is a weather routeing algorithm built in, tidal atlases available for all European ports and tide calculations for many of the world’s ports. The free version gives you weather data two days ahead, and only on a 50km grid. For 16-day forecasts, a choice of weather models and full tide data, take the €30/yr pro subscription – or pay €100 for permanent access. You also get downloadable weather charts included, which also work over Iridium GO!. sailgrib.com Squid Mobile Developed by a former Transat Jacques Vabre competitor, Squid was among the first to offer weather overlays from multiple sources and combine it with real satellite observations. Squid Mobile allows you to move from the laptop to a phone or tablet, and is compatible with Iridium GO! It will supply 10-day forecasts at 1-3 hour intervals, and allow you to compare different routeing options. Besides wind and gust data, there’s cloud cover, temperature, humidity, oceanic currents and more. The only hitch is that these will be large GRIB files, so compression software becomes key.

A year’s hi-res subscription for European waters costs £29.99, and that will cover you for an Atlantic crossing. Shorter subscription periods are also available. greatcircle.be Weather 4D Routeing and Navigation Particularly popular in France, Weather 4D is a well-developed app

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

that offers data from 35 different weather and oceanographical models. It is designed to work over a slower satellite connection, and allows you to select the specific area, resolution and data types you want to see, making it easier to manage download sizes. If you have purchased charts beforehand, you can overlay the weather directly.

Usefully, the app allows you to fine-tune your download offline, telling you the exact file size for your requested area and data. Interrupted downloads can be simply resumed.

The developers have also built a complementary app that can tell you when an Iridium satellite is overhead, so you can connect when the signal is at its fastest and most reliable.

The basic app costs £47.99 for global coverage, and it’s another £32.99 per year for a high-definition subscription. weather4d.com Avalon Offshore Another French development, Avalon calls itself a ‘complete’ weather routeing and navigation programme. It offers an impressive 65 different models, as well as bathymetric modelling and

ABOVE (L-R)

Squid's mobile app was developed by a former Transat Jacques Vabre competitior; Avalon offshore offers an impressive 65 different models

BELOW

Adrena Octopus runs on PC and Windows tablets only

alternative route comparison. It also interfaces with your existing Navionics charts, as well as the free Navily harbour/anchorage guide.

To use this over a slow satellite connection, you’ll need to buy the £22.99 ‘premium’ subscription, giving you six-fold data compression designed specifically for Iridium services. You’ll also get up to 16-day forecasts, routeing that takes currents into account and wave data. A three-day wind forecast for the Atlantic at 60nm intervals uses 62kB. The basic app itself costs £44.99. avalon-routeing.com Adrena Octopus With its roots in offshore racing, Adrena launched Octopus to capture a share of the leisure market. The software runs on PC and Windows tablets only, and offers a suite of high-end tools that cover weather, routeing and boat polars (speed optimisation).

It is compatible with vector and raster charts, and allows you to manage waypoints and routes with ease. It will also provide dual routeing for both sailing and motoring. Another nice feature is a graphical interface illustrating anchoring conditions at your destination. It costs €349 with a C-Map basemap. adrena-software.com

Useful contacts gtc.co.uk icomuk.co.uk iec-telecom.com mailasail.com

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Spinnaker watch The new Cahill 300 Automatic by Spinnaker Watches is as desirable as the brand’s other models, this one offering an impressive 300m of water resistance and a dual time bezel adding “a different dimension of utility”.

Ocean Safety has expanded its commercial marine portfolio to offer a wider selection of commercial lifejackets and accessories, including Spinlock’s DURO range. Spinlock’s DURO range of PFDs include both SOLAS and ISO approved products, designed for different levels of function and buoyancy. Required use for those who need to comply with MCA/IMO regulation, the DURO SOLAS 275N lifejacket will also serve leisure sailors well.  From approx £220  oceansafety.com

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Buoyancy aid for boats Norwegian maritime firm Antisink has unveiled a new buoyancy aid for boats, built into the hull in case of sinking. Antisink is self-inflating and “will keep a boat afloat for weeks”, saving lives and helping reduce environmental damage. The company says it comprises buoyancy bags inflated by CO2 cylinders. The system displaces water from the boat’s internal compartments. Thanks to its compact size, the system can be used on almost any craft from small yachts to superyachts.  £TBC  Watch a video of the technology on YouTube – search for Antisink.

AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

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Launched

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Raymarine has unveiled its LightHouse 4 operating system, delivering “even easier to use operation, exciting personalization options, and several new features”. As with all Raymarine software upgrades, LightHouse 4 is available to all Axiom, Axiom+, Axiom Pro, and Axiom XL owners free as a downloadable update. LightHouse 4 OS is said to give a refined visual experience, with simplified menus, as well as giving more options to personalise how Axiom looks and functions. Among many new functions, owners can create dynamic dashboard tiles to keep them informed of real-time instruments and navigation data on the home screen. Free for Axiom owners

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Hydrogen fuel cell charging Torqeedo is collaborating with a fellow German company called Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH to integrate hydrogen fuel cell charging into Torqeedo’s propulsion systems for electric boats. The two Bavaria-based companies aim to create an innovative system integrating Torqeedo’s existing Deep Blue battery-electric drive systems and Proton Motor’s advanced fuel cell technology. “This will allow for fast fuelling, overcome speed and range limitations, and will meet the most restrictive emission requirements on environmentally sensitive waterways or in urban areas,” says Torqeedo.  £TBC  torqeedo.com

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Charter UK

The 2022 UK charter season looks set to be a popular one. Sam Jefferson looks at the options available

PHOTOS ISTOCK/FAIRVIEW SAILING/EASTWOOD WHELPTON

Home comforts

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hartering understandably focuses on the Mediterranean, and it is often easy to overlook the plethora of incredible cruising grounds on our doorstep and also to the north east in the Baltic.

True, the weather is not so reliable and the sailing is often a bit more challenging, but if you’re willing to put up with that, the rewards are also great. In the UK, the west coast of Scotland is often cited as one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in the world with it’s hypnotic mix of rugged, highland landscape, powdery white beaches and wine dark waters it really is something special. To the west, the emerald coast of Ireland is similarly varied and a wonderful cruising ground.

UK charter boomed last year in part due to travel restrictions when going abroad and the market AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

remains strong, as Jo Downie from UK based charter company Venture Sail explains: “Chartering in the UK certainly increased in popularity in 2021 when access to sailing abroad was restricted, and in 2022 we are delighted to see that demand continue.

“Sailing in the UK offers a real ‘get away from it all’ experience without the flying and for some even without using the car, as many of our departures are close to rail connections. With sustainability now being one of the main factors for customers when booking a holiday, exploring under sail is a very appealing option for the carbon conscious.”

Venture Sail offers a blend of UK and foreign getaways, often from Cornwall. However, one of the big focal points for charter is the south coast where there is understandably a proliferation of charter bases in

the Solent, often viewed as one of the great homes of yachting. Aimee Barnes of Solent based Fairview Sailing explains: “Sailing in the UK can be just as exhilarating as sailing abroad, particularly if you’re looking to charter a yacht from the south coast of England where you can enjoy the popular waters of the Solent, combining enjoyable sailing with fascinating historical landmarks and quaint villages.

“Chartering a yacht through Fairview Sailing, situated in Port Hamble Marina, is the perfect gateway to explore popular locations including Portsmouth, teeming with maritime history, the Isle of Wight where you can sail past the iconic Needles Point and pay a visit to cute little villages such as Beaulieu, all easily accessible from the River Hamble."

"Demand for UK charters remains high this season, so

Useful contacts Andrew Simpson Centres: andrewsimpsoncentres.org Dinghy and watersports specialists with UK bases in Reading, Portsmouth, Birmingham and Portland Dream Yacht Charter: dreamyachtcharter.co.uk Huge charter provider worldwide with a base on the south coast of the UK

we highly recommend getting in touch soon to plan your summer 2022 sailing holiday.”

Heading west you can explore the magic of the Jurassic coast and the rugged beauty of the west country, which has a charming mix of glorious beaches, craggy peninsulas and fishing villages. The chartering hubs down here are Falmouth, Salcombe and Dartmouth.

Dinghy sailing

There is a wealth of options when it comes to hiring a dinghy, be it for the day or longer. Obviously there are sailing centres dotted throughout the UK but one of the

biggies in Plas Menai in North Wales. This is the National Outdoor Centre for Wales and therefore offers absolutely top notch instruction in a spectacular setting. Bear in mind that Plas also offers RYA cruising courses all the way up to Yachtmaster.

Aside from that there are a number of sailing centres that offer accommodation alongside dinghy hire making them ideal for a longer getaway. A good example of this would be Rockley Watersports in Poole Harbour, which offers a good selection of dinghy courses and self hire plus camping or glamping.

