With Friends & Family: Weather Weather Apps Apps

H O W A LT E R N AT O R S W O R K + MOORING IN A GALE
THE TOP
WEATHER
with friends & family APPS FOR ACCURATE
FORECASTS
How to guarantee +
your novice crew MARINE DESIGN
has fun afloat AWARDS
The best new gear for 2023
NEW & USED BOATS ON TEST

‘The boat that offers ‘One of the most successful
everything’ one-designs ever launched’
NEW NORDSHIP 420 DS CLASSIC SIGMA 33
SAIL TRIM
ADVENTURE
Through the Med from
FOR OLD SAILS

France to Greece
Tackle the Raz de Sein
GGR rescue: ‘My boat
sank in 20 minutes’ BETTER PERFORMANCE DESPITE AGEING CANVAS
FEBRUARY 2023
FOR THE CRUISING SAILOR • ESTABLISHED 1906
60 PLAYING
THE TIDE
Brittany’s Raz de Sein
has a fearsome reputation,
but here’s how to find
its friendly side
SAILING SKILLS
28 SKIPPERS’ TIPS Navtex hack

• Stern platforms • Simple briefings
31 A QUESTION OF SEAMANSHIP
How would you tackle a berth in a gale?
52 ISLAND HOPPING
IN GREECE
Nic Compton revisits his childhood holidays
32 SAILING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
Guarantee fun afloat for your novice crew
on an idyllic cruise from France to Levkas DON’T
40 SAIL TRIM FOR OLD SAILS Expert tips
MISS THIS to get the most from your ageing canvas
MONTH
CRUISING
66 CRUISING COMMUNITY Sail therapy

for mental health • Ocean Globe Race
68 CRUISING LOG A crew of friends

embark on a British voyage of discovery
GEAR AND BOATS
20 NORDSHIP 420 DS A centre-cockpit,

64 MONTY HALLS
The broadcaster and adventurer
shares his first faltering steps into cruising
aft-cabin deck saloon, but can it deliver?
78 WEATHER AND TIDE APPS We review

46 DRAMATIC GOLDEN
GLOBE RESCUE
Exclusive account of Tapio Lehtinen’s astonishing
the phone apps you shouldn’t sail without
sinking and rescue in the sailor’s own words 86 SIGMA 33 Why the susccessful one
design is a good cruiser as well as racer
REGULARS
04 EDITOR’S LETTER Skipper in a pickle

06 NEWS Orca interactions • Sewage
spills • VAT warning for Portugal
10 LETTERS Scuttle or salvage •
Clean lines • Tides and towing
14 PETE GOSS Winter jobs and dreams
84 HOW THEY WORK:

ALTERNATORS
16
18
DICK DURHAM The man in the creek
LIBBY PURVES Frugality is old hat
Unravelling the mysteries of how this
essential power-generating device
works, and how to look after it
74 NEW GEAR FOR 2023
Combined AIS and PLB at last? Yes
please! Plus loads more great innovations
72
98
BOOKS Gornall How to build a boat
CONFESSIONS Kill-cord chaos
www.yachtingmonthly.com 3
VIEW FROM THE HELM
SKIPPER
IN A PICKLE
ersuading friends and family
to spend a weekend in cramped
and damp conditions while
travelling slowly is never going
to be an easy sell. It can take a
while for newbies to catch the
magic of ghosting along in a
warm breeze, or the beauty
of a misty dawn and the oystercatcher’s cry. Every
encouragement is needed to keep them going until
they get it (p32). Shouting must be one of the major
reasons that novices decide that sailing isn’t for them.
The bellowing yacht skipper glued to the helm and
exasperated crew dashing about on deck is such a
well-worn trope that one could assume this is the
inescapable order of the universe.
It isn’t, of course, and it’s easy to scoff at said
skipper while asserting that, ‘I never shout at my
crew.’ I do try not to, but threaten me with a cross
tide, a stiff breeze and a superyacht’s bow in a tight
marina, and I’m sure the pips will squeak eventually.
I also know there are plenty of habits that wind up
those who sail with me. My wife and I decided a while
ago that she would helm all of our harbour manoeuvres
and leave me to get on with the lines. It wasn’t long
until she had to point out that coming alongside
would be much easier if I stopped micromanaging
and just let her get on with it, even if it wasn’t quite
how I would have done it. She was right of course,
and our moorings worked much better thereafter.
Communication is a huge part of skippering; so too
is decision making. Avoid tight corners that push you
beyond your skill level, or your crew beyond theirs,
and tempers are less likely to fray. You don’t have to
be the world’s best sailor, but the more confident you
feel in your own ability to get out of whatever pickle
you’ve got yourself into, the less likely you are to end
up being that skipper bellowing at your crew.
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Theo Stocker SEE PAGE 70
Editor
Yachting Monthly
Follow @Yachtingmonthly Like Yachting Monthly
4 www.yachtingmonthly.com
Sadler 29, Pasque, makes best
course to windward thanks to
some expert sail trim tips (p40).
Richard Langdon/Ocean Images
IT’S NOT ABOUT SPEED, HONEST SEE PAGE 40
I always thought that the only reason to splash out on a new make the case for
suit of sails was to improve my boat’s performance to get from splashing out on
A to B more quickly. While fresh canvas will help you do that, some new sails, then
you may in fact also be investing in your crew’s happiness. having a boat that is lighter on the helm, easier to handle,
Old sails induce drag and heel, and increase weather helm and sails five or 10 degrees more upright might be just the
and leeway. A dated sail plan may be harder to handle and less arguments you need to swing the case in your favour.
easy to set, too. There are some really handy tricks you can try New sails aren’t about making the boat go faster at all.
to make do with your current canvas. But if you’re trying to It’s all about ensuring the comfort of your crew. Honest.
ON THE COVER: The Nordship 420 DS enjoys some fresh conditions off Funen in Denmark (p20). Photo: Graham Snook
NEWS
If you have a news story to share, contact news editor Katy Stickland
Email Katy.Stickland@futurenet.com Tel 0330 390 6738
Katy Stickland
News editor
Orca interactions with boats escalate
Autoridade Marítima Nacional

Orca interactions with boats off
the coast of Spain and Portugal are
expected to stop as the mammals
mature, according to a marine scientist
studying the cetaceans’ behaviour.
Alfredo Lopez says the orca are
displaying learnt behaviour but ‘it is a
behaviour that should tend to become
extinct as orcas assume different roles
than they currently do, given that most
of them are juveniles.’
Lopez is part of Groupo Trabajo
Orca Atlantica (GTOA), a group of
Portuguese and Spanish marine
scientists studying the orca
interactions since they began in 2020.
He said there are at least 16 orcas
belonging to various groups of the
same sub-population, which are
interacting with boats, many of them
young, and it was ‘unlikely’ that their
behaviour could spread to other
groups of orca, but not ‘impossible’.
The reasons for the orcas’ interest
in small boats is still unknown, ABOVE: The stern. The four crew of the Beneteau
Mike Morgan
although Lopez believes it is Beneteau Oceanis Oceanis 393, Smousse, managed The orca tend to target
‘self-induced behaviour’: either the 393, Smousse, is to abandon ship for their liferaft, 14 the yacht’s rudder, often
mammals have suddenly become the second yacht miles west of Viana de Castle, Portugal. disabling the steering
interested in yachts, or it is ‘a response to be sunk after They were rescued by the crew of a
to an aversive situation experienced in interactions with passing Swedish boat. The Cruising Association (CA) is
the presence of a sailboat’. orcas off the Lopez said there is ‘no single or working with GTOA to gather data
Since 2020, more than 350 boats Iberian Peninsula definitive solution’ for mitigating on all orca interactions, as well as safe
have suffered an interaction with this against an orca interaction, although ‘uneventful passages’ through the
sub-population of orca while sailing BELOW: Orca are a if sea conditions and location allow, worst affected areas of the Iberian
along the Iberian Peninsula, with 70% protected species, stopping the boat or reversing slowly Peninsula. It is hoped the information
being damaged; mostly the cetaceans with the sub-group may deter the mammals, reducing the will help sailors with passage planning
bump or ram the hull and target the of orca in the interaction intensity. through the area and in publishing the
rudder. In 2022, almost 70% of Strait of Gibraltar The use of Anti Depredation data alongside skippers’ comments
reported interactions resulted in declared critically Devices (ADD), known as pingers, and it is hoped that effective mitigation
damage and 24% left the boat’s endangered by the underwater firecrackers to deter orcas measures can be found.
steering disabled. International Union approaching boats is illegal in Spanish Paul Lingard is a member of the
In November, a second yacht was for Conservation waters, due to the impact they have CA Orca Project Group. He said that
sunk after an orca damaged the boat’s of Nature on the orca’s hearing and their ability while it was too early to draw any
rudder, which resulted in a hole in the to hunt and communicate. Firecrackers definitive conclusions, the data
have been used by organisations may suggest that boats with black
like the US’s National Oceanic and antifouling appear to be more likely
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to suffer an interaction. The CA data
to prevent orca and other marine confirms that staying in shallower
Poelzer Wolfgang/Alamy Stock Photo
mammals from swimming into oil water, where conditions allow, reduces
spills. However, these are detonated the risk of an interaction. However,
well away from the animals to prevent the data suggests that the perceived
physical damage to them. wisdom of turning off the autopilot and
The Spanish Government has depth sounder may not be effective.
asked the Spanish technology centre, Lingard said more data was needed
CIRCE to undertake an orca tagging and encouraged all skippers sailing
project, but it is not known whether the Iberian Peninsula to submit reports,
this will enable real-time understanding even if they didn’t encounter orcas.
of the location of orcas. www.yachtingmonthly.com/orcareport
NEWS
RNLI/Rogan Wheeldon
Keith Fergus/Alamy Stock Photo

NEW HOIST FOR LARGS RNLI STATION OPENS CORPACH MARINA HANDOVER
Scotland’s Largs Yacht Haven has a Enniskillen RNLI has a new purpose- The new 45-berth Thomas Telford
new 75-tonne Wise boat hoist to built lifeboat station at Lower Corpach Marina on the Caledonian
replace its ageing 45-tonne hoist Lough Erne in Northern Ireland Canal is set to open in Jan 2023
Legal action against sewage spills

The Marine Conservation Society untreated sewage only covers bathing
(MCS) is taking legal action against the areas in England’s seas. Some Marine
UK Government for failing to protect Protected Areas and shellfish waters
the majority of England’s coastline are totally excluded from the plan.
from sewage spills. MCS data shows raw sewage was
The legal case seeks to compel the discharged within 1km of marine
Department for Environment, Food and protected areas in England for more
Natasha Ewins
Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to rewrite its than 260,000 hours in 2021. According
Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction to DEFRA’s own figures, less than half
Plan 2022, impose tighter deadlines of England’s coastal waters achieved
on water companies and redevelop the ‘good ecological status’ and none had
plan to apply to all coastal waters. a ‘good chemical status’. DEFRA would DEFRA data reveals that only 19% of estuaries and 45%
Currently the plan to limit the release of not comment ahead of the legal case. of coastal waters in the UK are at ‘good ecological status’
NEWS IN NUMBERS Petrol and diesel phase out on the Broads

45
45 new berths have been Boat owners are
The Broads Authority is encouraging
boat owners to consider switching
to cleaner forms of propulsion,
rather than petrol and diesel, as part
of efforts to cut carbon emissions.
electric, especially as components
for petrol- and diesel-powered vessels
are expected to become harder to
source in the future.
The plan is part of The Broads
added to Gosport’s Haslar being encouraged It said that while a ban on fossil Authority’s pledge to make its
Marina following the to use electric fuel-powered boats is not currently operations carbon neutral by 2030
installation of a 70m wave- propulsion on envisaged, it wants to support and carbon zero by 2040.
attenuating breakwater the Broads people making the transition to The majority of boat traffic along the
Broads is from charter, and the authority
9 74
has started looking at increasing the
number of charging points along the
waterway network to help the Broads
boating industry transition to electric,
and achieve zero emissions.
From 1 Navionics ‘We are in the process of
April 2023, co-founder transitioning our operations to use
the Canal Giuseppe clean fuels and are working with the
& River Carnevali, boating sector to ensure that green
Trust boat who co- alternatives are a viable/attractive
licence fee invented the option for the future,’ said a
will first electronic spokesperson for the authority.
rise by chart display ‘This presents a challenge both for
9% - a year- system for the Authority, its partners and our local
on-year recreational communities. Only by working together
increase yachts, has will we achieve these goals.’
of 13% died aged 74 The authority is also aiming to
improve navigation via a dredging and
Getty
sediment re-use programme.

Award for
savvy navvy Offshore wind farm for Celtic Sea
The founder of the navigation
app, Savvy Navvy, Jelte Plans for an offshore floating wind wants to install a 1GW wind farm 45
Liebrand, has been named farm in the Celtic Sea are moving miles off the Pembrokeshire coast.
Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the forward, following the signing of an The Memorandum of Understanding
Year at the Great British agreement between Gwynt Glas between Gwynt Glas and Associated
Entrepreneur Awards 2022 for and Associated British Ports. British Ports will look at opportunities Port Talbot will be
increasing the firm’s revenue Gwynt Glas, a joint venture between to manufacture and service the farm the base to service
EDF Renewables UK and DP Energy, from Port Talbot and Milford Haven. the new wind farm
NEWS
VAT warning for boats visiting Portugal

There are warnings that skippers
who visit Portugal after sailing from
outside the EU could face a demand
to pay VAT on their boats, even if EU
VAT has been paid on their vessel.
David Varley, who has been a
Portuguese tax resident since March
2020, has been presented with a
€155,000 IVA bill and a €10,000 fine
by Portuguese Customs for his Oyster
Serhiy Stakhnyk/Alamy Stock Photo

62, Dalliance. IVA is the Portuguese
equivalent to VAT.
The boat is owned by a New
Zealand limited company; Varley and
his partner, Peter McLean, who is a
New Zealand resident, are equal
company shareholders. Dalliance
was purchased by the company EU
VAT paid in Malta in 2019; she has
been kept in the EU ever since.
Varley said in the summer of 2021,
he sailed Dalliance from Vilamoura Customs and they confirmed that recreational boat is returned within
Marina in the Algarve, to the Balearics, his Oyster 62 at every boat coming into their three years of export, has been
the west coast of Italy and then back Vilamoura Marina jurisdiction from Gibraltar would need exported and imported by the same
in the Algarve
to Vilamoura Marina. They sailed in Portugal to pay VAT immediately on arrival. As person, has Union status when taken
through the territorial waters of I understand it from my Portuguese out of the EU and has undergone
Gibraltar on their way to the Algarve. lawyer, unless Portugal or any other no more than running repairs. He
Months later Faro Customs asked EU country ratifies the agreement on stressed that advice may differ for
to see the VAT and boat registration the temporary importation of boats, company-owned boats and local
certifications and insurance they can do what they like,’ explained advice on VAT should always be
documents, which Varley sent to Varley, who is keen to make contact sought. Carruthers said the European
them. This was followed by a demand with owners in a similar position to Commission has told the European
to pay 23% IVA (VAT) on the value of form a joint legal action. Boating Association that nationality
the boat, plus a fine. Gibraltar is a British overseas of a boat or its owner has no effect
‘Their claim is based on the fact territory and is not part of the EU on a boat’s status as Union goods.
that we initially told the authorities Common Customs Union. The European Boating Industry,
that when we left in early 2021, we The RYA’s cruising manager, Stuart which represents the European
were going to Gibraltar. In fact, we Carruthers, said technically, every leisure marine industry, is aware
never did as the weather was against time a boat leaves the EU Customs there are different interpretations of
us. We did sail through the territorial Territory, the owner risks having to VAT certificates by different countries,
waters of Gibraltar when we returned pay VAT on its return, but Returned and has asked the European
to Portugal. I had a meeting with Goods Relief can be claimed if a Commission to provide clarity.
New marina planned for St Peter Port

Plans for a new £90 million marina and Crown Piers. Currently, access
in St Peter Port in Guernsey have to Victoria Marina, which is used by
been announced. visiting yachts, is limited in the winter
Guernsey Ports has unveiled an months, because sea conditions
Kuttig-Travel/Alamy Stock Photo
initial outline design for the facility, are too rough. Additional shelter
which would be outside the existing would allow it to be used all year
Albert and Victoria Marinas in an round, extending the visitor season,
area known as the Pool. and providing a facility for over-
Currently local marina berths wintering boats.
holders have restricted access at Guernsey residents are being given
low tide. The Pool is deep enough the chance to comment on the
in some places that vessels remain proposal before it goes before the
afloat at low tide, and surveys confirm States of Guernsey in 2023.
the depth of critical areas can be larger-sized yachts, which are in short The new 200-plus Guernsey Ports says the marina
increased by dredging. supply on the island. berth marina would development will only go ahead if
The new marina would have A new outer breakwater would also be accessible at all it can be shown that it will increase
states of tide
walk-ashore access, and would offer be built, which would provide protection the income to the island via mooring
more than 200 berths for medium to for Victoria Marina, between the Albert fees and visitor spend.
NEWS
CHAIRMANSHIP FOR BEN SEARCH FOR NEW EDITOR CLIPPER RACE CHANGES
Regular YM contributor and surveyor The Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation is Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and William Ward
Ben Sutcliffe-Davies has been appointed looking for a new editor-in-chief for their portfolio are handing the day-to-day running of the
chairman of the Yacht Designers & Surveyors of cruising guides. Anyone interested should Clipper Race to new managing directors
Association’s committee for vessel coding email director@rccpf.org.uk Chris Rushton and Laura Ayres
Radar reflector MGN will not be amended

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency Just because you
(MCA) says it will not be amending have a radar
reflector doesn’t
its Marine Guidance Notice (MGN)
mean you will be
349 for recreational boat owners, seen. Always keep
following concerns from a radar a proper lookout,
reflector manufacturer. advises the MCA
Marine Guidance Notice (MGN)
349 states that a radar reflector or
radar target enhancer should be
permanently installed on boats less
than 15m/49.2ft and under 150 gross
tonnage, and offer the largest radar
cross section (RCS) as practical for
the vessel. Commercial ships use
radar equipment that operates in
the ‘X’ band (9GHz) and the ‘S’
Graham Snook
band (3GHz). A radar reflector on
a recreational boat should have an
RCS of at least 7.5m² at X-Band and
0.5m² at S-band when mounted at
a minimum height of 4m above sea
level. Radar reflectors should also are no known ISO 8729-1:2010 passive In response, the MCA said it won’t
comply with ISO 8729-1:2010. radar reflectors which have a volume amend MGN 349 ‘as it can’t be
If the radar reflector meeting limit of 0.5m3 and weight limit of 5kg. confirmed 100% that there are no
these standards are unsuitable ‘We were consulted by the MCA products of this type currently on the
for boats under 15m LOA, then regarding the issuance of the market, but it is highly likely during
owners are recommended to fit a guidance notes and expressed our research that this is the case.’
radar reflector to the older standard concern over their proposed mention It said that radar reflectors which
EN ISO 8729:1998. of ISO 8729-1:2010, without mention meet the older standard EN ISO
UK radar reflector manufacturer that there are no known radar 8729:1998 can still be installed, and
Echomax has contacted the MCA to reflectors which meet the required will remain ‘in force until a product
express concern over their mention of SPL (Stated Performance Level) of is placed on the market approved
ISO 8729-1:2010, as currently, there 7.5M at 10 or 20°’ to ISO 8729-1:2010.’
Crewsaver moves towards greener production

