y dyrdhrd by Derek Kolush

JUNE 2021

ATLANTIC ESSENTIALS 81 ARC skippers reveal their must-have kit THE VIKING ROUTE A transatlantic in short hops

EXPLORE THE AZORES The perfect mid-ocean pit stop

FEELING SEASICK? A radical new 15-minute cure

ESCAPE THE CROWDS We test Discovery ’s 48S swing keel adventurer

A DECADE IN THE PACIFIC One man’s Polynesian dream

HOW TO PROVISION LIKE A PRO HANDLE BIG BREEZE UPWIND SAIL TO SCANDINAVIA

J U N E 2 0 21

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE How to stow, conserve or generate water is key for any offshore sailor. We surveyed the 81 skippers of the 2020 ARC fleet for tips

at a glance On the wind 10 Fastnet course speed record

Adobe Stock

tumbles by over three hours

Proposals for mixed gender Olympic offshore class falter

Stranded cruisers rejuvenate sailing on remote St Helena

A look back at the sailing life of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh

New gear and yachts

32 40

68 The world's fastest daysailer and a new Oyster previewed

72 Focus on smart ready-meals for when the going gets rough

76 A locking device for lifejacket Kila Zamana

Julien Girardot

gas bottles... and more

Practical 78 Special report Virtual reality

VIBRANT ISLES

A TRADITION REIMAGINED

The Azores are more than just a spot for mid-ocean respite; they're an appealing cruising destination in their own right

For over a decade photographer Julien Girardot has been captivated by French Polynesia and its traditional outriggers

as a cure for seasickness

82 Extraordinary boats The zero emissions Energy Observer

86 Weather briefing Chris Tibbs on North Sea crossings

Alberto Duhau

Richard Langdon

48 60 IN THE WAKE OF VIKINGS

ESCAPE THE CROWDS

Can you tackle a northerly Atlantic crossing – the legendary 'Viking' route – in a standard bluewater cruiser?

It's rare to find an ocean yacht that can dry on the beach, but Discovery's 48S brings the swing keel back into fashion

Published monthly on the second Thursday of the month by Future Publishing Limited, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP ©Future Publishing, 2021 ISSN 0043-9991

88 5 Tips How to sail upwind in survival conditions

Regulars 05 20 22 57 90 96 98

From the editor Matthew Sheahan Skip Novak Great Seamanship Yachts for sale Classified advertisements World’s coolest yachts

COVER PICTURE Escaping the crowds with the swing keel Discovery 48S, tested on page 60. Photo by Richard Langdon

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Tor Johnson

VOICES OF EXPERIENCE For most of us the past year has involved rather more dreaming, and rather less doing, than ideal. But looking out over the Solent, I see the waters are ﬁlling with sails again, boatyards are humming with activity: it’s time to get to it and get back aﬂoat. Yachting World has always offered inspiration for those dreaming of setting a course for the horizon but, much more than that, we also provide unparalleled real-life bluewater cruising advice. Our contributors have been there, done that, got the T-shirt, got the engine oil stains on their T-shirt, and the amazing memories to show for it. If you want to know which weather app is best for negotiating the tricky systems of the

Azores, which instant meals taste best on a night watch, how to keep your crew safe in tough upwind conditions, ways to convert a luxury cruiser for high-latitudes sailing, or how to plan a stress-free midsummer sail to Scandinavia, this issue will tell you. Our biggest bluewater cruising techniques project is always our annual ARC Gear Survey. For two decades we have asked each and every ARC rally skipper about what worked, what didn’t, and what they’d advise. This year’s topic is water: truly essential reading, see page 24. With three ARC ﬂeets set to see almost 400 yachts cross the Atlantic this autumn/winter, that’s a lot of jobs lists to tick off. Our experts are here to guide you every step of the way.

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PICTURE THIS Just passing through? The scientific research vessel Tara in Haitheu Bay, Nuku Hiva Island, in French Polynesia. Sailor, photographer and chef Julien Girardot arrived in French Polynesia for a one-month expedition aboard Tara. Ten years later, he was still there. See his incredible photo essay on page 40. Photo by Julien Girardot

PICTURE THIS The Danish SailGP team gets some height on the 2021 season’s opening regatta in Bermuda. First win went to Ben Ainslie’s British team, against an all-star line-up that includes Jimmy Spithill, Francesco Bruni, Peter Burling, Tom Slingsby and Nathan Outteridge. Photo by Bob Martin

ON THE WIND NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF YACHTING

Fastnet course record tumbles One of the most exacting of sailing records, the Fastnet record, was pared back to just over a day on 6 April when the MOD70 trimaran PowerPlay set a new record of 25h 4m. Owner Peter Cunningham and seven crew stormed from Cowes to the lighthouse and back to Plymouth at an average speed of 23.7 knots. They broke the previous record for the 595mile course by well over three hours. That had been held since 2015 by another MOD70, Lloyd Thornburg’s Phaedo3. “The Fastnet course has been raced for nearly 100 years, so to be the fastest is a brilliant achievement, and the PowerPlay crew is fantastic,” said Cunningham. Cunningham bought the MOD70 (formerly Concise 10) in 2018. With no major races possible because of the pandemic, he decided to do some ‘pot hunting’ for records close to the boat’s UK base – the wafer-margin round the Isle of Wight and Fastnet records were at the top of the wishlist.

W H A T I T TA K E S

Lloyd Images

A ridge of high pressure over the British Isles in early April presented the possibility of breaking

both records in one swoop, and early on 5 April Cunningham set off with skipper Ned Collier Wakefield, navigator and weather expert Miles Seddon and crew Tom Dawson, John Hamilton, Paul Larsen, Jack Trigger and Martin Watts. PowerPlay would need to sail there and back at a true wind angle of 80-120°, ideally a wind range of 18-24 knots so that the boat could be reefed (and preferably double-reefed) to minimise manoeuvres and reduce drag, and as smooth a sea state as possible. That day, the weather routing was showing a round the island record could be done “within a minute” of the record, and the crew set off with the goal of lapping the Isle of Wight before going straight into the Fastnet course. But as they made a timed run down the Western Solent, it was clear that the odds of the first were too low. “In the northerly, it was so puffy, with peaks of 26 knots and lulls of 11 coming off the New Forest. At 1000 we decided it wasn’t going to happen,” explains Seddon. At 1138 they crossed the startline off Cowes and shot out past the Needles with the last of the ebb. As they skirted the Dorset coast, conditions were sporting. “It was a strong and very cold wind, dense and with very powerful gusts. As the wind came off the land we were getting these big cat’s paws. “At Anvil Point we had 22 knots and suddenly big 30-knot

ESSENTIAL RIG CHECKS + PREDICT CLOUD SQUALLS

CRUISING

SAILING

Win £3,000 for sailing journalism Our sister title Yachting Monthly has launched the Brian Black Memorial Award for the best writing about marine environmental issues as explored by yacht, sponsored by B&G. The winner will receive £2,000, with £1,000 going to their charity or marine environmental project of choice, and have their article published in Yachting Monthly. Find out more at yachtingmonthly.com/brianblackmemorial

Sailing the Arctic with a labrador Celestial navigation to Tristan da Cunha Bristol Channel tide tactics

Shakedown skills & drills

Back on the water at last!

SKIPPERS’ TIPS

Lightning strikes at sea GPS position check

Brian Black Memorial Award

POWER TECH

How practical are electric engines? Renewable energy aﬂoat

MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM

GREEN SA ILING S P E C I A L

THE FUTURE OF FIBREGLASS TRICKY TOWING Keeping rescues simple

THE ANTIFOULING PARADOX

THE DIRTY TRUTH ABOUT TEAK

LAGOON 420 Space & speed for cruising

Photos: Lloyd Images

downdraughts. When you are doing [speeds of] 30 knots and get hit by those it is pretty frightening,” explains Seddon. By nightfall they were nearing Land’s End. The low temperatures dropped further to -10°C with wind chill, and continual spray. “You had to think about crew management with 40-50 knots of wind all the time across the deck and the boat so wet. There was quite a bit of shivering going on,” says Seddon. PowerPlay weathered confused seas at Land’s End but it was, admits Seddon: “heinous, with a north-flowing tide and very powerful gusts.” “It was very violent. We had five guys queuing up to be sick off the trampoline. It was not a good advert for record-breaking.” On the way to the rock, the record time slipped, and Cunningham and his crew found themselves ‘chasing the ghost boat’. But once round the lighthouse and on the way back to Plymouth, PowerPlay lengthened her stride. Dawn broke, the sun came up and the sea flattened. They finished at lunchtime on 6 April with three hours and 42 minutes to spare, having made a single gybe at the Fastnet Rock. Seddon says: “As we were sailing back to the Scillies at sunrise, doing 32 knots, Peter was driving and he looked at me. I thought he was going to say we’re not doing any more records, but he said: ‘Have you started looking at any more?’.” Not bad for someone who is 80!

Clockwise from top left: crewman Martin Watts on the pedestal grinder; owner Peter Cunningham on the tiller in freezing winds; bowman John Hamilton, PowerPlay record crew. Left: Shifty winds put paid to PowerPlay’s round the Isle of Wight record attempt

Lloyd Images

And another… On 22 April, PowerPlay followed this up by joining in a race for the Cowes-Dinard record with Giovanni Soldini’s Multi70 Maserati. Both boats broke it, though Maserati was 3 minutes 43 seconds quicker on the 138-mile course, and set a new time of 4h 30m. Both teams logged boat speeds in excess of 40 knots.

ON THE WIND

New head for Magenta Project Jonquil Hackenberg has been appointed as the new chair of the Magenta Project, a non-profit organisation which seeks to generate opportunities for women in performance sailing. Hackenberg is partner and global head of sustainability at PA Consulting. She will lead The Magenta Project board which includes Abby Ehler, Libby Greenhalgh, Vicky Ellis, and Andrew Pindar.

Double-handed racing is booming:-here the Sun Fast 3600 Redshift Reloaded at the start of

Carlo Borlenghi

the Fastnet Race

Olympic offshore bid falters Proposals for a new double-handed mixed gender offshore class for the Paris Olympics have been thrown into doubt with less than three years until the 2024 Games. In April the International Olympic Committee (IOC) gave World Sailing, the sport’s governing body, six weeks to come up with a new plan for the Paris Games in 2024. The current programme is for 10 Olympic sailing medals. They will be raced in three male and three female classes (the Laser, Laser Radial, 49er, 49er FX, and men’s and women’s foiling windsurfing) and four mixed, including Nacra 17, 470 and kiteboarding. A proposal was made in 2018 that the 10th medal should be sailed in a

mixed double-handed offshore class. Double Olympic gold medallist sailor Shirley Robertson, also a highly experienced broadcaster, is among the sailors who have been drawn to the double-handed fleet since the Olympic proposal. Robertson has been racing a Sunfast 3300 with offshore racer Henry Bomby. She believes that the class’s inclusion in the Olympics could bring wide-ranging benefits to the sport of sailing. “The Vendée Globe, the Route du Rhum – I’ve been to many French offshore race starts, and they are without a doubt the most supported sports events I have ever been to,” Robertson explains. “The sport is massive in

France, and the interest it would create within the public and the media would be huge.” “[But] most importantly, to me, it would create a different pathway into long-term inclusion and commitment in the sport.” For Robertson, one advantage of the mixed double-handed offshore medal is that it creates a career pathway for experienced women sailors. “It is not an exaggeration to say that there is currently no realistic, achievable pathway into any kind of decision making role in sailing for female athletes after an Olympic campaign, and this option would help change that. “Creating a mixed double-handed pathway,

ON THE WIND

CNB and Solaris merger

Carlo Borlenghi

French yacht builders CNB, formerly part of Groupe Beneteau, has now joined with Italian builders Solaris Yachts. Combined, the two brands have over 80 years of experience and will be focussing on the 40ft to 110ft sector. The first new collaboration, the CNB 8X, will be unveiled early this summer.

The IRCRecords platform will allow smaller yachts to take on established record holders like George

Rick Tomlinson

David’s Rambler

would, following a Games cycle, produce a pool of really talented women decision makers with an irrefutable set of assets [who are] as valuable on board as their male counterparts. This would be an unprecedented step forward.” Opponents of the proposal point to the expense of developing a yacht class, while the IOC has also questioned the feasibility of broadcasting the racing, of securing the racecourse, and the lack of a double-handed mixed offshore world championship. For more updates on the class selection, and Shirley Robertson’s full case for the offshore double-handed medal, see yachtingworld.com

A chance to set records on ‘corrected time’ A new ‘Corrected Time Records’ platform has been launched to enable owners and skippers of a wider variety of yachts to take on some of sailing’s most iconic records. While many events and races have already successfully applied rating systems to determine an overall winner across different classes, record-setting has always been dominated by the largest and fastest yachts. The new platform, IRCRecords, created by sports management company Fourth Cape, will enable any skipper and crew to use their yacht and its rating to attempt a record course and, if successful, see their new benchmark time published and receive a certificate. Once entered on IRCRecords every boat has a 14-day attempt ‘window’ allowing teams to select favourable weather and tidal conditions. Records will be validated using a YellowBrick tracker, which can be loaned from an IRCRecords partner, purchased at a discounted rate, or rented. The new list of IRC record-holders will start with a blank slate, so anyone who fancies becoming a record-breaking sailor or owning a recordbreaking yacht may want to make an early attempt. Find out more at ircrecords.com

ON THE WIND

Hallberg-Rassy’s new 40ft cruiser Hallberg-Rassy is to launch its new aft cockpit, twin helm HR400 in late August. The launch of the new Frers pocket bluewater cruiser will be a centrepiece of the hugely popular Open Yard weekend which takes place in Ellös, on the west coast of Sweden on 27-30 August, bringing together suppliers, the complete HR range and a marina full of pre-owned yachts. See hallberg-rassy.com

Oyster back in profit

Brian Carlin

Oyster Yachts, the luxury yacht builder which was rescued from bankruptcy when it was bought by software entrepreneur and cruising sailor Richard Hadida in 2018, has confirmed that it is now back in profit. After three years of considerable investment, Oyster reported profits for the first quarter of 2021 and full order books for the next two years. In order to meet increasing demand the company recently expanded its manufacturing capacity by taking on space at Hythe Marine Park in Southampton, in addition to its existing sites in Wroxham and Southampton. This summer the second new boat under Hadida’s steerage will be launched, the 60ft Oyster 595, followed by the 50ft Oyster 495 at the end of the year. Right: the 565 will be joined by two new Oyster models later this year

Flares outdated, says RYA

Better alternatives to traditional pyrotechnic flares now exist, says the RYA

As an official consultation starts on options for disposing of out of date flares, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has made a plea for an end to the compulsory requirement for pleasure boats to carry pyrotechnic flares on board. The RYA has asked the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to review the requirement, arguing that they are ‘an outdated and ineffective approach to maritime safety’. It points out that better modern technology has made them obsolete and, besides being hazardous to handle, flares are increasingly difficult to dispose of. Phil Horton, the RYA’s environment and sustainability manager, says: “Radios, phones and other satellite connected technologies provide safer, affordable and significantly more

reliable alternatives to pyrotechnic flares.” The RYA points out that flares are also inherently less reliable and effective than the better, newer alternatives. The MCA is looking at alternatives for disposal, such as continuing its current contract with a commercial ordnance company, introducing a regulation system tracking flares, or requiring the leisure marine industry to create a system for safe disposal. The latter is the government’s preferred option. The RYA says that if the MCA continues to require carriage of flares, ‘the only reasonable solution’ is for vendors to be responsible for recovering and disposing of out of date flares and charging a levy on the purchase price to cover the cost.

ON THE WIND

Justice for Roger Pratt Four men convicted of killing Roger Pratt, a British yachtsman who was murdered in St Lucia back in 2014, were finally sentenced in April this year. His widow Margaret, who was also injured in the robbery aboard their Premier 41 yacht in Vieux Fort, has campaigned tirelessly over six years for a fair trial. The four were sentenced to between 6½ and 22 years in prison.

Aiming for 80 knots

Richard Mille/SP80

Nearly a decade since Vestas Sailrocket 2 became the world’s fastest sailing vessel, topping 65.45 knots, two teams are planning a new assault on the record with radical designs capable of up to 80 knots. One is the SP80 (pictured), created by three Swiss engineers, which uses a pair of floats either side of a main cockpit to skim the water surface with power driven by a huge kite and lift generated by a large aft foil. Meanwhile, in France, speed kite sailor Alex Caizergues is working on a project called Syroco, which combines a kite, T-foil, and a ‘flying’ hull. For more on the two bids google yachtingworld.com ‘fastest sailboats’.

Paul Gibbins Photography

ON THE WIND

OSTAR’s 60th postponed again The single-handed OSTAR and double-handed TWOSTAR transatlantic races from Plymouth to Newport, Rhode Island, planned this summer have been cancelled yet again by the Royal Western Yacht Club until next year. The OSTAR was to have celebrated its 60th anniversary last year but uncertainly about COVID restrictions caused too many withdrawals.

ANGOLA

ST HELENA S ou th At la n t i c Oc e a n

NAMIBIA

SOUTH AFRICA

Robert Harding/Alamy

Cape Town

Jamestown, St Helena

Stranded sailors bring new life to St Helena A group of cruising sailors stranded by the COVID pandemic in the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena have reinvigorated the island community – and the local sailing club, the tiny St Helena Yacht Club. The club’s commodore, Stephen Coates, told cruising website noonsite.com that the handful

of yachts that usually visit between October and April were boosted as cruisers were forced to stay and joined by others following behind. Over 20 remained, many for the whole year. “The yacht club has flourished as a result,” he said. “As their itchy feet turned to looking for jobs, the island has inherited a new task force. Many

have held down jobs for a number of months, working in shops, bars and more specialised work including architectural planning. “I was fortunate to benefit from an electrician with marine spares on board doing the wiring of my Colin Archer Finisterre. More recently we have seen one of our Hobie Cats fixed up and back in the water, which has been on the list of jobs to do for a long time.” The St Helena Yacht Club also got a boost to its normal racing programme. “There are only four functional yachts that are resident here currently and so seeing more than one or two yachts out sailing on the water has been wonderful to see,” said Coates. St Helena, with a population of 5,000, is a British overseas territory and one of the most remote islands in the world. There is only one tenable bay for yachts, which has a (often rolly) mooring field, and dinghy landings at the pier can be a sporting business in rough conditions.

A next generation leap in weather forecasting accuracy is predicted by the UK’s Met Office as it signs a contract for one of the world’s largest supercomputers. The £1.2bn computer, created in partnership with Microsoft, will be capable of running a vastly increased number of weather model scenarios to create forecasts with improved accuracy over small scale areas. It will also allow the Met Office to extend its lead times for longer range forecasts: forecasts today are already as accurate over four days as one-day forecasts were 30 years ago.

Meteorologists use so-called ensemble forecasts to compare huge numbers of likely scenarios run from different start points. The present UK model forecasts temperature, pressure, wind, humidity and more at 2.2km grid points over 70 vertical levels. Greater resolution, accuracy and longer range requires millions more computations. The capabilities of the new system will be increased in phases over the next decade, with six times more computing power available by 2023 and 18 times the current capability by 2027.

Tim Pestridge

New mega computer for Met Office

The Met Office’s mega computer will ultimately be able to make 288 quadrillion floating point operations per second

ON THE WIND

Management shift at Spirit Spirit Yachts is making changes to its senior management team. After nearly seven years as managing director at the Suffolk-based yard, Nigel Stuart is moving into a non-executive director role while Karen Underwood, previously operations director, becomes joint managing director alongside Mike Taylor, the former head of group commercial at Oyster Yachts.