ABOVE

Charter sailing in the Solent with a bit of gentle racing thrown in for good measure

BELOW

Beautiful white sand beaches on the Scilly Isles

Elite Sailing: elitesailing.co.uk Chatham based sailing scool specialising in RYA training and adventures in yachts Eastwood Whelpton: eastwood-whelpton.co.uk Traditional Norfolk Broads yacht hire Fairview Sailing: fairviewsailing.co.uk Hamble based charter company offering bareboat andskippered charter plus RYA training in yachts Plas Menai: plasmenai.wales Based in Bangor, North Wales, this watersports school also offers RYA courses in yachts and dinghies Rockley Watersports: rockley.org RYA dinghy instruction and self hire in Poole Harbour Sunsail: sunsail.co.uk Yacht charter with a UK base in Port Solent UKSA: uksa.org Based on the Isle of Wight and offering RYA training courses Universal Yachting: universalyachting.com Hamble based sailing school and charter company Venture Sail: venturesailholidays.com Cornish based company specialising in adventure sailing both at home and abroad Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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W

S

N E

GULL’S EYE

MEVAGISSEY The port of Mevagissey is a charming stopover for boats exploring the west country as Sam Jefferson discovers 50.270256N 4.787094W

SANDY BEACH MOORING

VISITOR MOORINGS

SMALL BOAT MOORINGS AVAILABLE MAY-SEPT

VICTORIA PIER

NORTH PIER

APPROACH The approach is uncomplicated and there are no offshore dangers apart from Gwineas Rock to the SSE. Mevagissey offers good shelter in SSW through to NW winds. In easterly conditions there is considerable surge. Avoid the entrance in strong onshore winds.

INNER HARBOUR

EAST QUAY

MEVAGISSEY MUSEUM

N

estled into a rugged section of shoreline on Cornwall’s south coast, Mevagissey is a useful stopover for yachts making the trip to or from the west country from the south coast. As an added bonus, it’s also a picture perfect little Cornish fishing village. This, of course, brings the disadvantage of hordes of tourists during the summer but, then again, this means that the best way to see the port during these busy months is by sea. The port itself retains a very authentic tang of the true sailor as it remains first and foremost a fisherman’s port. Nevertheless, depending on draft and tide, there are berths available in the outer harbour and, given that the port offers good shelter in SSW – NW winds, this makes it a valuable bolt hole.

The town itself has a long history, with the first mention of a settlement dating back to 1313 with

76

ABOVE LEFT The inner harbour is largely reserved for fishing boats ABOVE RIGHT Looking into the inner harbour; note the single visitor mooring buoy at Sandy Beach

the main livelihood of the town built upon pilchard and mackerel fishing.

By the 17th century the port had added smuggling to its list of sources of revenue and Mevagissey began to really expand, boasting ten inns at its zenith. This is now back down to a more manageable two pubs but the town continues to flourish – in part due to the aforementioned tourists.

Passage planning

50.270256N 4.787094W

As mentioned, Mevagissey offers good shelter in SSW through to NW winds. In easterly conditions there is considerable surge, while in very strong onshore conditions, the entrance is sufficiently wild for prudent yachtsmen to consider going elsewhere – nearby Fowey being the best option. Having said that, the approach is uncomplicated and there are no offshore dangers apart from Gwineas Rock to the SSE. If it’s your first time visiting, pass east of the cardinal buoy (lit at night) and then aim for the white

lighthouse on the South Pier. This is because Black Rock lurks behind the North Pier and could catch you out if you came in at an acute angle.

As mentioned, space is limited at Mevagissey and the priority will always be the fishing fleet.

Nevertheless, the harbourmaster will do all he can to give you a berth for the night. As such, it’s worth calling him up on VHF ch14 as you make your approach. The South Quay is usually very busy with fishing boats but a stay of up to two hours is allowed in quieter times at the discretion of the Harbour Master.

In terms of actual moorings, there are are five red and yellow cans with strops to port as you enter the harbour which are secured by chains to ground chains on the harbour base. There are three more to starboard and all are suitable for craft between 24 and 45 feet. These moorings never dry but note that at LAT there is only 1.6m of water.

Aside from that are 20 outhaul

PHOTOS: ISTOCK

Gull’s Eye - Megavissey

moorings on the north pier suitable for smaller craft and rented out for the season. Finally, there is a single mooring off the outer edge of the east quay of the inner harbour known as Sandy Beach. This is a red can which is central to this beach and can be used as a stern mooring, with a bow rope then secured to a ring on the harbour wall. It is only suitable for vessels that can dry out.

Note that anchoring is prohibited within the harbour. There are limited moorings within the inner harbour for leisure craft that can take the ground but there is a two year waiting list as things stand.

When coming ashore you need to head to the East Quay central steps and platform near the Harbour Office. There is a shower and toilet so you just need to ask for a key at the Harbour Office.

Cruising grounds

The west country really is your oyster if you are heading out to sea

ABOVE Fowey is an excellent destination for a day sail from Mevagissey BELOW Looking across to the Victoria Pier in Mevagissey’s outer harbour

from Mevagissey which is what makes it such a delightful stopover.

It sits nicely between Plymouth and Falmouth, both of which offer extensive estuary cruising. Just to the east is Fowey which is a lovely spot to explore, while neighbouring Gorran Haven is an excellent anchorage if the wind is blowing offshore. If you’re thinking of going further afield, then the Channel

FACTFILE

MEGAVISSEY

Contact: Harbour Office: Harbourmaster: Andrew Treaverton VHF Ch 14 01726 843305 Out of hours: 07486 471931 Web: mevagisseyharbour.co.uk Email: meva.harbour@talk21.com Tariffs: Visiting yachts: Up to 2 hours free. Longer at overnight rate Overnight: All visiting boats £20 including VAT Outhauls: (May-October, max length 18’): £530 including VAT Use of slipway: £20 (£10 in, £10 out) Facilities: Shower and toilet – ask for key at harbour office Fresh water: Fresh water is available

Islands are well placed and this is an excellent stepping off point if you are thinking of heading to the delights of Brittany, with beautiful ports such as Treguier well within reach. There is a good sailing angle to take advantage of the prevailing SW winds. Other than that, the Isles of Scilly are not so far off and beyond, the Republic of Ireland and all of its myriad delights beckon.

from the inner harbour, however visiting boats must ask permission from the Harbour Office before entering the inner harbour Scrubbing grid -Situated between The Jetty and Olivers Quay, enables vessels to be worked upon between tides Diesel – not for leisure craft Boat repairs: John Moor Boat Builders +44 1726 842964 Pubs: The Harbour Tavern – harbourtavern. com, +44 1726 842220 The Fountain Inn - +44 1726 842320 Other attractions: Mevagissey museum: Set in an old boatbuilders yard and focusing heavily on the fishing industry. mevagisseymuseum.com The lost gardens of Heligan 200 acres of garden rescued following the abandonment of the Heligan estate. The estate is about three miles from Mevagissey. heligan.org

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Interview - Pip Hare

Taming a foiling IMOCA60 is no mean feat, but for solo sailor Pip Hare it's an exciting step in her Vendée Globe campaign. Georgie Corlett-Pitt went on board to find out more

Breaking the mould

“

oes it feel like home yet?” I ask, referring to the new Medallia, a 2016 Verdier/VPLP designed foiling IMOCA60 that Pip Hare has recently bought to race solo in the next Vendée Globe.

We’re ripping across Poole Bay and Pip has trusted me with the helm; with a casual tap of the autopilot remote control on her arm, it’s over to me. Before I know it, we’re clocking 20 knots of boatspeed in less than half that of windspeed. It’s an incredible ride: the boat glides over the water with astounding power yet the tiller feels as light and responsive as a dinghy. I can’t help but grin; looking up, I see Pip is also beaming, and I realise my question was a silly one. Of course this is 'home'; at a glance you can see she’s in her absolute element.

Managing performance Since purchasing the new Medallia from Frenchman Louis Burton (previously Bureau Vallée 2, which finished third in the last race, and first in the 2016-17 race as Armel Le

78

AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Cléac’h's Banque Populaire VIII), Pip has been maximising time afloat.

Some training has been solo, some with the likes of Jack Bouttell and Paul Larsen; her aim has been to understand the nuances of her new foiler in all conditions. Top speed so far is 29.6 knots – already a good couple of knots faster than the old Medallia, and overall she’s pleased.

But it's a steep learning curve. Pip has only just recovered from an incident in the Bermudes 1000 Race in which she injured her back, head and hand, despite which, she went on to finish the race - though she resolved to upgrade her woolly hat to a crash helmet.

She has also been busy implementing systems to make the boat “her own” and more efficient to sail – a new mast and second tack line are due to be added shortly; no more grappling unnecessarily with energy-sapping hoists and drops. Minimising unnecessary physical exertion and risk is all part of her plan to “sail smarter”.

Upgraded foils and a new bow section are also on the cards; both will be added at the end of the

ABOVE

Pip's tenacity was proven in the last Vendée Globe when she was top British skipper; now she can't wait to go again

year when the boat goes in for a major refit at Carrington Boats.

Pip has been closely involved in the process of choosing a design and is working with PRB's Kevin Escoffier, Guillaume Verdier and CDK. The new foils will use the latest manufacturing techniques and will be the same profile as PRB's. The geometry allows her to choose how much foil is working, which will suit Pip's conservative sailing style well.

Pip concedes that the modifications will compromise the boat’s overall performance, but she says, “at the end of the day we have to remember there is a human being involved – and only one.”

Her approach contrasts to that of many offshore soloists in this cutting edge class - something she hopes will pay when the 24,000nm Vendée Globe starts in 2024. A resolute focus on preparation and reliability is clearly ingrained in her nature, and her resilience and tenacity are already well-proven: in the last Vendée, a cracked rudder stock forced her to carry out a daring move to replace the port rudder in the middle of the

ABOVE

For Pip, understanding performance data has been top priority

BELOW

PHOTOS MEDALLIA/RICHARD LANGDON

The new Medallia is a 2016 IMOCA, designed to foil; foil upgrades are due later this year

Southern Ocean. She went on to finish 19th of 33, the eighth female to ever complete the race, and narrowly missing out on beating Ellen MacArthur’s record of 94d, 4h, 25m, set on Kingfisher in 2001.