Lifejacket firm Crewsaver has
announced changes to the way
it designs and manufactures some of
its products to reduce their impact on
the environment.
Its new EXO lifejacket, which will
be launched in 2023, will have a
replaceable cover, allowing owners to
change the cover if it gets damaged
Andrew Sydenham/|Yachting Monthly
without the need to purchase a brand

new lifejacket.
Crewsaver is also eliminating
all plastic packaging by switching Crewsaver has
to a fully biodegradable alternative reduced product
to plastic bags, which should reduce overstock to cut its
carbon footprint.
plastic packaging by 16,400m2 a All lifejacket
year – the equivalent surface area packaging will be
of 13 Olympic-sized swimming fully biodegradable
pools. The company has already
committed to removing 94,000 also updated its supply chain, moving which has improved delivery lead
plastic hangers per year from its away from producing large stocks of times and reduces the incidence of
entire portfolio of products. It has finished goods to an assembly model, product overstock.
WIN
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Scuttle or salvage? Many crew take part in

the annual ARC as help
Once again we have an
is never far away if the
article about a yacht being worst happens
abandoned in the Atlantic
‘Magic Dragon to the rescue’
(YM, August 2022). These
vessels pose a highly dangerous risk of
collision to other vessels in the dark, and
loss of life. If abandonment is necessary
then the vessel should be scuttled so as to
negate the risk to others, and any rescuing
vessel should stand by until it has been seen
to have sunk fully. Abandoning a vessel
James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

is a very last resort because many of these
yachts eventually drift safely to land. In the
case of this recent article involving a yacht
taking part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers
(ARC), it was steering quadrant failure which
the crew claim to have been unable to fix.
What about the emergency steering tiller?
What about sail trim to sail downwind to a
suitable safe haven? What advice did their
insurance company give about abandoning?
More importantly, what advice did the
ARC’s World Cruising Club give about such of those on the steering, with battery tools
incidents? Ocean crossing should as far was not an option, especially in the sea
as possible involve self sufficiency, which conditions at the time. A repair attempt on
is part of the challenge, and this must be the autopilot also failed due to the sea state.
emphasised and taught to those taking MRCC/Coastguard have a responsibility to
part in the ARC. It seems that we have too ensure the safety of lives. Once crew are
many new yachts with inexperienced crews safe, they are not able to ‘order’ any specific
ready to abandon given a safe haven of a actions to the skipper, it is always the
nearby yacht. All credit to the rescuing crew skipper’s decision. The yacht was fitted
but it puts strain on them too in difficult with a satellite tracking device, it was also
circumstances. Chris Richardson showing lights, and the position of the
abandoned vessel was monitored by MRCC
Jeremy Wyatt, Communications Director Fort de France. The ARC fleets were updated
of the World Cruising Club responds regularly of the yacht’s position.
It is worth noting in this specific situation that In circumstances like this the owners of
the full facts relating to the incident were stricken vessels typically enter into a dialogue
not given in the article, written by the crew of with their insurance company, who in this case
the responding boat, and not unreasonably, arranged for the yacht to be salvaged rather
given it was a report of their crossing. When than giving authority for it to be scuttled.
commenting on the actions of others, it is Denis has used a line
Denis Lyons
with snap shackle to

useful to be in possession of all the facts.
It is the skipper’s responsibility to ensure
prevent the lazy
genoa sheet from
Clean lines
the safety of his or her crew. In the skipper’s getting snagged I read your ‘Skippers’ Tips’ article on a
view, evacuating to another boat was the solution to avoid the lazy genoa sheet
safest option. The sea state at the time made getting snagged on the tubes of a dinghy
conditions on the boat unsafe, with one crew did not offer a fitting for an emergency tiller stored on the foredeck with interest (‘Poor
already thrown across the saloon causing – in their view it was unnecessary. However, man’s davits’, YM, November 2022). Only a
an injury. The boat was incapable of being the damage to the casualty boat was such month ago, we put our own solution in place,
steered via alternative means, as the rudder that both the steering columns were which may be simpler than the one suggested.
was still attached, but totally disconnected disabled – six stainless steel bolts We have a length of rope with a snap
from the steering. This design of boat had connecting the steering to the rudder on shackle secured in the middle. Each end
twin steering columns, each connecting each side, sheared off. Further, the autopilot of the line is tied about 6ft up on a shroud
independently to the steering quadrant. arm, a stainless steel rod, was bent through on either side, with the snap shackle
Either side could be disconnected in the 45 degrees and disabled. The boat’s crew, attached forward on the bow of the dinghy.
event of a failure, allowing the second one of whom was an engineer, spent some The lazy sheet will just rest on that line
steering to function. The placement of a considerable time attempting to repair the above the dinghy and not go anywhere
dinghy garage meant that the boat builder system. However, drilling out bolts the size near the tubes. Denis Lyons
Russell advises to
think about the tides
before offering a tow
Tides and towing

I enjoy your ‘Question of Seamanship’
conundrums. It’s interesting that the best
answer is harder to judge when looking at
Graham Snook
it on paper, as opposed to being there.
So it was with ‘Do you offer a tow or not?’
(YM, November 2022), which we actually
did once. It was only a couple of miles, in
calm conditions, back to the marina after
a race, but even so it was instructive.
We had a Baltic 37 with a 28hp engine, Nav lights Bagheera of Whitby is one
of the Bowman 40s without
and the boat to tow was a Sunfast 35,
so about the same size. The big surprise working properly a third single aft cabin
was how slowly we travelled. We couldn’t I don’t like to be critical but the boat on the
do much better than 3.5 knots, even cover of the September 2022 issue and the
when at decent revs. yacht on page 5 are obviously sailing in the
On that basis I doubt the boats in the advanced stage of nautical twilight. I believe
Colin Work
article would get to Carteret before the the nav lights at the top of the mast should
tide turns, especially since the rate will fall be on. I cannot see the top of the mast and if
off as they approach HW. placed there, I hope they are on! David Delich
I’m not familiar with the area, but a
quick look at Reeds suggests you wouldn’t Theo Stocker responds: Crazy boat market
get much more than a couple of miles You are right that our navigation lights I recently sold my 39ft/12m yacht, mainly
of help from the tide (even at max rate) should be on, as indeed they were; we for health reasons, which I kept in the
before it turns. displayed our deck-level nav lights rather Mediterranean. However, not wanting to be
We now own a Hallberg-Rassy 34, than masthead tricolour. If you look carefully, without a yacht I thought I would downsize
as shown in the article photo, which has a you’ll see the stern light is just visible on the and buy a hobby yacht back here in the UK.
29hp engine. starboard pushpit at the far right of the shot. Imagine my surprise once I started
So, on that basis, we’d say, we’ll give The photographer was shooting into the looking through the various sales platforms.
you a tow and see how far we get. But when sunset so the camera compensated for the Yachts up to 40 years old are being offered
the tide turns, if we’re not there, we’ll have to relatively large amounts of light. Being some for amounts in excess of £20,000, and in
let you go and you’ll need to get a tow from way off total darkness, the nav light appears some cases £30,000.
the marina. relatively dim in this image, but was working I appreciate a lot can depend on the
We might get lucky, as tides are funny properly and shone brightly (as did the bow condition of the boat but many of these
animals and don’t always turn when lights) once the sun had fully set, but pitch yachts have been neglected for many
they’re supposed to. Russell Walker darkness didn’t make such a good photo! years. The sooner the market returns to
normal the better. Keith Lewis
The nav lights were on and
working during the photo shoot
for our night sailing feature
Find the cabin!
It was good to see the photo of my
Bowman 40, Bagheera of Whitby, as
one your alternatives to the Najad 390
(YM, May 2022). I was also glad you were
able to clear up a mystery for me; I had
always wondered where the single aft
cabin was and it must be behind the
bulkhead in the aft heads. Now I know
it is there, I shall take a pad saw to it and
open it up – it will be handy for when I

have extra crew! David Clements
Theo Stocker responds:

Thanks for pointing out that your boat does
not have the third, single berth starboard aft.
It was an option when the boats were built
and some do have a third cabin. However,
we should have made this clear in the article.
Su
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E F ww
HEAVY WEATHER SAILING
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COLUMN
PETE
GOSS
Winter jobs and

summer dreaming
hanks to a warm sunny day Given that she is a prototype I am pleasantly surprised
our terminal passage down the to report that she requires relatively few modifications.
Tamar River towards Voyager I have decided to add full-length battens to the mainsail
Boat Yard for the winter lift out so that it sits well when we drop or give it a reef. At the
felt frustratingly inappropriate. moment it bunches up and is very hard to manage due
Soft winds and a blue sky to the boom being so high above the cockpit. Perhaps
beckoned a final liberating more importantly we need to change the rudder blades
reach across the Channel. so they become balanced. It’s a detail that makes for
Later that night as I lay in bed, however, any lingering hard work when steering and of course uses too much
regret was crudely buried as 50-knot gusts rumbled up power when the autopilot is engaged.
the valley and wrestled the trees with their familiar winter The jury is still out on the ballast so I have decided
violence. We had missed earlier opportunities to lift to secure this year’s ballast that has served us well.
Oddity due to working abroad, and suffered the anxiety We will then add another half tonne and try out some
of lying in bed as the barn shook and our tin roof kept rough weather to see how she behaves. This flexibility
us awake as it was machine- is one of the joys of
gunned with rain, so we were internal ballast and
glad to have made it out before my feeling is that
this storm hit. Any lingering regret at we will keep the
Thanks to Cargreen Yacht extra weight. Other
Club we have a safe mooring lifting out was crudely than that, there are
well up the Tamar River incidental things such
supported by their excellent buried as 50-knot gusts as handles for climbing
maintenance programme. on board when we dry
Undertaken by volunteers rumbled up the valley out, moving the boom
using their bespoke lifting reefing cartridge aft
barge there is none better. In six inches, and sorting
fact, I missed my slot to help on the barge for out a chafe issue at the inboard end of the gaff.
Oddity’s lift out, so I shall have to make up for it In the background lurks a far more involved
next year. Nonetheless, it’s always a worry as pictures modification, which is to raise the cockpit floor by about
are conjured up in the back of your mind of a rogue four inches. This will reduce the step up to the cockpit
yacht careering up the river looking for mischief. seats but more importantly open up the aft cabin, which
That or your mooring lines succumbing to the feels slightly claustrophobic at the moment. Given that
bucking chafe of wind over spring tide. Oddity is of ply epoxy construction we have this option
Oddity being out of the water has become our final but it will be a job for next winter. With the build still
buttress against the menace of winter. A buttress that fresh in our minds the thought of ripping out the cabin
allows me to throw a final log into the wood burner before lining and electrics feels too much.
retiring for the night; the drum beat of rain now a More sailing needs to be done
reassuring lullaby for dreams of next year’s adventures. and so I look forward to a winter
The winter might rant and rave but eventually it will pass. of dreaming as we scour charts
Designed to take the ground on her own bottom, for interesting places to visit
Oddity sits well in the yard unlike once the winter has been driven
the other boats that tower above her. north by an ascending sun.
It is nice to simply drop the transom
with foot holes cut into it to clamber THIS MONTH… With the boat
on board, turn on the heating, flash put to bed, we are heading
up the kettle and start the winter Down Under for an antipodean
maintenance list from servicing the summer with family
engine to flushing out the toilet.
COLUMN
DICK
DURHAM
The man in
the creek
his year an old shed on the At Lowestoft – with a band playing on the pier
Essex marshes will be decked in – the Passenger prepared to go ashore: ‘Lugging his
bunting celebrating its centenary portmanteau from the foc’sle he opened it on the cabin
as the HQ of the North Fambridge top and commenced his toilet. First, he shaved then put
Yacht Club, the meeting place on a moustache trainer. Then he produced a blue jacket
of many old hands from Yachting with brass buttons and hung it over the boom in the sun
Monthly. They include Maurice to take out the creases. Coming into the cabin he put on
Griffiths, editor for more than a pair of white flannel trousers and a pink shirt.
40 years; Mike Peyton, the world-famous yachting Returning to the cockpit he pipe-clayed his shoes and
cartoonist; and, almost forgotten in the mists of time, stood them on the cabin-top to dry. Then, removing the
prolific contributor F. B. Cooke. moustache trainer, rubbed his cheeks with face cream.’
Francis Bernard Cooke, or FBC as he signed himself, Having dressed his hair the Passenger then donned a
was the original ‘man-in-the-creek’: an observer of small yachting cap with shiny peak and white cover adorned
boat sailing, building, and owning in pre-Great War with a club burgee ‘which looked uncommonly like that
Britain. He actually founded the club in 1898 as the of the Royal Yacht Squadron’, but it was home-made!
Fambridge Yacht Club in the days when a ferryman While the Passenger was ashore FBC had decided to
rowed people across the River Crouch from one move from Lowestoft Basin and into Oulton Broad,
half of the disembodied village to the other. But much to his crew’s consternation, as he was due to meet
following the First World War and the loss in that a girl in town. Later, FBC raised the anchor to move
conflict of many members, the club perished too, back into Lowestoft Basin: ‘…the bottom of Oulton
and by the time it was re-formed in Broad is composed of black mud
1973, the ferryman was long gone of the consistency of condensed
and so NFYC it became. I heard howls of milk and the chain came up
Cooke, a merchant banker, thickly coated with it… a moment
was the doyen of how-to books and rage as his beautiful later I heard howls of rage and
articles on sailing, so much so that indignation… the dirty cable had
he was offered the editorship of white trousers were run down into his bag, plastering
YM, but turned it down describing his beautiful white trousers and
such a berth as ‘a much too plastered in mud fancy shirt with black mud.’
precarious career.’ FBC made many contacts
Last year, FBC’s granddaughter, Faith Egan, including top dinghy sailor Uffa Fox, J Class owner Sir
discovered his unpublished autobiography Thomas Lipton and sail-furler inventor Major
My Early Years At Sea, which I have now read. Wykeham-Martin. He also founded the East Coast
In his favourite boat, Snipe, a 2.5-tonne canoe-stern Mutual Yacht Insurance Association, which only folded
sloop built at Teignmouth in 1895 by Pengelly and last year, and was elected an honorary member of the
Gore, he explored all the creeks and rivers between Cruising Association. His career as a yachting journalist
Lowestoft and the Thames. saw him cover Britannia sailing her first race in the
And aboard this boat FBC had, for once, more to say Thames Estuary in 1893; Kaiser Wilhelm II board
about the performance of the crew than the craft during Meteor off Cowes in 1906, and the challenge for the
a cruise from Fambridge to Lowestoft. He wrote an America’s Cup by Sopwith’s Endeavour, in 1934. Not
hilarious account of that cruise reminiscent of Three bad for ‘the man in the creek.’
Men in A Boat. This is the first time any
excerpts have been published. THIS MONTH… I helped a friend
FBC describes his crew dismissively lay up his boat. Shortly afterwards,
as ‘the Passenger’ who refused to four boats broke their moorings
stand a watch, take an oar in a calm, and were written off. Skinny links of
prepare food: ‘I can’t work the stove’ worn chain hung from their fairleads
or even do the washing up: ‘leave it as a poignant warning to check
in a bucket till we get in.’ your own boat for weak links.
COLUMN
LIBBY
PURVES
Sustainability
is old hat
rugality has been a national Long ago when I had more of it I was mid-Atlantic when
theme ever since autumn. after two weeks it finally rained, so I joyfully shampooed
The hot dry summer meant it my head on the foredeck. Whereon, of course, the
was mid-November before Thames downpour stopped, never to return, and I had to beg and
Water ended hosepipe bans, and plead with the skipper to draw quarter-of-a-bucket from
some reservoirs were still too low the tank to get the soap off. We shall not even mention
at Christmas. But water is the least the non-washing of clothes: if Bernard Moitessier
of it: rocketing energy costs hit believed that hanging a sea-rinsed shirt in the rigging
everyone six months ago, and after a lot of fretting blows the salt out of it, so be it.
the UK government followed European countries in But power is a big issue aboard too. Diesel, obviously:
exhorting us to be a lot more careful about the way we cringed at the price and the need in last summer’s
we use heating and appliances. In Germany apparently calms and foul winds. But in a small boat there is also
it was all about ‘patriotism’, with office buildings always anxiety about that frail fair-weather friend, the
competing to be colder and turn their lights out ‘domestic’ battery. Paul, fortunately, was once a theatre
overnight. Here, it was a blandishment about cost electrician and understands wiring. Low-energy bulbs
saving, aimed hard at private households. help, and the solar panel is believed to feed some
Meanwhile, and not before time, fashionable thinking goodness in, so he is quite lordly in his willingness to let
in all classes has trended stuff be switched on. But
towards recycling, we still have torches, and
upcycling and making do. Leaving the tap running lanterns, and a small
For weeks in this dour wood-burner, and try
winter you could hardly on a boat feels desperately to roll out of the bunk
open a newspaper at early dawn to turn
supplement without handy transgressive, obscene even off the anchor-light.
economical hints or lavish And as for gas, not only
praise for some style-setter do we pressure-cook but
furnishing a mews flat from skips or discovering everyone we know spent last summer panicking about
that brushing her designer outfits works as well gas-bottle replacements because (post-Covid) there was
as washing them. Dry-cleaning, darling, is simply such a caravanning boom that everyone sold out.
wilful planet-assassination. As for other economies, I refer you to Ellen MacArthur,
What struck me through all this is that habitual who at the beginning of her sustainability crusade
yachties should be improving their popular image by pointed out that on a blue-water boat you think
capitalising on the long-awaited trend, narrowing the carefully before even using a sheet of kitchen-paper.
eyes as if seeking a distant horizon and saying, ‘Yeah, Or the other kind of paper. And all the best boats have
we’ve been doing that for years, it’s routine.’ For all lockers full of bits of rope – lashings, leftover whipping
the ritzy reputation that clings to the world ‘yacht’ twine, retired halyards and handy little hanks of this
(even a humble 22-footer with a PortaPotti), most of us and that which far out at sea one day might resolve
who go anywhere beyond a day-sail become necessary some unexpected problem. Or be repurposed as
experts in not wasting stuff: water, power, equipment. – in the old nautical term – a ‘timinnoggie’,
OK, the boat itself may be indestructible plastic and a a short lashing which diverts something
future disposal problem for mankind, but in its daily from catching on something else. Oh yes,
running we are ahead of the sustainability pack. frugality is yachting at its best. Especially
Water rationing is obvious: desalinators use a as the mooring costs go up and up…
lot of power and like every damn bit of boating
equipment might break down at any moment.
Leaving the tap running while you clean your THIS MONTH…
teeth or rinse mugs on a boat feels desperately I’ve been turning an
transgressive, obscene even. Boat showers old outside lavatory
are brief, if they exist at all. Flannels return shed into an inflatable
proudly to their post-war heyday for dinghy store
purifying the sweaty bits. And hair?
NORDSHIP
420 DS
Centre cockpit, deck saloon yachts with full-beam aft cabins seem
to offer everything, but is the promise too good to be true? Graham
Snook heads to Denmark to find out
SPECIFICATIONS
MAKE
Nordship
MODEL 420 DS
PRICE FROM €646,318
(approx. £566,325
inc VAT)
DESIGNER Lars Buchwald/
Arne Borghegn
BUILDER Nordship Yachts
Words and pictures: Graham Snook
oats like the Nordship 420 features in its range of cruisers over 38ft (it does
DS are rare. On paper, centre make the 360 DS but the aft cabin is not full beam),
cockpit, deck saloon yachts, Nordship creates an enigma that few others offer.
with full-beam aft cabins have Hull Number 1 from any builder is often a work in
everything; a vast full-beam progress, but after four hours poking around the 420
owner’s aft cabin that can be DS, the only issues I could find were (spoiler alert) a
ensuite, a raised saloon with few upper corners in cupboards that hadn’t received
360º views out, and a well- the grey flow coat, a few odd placements of lights,
protected centre cockpit. On top of that, you get and a spring strut in the engine compartment that
everything else you expect to find on a 40-45ft yacht was desperate to detach itself. Hull Number 2 was in
(second heads, large galley and a vee berth forwards). build and I saw these had been rectified.
So why aren’t there more on the water? Thomas Dan Hougaard, joint owner of Nordship
OK, they are not cheap. You can find many aft Yachts since merging with Faurby Yachts, explained
cockpit deck saloon yachts lacking a full-beam aft that every boat depends on what an owner wants,
cabin, and centre cockpit yachts with full-beam aft and every boat is a prototype that Nordship
cabins but no deck saloon. By combining all three must get right.
The cockpit is divided in
two; the forward part with
high coaming and no lines,
and the aft cockpit for
helming and line handling
It’s always a conundrum reviewing yachts where In the anchor locker is a windlass, the shore power
an owner chooses their layout, in a finish and style connector, and large hooks for warps and fenders.
they want. What you, good reader, or I might Beneath the locker is a watertight crash box.
find impractical, an owner may find irreplaceable. Nordship has redesigned the window line across
You may think the deck and cockpit remain the the range. Gone are rounded clear windows in
same, but Nordship will alter the moulds to raise anodised aluminium frames, replaced by double-
seating or even build female hull moulds without glazed tinted windows with black-painted mullions
plugs to make full-custom yachts. If you can appearing to be a single wraparound window. It’s a
afford it, Nordship will make it. neat trick that gives the boat a surprisingly modern
LOGBOOK look, without the increased cost of custom-made
TESTED BY BOARDING IN THE BALTIC curved glazing. Above the side windows are moulded
Graham Snook So, let’s see how we get on, literally. Getting on a GRP overhangs, and the inboard edge of these are
LOCATION yacht in the Baltic is usually via the bow, and the cut away to create a full-length coachroof handhold.
Funen, Denmark 420 DS includes an integrated boarding ladder in The chainplates are taken outboard of the teak deck,
WIND the GRP bowsprit. As well as provide attachments but the D1s (the lower diagonals of the standing
SE Force 4-5
for a code zero or asymmetric sail, it covers the rigging) and the raised coachroof conspire to
SEA STATE
Slight to Moderate bow roller where the chain passed make negotiating them
DATE Nov 2022 through the stem, keeping ground Bracing against the binnacle, the a little awkward.
tackle below deck level and decks coamings are a comfortable place Getting to the cockpit,
mud-free. There are large mooring to helm from with all lines to hand those with long legs can step
cleats and, without a spare roller over the high coaming just
on the bow, they’ll be needed aft of the spray hood, but
when picking up a mooring. most will go a little bit
further along the side decks
and step over the genoa
PERFORMANCE FIGURES winches. All lines are led
back under deck to the helm
POINT OF SAIL AWA* AWS** SPEED and a winch on either side.
Close hauled 33° 16-22 kn 6.0-6.4 kn Standing at the large
Fetch 60° 15-18 kn 6.7-7.6 kn single wheel, I felt high and
Beam reach 90° 15-18 kn 7.3-7.5 kn
a little vulnerable, but sat on
Broad reach 120° 12-15 kn 7.1-7.4 kn
the broad raised coamings, found around the helm, it
Run 180° 7-9 kn 5.6-6.4kn
felt far more secure. The wheel pedestal offers good
*APPARENT WIND ANGLE **APPARENT WIND SPEED
bracing for feet. Rails, like a pushpit for the cockpit,
are available and if I wanted to cross an ocean,
All lines are led aft
under the coachroof The halyards emerge at the
aft end of the coaming,
forward of the helm
The helm station