The Caribbean 600 is one of the races that’ll come under the remit of

Tim Wright

Jeremy Wilton

New boss at the RORC Jeremy Wilton has been appointed as the new CEO of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Wilton, who has a background in professional sports management and marketing, takes over from Eddie Warden Owen, and joins the club in the first year that the club is to finish its Rolex Fastnet Race in Cherbourg. Wilton is former managing director of Bath Rugby and COO of Wasps Rugby. Earlier in his career he spent a decade at Whitbread PLC, where he oversaw a sponsorship portfolio that covered two Whitbread Round the World Races before founding a marketing agency. He is also a keen sailor who has competed in the Fastnet Race, Cowes Week and most of the RORC’s long-distance races. With his background in running and

marketing commercial sports companies, Wilton will bring a new perspective to events run by the club, including the Fastnet, Transatlantic Race, Caribbean 600, Round Britain and Ireland Race, and cross-Channel offshore races. “There are a lot of areas in the club that need reviewing, but it is early days,” Wilton told us. The RORC has just under 4,000 members around the world, and clubhouses in London and Cowes. Wilton observes: “Obviously we have an ageing profile of membership so there’s a question of how we make it an inviting proposition for younger members.” Could expanding the club’s collection of races be part of the remit? Wilton says: “It could be. We’re looking at that.”

It’s no secret that the RORC has long been keen to revive the Admiral’s Cup, which enjoyed its international heyday as a team event in the 1980s and 1990s before withering and being abandoned in 2003. “Is there a place for a team yacht racing event? We need to review and look at all these things like the cost and availability of crew,” he says. Wilton takes over in the wake of a longrunning controversy: many members disapproved of the change to the historic Fastnet Race route. Wilton says: “[The race] is far more than where it starts and finishes. But my role going forward is to bring on board people who are still not happy with the decision. We are always mindful that this is a membership club and we are there for the members.”

Jeremy Wilton, new CEO at the Royal Ocean Cruising Club

George Silk/ Time Life Pictures/Getty

ON THE WIND

Uffa Fox centenary regatta

Mike Walker/Alamy

George Silk/ Time Life Pictures/Getty

A regatta to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Uffa Fox will be hosted by the Royal London Yacht Club, with the Cowes Classic Boat Museum, in Cowes from 18-21 August 2022. Racing will be for all Uffa Fox-designed dinghies, keelboats and classic boats.

Above: helming the Doug Peterson-designed Yeoman XXI during Cowes Week in 1983. Left: competing in the Flying 15 class on Coweslip

The sailing Duke HRH THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, 1921-2021

famed local designer Uffa Fox. He also raced with Prince Charles in the Dragon class keelboat Bluebottle, which was a gift to The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh on their marriage from the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, and a series of yachts called Yeoman. In the 1960s both Charles and Anne accompanied Philip on cruising holidays aboard the 63ft

Tim Graham/Getty

The death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, just a few weeks before his 100th birthday, made headlines around the world in April. Tributes referred to his decades of public service, and to his sporting prowess, including cricket, shooting and carriage driving. However, Prince Philip was also a skilled and passionate sailor, who maintained strong connections with the sport throughout his lifetime. A graduate of the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, where he was named ‘best cadet’, Philip became midshipman aboard HMS Valiant during World War II. By 1950 he’d been promoted to lieutenant commander and took command of the frigate HMS Magpie. He retired from the Navy shortly afterwards to support Queen Elizabeth as consort, but continued to nurture his enthusiasm for sailing, which began when he learned to sail as a boy at Gordonstoun school. The Duke was a regular presence at Cowes Week for almost seven decades, not only on the Royal Yacht Britannia but competing in the Flying Fifteen and Dragon classes, often with

Prince Philip skippering his yacht Yeoman at Cowes in 2006

Camper & Nicholsons design Bloodhound. The Duke’s many official responsibilities included roles as Admiral of the Royal Yacht Squadron, and twice as President of the RYA, as well as being Royal Patron of the International Association of Cape Horners and the Whitbread Round the World Race. He is credited with being instrumental in the creation of Cowes Combined Clubs, the organisation that runs Cowes Week, and of modernising the RYS. The competition and informality of sailing clearly appealed to the Duke. One apocryphal story goes that when another competitor called for water at a mark, Philip replied “It’s my wife’s water, and I’ll do as I ****ing well please!” However, he was also highly knowledgeable. British America’s Cup sailor David ‘Freddie’ Carr recalls meeting the Duke and discussing the technological developments of the foiling Cup boats. “He was very well informed about sailing and the America’s Cup, and he was really into foiling. He would tell stories about how he and Uffa Fox had talked about flying boats when sailing their Flying Fifteen 50 years ago! “I also met him at the America’s Cup World Series in 2016, when he offered some words of support from the chase boat, and was very pleased to point out that our boat was crewed by a wholly British crew! He was a great supporter of British sailing and will be greatly missed.”

N E XT MON T H

ESTABLISHED 1894 • VOLUME 172 • ISSUE NO 3354

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Exploring the stunning Brittany coast, expert advice on the latest post-Brexit, post-pandemic legislation, plus how to route back across the Med while doing the ‘Schengen shuffle’: our unmissable guide to cruising Europe this summer.

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Technology often filters down from the largest projects, so we look at the future of hydrogen as a power source. With zero emissions, zero noise and no vibration, is this the fuel we’ve been waiting for? Plus full preview of the Superyacht Cup in Palma.

A passion projec t

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The largest traditional wooden boat to be built in 150 years, the working boat Pellew is a true passion project. James Stewart meets her creator Luke Powell and sails Pellew, Powell’s ninth pilot cutter build, off the Cornish coast.

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Pogo 4 4 on tes t

We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from ȸƺɀȵȒȇɀǣƫǼɵ ȅƏȇƏǕƺƳً ƬƺȸɎǣˡƺƳ ǔȒȸƺɀɎȸɵ ƏȇƳ ƬǝǼȒȸǣȇƺ‫ٮ‬ǔȸƺƺ ȅƏȇɖǔƏƬɎɖȸƺِ

There are some boats we get a bit giddy with excitement about and queue up to test. Rupert Holmes, now living in France, got the chance to take this spicy new fast cruiser out and see what it offers cruising sailors over the highly regarded 12.50.

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Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne zȒȇ‫ٮ‬ƺɴƺƬɖɎǣɮƺ ƬǝƏǣȸȅƏȇ Richard Huntingford !ǝǣƺǔ ˡȇƏȇƬǣƏǼ ȒǔˡƬƺȸ Rachel Addison Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244

COMMENT

M ATT S H E A H A N THINK THAT AMERICA’S CUP-STYLE MONOHULL FOILERS WON’T IMPACT YACHT DESIGN? THINK AGAIN, BECAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE...

fter watching the 36th America’s Cup, most of us are still wondering whether there could ever be a point in the future where yachts will replace a keel with a set of foiling arms in order to scorch around like an AC75. But a handful of people are already well down the track towards making that happen; among them, Italian sailor and owner Roberto Lacorte. Having enjoyed several successful seasons aboard his Mark Mills-designed 62-footer SuperNikka, Lacorte went on to have a crack at the Persico 69F foiling monohull, a large foiling dinghy. According to Mills he discovered quickly that he really liked the 69F, so much so that he bought two in order to keep his crew together and ensure they could race against each other. But the experience went beyond this, as Lacorte started to think about whether a larger foiling monohull would be possible for coastal racing and record-breaking. By the summer of 2020, having signed up the services of Mills Design along with some other leading experts including KND, specialists from North Sails, Giovanni Belgrano’s Pure Engineering, and Emirates Team New Zealand designer Dan Bernasconi (widely attributed as the brains behind the AC75), the Flying Nikka project was under way (if you’ve not seen it, check out the radical concept on yachtingworld.com). All of which shows an impressive vision and conﬁdence in the future, given that at that stage no one, not even the Cup teams, had seen physical evidence that the AC75 concept would work on a racecourse. Yet, Lacorte had already made a huge commitment. What has emerged is a sleek, modern looking monohull with reverse sheer and chamfered topsides that make it look very similar to the current breed of AC75s. But, as Mills is keen to stress, this is where the similarity ends. For starters, Flying Nikka has a keel. Plus, Cup budgets and human resources were not available, or even desirable. “As we looked into the project of foiling across a range of conditions and boat headings we realised that ﬁxed foil systems that simply slide in or out like the IMOCA 60s wouldn’t suit our

purposes,” said Mills. “These type of systems are very much a ‘set and forget’ concept and great for long reaching legs. What we needed was the ability to alter the angle of attack and therefore alter the amount of lift we would be generating more easily. But the AC75 systems are hugely complex and not an option for us.” At this stage that’s as far as Mills would go on explaining what their technical solution is, but in broad terms it’s easy to see that the concept of developing righting moment from a canting T-foil slung out to leeward is where stability and power are generated. What I wasn’t expecting to hear were his comments on the keel. “We don’t really need it,” he said. “In many ways it’s there to make sure we can enter events where we’d need to meet Category 3 requirements for stability. For events that don’t require this we’ll take the keel out.” So what gave Mills and Lacorte the confidence to proceed? “Getting Team New Zealand’s design co-ordinator Dan Bernasconi involved and using his software allowed us as novices to get into the foiling world,” said Mills. “We could not only see if it worked technically, but also fly it as you might a computer game with a wheel and some panels of information in front of you and figure out what wind conditions we could fly in, what sort of trajectory we needed to get the foils to work and so on.” “This is a boat that will be sailed mainly in the Mediterranean so light weather performance is important,” he said. “We’ve compromised on the top end of the speed range as we don’t want to be getting close to the cavitation area. Nevertheless, broadly speaking we’re looking at speeds of around 20 knots upwind in 10 knots of wind. When it comes to reaching we’re looking at mid to high 20s in the same strength, and then around 40 knots in 20 knots true.” It’s impressive stuff, but so too is the fact this is a boat for just five crew. Why? “It’s a weight thing. While a crew of five will have their work cut out, carrying, say, 10 would mean we couldn’t fly like we want to.” So, for those of us still contemplating how the America’s Cup might affect the future, it would appear we’ve got some catching up to do.

‘What has emerged is a sleek, modernlooking monohull’

COMMENT

S K I P N O VA K A C UR IOU S SK IPP ER ’S MI N D WOR KS I N MYST E RI OU S WAYS, A N D N EV ER M OR E SO THAN I N E XT END ED LOC KD OW N

or nearly seven years now I’ve been writing this monthly column. When asked to climb to the masthead of Yachting World I thought to myself that this would be a good opportunity to grind a few axes, offer up some opinions to wake people up on various issues (not always welcomed) and so forth. In fact, in the beginning I banked up a reserve of column pieces so I could just press the button and dish them out, well before the end of month deadline. Things then settled down and evolved into a routine whereby I’d come to grips with an idea on the deadline and bang it out. There are always plenty of topics around; racing, cruising, big events, types of craft, safety issues, maritime disasters with lessons learned (or not), to foil or not to foil, etcetera… ‘Write whatever you like,’ I was told. That was when all things were happening. Now we have void spaces everywhere in our bilges. Cancelled events are legion, speculation on further cancellations and uncertainty or downright over-optimism about others. Cowes Week without a beer tent is sort of like a football match without the fans in the stadium. Other preposterous ideas have been implemented like limiting the number of crew on board certain boats in certain races for social distancing. Cruising boats are still stuck in the Caribbean, some denied an exit and others with no place to go with the hurricane season coming on. Our sailing world has been reduced to webinars, Zoom meetings, virtual yacht races, tutorials and unending vicarious experiences displayed in rectangular screen-shaped format. Meanwhile my charter ﬂeet has been more or less stranded, but we have at least survived as a business. Pelagic Australis managed to make ends meet based from Cape Town with special projects, all needing quarantine. Pelagic has been on the hard in Maine and will remain so this summer, with nowhere to go in Arctic waters. Canada has closed its borders to recreational craft at the time of writing. Greenland is still wafﬂing about how to ‘open up’. Our new build, the Pelagic 77 Vinson

of Antarctica has been sea trialling in Holland without me, while I’m stuck in red-listed South Africa. It is not very satisfying commenting on gear placements and modifications via Whatsapp during a fit-out. No fun at all! With this deadline looming I went to bed contemplating a column subject. In search of inspiration I lost myself in Joyce’s Ulysses, a tome that needs a lockdown in one form or another to take it on. I’m always in two minds whether to look up the meaning of all those obscure words (some learned and forgotten) or to just let the narrative flow – the latter always recommended. I eventually drifted off in a mild sense of insane pleasure that Joyce always engenders. Bloom was, apropos to me at that point in time, thought streaming about water. Early next morning I had a dream about a recurring theme that I have promoted often in this column – simplicity of systems on board. It went like this: I was surprised to see that the engine on Pelagic was being turned off with the stop button, which controls a solenoid that shifts a lever on the injection pump, which cuts off the fuel. A standard configuration on every diesel engine. Years ago, we eliminated this solenoid which is prone to failure; read electricity plus saltwater plus movement. This can fail at the most inopportune of moments, not so much when you need to shut down the engine but when you try to restart as, if the solenoid doesn’t retract, no fuel goes to the pump – think man overboard, or some other critical manoeuvre. Instead we eliminated the solenoid and installed a simple push-pull cable operated from the pilothouse and it never fails. Ditto on Pelagic Australis. The dream ended with me convincing my crew to reinstate the system and I woke up not in cold sweat – it was more dream than nightmare – but with an epiphany on a topic. That wasn’t so much about diesel engines and simple systems, but rather on how sometimes the weird and wonderful ways of getting to your subject happens in the first place.

‘Preposterous ideas have been implemented’

water water everywhere HOW TO STOW, CONSERVE OR GENERATE DRINKING WATER IS KEY FOR ANY OFFSHORE SAILOR. TOBY HODGES SURVEYED THE 81 SKIPPERS OF THE ARC 2020 FLEET FOR TIPS

Water is the source of all life. For any sailor considering extended cruising or an ocean crossing, the ability to carry or produce sufficient fresh water to live off is a top priority. But how do you decide how much water to ship or how best to generate your own? Our survey of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) fleet last year focused on water. We asked the skippers how much water they carried, in what form, how it was used and, for the majority with watermakers, detailed questions about the generation of water and how the equipment performed at sea. Since we last ran a survey on this topic in 2014 our collective attitude towards waste has arguably changed for the better. That fleet of 193 yachts carried over 28 tonnes of bottled water with them across to the Caribbean. All sailors today should consider how every consumable item they carry aboard will be disposed of when they reach their destination.

Adobe Stock

Tor Johnson

Hold on tight: a cooking pan pressure rinse in the wake

The main decision ocean sailors face with water stowage is whether to ﬁt a watermaker, which is both a practical and a ﬁnancial decision. Generating your own water is one of the best investments cruising sailors can make towards comfort and true independence. ARC skippers over the past two decades have consistently described watermakers as one of their most vital pieces of equipment. “To us, a watermaker is the single best thing you can have for cruising by a fair margin and fully changes the game,” thinks Rush’s Ian Baylis – see full details of his set-up overleaf. Three-quarters of the skippers who replied to our survey had watermakers aboard. The seven yachts listed as not

carrying one were all smaller entries between 35ft and 45ft and typically over 20-year-old models. They carried extra water in bottles and jerrycans and used it sparingly. WAT E R U S A G E A N D C O N S E R VAT I O N Being frugal with water becomes second nature to most cruisers. The majority of respondents said their crew only showered every three days, 12 every two days and 13 daily. One of the most common pieces of advice from skippers concerning water conservation is to ﬁt a saltwater tap and to use seawater whenever you can. “Cook with salt water when possible,” advises the crew of

WAT E R C O N S E R VAT I O N T I P S Use salt water when possible,

Only carry bottled water for

for washing clothes, dishes or

emergency use and keep some

taking showers (right). If wanting

in a tank in reserve.

rinse, ration the water. Fitting

day tank to reusable bottles

saltwater taps in the galley and

is prudent and a good way to

heads can really help.

measure your fluid intake.

Turn the pressure down on

Rationing water from a

If running hot water, collect

freshwater pumps – or only

the cold while waiting for it to

switch them on when necessary.

heat up.

Thomas Horgen

a post-shower freshwater

CRUISING

ARC 2020 Power generation SOURCES TO RUN watermakers Boat’s engine = 36 Solar = 34 Genset = 23 Hydrogenerator = 14 Wind generator = 9 Fuel cell = 1 26 used 12/24V DC

Tor Johnson

13 used 230/240V AC

Wash-up in seawater, then just rinse in fresh

None 9%

Did not respond 17% Watermaker 74%

Litres/hour by Power Type 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 60lt or less

65>130lt

12V/24V DC

130>230lt

110/120V AC

Not known 230/240V AC

Power Generation for Average Litres/Hour 25 20 15 10 5 0 12V/24V DC 60lt/h 110/120V AC 80lt/h 230/240V AC 140lt/h Diesel generator

Hydrogenerator

Solar

Wind

Montana, a Swan 48 S&S from 1973. Yet over half of the respondents did not have a saltwater tap fitted in their galley, nor even a manual freshwater pump in the galley or the heads. “The saltwater tap in the galley is essential,” thinks Tobias Gröpper on his Sunbeam 44 Pivot. “We still have 50% of our tank capacity on arrival although we took showers etc.” Jorn Aalefjær, the Norwegian skipper of Ticora III, and Dane Martin Nielsen aboard his Jeanneau 53 also both stressed the benefit of fitting a saltwater tap. Suffisant, one of the smallest entrants, a Beneteau Oceanis Clipper 331 from 1990, has only small tanks, but uses a Katadyn Power Survivor 40E watermaker. They used salt water to wash with and had manual taps fitted in the galley and heads. Swiss skipper Marina Passet says: “Salt water is no use for washing clothes, but can be used for brushing teeth, washing dishes and vegetables.” Seasoned cruising sailors the Blacks aboard Bowman 57 Emily Morgan, say they have used their set-up for 8,500 miles and would not do anything differently. They relied on their Spectra Ventura watermaker, but advise closely monitoring the tanks: “We graph tank levels daily,” says Anna Black. “If the level is below the line then no more fresh water showers until it returns. Allow 20% extra in case of problems.” Many other crews, including on the Sunbeam 42.1 Ibex, were happy relying on desalinated water without needing large back-up quotas of water. The Chung family aboard Kaizen use a four-filter system to purify their water and drink everything from the tank. They have an instant

% ARC Boats with Watermakers

James Mitchell

Bottled water is still popular on board, despite the potential environmental impact

hotwater tap, and “we make our own sparkling water and have reuse cannisters for emergency”, says Kean Chung. Their Oyster 49 has 1,000lt tanks and a Sea Fresh H20 watermaker, so the crew were able to shower daily and there was no need for any bottled water. WAT E R S TO WA G E There should be no need to rely on single-use plastic water bottles when cruising. Reusable bottles, ﬂexible or collapsible bladders and jerrycans are a perfectly adequate solution for storing reserve water, particularly if you have a good ﬁltration system (see panel, page 31). Recycling plastic is not possible on many islands. While in recent years IGY Rodney Bay Marina has provided a plastic recycling service for visiting yachts, run in co-

operation with a local community group, due to COVID restrictions the service was suspended in 2020. So it was disheartening to find that nearly half the fleet still shipped over 100lt of bottled water each, while seven yachts carried over 250lt of bottled water, despite five of these having a watermaker. Many skippers still like to carry bottled water as a contamination-proof back-up or for monitoring intake. Aboard Escapado for example, a Beneteau first 40.7 with no watermaker, they carried over 250lt of bottled water. Skipper Sophie Iona O’Neill says: “One person kept a tally and did three fills of everyone’s water each day.” She says the total daily consumption amounted to: “two litres of drinking water per person, plus one litre of tea/coffee, giving a total of 3lt of fluid per person, per day,” – a useful statistic for those planning water consumption.