The second time around, Pip knows what’s in store, but also that there’s no room for complacency. “I have the resilience and the mental capacity to manage the longer races and actually that’s where I am more comfortable, which is unusual,” she says. “But there are a lot more of the hard skills that I still want to learn.

Verdier believes that with the new foils and the bow modification, he can get this design within the top 95% of the new 2024 generation boats - so that’s what the boat is capable of. As a sailor I would like to be at the same calibre as the boat, I would like to be able to release that potential in the boat, so that’s what I’m pushing myself towards.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity to call on sailors of the calibre of those who have been working with me; there’s so much to learn. Also, as a team, seeing how we can adapt the boat for my style of sailing – there are some things that are physically very demanding. I’ll be 50 at the start of this race, and I am fit and I am strong but I need to keep on top of that, so physically, there’s also lots to do.”

Looking ahead

By the time we go to press, Pip will have started the Vendée-Arctique – a tough mental and physical challenge routeing 3500nm around Iceland and back Les Sables d’Olonne, that is the first qualifier for 2024's Vendée Globe. After that, there’s the RORC Round Britain and Ireland in August, followed by November’s Route du Rhum – another 3500nm from St Malo, France to Guadeloupe.

The refit planned to follow will put Medallia off the water for six months. When I suggest that will feel like a long time, Pip responds with a look that says, ‘honestly?

I’m trying not to think about that!’ It will however be a chance for her to sail other classes and broaden her knowledge further, and to work on the commercial aspects of the campaign; currently the team is backed by US-based data specialists Medallia, and has most recently signed support

from SmartSheet. Pip is grateful for the support and admits it all feels very different to her previous Vendée Globe campaign, when she resorted to selling everything she owned and living in her van.

So where does her ambition lie for the next round the world battle?

With 15 new builds for the 2024 race and a full starting line-up of 40 skippers likely, it could be the most competitive edition yet. “People ask me time and time again; they want to hear me saying ‘I want a top three’ or ‘top five’ – and of course I do,” she insists. “But at the same time, I don’t want to pin success on a number like that. Success is much wider than that. Already, we’ve created a new team, we’ve brought new people in, we are offering jobs and opportunities within the industry. Me, as a 48 year old, I’m still developing as an athlete and I’m going into it on equal terms. We’ve got a boat that’s two generations old; we’re not just building a new one - we’re taking a good old one and we are still finding out about its performance, developing it, working with sail designers...

There is so much more to it when you define success, and actually, I might go out in the Vendée and hit something or break a foil, but that wouldn’t mean we hadn’t succeeded as a programme and as a team.

“You just cross that start line the best prepared you can possibly be, with the best boat that you can manage within your team infrastructure and your budget - and I’m not going to do anything less than give it 100%.”

Pip’s unassuming nature coupled with her steadfast determination certainly breaks the mould. Now she has the experience, the team and her new boat, she has every chance of realising her dream of a top “x” finish in 2024's Vendée Globe – and will no doubt continue to inspire us along the way.

Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

79

TIME OUT SAM JEFFERSON AND STEFFAN MEYRIC HUGHES REVIEW THE LATEST BUNKSIDE READS, CLASSIC BOOKS AND MORE

Harbours and anchorages of Scilly – second edition David Eastburn and Tim Good Readers of the June edition of this magazine will have enjoyed Tim Good’s article on his summer in the Scilly Isles. In the course of the narrative, Tim related a chance encounter with the author David Eastburn after his dinghy got stranded by the tide and he had to clamber through his garden. The upshot of this encounter was that Tim and David collaborated on updating David’s excellent guide to the Scillies with a revised version. This provides an intimate overview of some twenty anchorages throughout the islands based on David’s in depth knowledge backed up by Tim’s recent exploration of the islands. Apart from clear and simple directions, this little book has advice on provisioning and what to bring in the way of clothing and documentation when sailing a small boat. An excellent update to an already excellent guide. £13.99 chasing-contours. com

Classic Choice

The birth of an Icon - Scott & Linton and the Building of the Cutty Sark - The True Story Alan Platt and Robert T. Sexton This is a book that is perhaps more for the specialists as it looks at the slightly unfortunate events surrounding the launch of the Cutty Sark, the famous tea clipper launched in 1869. The book charts the misfortunes of the shipbuilder Scott and Linton who set up a yard in Dumbarton in 1868 and were doubtless delighted to be approached by shipowner Jock Willis to build a new tea clipper. In their eagerness to secure the contract, they came in with a low price which, due to delays in building meant that they were soon in deep financial trouble. In the end, the company was dissolved and the Cutty Sark was finished by the company of William Denny in a nearby yard.

As you can imagine, this is a pretty niche topic but it is thoroughly researched and sheds light on a number of factors, touching on the flawed genius of designer Hercules Linton who, although he did not design the fastest tea clipper in the Cutty Sark, inadvertently built a ship that revelled in Southern Ocean conditions and later became the fastest wool clipper afloat. It also gives an insight on the rushed job done on much of the ironwork in the rig which would bedevil her first skipper, Captain Moodie, and perhaps explains why she lost her rudder in 1872 while racing her rival Thermopylae. £19.99 scottishmaritimemuseum.org

The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss

In 1901 John Voss, a sometime sailor and carpenter set out on a round the world trip in a 38’ wooden dugout canoe named the Tilikum. It would be understandable if you viewed this not so much as a cruise as a suicide mission.

Nevertheless, he made it from Victoria BC to the UK via Australia, the Cape of Good Hope and Brazil. A truly extraordinary performance. In the book, Voss recounts the journey along with a couple of other random adventures in worryingly unseaworthy craft.

The book is obviously absorbing reading but perhaps what gives it real edge is Voss’ reputation for being a bit of a queer fish and having a famously poor relationship with certain crew members – perhaps not altogether surprising given the cramped nature of his craft. Rumours persisted after the voyage that a crew member lost overboard en route to Australia had actually been deliberately killed by by Voss. Certainly, his first crew member, Norman Luxton, was not complimentary about him. Luxton’s daughter, Eleanor, later published her father’s journals and they are worth reading alongside Voss’ account. She described him as ‘a hardened seaman, mature, egotistical... with black moods’. Anyway, his account is thankfully not an endless tirade against various crw emembers and he remains entirely neutral – yet it is this intrigue – plus his magnificent achievement – that drive the book along.

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Stockholm Archipelago Guide Anders Hellberg, Kerstin Benckert, Gustaf Hannar

Skipper’s Cockpit Weather Guide Frank Singleton Frank Singleton is a retired Met Office forecaster and sailor who has devoted much of his twilight years to looking at the weather from the perspective of the sailor. As such, his pocket guide to the weather is a valuable tool for yachtsmen. The book is written in a clear and practical manner with the main aim of giving sailors a bit of a hand when it comers to passage planning and also identifying weather phenomena as they appear in real time. Frank therefore talks you through what various cloud formations and shapes signify and what they can foretell. In other words it’s a nice little guide to have a good nose through as you set out on a trip and then refer to again once you are under way. The book is spiral bound and the paper is splash proof giving the whole thing an extra level of practicality. £12.99 bloomsbury.com

Channel Coast of France Paul Heiney This book is subtitled ‘everything you need to know when you step ashore’ – which you’d have to say covers things nicely. It’s a nice little pocket book that has clearly been carefully researched by Paul who travels from Finisterre to Gravelines giving you tips on what to see and do if you take a run ashore. As such, there is just a cursory mention of navigation for getting in and out (enough, for example, to explain that St Valery sur Somme is a nightmare to get into) but the focus is on things to see and do and where you can re supply and repair the boat. It’s straightforward, well laid out, with decent pictures. What’s not to like essentially? A very useful companion for anyone planning a trip across the Channel this summer. £18.99 bloomsbury.com

Until recently sailors in search of a comprehensive cruising guide to the Stockholm Archipelago were left a little bit stumped unless they spoke Swedish – not ideal given the intricate nature of this stunning cruising ground.

Well, all that is set to change with the publication of this excellent guide which has been translated into English for the first time.

Here the yachtsman can find a mixture of well-established ports and marinas, beautiful natural harbours and small, little known gems – all presented with aerial photos, charts, pictures, texts and advice on how and where to anchor.

It also includes special advice concerning the sailing waters of the Stockholm Archipelago – which differs from almost any other sailing water in the world. All in all, a long overdue book to a hugely desirable cruising ground. brixhambooks.se

A Tale of Two Yachts Barbara White Self published books narrating long ocean passages are pretty much two a penny these days but Barbara White avoids falling into too much of a rut by mirroring her cruise, undertaken on retirement with her husband, with that of famous Norwegian sailor Erling Tambs who, in 1928, set out with his wife from Ulvøysund, Norway, aboard their engineless, retired A Tale of Two Yachts pilot cutter Teddy, on a similarly BARBARA WHITE westwards route, to begin their cruise to the Pacific Islands.

The book therefore looks at two very different voyages and compares and contrasts.

Combining extracts from her blog and passages from Erling’s book The Cruise of the Teddy and an enthusiastic curiosity to learn more about the world, Barbara embarks on a magnificent journey across oceans, between cultures and through time. From the highs of being welcomed to new lands with open arms and experiencing indigenous customs and traditions first-hand to the lows of devastating earthquakes and near-fatal misfortune, A Tale of Two Yachts offers an insight to lands and lives afar, all the while reflecting on what it means - and takes - to commit oneself to such a challenging expedition afloat. £12.99 selfpublishinghouse.co.uk

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Yachts & Yachting May 14.pdf

Hamble | Lymington | Ipswich

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24/03/2014

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Unit E4 Fort Wallington, Fareham, PO16 8TT. Tel 01329 232360 sales@vitessemarine.co.uk www.vitessemarine.co.uk/kiwigrip

EXPERTS' FORUM Advice this month includes...