is well laid out with
handy rope bins. A
short traveller sits
on the bridge deck
The cavernous cockpit

locker is beautifully
finished, although the
locker lid is a little small
There is a shallow lazarette

locker below the helm seat
Double glazing ensures

the boat is extremely
well-insulated
The cockpit table is removable,

but leaves a solid bracing bar
and grab rail amidships Fold-down steps and an open
pulpit make for easy boarding
over the bow
A small sugar-scoop stern aids

access to the water without the
need for a fold-down transom
Joinery is exceptionally
well-finished with plenty of
solid wood for a solid feel
The raised saloon gives its occupants views out in

all directions, with a forward facing chart table stbd
Excellent access to wiring with space for plenty of The aft cabin has good ventilation and shows of Nordship’s craftsmanship. Fit out is custom, but this bed is
additional systems, thanks to the large panel 6ft 4in long, and at over 5ft wide, is very comfortable. An ensuite is possible, but not fitted on this boat
The galley is low in the boat so comfortable The snug or evening saloon ahead of the aft cabin is a Guests will be comfortable in the V-berth
when sailing and useable on either tack cosy second social space to relax with an evening drink forward. A third mid-cabin is an option
While not a sports boat,
the 420 DS gave a very
assured performance
and made light work of
choppy water and
blustery conditions
I might be tempted to get them as a backrest which

would make the seating more relaxing – like the She has a sure-footed
pushpit seats to the rear.
She felt really good on the helm. It was light, feel and, even when
with a pleasant involving feel. Having seen the
0.5m (1ft 7in) deep skeg that the rudder stock well-heeled, shows no
passes through, the boat was more agile than I
was expecting. She has a sure-footed feel and, signs of losing grip
even when well-heeled, she showed no signs of
losing grip. The single wheel does make reaching This boat had electric Andersen 46 primary winches.
over and around it (for engine/instrument controls) These, and her self-tacking jib makes her a doddle to
a little tiresome. Sailing in these unfamiliar waters, sail by one person at the helm – there’s also the
with the central chartplotter away from the most option of a 105% genoa with tracks added on deck.
comfortable seating, I felt obliged to stand. Nordship uses a two-cockpit design; the aft cockpit
is for the helm, and the forward cockpit is free of
CALM CONTENDER lines and is a sheltered space for the crew. The other
A GRP keel and
We had a decent south-easterly Force 4-5 breeze, reason for this design is that it gives a 1.75m (5ft 9in) lead ballast ensure
enough to kick up some chop with the wind against walkthrough across the aft cabin beneath. On the boat remains
the tide flowing into the Little Belt after weaving its the bridge deck, between the cockpits, is the stiff even in a blow
way past Middelfart on the island of Funen (Fyn). mainsheet traveller that’s at
She made short work of it without a squeak from a comfortable knee height
the interior or any slamming on the hull and kept rather than on the sole. It
a good speed in the process. stops short on either side
The hull was originally that of the Nordship – to protect the coaming
40 DS. It’s foam-cored to the waterline and solid and the feet of any crew
laminate to the bilge sump. The keel is GRP; long enough to be lying
bolts are laminated in the top and bottom, and asleep. The forward cockpit
through the fin, attaching it and its lead ballast has a central cockpit table
to the hull. This method keeps the full weight of with a removable cup
the ballast as low as possible. Within the hull is holder (with notches for
a bonded galvanised steel frame that takes the cup handles) and sits over
loads from the keel and the mast compression a substantial bracing bar.
post. Where the cabinetry and bulkheads touch When not required, the
the hull or deck, they are laminated in place. table can be removed,
RIGHT: The engine
box gives excellent
access and forms a
table in the ‘snug’
sitting area aft
LEFT: Batteries are

below the sole,
alongside the steel
frame, for a low
centre of gravity
leaving just the bar as a handhold and

foot brace. The hinged companionway
bi-fold door is permanently attached.
There is a cockpit locker to port,
while the locker is vast, its opening
is a little small. There is a locker
beneath the helm seat too.
BESPOKE DESIGN
When you buy a Nordship, you’ll sit
down with Nordship’s other owner, seating is comfortable and the outboard
and designer, Lars Buchwald and seat is 2.35m (7ft 8in) long. Beneath
discuss plans and layout ideas. You this seat is a cavernous locker, accessed
may want a lower galley, a mid-cabin by lifting the seat base, although access
or any combination of layouts that is a bit awkward as the table is fixed. ABOVE RIGHT:
work for you. Nordship will customise The downside of a deck saloon The balanced semi-
its boats extensively. The owner of this is usually a lack of privacy when in skeg hung rudder
boat wanted at least 6ft 3in of headroom in the main harbour. You can feel like an exhibit for promenading gave a surprising
amount of feel on
area, so the sole of the galley, heads and saloon were people – especially at night. Nordship uses quite the helm
lowered, as was the saloon seating. a heavy tint on its windows to reduce this, but it
I’ve long been a fan of the deck saloon concept; also has its snug area. A few steps down, en route to BELOW: A Code
one reason we sail is to visit new places, but then sit the aft cabin, three seats create a cosy space with a Zero or asymmetric
set from the
in low saloons without a view of scenery. The saloon removable bar cabinet (to convert the two outboard bowsprit ensures
of the Nordship is the opposite; raised, with excellent seats to a 2.0m/6ft 6in sea berth) and space for a good performance
views in all directions. The inboard-facing U-shaped television or bookshelves opposite. Whether you’d off the wind
The saloon of the Nordship

is raised, with excellent
views in all directions
PROS
Deck saloon living
Full-beam aft cabin
Excellent
workmanship/build
quality
CONS
use this space to enjoy a whisky and a book or for Helm feels high
the kids to have a games area or to watch films, it’s when standing
one of my favourite areas. Crew are
essentially
Opposite the saloon seating is a deep locker and the redundant
nav station. The chart table can be opening or, as on
NORDSHIP 420DS
Standing rigging
this boat, have a small drawer instead. Beneath the crosses the deck
chart table, her owner wanted a freezer; I would have
preferred drawers. THE TEST VERDICT
Forward of the chart table is the lower linear galley. I might have changed a few things on this boat, not
It offers plenty of workspace and has a front-opening because there was anything wrong, but because I could,
fridge beneath the seating. The galley is narrow such is the way of custom yachts. It’s hard to fault a boat
enough to offer bracing on either tack, but still wide that has been tailored to someone else. If I’d found fault
enough for two strangers to pass without feeling in the craftsmanship, I could pick up on that, but I didn’t.
uncomfortable. There is plenty of handy stowage in Whether it’s a fiddle in a seldom-used locker or the grab FACTS AND
drawers plus deck-level lockers; supplied with handles sculpted out of the saloon table, the look and feel FIGURES
crockery. There is also stowage beneath the galley’s of the woodwork was beautiful and irresistibly tactile. PRICE AS TESTED
€712,032 (approx
hinged floorboards and in a deep locker in the saloon. She was enjoyable to sail, hitting the right balance £623,905 inc VAT)
between responsiveness without demanding constant LOA 12.8m (42ft)
QUALITY WORKMANSHIP attention. I did feel quite high up and therefore exposed LWL 10.8m (35ft 5in)
To port, is the heads with a separate shower when standing at the helm, but the 2ft 6in clearance over BEAM 4.0m (13ft 2in)
compartment. There is good stowage in front- the aft berth has to come from somewhere. The feeling DRAUGHT
opening lockers and outboard of the heads. Forward when seated was much better. With one foot on the 2.1m (6ft 11in)
of the galley and heads is the forward cabin. It has pedestal, I felt ready to sail away and not come back. DISPLACEMENT
deck-level lockers, two bookshelves, and a well- 10,500kg (23,149 lb)
ventilated hanging locker with an automatic light. WOULD SHE SUIT YOU AND YOUR CREW? BALLAST
The 2.0m (6ft 6in) berth was a 0.85m (2ft 9in) step The 420 DS stands out in many ways, but the three 3,600kg (7,397 lb)
up, which if you need over 6ft headroom isn’t an main reasons for choosing her would be the huge aft BALLAST RATIO 34.3%
issue, but for me, at 1.78m (5ft 10in), it felt like a cabin, the social raised deck saloon, and the wonderful SAIL AREA 86.4m2
(930 sq ft)
climb. Thomas said he’d add a step if I bought one. craftsmanship with the ability to customise. OK, that
SA/D RATIO 18.3
Saving the best to last, the full beam owner’s cabin may be four. Yes, there is the snug to keep adults and
DIESEL 375 litres
is wonderful. Throughout the boat, the quality of kids occupied, and lots of stowage too, but if you want
(82.5gal)
workmanship is on show, but in the aft cabin, you feel a deck saloon with an aft cabin and the ability to make
WATER 370 litres
pleasantly cocooned in mahogany, hidden away from her your own, this is your boat. (81.4 gal)
the rest of the boat. The berth is 1.58m x 1.94m (5ft She’s solid enough to cross oceans, yet nimble ENGINE 60 hp (48hp
2in x 6ft 4in) and, like the forward berth, it sits on a enough to enjoy coastal cruising. Her forward cockpit standard)
slatted base for good ventilation. The cabin has may leave your crew feeling redundant, but whoever TRANSMISSION
lockers on either side, all with inch-thick mahogany is on the helm has the controls at their fingertips. Saildrive
frames. On the port side, a door leads to what could In the past, a Nordship could have been seen as old RCD Category A
be an en suite heads but on this boat, fashioned – like the centre cockpit DESIGNER Lars
Buchwald/Arne
access to the cockpit locker. I’d keep Moodys and Westerlys of the 1980s.
Borghegn
this walk-in locker but just add a toilet But take a centre cockpit boat
BUILDER
and sink to save disturbing guests if I with a spacious aft cabin, add a Nordship Yachts
needed the loo at night. The locker also deck saloon surrounded by tinted TEL +45 7555 9155
gives access to the tech area and the wraparound windows, boost her WEBSITE
engine; starboard side is accessed via performance with a composite keel, www.nordship.dk
the snug with an engine box that has a and you get something special.
removable side for excellent access.
THE KNOWLEDGE
SKIPPERS’
TIPS & YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Send your questions to our experts at yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com for the chance to win a bottle of Chilgrove gin
KEN ENDEAN OLIVER PERKINS HELEN MELTON BEN SUTCLIFFE- CHRISTOPHER

is an ex engineer and wrote Reading the and her family have DAVIES is a SMITH was a
THIS pilotage enthusiast Clouds when he was been sailing for Chartered Surveyor physiologist at King’s
MONTH’S who cruises a Sabre 27. just 15, and races decades, most recently and contributor to College, London.
He has written several dinghies nationally. exploring Britain and YM. He has been Since retiring, he
EXPERTS sailing books including He sails the family’s France on their working in the marine cruises the Med in his
Channel Havens Beneteau Oceanis 361 Westerly Ocean 43 industry for many years Jeanneau Espace 1000
Ben Sutcliffe-Davies
Christopher Smith
Oliver Perkins
Helen Melton
ken Endean
Navtex fault hack

If your Navtex receiver malfunctions,
the fault may lie with the aerial and
might be easy to check. When signals
on our Nasa Clipper Navtex became
erratic and then died completely, a
helpful techie from Nasa advised us
to disconnect the aerial and
substitute a length of plain wire.
From our box of spares I dug out
a 2m length of two-core flex (orange
sheathed in the photo). I wedged one
core (with brown insulation in the
photo) between the set and
its backing board to hold it in place,
then poked its copper core into the
centre of the aerial socket, and laid
the length of flex along a shelf
under the side deck.
On the south coast we obtained
near-faultless messages as far
west as the Lizard. In the Isles of
Scilly some errors crept in but we To optimise performance I will give
Kan Endean
Using plain
wire may fix a were also picking up messages the boat a treat and fit a proper
problem with your coming down the Irish Sea from replacement during the winter.
Clipper Navtex the Portpatrick transmitter. Ken Endean
A large swimming platform

will help when recovering
A platform for life
a man overboard or
catching a buoy My best sea safety device? Apart from exactly where the buoy is and
my waterproof mobile phone, it’s a the crew can easily reach the buoy.
large swimming platform. If you have The platform is also a good stowage
a man overboard situation, the space; I keep a large balloon fender
platform will help, as you can heave at the ready and a small inflatable
the casualty onto the vessel, or he or upended against the davit for a
she can get themselves back on one-handed launch and retrieval
Christopher Smith
board. Time is then on your side for of the dinghy. Finally if you have
the next lift into the cockpit. a spat with your mate, and the
It also has many other roles. weather is OK, it makes a splendid
Catching a buoy is so much easier place to decompress!
when reversing: the helm can see Christopher Smith
THE KNOWLEDGE
Take time Keep safety

anchoring briefings simple
We have enjoyed anchorages more Safety briefings are vital, but don’t
and more, gaining anchoring overload first timers with detailed
experience over time. Our anchoring plans for every possible calamity.
process begins with making sure the If I have a mainly experienced
boat is no longer moving forwards. crew, who have already had a full
The first 20m of chain is dropped safety briefing, and a few beginners
quite rapidly as we slowly begin to I give a quick overview, ensuring
reverse, straightening the chain out they know the dangers relevant
along the seabed. We usually let to them. I tell them to be careful of
out at least 4 times maximum trapping fingers in winches, for
expected depth of water if space example, and to keep heads below
Helen Melton
permits, finally motoring back to the boom. Oliver Perkins
dig the anchor well in and watching
the chain become bar tight. Placing a
Let beginners know about
hand or foot on the chain, I can feel it the dangers of trapping
jiggle as the chain straightens, or tied to the anchor, which gives us Don’t be afraid to fingers in winches
jump and skip if it’s found too much a clear indication of where it lies to re-anchor if you
are not happy. It
Oliver Perkins
kelp on the sea bottom. anyone entering the anchorage will help build
If that’s the case, start the process after us. Once the snubber is on, and confidence
again. In areas with a less well-known transits chosen, we can relax.
seabed, a tripping line and buoy is Helen Melton
THE BIG QUESTION
How do I get high water timings correct?

Q

I was recently doing some Do you need to apply
corrections to arrive at the time
tidal diamond revision with of high water for Happisburgh?
friends and there was
some disagreement as to
the correct method. atlases. The figures are
The area in question is Happisburgh in given at hourly intervals
North Norfolk, but the tidal diamonds there before and after the time of
refer to the primary port of Immingham, HW at a standard port and
further up the coast. I said that we didn’t as long as we know that
need to apply any corrections to the time of time of HW we can read off
high water (HW) to get local HW (other than the tidal streams for each
the hour for BST, if relevant) as the table hour, at each diamond (or
refers to Immingham, but some disagreed turn to the appropriate
and said we needed to add the difference, diagram in the tidal atlas).
plus 55 minutes, to any calculations. If that’s Time differences for times
the case, it seems irrelevant referring to of HW at the secondary
Immingham as you’re correcting for local ports are irrelevant for
time and you could get that information this exercise.
from any source with no reference to ports along the coast will be found in tidal Please note one possible complication to
Immingham. You wouldn’t correct a tidal data blocks, within almanacs. If we are watch out for: in some places the tidal data
stream atlas. Who is correct? Pete Walker using Immingham tide tables we need to blocks and tidal diamond information may
apply the time difference of plus 55 refer to different standard ports.
A

Ken Endean responds minutes for Happisburgh, but if we are Tidal mathematics seems tricky and yet
Pete’s question mentions using Happisburgh tide tables the publisher the underlying principles are pretty basic.
two different aspects of tidal should already have applied that difference. Some people memorise arithmetical rules
phenomena, namely HW Tidal stream predictions, however, are for of thumb but in my opinion they may be a
PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo
times and tidal streams. rate and direction, and are tabulated distraction, and the best way to approach
If we can think of the flood tide in the for tidal diamonds. The same data is the calculations is to create a mental
North Sea as a long wave, when its crest used for the diagrams in UKHO tidal picture of what the water is doing.
passes Immingham that is the time of HW
Immingham, but it does not pass QUESTION OF THE MONTH WINS A BOTTLE OF CHILGROVE GIN
Happisburgh until nearly an hour later. Bluewater Edition ultra-premium gin is made by sailors in the Sussex Downs, who blend the finest
The time differences for HW at secondary botanicals with a neutral grape spirit. www.chilgrovespirits.com (UK residents only, RRP £39.95)
THE KNOWLEDGE
Ensure you know how

to moor and anchor Where is home? Locating your boat in an
area you want to cruise
under sail, just in case can give you more time
your engine fails If you don’t live close to the coast, on the water
consider keeping your boat in an area
where you want to sail. Initially, we
moored our boat at Portsmouth as it
was convenient, visiting at weekends,
but it meant very long sails at the
start and end of each holiday if we
wanted to venture further afield. So
we turned the system on its head. We
positioned the boat semi-permanently
Oliver Perkins
in an area we wanted to sail and used
Helen Melton
the faster forms of air and road
transport to get there, relocating to
a new area every few years.
Helen Melton
Know your
manoeuvres Go smaller for engine starting
Since completing their Day Skipper I used to worry all winter about my
course, it wouldn’t surprise me if engine battery discharging itself.
many sailors never attempted boat At 1% per day, monthly visits to charge
handling such as mooring or it should be fine, but longer waits
anchoring under sail again, but could mean a new battery.
these skills are vital if your engine I wondered why we use large
fails. This last happened to me at capacity 100Ah batteries for the
night as I was about to enter engine starter circuit. An ‘easy’
Newtown Creek in the Solent. I had start takes 2-3 seconds and a more
to navigate the tight channel and reluctant start needs 10 seconds of
busy moorings and anchor under battery. Therefore 10 easy starts and
jib alone. Fortunately, as a dinghy three reluctant starts adds to less than
sailor I enjoy doing as much as a minute. At 200A cranking current
possible under sail, but I know this is about 3Ah.
many skippers who only use the So even fairly hard use should
Christopher Smith
sails out at sea and would have be satisfied by a battery of 6Ah
struggled with this. I think all of capacity and 300A delivery: that’s
us should practise picking up a motorbike lithium polymer
moorings, coming alongside and battery. It’s the size and weight of
anchoring under sail alone every a pack of sugar and costs less than
so often to keep the skills up. You a car battery.
can always keep the engine on in It looked really tiny when I installed two minutes of cranking is needed A motorbike
case something goes wrong. The it but it started my 42HP Nanni diesel I have a switch to cross-connect lithium polymer
day your engine fails, you’ll be without hesitation. the service battery and another battery recharges
in 10 minutes
thankful for any rehearsals. For the, hopefully, extremely to connect a reserve battery.
Oliver Perkins rare occasions when more than Christopher Smith
Once you deploy your

anchor, it can be difficult to
slow it down. If the bitter end
Proper anchor set-up
is not secured, you could Anchors and anchor chain run out fast, which means you
lose the anchor and chain won’t have time to react if you’ve forgotten to secure the
Always keep a
bitter end of the rode. When setting up your anchor chain, knife handy in
make sure the bitter end of the chain run has a warp. case you need
The end of the warp needs to be secured to the boat. to cut the warp
Make sure that you keep a knife close
Graham Snook/Yachting Monthly
by in the locker on a cord in case you

need to cut the line in an emergency.
If you can, attach a fender or buoy to
the line to act as a recovery float before
the final cut. If you are sailing on an
Lester McCarthy
unfamiliar boat, such as on charter,

it is a good idea to double check the
anchor is properly set up before the
worst happens! Ben Sutcliffe-Davies
THE KNOWLEDGE
A QUESTION James Stevens, author

of the Yachtmaster
Handbook, spent 10
OF SEAMANSHIP
of his 23 years at the
RYA as chief examiner
How would you tackle a berth in a gale?