H O W A WAT E R M A K E R W O R K S MEMBRANE Watermakers, or desalinators,

types use a low-pressure pump

convert salt water into drinking

and achieve the added pressure

water using reverse osmosis.

via hydraulics. These require less

The seawater is pumped through

power and installation space,

a semi-permeable membrane

albeit for a lower output.

at high pressure to filter out the

Watermakers should be

large salt molecules, creating a

installed low down in the boat,

small amount of fresh water and

with a forward facing scoop

discharging the rest as a brine.

kept as close to sea level and

Traditional watermakers use

the pump as possible. The

DC- or AC-powered high-pressure

supply of salt water needs to be

pumps, whereas new generation

uninterrupted on either tack.

FRESH WATER BRINE

FEED WATER PUMP

CRUISING

I AN BAY LI S ON RUSH “Our approach was fairly Baylis, who was sailing one of the most performance-oriented boats, the Pogo 12.50 Rush with his family. He describes his 12V Schenker Zen 50 as

James Mitchell

simple,” says Ian

“a cracking machine, very quiet and with a low current draw – we were running it on our Watt&Sea hydrogenerator easily. We carry 440Ah of AGM batteries and typical current draw is around 20A.” They wanted to avoid carrying disposable water bottles across the Atlantic for

Tor Johnson

environmental reasons. “The 12.50 has 200lt of water tanks to port and a further 100lt to starboard. We decided to keep the starboard tank isolated permanently and only use the port tank, our theory being that starboard was our emergency drinking water if needed. “We carry a spare water pump and… if needed, we could run the pump from the engine battery or manually extract from the tank with a hand pump,” Baylis explains. Their crossing took 18 days, all under sail,

WAT E R G E N E R AT I O N If installed correctly and serviced properly, a watermaker should perform consistently well. The majority of 2020 ARC skippers rated their watermakers most highly, with 70% giving 5/5 for reliability. Just eight skippers reported having any issues with their equipment. Any problems were either fixed with spares or the result of another issue, such as a power source problem (Adagio had issues with their genset and, in the case of the Malo 43 Ydalir II, the fault was traced to a leak onto the inverter). The few who experienced any faults with their watermaker’s performance were typically those who had only installed it that season. The overriding advice is to make sure you have tested your system thoroughly at sea before embarking on an ocean passage. With prices typically ranging from £4,000 to five figures, it is worthwhile making sure a watermaker is working smoothly and knowing how to service it properly in advance.

Some cooking

including four days drifting, and they arrived

can be done using

with the spare 100lt untouched.

saltwater – but

“The old adage ‘use it or lose it’ seems to

you’ll obviously

have stood us in good stead over the years

need fresh water

and we are never shy about using water and

for your coffee

running the watermaker. On the crossing we all had daily showers and even freshrinsed the cockpit a few times. We averaged around 100lt consumption a day and ran the watermaker when the Watt&Sea was operating, although in theory our batteries can cope without a charging source if well charged beforehand. “Arguably the watermaker has paid for itself in saved docking and water costs, in some places it’s a very precious commodity.”

The ability to harness power naturally and to store it efficiently is changing the watermaker world. “If you don’t want to use diesel to make water you need a lot of power generation,” warns Lucky Girl’s Charlie Pank, who has a Schenker Modular 30. However, only five skippers say they increased their battery capacity when their watermaker was fitted. Paul Lemmens was very happy with his Rainman AC 120lt per hour unit aboard his Hanse 455 Veni Vidi Vix, but advises: “You need good batteries/large inverter to function.” He fitted an extra 400Ah of lithium batteries when the watermaker was installed.

James Mitchell

HAVE THE POWER

Pogo 12.50 Rush

CHARLIE PANK ON LUCKY GIRL The Panks’ set-up James Mitchell

is an admirable one for extended ocean cruising. The family had seven people aboard for the

Powersurvivor 40E

crossing, including three young children, and

electrical desalinator

were sailing one of the oldest and smallest

from Katadyn

boats in the fleet, the 42-year-old Maxi 120 Lucky Girl. “Our water tanks carry 450lt,” skipper Charlie Pank explains. “Our Schenker (DC) watermaker makes 30lt an hour in exchange for 8Ah at 12V. We have 540Ah of battery, 450W of solar, a wind generator and an ancient Aquagen towed generator. Our engine charges the batteries at 30A, but we never run the engine to charge the batteries or run the watermaker – only for moving when we can’t sail! “We saved power on board by only turning the instruments on once a day, to check course and position, by balancing the sails and using the Hydrovane, not the electric autopilot. We ran the tow-gen every other day during daylight hours, and we topped up the water tanks when the tow-gen was running. This meant that every couple of days, we had 450lt in the tanks. “This was my third ocean crossing, and I was determined to be able to deal with mishaps (like the watermaker breaking) so we had 200lt in jerrycans and another 50lt in bought bottles, in case the tanks got contaminated. “The freshwater tap in the galley is a Whale Flipper hand-pump, which stops wastage. We do all our washing-up using the foot pump saltwater tap and then rinse in fresh. We did not use the emergency water at all, and we arrived in Rodney Bay with 450lt of water in the tanks. Everyone had as many showers as they wanted on the trip.”

Newport 400c watermaker from Spectra

The advent of high DC power has had a marked effect on watermakers, says Mactra Marine’s Jim MacDonald, who, COVID restrictions apart, usually attends the ARC start for any last-minute watermaker problems or services. “Go for a low-energy system that will run off the batteries,” he advises. A good bank of solar panels or a hydrogenerator can really help – nearly half the ﬂeet used solar to help charge their batteries. “As lithium has become more prevalent, DC systems with energy recovery are coming into their own,” MacDonald continues. “This means that whatever your means of power generation, you can always use your watermaker – whereas with the old-fashioned AC/highpressure pumps you had to run the genset to make it work.” He has also seen the reliability of modern

T I P S F O R M A I N TA I N I N G A W A T E R M A K E R Trial it first! The most important thing is to

for owners – then should it go wrong you have a

try out your watermaker properly in advance.

better chance of knowing how to fix it.

Make sure you use it on the way down to the

Servicing. Change your pre-filters regularly and

Canaries.

flush the system with fresh water while in use.

Installation is key. You have to make sure the

Spares. Carry enough filters and chemicals for

saltwater intake is not too far forward, that the

an Atlantic circuit – don’t scrimp here as it can

pump is low enough and close enough to the

cost more than the value of the parts to send

intake so hose runs are minimised.

them. For those sailing in the Pacific, a spare

Familiarity. Know how to use and maintain the

pressure switch is worthwhile, potentially a

watermaker. Installations are relatively simple

spare pump too, advises Jim Macdonald.

CRUISING

Compact Zen 30 watermaker from Schenker

N E W WAT E R F I LT E R O P T I O N S

Viruses and bacteria

Schenker’s Modular

Pure, safe drinking water

Diagram of the Aegina purification system

range has separate components for flexible minute. Developed and

installation

manufactured in the UK, this is the only Class A water purifier, which guarantees 99.99% pure water from any stored water. Four sizes available from 3lt-18lt, costing from £1,645 ex VAT for the 3lt model. LAVIE This portable

watermakers improving as they increasingly use electronics where possible. Despite its modest output of 20lt per hour, the Blacks on Emily Morgan rate their Spectra Ventura very highly. They installed it themselves in 2017 and describe it as “invaluable in the Paciﬁc – simple and reliable”. The German Schaals aboard their Bavaria Cruiser 42 Nikajuma say they wouldn’t change their set-up and that the Echo Tec DML260 always worked – but noting “that the test tap is very important”.

Aegina Pure filters the

purifier has three time

water by hitting it with

settings, set according to

UVC LED light of a specific

the chlorination level of the

wavelength, changing the

water. “Power consumption

structure of any viruses and

is very low, about 25W for

bacteria, leaving pure water.

a 15-minute cycle,” says

www.aegina-pure.com

Patrice Charbon, adding: “In other words we purify one litre of tap water with only 25W of electricity. LaVie comprises a 0.5lt (€99) or 1lt (€189) bottle, a case that holds the bottle and includes an LED band for the UVA radiation.

F I LT E R I N G W A T E R

www.lavie.bio/en

FLOSTREAM The compact Micro HIFLO10 uses a threestage filtration process to get rid of microscopic particles down to 10 microns in size, including chlorine, heavy metals and other impurities. There’s

AEGINA For those wanting

also a bacteriostatic control

a more permanent water

element that removes

filtration device using LED

cysts and bacteria. The

technology, Aegina has

unit measures 169x133mm,

just come to market with

making it easy to fit under

its Pure water purification

a sink, and has replaceable

unit. This is a low power,

cartridges.

low-maintenance system

Price: £109, replacement

available in four output

cartridges £49.50.

sizes which can filter

www.waveinternational.

up to 18lt of water per

co.uk

Whether storing water in tanks or making desalinated water from the sea, filtering out any impurities makes sense. “We added 5ml of chlorine in the tank to kill bacteria and used LaVie water purifiers to get the chlorine smell out of the tap water we drank,” says Patrice Charbon, who was sailing the new Fountaine Pajot Astrea 42 Eden Blue for LP4Y with four friends. They were trialling a new form of UVA water filtration technology on their desalinated water. Charbon, an associate of the inventors Solable, explains: “The strong LED light beam generates UVAs which break the chlorine molecules. As a side effect, an advanced oxidation process flushes the water eliminating all molecules of pesticides, medicine or hormones that one can find in tap water. “A 30-minute purification would bring fresh, pure water to our table every day,” concludes Charbon, calculating that the watermaker and filters helped them save “over 200 plastic water bottles for our crossing and over 12kg of PET since our departure”.

VibrAnt isles THE AZORES ARE MORE THAN JUST A MID-OCEAN RESPITE SPOT, THEY’RE AN APPEALING CRUISING DESTINATION IN THEIR OWN RIGHT, AS KILA ZAMANA EXPLAINS

Main: bluewater Atlantic cruising between the islands of the Azores. Above: bull running on the island of

Terceira

“Run, young lady! You shouldn’t be there!” a voice screamed behind me. I didn’t understand; I had no idea why the crowd had gathered in one spot in between jagged streets at the hour of twilight. Suddenly two legions ran in opposite directions, as if escaping from an explosion. I instinctively followed. It was then that I spotted a giant black bull on a loose rope. I climbed out of harm’s way onto a wall, feeling frankly more intimidated by the concerned looks of the men running with the bull than the bull itself, so distressed were they at seeing a woman tossed into the middle of the action. This was ‘Tourada a Corda’, a tradition exclusive to the Azores, and particularly practised on Terceira. Bulls are set running down the street, held on a rope by two groups of ﬁve strong men each. It’s an ancient tradition that dates back to the Spanish invasion, when the people of Angra do Heroismo scared the invaders away by setting angry bulls upon them. It’s not a spectacle widely

GRACIOSA

AZO RES FAIAL

Straits of Horta

Velos

SÃO JORGE Pico

Horta Lajes do Pico

CORVO

Lisbon

FLORES

CORVO

FLORES Lajes das Flores

PICO

PORTUGAL

AZORES

ti Atlan

ea c Oc

MADEIRA

Algar do Carvão TERCEIRA Praia da Vittoria Angra do Heroismo

Atlantic Ocean

SÃO MIGUEL

Ponta Delgada

MOROCCO

0 10 20 30 40 50 nautical miles

SANTA MARIA

CANARY ISLANDS

shared with tourists, as the place and time for each bull run is passed by word of mouth between locals. Most chose to stay safely behind improvised barricades watching the event with beer and bifana (Portuguese pork sandwiches). There is one universal rule: the bull cannot be physically harmed (and nor should the men who run with it). Unlike Spanish bullﬁghts, the bull is not killed after the event: rather, it is kept in the best possible physical shape and well rested for future runs. The Tourada a Corda is an adrenaline-driven sport to test behavioural skills. Whether you consider it humane or not, it is one of the most ancient traditions of this historic island group and was a real introduction to the true Azores. I S L A N D E X P L O R AT I O N Even as my partner, Paul, and I made safe landfall at Ponta Delgada on São Miguel Island last summer, after logging some 1,100 miles from southern Portugal – mostly against westerly winds – we knew we wouldn’t be staying there long. We wanted to explore further into the nine islands that make up the archipelago. Around 90% of visitors to the Azores stop at the main island of São Miguel, while Horta is more convenient for sailors seeking rest en route from the Caribbean or US. Much of the island group is largely unspoilt. Paul had crossed the Atlantic many times before I met him, both the north and south, including co-skippering expedition yachts in Antarctica and taking part in three ARC rallies. I spent years working with sled dogs in the Arctic wilderness and never imagined I’d become a sailor until I found myself sailing with Paul on his 15m expedition sloop Malaika from Gdansk, in the Baltic Sea, to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. I fell in love with offshore sailing and we’ve since spent three summers cruising the Azores, and sailed the tricky Atlantic waters between the islands and Europe six times. Arriving at the islands by sea is like voyaging into Middle Earth. After a long Atlantic passage, which can be rather monotonous, you make landfall on islands that are pulsating with vibrant life. Theirs is a completely different form of beauty, the woods seem full of mysteries, myths and folklore: it’s often believed the islands are the peaks of the mountains of a submerged Atlantis. Cruising between the islands is a rewarding experience. Distances are small, the scenery is varied and each island has its own distinct personality. The pilot book Atlantic Islands by Anne Hammick was our best friend, along with routing and meteo application Squid. Sailing between the islands’ high cliffs and mountains 34

Kila Zamana and Paul Motawa sailed Malaika from southern Portugal to the Azores last summer

‘A rr iv ing at the is lan ds i s like voyag ing to Mi ddle Ear th

Left: misty Atlantic sunrise over the Azores. Below: small church and settlement on the island of Santo Antão

brings very unstable and unpredictable winds, together with fogs, showers and local currents. There are few reliable spots to drop anchor, and the area’s unpredictable weather means you cannot leave a boat at anchor unattended for longer stays. Marinas are, however, very friendly and well organised. After leaving the capital on São Miguel we sailed the 100 miles north-west to the island of Terceira, home of the bull run. Leaving Malaika in Marina Angra do Heroismo we headed inland to Algar do Carvão, one of only two volcanoes on earth that can be explored inside by foot. This one is thick with lush vegetation and ﬁlled with the background sounds of dripping water as rain seeps down the ancient lava tube. The verdant hues all across the Azores are an intense, oversaturated green. However, the ocean is a deep slate blue by daylight, the shoreline marked by dark volcanic sands. Those who seek a paradise of pristine beaches under sunny skies will be disappointed. There can be endless days of foggy drizzle – not even rain, but a seeping damp that gets in everywhere. The weather is changeable but, where there’s rain and sun simultaneously, there are many rainbows. Terceira has two marinas, though it’s often wiser to pick the southern Angra do Heroismo over beautiful Praia da Vittoria half way up the eastern coast. Strong and persistent easterlies have been common over the past few 35

‘Ho r ta is a por t fu ll o f origi nal p erson al i ties’

Acidic volcanic soil in the Azores colours wild hydrangeas blue: this is the dramatic landscape on São Jorge

CRUISING

Left: Malaika moored at Horta’s famous quay painted with emblems and messages by visiting yacht crew. Right: Malaika in Velas on São Jorge island. Below: Angra Marina on Terceira

summers, leaving Praia exposed to swell and wind. Sailing towards Terceira from Ponta Delgada, we were pushed off course by an incredibly strong north-westerly current. Angra is a beautiful UNESCO-recognised town, but it’s not a perfect marina in anything except winds from the north quarter, as it is quite a tight entrance and approaching can be difﬁcult due to the strong currents and swell inside the harbour.

COPING WITH SWELL Swell is a signiﬁcant factor of cruising the Azores. Because of their position in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where an ocean ﬂoor rises almost vertically from thousands of metres deep into high cliffs, waves are scattered from all directions after almost any wind. This confused sea often lasts for several days, even in fair weather, after summer lows have passed north of the islands. From Terceira we sailed to São Jorge, about 74 miles. I got up to take the watch at 0200 as we crossed the narrow 10-mile wide channel between the islands of Pico and São Jorge. I was greeted on deck by an incredible view

of the Milky Way. Then, as soon as the stars began fading with the dawn, I heard the eerie squawking of thousands of Cory’s Shearwaters soaring over the sea’s surface under the shadow of Pico mountain. A pack of dolphins appeared, then two fishing boats floated into view like ghosts out of nowhere, while the brightening dawn began transforming the colours of São Jorge from sinister blues to vibrant pinks and greens as the fields high atop the cliffs slowly revealed themselves. Shortly after Paul took over the watch we heard the characteristic ‘big splash’ and I jumped out on deck with a camera: a sperm whale. Despite whale symbolism all over these islands, it isn’t common to spot whales in the Azores, especially by yacht. We’ve seen them only once during our three years of cruising here. After the magical theatre of dawn, we approached Velas, on the southern coast of São Jorge, by daylight. Malaika was warmly welcomed by Jose, the harbour master in Velas’s small marina. Despite its small size, Velas is quite easy to navigate, never getting busy and, in our experience, probably the best protected against swell. It’s inside the ‘faja’, a term for ravines that’s unique to São Jorge. The water here is crystal blue and there are more seabirds on the jetties than people, including plenty of fearless geese that march up and down the pontoons. Jose gave us helpful tips on travelling around the serpent shaped island, which is just 33 miles long. You don’t come here for churches or architecture; this island has little to offer except time travel to the Jurassic era, with its oversized ferns and hobbit-like villages. Fearless animals are more common encounters than people, so driving requires caution: the animals don’t run, but rather will look at you with confusion. After hiking through the bird sanctuary of Sete Fontes, we realised we were really, really hungry. Nothing was open so late in the afternoon, so we drove in hunger and irritation until Paul spotted an old bar by the roadside,

‘It’s worth crossing the ocean just to stop at Jorge’s bar’ built into the edge of a rustic family house near the cliff. As we went in I was imagining terrible fast food, and the owner, Jorge, apologised, saying: “We have only hamburgers, sir. Oh and don’t mind the loud farmers hanging out there.” I didn’t want to stay but fortunately Paul insisted. I’d never have imagined this place would become one of our favourites in the entire Azores. Heck, it’s even worth crossing the ocean just to stop at Jorge’s bar, with its view of two islands. First he brought a snack of ‘fava’ (marinated beans), locally made cheeses, sausages, sauces and bread. And ﬁnally burgers from his own pastures, the best I’ve ever tasted. Now we always take our crews to that bar to feel the authentic atmosphere of the Azores. Jorge knows when we’re coming, he sees our yellow hull from his window as we cross the channel between São Jorge and Pico, and always texts us: “I see you guys. Feel welcome to stop, I’ll prepare something special for the crew.” P R O B L E M AT I C P I C O We continued on from Velas to Horta on Faial, a short and enjoyable 20-mile passage with Faial’s many iconic whaleboats, which are now used for races, dotting the water ahead. Approaching Faial you have to be cautious of eddies, waves come from all directions and the winds are constantly shifting in the shadow of Pico Mountain. It is possible to stop on the south of Pico Island, but the coastline can make for unpleasant sailing with messy seas. The entrance to the marina in Lajes do Pico also requires care, as it is a narrow channel surrounded by rocky pinnacles and often exposed to strong current and swell. The marina has only four berths that can accommodate 45ft yachts (call ahead to check for space). Though as cruisers we love to sail everywhere, it’s no sin to take the 30-minute ferry from Faial to Pico to visit the mountainous island. As we approached the Horta entrance the whaleboat crews greeted us with smiles. They train every weekday afternoon to race each Saturday. Horta is always an interesting melting pot of transatlantic sailors. We were allocated a berth next to the famous Pen Duick VI, which