- Sense checking the weather forecast - Live-aboard tips for bluewater cruisers - How to leave the dock stress free - Winning ways in the Solent

Keelboat masterclass Keelboat masterclass

This month Watching the SailGP season opener in Bermuda earlier this month brought plenty of tense moments amidst the nail biting, high performance action.

It’s a series where, in a split second, even the world’s very best sailors can slip-up - in an environment that pushes the absolute limits of our sport, this is par for the course, but nonetheless it is always an eye opener for us mere mortals to see our heroes tried and tested.

At the helm of the British boat, the mighty Ben Ainslie suffered disappointment on the start line of the final three-boat podium race after a mistake on a pre-start gybe left them without enough speed to make the line.

Hats off to Ben and the team for digging deep and clawing their way past Canada into second place, but they were unable to topple eventual winner Australia.

Ben’s words afterwards were thoughtprovoking when he said: “I don’t like losing, but we use that as motivation and learn from it”. While the team will have de-briefed the incident in every tiny detail from every possible aspect, for sure they will not be dwelling on the negative. So, expect to see the team fighting even harder at the next event – and it will be a most laudable manifestation of sportsmanship.

Wisdom to share? Email me at Georgie.

Corlett-Pitt@chelseamagazines.com

How to find height light winds Soloinsailing - marina challenges British Keelboat Academy Head Coach, Niall Myant explains how teamwork between the jib trimmer and the helm can help you stay on course without sacrificing speed…

When sailing an upwind leg in light, shifty winds any helm will be wondering if they could point higher, particularly when racing.

Chances are, the tell-tales will be unhelpfully limp in the light winds, and if the boat is underpowered the feel on the tiller won’t be giving much away.

You could gently head up and see if the wind will let you gain a few degrees. The danger here is that, if you are wrong, you’ll be losing speed; and hurriedly swinging the boat back down with the rudder will only slow you further.

Another, far more efficient method is to let the jib trimmer run the show. In light winds the crew will be down on the leeward side; if there is only one person down it should be the jib trimmer. Once on the leeward side they can help the helm steer by ‘testing’ where the jib is happiest.

Rather than the helm heading up half a degree to see if the jib will stay flowing, the trimmer can ease the jib a few millimetres or more. If the load in the sheet drops, the tell-tales die, you notice

PHOTO C/O RORC/PAUL WYETH PHOTO PAUL WYETH/RORC

Let the jib trimmer call the shots

any other signs of losing power, bring the jib back in. You will have lost far far less than a wiggling a heavy boat up and down.

If the jib is indeed happier, then the trimmer tells the helm to come up 2, 3, or 5 degrees, at the same time trimming the jib on. This way, even if you do find you are off the wind, by easing the jib to check, you will gain you speed - a double win. More speed and more height!

To make this trick work, it takes team work, and practice. The trimmer needs to talk, constantly, about the signals coming from the jib. Please don’t use a tone of voice that makes the helm feel you are just barking orders – helms need to feel like they are in control, they are funny that way.

You’ll also likely start by easing too much jib sheet, reacting with too much rudder when heading back, or find the trimmer is out of sync with the helm’s movements. So remember, it’s small adjustments, small gains and the whole point is to keep momentum and look for the shifts. Remember, practice makes perfect!

Good to know Continental style…

This month we are loving Cruising Association Chair Bob Garrett’s tips for visiting marinas on the other side of La Manche, in particular this helpful nugget: “There are still a few marinas in France which charge extra for showers (‘douches’) and for these you may need to buy tokens (‘jetons’) when you pay for your berth, so it is worth asking. These machines to receive these tokens may be outside of your actual cubicle, so check before you undress!” More on p87.

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EXPERTS' FORUM

HOW TO WIN

Coach boat view

Running pass Mark Rushall explains how and when to bring out this big-guns move

PHOTO TIM OLIN

H

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ere’s the scenario. The left hand side paid on the first beat: there was much more pressure on the starboard layline. Having rounded the windward mark, the leaders have all straight-set for the downwind and are looking for similar gains on the run. A few hundred metres from the layline, the wind veers (starboard lift) and the leader sets up for a gybe. The second placed runner sees the move, and sails slightly low to set up for the downwind pass. The boats gybe simultaneously: the attacker is high and fast out of the gybe and is instantly affecting the defender’s wind.

With apparent wind on its side, the attacker slides down ahead and onto the defender’s line: a perfect set play?

The third boat kept sailing into the lift, found the extra pressure on the port downwind layline, and is clear ahead of the other two by the time they converge: far enough clear for a safe gybe drop around the right turn gate mark and a tidy rounding to extend the lead on the favoured left-hand side of the beat.

If you are looking to swap places with a

AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

particular boat on the run, the downwind pass can work for any boat that sails angles down the run. The execution and defence for an asymmetric spinnaker (or other apparent wind craft) is slightly different to that for symmetric classes, but the dilemma between sailing for a genuine strategic gain, or for a simple place change, is exactly the same. In this feature we’ll look at ways to resolve this dilemma, and the key aspects to executing and defending from the classic downwind pass.

When to go for it If you are approaching the port layline of the run in a fleet race, the leeward mark is a port rounding (or your upwind strategy favours the turn left mark of a downwind gate), and there is a nice gap behind, the downwind pass is a nobrainer. There are no other strategic options, no ways to make gains on other boats in the race, no chance of the other boat returning the favour later on in the leg, and no chance of the boat behind doing the same to you. Even if you don’t

ABOVE

The move is different for symmetric and asymmetric boats; but both can use it to overtake when there is no other strategic option

exit clear ahead, you have the best chance of maintaining an inside overlap to the mark zone.

When not to go for it You have just rounded the windward mark near the front of a large handicap fleet, there are lots of boats around, it is unclear which side of the run will be favoured, there is a boat close behind, and the one ahead is clearly setting up for an early gybe. This time the pass is unlikely to be a winning move: the gybe will take you straight into the dirty wind of the beating boats behind, you have no idea if the boat ahead is actually the one you are competing with on handicap, and in any case he’ll probably return the favour when it is time to gybe back. You don’t know if the boat behind will pull the same move on you, and there are likely much bigger gains on the whole fleet through keeping out of trouble, and looking to work the best bands of pressure or gybe on the shifts.

These two extreme examples highlight the considerations that will inform the decision well before you need to react to the actions of the boat ahead. It’s analogous to the ‘lee bow’ decision on the beat: is there a strategic reason for me to go that way, or is there a compelling reason to focus on gaining an advantage on one specific boat? If not, there is no point engaging.

Fig 1

With an asymmetric (fig1) It’s not possible, when apparent wind sailing downwind, for a boat behind and on the same gybe to position itself on the wind of the boat ahead. What makes the pass so effective is that at exactly the time the boat ahead is down on speed at the end of the gybe, its wind is coming from where you are! To build speed, they need to sail higher: they close the gap, giving you more opportunity from your wind shadow. Your focus is on positioning and timing to exit your gybe where this wind shadow will have most effect.

As the layline approaches, use any pressure variations to close the gap. Keep the speed on in the lulls by sailing high: the boat ahead will be desperate to gain leeward separation so will likely be sailing lower than best VMG angles, but won’t want to gybe down-speed. Allow the apparent wind to build in the puffs, and once at maximum speed, soak below the boat ahead’s course: if they are not in the same pressure they will make things worse by doing the same. Time your gybe to exit right on the other boat’s wind: later if your pre-gybe line was below theirs, earlier if it was above. But focus on your gybe: if you don’t exit at full speed the leeward boat maybe able to sail high enough to pop out from to leeward. Once you can feel that you are moving forward, let the speed turn into ground to leeward to slide over the top until directly ahead.

The best defence is total avoidance.

Gybe out early if it’s clear what the other boat is up to and there’s no strategic reason for hitting the layline. There is a good chance the other boat will keep going, and if the worst happens there is a chance to abort the gybe, or to return the favour on the next gybe. Otherwise, spot

Fig 2

the danger early. Use the pressure gains to separate to leeward, keep preparation for the gybe to a minimum, and gybe without warning when you are in maximum pressure and the other boat is high, slow, or looking the other way (preferably all three!) Sail fast and high out of the gybe to pop free of the effect as soon as possible.

With a symmetric (fig2) Because we’re sailing smaller angles to the wind, most of the damage is on the approach to - rather than the exit from - the gybe. It’s often not possible to roll all the way through to a clear ahead position: once alongside and parallel there is no appreciable wind shadow effect. Use the burgee as a guide to where to position for max damage, and make sure you are fully prepared for the gybe. Continue to assess the situation: will the downwind pass leave you on the controlling side for the leeward mark? Or is there any strategic gain that should persuade you to sail your own race?

If you are directly behind the other boat as they start to gybe, don’t delay: roll into your gybe as soon as they do (watch for the dummy gybe!)

If you have separation to leeward, parallel their turn to minimise the chance of a defensive luff on the exit.

Extreme moves (fig 3) If all that matters is beating the other boat to the next mark (or the finish), the most extreme version of the downwind pass involves sailing them past the layline so you can reach over their wind to a clear ahead position

Fig 3

after the gybe. Read racing rule 17 first!

If on starboard gybe, you don’t even need an overlap to sail the other boat past the layline. Simply position yourself on a line to leeward of the other boat, close enough to prevent a gybe. Stay far enough astern that the other boat can’t create an overlap by bearing off before gybing. If you become overlapped from behind on the same gybe within two hull lengths of the other boat, rule 17 prevents you from sailing above your proper course: you can’t sail beyond the layline before gybing.