Q
Jim is the skipper of an 11m On arrival they are allocated a hammerhead Rick on the stern with instructions to take
chartered yacht, Zenith, berth with a yacht in front and the wind a turn on the pontoon cleats as soon as
which he has booked for a blowing diagonally off the pontoon. Jim possible. On arrival, Nick jumps ashore but
week. He has three crew, realises he has to moor with the wind the other two are too late and are still on
John, Rick and Nick. on the port bow and that it’s going to board. By the time Nick has secured the
On the day they arrive the weather is foul; require lots of power and an agile crew central line to the pontoon cleat, the bow
a full gale complete with horizontal rain. Jim, to secure the lines. has been blown half a boat length to
who as an instructor knows that morale is Jim turns the yacht with some difficulty starboard. He is still on the pontoon.
higher if they move every day, has decided downwind of the hammerhead and powers The yacht is held by one bar tight midships
to motor to a marina up the river, set in into the wind. He has positioned John on line and the stern quarter is being damaged
farmland with a few houses and a café. the bow line, Nick on a midships line and against the pontoon. What does Jim do now?
One person has

stepped ashore in
a gale. How do you
prevent the boat from
being damaged?
Gale force wind
David Harding
Nick John
ZENITH

A
If there was Rick could motor attached it should be easy enough to pass
no yacht in ahead. The the other lines to Nick. Any attempt at
front, Jim could problem is that throwing lines to windward would be futile.
motor forwards and the bow line might It might be slightly easier to approach
try and spring in, not be long enough the pontoon astern, without the difficulty
although in that wind it might not be and while they are extending of preventing the bow being blown off.
possible. Motoring ahead with a stern line it the stern is getting damaged. However, unless the yacht has a cockpit
would also be difficult. Even with two crew My preference would be to release the tent, being stern to wind in a gale and rain
on board it is going to be impossible in a full midships line leaving Nick on the pontoon on a pontoon is pretty miserable and wet.
gale to sweat the midships line in to bring and go round for another attempt. This Handling a yacht under power in a
the yacht alongside. Leading a long bow line stops the quarter being damaged and on gale in a marina is certainly not for the
to the stern and across to Nick is a possibility. the second attempt it should be possible faint hearted. It requires large bursts of
He could secure it as a bow spring and Jim to hand Nick the bow line. Once that is power and skilful steering.
EXPERT RACHAEL SPROT is a
Yachtmaster Instructor
and former director of
ON BOARD
Rubicon 3 Adventure.
She has sailed from
all over the world and
owns a Cheoy Lee 36
Take your friends

& family sailing
Skippering a novice crew of friends and family isn’t always easy, but
get it right and they might want to come again, says Rachael Sprot

Rachael Sprot
Making sure everyone is happy

and has fun is much more
important than ambitious sailing
plans and a miserable experience
T

hey say that relationships to admit that until recently I’d never taken my They then stuck around to pick up
formed at sea can founder university friends sailing. However, after the pieces when their efforts inevitably
on shore, but sit back with a buying my boat, a Luders 36, Nimrod, last failed. Friendship and shared history? Yes.
glass of wine in a busy marina summer, I thought it was time to remedy this. Professionalism and seniority? Somewhat
and you’ll find evidence of When sailing as an instructor there’s less in evidence.
the reverse in action too. There’s no shortage an invisible student-teacher dynamic, So how would I cope without my
of couples taking their relationships afloat which makes the relationship on board instructor’s hat on? Where would I score
with varying degrees of success. It’s not much easier. Your seniority as a sailor on the Berthing Bingo scale? There was
long before you hear the familiar phrases: and a professional demeanour forms the only one way to find out.
‘I thought you put a fender there’, ‘Why didn’t bedrock of the crew’s trust. Sally, Julia, Helen and I met at university.
you get off?’ and the well-deserved, ‘Just do How I interact with my family and friends Whilst they landed in London in their
it yourself then.’ Berthing Bingo is a cruel is totally different, however, and taking them twenties and have careers in the arts,
spectator sport, which I would never to sea was a far more daunting prospect. PR and fashion, I went to sea. Our socialising
condone, but it helps to take note These are the people who tried to save me has moved on from the days of sweaty
occasionally, if only to remind yourself of the from my terrible fashion sense, terrible clubs to long walks and pubs, which we’re
pitfalls we’re all susceptible to. I’m ashamed cooking and terrible romantic partners. all quite relieved about.
EXPERT ON BOARD
Taking friends sailing

can be hugely rewarding,
but proper briefings are
key to making sure
everyone has fun
In harbour
PLANNING so that everyone has time to learn and make
Choosing the right route and destination mistakes. If you’re on a deadline or trying to
is essential to a successful trip. The aim beat to windward you’ll find yourself
shouldn’t be for you to see new places or stepping in in order to make faster progress,
push your skillset, but to leave everyone but it’s demoralising if the skipper constantly
wanting more. Even though I know this, I was takes over.
sorely tempted to plan the weekend around The time on the water needs to be short
one of my favourite places rather than what and sweet: 3-4 hours is plenty for your crew’s
would make for a good all-round trip. Nimrod first experience of sailing, and for your first
was on the Hamble at the time and I’d have time as instructor. Identify a sheltered route
loved to go to Yarmouth – it’s got such a with easy sailing angles, favourable tides
Miranda Delmar-Morgan
great atmosphere. But I knew it would add and a harbour that’s easy to approach. I’m
time pressure and with my sensible aware you could wait a month of Sundays for
instructor’s hat on we opted for Cowes that, but do prioritise the sheltered route and
instead. The 6-mile trip still took all day. straightforward navigation. The last thing
Tell new crew exactly what they will
need to bring in terms of clothing, It still amazes me how much longer you want to be doing with new crew is
footwear and sleeping bags everything takes when you’re instructing. sneaking into a small creek with 0.2m under
You need to factor in plenty of extra time the keel: your attention needs to be on them.
EXPERT ON BOARD
It’s worth setting the culture of wearing

lifejackets right from the start. Show
crew how to fit and use them
If crew bring their own, make

sure it’s up to the conditions
If you’ve got waterproofs to lend

crew, ensure they are in reasonable
condition and fit properly
SAIL-PROOF CLOTHING SAFETY

Non-sailors won’t understand how cold and the start of our recent weekend. It may In a training course there’d be a detailed
wet it can be on the water until it’s too late. sound a bit old school, but the sooner safety briefing before setting off. However,
It’s your responsibility to ensure that this everyone knows how to make a cup of despite it being an integral part of my
doesn’t form their overriding impression of tea the better. This isn’t so that you can have working week, I felt awkward taking time out
sailing. Even in the summer the wind chill breakfast in bed (although if this happens, of our fun weekend to talk doom and gloom.
can turn a comfortable day onshore into a please let me know the trick), but because It would have been easy to let this slide, but
bracing one on the water. Make sure that it gives them agency over the normal Sally, Julia and Helen were really receptive
everyone packs enough warm layers and rhythms of life. Showing everyone how to to it. We expect high standards of health and
ideally a set of waterproofs and boots. use the stove and where things are in the safety in all other areas of our lives, so why
People are often under the misapprehension galley will not only reduce your workload but not with our friends and family? It may seem
that they need to pack light so let them know make them feel more at home too. Teas and formal but setting aside time for a proper
that there’s plenty of space for extra jackets pees are your priority for the first half hour. safety briefing will inspire confidence.
and jumpers. Sally, Helen and Julia didn’t When it comes to food it needs to be Wearing lifejackets is increasingly the
have sailing-specific gear but they did have simple and quick to prepare. If you’re the rule rather than the exception, and it’s
kit from other outdoor pursuits which worked only sailor on board you won’t be able particularly important for new sailors. It’s
just as well. If you’re to leave the deck for easy to forget what an alien environment
going to lend guests long enough to do much the sea is for most people and that it takes
waterproofs, don’t give prep, so the more self- a while to develop sea legs.
them ones so old they explanatory meals are, Help everyone to fit them, explain
are next to useless, the better. Now is not the how they work and what’s inside. Most
but make sure they are time for the beetroot salad importantly, lead by example and wear one
properly waterproof with toasted walnuts. yourself. At the end of the briefing Sally
and are the right size.
DOMESTICS
The scariest thing about
sailing for many people
isn’t the prospect of big
waves and strong winds Toilet, tea and food are the
but going to the loo. priorities when crew arrive
It’s one of the first
things you need to address when they
come on board. Explain exactly what can
and can’t go down the bowl and don’t mince
your words: most people are grateful for a
Germanic, no-nonsense approach. The only
time I’ve ever had negative feedback on a
loo briefing was when I took a new boyfriend
sailing. He interrupted me halfway through:
‘I thought I was coming on a romantic
weekend away,’ he said looking crestfallen,
‘and you’ve just explained in graphic detail
what happens if I don’t do 20 pumps.’ To his
credit he soon got into the spirit of things Opt for simple but hearty food
and even cleared up a diesel spillage. that anyone can prepare and will
‘How do I get a cup of tea around here?’ warm up even the coldest crew
asked Julia shortly after the loo briefing at
EXPERT ON BOARD
HOW TO Point out the fire

extinguishers
DELIVER A GOOD
SAFETY BRIEFING
QKeep it snappy and don’t dwell on the disaster
stories; it needs to be informative, not intimidating
QUse plain English, try not to load it up with lots of
sailing terminology
QShow, don’t tell. Stay on your feet – move through
the boat and keep it dynamic
QBe sensitive when people ask questions; remember
there are no silly questions, only silly answers
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN A SAFETY BRIEFING

QCOOKING How to use the cooker safely, including
not overfilling things and the use of the gimbal
Softwood bungs
QGAS Why it’s dangerous and what needs to should be in
happen in the event of a leak your brief
tactfully pointed out an omission: ‘And QLIFEJACKETS & TETHERS Fitting them, how
what do we do if something happens to they work and when to wear them
you, Rachael?’ She’s always had an QMOVING AROUND THE BOAT How to stay
impeccably polite way of cutting to the safe and on board, danger areas such as the
chase. It’s the elephant in the saloon on mainsheet, traveller and boom
a weekend like this. Ideally you’d have a QFIRE Where the fire extinguishers and fire blanket
second person on board who has enough are located and what to do if fire breaks out
experience to bring the boat back to port, QFIRST AID Run through the first aid kit
but it isn’t always possible. The reality is QFLOODING Possible causes and how you
that completely new sailors won’t be able could manage water ingress
to take command of the boat three hours QABANDON SHIP Liferaft location and reassurance
in. What they could do, however, is raise that it’s extremely unlikely you’d need to use it
the alarm and ask for help so you need QMAN OVERBOARD What to do if someone fell over
to devote time to this. the side, how to deploy the horseshoe and danbuoy
ISSUING A MAYDAY
We discussed the Mayday and DSC Talk about the
importance
procedure and I explained that if I wasn’t of gas safety
capable of making a Mayday call it was
certainly time to issue one.
The thing about a Mayday, rather than
calling the coastguard on a mobile, is that
it will alert other vessels nearby. In a busy
waterway such as the Solent the other
sailors are a valuable resource, providing
a safety net for each other. What Sally,
Julia and Helen would need if I was
incapacitated would not just be medical
assistance for me, but someone to take
charge of the boat and keep them safe.
They’d need to ask for this as the
coastguard won’t know the level of
experience of those on board. On a
sunny Saturday in the Solent there were
probably dozens of experienced sailors
in the vicinity who could help out in an
emergency if requested.
How to make a VHF call

and a Mayday is key
information
Teach crew to keep

low and hold on when Let crew practise
moving about on deck operating the gas valve
EXPERT ON BOARD
On the water
MANOEUVRING
Demonstrate how to step over the
guardwires at the shrouds before stepping
to the pontoon. Novice crew will go straight
from deck to pontoon and may fall
Parking is often the most stressful part of a
skipper’s day, and it’s even more acute with
novice crew. The answer is not to leave the
dock until you’re confident you can get back
on it! In practice this means giving a clear
demonstration of what’s required of the crew
for both mooring and unmooring.
With the boat safely alongside, set up
a spare mooring line and demonstrate
stepping off from the shrouds and taking
a turn around a cleat. You could even
ask everyone to take turns doing this
themselves. We came off the midriver berth
in the Hamble and rehearsed parking on an
empty stretch of the dock further down the
river. That way if we found ourselves in a
tight spot later on, everyone was familiar
with the process.
It’s important to instruct the crew to
step off only when the boat is close to the
pontoon and stopped alongside. I once
witnessed someone take a flying leap with
such vigour that they kept going and ended
up in the water on the other side of the
pontoon. There had been a sense of
urgency from their partner on the helm.
We helped fish them out but didn’t stay
around for the debrief. There are times
when it’s useful for a crew member to take
a line ashore whilst the boat’s still moving,
but new sailors won’t have the experience
to do so safely. The onus is on you to stop
the boat in the right place. uncooperative under power, so I was
Before coming alongside, take time to quietly relieved to find that all the marinas ESSENTIAL SKILLS TO TEACH
set everything up. You almost need to treat in Cowes were full. We took a spot on a BEFORE DEPARTING THE DOCK
it as a solo sailing exercise. Rig the lines mid-river pontoon up the Medina instead. QHow to use a cleat
and fenders in relatively open water whilst It was right opposite the Folly Inn and the QTying on a fender
someone else is helming. water taxi took care of the lift ashore, (a clove hitch is the easiest)
I’m a devotee of the midships spring: which meant we could all enjoy a glass of QSlipping a line
it allows you to secure the boat with a single wine (or two). If manoeuvring in close QStepping off with a line
line. It’s not only useful on big boats but also quarters raises your cortisol levels, then and securing to a cleat
when single-handing and with novice crew. pick an anchorage, mid-river pontoon or
Her long keel means that Nimrod can be mooring buoy for the night.
1 2 3
CLOVE HITCH WRAP, THREAD, PULL PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Demonstrate how to tie a Simple explanations help crew It’s easier for crew to learn before
fender on with a clove hitch remember how to tie a range of knots they need it, not at a critical moment
EXPERT ON BOARD
It can be easy to be distracted
as a skipper by multiple things
happening on deck at once
DECK WORK and eased everyone of 20ft to 120ft in a way that few other team
Before you begin into the sailing at a sports can match. However, this does take
any deck work, gentler pace. sensitive management from the skipper to
you need to work It’s worth taking the ensure no one’s left out.
out who’s driving time to explain key deck Try not to let people silo themselves into
whilst you’re handling skills such as how to use a physical and non-physical roles as these
lines. Helen turned out winch, what a clutch does and become habits which are hard to break.
to be a natural helm and how to hoist a sail from the mast. Demonstrating how to use bodyweight and
once we were out of the Sailing is all about the subtleties of positioning yourself for best advantage over
Hamble this freed me up to head to the technique rather than brute strength, and a winch is easy to do and may be all that’s
foredeck. Frustratingly, I’d taken the headsail one of the reasons it’s so rewarding is that needed to help someone tackle more
down at the end of the previous trip so we you don’t need to be the Incredible Hulk physical tasks. Fortunately for me, Helen,
needed to hoist it again. Although I wouldn’t to sail a boat of considerable bulk. People Julia and Sally were all keen to get stuck
have opted for this extra faff on day one, it of different ages, abilities and fitness in, and true to form from their university
proved to be valuable familiarisation time often come together as a crew on yachts years, they were very attentive students!
1 2 3
TAILING A WINCH GRINDING A WINCH USING BODY WEIGHT
Practise winch safety with your crew, Watch what is happening at the Getting your body over the winch
especially keeping hands well clear other end of the rope being winched makes it much easier for small crew
SAILING
By the time you’ve got everyone kitted Keeping people safe is the primary concern everyone else’s safety is tiring but necessary.
up, briefed, off the dock and the sails of any skipper. You need to be hyper-aware Simple things such as keeping to a beam
up, you’ve done the hard work. When of the hazards whilst under way: accidental reach rather than running off down wind,
the wind fills the sails an alchemy occurs gybes, the mainsheet and traveller or not using the mainsail if the planned
and the boat works its magic. areas, moving around the course is quite broad, will take some of the
Helming is extremely difficult to deck and line handling thinking out of it.
teach well because it’s quite an are the biggest things Be careful how you phrase instructions,
intuitive skill. Less is more to watch out for. giving briefings rather than commands.
when it comes to doing it Having eyes for Briefings are informative and will explain how
and coaching it. Try to set and why a process
the boat up so that there needs to happen,
isn’t too much weather before it happens;
helm but there’s enough commands are
power to give some feel. usually reactive,
You don’t want to be Talk crew through how often shouted, and
heeled over on your ear, to do something, then give encourage people to
but equally, a bit of pressure them the chance to try without blindly follow orders.
stepping in
helps with orientation. No one You’ll need to be
enjoys backseat helming so give a thinking ahead at
clear briefing up front, ‘Aim for the each stage to make
chimney over there,’ and then explain sure you’ve briefed
how the helm should feel: ‘The boat is trying for what’s coming up.
to turn up into the wind, and you need to
resist it to keep tracking straight.’ Don’t
expect perfection on day one: the wake
may look like a slalom, but people tend A wiggly wake doesn’t
matter while crew are
to respond well to gentle guidance learning. Let them
rather than being constantly corrected. enjoy the experience
EXPERT ON BOARD
Avoid stressful situations,

such as getting caught in
Co-skippering
a racing fleet
Nature Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo

It isn’t always sailing with novice friends and ‘We’ll probably
family that’s challenging. Sailing with other
experienced sailors can also be tricky.
get shouted at.
If I’ve really got it
TIPS FOR
There’s more than one way to skin cats. In wrong they’ll be SKIPPERING
March 2020 I was crossing the Pacific with yelling “starboard”
my younger sister as first mate. We were and expecting us to NOVICES
sisters before we were sailors and it wasn’t get out of the way.’
always easy to negotiate this dynamic. There ‘That doesn’t sound QDon’t be too pedantic about
was more than one heated debate about very nice,’ Helen replied. the way you want things done;
whether to drop the spinnaker before a ‘Is there anything we can if they’ve grasped the principles
squall hit and what to do about the weevils shout back?’ To which I explained we would you’ve done a great job.
which were making their way through our need to look sheepish and move aside. QInvolve everyone in the planning
limited dry stores. Usually we went with the We cautiously approached, keeping what as well as the more routine stuff.
more conservative option: even if it felt looked like a finish line to one side. To my Getting out a chart and explaining
unnecessary to one of us, it was important to horror, after dropping their kites the fleet the route, weather and tides opens
acknowledge each other’s anxiety. Someone then started another lap and soon we were up a whole new world of adventure.
feeling uncomfortable is a good enough in their path. We tacked out of the way as QIf someone’s struggling with a
reason to take avoiding action. And as every best as we could, but it was slightly the particular task, do it with them
sister knows, there are no sweeter words wrong side of exciting for my liking. It wasn’t rather than for them. Talking them
than ‘I told you so’, especially when the long before a bowman dressed head to toe through it as they do it is often the
squall has safely passed you by. in charcoal race gear boomed ‘Starboard’ at best way for them to learn.
us. To which Helen joyfully replied, ‘BINGO!’ QMake sure that the mundane
BINGO chores are equally divided.
As we left Cowes to head back to the QDon’t allow one person to
Hamble there was a beautiful northerly dominate on deck or in the galley.
breeze. ‘We could take a longer route back QBe calm and kind. I have a rule
to Hamble,’ I offered, ‘it looks like there’s that there is never any shouting,
some racing going on, maybe we can catch from anyone. Aside from being
the finish.’ Everyone was up for it, and we unpleasant and putting people
beat around the Bramble Bank and up off sailing it makes people panic,
towards Hill Head on the windward shore. slowing down their responses
‘If there’s one thing we mustn’t do though,’ Enjoy a well-earned drink and having the opposite effect
I said, ‘it’s get caught up in the race fleet.’ at the end of the day to the one you need.
‘What happens if we do?’ Helen asked.
Cruising even short

distance can be hugely
rewarding for novices
PRACTICAL
Paul Lees is the
founder of Crusader
Sails, which has
been sailmaking
SEAMANSHIP for 50 years. He

took part in the
1979 Fastnet
HOW TO
MAKE OLD
SAILS LAST
LONGER
Sails stretch over time and
can seriously impact the
performance and handling
of your boat. Paul Lees tells
Theo Stocker how to make
do with old sails, and when
it’s time to bite the bullet
H
aving owned my 1984 The sails, though mechanically still perfectly
Sadler 29, Pasque, for Paul Lees of Crusader sound, with no rips or tears, were of an
Sails casts an expert eye
four years, and cruising over the sail trim unknown age and were starting to look very
with family and, more baggy, with a lot of belly, and stretches in
recently, small children on some odd places.
board, we began to get to know her foibles. I am no expert on sails, however, so I
She likes to heel a fair amount, readily going asked Paul Lees of Crusader Sails in Poole
to 25º or even 30º of heel by the time she’s for a professional opinion, and to see what
powered up; she makes a moderate amount he could suggest to improve how the boat
of leeway, and she develops quite heavy sails and handles with her current canvas.
weather helm unless the main is reefed Ultimately, I was beginning to think that
very early. With a modest beam and an it might be time for me to take the plunge
unbalanced, skeg-hung rudder, some of this and get new sails, but it would certainly
down to the late 1970s design, but it's unfair help if I could make the current ones last
to blame many of her quirks on her lines. another season or two.
PRACTICAL SEAMANSHIP
With a baggy old main, the temptation Start with the main Set the genoa car so when
to oversheet to stop the luffing resulted sheeted in hard, then sheeted in, both upper and
in excessive heel and weather helm gradually ease the lower tell-tales fly parallel
sheet, while keeping
the course steady
Ease out the mainsheet

until the leech tell-tales
stream out most of the time
It looks odd to let so much of

the main luff, but the boat
speed numbers don't lie
SORTING THE SAIL TRIM

Paul set about correcting our sail trim boat speed by almost a knot from
as a first step. I was expecting some black- 3.9 knots to 4.5-4.7 knots, while reducing
magic tweaking of halyards, cars and the helm required by 5º. The increased
All photos Richard Langdon
sheets, but the advice he gave was boat speed, coupled with a more upright
alarmingly simple: ‘Treat both sails as one angle of attack, also helps the keel foil
single aerofoil. Trim the front of the front work more efficiently, reducing leeway.
sail and the back of the back sail.’ All of this was achieved without
In other words, prioritise the luff of the sacrificing any pointing height to
headsail, looking at the genoa tell-tales, windward, with the genoa tell-tales flying
and the leech of the mainsail, again aiming fair. More importantly, it was all done
to get the tell-tales flying most of the time. without taking scissors to my sails and
If this means you get a badly luffing without denting the boat budget.
main, then so be it. The mainsail is old
Having slipped out of Lymington on a warm and baggy, and I had been making the
Despite a slight foul tide, SOG
October day, we were rewarded with a mistake of sheeting in to stop it luffing went from 3.9 to 4.5-4.7
consistent Force 3, just about perfect and backwinding. knots once the trim
conditions for focusing on what the sails By the time the main was sheeted was sorted
were doing. Handing the helm to Paul, the in enough to set the luff, the leech was
first thing he noticed was the large amount stalling, ruining the whole aerofoil of
of weather helm he was having to apply to the boat’s sailplan.
keep the boat tracking straight. He quickly The effect of this over-sheeting was
attributed this to our sail setting, specifically much more weather helm and a little
to oversheeting both the mainsail and genoa more heeling, and consequently more
to stop them luffing and to try and point as drag and a slower boat.
close to the wind as possible. By oversheeting ‘The slower we go, the more weather
the genoa, we were exacerbating the issue helm I’m picking up,’ explained Paul.
by closing the slot between the headsail Easing the main until the leech
and the main, backwinding the mainsail. tell-tales were flying correctly increased
STRETCH TEST UNDER WAY
1 2 3
SAIL UPWIND Set the sails for sailing UNLOADED SHAPE Sail downwind UPWIND REFERENCE POINT
upwind. The uneven stretch was due to and note the distance off the rigging Back on the wind, compare how the
age and different materials being used and the shape of the draught stripe sail changes shape once loaded up
While out on the water, we decided to Outhaul tension will help flatten the main, normally, then sheet the main in hard,
check how much the sails were stretching, which might be useful, but it’s not going to as if you were sailing to windward. The
and how the shape changed under load. move the draught. Finally, inducing some leech will be extremely tight, transferring
We did this by sailing upwind and setting mast bend with either backstay tension all the load from the mainsheet to the
the sails accordingly. (or forward lowers/baby stay tension) will halyard via the headboard (which is
We then bore away onto a very deep help flatten the luff of the sail, though it why the headboard should have its own
reach, but without easing the sails. On this will also open up the leech. runners or slugs in the mast track).
course, the sails were full, but under very In contrast, the luff of the sail will have no
little strain. We made note of a few reference HALYARDS AND SHEETS load on it. There will be plenty of slack
points: the shape of the camber lines, the If you’re thinking your sails might need shown by horizontal creases and bulges.
shape of the leech, the proximity of the some attention, have a look at your running
genoa’s leech and foot to fixed points at rigging first. These are likely to be subject
the spreaders, shroud bases and over to at least as much stretch as your sails, Sheet the main on
hard and watch the
the guard wires. if not more, especially if they are ageing luff go slack as the
We then headed back upwind without braid-on-braid polyester ropes. halyard stretches
touching the sail-setting. The apparent wind My boat had been recently fitted with
built and the load on the sails rose rapidly. new Dyneema sheets, so we were confident
As it did so, the sails visibly ballooned, that these were not contributing to any of
stretching not a few millimetres, but the stretch witnessed.
centimetres, in every dimension. The sails The halyard, however, was another matter.
grew visibly deeper with far more belly, My halyard from clutch to headboard was
and the maximum draught shifted from a roughly 12m (40ft) and stretch over this
desirable one-third aft from the luff, to more length can be several inches or more. This is
than half way aft towards the leech. equivalent to letting your halyard off in the
There are a number of things you can gusts, effectively slackening off the luff,
do to flatten both sails and bring inducing more depth and allowing
the draught back forwards the belly to move further aft.
whilst under way. Firstly, You want a flatter sail in
wind on some more Dyneema sheets and soft stronger winds, but
halyard tension. In shackles minimise stretch halyard stretch gives
compared to polyester braid
theory, you want just you exactly the
enough halyard opposite, increasing
tension to remove drag and heeling
any horizontal moment when you
creases from the least want it.
luff, but to drag the If you want a
draught forward you demonstration of
may need more than this, set the main in
this. If you get vertical harbour with no wind
creases in the luff, ease in the sails. Tension the
a bit of halyard back out. halyard as you would
STRETCH CHECKS The wrinkles between panels

indicate the deformation we
IN HARBOUR Push a finger firmly into the
sail. If the resulting dent does
spring back immediately, it shows
your sails no longer resist stretch
saw under load
The art of the sailmaker is to balance

the stretch characteristics of each
panel of cloth in a sail to work with
each other with as little deformation
as possible. This is complicated by
the need to align multiple pieces of
cloth across a triangular shape with
three dimensional curves. If the loads
in two pieces of cloth next to each are
at different angles to the warp of the
cloth, they may stretch at different rates,
inducing bulges and wrinkles, whether
it’s a radial or a cross-cut sail.
Taking a step back, Paul judged the
overall shape of the old bi-radial Some of the panels had
genoa to be ‘not too bad’, even though resisted stretch better than
others, or may be on a
on closer inspection, along some of the different angle of bias
joins, where adjacent panels were on
more bias than the one next to it, the
sail bulged out against a straight cut
panel next to it.
The main had a very full shape, and
to test whether this was due to the state
of the cloth, or the cut of the sail, we
hoisted the main and sheeted it in to fill
it with wind. It had a smooth curve with
few obvious bulges, tears or other signs
of wear. However, when Paul pushed a
finger into the sail, a large dent was
made that took more than a few
seconds to pull back into shape. This
was purely down to the stretchiness of
the cloth, and pointed to the issues we
had found out on the water.
Having got the boat

balanced with just a
degree or two of ...Paul cranked the mainsheet ...and the weather helm was
weather helm... back on to stop it luffing... back with a vengeance
WEATHER HELM rudder, even just a few degrees of weather Some weather helm is acceptable or even
Having a heavy helm is not the same as helm might feel very heavy. This would desirable (reckoned by designers to be
weather helm itself, though they are easily particularly be the case on old boats with between 2º-5º of rudder angle) but only in
confused. Weather helm is the angle of keel-hung rudders, where the axis of the so far as the laminar water flow remains
helm you have to apply to keep a boat rudder is raked forward at an acute angle; attached to the windward side of the
sailing straight. On some boats with well- with the boat heeled, pulling the helm to rudder, which allows the rudder to create
balanced rudders, you could have a large windward, and the rudder down to leeward lift to windward, helping reduce leeway.
amount of weather helm, up to 30º or is in effect trying to lift the aft end of the Any less than this and you risk lee-helm,
more, and the tiller or wheel not feel that boat out of the water, pushing against the more than this and you are creating drag,
heavy, while on a boat with an unbalanced bow. It’s no surprise that it feels heavy. and overloading steering components.
Sails that are too deep can

be recut flatter, but there
may not be much point
if the cloth itself is
significantly degraded
On large, overlapping
headsails, a smaller sail can
make the boat faster with less
drag, less heel and more lift,
as well as raising the clew for
better visibility
RECUTTING
It became obvious that there was more
stretch in the sails than could be easily dealt
with by judicious sail trim, particularly in
windy conditions. The effect was exactly the
opposite to what you would want. In gusts,
when a flatter shape is needed, the belly
increases and creates more lift and heel.
The cord of the sail’s aerofoil gets longer,
coupled with a more uneven shape, creating
more drag. Sails can be recut to reduce the
BUYING NEW SAILS
amount of belly in the sail, as flatter panels At what point is replacing your sails the be cut to 135% overlap, which is 11%
will help eliminate the static stretch, or right thing to do? Mechanically, they narrower than the old 146% overlap.
‘growth’. This will help to some extent. may not be worn out. Made from old ‘This has a number of advantages,’ he
What it can’t counteract is the stretch now and stretchy materials, and built in an explained. ‘It is a smaller sail so it rolls
intrinsic to the sails – they will deform under old-fashioned way as they are, you can sail away more easily when you need to reduce
load; it’s just that they will be doing so from the boat with these sails. Anyone even sail area. It’s a more efficient sail, giving
a better starting point. vaguely interested in performance for faster more lift and less drag, so the boat will
Recutting old cross-cut sails is a realistic passages and more comfortable sailing heel less, and probably point better too.
prospect. Doing so for bi- or tri-radial cut would be amazed at the advances that The other major advantage for the cruising
sails will be difficult given the complexity have been made in sail construction over sailor is better visibility, because the clew
of the panels that go into them, and while the last few decades. There are both can be higher and further forward, and
these sails should last longer thanks to the speed and handling advantages with saves a lot of time down on the leeward
better alignment of the cloth with the loads moving to a new suit of sails, as well as sail peering around the sail.’
in the sail, getting more life out of them by reducing weather helm, heel and leeway. Look out for the follow-up article on how
recutting is much harder. Paul recommended that the new genoa to measure for new sails in a future issue.
STRETCH AND SAIL CLOTH still. You can demonstrate this by

Leaving laminate and moulded sails Warp and fill make up the taking a tea-towel, or any square of
cloth. Either can be the
aside, Dacron (polyester) sails are made primary load-bearing fibre soft cloth, and testing the stretch
from woven cloth with a number of along the cloth, across the cloth
characteristics defined by how the and diagonally across it, with
cloth is constructed: surprising differences in stretch
WEIGHT The weight of cloth depends between the three directions.
on the size of the yarns used. The thicker HEAT TREATMENT Once woven,
they are, the heavier the cloth will be per the cloth is then heat-treated to
square metre. compact the fibres together and
WARP AND FILL Yarns go over and under along itself, shrinking the cloth.
each other to form the cloth. One of these COATING A coating is applied to
will generally be straight, while the other lock the fibres together. This is what
will do the up-and-down of going over and gives sail cloth its satisfying crinkle.
under the straight yarn. This is called crimp, parts of the sail, so that the straight yarns STRETCH The coating wears away over
and the direction with crimp will have more are as closely aligned with the load paths time, and the fibres grow longer and more
stretch than the direction without. Cloth in the sail, depending on the cut of the sail. stretchy under load. Old sails may still be
can have straight warp (in line with the bolt BIAS Load applied on the bias, diagonally mechanically functional and hold their
of cloth) or straight fill (across the cloth). across the cloth – aligned with neither original shape when slack, but can stretch
Different cloths might be used in different warp or fill – will induce far more stretch out of all recognition in a stiff blow.
DACRON SAIL CONSTRUCTION

CROSS CUT
The most common and
The shape of the sail is created least expensive sails
by the slight curve of each
are made of cloth used
panel along its seams
horizontally across the sail
with roughly parallel seams,
with the cloth running
perpendicular to the greatest
loads in the sail, which are
from clew to head, following
the leech.
The panels are perpendicular For this reason, the cloth
to the leech rather than the
luff, as this is where the used has a straight fill and a
highest loads are crimped warp to minimise
vertical stretch in the sail.
The downside of these
sails is that in other areas,
Furling sails will have a
such as across the foot or
sacrificial strip added that isn't
structural and can be replaced up the luff, the cloth is not
when needed optimally aligned with the
loads, so that it stretches on
the bias or along the warp.
For this reason, cross cut
sails will lose their shape
faster than the alternatives.
Reinforcement at the tack,
clew and head radiate out to
support the highest loads
RADIAL CUT
Sails can be cut radially, with
cloth panels radiating out from A tri-radial sail is constructed
either two or three corners of with the panels aligned to
the sails. These use cloth in each corner of the sail
which the warp is straight and A low-clewed headsail aims to
the fill is crimped. The use of give more performance, but
sheeting angle will be critical
multiple small panels means
that the straight warp is
aligned with the main loads
in each area of the sail. In
practice, this is much harder
to achieve, usually requiring
computer-aided design and
cutting to get a consistent sail
shape. Any areas where
panels are aligned with
different cloth angles are likely
to result in creases in the sail.
THE LEARNING CURVE
‘MY BOAT SANK

FROM UNDER ME
IN 20 MINUTES’
When Golden Globe Race competitor Tapio Lehtinen
was woken by a loud bang, he had just enough
time to jump into his liferaft.
He reflects on the sinking and his rescue
All rescue pics Anglo Eastern
Tapio climbs the 10m ladder

to board M/V Darya Gayatri
from the liferaft he spent 24
hours in
THE LEARNING CURVE
leeping in my
bunk, on the
morning of
Friday 18
November
2022, I was
woken by a
loud bang.
We were
roughly 450
miles south
east of South
Africa, and it had been a nice Force 3
ENE wind when I’d gone to bed, with a
relatively smooth, long swell. I am very
well used to Asteria’s movements and
despite sleeping like a baby in my bunk,
I normally wake up when the movement
or heel of the boat changes. Wild bangs
Aida Valceuna / GGR

against waves also tend to get me out of
my deepest sleep. This bang was just a Asteria was in second place in the
loud noise, not connected to slamming GGR and looking in good shape
against a wave or any other impact. when she departed Cape Town
My bunk is 55cm wide with a high nine days before the sinking
leeboard and I had already rigged the
safety net on top of it in order to prevent
me from falling out of the bunk in a
possible knock down or a rollover. It By the time I put my feet on the
takes 20 seconds for an old, stiff guy like
me to wriggle out of the bunk. By the floorboards, they were knee deep
time I put my feet on the floorboards
they were almost knee deep in the water in water that kept rushing in
which was rushing into the cabin from
under the companionway ladder and containing a satellite phone, emergency I got up to the deck, put on my survival
engineroom. It was clear to me that the VHF, air traffic frequency VHF, YB3- suit and cut the straps of the raft with
water was coming at such a pace that the satellite texting device with a tracker, the knife next to it and launched it.
boat was sinking and I had to get ready and put that into the cockpit, too, ready
to abandon ship and, if time allowed, to to go. I then tried to open my other TIME TO JUMP SHIP
try to see if there was anything I could two grab bags containing food and Everything went quickly and smoothly,
do to prevent it from happening. medicine, but the water was already the raft opened, I threw the comms box
I dashed to the companionway and above my waist and the level rapidly and the bag containing the heavy liner
grabbed my survival suit bag from the rising, so I decided my priority was suit to be used under the survival suit
locker next to it and threw it into the to get my survival suit on and get the into the raft. As the boat was down in the
cockpit. Next I got the communication liferaft launched as it seemed that the water almost to deck level, I cut the
equipment watertight grab box boat would sink in a few minutes. painter of the raft with the knife and tied
the painter with a slip knot to the closest
stanchion, so that if the boat did sink, I
could release it quickly. I then took a last
Tapio Lehtinen is a life-long sailor desperate look into the cabin in order to
from Helsinki who started in Optimist see if I could get the grab bags or EPIRB
dinghies at the age of 6. A former
Commodore of the Helsingfors out, but it was hopeless. The water was
Segelsällskap (HSS) Yacht Club, he already just 15 to 20cm below the deck;
has raced everything from Lasers to diving into the water didn’t seem wise.
the Whitbread yachts, including a I then looked over my shoulder and
three-decade-long racing career in saw that my slip knot had come undone
his classic 6m May Be IV. He has
competed in the 1981/2 Whitbread and the raft was drifting away, already a
Nora Havel /GGR
Round the World race aboard couple of metres from the boat. So
Skopbank of Finland; the 1985 instead of any sentimental last kisses to
Two-handed Round Britain and my friend, it was time for a tiger leap
Ireland Race; the 1986 2-STAR
transatlantic race; the 1987 over the lifelines for the raft. I don’t have
Azores-and-Back race; and the any clear recollection of getting
2014 Bermuda Race. into the raft. I must have bounced
THE LEARNING CURVE
from the surface of the water as in the