The volcanic cone of Pico looms out of the sea

Below: Malaika offers bluewater sailing opportunities for guest crew

Marie Tabarly and her crew are taking on a tour around the world and ﬁlming their ‘Elemen’terre’ project. Together with Tabarly’s crew we greeted French ocean racer Mayeul Rifﬂet into harbour, as he brought his small trimaran in right before a bad storm after a single-handed Atlantic delivery from the Caribbean. Then we met Sven Yrvind, the 81-year-old sailor who made a landfall after 78 days of single-handed sailing his minuscule self-built boat. On other years we’ve bumped into the Delos crew: it’s a port full of original personalities. U N P R E D I C TA B L E F L O R E S The westernmost islands group, Flores and Corvo, are the most challenging. These islands are most exposed to passing storms, frequently enduring the worst winds and swell. The tiny harbour of Lajes das Flores is unprotected to easterly or south-easterly winds; they take no reservations, you can barely make contact with the port and the anchorage is known to be very rolly. Theoretically, sailing to Lajes das Flores from Horta will usually involve banging against prevailing westerlies, but the Azores weather is highly unpredictable and we’ve also experienced long periods of strong easterlies, mixed with every other wind direction. On our last attempt to reach Flores in 2019 there were near-constant easterlies, and after several dozen attempts at getting in touch with Lajes harbour we eventually found out that it was completely shut down due to

CRUISING

W E LC O M I N G P O RT

Kila Zamana is a photojournalist and artist and sails with her partner, Paul Motawa, on the steel expedition yacht Malaika, a custom design by Juliusz Strawinski. See svmalaika.com

The welcoming Peter Café Sport in Horta The Azores has long been a safe haven for transatlantic sailors and they are maintaining that tradition during COVID times. Mid Atlantic Yacht Services and Peter Café Sport in particular were praised on noonsite for doing “an incredible job with coordinating provisioning, supply and repair needs of yachts in transit” during the early stages of the pandemic. Since June last year, restrictions have been lessened to allow cruisers to visit or make a stopover. “They are so well prepared,” explains Kila. “In 2020 upon arrival we were directed to a special place to berth in Ponta Delgada while we waited for a free COVID test with results within 24 hours, and given a second test to do on our sixth day (at any other island). It was the same for our crew that arrived by plane.” At the time of going to press, Horta and Ponta Delgada remained open to yachts for fuel, water and provisions, and critical or essential repairs (all other ports are closed to nonresident vessels, unless COVID tests have been scheduled with the local health authority). Yachtsmen are able to schedule COVID testing with marina

terrible 3m easterly swells. Locals say the best time to try for Flores is in June. That autumn, we made a quick change of plans and dropped our crew off in Ponta Delgada after two days tacking against easterlies. By then it was late September, the ﬁnal call for a safe passage back to the European mainland. We were nervous, and keeping a very keen eye on the forecasts; there was gale after storm, storm after gale. One night during an electrical storm lightning struck a boat two pontoons along from us, thankfully only partially damaging our wind instruments. It was starting to feel like the Azores didn’t want us to leave! Eventually we found a safe window for at least six days and set off. As with every time we leave the Azores, I watched the islands fading into the clouds like a mirage. I always feel emotional watching it, which is a sign that it’s place worth another visit. In the end, we had an ideal beam reach in 20-25 knots, with a fair sea state for nearly the entire passage, and after eight days made safe landfall in Portimão. During our passage Hurricane Lorenzo had passed through Azores with 15m waves ravaging the shores. The port of Flores was completely devastated. Azoreans are used to storms but this one was too much. We weren’t destined for Flores that year but, as our friend Jose in Velas wisely once said, it is sometimes best to not visit all the places around the world, but to leave unexplored places in our imagination. It gives us a reason to dream. And we will be back.

officials upon arrival, after anchoring and making contact on VHF Ch16. Testing is free of charge, and may be waived for boats that arrive after a long (14-day plus) passage with no symptoms on board.

Malaika is a 15m one-off steel expedition yacht

Photos by Julien Girardot

A tradition r e i m ag i n e d FOR OVER A DECADE, PHOTOGRAPHER JULIEN GIRARDOT HAS BEEN CAPTIVATED BY FRENCH POLYNESIA AND A DREAM OF BRINGING TRADITIONAL SAILING CANOES, OR PIROGUES, BACK TO THE MOTUS

him: “Ato, where are all the sailing canoes?” He told me that when engines ﬁrst arrived in French Polynesia with the ‘popa’a’ (white people) and the nuclear testing programme in the 1960s, the locals were quickly impressed by having so much power with so much ease. No more sails to manage, no more tricky boatbuilding… The nuclear test programme needed manpower and many Polynesians were hired. They started to earn something new for them: money. Islanders embraced modernity, and the sailing canoes were soon gone. One day, as we were exploring a motu, I asked Ato: “Shall we build a sailing canoe?” He said yes straight away. After Tara I came back to Fakarava and we launched a non-proﬁt organisation to realise the dream. V

I arrived in French Polynesia as a cook and photographer on the scientiﬁc research yacht Tara, just passing through. But I ended up settling here for a decade; partly because of my passion for sailing pirogues but also because, as a photographer, Tahiti and her islands are a true blessing. When you think about French Polynesia, you think of traditional multihulls. Before I arrived I read about navigation by the stars, and the ancient history of Polynesians who sailed the Paciﬁc to populate the islands of the Polynesian Triangle. I planned to spend one month in Tuamotu, and told myself that I’d hang out with the locals and sail with them aboard their epic outriggers. Living on Fakarava, an atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, I became friends with my neighbour, Ato. One day I asked

Before the adventure really began, we met in Tahiti to try out a canoe belonging to one of Ato’s friends, Tepea, who is passionate about traditional sailing. This type of pirogue existed in great numbers before the arrival of motorboats. Ato took to sailing it like one of his Maohi ancestors, and grabbed the paddle. The wind was strong that afternoon in Arue, on the outskirts of Papeete, and the pirogue had not been used for a long time. Five minutes after this picture, we reached the beach in a panic, the pirogue was sinking. But seeds have been sown...

A DV E N T U R E

The single-seat Va’a Iti trimaran developed for a hotel in Bora Bora

Nestled in the bottom of a valley is the Va’a Iti construction site – Alexandre and his partner Charlotte’s garage

Va’a Iti, starting small seadog I had met a long time ago in St Malo meant when he told me: “When it comes to boats, the best way to end up a millionaire is to start out as a billionaire!” But what I gained by living this project was much more valuable than the money. The next build was a larger Va’a Motu for the hotel, whose owner wanted a modern version of a traditional canoe for their beach club. This canoe was 20ft long, built of kauri wood using strip planking, while the rig was made from carbon windsurf masts. There is no rudder so the sailor helms in the traditional Polynesian way, with a paddle in the water.

Va’a Iti means ‘little canoe’ in Tahitian. As our ﬁrst project we set out to develop a single-seat trimaran for a hotel in Bora Bora that wanted a model with a Polynesian look but that would very easy to use. Working with Alexandre Genton, a talented local boatbuilder, we built a canoe based on a V1 canoe, which is a sport paddling canoe with one outrigger. Single outrigger canoes are an institution in Polynesia, and Polynesian champion paddlers dominate the podiums at international competitions. This was my ﬁrst canoe construction and the design was successful, though I came to understand what an old

Pro rigger Vincent Leroux came to Fakarava to help make the standing rigging for Te Maru O Havaiki. Leroux, who usually works on Ultimes or IMOCAs, was supposed to stay one week. He ended up staying for six. During Leroux’s stay, the school sent children every week to learn knot skills. What could be more useful living on an island than knowing how to tie a bowline?

Making the two ‘iakos’, the linking spars that connect the ama to the main hull. Construction was complex due to their shape, with marine plywood, strip planking and hard foam core wrapped in composite

A dream, Te Maru O Havaiki

by Alexandre Genton. The build created the opportunity to train two young people from Fakarava, and one of these young men, Toko, hung in right to the end of the construction. He proved to be an excellent laminator as well as disconcertingly natural at sailing the 30ft canoe, which is not an easy machine for a beginner to handle. The Paumotu people have an incredible ease with the water. The project secured sponsorship from the French marine preservation agency, which gave us almost €40,000. They liked the local values and tradition, but the most interesting element for them was the scientiﬁc

Te Maru O Havaiki means ‘the shadow of Havaiki’ and is the realisation of a dream – or certainly of the fantasy that I had as a ﬁrst-time visitor to the Paciﬁc. Now, I understand that for French Polynesian locals what is past is past. Here people think of the now, the present. The future and past are not so important; it’s another perception of life. They say of people in the islands: ‘They’ve got the time, and people from busy cities, they’ve got the clock.’ Te Maru O Havaiki is a 30ft Va’a Motu (outrigger canoe) designed by a local architect, Nicolas Gruet, and also built

A DV E N T U R E

Before the arrival of motors canoes were used for everything: transport, freight, fishing and regattas. For the children, there was the tradition of the ‘titiraina’, a model of a sailing dugout they played with and raced; a fun game which also allowed them to understand the wind and the sea from a very young age. Titiraina could be made very, simply with a large tree leaf for the sail. For the Va’a Motu project, Ato’s grandfather, Manuel Varas, built one with his own hands, a miniature version of Te Maru O Havaiki

Melanie (far left) brought local knowledge of the kere, a natural fibre that grows like a fabric on the top of coconut trees and is used for traditional costumes. To prepare the kere, Melanie bathed it in seawater for several days before drying. We then cut out each part of the canoe building association’s logo and laminated it to the canoe’s deck (left)

Trainee boatbuilders Toko and James carry the laminated strip

traditional Polynesian outriggers, but build them in a thoroughly

planking mast to the dock (top) before the canoe is finally

modern way using laminates and composites

assembled and the mast is stepped and rigged

element of the project. For them we had to map an area of Fakarava’s lagoon using kites equipped with cameras! For more than two months we sailed almost every day, skimming the lagoon from east to west and from north to south, sometimes camping rough for two or three nights to explore further. During each outing we learned a little more, and gained confidence by sailing with the same crew. We start to dare to sheet on a little more. The canoe is fast, but on one tack it is unstable. Whenever we tack, we shake out or put in a reef, it’s a delicate balancing act. Others, more courageous than us, sailed with just two people, and later were able to turn by gybing. Three crew is fine, but you have to reef... four is better, five is ideal.

In the end, a government inspector from maritime affairs decided, after a stability test, not to register the dugout because it is too unstable. He is not a sailor, nor Polynesian, but freshly arrived from Dunkerque, where his job was to license cargo ships. I don’t think he understood the importance of the shape of our canoe and it was painful at the time, but understandable with hindsight. The dugout canoe in this conﬁguration, with only one ama, will not be a 100% safe boat. Instead we will transform the canoe into a trimaran. The Va’a Motu association reconvened to re-elect a new board in April 2021. Now we will write a second chapter, but this time in a trimaran. Te Maru O Havaiki continues to tell the story of the evolution of multihulls. Q

The ethos behind the project was to reignite enthusiasm for

A DV E N T U R E

When the 30ft Va’a Motu sails with the single portside ama to windward, you have to be vigilant in the slightest breeze. Here, only the helmsman is in the middle. If only one crew were to come back to the central hull, it would start to lift and threaten to capsize. We had several near-misses. Starboard tack is safer; we can set the Code 0, a 33m2 headsail fixed on the bowsprit. Then the canoe is at ease, behaves wonderfully, and is well balanced in the breeze

Below: Polynesian celebrations for Te Maru O Havaiki’s launch day. Right: the main hull’s prow cuts through azure Pacific waters

GREENLAND

ICELAND Reykjavik

Höfn Torshavn

FAROE ISLANDS

Qaqortoq

SHETLAND ISLANDS

Prince Christian Sound Labrador Sea

Cape Farewell

Atlantic Ocean

WESTERN ISLES Belfast

Inverness Caledonian Canal

Dublin

FOGO ISLAND

Gulf of St Lawrence

in the wake of vikings

St John’s

CAN YOU TACKLE A NORTHERLY ATLANTIC CROSSING – THE LEGENDARY ‘VIKING’ ROUTE – IN A STANDARD BLUEWATER CRUISER? SAM FORTESCUE MEETS AN OWNER WHO DID JUST THAT

Photos by Alberto Duhau

NOVA SCOTIA

49 49

Think of crossing the Atlantic from west to east, and most people will picture a pleasant high-pressure route via Bermuda or the Azores. But there is another way of doing it. One that cocks a snook at the rhumbline and ﬂies in the face of the usual assumptions about what constitutes ideal weather. Promisingly, it is known as the Viking Route, so named after the Norse explorers who voyaged as far as Nova Scotia a thousand years ago. Put simply, to follow the Viking route takes you from the east coast of the US, across the top of the planet via Newfoundland, Greenland and Iceland, back down to Europe via the Faroe Islands. Besides the wild and little-visited isles along the route, its chief attraction is how this option breaks the transatlantic ocean passage down into smaller, bite-sized chunks. When Alberto Duhau looked into the route to take his Hylas 63 Shaima from Florida to the Mediterranean, he quickly realised that there’d be no more than six days at sea between landfalls.

Above: kayaking among icebergs south-east of Qaqortoq. Right: the Viking route offers a

H I G H L AT I T U D E P R E PA R AT I O N S true wilderness After consulting weather experts, ice pilots, and Hylas experience: this is themselves, Duhau also saw that his boat would need Greenland’s Ketils relatively little in the way of modification to tackle these Fjord, a rock climbing higher latitudes. After all, if the Vikings could do it in mecca for expert longships built of green oak with iron rivets and square mountaineers sails made of wool, a modern high-spec glassfibre cruiser should have no problems. This is the story of how Alberto Duhau followed in the wake of the Vikings. Shaima’s voyage began in Florida, but Duhau and his ever-changing crew of friends and family took the whole US east coast in a single hop, making their first stops to watch out for icebergs, growlers and bergie bits was along the coast of Nova Scotia. There are plenty of wellaround the clock,” says Duhau. protected anchorages here, and Duhau recalls it as an “Sometimes we could scout for icebergs from the early highlight of the trip. warmth of our cockpit enclosure, but often we had “We saw large amounts of humpback and pilot wales in to stand watch unprotected from the side deck while the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and a few icebergs along the engulfed by a 4°C breeze and spray.” Newfoundland coast,” he says. From Qaqortoq, Shaima headed off south-east with “Small coastal villages of this part of Canada start to a plan to explore the fjords and glaciers. There, Duhau have the flavour of the Scandinavian towns that dot the found true wilderness. “We hiked, landscape for the rest of the trip.” kayaked, did some rather risky iceberg The planned departure from St climbing and fly-fished for Arctic char John’s was delayed because of gales off with amazing results in beautiful Greenland’s southernmost tip, Cape streams and rivers,” he says. Farewell, but that gave them a chance to The highlight of this part of the cruise explore Fogo island to the north. Fogo is was transiting the 57-mile-long Prince a beautiful and little-visited spot, but it Christian Sound, which cuts through also put them some 100 miles further the bottom fringe of Greenland. “It into the ice-strewn Labrador Strait for is surrounded on both sides by steep the passage north to Qaqortoq. In the granite mountain walls and valleys. end, they completed the 700 miles in Twelve icecap glaciers calve into the just four and a half days with a stiff Sound, and countless waterfalls feed the southerly wind veering west. fjord with fresh water.” “Fog was common and the need Alberto Duhau 50

CRUISING

Pic Credit

‘A hi ghl igh t was t ra ns it in g th e 57 -m il e Pri nce C hr istia n Sound ’

▲

Torshavn, the capital of this remote island group. At 660 miles, the crossing to Reykjavik was even From there it was more or less downhill all the way. quicker, taking just four days. For this passage, seas and Shaima encountered headwinds on the run south to winds were gentle, and there was little need to scout for Inverness, but revelled in the Caledonian Canal transit and ice. Duhau’s initial plan to go northabout the island had the whisky harbours of the Western Isles. Then it was on to to be abandoned because of time lost as they waited for Belfast, Dublin, Galicia and round the Iberian Peninsula an issue with their Yanmar engine to be fixed. Iceland to Valencia, where Shaima got stuck in for the winter. lacked a single mechanic capable of dealing with modern common-rail injection engines, so there was a delay until A S U I TA B L E V E S S E L someone was sent out from Europe. Hylas is a Taiwan-based shipyard with It turned out that just two wires in a a reputation for building luxurious cable harness had parted. cruising yachts with a high degree In the meantime, the crew explored of customisation. The customisation Iceland’s natural wonders by land, options were something that Alberto before hopping along the south Duhau took thoroughly to heart coast. “[There are] few anchorages but after he signed the contract for a new extremely beautiful,” notes Duhau. 63-footer back in 2014. Conditions were good and the crew “I became heavily involved in fineenjoyed amazing views of active tuning the design and equipment volcanoes. Then, from the protected options, with the overall goal of natural harbour of Höfn, they turned transforming Shaima into my ideal south-east towards the Faroe Islands. global explorer yacht,” he explains. It took less than 48 hours to reach Cockpit hard top offers protection

Secluded Nordic villages are nestled in the Faroe Islands’ exposed landscape

“Together with my daughter, Stephie, we redid the Autocad drawings of the interior as well as designing major exterior structures.” The pair custom-designed a hard dodger made of carbon fibre and high-impact glass, combined with a light but sturdy, aluminium/glassfibre hard top. The hard-top runs to 6m length, and extends cover from the companionway to the helm stations aft. Roll-up curtains at the side allow the cockpit to be totally enclosed while underway, and a blower can even send hot air from the engine into the cockpit enclosure. On warm days, the gap between the hard top and dodger opens, bringing a pleasant air flow into the cockpit. There is full aircon below, as well as electric heating running off the genset. “We purposefully avoided a fuel-based heater that would require new ducts and has other drawbacks,” explains Duhau. No extra hull insulation was required besides the Hylas’s foam-cored Twaron-fibreglass lay-up.

EXTENDED RANGE The Hylas 63 has 2,460 litres of fuel tankage aboard – enough for 12 days of continuous motoring at cruising speed, or 18 days at a slightly slower pace. Duhau added 1.8kW of solar panels, which can cut generator use for

Admiring the awe-striking landscapes in Greenland

Shaima was always spec’d for adventurous sailing, carrying a Spade 240 stainless steel anchor weighing 82kg that is rated for 98ft boats. “It hooks anywhere, always resets and is the best sleeping pill on board!” says Duhau. He specified 120m of 7/16in chain, for anchoring comfortably in up to 30m, and a 1in diameter bridle to hook onto the main anchor chain, with port and starboard tails that are 10m long. A powerful 1,200W Maxwell RC12 windlass raises all this ground tackle, while Shaima also has 4 x 100m Spectra shorelines that are so light and easy to handle that they don’t require spools. Duhau purchased a 15ft RIB with an aluminium hull (the AB ALX15). Fitted with a 40hp Yamaha outboard, it is sturdy but light and capable of planing with eight people aboard. After the engine broke, Shaima was towed in to Reykjavik on huge cables behind a 250ft cutter. “If only I had known then that I could have towed Shaima with the dinghy at 5 knots, so easily!” says Duhau. The tender is deployed on hydraulic davits by Cooney Marine, for which the transom of Shaima had to be fully reinforced. Aluminium struts were installed below the deck and the GRP of the deck itself was thickened to 9cm under the davit feet. This means the tender can be readily launched in a sea. Additional safety modifications that were added include extending the 3ft-high stainless steel pushpit railing to the middle of the boat. Twin six-man liferafts were fixed to the pushpit for quick deployment. The davits also have strong inch-thick stainless steel plates for deploying a 110m Jordan series drogue, tying spring lines aft and towing anything in an emergency.