So long as you avoid gaining the overlap, you can keep pushing until the gybe gives you a fast angle to the next mark with no way out for the other boat.

If on port gybe, you need to be close enough to prevent the other boat gybing into a right of way starboard tack position.

Avoid rule 17 limitations by being more then two hull lengths away when the overlap is created, or by gybing twice while overlapped.

To defend, with a traditional boat, gybe early if you see the danger coming, especially if the gybe lets you control the inside side for the rounding. If the following boat looks over-eager, try a dummy gybe or a double gybe to send them off the wrong way. In all cases, time your gybe to be in best pressure, while the other boat is in a light patch, sailing above your line, or focussed on something else. If they persist and the mark is close, luff to defend, and bear off as the mark zone approaches, to break the overlap.

At the right time, the downwind pass can be a race winner. But beware, you won’t gain time on the rest of the fleet, and may miss other strategic opportunities. So, practise the routine but don’t over-use it; best keep it for a special occasion!

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EXPERTS' FORUM Cruising clinic

Cut the lines Learn how to leave the stress behind, as resident cruising expert Clive Loughlin talks through some simple steps for departing the dock with confidence... more eco-friendly rolled up piece of bread, into the water and seeing where it goes. The important thing is that it must sink below the surface (where wind can confuse things).

When wind and tidal stream have been ascertained, thoughts can then turn to how they will affect the boat when the lines are magically cut.

I always encourage crew to do the minimum necessary to get the job done safely, and it is surprising how often the elements will undock the boat for you.

It is important however to remember that you will not have steerage if you are just drifting out – this may not be a problem at all if you are drifting into open water – but it will be if you are heading across the aisle into the neighbouring pontoon!

If you decide that nature needs a helping hand, use the minimum number of lines and, if the engine is required, just enough power to get the job done and take control of the elements.

When leaving a berth I would encourage taking things slowly – if nothing else this gives the crew more time to get a fender where it's needed.

If possible, use the wind and tide before resorting to the engine

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Inviting neighbours on board Shenemere for lunch, laughter and crafting, in Panama

Life in the slow lane Susan Koning has over two decades of experience living on board and exploring exotic destinations. As such, she knows that the most valuable thing a bluewater sailor can have is experience. Here she offers some vital tips to increase your confidence and enjoyment of living aboard…

I was recently hanging out on a secluded beach with my sailor friend in Indonesia, ahead of our upcoming Indian Ocean crossing to Africa on our 51ft Beneteau Idyll. We discussed how popular sailing has become post-covid. It seems like everyone wants to sell their house and go sailing!

But after the hustle and bustle of land life it can be a big adjustment to just slow down and appreciate a pace less hassled. I have met many sailors who are still rushing about, even after years of cruising. I feel somehow they are missing out on the best part of the cruising experience - a long chat over coffee, a leisurely walk on the beach or a casual get together at sundown. It’s the progression of the day… slow, calm and appreciative of the moment.

That said, be wary of going so slowly that you never get to where you want to be! Too many sailors get stuck in the “getting ready to go” phase and never quite manage to leave the dock. Beware of getting stuck; you don’t really need to wait to get the collapsible bikes, etc. Stay laser focused on the necessities and set goals. The key is to get out and sail as often as possible.

You can also gain a lot from meeting the sailing community, so go with an open mind. Ask other sailors about places you plan to visit. It is a generous information sharing community so ask about the marinas and anchoring, and about things you can and cannot get so you can stock your boat accordingly. Take time to introduce yourself to your neighbours, to learn from shared experiences and enjoy your new and often eclectic tribe of sailors. Because of your common interest you will be making instant bonds that often lead to lifetime friendships.

Follow Susan’s adventures via Sailingshenemere.com

PHOTOS ISTOCK; SUSAN KONING

Most people (instructors included!) find take-offs and landings to be among the more stressful sailing activities, and the last thing you want to do is start an adventure with a bit of a mess-up.

When everyone is on deck and ready to go I always ask my crew to think what would happen to the boat if all lines were instantly cut.

This is a simple step, but helps clarify the mind. The idea is to get the crew to think about the tidal stream and the wind, and their effect on the boat.

It is no good at all to do this 30 minutes before the desired departure, as both tide and wind will certainly have changed.

The wind is pretty easy, but it’s what is happening at deck level, and not at the masthead that counts, as adjacent gin palaces will certainly disrupt the airflow. Go by how it feels on the face, and check out both ends of the boat if necessary.

Checking the tidal stream can sometimes be tricky as well. Flotsam and weed help, but if they are absent I favour dropping a small piece of screwed up soggy paper, or a possibly

Pro insight

Galley secrets Mitch Tonks of Rockfish fame is an acclaimed restauranteur, chef and author. As well as an ambassador for sustainable seafood, he is also an avid sailor. He explains how you can cook delicious fresh food on board without compromising...

French marinas have a number of differences from the UK which are worth knowing about. Cruising Association Channel Section Secretary and Chair of Council, Bob Garrett, shares his expert knowledge…

While marinas from country to country might be expected to be the same, that is often not the case and encountering the unexpected in an unfamiliar location while manoeuvring in close quarters can be a bit unsettling. French marinas are no exception.

Many marinas on the French Channel coast would dry out at low water if it weren’t for sills. These retain a certain depth of water inside, but of course access is only possible with sufficient rise of tide. Most sills include some form of flap which drops when the level of water outside exceeds the level inside and vice versa. This provides a greater period of access. However, be wary of entering (or leaving) around the time it moves as there will often be a significant current, or you might hit the sill; better to wait 15 minutes or so.

Entering the marina, you might be welcomed by a dory even if you have not called up (generally on VHF Ch 9). They will probably ask how long you plan to stay and then direct you to a suitable berth; they may even help you moor up. However, if not met then you will often find a pontoon (maybe with berths designated by length) specifically for visitors (‘visiteurs’). Alternatively, there might be a welcome (‘accueil’) pontoon to tie up to then visit the office for them to allocate you a berth.

Tying up can also be a bit different. Often the cleats provided are not those you can loop around, because they are rings needing your warp threaded through and back to your boat. The fingers (‘catways’) also tend to be quite short and bouncy. These also have a loop at the end to pass your warps through.

Once tied up you will want to plug in and maybe get water. Well, the sockets for electricity are the same 16A CEE connectors we are used to. But beware that many French marina sockets have a limit of 10A, so exceeding that may cause the circuit breaker to trip. Note also that some sockets are not live until a small silver button which is next to the socket is pressed and released. Some will also switch off after 24 hours if you don’t press it again. As for water, again similar connectors are used but note that in some there is a water connector but no tap.

Simply inserting your hose connector will turn the water on; sliding the connector ring back will release your connector and turn the water off.

The Cruising Association is the home of worldwide boating information for yacht cruising enthusiasts. Visit theca.org.uk

PHOTOS ISTOCK

With some careful planning, it's easy to cook some wonderful fresh dishes, despite the confined space of a galley. It helps to keep things simple.

Personally, I like raw fish so I always keep ponzu sauce on board which you can buy in most stores now. It’s a mix of light soy and yuzu which is a Japanese citrus fruit, delicious on a freshly filleted raw mackerel, or indeed any thinly sliced fish. I make a pre-mix of sake, mirin (a Japanese sweet rice wine), soy sauce and sugar and keep it in a bottle for when I am lucky enough to catch a mackerel. Just pan fry your fish, add a good glug of the sauce, spooning it over the fish to coat it cook down until nice and sticky.

You can also marinade any piece of fish in this same sauce for a few days, then wrap it in some foil and bake it.

For a super quick snack, boil some rice and mix a few tablespoons of kimchi into it, it’s spicy, healthy and full of flavour and has the power to satisfy hunger quickly.

We all love pasta and with this I try to keep everything in one pan; it’s easier for everyone. The basic rule is you take 400g pasta - shells, fusilli, macaroni, penne, even spaghetti - and add to a pan filled with one litre of water, along with a few tins of tomatoes, some garlic cloves, spinach and a handful of kale and cook it all together until your pasta is al dente. To finish, stir through a good bunch of basil, then serve in bowls drizzled with good olive oil and a liberal grating of parmesan.

For bread making, I make simple flatbreads and pizza cooked in a pan.

For these I weigh all the ingredients in port - 400g flour, 150g semolina, 7g yeast and 25g salt - and store in zipped food bags. Each one makes one loaf or one flatbread, so all I need to do in the galley is empty it all into a bowl, add 400ml luke warm water, knead, shape into balls and then rest.

For pizzas, I use a small round tin and I roll out the dough to the same size, brush it with my garlic oil, top it with a few tablespoons of passata, grate over some parmesan and mozzarella, put the pan on the stove and wait for the bottom to cook and crisp. When the sides start to rise, pop into the oven for 6-7 minutes until done (that’s how it works in my oven but I know we all have different ones, so be ready to adapt).

For me eating and cooking on board is all part of the ride.

Follow Mitch via mitchtonks.co.uk and therockfish.co.uk

Marinas in France: a handy guide

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EXPERTS' FORUM Pro insight

How to... Sense check the forecast Want to know exactly what the weather is going to do? It's time to look up from your phone, says RYA British Sailing Team meteorologist, Simon Rowell...

There’s so much weather information available on your phone that sailors are becoming more and more dependent on the data - true for beginners right up to experienced professionals.

Yes, by all means pull up your favourite forecasting website and have those numbers written down to feed into your race strategy or passage plan, but then you should also try to get an understanding of what’s driving the weather for that day.