next moment I was inside the raft.
My first feeling in the raft was of
embarrassment for my slip knot failure A Hydrovane and a
and being on the raft instead of the boat. Watt&Sea were mounted
For decades I have been preaching that on Asteria’s transom
it is not a life raft but a death raft. The
learnings of Fastnet 1979 and other
disasters is that you leave your boat
only when you are 100% sure that it is
sinking, climbing up to the raft from a
sinking boat. I would have wanted to
have the raft ready for entering but still
have a possibility to locate the cause of
The liferaft was
the flooding and see if there was a way easy to launch
to fix it. Asteria was fitted with three from its stowage
watertight bulkheads in the bow and two under the tiller
in the transom, and I had been bragging
for four years that she was as unsinkable
as Titanic. I’ve learned my lesson and switched on. I got registered, but comfortable; the four-person raft
am rather more humble now. when I tried to call race organiser allowed me to stretch straight
I got the paddle out but no matter Don MacIntyre with it, it didn’t connect. diagonally. I took short naps and one
how hard I tried, I wasn’t able to get After a few tries I noticed that the antenna longer three-hour sleep during
back to the boat. The only thing left was broken. I don’t know at which stage the night. I was awoken by an albatross
to do was to watch the 20-minute death I had broken it, but it is clear that the couple having a chat in the lee of the
struggle of my beautiful boat. It was standard Iridium phone is not rugged liferaft towards morning.
clear the aft compartments had been enough for this kind of use. Luckily I I love life on the ocean and, safe in
breached as the also had the YB3 the knowledge that my rescue was in
stern sank first
with the bow
I stood up in the satellite texting
device, so with
good hands, watching the wildlife kept
my morale high. A growing flock of
rising up. The bow
was the last visible
wobbling liferaft to that I was able
to keep a once
giant petrels gathered around the raft,
joined later by storm petrels and a few
part of the hull
followed by the
make a last salute to an hour contact
with Don.
albatrosses flying around me. One
high-vis yellow
top of the mainsail
my dear friend A handheld
GPS was
and finally, her also packed
VHF antenna. I stood up in the wobbling inside the raft, and most importantly a
liferaft to make a last salute to my dear PLB, which I activated. I hadn’t
friend. It was an emotional moment. managed to activate either of the two
EPIRBs on Asteria – one mounted
SUDDENLY ALONE inside, close to the companionway, and
Once alone in the raft I started getting the other in one of the grab bags still
organised and went through all the stuff on board. I later heard that the one
I had with me. I had only been able to mounted on board had activated two
take the comms box and the survival suit hours before I activated the PLB. My
with me, but I was positively surprised YB3 device had a tracking function so
how well the raft was equipped. As it Don and MRCC Cape Town (Maritime
is a four-person raft, there was a fair Rescue Co-ordination Centre) had
amount of emergency water and food, three ways of getting my location. I was
and a small first aid bag. I immediately grateful to Don’s rigorous GGR safety
applied sun protection to my face as in requirements that built in redundancy.
the boat I try to stay in the shade. I
streamed out the sea anchor and SETTLING IN
emptied and dried the raft with the I was lucky to abandon Asteria in the
bailer and sponge provided. morning, in sunshine and easy weather.
I didn’t have my new waterproof sat I had got wet inside the boat, but during
phone with me, but in my comms box the day and the afternoon I was able to
was another Iridium one. I tried to put it keep the raft half open and also open my
on, only to find that its battery was flat survival suit so that I was fairly dry before
– my own error. I should have regularly the evening. The raft was also equipped
checked the battery condition of the with two hypothermia bags. After sunset
devices in the box while sailing. An hour it got a bit chilly, so I closed the raft and Tapio prepares to re-board his liferaft from
later I realised that in the crammed box got into both of the bags. I packed all Minnehaha to transfer to the ship as Kirsten
Neuschafer manoeuvres alongside
I had a spare battery for the satellite the packaging foam into a plastic bag
phone. I changed the battery and it and sat on them. It was actually very
THE LEARNING CURVE
RE A
L LI
FE
petrel, clearly the boss, eventually got Embarrassingly, it was the first one I
close enough to take hold of my finger had fired in my life. It went accordingly.
with his long beak a couple of times. I tried to send it directly up, but for some
In the afternoon I got a message from
Don that fellow GGR competitor Abhilash
reason it shot off at a 45º angle against
the wind, arced down and hit the waves
LESSONS
Tomy was on his way towards me. Later
I was informed that Kirsten Neuschafer
before the parachute even opened.
Luckily straight after that Kirsten
LEARNED
aboard Minnehaha was roughly 100 replied on the VHF and I told her to turn
miles away and the bulk carrier Darya 90º to port. She later told me she had
Gayatri was 270 miles away and making seen the Darya Gayatri as a speck in the THE BOAT
10-12 knots towards me, so I remained horizon and mistaken the 230m bulk
relaxed. In the morning Don messaged carrier for my liferaft and was sailing 1 CONSTRUCTION
that Kirsten’s ETA was earlier as she straight past me. It just shows how I may never know what caused
had found better wind and soon I saw difficult it is to find something in big the sinking. I completed a full
her from the top of the swells on the swells even in daylight. refit of my boat before the 2018
horizon and established VHF contact When she was approaching, GGR, including additional Kevlar
with her, but only when both of us I said I would fire another parachute lamination over the hull, a new
were on the top of a swell. She was not flare in three minutes. Even though deck, new longitudinal stringers
able to see me, but as she was coming she was waiting and looking for it and five new watertight bulkheads.
downwind towards me, I could tell her and this time I fired it straight up, In retrospect, I would take both the
to steer 15º to starboard to sail straight she didn’t see it in the bright daylight, external strengthening of the hull
towards me. or the handheld flare I also fired. laminate, as well as the internal
I then sat again comfortably and longitudinal stringers all the way
to my great joy and surprise a sea turtle CONTACT AT LAST to the transom of the boat.
appeared next to the raft. After a while She then sailed past about half a
spent admiring the turtle I realised that mile to windward. She saw me once 2 THROUGH-HULL FITTINGS
Kirsten had started sailing roughly 30º when I was waving the orange My first thought was that a through-
to starboard of me. I called her again on hypothermia bag with the paddle hull fitting must have failed between
VHF but got no answer. After 15 minutes above the raft on top of a swell, but the two stern watertight bulkheads,
she was abeam of me relative to the then lost me again. Finally, after the filling the compartment and
wind. I called her on the VHF with no next VHF contact and instructions breaking the bulkhead so the
answer but hoping that she would hear she got so close that we could talk water could flood forwards,
me I said I would fire a parachute flare. over the VHF properly and I could but could a single failed
skin fitting let in 20-30
cubic metres of water in
just five minutes? In any
case, I will now only use
through-hull fittings with
an external flange rather
than the ones faired
flush to the hull, which
may be less strong, and
will re-examine whether
bronze or composite is
a stronger choice.
Tapio Lehtinen
3 WINDVANE & TRANSOM LOADS

A new force stressing the transom
compared with the 2018 race was
my new Hydrovane windvane with
its own steering blade attached aft
of the transom. While this gave
improved course-holding, it may
have put the narrow stern under a
new, sideways stress. Could wave
and rigging stress over the best part
of 40,000 miles in four years have
caused delamination of the hull?
The sheerline of the deck was intact
and the rig didn’t go slack, so she
didn’t fold in half, but could a hole
have opened up somewhere aft? The
boat is now 5,000m beneath the
waves, so we’ll never know for sure.
THE LEARNING CURVE
What the hell do you

do in a liferaft if you
need to poo?
A liferaft transfer was conducting

rather than risking damaging Kirsten’s
rig against the ship in the swell
give her exact directions so that she came blood sugar up. Darya Gayatri was then manoeuvre Minnehaha into
directly towards me. We then discussed already approaching and I would soon her lee at a safe distance without
over VHF how she was going to approach need to be fit to climb the ladder. risking her rig in the big swell.
and get me aboard Minnehaha. Kirsten and the captain of Darya Everything went smoothly. Two
Gayatri, Naveen Kumar Mehrotra, throwing lines were thrown to
RESCUE UNDER WAY then had a professional and precise Minnehaha; I grabbed one of them,
She furled in the genoa, lowered the discussion over VHF about how the ship got back to the raft and tied the
main, started the engine and approached would first position her starboard side line to the raft, and Kirsten let me
the raft to windward of me so I could against the wind so that Kirsten could disembark Minnehaha.
throw the throwing line to her, which I was then pulled against the side
she put around a winch and pulled me of Darya Gayatri to the bottom of
alongside. I was able to climb onboard a 10m rope ladder.
Minnehaha with her help. It was great! With the raft rising and falling a
We had a big hug and shared a glass of couple of metres in the swell, I managed
rum and a few chocolate bars to get the to choose the right moment to grab the
Tapio was given a change

of clothes aboard the ship
The 10m climb felt more Kirsten was released from

like 30m for the tired sailor the rescue and allowed to
continue her GGR race
RE A
L LI
The liferaft was recovered on deck FE
once Tapio was safely aboard
LESSONS
LEARNED
ABANDONING SHIP EQUIPMENT
1 SAT COMMS IS PARAMOUNT 1 READING GLASSES
I was pleased with the order in I need strong reading glasses, so I
which I grabbed the things to should definitely have had a pair
take into the raft. The absolute packed in my comms grab box and
first priority is a satellite device, another pair in the pocket of my
which lets the MRCC and, in my survival suit. I struggled to see screens
case, the race organisers know and to read and write text messages.
where I am. Even in remote
waters help is rarely more than 2 PHOTOGRAPHY
Tony Singh / Marine traffic
M/V Darya Gayatri is two to four days away. You will A spare GoPro camera would have
a 229m bulk carrier
not die of hunger or even of thirst allowed me to document the sinking,
during that time. An EPIRB, PLB, the wildlife and the rescue, for which
and ideally a satellite tracker and I had plenty of time.
messaging device is your best friend.
3 WATCH YOUR RAFT
2 SURVIVAL SUIT BEING PACKED
Next was the survival The Plastimo raft was well
ladder. The 10m climb felt more like suit. I was lucky with the equipped in addition to the
30m. But everything went fine, weather, but if you get emergency water and food.
with the crew of Darya Gayatri wet and it is cold, The only thing missing
on deck helping and welcoming hypothermia will hit was a Gideon Bible and a
me onboard, then pulling the raft you sooner than thirst bathroom! It would have
Nora Havel /GGR

up after me. Since then, I have or hunger. You have helped, however, if I had
been enjoying the hospitality of to keep warm and dry seen exactly what was
the Indian crew, who have provided with a survival suit. inside and where it was
me with clothes, a bed, transport to stowed beforehand.
Jakarta and wonderful Indian cuisine. 3 CASTING OFF
TOO SOON An extensive safety kit was
4 FLARES
*As we went to press, Tapio had It was a mistake to cut mandated for GGR competitorsI was disappointed with
made landfall in Jakarta and was the painter. There was a how my pyrotechnic flares
making arrangements to travel good and safe-to-use round-ended performed. Prior practice would have
back to Finland in time for Christmas. knife attached to the raft next to helped with my operation of them.
the painter, but as I had never seen
the raft open, I didn’t dare to rely on 5 ZIP LUBRICATION
it. I would put a pocket knife ready Check that the zipper of your
in the pocket of my survival suit. survival suit is lubricated. Luckily,
I very nearly lost my main means I had the lubrication stuff in the raft.
of survival when it drifted off. But a dry, heavy-duty metal zipper
is a real challenge if not lubricated,
4 LOCATION SIGNALLING and could become a real safety issue
It wasn’t easy for Kirsten to spot the if you can’t get it closed. Besides,
raft between the swells. I needed a an old man needs to open it every
way to be more visible, and holding once in a while.
the high-vis hypothermia bag up on
a paddle wasn’t very stable. How 6 CALLS OF NATURE
about a telescopic fishing rod and Finally, what the hell do you do in a
a high-vis flag, a balloon, or a kite liferaft if you need to poo? I knew
which would have flown even that help was on its way, so I fed the
higher? Collapsible emergency emergency food to the petrels (they
VHF antennae are now available didn’t like it) and avoided the
that would have made me more challenge. For female sailors,
visible and also helped with my something like a ‘she-wee’ would
radio transmissions. avoid the need to remove the whole
survival suit, which would be neither
easy nor particularly safe. Urinating
inside the suit, for either gender, is
likely to get you wet and very cold.
ADVENTURE
ISLAND HOPPING
TO GREECE
Nic Compton returns to the cruising grounds of his
childhood, but this time in his own boat, sailing from
the south of France to Levkas
Words Nic Compton Pictures Nic Compton unless stated otherwise
ADVENTURE
here’s a storm coming. Better

stay in harbour until it’s gone
through.’ That was the warning
from fellow yachties the day
before we left Port St Louis, in
the south of France, and headed
towards Corsica. And it was
true. The online forecasts
showed strong northwesterlies funnelling down the
Rhône valley and blasting across the Golfe de Lion,
with gusts of up to 60 knots. Trouble was, not only
had we already spent two nights being bitten by
mosquitoes in Port St Louis, but we were also
running late. Three more days’ delay would almost
certainly destroy any chance we had of reaching
Greece in the two weeks I’d allocated.
Before the mistral arrived, however, there was
a 24-hour window to get out of Port St Louis before
the serious stuff kicked off. If we could get past
Toulon, 50 miles to the southeast, then we could
hug the coast for the next two days and get some
easting while the wind blew itself out. That was the
plan anyway.
And so we found ourselves heading out across the
Golfe de Fos early one morning at the beginning of
July 2022. There was a boisterous Force 4-5 blowing
RIGHT: Joy! First off the land, and even under double-reefed main
day sailing out of Zelda immediately took off, quickly notching up 6-7
Port St Louis past
the Ile de Riou knots on the GPS. I had spent five weeks motoring
towards Toulon our Freedom 33 through the French canal system,
first with friends as far as Paris, then with my wife
BELOW: Zelda’s Anna and our two children as far as Lyon, and finally
crew spent a day, a with the current crew, Matt, Laurence and James,
night and another
day at sea before from Lyon to Port St Louis. We had spent a frantic
stopping in a day getting the unstayed masts back up and
harbour overnight. re-rigging the sails, working late into the night the
This helped them day before.
keep to their
schedule to reach Now we were off! It was exhilarating to be sailing
Greece in again and I was delighted to be free of land and back
two weeks at sea – and not any sea, but the Mediterranean,
where I had spent my formative years as a child

and where I had been longing to return with my own
boat for the past 33 years! As we headed past
Marseille and threaded our way through the Riou
archipelago, the landscape soon became dramatic
and rocky – so unlike the green hills of Devon where
I live – and I had an almost exaggerated sense of
being in a foreign land.
AGAINST THE CLOCK

We had a wonderful six-hour run, and yet I couldn’t
help feeling edgy. One of the reasons we’d decided to
head out despite the ominous forecast was that all the
Matt Griggs
weather models we looked at showed the wind dying

out once we reached Toulon. Only Rod and Lu
Heikell demurred, warning in their French
It was exhilarating to be sailing again

and I was delighted to be free of land and back at sea
ADVENTURE
Mediterranean and Corsica Pilot that: ‘the mistral

can blow all along this coast and can be channeled
between the high land with some violence. These
gusts are particularly bad out of Toulon…’
As we approached Cap Sicié, the weather apps still
showed flat calm off Toulon, even as the wind
strengthened and the waves grew. Soon it was up to
35-40 knots and Zelda was romping along at 8.5
knots, at one point logging 10.1 knots on the GPS –
albeit we were heading out to sea and needed to gybe
to get back on course. By then we only had a single
reef in the main, but rather than attempt to put in
another reef, we eased the sheet to spill the wind, and
tacked before heading back towards land. Still Windy
showed flat calm off Toulon. And so it happened that,
on this occasion, the Heikells’ pilot (written in 1990,
Vieux Port Cannes is one of
updated in 2021) provided a better forecast than the the cheaper places to stay
live app! overnight in southern
Eventually, the wind subsided, and we carried on France, with 727 berths for
to the Porquerolles, where we enjoyed our first vessels up to 497ft/140m
idyllic night on the Med, anchored in the
romantically named Baie apps, a veritable storm raged in the Golfe de Lion. We
du Langoustier. spent our second night in beautiful, timeless Cannes,
In many ways, the whole which turned out to be surprisingly cheap: €36 a
trip was a calculated risk. night for a berth in one of the most desirable
From Port St Louis to harbours in the Mediterranean.
Nidri, Levkas, where we The forecast the following day was for headwinds
had a ‘dry’ berth booked, so we spent the morning sorting out the conversion
was 900 miles. At an from Calor to Camping Gaz, courtesy of Mr Bricolage,
average of 5.5 knots, that in readiness for when our last bottle of Calor gas
would be 7 days, sailing 24 finally ran out. The newest member of the crew,
hours a day. Of course, we James, used to run a trendy café in Brighton, so there
didn’t want to sail was no way we wanted to run out of gas while he was
non-stop, but by doubling cooking one of his amazing meals. The other
MAIN: Portoferraio the time to two weeks, that should mean that we had members of the crew were: Laurence, who runs the
on Elba offers safe 24 hours on, 24 hours off, which I reasoned should be popular Fortune of War pub in Brighton, Matt, a
all-year-round manageable. Add three days for good measure, and former photographer turned paramedic, and myself.
berths, but in
summer rates can we might even have some time off! Trouble was, we So, as far as eating, drinking and emergency medical
be expensive had lost three days on the canals due to fallen trees, treatment were concerned, we were well covered.
which meant we had lost any leeway I had built into
ABOVE: James the passage plan. We really didn’t have any time to IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF NAPOLEON
keeps lookout on
approach to Ponza, spare, which is why we were so keen to get started. Our original plan had been to sail from Port St Louis
the largest of the The gamble paid off, however, and the following to Corsica, passing through the Straits of Bonifacio,
Pontine Islands day we motored along the Côte d’Azur through a and then down the east coast of Sardinia. Too much
glassy calm sea – while, according to all the weather wind followed by not enough wind in the Golfe de
ADVENTURE
R. Rhône N
C
R
FR A NC E
O
Port
AT
Cannes
IA
Sète St Louis
Cape Corse Portoferraio MONTENEGRO
Golfe de Lion Elba
Baie du Langoustier, Corsica
S PA I N Porquerolles Adriatic
Sea
I TA LY
Ponza A LBA N IA
Sardinia Tyrrhenian
Sea
Corfu G REE C E
Balearic Is. Stromboli Ionian
Aeolian Is. Sea Levkas Nidri
The Mediterranean Sea Messina Fiskardo
Kefalonia
0 100nm Sicily
Strait of Messina
TIPS FOR SAILING FROM THE SOUTH OF FRANCE TO GREECE