CRUISING

W E AT H E R A N D I C E Alberto Duhau enlisted the advice of expert meteorologists in advance of

his north Atlantic trip. He knew the voyage was possible in good conditions, but wanted a second opinion regarding timings. Further research revealed that the region’s quietest weather historically occurs between mid-July and

ICELAND

the first 10 days of August. However, settled conditions can run from late

Reykjavik

June to the end of August. Autumn develops earlier the farther north you

Höfn

are, so it is generally a good plan to turn south by the second half of August.

FAROE ISLANDS

GREENLAND Qaqortoq Cape Farewell

2 GREENLAND TO ICELAND

south Greenland coast of 25-30

For this passage the main concern

heading east toward Iceland. If

knots plus. Expect light conditions

is the north-easterly wind near

south of the rhumbline, there

1 NEWFOUNDLAND TO SOUTHERN GREENLAND

Greenland’s Cape Farewell. If the

is greater chance of stronger

Greenland high pressure system

westerly/south-westerly winds,

During July, high pressure is

is stronger than normal, beware

while a northerly route is more

typically centred just south-west/

of north-easterly winds along the

likely to encounter north-easterly/

west of the Azores with ridging

easterly headwinds.

extending south-west/west towards

LABRADOR

NEWFOUNDLAND Gulf of St Lawrence St John’s

NOVA SCOTIA

over Greenland, with low pressure

3 AROUND ICELAND AND TO FAROES

generally over north-east Canada

Circumnavigating Iceland at the

(Baffin Island to northern Quebec)

end of July and beginning of August

and near Iceland. To the north of the

is the optimum timing with the

Azores high, the prevailing winds

smallest threat of gales, but you

are west/south-west for much of

may have to wait out bad winds

the way to Iceland. Wind is usually

for a day or two for a window. The

stronger south of the rhumbline,

roughest weather is associated

and lighter to the north. July offers

with low pressure passing to

the lowest chance of gales, but

the west, north-west, or west,

occasionally stronger lows develop

which correspondingly means the

and move east/south-east from

strongest winds are south-westerly,

eastern Canada.

westerly, and north-westerly.

Bermuda. There is a weak high

AVO I D I N G I C E

reported ice zone, then more or less parallel

help maintain levels of alertness.

Duhau contacted the well-known expedition

to the axis of the Labrador Sea until adjacent

• Ask passing vessels if they have seen any

support High Latitudes for help with ice

to your destination, before turning in square

ice locally. Likewise, when in port talk to locals

routing between Newfoundland and Iceland.

to the shore again.” He recommends motoring

and ask them what they’ve seen recently and if

Founder and experienced pilot Magnus Day

if the wind is light.

there are areas locally which collect ice.

joined the crew for this part of the cruise.

Day’s other top tips include:

“Ice is possible anywhere from Nova

•

• Crew need to be dressed to stand outside

Have one or more crew outside on deck

in freezing temperatures with wind and waves

Scotia to about 150 miles south and east of

paying close attention for ice at ALL times.

coming over the deck for long periods of time.

Cape Farewell,” Day warns. “All ice should be

• Ideally have two crew rotating on every

Think about how you can create shelter for

regarded as dangerous to small vessels.”

watch – one on deck keeping a visual

them on deck.

lookout while the other keeps a radar watch

• Never drop your guard. It only takes one

Ice Service (ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca) and the

and makes the coffee etc. Roles should be

piece of ice to bash a hole in your hull as you

Danish Maritime Authority (dma.dk) and

swapped as regularly as every 15 minutes to

fall off a wave.

Ice charts are available from the Canadian

are useful as a guide, but must not be relied upon. Radar is also a useful tool, but it may not pick up even large pieces of ice in certain conditions.

EXPERT ADVICE

As well as pilotage, High

Ice in the Labrador Sea will usually

Commanders’ Weather has been advising

Latitudes has the expertise

be thicker along the Newfoundland and

sailors about optimum weather routing for

to plan itineraries in both

Greenland coasts. Commanders’ Weather

over 25 years. Their expert meteorologists

polar regions, secure the

recommends heading due east until around

have supplied forecasts for cruisers and

necessary environmental

45°W, then turning north.

racers, including the SailGP circuit, Olympic

permits, offer logistical

sailing teams and Comanche’s 2016 Atlantic

support and work on modifications to suit a

record. See commandersweather.com

yacht for ice. See highlatitudes.com

Magnus Day broadly concurs. “A wise tactic to lessen the chances of encountering ice

Magnus Day

is to head square offshore until outside the

CRUISING

Left: transiting the Caledonian Canal. Right: strong winds in the Irish sea showcased Shaima’s seakindly characteristics

‘Island hopping across the Atlantic is ver y feasible’

LASTING MEMORIES “The route up north is just so isolated, so pristine, it touches your heart,” says Duhau. “Sailing in high latitudes is not difﬁcult if done prudently, during the height of the summer and in areas free of sea ice but with icebergs. You do not need an expedition boat to do this, just a seaworthy ocean vessel and a competent crew. “Island-hopping across the Atlantic is a 54

very feasible project and a great way to spend the first summer of a cruise to the Med, or alternatively, to return to Europe from the Americas,” he adds. “It is an excellent alternative to the typical Bermuda-Azores ocean crossing and avoids the 15 to 20 days of continuous ocean sailing.” The three-month passage across the top of the Atlantic Ocean made such a lasting impression on Duhau that he is now considering other high latitude adventures. He is developing an idea to follow Captain Cook’s path from the south Pacific down the Chilean coast to Antarctica, round Cape Horn and across to Cape Town. “We will sail 18,000 miles in 10 months, stretching the sailing season as much as possible yet visiting the very best of Southern Ocean high latitude destinations in only one season,” he explains. “That avoids the worst weathers, by being in the right places at the right times, albeit we will definitely experience some late spring and summer lows and gales – something that adds to the overall experience. Our visit south will be short, varied and sweet!”

battery charging by 40%. Two large Vitrifrigo freezers and two large fridges provided ample stowage for fresh food for the crossing, and there is a 100lt/hr Schenker watermaker in addition to 1,450 litres of water tankage. Duhau replaced the standard cutless bearing/stuffing box setup of the rudder shaft with self-aligning Jefa synthetic bearings. At the same time, he had the hull around the shaft reinforced, as well as the bulkhead and adjacent support structures. It was an expensive job. To make the drivetrain more reliable, Duhau installed an Aquadrive antivibration system, combining a thrust bearing and constant velocity flexible joints. Shaima also carries a vast inventory of spares. The rig was set-up for short-handed sailing. “I wanted the rig to be ideal for long-range cruising, offering control without exiting the cockpit,” Duhau explains. Shaima flies a genoa and staysail on hydraulic Furlex furlers, has in-mast furling and a hydraulic outhaul, a hydraulic backstay and boom vang, an easily handled whisker pole for setting the genoa to windward, and a cruising gennaker that can be carried from 80° apparent to dead downwind. Duhau also set up in-cockpit controls for the anchor windlass, as well as bow and stern-thrusters. A separate track was installed on the mast so that a storm trysail could be set without having to remove the mainsail first.

The Frers-designed Hylas 63 carries its beam aft but with deeper sections at the bow and stern to avoid slamming. Note the added cockpit protection

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G R E AT S E A M A N S H I P

I N TO OBL I V ION A SOLO VOYAGE VIA THE THREE GREAT SOUTHERN OCEAN CAPES IN A 32-FOOTER PROVES TESTING FOR JEROME RAND

n October 2017 Jerome Rand set sail single-handed from Gloucester, Massachusetts, in Mighty Sparrow. In June 2018 he cruised right back again, having circumnavigated the globe via the great Southern Ocean capes in his 43-year-old long-keeled, heavy displacement Westsail 32. In today’s climate of great fanfare and buckets-full of sponsorship money, it’s refreshing to read about a determined young man who will have nothing to do with any of this. Without access to any serious funds, he pays for his own adventure like a gentleman, then goes ahead and writes a book about it that is hard to put down. Beginning to read Sailing into Oblivion, there is an absolute minimum of preamble, soul-searching and description of what went before. He simply announces his intentions and gets on with it. Rand’s frank description of the ups and downs of this truly great voyage is a treat. The way he sets aside what must have been heavy temptation to anchor and sort things out in New Zealand or, perhaps, the Falkland Islands, is an inspiration to anyone who, like me, has a history of succumbing to what seems at the time like common sense. Oh, and by the way, despite lack of support from any bank account but his own, Jerome succeeds in becoming the ﬁrst solo American to circumnavigate non-stop from an American port in a boat of 32ft or less. This extract ﬁnds him far away in the Southern Ocean, all alone in the fog, as distant from land is it’s possible to be. He has recently lost his stemhead forestay. Read on, and see how anything can be possible given the will to succeed.

As a broken Sparrow sailed its half-starved and half-crazed crew deeper into the empty Paciﬁc, the fog became so overwhelming that the normal world seemed a distant memory. The winds calmed on 12 March and the plan for ﬁxing the stay was put into action. Though the Spectra line I had used to lash the stay into place seemed very strong, I wanted steel to be the anchor point. I had enough stainless steel and threaded rod to make a very strong replacement, but the original eyebolt had sheared off where the nut was. I only needed to dig away at the plank bowsprit about half an inch to expose enough threads to get a new nut and washer onto it. The old eyebolt seemed in great shape. Most likely some corrosion was to blame

Selfie from Mighty Sparrow’s bow – a rainbow sweeps the horizon

between the nut and the threads. A little Teﬂon gel would solve that by protecting the metal from further corrosion. Grinding away, I was glad to see that the wood was still hard and dry and showed no signs of rot. Back and forth between digging and placing the eyebolt to see if I was deep enough, the whole time bobbing up and down and keeping an eye out for a wave that would like to jump aboard and soak my tools and me. After about an hour, I had the eyebolt ﬁrmly in place, and covered with 5200 sealant to keep the sea out of the fresh wood of the bowsprit. Once the stay was attached everything looked as though nothing had ever happened. But knowing that it did happen, and that the eyebolt was so old, I added a good lashing of Spectra line to make sure that if it did happen again, I would have some time to get the sail down and not have to wrestle it like before.

INTRODUCED BY

TOM CUNLIFFE

Sailing Into Oblivion by Jerome Rand, £12.23 from online outlets

UNWELCOME GUESTS With Sparrow back in shape I was able to concentrate on a few other issues that were becoming more and more apparent. The ﬁrst was the colony of gooseneck barnacles that had hitched a ride below the waterline. I’d ﬁrst noticed them near the equator when there was only one or two. Like rabbits they multiplied very rapidly. I could only see that they had covered the entire rudder, and I expected that the rest of Sparrow’s hull was the same. I didn’t think it was really affecting the speed in the heavy winds and seas but as the winds became light, I could tell they were adding quite a bit of drag and something needed to be done. Now, it seems a simple idea to just jump overboard with a scraper and swim around freeing the little goosenecks and whistling 57

Frequent sail changes became tiring when the weather turned for the worse

while you do it. Not so. The ﬁrst problem is the temperature of the water. Very cold doesn’t do justice to what it felt like when I put my hand into the sea. A bigger problem was that the never-ending rolling of Sparrow would make any job under the water very difﬁcult. But the thing that was keeping me on deck and looking for another solution was that I was just outright scared to swim in the Southern Ocean. So far on the voyage we had encountered many whales, dolphins, and even a few small sharks. At night I would see endless eyes shining back under the light of my headlamp. There were things down there so big I wouldn’t be more than a snack. The more I thought about what lies beneath, the less I was going to just jump right in and start making noise, as well as send a trail of barnacles twinkling into the deep. Creatures would follow that trail for sure! So, I opted for the next best thing.

the brush handle. A little rickety and looking like some taped-together crane, I was getting far below the water line and the trail of goosenecks fell away. A few hours of this and I had made my way around the hull and called the job done. Without being able to inspect my work I wasn’t really sure it was worth the trouble, but plenty of the little stowaways were gone and sometimes just a little effort is great for morale. With the light, foggy winds dropping, our daily miles fell below 100. Even though we were nearing the absolute middle of the South Pacific, the so-called Point Nemo, the fog kept our world closed in with only the occasional peek of blue sky. Days passed and always the fog stayed. The waves would come up and down from different directions as low-pressure systems passed to the south and north. Sparrow’s motion, ever changing, kept me working constantly with the sails to keep us going. We were in limbo. Every day seemed the same, nothing to see but fog and the waves that appeared and disappeared from the void. This was about the time that I started to notice the mould. I had become very used to the damp conditions in the cabin. Most nights I could see my own breath condensing on the non-insulated fibreglass and bronze portholes. When we entered the fog, we were now essentially a moving sponge, soaking up all the moisture the air could give us. I first saw the little black specs on the white walls. Soon the constantly damp charts were producing a black tint on the edges. Then my pillow, a dark red camping pillow, seemed decidedly darker in colour. The charts, I would continue to dry out over the stove, very carefully holding each one until the crisp feel of dry paper was returned. As for the pillow? I put a dry T-shirt over it, a seemingly mould-free pillowcase over that, and

‘I c oul d see my bre ath conden si n g on the non i nsu late d fibreg lass ’

J U R Y- R I G G E D S C R A P E R I ﬁrst screwed the large paint scraper to a 4ft broom handle. With this I dangled as far as I could over the side of Sparrow’s deck and was able to reach almost the entire rudder. The goosenecks came off from the antifouling paint easily. The ones that had made their way up past the waterline were a bit more difﬁcult and I didn’t want to attack them with too much vigour as Sparrow is a beautiful boat and I wanted to keep her that way. Scratching her paint to get rid of a few barnacles didn’t seem worth it, and quite frankly a bit disrespectful to my partner which had seen me through so many miles around the planet. As I couldn’t reach very far below the waterline around the rest of the hull, I added another few feet of pipe to 58

G R E AT S E A M A N S H I P

Jerome Rand’s Mighty Sparrow is a 43-year-old long keel and

Wet, cold and wild... Rand encountered typical Southern Ocean

heavy displacement Colin Archer-designed Westsail 32

wave and wind conditions

ﬁgured I’d live with the current situation for the next month. I never considered it could be bad for my health, so I let the mould enjoy its time aboard Mighty Sparrow. We were becoming an ecosystem. A near gale sprung up from the east-north-east on 14 March. All we could do was sit hove-to and wait until things changed. And change the wind did. All day the sails went up and down. We were becalmed, then beaten by the near gale and then bashed by waves and then becalmed again. By the end of the day I was exhausted. Each sail change required getting back into my wet weather gear, then going on deck and getting soaked. It would only take a few minutes to change the sails then down below I would go. Never more than an hour would pass before heading back on deck and doing another sail change. Each time I shipped a good amount of saltwater down below, to add to the damp conditions of the cabin. With all the work, the day came to an end quickly in a windless and foggy world. We had covered just 50 miles in 24 hours. At ﬁrst, I was discouraged by the low miles, but soon I realised that those were my miles. I’d put in the effort to keep Sparrow moving that day and I was proud of what I’d done. Sleep came fast after a quick meal with the addition of a can of corn as my reward. However slowly, we were still making miles.

every 10 minutes. Our heading changes accordingly from 180° to 110° on the compass. The wind force changes as well. So not only do we lurch up and over each wave but now we heel over to 30° in the puffs and then lie ﬂat in the lulls. My shoulder is killing me so I took one of the strong painkillers from the med kit; now feeling good and laughing out loud. The conditions are so bad it has become a comedy, or maybe a tragedy, not sure.

YO U ’ V E G OT TO L A U G H . . . I have always had the ability to laugh at some of the worst situations that I get myself into. Long before my solo adventures I remember a time when I’d set up my camping tarp in a seemingly great spot for the night. Sometime around 0300, the rains came and, lo and behold, I hadn’t found a great spot at all; I was sleeping in a hole! As the icy cold water started to seep into my sleeping bag I woke. The foam pad I was sleeping on had become an island. The rain continued and soon I found myself sitting in 3ins of water. All I could do was sit there and wait for morning. Incredibly, I started to laugh. Giggling at first, and then almost uncontrollably laughing when the rain fell harder and harder. To be able to laugh at the worst of times was a great help midway across the Pacific. The beating continued, but by 20 March we were as close to Point Nemo as we would get, about 25 miles D E T E R I O R AT I N G W E AT H E R north of the furthest point from land anywhere on the The conditions deteriorated to a miserable state for days; planet! Over 8 million square miles of empty ocean and winds ever shifting and dropping to nothing. With every we were a dot in the middle. For me this was a special change in direction, the waves were built up and now time and, although there was nothing different to look at, came from the north, south, and east. When the winds I had a sense of reaching a mountaintop. came from the east, I found that our Instead of getting further from land we tacking angle was about 180°. I had to were now getting closer. laugh at this point. With the waves so “The day did bring a sad truth about confused and the barnacles slowing us our world. I’d spent most of the day on down we were no longer able to sail to deck in awe of my position at the end windward. Not even one degree! of the earth. During that time, I was still My diary entry from 18 March 2018 able to see a plastic bottle floating on the reads: “Let me paint a picture of this fine surface. A very common sight in many Southern Ocean morning. The stove is places in our oceans. But way out at the burning away to add a little heat to the farthest reaches? We have polluted every 38° air in the cabin. I have pinned myself mile of our ocean world. Not one place is into the nav station as Sparrow lurches free from the plague of singleup and down 10ft with every wave from use plastic trash. Not one the east and the south. The wind is A hug from mum on return single place. switching between east and north-east from the circumnavigation 59

O N

T E S T / / DISCOVERY 48S

escape ARTist IT’S RARE TO FIND AN OCEAN-GOING YACHT THAT CAN DRY OUT ON THE BEACH, BUT DISCOVERY’S REVISED 48S MAY HAVE BROUGHT THE SWING-KEEL BACK INTO FASHION

Tested by TOBY HODGES

Where we tested: Western Solent and approaches Wind: 15-24 knots south-westerly, slight seas Model: Discovery 48S – swing-keel version, with options including mainsheet arch, Hydranet sails and extra vertical hull

Photos by Richard Langdon

portlights

March to find out. Psst. Want in on a secret? It’s An element of escapism was called shoal draught. Please certainly in play as we tacked don’t tell anyone because out to sea into a fresh Force those of us in the know enjoy 5 south-westerly. The fact we having the far reaches of busy were the only yacht out sailing estuaries to ourselves. And was down to COVID, but in never more so than today. normal times we’d probably The expectation here in have still been the only near the UK is that the harbours, 50-footer in the shallows off anchorages and beaches will be Enjoying the sailing too much to head home Newtown or Keyhaven. busier than ever this summer The clouds cleared and the as the hordes released from sun began to warm my face as I found myself alone in lockdown flood to the coasts rather than head abroad. the cockpit for a lengthy spell, pointing the bows at the While cruising can bring that rich element of escapism, horizon. After such a strange year it was hard to focus on many sailors will seek some solitude on arrival too. the job and not drift off in a reverie of enjoying being on And what about those wanting to sail further afield? the helm again, or envisage extending the trial sail into You finally reach your dream destination only to have a cruise. Sailing does that. But the test boat played a big to anchor way out in the depths where there’s swinging part in putting me at ease in conditions that, although room for the lead beneath your boat. It’s akin to standing ideal to test its mettle, were punchy enough to expose back in the gallery while the shallow draught multihulls any undesirable qualities. get the front row seats. Superyacht builders have been onto this for years. Their PROVEN QUALITIES owners are used to getting the VIP spots, hence telescopic Let’s start with the proven hull shape. Once the decision keels are reasonably commonplace, albeit complex and was made to retain the original hull mould, there was expensive solutions. However, for the majority who little need to update a thoroughbred Stephen Jones still want a production-built monohull, what are the design. The ends are currently receiving some cosmetic options? Despite the Westerly Centaur being one of the attention with the addition of a short bowsprit and most popular designs ever, no one builds bilge keelers a redesigned swim platform, but otherwise it’s an anymore. An aluminium French or Dutch explorer yacht admirable shape, with a gentle sheer and soft turn to the perhaps… or an innovative performance cruiser such as a bilge, and cuts pleasantly through the water maintaining Pogo maybe? After that I start scratching my head. a dependable speed. The Southerly concept has therefore long been an The addition of wraparound coachroof windows and attractive one: a British design and build with a proper vertical hull portlights, which give so much reward below ballasted swing-keel. The fact it had this unique selling decks, are in keeping with Discovery’s family look – as is point made it all the more surprising when the Itchenorthe quality of the fitout. based yard went bust in 2014. It wasn’t until three years Then consider the bonus the swing-keel provides: later that fellow South Coast premium yacht builder the upwind angles are noticeably high with the blade Discovery acquired the Southerly range and moulds. jib set. I thought I’d miscalculated tacking angles before Although it offers this 48-footer as a fixed-keel version too, remembering the deep draught of the foil, which it’s telling that nine out of the 10 hulls of the 48 sold since extends more than 10ft (3.3m) below the hull. A further the acquisition have been the ‘S’ for swing-keel models. bonus is that you can then raise it to remove this excess Are we seeing a renaissance of the luxury shoal draught drag when going downwind, just as you might with a monohull? I sailed the Discovery from Lymington in

Wraparound windows and vertical portlights help give the 48S a Discovery look

ON TEST

KEEL BOX

SWING-KEELS This is a Category A ocean-going

of Dyneema and a hydraulic ram.

yacht even with the keel fully raised.