Start your day right. Get yourself a cup of tea, then go outside and or up on deck and just have a good look at what’s going on. Is it raining? Are there any clouds? If so, what direction they are coming from?

If you’ve moored up overnight or anchored somewhere, it’ll be sheltered - that’s the point! – so often the wind that you get around your boat first thing in the morning has no relation to what’s happening outside the marina or just round the headland.

However, the clouds are at height, way above all the obstructions caused by the land, so they give you the best indication of the actual conditions.

Now you can go back to your phone. Look at a synoptic chart and work out what system is driving the weather for the day, whether it’s a low or high pressure, or changing from one to the other.

It can also help at this stage to look at a satellite image; in the UK for example the Met

Winning ways

Office website has a rain radar, which shows fronts coming through, and is really useful because that’s actual, known information as opposed to a forecast.

Once you are out on the water, you can put all this information together with some observations. You know what the numbers are telling you, and you know what is driving the weather. So, look out for signs to confirm any changes you are expecting. For example, if you are expecting the wind to shift right at 2pm, and you also know a front is coming through and that’s what is likely to be driving that shift, keep an eye out for the clouds becoming deeper, darker and lower as that front approaches. If they’re coming in at

roughly the right time, you can think ok, maybe the wind will actually go right at 2pm, but if the clouds stay away or arrive earlier, then you know the shift will be delayed or come through sooner.

So, use your forecast to get a big picture of what’s happening, find out what’s driving it and then look at the detail - visual clues and things you can sense or feel will give you the best insight as to what’s actually happening.

That way you can apply the forecast without having to be on your phone all the time!

Simon Rowell is an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner, has an MSc in Meteorology, and is the author of Weather at Sea. Find out more at rowellweather.com

Solent shifts and tidal tactics

The Royal Southern YC Champagne Charlie Platinum Jubilee Regatta, supported by Charles Heidsieck Champagne, saw more than 250 sailors race on the Solent in a variety of weather; from strong winds and a significant sea state to light and shifty conditions.

In the J/70s, 2021 Open National Champion, Jeepster with Graham Clapp on the stick was the winner with an outstanding performance pulling off nine consecutive bullets.

Josie Gliddon, the 2021 Women’s Moth World Champion, was calling tactics. She explains how they successfully tackled the big changes over the two days: “On the first day we started with good breeze and really flat water. You could sail really fast upwind

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

with a bladed top sail. There was a big gear change later on when the breeze dropped to about 12 knots, where you had to change gear; sheet really hard in and feather the boat upwind.

“The final day was all about the tide from a tactician’s perspective, getting in as close as you could with the course almost parallel to the shore line. It was quite interesting because it was meant to be a divergent breeze on the north shore, but it didn’t really feel like that. You just had to look for the puffs and the big shifts.

“The race team did a really good job moving the course as we had 20 degree shifts in the wind on the final day.” Full results: royal-southern.co.uk

GRAPHIC C/O SIMON ROWELL; PHOTO C/O RSRNYC/PAUL WYETH

The Solent is renowned for its challenges, so when a boat wins with a clean scorecard, it's worth asking how!

J/70 tactician Josie Gliddon explains how Jeepster mastered the conditions at the recent RSrnYC Jubilee Regatta...

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BENETEAU OCEANIS 361 CLIPPER | PAPILLON The Beneteau Oceanis 361 is a proven, capable and comfortable family cruising yacht.

With her spacious and practical interior she can sleep five across two cabins. Perfect for coastal cruising or longer offshore passages she had a new set of Tri-radial cruising sails in August 2021 and is ready to go for the coming season.

Year: 2003 LOA: 11.08m (36’3”) Beam: 3.81m (12’5”) Draft: 1.8m (5’9”) Engine: Volvo Penta 29HP Designer: Berret/Racoupeau Accommodation: Location: Inverkip, Inverclyde, GB Contact: michaelschmidt.co.uk craftinsure quote: £238

ARCONA 430 | NIGHTFALL With just one owner since new, Nightfall is a high-specification and extremely well-presented Arcona 430 complete with Axxon carbon mast, boom and spinnaker pole. Boasting a practical and spacious 3-cabin, 2-heads interior layout, finished to a typically Scandinavian high-standard in warm Khaya mahogany, Nightfall is a great option for anyone seeking just the right combination of quality, performance, space and ease of handling. Nightfall’s owners say: “She has taken us in complete safety as far afield as Greece and is equally at home pottering around the Solent. The yard were meticulous in their attention to detail.

“One of the reassuring features for us is that the keel and rig are bolted to a galvanised steel frame, ensuring a strong and rigid structure.” Freshly antifouled, serviced and completed with new standing rigging and sails, UK VAT paid, Part 1 British Registered, freshly antifouled, serviced and complete with new standing rigging and sails, Nightfall is 100% ready for the new season.

Year: 2011 LOA: 13.15m Beam: 3.98m Draft: 2.55m Displacement: 9200kg Engine: Yanmar 3JH5E 39hp Designer: Stefan Qviberg Accommodation: 8 berths in 3 cabins Location: Southampton, Hampshire Contact: grabauinternational.com craftinsure quote: £1105

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DISCOVERY 55 | AMAMAN A classic offshore blue water cruising yacht from the board of Ron Holland, she is the last of the Discovery 55s to splash in 2018. Amaman gleams and her impressive world cruising spec list delivers effortless mile munching. As the newer Mk II design, an open saloon greets you below deck with larger windows that let the light flood in. She is set of to be easily handled by a crew of two while comfortably accommodating up to 6 in 3 cabins. Following her launch, she sailed in ARC 2019 and won in her class! Now returning from an extensive cruising programme in the Caribs, she is ready for further adventures with new owners. En-route to Palma de Mallorca.

LOA: 17m (55’9’’) Year: 2018 Beam: 4.78m (15’8’’) Draft: 2.23m (7’4’’) Displacement: 22,500kg Engines:Yanmar 6GY3 160hp Designer: Ron Holland Accommodation: 6 berths in 3 cabins Builder: Discovery Yachts Ltd. Location: En route to Palma, Mallorca Contact: berthoninternational.com craftinsure quote: £POA

Insure your yacht with Craftinsure - boat insurance at the touch of a button.

Get a quote online or call today: craftinsure.com; 0345 2607 888 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Interview - GT Yachts

UK boat builder GT Yachts is back after a brief hiatus and Sam Jefferson catches up with company founder Conrad Cockburn and backer Jerry Ramsdale to find out more

Grand designs

he boatbuilding business is a funny sort of world with more than a modicum of charm and intrigue. For every big manufacturer churning out hundreds of hulls each year, there is a smaller company, often dominated by the dreams and vision of a single individual with a very clear mission; to create his or her perfect yacht. These are the dreamers of the day and generally their aim is not to make their fortune but simply to make the best boat possible.

Those dreams tend to snowball – sometimes into a nightmare but more often into a line of yachts that, although in some ways bear relation to – for example – a Bavaria, have taken a route from the builder’s yard to the pontoons that is so wildly different that it’s startling that the boats share anything in common at all. Yes, these dreamers of the day are

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a dangerous and compelling bunch who turn our sketches of the ideal yacht into reality; Recent examples would be John Charnley at Discovery Yachts and Dick Beaumont at Kraken Yachts; single minded men with an almost monomaniacal idea of what makes the perfect cruising yacht.

Add to that list Conrad Cockburn, naval architect, marine engineer and founder of GT Yachts. Readers may recall that in 2014 the boatbuilder burst onto the scene with the GT35.

This was an impressive yacht that combined modern styling with old school values such as extreme seaworthiness, comfort and genuine performance. The boat won plaudits from everyone who tested her. Then the company just disappeared. Now thay are back with an all-new GT 325 designed by Stephen Jones.

So what has been going on in the meantime? I’ll let Conrad himself narrate the sometimes wild ride.

ABOVE

Conrad and Jerry at work together

The vision

“It all started In 2011 when I was looking for a yacht and felt there was nothing on the market that I liked. I didn’t want anything too heavy and I felt there was a space in the market for a boat with performance and seaworthiness.

“It seemed like everything was going in the wrong direction – very charter driven. I saw Sadler had gone and wanted to look at a bit a reset. So I looked at the parameters of about 70 yachts and I could see where things were drifting in terms of ballast ratios and I phoned Stephen Jones [designer of the Sadler range]. He agreed.

“I’d always felt that the Sadler Starlights were his crowning achievement but they had gone.

So the essential basic ethos was to produce a modern equivalent of that. Initially I was looking for a 32 but we went down a rabbit hole in

terms of design and production and we ended up with a 35.”

In this matter, Conrad had stumbled upon the biggest problem that boat builders face - building a mould is a huge investment and the profit margins on a 30 foot boat are far, far less than on a 40 footer. This – to some extent – explains the gap in the market in the sub 35’ cruising boat sector.

“Next up, we looked at how I was going to build it,” Conrad continues: “Oyster Marine had just moved their yard to Southampton and had left their contractor, Windboats, a bit high and dry and they agreed to help me out. So the 35 was born. As soon as I had secured the builder, we took the decision as a family that I would quit my job. We sold a bit of property and we were ready to go.”

PHOTOS GT YACHTS

In at the deep end

The first 35 was launched and made available for test sails. The boat picked up rave reviews for its mix of contemporary styling and old fashioned solidity, seaworthiness and seakindliness. Behind this though,

storm clouds were gathering.

Conrad explains: “The main problem was that Windboats knew their business but they were used to turning out 50’ plus Oysters and they didn’t know how to build a small boat to a budget.