Q The rules seem to be Those who fail to do this can meteofrance.com and the
changing all the time, but face a fine of €500 and boats Windy app (apart from that
currently all non-EU boats can be temporarily glitch off Toulon). Windy was
entering Greece are required impounded. Boat insurance is remarkably accurate all along
to get a transit log. The also now compulsory for the Italian coast.
customs officer who issued non-EU boats and the Q If you visit Ponza, check out
ours was very clear that we paperwork should be in the pizzeria on the quay. It is
could only use the boat in English and Greek; the much cheaper than
Greek waters for six months original insurance certificate any of the fancy restaurants
out of 12. The rest of the time, must also be carried. in town.
the boat either had to leave Q The only documentation
the country or be we were required to show USEFUL PUBLICATIONS:
‘immobilised’, either out of during the whole trip was the Q Ionian by Rod and Lucinda
the water or afloat. The boat’s registration document Heikell 10th edition (Imray,
period of immobilisation had – the Small Ships Register– £22.50)
to be certified by a boatyard the boat’s insurance policy Q Italian Waters Pilot by Rod
and the transit log had to be and our passports. No one and Lucinda Heikell, 10th
handed into customs for that seemed interested in seeing edition (Imray £45)
period. From June 2022, it VAT documentation – let Q Mediterranean France and
was compulsory for transit alone our COVID-19 passes. Corsica Pilot by Rod and
logs for non-EU boats to be Q The best forecast for Lucinda Heikell, 6th edition
stamped at every port visited. France was from (Imray, £45)
Lion put paid to that idea, and instead the

weather apps suggested we’d be better off heading
to northern Corsica and from there to Italy before
heading south, to make the most of the wind coming
off the mainland.
After a quick lunch and swim off the Iles d’Hyères,
we set course for Cape Corse, the northernmost tip of
Corsica. We had hoped to make landfall in one of the
many small harbours there, but as land came in sight
the following morning a fresh southerly breeze
sprang up. Rather than bashing to windward with no
exact destination, we decided to use the wind to our
advantage and carried on eastwards towards Elba,
arriving at the exquisite fortified harbour of
Portoferraio at dusk. We had covered 152 miles in 27
hours, and suddenly the prospect of reaching Greece
seemed slightly more attainable.
And so we fell into a routine, spending a day, a
night and another day at sea followed by a night in
harbour. It might sound gruelling, but we invariably
enjoyed leisurely mornings in harbour having coffees Ex-chef James
and pastries and going shopping, heading off after kept the crew’s
lunch to catch the afternoon breeze and arriving at bellies full
our next destination in early evening, in time for a
ADVENTURE
ABOVE: Zelda is a meal or a drink ashore. Everyone realised this was

Freedom 33 and primarily a delivery cruise, so there was a strong
has an unstayed sense of shared mission which, if anything, grew as
‘cat ketch’ rig.
It has no jib or we clocked up the miles south.
genoa sheets We all fell in love with Portoferraio, though I
was shocked at the €76 mooring fee, especially
RIGHT: It is best to considering the complete lack of facilities for
anchor on the west
side of the bay at visiting yachties. Luckily, it was the only place
Ponza, clear of the apart from Cannes where we had to pay for a
ferries. Here, it is mooring, and it was worth it to soak up the unique
also sheltered from mix of glamour and tangible history. Elba was where
all directions Napoleon was sent to exile, and his presence still
expect north-
easterlies and permeates the island.
easterlies From Elba we sailed to Ponza, another 32-hour run
for 172 miles, with a fine wind aft of the beam as we
BELOW: sailed along the coast of Tuscany. It was on this leg
Celebrating arrival
in Greece at a that we started one of those silly games which keep
taverna in sailors going during the long hours at sea. I was
Kefalonia feeling a bit hot in my T-shirt so I borrowed one of
Laurence’s Hawaiian shirts and, as soon as I put it on
and sat behind the wheel, I was reminded of a photo
of Mick Jagger at the helm of a yacht in Hawaii in the
1970s. So we set about recreating the scene for our
own photoshoot. And of course once we had done
one, we had to do them all. So, over the next few days,
Matt posed as David Crosby, Laurence as Simon Le
Bon and, most challenging of all, James as Greta to see it huff and puff, sending small showers of
Thunberg. What can I say? It kept us amused. sparks into the night sky. The following day, Matt,
Laurence and James signed up for a walking tour up
LIVING THE HIGH LIFE the side of the crater to get a closer look, while I
Ponza is very much a resort for wealthy and middle stayed on board to keep an eye on the boat.
class Italians, who come flooding out of Rome and Less than an hour after they got back, at 0045, we
Naples for the holidays. It was a fun place to spend a set off again – not just because we were in a tearing
night or two, but I couldn’t imagine spending much hurry (which we were) but because we wanted to get
longer there. And so to the Strait of Messina at the right time for the
the next day we set off south-going current. The stream in the narrow
again, this time passage between Sicily and mainland Italy is said to
headed for Stromboli, flow at up to 3 knots, creating whirlpools at the
one of the Aeolian narrowest bit – immortalised in The Odyssey as
Islands just north of Scylla and Charybdis. More prosaically, our early
Sicily, which we made start meant we got to the fuelling quay at Paradiso,
in 29 hours for 166 just north of Messina, in opening hours and were able
miles. Stromboli is to fuel up and stock up with food before the last big
famous for its active leg of our voyage.
volcano, and that By 1000, we were off again and in no time we were
evening we duly made enjoying the best sail of the whole trip, with a frisky
the pilgrimage by boat Force 4 sweeping us through the Strait at a steady 6-7
ADVENTURE
A frisky Force 4 swept us through the strait at a steady

6-7 knots. Zelda flew along being her best self
knots. This time, even I didn’t regret having enough time to enjoy a night in Fiskardo, at the
slightly too much sail up, as Zelda flew along being northern end of Kefalonia, before heading over to
her best self. Nidri, where we handed the boat over to the Vliho
It didn’t last, of course, and the whole of the Yacht Club, run by Vicky and Ruairi Bradley, and
following day and night we motored across a caught our flights back home.
flat calm sea to cover the 210 miles between Italy Mission accomplished. Although, with the boat
and Kefalonia. It should have been torture, but now based in Greece, the question arises: what next?
there’s something surprisingly meditative about First off, there’s the whole of Greece to get
being surrounded by nothing but glassy sea for reacquainted with, and after that there’s Albania,
hours on end. Croatia and Turkey. Our adventures have only
just begun...
JOURNEY’S END
Early the next morning, the mountains of Kefalonia
and Levkas emerged from over the horizon. Fifty NIC COMPTON
years after I first crossed over from Italy to Greece by Nic Compton is a freelance writer and photographer
boat as a child, the landscape still moves me in a way specialising in all things relating to the sea. He first
that nowhere else does. Arriving there after a sailed from France to Greece on his parents’
two-month journey and having travelled 1,800 miles liveaboard yacht 50 years ago and has been a
made it even more special. grecophile ever since. He sails a cat-rigged Freedom
Amazingly, we had managed to sail from Port St 33, built in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, in 1982.
Louis to Greece in just under two weeks. We had just
PILOTAGE
PLAYING
THE TIDES
The Raz de Sein has a bad reputation but is sometimes
friendly. Ken Endean explains why, and how,
to conquer this Breton passage
Words and pictures Ken Endean
Andia/Alamy Stock Photo
Île de Sein is a
straggling line of
gravel banks. It is
a good overnight
stop for timing the
next leg through
the Chenal du Four
PILOTAGE
KEN ENDEAN, waters between columns since 1977 and

a sailing instructor Scotland and Biscay. is the author of Adlard
at the age of 20, He has been a Coles’ Channel Havens,
spent the next 34 regular contributor and Coastal Turmoil:
years in the construction to Yachting Monthly and Winds, Waves and
industry but also cruised Practical Boat Owner’s Tidal Races. He and his
extensively in home cruising and pilotage wife, Mary sail a Sabre 27.
Skippers who risk the Raz with the Racing through
currents flowing fast are often relieved the Raz, past La

Vieille lighthouse
and La Plate
and puzzled to find it placid beacon, which
mark inshore rocks
very year, hundreds of yachts for the currents to distort and steepen, but
head south, around the western those currents can work the same trick on swell
corner of Brittany, bound for the waves, even in windless weather. In other words,
warm weather and golden a freshening wind over a flat sea may mean that
beaches of North Biscay. Most the Raz is merely turbulent, whereas a long, smooth
passage plans will give particular swell is quite likely to rear up and break chaotically.
attention to the Raz de Sein, a Atlantic swell from the west tends to wrap around
tidal gate that has a reputation the Chaussée de Sein and then swing into the Raz
for rough water and for which pilot books publish from both NW and SW, when wave-against-tide
emphatic health warnings. Twenty miles south of conditions can occur on both flood and ebb streams.
Brest, Pointe du Raz sticks out into the Atlantic and a Even at slack water, the criss-crossing of swell waves
long reef, the Chaussée de Sein, extends for another may cause a very disturbed sea.
15 miles, with the Raz a two-mile-wide gap near its The Raz also owes part of its evil reputation
inshore end. Tidal streams pour across the reef and to the way it is presented in pilot books and other
BELOW: Sailing through this gap, where the overfalls can be severe. publications, usually with aerial photos of white
across the Raz on
a day without big Standard advice is that wind-against-tide conditions water tearing over the inshore rocks, which are
waves: the surface may be hazardous and a passage through should marked by La Vieille lighthouse and La Plate
is turbulent but flat be undertaken at slack water. However, skippers beacon. It looks terrifying but that is not the real
who risk the Raz with the Raz passage, which is to seaward of the beacon
currents flowing fast are and less apocalyptic.
often relieved and puzzled Of course, it is possible to avoid these
to find it placid. complications by tracking out to the west and
The explanation is that right around the Chaussée de Sein, but that could
‘wind against tide’ does not add 20 or 30 miles; most skippers opt for the
necessarily indicate rough inshore route. If the sea state in the Raz is expected
water. Overfalls are caused to be unfriendly and the decision is to go through at
by the interaction of waves slack water, it is still possible to save an hour or more
and currents, rather than by taking advantage of the complex tidal pattern.
wind and currents. If the During the north-going flood, while the main current
wind is strong and blows rushes through the Raz, eddies or counter-currents
for long enough, it may begin to form downstream of Pointe du Raz and
create suitably large waves Île de Sein. On the mainland side, the main eddy
PILOTAGE
Île de Sein is ideal for

playing the tides and a very
interesting place to visit
ABOVE: Most is in the Baie des Trépassés but it has several drying
yachts visiting and shallow rock patches and can be uncomfortable
Île de Sein anchor in onshore winds. On the island side, the main
near to Men
Brial lighthouse, current is weaker and the eddy north of Île de Sein
although check will extend south to form the first of the ebb stream,
tides as it can so a yacht riding on that counter-current should clear
be shallow the Raz before the main tide changes. For a yacht
RIGHT: The Raz
heading north, against the last of the ebb, the eddy
at slack water but south of Pointe du Raz will perform the same service
with a 2m criss- and start flowing north past the point about an hour
cross swell before the main stream reverses.
BELOW: The inner
harbour at Île de HEADING FOR THE SUN
Sein has secure Many south-bound crews aim to make day sails
drying berths between coastal ports and anchorages. North of the hours. The yacht will then run into a foul tide off
Iroise, the narrow estuary at L’Aberildut makes a Pointe de Penmarc’h but the prevailing wind
cosy overnight stop and from there a leg of about direction is westerly and in fine summer weather
60 miles will take a yacht right around Pointe de the sea breeze effect often generates a brisk afternoon
Penmarc’h. In both the Chenal du Four and the Raz blow from the north west. An alternative plan is to
de Sein, the tide turns to the south at about HW Brest carry one ebb tide from the Chenal du Four and
-0030. One good tidal through the Raz, then plug a contrary current across
strategy is to pass Audierne Bay before picking up the next favourable
through the Chenal du tide after Penmarc’h. The busy fishing port of Le
Four with the last of a Guilvinec is a possible destination; three miles
south-going ebb, then further east, Lesconil has a yacht pontoon.
sail across the Iroise If the weather conditions are adverse or the tide
against weak north- times unsuitable, there are intermediate harbours.
going currents to catch North of the Raz, Camaret is favourite, with Morgat
the next ebb stream at offering shelter but less convenient facilities. Between
the Raz de Sein, giving the Raz and Penmarc’h, the only well-protected port
favourable currents is Audierne but it has a shallow entrance. Instead,
across Audierne Bay anchor in the adjacent Sainte Évette harbour, which
for the next 3 or 4 feels some swell but is easier to enter and leave.
PILOTAGE
Hemis/Alamy Stock Photo

0 20nm Ile de Batz
Roscoff
Chenal L’Aber Wrac’h N

du Four L’Aber Benoit
Ile d’Ouessant
L’Aberildut
Often the most convenient harbour is Île de Sein. Ile de Molène Brest ABOVE: Near
It is closer to the direct track than any of the Pointe de St Mathieu Audierne, Sainte
Anse de Bertheaume
Camaret Évette anchorage
mainland harbours and is also ideal for playing the Morgat F R A N C E
Raz de has shelter from
tides, because a boat that anchors at the island can IROISE
Sein west and north
depart at any time to suit the next favourable stream. Chausée de Sein Douarnenez
Île de Sein Audierne/Sainte Évette
And it is a very interesting place to visit.
Audierne
Pointe du Raz Bay Benodet
ISLAND IN THE STREAM Loctudy
Le Guilvinec Lescoil
The island consists largely of gravel banks which Pointe de Penmarc’h
collected on the reef as long, curving spits that were
then turned into a harbour by the addition of
detached breakwaters. A frontage of substantial Leading Line A:
Chenal d’Ar Vas Du. Cornoc-An-Ar-Braden
houses hints at its prosperous history, with a large Black stripe on white Ezaudi An Nerroth
fishing fleet, although it is now essentially a holiday house, just to the left A Plumbara
of Men Brial LH 187°
destination where narrow alleys lead between quaint Leading Line B: Sein B Cornoc-Ar-
Chenal Oriental. Vas-Nevez
stone cottages. A couple of shops sell provisions while White beacon with Men Brial Pelven
bars and cafés serve day-trippers. orange cap, at west Ar Gouelvan
of island, just to the
Most visiting yachts anchor off the Men Brial light right of northern An ILE DE SEIN
Nerroth white
0
or further south, depending on height of tide. There is beacon 265° 1nm
Le Chat
deeper water further north, near the main ferry jetty. Chausée Tévennec
The wide inner harbour dries but for yachts that can de Sein
R A Z D E SE I N
take the ground, this is the most secure anchorage. Baie des
Trépassés
Keep clear of the buoyed channel that leads through Sein LH La Plate
Men Brial LH Pointe du Raz
ILE DE SEIN La Vielle
the approach to an inner jetty, which is used by the 0 2nm LH
Le Chat
ferries above half tide. Given wind from a southerly
quarter, and not much swell, it is also possible to
anchor off the north side of the island at the sandy
bight close to the Sein lighthouse. cross-current that might disorient the helmsman.
A passage through the Raz should pose no On line A, the rock Ezaudi is a useful lateral mark
navigational difficulties, as there is a two-mile width and Plumbara performs the same service for Line B.
of deep water. Close to the north, the small island of Given enough rise of tide, there is also a shortcut
Tévennec is surrounded by a half-mile fringe of into the harbour, close north of the Pelven beacon.
shallow and drying rocks, but there is plenty of room
to avoid it on either side. Close to the south of the HEADING BACK HOME
Raz it is advisable to steer clear of two small shoal On a north-bound passage in fine weather, a NW sea
patches. When the sea is flat these rocky lumps induce breeze will mean a long beat across Audierne Bay and
only vigorous turbulence but when the Raz is cutting perhaps a pause at Audierne/Ste Évette. Anse de
up rough this turns into particularly violent overfalls. Bertheaume, just east of Pte de St Mathieu, is another
For tide-dodging closer to the mainland, there is good anchorage. In depression-driven weather a
deep water close to La Plate beacon. On the island south-westerly wind would be fair, but if there are
side, Le Chat beacon is helpful for south-bound craft sizable waves or swell, the Raz will be rough until
but is close to the drying rocks and should be avoided. the tide swings north. However, in winds from a
The Île de Sein chartlet shows the two most useful southerly quarter Île de Sein is a good overnight stop
leading lines for approaching the harbour. These and ideal for timing the next leg though the Chenal
both have handy above-water rocks to supplement du Four, when it should be possible to carry a fair
the transit marks in case of poor visibility or a tide for up to 9 Hours, to L’AberWrac’h or beyond.
GUEST COLUMN
MONTY
HALLS
A simple question
of physics
Monty, his family, and golden retriever
Luna are getting to grips with cruising
ealth and safety. Risk
assessments. I get off on
that stuff, I really do. Many
years of running expeditions,
organising film shoots,
and a decade in the Royal
Marines has given me a
keen appetite for a form to
fill in, a furrowed brow, and a doomsday scenario.
And so I was entirely justified in having just a brief
moment of wondering how I had ended up in this
particular situation. As I fell backwards, a large, wriggling
golden retriever held aloft, and a collapsible wooden boat
Monty Halls
disintegrating beneath me, my last thought as we hit the
surface of the River Dart was that perhaps
I should have thought this through a bit more.
Possibly I could be excused by the fact that it is very
early in my nascent sailing career, and that I was very So what is the first thing you do when you buy a new
excited by my new yacht and the curved blue horizon that vessel? Spend a night on it of course. And so the great
awaits me and the family. There is a delightfully seductive amphibious operation began. Having rowed the few boat
phase of any yachtsman’s career, a period of giddy lengths from the mooring to the cove, I picked up Tam and
romance, euphoria even, when one surveys the sleek lines the dog, leaving the girls on the beach to await my return.
of your new vessel. I say sleek; the yacht in question is a Tam leapt nimbly aboard, and turned to receive
Colvic 34, essentially a fibreglass icebreaker that shouts the dog. Now, our dog, Luna, doesn’t trust me an inch
‘family friendly’ rather than ‘hydrodynamic perfection’. when I’m in, on, or under the water. She can sense the
She’s a grand old dame is Sobek, mellow and plump, with incompetence a mile off. She is also closer to the size of a
a broad beam and kindly disposition. lioness than a dog. Now imagine a middle-aged man lifting
Fitted out decades ago in mahogany and other hardwoods said reluctant lioness above his head whilst balancing in a
by a pair of marijuana-puffing artisanal craftsman, her wobbly folding wooden dinghy.
accommodation is genteel and impeccably If I’m honest, I did well, up to the point
crafted, with more than a touch of drawing room MONTY HALLS is a former that Luna got her rear paws against the
about it. Sobek is the first inanimate object with Royal Marine, a marine topsides and gave a desperate push. Simple
which I’ve fallen in love. Time will tell whether biologist, and an expedition physics could lead to only one inevitable
our relationship – still in its breathless early leader. He has organised conclusion. On regaining the surface, I saw
stages – will flourish or founder. numerous conservation an alarmed Tam, and no dog. The
I’ve actually been messing about on boats and filming projects now-inverted tender, however, was moving
most of my adult life. As a marine biologist, globally but none of them away like a loggerhead turtle, propelled by a
former Commando, and a documentary film- under sail. It is a situation dog desperately paddling for shore on the
maker, I’m a qualified commercial powerboat he is keen to rectify with search for a new owner.
skipper. But, that was a wee while ago, and my his Colvic 34. He lives in ‘Do you need a hand?’ came a bellow across
sailing knowledge involved a drunken booze Dartmouth with his wife the water. The elegant yacht, full of elegant
cruise in 1993 from Plymouth to the Isles of Tam, and his two young people, moored 100 metres away, had been
Scilly, on which we in fact bottled it in daughters Isla and Molly. watching the whole process aghast, and were
Falmouth and spent the week eating cream All are deeply suspicious now hastily preparing lifebuoys and lines.
teas before returning home. of his new venture! ‘I’m absolutely fine thanks’ I lied.
But that was then, and this is now. Having got Luna aboard the boat and
I have two little girls who love the sea, having bailed out the tender, the man who
spent their formative years in the Galapagos rowed back to collect the girls was a
Islands. Today we live in Dartmouth where the fraction wiser. The next day I went home
whiff of ozone calls to us from the ocean. and booked onto a Day Skipper course.
CRUISING LOG
YOURCRUISING
Send your sailing gossip,
diary dates, cruising news
and club or owners’
COMMUNITY
association updates
to Katy Stickland
katy.stickland@futurenet.com
Sailing therapy for positive mental health