There is also a manual back-up pump.

The swing-keel is a proper foil shape,

If the keel touches when down it will

cast by Iron Brothers in Cornwall. It

lift up without harming the lifting

has a deep iron fin with a leading edge

mechanism. It can also be pinned

in lead. The keel itself weighs around

in place, above the waterline in the

two tonnes and there is another four

sealed box.

tonnes of ballast contained in the

The 48S draws just 1m with its keel

grounding plate, which is mounted

raised and will sit on a beach on its

using 40 bolts.

ballasted cast-iron grounding plate and

The keel swings up into its casing from a pivot point using a combination

HYDRAULIC RAM

DIRECTION OF PULL

LIFT PENNANT GROUNDING PLATE

integral skeg (which protects the prop and has space for a stern thruster).

centreboard on a dinghy. Once the conditions had settled and the rain clouds had blown through, we shook out the reef and continued under full sail for the remainder of the day. We clocked a respectable 7-7.5 knots boat speed upwind at 40-45° to the apparent wind, which reached the high 20s over the deck. It was easy sailing. No one had to leave the cockpit and, other than some winching to unfurl canvas, white sails sailing was a helmsman-only affair. A twin headsail Solent rig is standard on the 48, with a genoa rigged close to the jib. Sail controls, including the sheet for the in-mast furling mainsail, are led to winches in reach of the helms and the self-tacking jib can be a set-and-forget affair when tacking upwind. Given that the boat is set up to sail short-handed, however, I’d have opted for powered aft winches. ANCHORAGE OPTIONS The 48S is also very easy on the helm. Even when there was a fair degree of heel in the gusts, which were up to 23 knots true, it never felt overpowered. The twin spade rudders, which are shallow enough not to beach but have a long chord, helped the Discovery track effortlessly. It remained dry in the cockpit with a comfortable motion, even around the Shingles elbow, a shoal patch that results in sharp chop and overfalls opposite the western arm of the Isle of Wight. Those looking to sail distances offshore will want a yacht that bestows conﬁdence in its ability and the 48S is quick to do just that. With the kite set and the keel raised we ripped back downwind and into the Solent, topping 13 knots over the water when passing Hurst narrows and averaging 8-9.3 knots through the water in 15-21 knots, deep reaching at 145° to the apparent wind. Dusk rapidly turned to darkness by the time we started beating back to base and if the weather had delivered what the clouds were threatening, we’d have sought shelter with more haste. I couldn’t help but appreciate that the options for calm anchorages in such a situation dramatically increase when you can instantly reduce draught to a metre, or even dry out. Raising the keel is a simple, sub 30-second push-button affair. An LED panel beside the port helm clearly displays the current position of the keel. The grounding plate extends to offer a protective skeg for the propeller. Under engine we made 7.5 knots at 2,500rpm, although it was a little noisy below decks at such revs (up to 85db in the companionway and aft cabin).

shows a high quality of joiner work

coamings. These form deep backrests around the benches, which can seat three each side of the ﬁxed table. For stowage there’s a lazarette aft, albeit with a narrow entrance, and quarter lockers, including a deep gas locker. Shallow lockers under the helm seats are useful for keeping practical items to hand and there is a deep sail locker forward. Once you’ve reached your picturesque anchorage and are nestled up to the shallows you want to be able to fully appreciate your surroundings whatever the weather. Here the swing-keel directly leads to the inclusion of another feature: a raised saloon. When you have a keel box large enough to accommodate the full keel, it makes sense to build the saloon above it and create the type of raised main living area typically enjoyed by multihulls and pilot saloon yachts. The Discovery 48S has a saloon with near-surround views, a navstation from which you can stand a watch and a superb sea-going galley. All three areas have abundant natural light. There’s also direct access to a heads from the companionway, which includes a dedicated wethanging locker in the adjoining shower stall. Discovery has ensured its wraparound windows are placed at the right height to give optimum beneﬁt to those inside looking out. The vertical hull portlights also create a marked difference, adding a contemporary note to the hull and a wow factor from inside the cabins.

P ROT E C T E D C O C K P I T The new, slightly higher deck mould makes a telling difference. As well as the increased light from enlarged coachroof windows, I really like the protection afforded below the arch and sprayhood. This carbon-reinforced affair is an option that all bar one owner have taken. It provides 6ft clearance even above the bridgedeck and keeps the boom and mainsheet tackle well clear of the cockpit, although it does make for a very high boom. The cockpit layout works well, enclosed by its protective

Left: folding saloon table with inlay

Left: the hydraulic ram and Dyneema line to lift the keel, beneath the saloon table Below: the compact navstation with large plotter panel has excellent views

Above: optional walnut trim adds to the saloon’s contemporary feel

The superb sea-going galley beside the companionway has plenty of bracing points and Corian worksurfaces

With this two-cabin version, Discovery has made the superb forward cabin (above) a viable contender for master cabin over the aft cabin (right). Note the hull ports in both

It’s obvious why these designs have been popular, but there are some downsides. This is fundamentally a decade-old design and therefore feels fairly compact for a 48ft yacht of today’s beamy standards. Another drawback of a raised saloon format such as this is the number of levels it entails – there are small steps everywhere. Although this is something I find you quickly get used to, there is a sensible option for a traditional lower saloon in the fixed-keel 48R model. Bluewater cruisers and those looking to spend extended periods of time aboard may also bemoan the comparative lack of machinery space. It is a bit fiddly to access the engine fully and you need to remove various floorboards or saloon seating to get at any extra machinery such as a genset (buried below the port saloon seat) or watermaker (below the aft saloon seat). I also found that items tend to be mounted where it’s possible rather than where you might conventionally think to find them. You have to kneel down in the saloon to use the switch panel, for example. WHICH CABIN’S MINE? The 48S is designed to suit couples going for extended cruising, the core market of all Discovery models. Where the yard has made an enormous improvement is in the forward cabinThis new two-cabin version is light and spacious enough even to eclipse the aft cabin. It’s a luxurious use of space and the ability to have two genuine ensuite master cabins to pick from – depending on whether you are at sea or in port – is an enviable decision to have. The inclusion of a third bunk cabin remains an option forward, but in the test boat’s format, the forward cabin boasts abundant stowage, good headroom (6ft 3in), a desk/vanity area and two sets of vertical hull ports each side. Narrow doorways, particularly into the aft cabin and heads (down to 41cm) are another area where the design shows its age. But although headroom reduces to 5ft 10in below the bridgedeck in the aft cabin, it still feels like a plush cabin, helped in part by the vertical hull ports. The galley is superb, an ideal layout for use at sea 66

with bracing at most angles, yet it’s the antithesis of a traditional dark galley. It has ample cold stowage (plus extra available) and good work surface space. The navstation provides excellent views, with two hatches above to view sail trim. However, electronics space is limited and there’s no allocation for keeping pilot books to hand. The test boat used the area forward of the navstation for extra work surface and stowage, but this can also be used for additional seating or a pilot berth. The standard of workmanship throughout the boat is first class and the Marchwood yard has left its signature in the hand-finished joiner work. Although standard trim is in light oak, the test boat had a contemporary walnut finish. The yard’s skills are also evident in the Corian surfaces used on the worktops, sinks and soles in the heads and it is clear that Discovery has the ability to fulfil most bespoke requests for finishes. It now uses Amtico on the sole, for instance, a highquality durable vinyl available in many colours and styles. This makes a smart and practical solution, with a blessed lack of creaking underfoot. There are multiple access hatches in the sole boards and lifting one reveals the sturdy weight of the solid ply flooring. OUR VERDICT This is an attractive, good-natured and very comfortable bluewater yacht which oozes quality. Discovery has taken a proven design and a clever niche and added extra options and another layer of luxury to adapt it to the times. I very much enjoyed sailing the 48S. It offers more spirited performance in both directions than the traditional fixed-keel Discovery designs and it reminded me of the fun I had sailing the previous generation of Southerlys. The 48S is an example of how a proven design can be improved – and the decision to offer it with lower saloon or fixed-keel versions certainly helps give this model broad appeal. If you’re a social type, the value of a shoal draught yacht that can reach parts other yachts can’t may not be so highly-regarded. But for those who have seen the light, please remember to keep the secret safe.

ON TEST

S O U T H E R LY O R D I S C OV E RY ?

D I S C O V E RY 4 8 S

The previous management, which took over Southerly in 2017, wanted all of the yachts to be branded Discovery. The shipyard has since seen the appetite for Southerly and is now badging its smaller yachts accordingly. The new 42 coming out this autumn will be the first marketed as a Southerly with a 33 and a 38 to follow. These all use the original Southerly hull moulds, with new deck and interior designs. From 48ft up each yacht is a Discovery. The 48 is the only model available with fixed or swing-keel and a lower saloon option. For those wanting to ship heavy items up high – such as davits and heavy tenders – it becomes prudent to move to the fixed keel version for its added righting moment. There is a marked difference in displacement and cost, with the fixedkeel version weighing 1.7 tonnes less and starting at £80,000 lower.

S P E C I F I C AT I O N S LOA 14.90m 48ft 11in • LWL 14.30m 46ft 11in • Beam (max) 4.47m 14ft 8in • Draught 1.06-3.18m 3ft 6in-10ft 5in • Light displacement 18,991kg 41,868lb • Sail Area (100% foretriangle) 112.6m2 1,212ft2 • Water 403lt 89gal • Fuel 664lt 146gal • Sail area/displacement ratio 16.1 • Displacement/LWL ratio 181 • Price ex VAT £825,000 • Design Stephen Jones/Discovery Shipyard www. discoveryshipyard.com

R I VA L S Allures 51.9 This new flagship retains Allures’ aluminium hull, composite deck and centreboard and adds a new level of comfort. Price €706,860 ex VAT. allures.com Oyster 495 Not shoal draught, but another interesting new luxury bluewater boat designed and built in Britain. Price £975,000 ex VAT. oysteryachts.com Boreal 47.2 A true go-anywhere aluminium explorer with centreboard and pilothouse. Full test report in our April issue. Price €541,650 ex VAT. boreal-yachts.com

N E W YAC H T S RU PE RT H O L M E S O N T H E WO R LD’S FA S T E ST DAYSA I L E R A N D A N E W OYS T E R

Carkeek Persico F70 LOA 21.4m 70ft 2in Beam 5.2m 17ft 0in Draught 4.5m 14ft 9in Displacement 10,000kg 22,200lb Price POA www.persicomarine.com

he latest collaboration between designer Shaun Carkeek and Italian yard Persico Marine is astonishing by the standards of any monohull. The images show what will clearly be a very cool full foiling yacht, but it’s only once you start calculating key ratios that it becomes apparent just how radical this design is. A displacement/length ratio of less than 30 makes IMOCA 60s look heavy and, once crew weight is taken into account, makes foiling International Moths look positively staid. Equally, sail area/displacement shows a power to weight ratio a little lower than that of IMOCAs, but broadly equal to an AC75 and streets ahead of the Moth. Yet this is conceived as a dual-purpose boat that will be just as suitable for day sailing with friends as for inshore racing! The set-up is intended to allow for a seamless transition

between these two modes. There are also crew berths, toilet, shower and other amenities, allowing the F70 to compete in typical 150-600 mile offshore races. In the right conditions it could storm round a course of this length, with every likelihood of lifting monohull line honours trophies ahead of 100-footers in the world’s most iconic races. Rudders are fitted with T-foils, which help the boat to maintain a stable foiling attitude over extended periods. Calculations show the F70 transitioning to full foiling mode in as little as 10 knots of wind, which will be ideal for racing in the Mediterranean. This is a design intended for owner-drivers wanting to sail with a small team of just two to four people. Foil control systems originally developed for both the America’s Cup and the IMOCA fleet are employed to automate precise

flight control. As a result, Carkeek says the boat will be easy to handle and drive, enabling it to be pushed hard without risk of losing control, while offering “unprecedented acceleration, response rate, control and safety.” Sailing with a small crew means a large cockpit is not needed, which allows more of the hull’s length to be given over to accommodation below decks. Air conditioning is offered as an option, while other extras include retractable sun shades, easily deployed ground tackle and an electric hybrid drive system. Careful consideration has been given to minimising weight. Construction is of full prepreg unidirectional IM carbon with a Nomex Kevlar honeycomb core. The deck geometry, with its reverse sheer and chamfered bows, creates a shape that has enormous inherent stiffness, which further reduces weight in the structure.

Carkeek Persico F70 is a foiling monohull dayboat with accommodation

For easier berthing in crowded Mediterranean harbours the main foils can be fully retracted, but skippers will still need to take account of the IMOCA-style deck spreaders for the custom rotating wing mast. A lightweight boom with a deep section featuring many cut-outs helps to further underscore this boat’s distinctive style and, of course, shaves off even more weight. Creating a dual-purpose boat of this size and nature is a brave move, but if there’s any combination of expertise that can pull it off then Carkeek and Persico have to be at the top of the list. They have the background that enables them to apply state of the art knowledge from different disciplines in the sport, including IMOCA 60s and the America’s Cup. The result is a boat with a blend of innovation, engineering and design promising a level of performance that it has never previously been possible to buy.

Oyster 495 LOA 16.1m 52ft 8in Hull length 15.15m 49ft 7in LWL 14.27m 46ft 8in Beam 4.77m 15ft 8in Draught standard keel 2.28m 7ft 5in, shoal keel 1.83m 6ft 0in Displacement 21,000kg 46,300lb Price ex VAT £975,000 www.oysteryachts.com

his 495 is the first all-new sub 50ft Oyster model in 16 years and is one of the most important new models for the revitalised company since CEO Richard Hadida took the helm in 2018. It follows the successful 565 that first hit the water two years ago, of which 17 have already been sold. A huge effort has gone into developing the 495, including input from Oyster’s founder Richard Matthews, with the aim of refining the boat as much as possible, as well as making the best use of space. It’s instantly recognisable as part of Oyster’s G6 family and retains a well-proportioned elegance – something that’s not easily achieved

when scaling a concept down to a smaller size. The 495’s styling includes many features which have already become a trademark of Oyster’s larger models, such as the flush foredeck, wraparound deck saloon windows and triple seascape windows in the aft owner’s cabin — all sure to make the yacht stand out. A hefty lightship displacement of 21 tonnes means the 495 will retain much of the big boat feel of its stablemates, even in heavy weather. Humphreys Yacht Design has drawn a powerful high stability hull, with maximum beam carried well aft, twin rudders and a characteristically long waterline. It’s a shape that promises relaxed and comfortable passagemaking at high average

speeds and low angles of heel, even upwind. Oyster seems to recognise that for many owners ease of handling is a key reason for buying a smaller boat. The push-button sail handling systems from the larger models have therefore been retained. The electric mainsail furling is operated from the helm stations, while electric winches are standard, and the headsail furler can be upgraded to electric. A conventional fully-battened mainsail is offered as an option, as are bow and stern thrusters. There’s more light in the galley and chart table areas than previous models thanks to the deck saloon windows having been extended further aft. The galley is in the traditional Oyster position,

N E W YA C H T S

Trademark Oyster wraparound saloon windows and triple stern portlights let light flood into the saloon (far left) and owner’s aft cabin (left)

The new 495 is part of Oyster’s G6 family and shares many of the features of its larger siblings

compartment with a separate shower stall. A high level of standard equipment includes Czone digital switching, allowing all lighting and equipment to be controlled from MFDs at both helm stations and the navigation station. There’s also internal and external mood lighting. It’s clear that this will be a very different boat compared to existing sub-50ft Oysters – there have been enormous advances in yacht design and fit out during that time. The Oyster 475, launched in the mid-2010s was a great boat, even though it was a stretched version of the Oyster 46 that originally dates from 2005. However, the 495 is demonstrably a very much larger vessel – waterline length and beam are

190cm and 35cm larger than those of the 475. Indeed they even exceed the measurements of the Oyster 545. The payoff for the extra volume arguably comes in the comparatively high displacement and price. Oyster is clearly betting heavily on strong demand after what Hadida describes as an “exceptional” year, particularly for the relatively new 565 and 595 models. The 495 will therefore be built at a newly-acquired dedicated facility at Hythe, where the Empress flying boats were once built on the banks of Southampton Water. A number of orders have already been taken for the 495 and the first boat is scheduled to be afloat in 2022.

at the side of the centre cockpit, and offers plenty of worktop and stowage in a configuration that should suit use at sea. Excellent owners’ cabins are also a key element of Oyster’s DNA and this is an area that has clearly been prioritised for this model. The broad stern sections that help give the boat form stability and sail carrying ability produce an immense amount of space. As a result, this part of the boat has a level of volume, comfort, stowage and style that’s rarely seen on a 50-footer. Forward of the full-width saloon are a small Pullman-style cabin to starboard and a modest sized guest double forward. These share a heads

GEAR FOCUS

RU PE RT H O L M E S & TO BY H O DG E S COO K U P M E A L S U S E F U L I N A STO R M

Smart Nutrition H ot m ea l s tha t a re eas y to p re p a re f o r w h e n th e goi n g get s rou g h njoying great local food in stunning locations is one of the many delights of sailing. However, the reality can be very different if faced with inclement weather when on passage – we’ve all encountered situations in which no one onboard has time, or inclination, to prepare a meal. Every cruising yacht can therefore benefit from carrying some food that needs no preparation other than heating, and leaves no mess to be cleaned up afterwards. There’s much that can be learned from the offshore racing community in this respect. A common misconception is that they live mostly off freeze-dried rations. While that may be mostly true for those who race very long distances, such as the Vendée Globe and The Ocean Race, many smaller short-handed boats don’t have a watermaker. This means there’s no weight advantage in taking freeze-dried fare. Instead vacuum packed ‘wet’ meals are the mainstay for most. This opens up options for boil-in-the-bag style dishes that can be bought from regular supermarkets across the globe (I’ve found good selections in the Canary Islands, Galicia and the Azores, for instance) instead of specialist camping/expedition retailers. As well as being easier to source, these usually taste better and have a more pleasant texture as the food doesn’t need to be reconstituted. “I like anything that is quick and easy to serve with little mess,” says Richard Palmer, whose JPK1010 Jangada was RORC Yacht of the Year in 2020. He chooses boil in the bag options over freeze dried, with the exception of trusty Pot Noodles, “which are an instant source of gratification, especially at night.” Palmer’s favourite brands of wet food

Matt Knighton/Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing/Volvo Ocean Race

NEW GEAR

FREEZE-DRIED FOOD

Clarisse Cremer/Banque Populaire X

include Wayfarer Foods, Jamie Oliver’s ready to eat meals (including Moroccan Salad and Smokey Veggie Chilli), and John West’s salmon or tuna meals in a bag. He says these offer “very long life and can be eaten cold, which is great on a transatlantic or hot days.” He’s also a fan of wraps, which have a longer shelf life than bread, are easy to handle and create no mess. Nigel De Quervain Colley has owned a long string of racing yachts called Fastrak, the latest of which is a Sun Fast 3300 set up to race transatlantic. He recommends Uncle Ben’s ready rice: “It comes in various flavours, cooks in a pan in a couple of minutes and it’s easy to add other stuff.” He also likes instant porridge pots: “just add boiling water, and chop up any spare fruit that’s easily to hand.” Equally, fruit cake keeps for ages, has nutritious ingredients and is “a meal in itself.” If freeze dried foods can’t be avoided then Colley recommends Expedition Foods (see right). A lot of skippers add extra flavour with a few drops of tabasco, Worcester or soy sauce. Louis Burton shipped a bottle of top-notch olive oil from Provence to liven up his meals during the last Vendée Globe. For those who have spicier tastes, 2022 Golden Globe Race competitor Gaurav Shinde points out that specialist Indian supermarkets usually offer a wide range of packaged wet meals. The biggest downside to vacuum-packed or boil in the bag meals tends to be the singleuse packaging they come in. Of course many longlife items such as pasta and rice are typically packaged in plastic, but at least these cater for multiple meals. Recyclable packaging is increasingly being used where possible by outdoor sports focussed brands – see Firepot over the page which has compostable options – and cruising sailors visiting foreign ports have a responsibility to create as little landfill as possible and to dispose of their waste responsibly.