“On top of that Stephen [Jones] is a fantastic designer but you have to keep a rein on the cost of production and we didn’t do that. The result was that the boat went over budget and moved into a price bracket that I hadn’t anticipated in terms of marketing – and that was a big problem when it came to securing orders.

“At that point I ran out of money and went back to work which was fine, but not the plan.

I just had to put it to one side essentially. The GT 35 was sold which was great but the project was essentially dormant.”

Conrad went back to work, his dreams shelved and GT Yachts looked set to be a one boat wonder. That was until Jerry Ramsdale arrived on the scene.

Jerry explains: “I work in

ABOVE LEFT

A rendering of the new 325. The aim is a fast, practical yacht that you can take offshore without any qualms

ABOVE RIGHT

Laying up the deck of the 325

publishing but I have always been into sailing and I was looking for a boat to replace my Southerly 42 which was an excellent boat but I felt I needed something a bit bigger and with Southerly Yachts no longer in existence, I started looking around and ended up getting in touch with Conrad. Much discussion later and we came up with provisional plans for a 47 footer that me and a couple of friends could go cruising on. I was onboard with GT Yachts and the company was back up and running.”

“My wife was horrified,” Conrad admits, “We started designing the new boat and all was well but the more we progressed the more it seemed like we should perhaps take a different approach. I said to Jerry, ‘look, we’re about to spend a big chunk of your money here’.

I mean, tooling for a 47 is no small beer - particularly when we already had the mould for the 35 which after a protracted battle we got moved to a new facility at Mercury Yacht Harbour.

“Then Covid hit. We took a deep breath and a pause to Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting AUGUST 2022

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Interview - GT Yachts RIGHT

The new GT 325 in various stages of production at Mercury Yacht Harbour, Hamble, plus a rendering of the boat in action

reflect. I saw that demand was surging and realised that there was an opportunity and the 325 was born. There is a big gap in the market there for a quality cruiser you can take offshore. So we looked at the Sadler 290 and that concept – good performance married to twin keels- ideal for UK based cruisers essentially.”

That roughly brings you up to date. Conrad and Jerry have a team of six working on the boat at present and are preparing to launch the boat in mid August.

“It is exciting,” Jerry reflects: “The yachting industry is a funny one but it’s fascinating and the challenges keep things very varied.

I think the key thing is that we stay focused on producing quality yachts and work from there.”

The new concept

So what is the ultimate ethos of the new 325 and GT Yachts in general? "I’ve tried to make a point of not talking about performance ‘performance cruiser is such and over used and misused term," Conrad reflects: “We don’t want them to be performance yachts just yachts that sail well. I guess if I was making a comparison with a car, I’d say it’s like a Jaguar estate; performance orientated but extremely practical.”

Designed as Category A, the GT325 is a sub-10 metre yacht that can take the ground. With this added flexibility of twin keels. The boat is good looking and seaworthy.

“It’s all about the centre of gravity and keeping it as low as possible,” Conrad states: “All the boats are designed with a keel stub that is moulded in and everything is done to keep the centre of gravity as low as is possible. That is the key to good performance and seaworthiness.

“I’ve learnt a lot from my first time around in terms of production costs and techniques but the basic principle remains the same and it’s a good one. "The 325 will be a great yacht and I’m so excited to go sailing on it!”

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AUGUST 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting

Considering an Electric Outboard?

“Using a well-engineered electric outboard has been a revelation.’’

TOM CUNLIFFE Classic Boat

Quiet, Convenient, Reliable and Easy-to-Use In the popular 2-4hp category, the latest electric outboards – with their integral and rechargeable lithium batteries – have transformed the market, rendering petrol motors all-but obsolete. Advantages include:

Epropulsion Spirit PLUS 1276Wh battery Faster to charge Battery floats if dropped Foldable tiller means only one cable to connect › Three shaft length options › Direct drive (no gearbox) › › › ›

› Ease of Use Switch on, twist the tiller handles, go. Almost anybody can do it; no experience, strength or mechanical knowledge is needed. › Ease of Handling The batteries are removable, and the “pass up and down” weight (the shaft/motor assembly) is then 10kg or less. › Ease of Storage These electric motors divide into components, don’t leak oil or petrol, and don’t mind which way up they’re stored. › Quietness & Smoothness Electric motors are a delight to use.

Torqeedo 1103 › 916Wh battery › GPS data on tiller gives speed & range indication › Removable tiller (more compact for storage) › Near‐silent direct drive › Much more robust than the previous model (Torqeedo 1003)

› Power Forget slow speed “trolling motors”, these 1kW electrics have huge torque (more like a 3hp petrol). › Range There are many variables, but most users achieve at least 9 to 10 nautical miles per charge, at 4 to 5 knots (2.5m inflatable dinghy).

Much more if you slow down a little. › Reliability Many outboard motors don’t get used very often, and small petrol motors hate this. Electric outboards have fewer parts in general, and in particular there’s no carburettor to “gum up”.

Of course, it’s not all perfect. The range may still not be enough for some users.

And they’re undeniably More Expensive than petrol outboards, mostly because lithium batteries are expensive. But that extra upfront cost is largely offset by their Lower Lifetime Running Costs, including (almost) No Servicing.

NESTAWAY BOATS is the UK’s number one retailer for both Torqeedo AND Epropulsion. You can find out more on our website, and we are always happy to discuss further – and offer advice – by email or phone. If you’d like to see them before making a purchase, we are based in Christchurch, Dorset (UK).

www.nestawayboats.com mail@nestawayboats.com Tel 0800 999 2535

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To advertise call +44 (0)207 349 3787 or email mark.harrington@chelseamagazines.com

DINGHY COVERS

BOATS FOR SALE

www.rainandsun.co.uk Dinghy covers

rain .co.uandsun k

Tel: 023 803 4 88 54

Call Philip Bull on 023 8034 8854 INSURANCE

TORNADO CATAMARAN. Marstrom Tornado. White hulls. Carbon mast and chute. Professionally resprayed and new trampoline 2019. Carbon stocks, composite rudder. Big wheel trolley.

Rain and Sun full cover. £7500 Tel 07894 280190 / 01243 769000 (GOSPORT)

Calls maybe recorded. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

CLOTHING ZHIK PAIR OF POWER PAD HIKING OUT PADS. New and unused. Selling at half price. £49 Tel 01642 655982 / 07879 627224 (MIDDLESBROUGH)

BOATS FOR SALE

J24 DANJEROUS WHEN WET GBR 5238 ITALIAN 1998. J boats Italy, Hull 5238, dry sailed, good road trailer, carbon spi pole, Tohatsu 3.5hp outboard, North sails, new standing rigging, 2020 survey,competitive boat, ready to race, much mandatory equipment included. £9995 Tel 07971 879128 / (EXETER)

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RS400 1427. New mainsail & jib in 2021, new mast in 2022. Harken fit out, carbon pole. Combi trailer & top cover. TRADE. £7750 Tel 07738 984826 / (TYNEMOUTH) GP14 DINGHY. Restored as lockdown project, hull and deck stripped right back and re-painted/varnished. Trolley and excellent combi-trailer which has new wheels, suspension and bearings.

Top cover in poor condition, and new undercover. White sails still crinkle, plus has spinnaker with new pole. New bouyancy bags. Sail number 4389. £450 Tel 01590 670028 / 07949 810587 (LYMINGTON) MIRROR 14 (MARAUDER). 14 foot racing dinghy with spinnaker & trapeze. With launching trolley and boom-up cover. £100 Tel 07913 604 574 / (STAINES)

craftinsure.com 03452 607888 Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

VINTAGE NATIONAL 12 WANTED. An early boat from the 1950s. Prepared to travel and repair for the right boat. Ideally complete with spars and sails. Tel 07786 866099 / (POOLE)

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SEAFARER 18FT WITH 6HP JOHNSON OUTBOARD AND 8FT DINGHY. 23ft mast.

Sails and bag. Roller & foresail reefing.

Boarding ladder. New mahogany rubbing strakes. New marine ply washboards. Enclosed cabin with cushions & storage shelves. Mahogany combings & seat slats. Road trailer with new tyres. New bilge pump. £1675 Tel 01432 277281 / (HEREFORD) OPTIMIST GBR 6356. Amazing, race ready, Oppie. Sailed successfully in the national girls squad and sailing events all over the country. Some bumps and scratches but overall brilliant condition. (Road trailer can be included for extra *£150*.This trailer is road ready and has a secure roof box and rig tube.). £1750 Tel 77666 61066 / (SEAFORD) WAYFARER 5982. Mark 2 in good general condition. Genoa and jib. 2 reefs in main.

Oars. Suzuki outboard. Anchor with chain and rope. Fender/rollers. Combi trailer. 2 covers. White hull orange deck. . £1800 Tel 07778 841487 / (PLYMOUTH)

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FITTING OUT

BOATS FOR SALE POOLE AB 36. Varnished mahogany finish in good condition. Dry stored for last 20 years. Reluctant sale as lady owner ageing.

Fast boat with many club wins. Elvstrom self-bailer, oars, 2 suits sails. Original Measurement Cert signed By Harry Poole.