Clarisse Cremer enjoying fresh grapefruit on day

Hand-cooked dehydrated food – just add water

For a quick lunch, or a pre-dinner boost, a mug of powdered soup and a baguette can quickly lift both spirits and energy levels. Part-baked mini baguettes or rolls have a long shelf life and only need to be heated for a few minutes. Kate Cope doesn’t have an oven on her well travelled Sun Fast 3200 R2 Purple Mist, but successfully heats them in a covered pan, which also minimises the gas needed. Ensuring you have enough fresh food on longer passages can be a challenge. Kirsteen Donaldson, whose X-332 Pyxis is a veteran of races to the Azores and Cascais, recommends citrus, melons and pineapple as fruit that will “keep well and survive the sort of abuse they may get on a boat.” Some skippers also consider supplements, including Colley who suggests adding an effervescent vitamin C tablet to bottles of water. Given good refrigeration some salad items can keep well. Iceberg lettuce lasts a long time providing you eat them simultaneously, starting with outer leaves. When I competed in the 2017 RORC Transatlantic Race on Jangada we took six iceberg lettuces with us and ate the final hearts, in wraps with chorizo, freshly-made hummus (mash chickpeas from a tin with a fork and add tahini, lemon juice and garlic paste) on day 18.

TRADITIONAL SOLUTIONS In the past offshore sailosrs didn’t have recourse to this type of pre-packaged food. Instead, the solution was a stew pot, prepared in advance of inclement weather. This could then be heated at will and topped up with extra ingredients if bad weather lasted for an extended period. In a similar vein, one of my favourites for the first night at sea, when everyone is regaining their sea legs, is a roast chicken. It can be placed in a baking tray, surrounded by potatoes and root vegetables before leaving port, then all you need to do is light the oven and wait for it to cook. In all but the best boat ovens this may take up to 50% longer than at home.

This is a technical process during which fresh or cooked foods are flash frozen and placed in a vacuum chamber, where the moisture is removed before the food is sealed. When water is replaced/reintroduced, the food regains flavour and nutritional value. The main benefits are light weight, long shelf life and easy preparation. For racing sailors, using stoves, pans or pressure cookers is impractical. Quickly boiling a minimal amount of water to prepare a freeze-dried meal is the most efficient method of having a hot meal and absorbing the necessary calorie requirements.

Hodshon and Mitchel relied on freeze-dried food during their record-breaking sail around Britain in an open Wayfarer

One of the most wellknown brands of freeze-dried and vacuum-pack meals is Expedition Foods. This UK company, favoured by sailors, rowers, mountaineers and adventurers, has a big range of dried and wet food, ration packs, gels, and snacks, with good information about calorie intake and three different calorie versions of each meal. Will Hodshon and Richard Mitchel relied on Expedition pouches for their recordbreaking sail around Britain in a Wayfarer open dinghy in 2019 (pictured above). Having ingested two 1,000 calorie meals a day for their 15-day voyage, Hodshon says these ready meals were often a highlight of their day! Meals are priced at £6.49 from expeditionfoods.com. Meanwhile, over the page are some alternatives we have tried.

68 of the Vendée Globe

NEW GEAR

BUYER’S GUIDE READY MEALS TESTED LE BON BAG

FORESTIA

This French firm is a giant in the industry and its premise is to produce meals that are as close to restaurant quality as possible. Portions are vacuum-sealed in aluminium pouches and can be boiled in their bags or heated in a conventional oven. The cuisse de canard confite (confit duck leg) is super tender and juicy – if plated up with vegetables and potatoes you’d never guess it had come out of a sachet with a 3-year shelf life. On the downside this option falls short of being a complete meal in a bag and needs to be accompanied by carbohydrate and veg. It’s one of a range of 20 different recipes in which classic French meat dishes figure heavily. 9/10 Price: €5. lebonbag.com

Available in pouch form to which you add boiling water, or, as we tried, as a ready to go meal with self-heater supplied with the pack. The heater bags just need 50ml of water to activate them, and can then heat the meal in 12 minutes. They’re ready meals, so no need to rehydrate them. This means the texture and taste is a lot closer to a freshly made meal than dried food, yet they still have a three-year shelf life. The chicken Madras is tasty and spicy, with proper chunks of meat and texture. 8/10 Price: £5.50. weareforestia.com

F I R E P OT Adventurers started this Dorset company in 2017 after they couldn’t find tasty natural portable food. Founder John Fisher wanted a preservative-free alternative to the freeze-dried meals he was used to relying on when trekking and insisted on using locally sourced fresh ingredients with no additives or flavourings. The complete one-pot meals are hand-cooked and then dehydrated – as opposed to the common method which mixes ingredients after they’ve been freeze-dried. I was impressed with the taste – particularly the risotto or pulled pork meals. Perhaps there’s

a psychological element at play, knowing you’re eating properly sourced and prepared food, but it certainly helps it taste a cut above any other dehydrated food. Firepot has now developed eco-packaged meals which use bio-sourced compostable bags. These need to be heated in a pan not a bag and have a reduced shelf life (one year as opposed to the three of its plastic waterproof pouches), but present a great eco-alternative. 9/10 Price: £6.95. firepotfood.com

FREEZE-DRIED ALTERNATIVES SUMMIT

T R E K ’ N E AT

I’ve found that vegetarian freeze dried meals can have a more realistic texture than those with meat and Summit’s vegetable chipolote chilli with rice is no exception. Indeed there were few signs that it was freeze dried, though I allowed it to absorb moisture for longer than the stated period. A tip from Tony White, veteran of many double-handed Rolex Fastnet races, as well as the AZAB and Round Britain and Ireland, is to empty the contents of a freeze-dried packed into a wide-neck Thermos jar, then leave the meal to soak up water for at least 30 minutes (three times the usual recommended period). My first choice would still be a wet meal, though. 7/10 Price £5.50. summittoeat.com

Part of the Katadyn group, which includes Katadyn and Spectra watermakers, these German-made products cater for all meals, snacks and rations. Trek’n Eat has partnered with the single-handed Global Challenge Race 2023 to provide skippers with reduced cost meal options. These freeze-dried products are quick and easy to make. The Chicken in Curried Rice smells and looks like it tastes – stodgy and unnecessarily sweet. However, while these are not an everyday option for a cruising sailor, their 5-year shelf life and 600 calories per pouch makes them a great alternative to have in the locker to warm you up on a cold day at sea. 6/10 Price: £7.00. trekneat.com

NEW GEAR

GAS BOTTLE LOCKING DEVICE Sometimes the most useful products are simple, but creative, concepts. The CO2 inflation bottles for lifejackets have an alarming tendency to unscrew, rendering the automatic inflation system useless. Crewsaver’s EXOLOCK is a locking device designed to hold them in place through increasing friction. It’s simple, inexpensive, can be retrofitted to existing lifejackets with either UML or Halkey Roberts firing heads, and is now a standard fit for all Crewsaver’s auto inflation models. Price: £5. crewsaver.com

UPGRADED VISION Steiner, which has long been one of the top brands for marine binoculars, has launched a new generation Navigator series. These benefit from an increased field of view, improved ergonomic design and a new easy-grip armoured rubber coating. They are available in 7x30 and 7x50 formats, each with or without a compass. All have auto focus and are submersible to a depth of 5m. Price: £399-£599. intro2020.co.uk/steiner

SUSTAINABLE GILL GEAR

SOFT ATTACHMENT BLOCKS Seldén’s lightweight soft attachment ball bearing blocks offer greater articulation, yet are lighter and have a higher breaking load than the products they replace. The range is offered in three sizes aimed at dinghies. Sheaves range from 20-40mm to suit ropes from 6mm10mm diameter. Both double and single-sheave options are available, while safe working load ratings vary from 100-250kg. Price from: £12.22. seldenmast.com

Gill’s new two-layer OS3 fabric has been developed to provide lightweight, competitively priced foul weather gear for coastal use. It uses a plant-based finish in place of the industry standard fluoropolymer-based durable water repellent (DWR) coatings that create toxic byproducts during manufacture. The OS3 range includes men’s and women’s jackets and salopettes in sizes XS-3XL (men) and 8-20 (women) and unisex waist-high trousers. Prices: jacket £185, salopettes £145, coastal pant £120. gillmarine.com

BACK-UP POWER

EASY ELECTRIC WINCHING This small, simple device converts a powerful cordless electric drill/ screwdriver into an electric winch handle. One end of the iWinch has a standard winch handle star socket and the other fits a 13mm drill chuck. This simple concept therefore promises to be extremely useful, bringing electric power to any winch on the boat using easily sourced equipment that’s not particularly expensive. Price: €55. iwinch.se

Lithium ion battery packs are ideal as a back-up in the event of a boat’s main electrical system failing. The PowerOak AC50S Powerbank is a 500W unit (roughly 40Ah at 12V) that’s compact and weighs little more then 6kg. What’s neat about this unit is the way it’s packaged, with multiple USB and 240V outlets, plus USB-C laptop power and an induction wireless charging facility. There’s also a useful LCD display that shows state of charge and the input charge rate – a 120W solar panel can be connected directly. Price: £399. rallydesign.com

PRACTICAL ENERGY OBSERVER • CROSSING THE NORTH SEA • HANDLE BIG BREEZE UPWIND

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Between 25-40% of virtual reality users experience motion sickness.

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SPECIAL REPORT WILL BRUTON ON VIRTUAL REALITY SEASICKNESS RELIEF harles Darwin gave a warning to any of his readers tempted to romanticise sailing, declaring in The Voyage of the Beagle “if a person suffer much from seasickness, let him weight it heavily in the balance: it is no trifling evil which may be cured within a week.” But while Darwin’s theory of evolution became established science, what causes seasickness still remains fiercely debated. What’s more, The system uses a standard Pico VR headset nothing invented so far has managed to work preprogrammed with the See-Level software universally to relieve the symptoms, and drugbased treatments are renowned for their side Zealand disappointed, turning to his background effects. So even professional sailors learn to in IT to find a solution. live with the debilitating condition rather than Virtual reality had an awkward start in the overcome it for good. In the Volvo Ocean Race consumer electronics market when it first there have been multiple instances of over half a became available to computer gamers around professional crew being unwell at the same time. five years ago, and videos on YouTube show New Zealand start-up See-Level promises to first-timer users crashing into furniture, having help sailors overcome symptoms of seasickness lost all sense of spatial awareness outside the by bringing together movement sensor headset. Even latest generation VR games can technology and virtual reality. Founder Dudley be disorientating, and for many people induce Jackson, originally from the Isle of Wight, started motion sickness. But it is this powerful feeling the business after being forced to call off his own of being somewhere else that Dudley hopes to circumnavigation plans. “I'd bought the boat, got capitalise on, temporarily extracting the wearer ready over a number of years and was excited to from their real environment. cross oceans,” he explains. But overcome Jackson was introduced to VR by seasickness as soon as he was Facebook's gaming by his son. “I was shocked at offshore, Dudley returned to New Mark Zuckerberg how quickly I got motion sickness,” recently invested he recalls. But it raised the question: over $2billion in “If virtual reality can make me sick, the virtual reality could it remove seasickness just as headset maker quickly? And the answer is: yes.” Oculus. A virtual reality headset provides 360° immersion in a virtual environment, which, combined with sound, effectively seals out the real world. If you haven’t used one before, the experience is both a little strange and impressive. Look up, down or behind you and the world you're immersed in is continuous. See-Level’s patented offering is two-fold. First, it offers relief to sufferers as soon as they start to feel unwell. Second, it is designed to train users out of a propensity to suffer from Will Bruton

The headset is designed to be worn while sitting down, but has good wireless range so it’s not necessary to have the sensor box up on deck

See-Level/Dudley Jackson

PRACTICAL

Sensors feed the with data on the yacht’s pitch, heave and roll

seasickness after a prolonged period ashore. While the system hasn’t yet been independently tested, the company’s own results claim the device was effective, on average, after seven minutes of use. Most of their testing has been undertaken on voyages from New Zealand’s Cook Strait to Antarctica aboard a small expedition cruise ship, with 85% of those using the headset reporting a reduction in symptoms. The user view inside the VR headset, as See-Level recreates a stable horizon.

V I RT UA L H O R I Z O N For seasickness treatment, See-Level advises that the headset is only used when sitting or lying down. Once the unit is placed over the wearer’s head, they find themselves sitting on a virtual beach looking out to a virtual sea horizon, while a voiceover talks through the program. Stage one, called ‘Signal Matching,’ offers relief for most seasickness sufferers within 15 minutes. Once the patient feels better, they can continue for a further 45 minutes with INT. See-Level creates a virtual environment on dry land but uses wireless links to sensors that sit firmly in the real world, using real-time live data on the pitch, roll and heave from the vessel. This data is then used to gradually reintroduce the real-world motion of the boat over time. Initially the picture the user sees is level. After 15 minutes the second stage of the simulation gradually reintroduces the yacht’s real-world motion over a period of 45 minutes, so when the headset is taken off, the real motion of the boat has been progressively normalised for the user. Dudley Jackson explains that users are encouraged to put the headset on as soon as they feel even slightly unwell for maximum

Professor Tom Stoffregen has conducted

University of Minnesota

seasickness – something the company calls INT, or Incremental Neurological Training. If the system is a commercial success on larger craft over the next few years, it's likely to come down in price significantly. A small boat version of the system is already available, called the ‘Companion Edition’, supplied in a waterproof armoured case for easy stowage, but at around £850 it’s not cheap. The ‘Yacht Edition’, aimed at commercial sailing operations, comprises two main components: a processing box kept flat inside the boat and a virtual reality headset (several can be connected to the system at once). The headsets are linked wirelessly to the processor unit which requires power from the boat to run.

experiments on motion sickness

effectiveness. “When we ran our first tests in the Southern Ocean on an expedition vessel for two weeks with 50 passengers, they reached for the kit in big seas when food was being served. After a short spell in the virtual world, they were able to eat a full meal.” Further testing has recently been undertaken with whale-watching tour operators, and New Zealand’s Littleton Port Company is installing the system on board its commercial pilot boats. The See-Level’s INT training mode is the more developmental part of the product and is aimed at getting users used to unusual motions while still on land. It’s something that could prove useful for those who find themselves only susceptible to

DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS A lot happens to your body when suffering from seasickness:

Q Brain is confused by contrasting inputs, sometimes also making us drowsy Q Eye muscles attempt to compensate for the motion by stretching Q Inner ear feeds conflicting signals to the brain Q Salivary glands produce extra saliva to protect the mouth from stomach acids Q Diaphragm contracts, pressuring the stomach, eventually causing us to be sick

TO O G O O D TO B E T R U E ? Professor Tom Stoffregen is Director of Affordance Perception-Action Technology at the University of Minnesota and has conducted numerous experiments investigating seasickness. He stresses that many commonly held beliefs about what causes sailors to feel unwell are a confused mix of theories. “The real test for any kind of technology that claims to beat seasickness, or any other relief product for that matter, is whether or not it is any more effective than simply sitting down and closing your eyes; it’s the sensory perception here that’s most crucial to consider.” In one simple demonstration Stoffregen moves a vertical flat surface quickly towards a person who is standing still on a small platform, stopping short of making contact with them. Most people step backwards off the platform, unable to remain balanced. This experiment demonstrates humans’ poor postural stability; something Stoffregen believes makes us susceptible to seasickness. In a more extensive study Stoffregen measured how subjects stood naturally when they were ashore, gathering data on how much they moved subconsciously while trying to simply stand still. Those that stood less static ashore proved more susceptible to nausea and sickness in the days that followed while at sea; suggesting some of us are simply inherently less balanced and so more likely to get seasick. Professor Stoffregen suggests that, as we still don’t fully understand seasickness, it’s best to work with the strongest evidence we have to help ourselves when sailing. “It’s actually the rise and fall of the ship (rather than pitch or roll) that has the greatest impact on making people feel sick. “We know every movement you make at sea is completely different to that on land, so sitting down will certainly help because immediately you'll have to compensate less. We also know seasickness almost always goes away in under 96 hours. So, by doing the right things early, sitting on deck with a view of the horizon for a few hours rather than minutes, you'll help your body go through the difficult process of acclimatisation more quickly.”

Will Bruton

See-Level system

e x t r a o r d i n a r y b o at s

Photos: Energy Observer Productions

FRA NÇOIS TRE GOUET ON ENERGY OBSERVER

Energy Observer is a former ocean racing catamaran now converted into a ‘zero emissions’ scientific platform

ew boats have had such a rich and varied history over the past 40 years as this one. Would Nigel Irens and Mike Birch, the boat’s creators, even recognise it today? The slender bows of Formule TAG, now Energy Observer, remain the identifying feature of this famous ocean racer, but much else has changed during the boat’s many lives. In 1983, the 80ft Formule TAG was launched as part of a revolutionary new generation of multihulls designed for ocean racing and record-breaking. At the time it was the largest ocean racing catamaran of its type, built using

aerospace technology. The following year it beat the 24-hour record by covering 512.5 miles. In 1993 it was bought by Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston for a Jules Verne attempt, famously flying a spinnaker decorated with bright red and green apples under the name ENZA (Eat New Zealand Apples). The second attempt, in 1994, succeeded and the boat set a round the world crewed record of 74 days. Next, it became Royal & SunAlliance, skippered by Tracy Edwards. Although the Jules Verne Trophy proved elusive, Edwards and her team broke seven world records. Then Tony Bullimore took it on, extending the hulls to 100ft and racing as Team Legato in the round the world race organised by Bruno Peyron to celebrate the year 2000: The Race. In 2010, off Cape Finistère, it capsized in 15 knots of wind. Many thought the boat would

never recover from such an accident: too old to race, too damaged to be repaired.