Launching trolley. Inspection welcome. £250 Tel 07752 623550 / 01292 610919 (AYR)

24 FT CRUISER QUARTER TONNER. Fully Restored and going fast. 4 berth, fin-keel, open-plan cruiser. Good family boat, self draining cockpit. Re-masted, re-rigged, re-keeled, new rudder. Laminate sails little used. 3.5hp outboard. Full recent survey - yard trolley available. Must be seen. £7950 Tel 07765 900259 / (CARDIFF)

GULL 2883 BUILT BY HARTLEY BOATS. Very little use. Combi trailer. Located Hoylake, Wirral. £5000 Tel 07882 498688 / (LIVERPOOL) SCORPION DINGHY, WHOLE OR FOR PARTS, INCLUDES LAUNCHING TROLLEY, Everything for sale. Glass fibre hull has small hole that could be repaired - 2 suits of sails, canvas cover only 3 years old, would wash well. Launching trolley with removable jockey wheel. Would prefer to sell the whole as a lot. Everything in fair condition. £100 Tel 01969 368371 / 07815 643408 (LEYBURN) SB20 3089. Extensively upgraded SB20, competitive and ready to race. Newest set of sails used for around 20 days sailing.

New trailer and standing rigging in last two years. Keel faired and in excellent condition. Top and bottom covers and outboard, ready to race. £11000 Tel 07966 596376 / (WHITEHAVEN OR LONDON) J24 - GBR4254Y - HULL 5072 J BOATS ITALY 1994. Juju. White hull Built 12/1/1994.

Minimum weight, measured for 2018 10 Worlds, WCAss trophy wins 20/21, Proven fast, North Sails cushions etc 2 spins, Double axle braked trailer with storage chest. Near Irish ferry. Photo below plus many more.

OFFERS considered . £7500 Tel 07917 832254 / 015394 33156 (WINDERMERE)

J24 RACE READY. One Design Legal Alien Hull number: JRSP-2-87 4215, Sail number GBR 4064 1987 Rogers boat in excellent condition and race ready. Up to date Marine surveyor report. Current ECHO & ICR certs. £12000 Tel 00353 862340359 / (IRELAND) COMET DINGHY C416. Lake sailed comet peacock blue hull with sail centreboard rudder mast, boom halyards wind indicator and launching trolley kept under cover, log book included. £650 Tel 01726 832525 / (ST AUSTELL ) PHANTOM 1466. CST Mast and Boom, 1 North full cut sail, Fixed rudder, Full Ovington fit-out, Combi trailer, Over/under covers, Lighty used due to lockdowns, Video at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cKoSqZs-0Xs. £10000 Tel 01590 718200 / 07971 670374 (LYMINGTON) DEHLER 41DS RIGID WINDSCREEN - NEW. Brand new acrylic windscreen for Dehler 41DS. £950 Tel 07714 259616 / (OBAN)

CONTESSA26 GENOA AND SPINNAKER - WESTAWAY. Little used sails, westaway spinnaker AP design 400 sq ft approx Westaway kevlar furling genoa, Sail Register dacron furling genoa. almost new heavy duty back transom cover very little use only. full zip covers.anchor and chain offers invited. £240 Tel 01405 812307 / (DONCASTER)

OTHER EQUIPMENT SEALY WIREM ROPE AND SPRING CUTTERS. Please phone for details. £49 Tel 01642 655982 / 078 796 27224 (STOCKTON ON TEES) BOAT LIFTER FOR DRY BERTHING. Boat lifter for dry berthing suitable for RIB/Boston/J24 or Keelboat. Fully adjustable up to 1500Kg. Approx 25 feet length. £3950 Tel 07795 966305 / (WIMBORNE) NEW HOLT ALLEN VERTICAL JAM CLEATS. Complete with standard sliding tracks.

Selling for half price because they are surplus to requirements. £96.7 Tel 01642 655982 / 07879 627224 (YARM)

Don’t miss our sister title

NEW CATALOGUE ISSUE 16

LEATHER STEERING WHEELS

Rubber seals and trims for the marine industry

FREE, fully illustrated catalogue Please visit our website or call SOLVE YOUR SEALING PROBLEMS MARINEINDUSTRIALCARAVANAUTOMOTIVE

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OTHER EQUIPMENT

LEATHER WHEEL COVERING KITS • For all wheel sizes and sprayhood grab rails • Leather Spinnaker pole covers • Handy Pull Tags to open Shackles • Suppliers of Marine Leathers to Sailmakers & Riggers

Clyde Marine Leather www.clydemarineleather.com T. 0141 881 4981

SAILS Clyde_RYA_Win_16.indd 1

HYDRAHOIST BOAT LIFTER - REDUCED PRICE. Currently set up for a J24, but can be adapted to suit most boats. Lifts up to 1500kg. Approx 6200mm long by 3200mm wide. Located in Poole Yacht Club. £3500 Tel 07808 177659 / (POOLE )

01/11/2016 09:55

T: (01929) 554308 The Sail Loft, 16 Sandford Lane Ind Est, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4DY

www.kempsails.com

YACHT DELIVERIES

FORTRESS ANCHOR, CHAIN AND ROPE. FX11, 3.2kgs, suitable for 28 to 32ft boat.

Included: 10.5m of 6mm galvanised chain, and 27m of Octoplat 14mm rope.

All very nice condition. Used twice. £95 Tel 07801 697613 / 01590 671555 (LYMINGTON) 14M ANNUAL BERTH TO RENT NORTHNEY MARINA NO VAT. Privately owned leasehold hammerhead berth available for 14m boat on an annual let. Low price as NO VAT. Chichester harbour is ideal for London boat owners, straight down A3 to Hayling Island. 38520 Tel 07802 366740 / (HAYLING ISLAND)

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97

Jess Lloyd-Mostyn While sailing is generally very good for the health, blue water cruising generally includes long periods of doing, well, not very much. There are, however, solutions out there

S

ailing is an incredible sport. It can tone your body in so many ways. The strength gained from working with the force and power of the wind all the while balancing your own weight, agility and momentum is a fantastic all-round workout. And then, of course, a lot of sailors ruin that by making up for it at the bar afterwards.

However, sailing and cruising are very different beasts. Cruisers are not out there on the water, pushing their boats and their bodies every day. Instead, those of us who live aboard and sail worldwide tend to have bursts of activity; busy months, seasons or whole years when we’re covering big mileage crossing oceans or island-hopping. And this contrasts with long stretches where we are focusing more on the living part of our floating lives. Dawdling at anchor in secluded bays, avoiding tropical storm seasons, getting to know a village or town like a local.

So if your boat is in this type of pattern, with regular extended periods of immobility, how do you keep fit when you’re not out there battling the elements or perfecting your racing sail trim? Truth be told the only recognisable exercise we do on board is rolling out our mat on the floor of the main saloon for a half hour or so of yoga. Or swimming and snorkelling at anchor. But that’s because there is actually ceaseless activity involved in boat life.

Living at anchor involves constant movement, no matter how slight. Even the flattest anchorage has a continual gentle bob of motion. We’ve tuned it out so thoroughly that we barely notice it, until non-boating friends step aboard with a queasy grimace. Yet this soft sway underfoot means that your core muscles are continually, subtly and subconsciously readjusting, tensing and releasing as needed. It helps your posture as well, as keeping yourself straight and upright but with the ability to flex and bounce with any motion strengthens your spine. And that’s just the base-level movement. Unexpected wakes, uncomfortable wind over tide situations or sudden squalls are common, even in sheltered harbours, and your body is always bracing and adapting to the changes in motion. A

lot of boats, ours included, are not so flash and fancy that everything is automated. We pump our feet up and down on the salt-water foot pump at the sink to do the washing up and do the same with our arms to flush the hand pump on the marine toilets, which our kids are still not strong enough to do themselves.

We don’t have a water-maker and we still prefer to fill jerry cans and lug them back to the boat rather than come alongside to fill directly into our main tank. I think this is simply that we enjoy the habit and the process, being aware of just how much water we need and consume. Although, we’ve sailed in plenty of remote parts where a trip back with several 20 litre jugs was a more arduous ordeal. And it’s not only carting water, all our cooking gas and groceries are hefted on board, no doorstep online delivery here.

We also like to row our dinghy in general, more exercise, but even when we’re lazy and using the outboard there is the whole process of lifting the tender off the deck and lowering it into the water, followed by the same action with the outboard. Plus you have to lift it all back on again to put it to bed afterwards.

Then there’s the task of cleaning the hull, an ongoing chore unless you want to grow a reef underneath you.

Diving in and snorkelling down, all while holding on to scrapers and scouring pads, and then giving the whole boat a good scrub below the waterline, including poking out all the seacocks is like a gym session in itself. But throw in a strong spring tide current or murky visibility and then it’s even more of a fitness challenge.

The funny thing is that these are just boat jobs, not considered exercise in their own right. Haring up and down the steep companionway steps; scrambling fore and aft along the length of the inside quickly shutting all the portlights when a rainstorm starts; climbing the mast; getting the boat prepped and ready to move, lifting anchor and then putting everything back when you arrive – even if you haven’t lifted the sails and simply driven a mile to the next anchorage. None of it counts as sailing, simply living, and it’s far less demanding than racing but all of it keeps us healthy one wave or water can at a time.

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JESS LLOYDMOSTYN Jess and James left the UK in 2011 in their Crossbow 42 and have sailed halfway round the world, growing their crew en route.

Follow their journey at water-log.com

ILLUSTRATION HOLLY ASTLE

‘How do you keep fit when you’re not out there battling the elements or perfecting your racing sail trim?’

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GJW Direct insure you based on the agreed value* of your vessel, not just the market value.

Get a quote today 0151 473 8000

www.gjwdirect.com

GJW Direct is a trading name of Munich Re Specialty Insurance (UK) Limited, registered in England: 01262636, The Exchange, 3 New York Street, Manchester, M1 4HN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 310539) and acting as a managing general agent on behalf of certain insurers.