A NEW PURPOSE However, French entrepreneur Victorien Erussard, who has sailed everything from Hobie cats and Formula 18s to competing in the Route du Rhum and Transat Jacques Vabre, had a different idea. His aim was to build the first 100% energy self-sufficient vessel. The chassis of a former ocean-racing catamaran would make the ideal platform, and ‘recycling’ an existing boat fitted perfectly with the project’s ambitions. Since Energy Observer was launched in 2012, the project has been in constant evolution, and has so far covered over 30,000 miles. The Energy Observer team believes that in order to be feasible as a truly zero-emissions boat, capable of sailing from the Arctic Circle to

Ajax News/Alamy

PRACTICAL

The Irens-designed catamaran was relaunched as Enza in 1993 for Peter Blake and Robin Knox-Johnston’s Jules Verne campaign, sucessfully taking five days off the previous record.

Energy Observer in the Svalbard Archipelago, August 2019

SPECIFICATION

Above: Victorien Erussard at the helm. Right: Expedition leader Jérôme Delafosse and onboard reporter

Length Beam Draught Displacement Sail area Designer

30.50m 12.80m 2.10m 30 tonnes 64m2 Nigel Irens

100ft 0in 42ft 0in 6ft 11in 700ft2

Amélie Conty

the equator, the vessel requires a mix of energy sources. Having a diversity of sources improves “reliability, performance and safety” notes LouisNoël Viviès, the project’s general manager. The main propulsion on board is provided by two 45kW electric motors. These are generously sized and are not used to their maximum capacity, so offer high efficiency. Opting for a single battery bank capable of powering them over a long period of time without recharging would have sent the project into a downward spiral in terms of weight. Instead, Energy Observer has two smaller battery banks, with a combined total of 100kW, which is also safer. This hybrid solution still weighs in at 1.4 tonnes. In the future, with lighter batteries currently being developed, this weight should be halved for the same capacity. The batteries act as a buffer between the

manufactures (via desalination, purification then electrolysis) and stores in eight tanks of 64kg its own hydrogen from sea water. The efficiency of the battery is 2.5 times higher than that of diesel once you consider the energy needed to extract, refine and transport it to the pump. The battery also generates 50% of the heat used on board, so the crew never lacks hot water, and was able motors and the four different energy sources to enjoy a cosy warm interior during the boat’s required to guarantee a 24/7 power supply. trip north to Spitsbergen. The most innovative of these is undoubtedly The third energy source is the solar panels, hydrogen. The battery was developed by the which cover 202m2 of surface area and put out project’s partner Toyota, from the one used a cumulative power of 35kW. The solar panels in their hydrogen-powered car the Mirai. “It use various technologies depending on their provides 10 times more energy for the same location on the deck or superstucuture. Some weight than the other batteries on board,” says are double-sided to capture the rays reflected Viviès. There are two hydrogen batteries, one in by the surface of the water. Elsewhere, they are each hull, with a peak power of 80kVA. covered with a non-slip polymer that improves Although they now cost three times less than performance when the sun is not at its zenith. the first generation batteries originally Wind power is an area that has been installed, the hydrogen batteries are modified a great deal since Energy still twice the price of a generator Observer’s launch. After experimenting There are two of the same power. On the other with vertical wind turbines and a hydrogen batteries, hand, they are guaranteed for traction wing, the catamaran now one in each hull, with 80,000 hours, maintenancecarries two Oceanwings, which a peak power of free, and have no associated are 32m2 rigid wings developed by 80kVA fuel costs, since Energy Observer VPLP and inspired by their learnings

PRACTICAL

{

During coastal passages, Energy

}

Observer has been making an average speed of 4.5 knots, but 6.34 on a

transatlantic, with peaks of 10 knots

from the America’s Cup. The Oceanwings have been developed with the ultimate aim of making maritime transport less polluting, and Energy Observer is an ideal experimentation platform to develop the system. Nearly twice as efficient as traditional sails, the wings can be used to either increase speed or reduce power consumption as a complement to the electric motors. The wings also allow Energy Observer to utilise its fourth source of electrical production, hydrogeneration from the propellers when the wind is favourable.

Developing and optimising the performance of

Over 200m2 of solar panels on board, utilising

the custom Energy Management System (EMS)

different solar technologies, combine to

software is a key strategic aim.

produce 35kW of power.

An iguana swims underneath the large

From beneath you can see the double skin

superstructure added to the original racing hull

grafted under the original racing hulls to absorb

to support additional solar panels.

the extra weight of the new systems.

The Oceanwings are made of Hydranet, a woven

The two Oceanwings developed by VPLP have

Dyneema sailcloth, and slide down the masts to

a total surface area of 64m2 and are 1.8 times

reduce sail.

more efficient than conventional sails and rigs.

Brittany-based François Tregouet

Developed in partnership with Toyota, the two

The modernised interior accommodates

has competed in the Mini Transat,

hydrogen fuel cells are capable of producing 10

between five and nine crew aboard at any one

cruised all over the world, and

times more energy than batteries on board for

time – they include a film director, engineers,

specialises in sailing multihulls.

the same weight, and almost indefinitely.

reporters, and a marine biologist.

A DA P T A N D R E F I N E The basic Formule TAG hull platform was light, at just 15 tonnes. Although the catamaran no longer carries its original rig, the additional batteries, motors etc increased the final displacement to 30 tonnes. It was therefore necessary to increase the buoyancy of the hulls, achieved by grafting on a second skin, adding volume below the waterline. In addition to adapting all of these emerging technologies to the corrosive marine environment, the Energy Observer team’s expertise lies in the fine management of these different energies, optimising efficiencies. That ranges from selecting the most efficient mode of propulsion or electrical production at any given moment, to fine adjustment of the wings or the pitch of the propellers. With all innovation, there’s often a big leap from theory to practice, but the project is creating the data to prove the concepts. Energy Observer has been touring the world’s oceans since 2017. In March 2020 it set off on its most recent voyage, which will take in the Tokyo Olympics and the Dubai World Expo in 2021, before returning to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. Over the 2,134 miles sailed so far on the current trip it has averaged speeds of 6.34 knots, with 83% of the energy produced used for propulsion or navigation, and only 17% used for the domestic systems used by the crew of five on board. Over the last eight months, solar power has accounted for 56% of the on-board production, hydrogen for 7% and Oceanwings for 37% of the equivalent consumption of the engines saved. Hydro-generation has been little used in the inter-tropical latitudes, but is expected to be used more in windier regions.

w e at h e r b r i e f i n g C H RI S TI BBS ON CROSSI NG THE NO RTH S EA

Right: sandbanks, 15°W

0°

and shipping

Arctic Circle

heading for Rotterdam, the busiest port in

ICELAND

Europe, means

A t la n t i c Oc e an

60°N

090°T <200nm

SHETLAND ISLANDS

Bergen

55°N

150

300

IRELAND

Lowestoft

nautical miles

ogger, Fisher, German Bight. Even the names of the North Sea forecasts are evocative, conjuring up a vision of faraway places frequented by Viking adventurers and epic seafarers. The North Sea is a large body of water and although narrow in the south opens out to give a significant sea passage if crossing from Scotland. Scandinavia often refers to the region of Norway, Sweden and Denmark, although it can be narrowed to the Scandinavian Peninsula. The Baltic is a popular cruising ground and passages to the Baltic can include the Frisian Islands and a re-enactment of The Riddle of the Sands (good reading for all sailors). A Scandinavian cruise has something for everyone, from tranquil islands of the Swedish archipelagos to the cultural heritage around the Baltic. Further north into Norway there are fjords and glaciers and high latitude cruising. But what of the weather? The southern part of the North Sea is strongly influenced by the continental land mass, while the further north we go the more the maritime climate of the UK exerts its influence. We are in a band of disturbed westerly winds, driven by the jet stream and a long precession of low pressure systems that will generally pass to the north-west. As we get further north and into these more disturbed westerlies the more the weather becomes like the west coast of Britain. South of Norway is the area known as the Skagerrak, a strait running between the

Solent

requires careful navigation

Area of cyclogenesis

Typical depression track N orth Sea

of the North Sea

NO RWAY FAROE ISLANDS

the southern part

Baltic Sea 022°T <400nm Kiel Canal

E UR OPE

T R A F F I C S E PA R A T I O N south-east coast of Norway, Jutland peninsula, Getting to and from Scandinavia can bring its Denmark, and the west coast of Sweden. Here the own challenges. The North Sea is an interesting airflow is strongly influenced by the mountains place to sail; in the southern part are some of of Norway and is an area of cyclogenesis, where the busiest ports in Europe, with Rotterdam lows will develop and deepen, often then drifting topping the list but closely followed by Antwerp, away to the east into the Baltic. This is not Hamburg, and Bremen-Bremerhaven. dissimilar to the Gulf of Genoa where lee troughs The southern waters of the North Sea are and lows develop in the shelter of the Alps. busy, and therefore strictly controlled with traffic In general, during the summer months, the separation schemes that tend to restrict where frequency of gales is similar to the western part we can safely and legally sail. Throw into the mix of the British Isles at 1-2% of the time, which wind farms, sandbanks, gas and oil rigs and it is increases in the Skagerrak. Gale frequency no place for a first night passage! A refresher increases dramatically in September so it is course in the Colregs is a good idea best to be away by then. Further east in before a crossing. the Baltic the continental influence The average The southern part of the North on the weather is stronger, with Scandinavian sea Sea also has its fair share of fog warmer weather and lighter winds. temperature is low: and poor visibility, with statistics Further north does bring some 14°C in Bergen indicating a likelihood of fog 3-4% heavier weather, however the tail during the summer of the time. However, fog is directly of the Gulf Stream (by the time linked to the direction of the wind it reaches the North Sea, usually bringing warm moist air over the called the North Atlantic Drift) keeps colder North Sea, so is generally linked the area ice-free and relatively warm. This with the wind from south-east through to southis quite a bonus as southern Norway is on the west. On one Round Britain and Ireland race we same latitude as the southern part of Greenland. had predominantly south-easterly winds for the There are not always periods of depressions whole period and visibility was rarely above a few as high pressure will sometimes build (it even miles, and often foggy. has a name; the Scandinavian High). High On the east coast of the UK whenever there is pressure over Scandinavia can stay for a number an easterly to south-easterly wind we can get sea of days, or even weeks, and becomes a blocking fret, also known as harr. A warm, moist, generally high, stopping lows from crossing the area. This south-east wind blowing across the North Sea can push lows well to the north, or at times even cools over the colder water, which in turns brings south over Spain and into the Mediterranean.

PRACTICAL

{

Chris Tibbs is a meteorologist and weather router. He has sailed over 300,000 miles, including three round the world races

}

NORTH SEA WEATHER • Depressions will generally pass to the north-west of Scotland • Small lows can develop and deepen south of Norway before moving east • The further north, the greater the effect of Atlantic low pressure systems

Mischa Keijser/Getty

• Fog can be a problem in the southern North Sea, and along the coast of England and Scotland with winds from the south-east through to the south-west • The chance of gales increases significantly in the north around northern Scotland and western Norway during September

fog to the east coast. This is advection or sea fog and dissipates a few miles inland but is a real problem when sailing near the coast. The wind in the southern North Sea does tend to be a little lighter than further north. It also varies in direction from the north through the west to the south, as it depends on what systems are influencing it. Heading north, the water deepens and there is more sea room. Being relatively shallow the sea state can become short and steep, but outside of winter the waves are not excessive. If heading from the south coast of England and making for the Kiel Canal and the Baltic, crossing over to the Dutch side is the shortest route and, although busy with shipping, there are plenty of places to stay on the way. With generally lighter

winds in the south some diesel may have to be sacrificed on the passage.

L O N G PA S S A G E S To cross to Norway distances are long: a passage from the Solent to Bergen of around 700 miles is the shortest route, this is further than heading across Biscay to Northern Spain. The shortest passage is Shetland to Bergen at under 200 miles, so little more than a day sail – but with a significant sail to get to Shetland beforehand. If heading from the south coast I’d tend to coast hop around to Lowestoft, or somewhere nearby, then set off from there to Norway. This gives a passage of under 400 miles and keeps clear of the busiest shipping lanes. With predominantly westerly winds it should be a Ramberg in Norway is typical of many pretty harbours in

Morten Falch Sortland/Getty

Scandinavia

good passage of around three days. There will still be numerous oil rigs to dodge, however as they are fixed there are no excuses for getting too close. I see little point in heading further north up the English coast as it adds miles for little gain. But it is rather different if coming from the west coast of the UK, options are either through the Caledonian Canal (something I have always wanted to do), or around the north of Scotland, calling at Shetland or Orkney – or both. This shortens the passage but leaves us exposed to stronger wind. This is most likely to be between north-westerlies to south-westerlies, varying as depressions pass through. Returning to the UK can be a little harder as it is generally against the prevailing winds; for this passage I’d tend to head south first into what is usually slightly lighter winds before making my way back to the UK, or wait until I have a good weather window. Particularly around northern Scotland and western Norway the chance of gales increases significantly in September which is a little earlier than further south. Tempting though it is to dwell in Scandinavia to make the best of a summer cruising, leaving later can mean a harder passage back home. I’d therefore be tempted to do my more northerly cruising early and then sail south to Denmark before working my way back home. If we have left it very late a passage late season east of Denmark and through the Kiel Canal is another possibility.

PRACTICAL

5 expert tips HOW TO SAIL UPWIND IN SURVIVAL CONDITIONS

Legendary ocean racing sailor STU BANNATYNE shares advice for sailing upwind in strong winds and big seas with ANDY RICE. tu Bannatyne has learned the hard way that sailing upwind in heavy air changes your priorities. “A lot of the decisions are based around boat preservation, rather than outright speed. The old axiom: ‘to finish first, first you must finish’ comes into play in survival conditions.” This was brought home to him early in his Whitbread/Volvo career in 1993 when Bannatyne was racing on the 85ft Maxi ketch New Zealand Endeavour. “We were sailing upwind and hit heavy airs and big seas from Uruguay up to Fort Lauderdale. We suffered some delamination of the hull and core shear, and as a 22-year-old nipper it was amazing to see the more experienced guys use whatever we had on board to fix it. You need to have contingency plans in mind but it’s better not to get the damage in the first place.” An even starker example was in the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race when faced with a particularly stormy Strait of Luzon near the Philippines. “Never before had I been on a boat when we actually stopped and waited to assess the conditions. It was 50 to 55 knots of wind and big seas and Puma broke a boom even with three reefs in the main.” With survival and boat preservation in mind, here are Bannatyne’s five tips for slogging upwind in severe conditions.

Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

If you can, limit the number of crew on deck to keep them as well rested as possible in severe conditions

Martin Keruzore/Volvo Ocean Race

With four wins from eight Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Races, it’s no wonder STU BANNATYNE is one of the most in demand professional sailors on the international circuit. The New Zealander has also sailed in eight Fastnet Races, eight Transpacs and 14 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races

PRESERVE THE BOAT Stronger winds often bring bigger, stormy seas. This can be daunting and you need to think about safety, not necessarily having people sitting on the rail. Conditions may get so severe that you’re no longer looking for outright speed. Launching off big waves is not a very smart way to go about keeping your boat together and maintaining a high average speed. You should be reducing the sail area and reducing the righting moment correspondingly to the increasing severity of the conditions. Having a decent amount of heel to get through the waves is important to stop the boat slamming. Aim to reduce righting moment by getting crew off the rail and down below to lie on the leeward bunks.

would you reef the main, and you might put in a second reef before you change down again to a storm jib or a J5. By the time it’s getting to 40 knots-plus, then you’d put in a third reef into the mainsail. If you’re going to be reefed for a long time, make sure you roll up the foot of the mainsail with bungees or ties, and roll it in the right direction so that the waves don’t fill up the roll in the sail.

TRIM FOR BALANCE

WORK WAVE ANGLES

KEEP CREW FRESH For a 600-mile race, depending on the number of crew, I’d run a threewatch system. When the conditions are nice, it’s good to have two of those watches on deck and sailing the boat. You get the extra weight on the rail, you get the extra people for rotating trimmers and so on. But in rougher conditions you can rest two watches at a time. In survival conditions it’s better to keep people rested rather than tiring them out on the rail. Make sure you have plenty of plain food that requires minimal preparation, and make sure everyone is well dressed and keep them warm with hot drinks.

REDUCE SAIL EARLY Watch the forecast like a hawk for any changes, particularly a potential worsening of conditions. If you suspect the wind and wave state is set to keep on building, it’s always a good idea to change down your headsails first, before you think about putting a reef in the mainsail. It’s much easier to do a headsail change in 20-25 knots of wind compared to 30 knots or more. So you would change all the way down to a J4 on most boats while still carrying full mainsail. Only then

As the sea state builds it can become very difficult to steer the boat, so it’s important to try and maintain a balance. Test different sail combinations for maintaining a good helm balance on a training day when the wind and sea state aren’t so severe, so you know what selections to make when you find yourself racing in tough conditions. A well-balanced boat shouldn’t require too much steering for anything other than the really big waves. As a general rule, don’t steer around waves too much because that will change the apparent wind angle quite a bit. So you’ve got to find the right balance for the sea state. The aim is to set the boat up with a more forgiving trim mode.

It’s common for strong winds not to line up with the wave train, particularly when you get a frontal passage coming through. If you can get on to the tack that takes you across the waves, rather than directly into them, to get to where you want to go or towards flatter water (eg in the lee of a land mass) then use the less violent wave angle to your advantage. As time passes after the frontal passage, the wave train will align more with the wind direction. So any time you can spend on the favoured tack for the difficult sea state means that when you do tack, it’s likely you’ll be sailing at a more favourable angle to the waves than if you’d made the tack sooner.

WORLD’S C O O L E S T YAC H T S WE ASK TOP SAILORS AND MARINE INDUSTRY GURUS TO CHOOSE THE COOLEST AND MOST INNOVATIVE YACHTS OF OUR TIMES

TOP TRU MPS RAT ING

STU BANNATYNE NOMINATES ERICSSON 4 “Ericsson 4 holds a special place in my history of boats sailed. I was fortunate to be part of a very talented team that resulted in the fastest Volvo 70 of its era and it gave us many happy moments; along with some very stressful ones too!” The Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Volvo 70 won the 2008/09 race, skippered by Torben Grael. During the first leg the crew set a 24-hour monohull record, covering 596.6 miles, something Bannatyne recalls as giving “a great sense of

satisfaction, both personally and for the team.” He adds: “The Volvo 70 was the best of all the Volvo Ocean Race classes and the same boats are still very active, and winning races globally. It’s fantastic to see so many generations of them still being campaigned across the world, whether with a full professional team or a pay-to-play charter operation. The sailors always come back with wide smiles knowing they have experienced racing on the best ever Volvo Ocean Race boats!”

TOP SPEED

41 knots

LOA LAUNCHED BERTHS

Known as the ‘King of the Southern Ocean’

Races and won it four times, including the

for his exceptional ocean racing abilities,

most recent edition with Dongfeng. He has

New Zealand sailor STU BANNATYNE has

also broken the 24-hour monohull world

competed in eight Whitbread/Volvo Ocean

speed record on five occasions.

21.50m 2008 8

PRICE

€5m

ADRENALIN FACTOR

85%

Oskar Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team

‘Th e Vo lvo 70 was the best o f all the Volvo Oc e an Ra ce c lasses’