A pilot project to bring together marine RIGHT: Many of those
conservation and social outreach has been referred to the Ocean
launched in Cornwall. Well Being Project had
The not-for-profit organisation, Clean never sailed before
Ocean Sailing worked with Cornish charities
A Band of Brothers, Thera Sea and Simons BELOW: Participants
House, along with the NHS, to run the Ocean sailed on the 115-year-
Well Being Project, offering sailing trips to old schooner,
help people look after their mental health as The Annette
well as learn about plastic pollution. Over
three days, participants carried out
environmental projects like beach cleaning,
alongside self-development workshops
with mental health professionals. The three-
Clean Ocean Sailing

day cruise took place on the 66ft gaff rigged
schooner, The Annette. The project was
funded by the charity Sea-Changers,
which delivers grants to UK marine
charities and non-profits for conservation
and research projects.
The founder of Clean Ocean Sailing, Steve experience both for crew and new much more and has prompted me to think
Green, thanked Sea-Changers for their participants next sailing season,’ he said. about how I can change my own perspective
support. ‘We really hope that the success of One participant in the pilot project said it on my life and the opportunities in it; there’s
the Ocean Well Being Project will attract had changed their life. just so much more out there.’
more support to run such a transformative ‘That change in perspective revealed so www.yachtingmonthly.com/oceanwellbeing
Sian makes Support for

history Wetwheels
SBS BoatLife has confirmed the Wetwheels
Sian Reynolds has been appointed chair of Foundation as its charity for the 2023 boat
the Royal Yachting Association Cymru Wales show. Wetwheels provides boating
(RYA CW). The former Welsh Sailing Team experiences to all disabled people via fully
captain is the first female chair of the board accessible, purpose-built powerboats.
and the youngest ever appointed. SBS BoatLife will be running from 16-19 Feb
Reynolds, who still races regularly and was 2023 at the NEC in
the first female at the 2021 Welsh Birmingham. www.
Championships, is also an RYA race coach boatlifeevents.com
for dinghies and keelboats and an RYA Sian has been involved with RYA CW for almost
regional judge. 30 years as a member of the Welsh Sailing Team Wetwheels operates
‘Boating has and will continue to play a out of Whitby, Dover,
Wetwheels
major role in my life and I am passionate get afloat and enjoy the benefits of Falmouth, Jersey, the
about ensuring that there are opportunities boating, for generations to come,’ said Solent and the
for all of our communities across Wales to Reynolds, who also practices as a solicitor. Hamble river
SCUTTLEBUTT
BOATING UNDER TROLLING FOR FISH TIPS CROSSING FROM THE

THE INFLUENCE Set the lure so that it’s still in your wake. NETHERLANDS TO THE UK
Never when under way. To be honest, I The theory is that the fish cannot see it The two obvious destinations are
probably don’t when at anchor either clearly, so they go for the strike in panic. Lowestoft and the Orwell, anything in
because you still have to be ready to Use bright coloured lures on a dull/ between will be tide dependent and
react. Bouba overcast day and dull coloured lures on a possibly not inviting in a southwesterly
bright, sunny day. Stingo Force 6-7; after that it is day sailing again.
Fr J Hackett
To share your view, pose a question or discuss other topics, go to the Yachting Monthly Scuttlebutt at www.ybw.com/forums
CRUISING LOG
DEE VISITS UKSA BARRY YC GOES PINK CLASSIC CHANNEL REGATTA DATES
Dee Caffari has shared her Round A fashion show hosted by the Barry Yacht Club in The Regatta from Dartmouth to St Peter Port and
Britain and Island Race experience Wales has raised £800 for Breast Cancer Now, to be then Paimpol in Brittany has been announced for
to help inspire students at UKSA spent on research, treatment and health education 17-25 July 2024. www.classic-channel-regatta.eu
DIARY DATES
Translated 9 was originally
ADC Accutrac, which was
skippered by Clare Francis in BOOT DÜSSELDORF, 21-29 January,
the 1977-78 Whitbread at Düsseldorf, www.boot.com
around the World Race
THE CRUISING ASSOCIATION’S
CHANNEL SECTION SEMINAR, 28
January, at CA House, London, www.
theca.org.uk/channel-seminar-2023
BOATLIFE LIVE, 16-19 February, at
NEC, Birmingham, www.
boatlifeevents.com
RYA DINGHY & WATERSPORTS
SHOW, 25-26 February, at
Farnborough International,
Hampshire, www.rya.org.uk/events/
dinghy-show
LONDON LUXURY AFLOAT SHOW,
18-22 April at St Katharine Docks,
London, www.londonluxuryafloat.com
Plenty of dinghies to
view at the RYA Dinghy
& Watersports Show
SOUTHERN OCEAN TRIALS FOR TRANSLATED 9

The refitted Swan 65, Translated 9, is now heading for the Southern Ocean to finish selecting its crew and start
Paul Wyeth
training for the 2023 Ocean Globe Race.
Over 1,000 non-professional crew have applied for a position on the yacht – 40 of them have made it to the
final stage. The final crew will be announced in Alicante before Southern Ocean training.
Children’s Thurrock Yacht Club ‘an asset’

watersports
centre saved Thurrock Yacht Club in Grays, Essex has been recognised as an ‘asset of community
value’ by the local council.
The leader of Thurrock Council, Mark Coxshall, has also announced he will look at
A campaign to save a children’s developing the area as a maritime centre, including facilities for the local Sea Scouts.
watersports activity centre in Cornwall has Thurrock YC has been based at Kilverts Wharf since 1946. It has recently
raised enough money to buy the building. reintroduced dinghy sailing, buying new boats to open up sailing to everyone.
The Roseland Centre charity wants to Club members believe that being recognised as an asset will help protect the yacht
provide sports like sailing, kayaking and club’s site from future development and raise awareness of the role sailing clubs play
canoeing. The centre was used by the RYA, in local communities.
and was run by Cornwall County Council
before it closed. The Roseland Centre
charity was given the option to buy the
centre, and has now raised £200,000 to
cover the purchase. It is raising a further
£40,000 for re-start costs and wages.
www.yachtingmonthly.com/roseland
G Scammell/Alamy Stock Photo
Thurrock Yacht Club has one

of the largest fleets of club-
owned boat in the south east
£200,000 has been raised to save the centre
YOURCRUISING Martin Frobisher, 54, is a railway
engineer and has just started sailing,
Martin Frobisher
after achieving his RYA Day Skipper
STORIES
with First Class Sailing. He owns the
Rustler 31, Freya.
Greg helming Rustler

31 Freja on their first
adventure to Ireland
Hoist the
kettle! The long-keeled hull glided
beautifully across the
Martin Frobisher
Irish Sea
Martin Frobisher shares his
experiences owning a boat and
sailing in the UK for the first time
O
wning my own boat has The wind can really howl and worries about LET THE SAILING BEGIN
always been a dream of seasickness led me to choose a heavy, After much anticipation, June arrived. We
mine, but my busy schedule long-keeled boat. I bought the Rustler 31, drove to Southampton, the crew buzzing
always gave me the excuse Freja. She’s old but seaworthy, having been with excitement. But we soon found a
to avoid taking the plunge. built in 1966. Back then, they used plenty serious problem. The yacht had a blown
However, last year was different. My friend, of fibreglass and made the hulls thick. head gasket. It was Cowes Week and there
Kit, convinced me to fulfil my long-held An experienced delivery crew from were no alternatives available. We were
desire. I took some holiday at Christmas and Halcyon Yachts brought Freja from heartbroken but in fairness to First Class
was gutted to test positive for COVID-19 on Oban, Scotland, to Pwllheli in some wild Sailing, there wasn’t much the firm could do.
the first day. Lockdown rules were strict and I weather. By April, Freja was ready but Staff fixed the head gasket as quickly as
was stuck at home. I made good use of the we weren’t trained. For two months she possible and were generous with
time and completed the RYA Day Skipper was just a caravan. compensation. We made an alternative plan
theory course. I quickly became immersed I spent the time kitting her out. I got some and decided to complete the Day Skipper
and a holiday which had an inauspicious great bargains and made some big mistakes. course on little Freja. We swapped a
start turned out to be a very enjoyable Most notably buying a liferaft for £50. comfortable yacht in the sheltered waters of
experience. I was hooked and booked family I planned to get it properly serviced but the Solent for Freja and gales in the Irish
and friends on training courses with First sadly it was too old. Nobody would touch it. Sea. Our instructor, Alan, was experienced.
Class Sailing in Southampton. I reasoned I found an alternative use. I teach Sunday He kept us safe. And Freja flew!
that with the sheltered waters of the Solent, School and planned a lesson with a tenuous Beginners make mistakes and we made
a comfortable boat and a group of good link to the liferaft. The children let it off plenty. We didn’t keep hold of the main
friends, what could possibly go wrong? in the church graveyard and we had a halyard. It flapped in the wind and wrapped
My nearest coast is in North Wales. wonderful morning. With hindsight, the itself around the radar reflector. No amount
It’s beautiful but wild and mountainous. liferaft worked perfectly. of tugging would shift it. Eventually we
CRUISING LOG
Martin and his friends Libby and

Greg did their Day Skipper aboard
Freja in the Irish Sea before
returning to the Solent
figured that if we could get the end of the

halyard to the bow, then we could swing it
free. But how to pass it over the spreader?
Our solution was to tie a heavy weight and
swing it over the spreader. We went looking
for a suitable object. The kettle full of water
seemed perfect. Alan chuckled but he let us
make our own mistakes. Not surprisingly, it
covered us with water. We then tied a heavy
fender. It worked perfectly. Alan teased us
about the kettle.
After a few days we returned to
Southampton. We were in for a shock. There
were ships everywhere! The rest of the Day
Martin Frobisher
Skipper course was magical.
As summer progressed, we did plenty of
sailing. We have had the exhilaration of
windy days; on hot, still, days we sat at
anchor and swam.
Justin, an experienced delivery skipper, nightmare. Somebody likened her to a paper vicious on the Irish side and our speed over
gave us intensive boat handling tuition. This aeroplane. It glides beautifully when you ground was more than 9 knots as we were
was invaluable. Freja’s long keel is amazing throw it forward. Throw it backwards and it’s heading south into Arklow.
at sea, but in a tight marina she’s a impossible to guess which way it will go. The harbourmaster was very kind to us.
He wanted to make sure we had plenty of
CROSSING THE SEA fuel for the return journey and drove us to
We finished the season with a proper the local petrol station.
N adventure and sailed Freja across the Irish Arriving in Ireland was surreal. It’s a
Sea. It was amazing. We had three days foreign country but we just walked into town
of great sailing. We motor-sailed for and ordered a pint of Guinness.
much of the way but also We ‘raised the kettle’ to our Day Skipper
St George’s
Dublin Channel experienced short periods where instructor, Alan, in Arklow and sent him the
Anglesey
the wind reached 22 knots and photo, thanking him for great tuition.
Freja showed her true potential. Our trip home was even better. A family of
WALES
IRELAND We slept well at anchor dolphins swam with us for nearly two hours,
North Bardsey
Arklow Sound Pwllhelli before an early start for the constantly splashing and showing off. As we
Arklow tidal gate at Bardsey Sound. approached the Welsh coast, the wind
Arklow Bank
We timed it perfectly and got 3 picked up and Freja came alive, romping
South Bardsey I. knots of extra boost. home to her home port of Pwllheli.
Arklow Cardigan
Bay
We passed the Arklow North It’s now time to plan our next adventures.
IRISH SEA
Cardinal Buoy with the tide We will soon be ‘raising the kettle’ in many
running in our favour. The tides are new and exciting places.
0 20nm
Martin Frobisher
Martin Frobisher
The return leg was complemented by dolphins

Martin Frobisher
Learning the ropes

on the Solent Raising the kettle to instructor Alan after their
successful passage to Arklow
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71
A BOOK AT BUNKTIME
w w w . y a c h t i n g m o n t h l y . c o m / b o o k s
Building struggles
Following his self-imposed challenge to build a clinker the mist of the past. Perhaps more than any other element
dinghy for his young daughter, Phoebe, Jonathan Gornall of the clinker-built boat, it is in the stem that the genotype
has set himself up with tools, a shed, wood and plenty of is most readily recognised, and can be traced through the
good advice. Now he must make a start. ages, all the way back from my humble Nottage dinghy to
the magnificent, 75ft fourth-century Nydam
10 FEBRUARY 2017 oak ship, unearthed in a Danish bog in 1863
So this is it. Day Zero. Crunch time – and the world’s oldest known clinker-built
the point to which all the fine talk and boat. Even the word ‘stem’ – from the old
day-dreaming about building a traditional English stemn, Old Norse stamn and Old
wooden boat has been leading, the money- High German stam, and cited in the epic
where-mouth-is moment, when romantic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, thought to have
notion must strap on its spikes and been written in the seventh or eighth
prepare to leap the hurdle of reality. century– has its linguistic roots in the
In my hands I am finally holding a heavy heyday of the Viking age.
chunk of rough-sawn oak about 800mm Romance aside, I have another reason
long, 150mm wide and 80mm thick. The for wanting to get on with the stem. I am
very weight of it, the texture, the smell – painfully aware that of all the tasks ahead
even the taste of it, somehow, borne on the of me, sculpting this subtle, graceful form,
air – signal to my five senses and, perhaps, which will define the very essence of the
a sixth, that I am poised on a threshold. HOW TO boat, is among the most challenging I face
A tree that has grown for more than 100 BUILD A BOAT and I am keen to have it behind me. [...]
years has been felled, as trees have been JONATHAN GORNALL First I tape down the plan onto the piece of
toppled by human hands for millennia. Simon and Schuster, £9.99 plywood from which the template for the
This small part of it has found its way to stem will be cut, then I start tap-tapping
me and, through me, if all goes well, it will Check out our online book club panel pins in along the outline. It seems to
find a new lease of life, not as a piece of for many more recommended be going well, if slowly. Eventually with plan
furniture, or, God forbid, firewood – but titles and where to buy them and pins removed, I set about joining up the
as the noble stem of a beautiful boat. [..] from YM literary contributor, dots with a pencil and, so far, so good. And I
Making the stem doesn’t have to be the Julia Jones have reached a bit of a moment – I am about
first task I tackle. It is, after all, only to execute my very first piece of actual
one of six component parts that, when woodwork, albeit in an operation on a piece
assembled, will make up the boat’s backbone – the of cheap, easily replaced plywood.
‘centreline’, in the jargon – which has to be completed I clamp the plywood to one of two Black & Decker
before anything else can be done. But of the six parts, none Workmates I have added to my arsenal and power up my
has haunted my sleep with such symbolic intensity as the brand-new jigsaw. I’m about halfway along one side when
stem. As the foremost part of the boat, the stem is the just in time I realise I am about to saw right through the
pathway, moving through the water ahead of all the other cable. I have reached another moment, and one that could
components, and so it seems only right that this is where well have been my last. Lesson learnt. I realign the
my voyage of discovery should begin. Workmate so the plug socket is behind me. From that
But the stem is also the part of the boat that looms out of moment on I will always take a moment or two to think
BOOK CLUB
Julia Jones reviews the latest maritime reading
BLIND BAY
HOOKERS
90
9.
£1
Fred Westrupp & Jon Tucker, Storm Bay Books
Blind Bay is the former name for Tasman Bay at the
north end of New Zealand’s South Island. Its main city
is Nelson. British immigrants arrived in the early 1840s
deluded by false promises from fraudulent land
speculators. Fred Westrupp’s forebears were among
them. Some of the most resourceful used wood from
unfamiliar trees to build sailing boats on the beaches
where they’d landed. Their basic design was the hooker.
In these they began to explore the challenging waters
of the Cook Strait and Tasman Sea to import the
provisions and materials they needed
to survive. This intensely local
story speaks for the toughness,
determination and frequent tragedies
of communities trading under sail in
rough waters.
There are some fascinating insights
into the attitude of the native Maori
people to these new developments in
boat building.
about the relationship between electric cables, power tools,

and life.
Finally, the template is out and – near death experience
aside – everything appears to have gone well. In fact, so
disproportionately pleased am I with the result that I pose
NORTH SEA
PASSAGE PILOT
50
for a selfie – my first ever, I should add – smiling smugly
2.
£3
with the template in my hands. I am, briefly, hugely
encouraged. How slippery the slope from hubris to bathos. (7th edition), Garth Cooper, Imray This new edition of
I nearly quit for the day right there then. In fact, I am on Brian Navin’s essential work has been thoroughly
my way to get my coat and cycle home with the good news revised by East Coast expert Garth Cooper and cut
when, on a whim, I think maybe I ought to place the to little more than half of its previous length.
template over the plan to check that all is well. And all is This has been achieved by reducing (or bundling
not well. Somehow, the shape I’ve created does not quite together) the recommended crossings from 22 to 18 and
conform to the drawing. [...] doing away with the pilotage section almost entirely.
Then, as I gaze forlornly at the plans, I realise I have Only the few main harbours are included. For all
also forgotten to transfer onto the template from the plans secondary destinations yachts will need the East Coast
the waterlines and the all-important ‘rabbet’, or rebate Pilot or Cruising Guide to the Netherlands. There’s logic
middle line. The waterlines, four horizontal lines drawn at to this, but I predict many people will continue to keep
different positions on the plan, from which measurements their 6th edition on board for convenience.
are made and against which bearings are checked The timings in this edition have been revised to suit
throughout the building of a boat, are crucial for an 11m yacht capable of an average 6-knot cruising
determining that everything is coming together on the speed. That may be realistic for modern yachts, though it
level. The rebate middle line, which arcs gracefully down appears to involve a significant amount of motor-sailing.
either side of the stem, is just as important, for it But what about everyone else? The book is explicitly
determines the position of the forward edge of each of aimed at first time passage-makers; might it not have
the other planks that will make up the hull. been helpful to include tables based on different
In other words, my template is doubly useless. I delete anticipated averages, as exemplified in the recent guide
the selfie. Even if the template wasn’t wonky it would have Crossing The Thames Estuary?
to be made again. So, with what is to be the first of many, It’s an essential book, though not always an
many imaginative curses that will be uttered over the encouraging one. Some odd assumptions are made
coming months, I send the prototype template flying into about the abilities of different crews.
a corner of the shed. Husband and wife teams for instance
are advised to take two ‘able-bodied’
Jonathan Gornall is a freelance crew members with them!
British journalist, formerly with The Cooper is writing in the context of a
Times, who has lived and worked in fully post-Brexit world and his advice
the Middle East and is now based in on regulations, such as acceptable
the UK. Becoming a father in his 60s, food stores and written notification
he set himself the challenge to build of intent to travel, is likely to prove
his young daughter a boat. indispensable. His aim is to guide people
safely across ‘a cluttered sea’ and in this
he succeeds admirably.
BEST FROM THE METS SHOW
BEST NEW GEAR A jury of experts at the METS annual marine equipment trade show
have selected 2022’s most innovative boating products
ESSENTIAL LITHIUM
ION BATTERY
0
,12
£1
www.aceleronenergy.com
ELECTRONICS Designed to address growing concerns
about end-of-life battery disposal, this
neat stand-alone energy storage unit is
claimed to be the world’s first sustainable
lithium ion battery. Its ‘core’ can be easily
removed and either swapped or upgraded
when required. Built to be cobalt-free, it
comes equipped with Bluetooth and CanBus
for remote managing and monitoring, as
well as a comfortable carry handle for easy
lifting and sturdy rubber feet for stability.
SIMRAD NSX SMART
CHARTPLOTTER
49
RESCUEME PLB3
,6
£2
www.simrad-yachting.com LOCATOR BEACON
19
£5
Featuring integrated www.oceansignal.com
sonar, radar and
autopilot compatibility, Promising to improve the prospects
this impressive new device of a MOB rescue, this small, powerful
incorporates a handy setup new unit combines AIS and GPS with a
wizard that uses simple 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon (PLB).
step-by-step instructions to Just 20cm long and light enough (190g)
help you get all of its many to fit into your lifejacket, it sports
features and functions up Return Link Service (RLS) technology
and running quickly and which lets the casualty know their distress
very easily. Displays highly signal has been received.
detailed chart information via an
intuitive touchscreen which also benefits
from drag-and-drop customisation and
enhanced day and night modes.
Compatible with C-MAP X charts. Dame Overall Award Winner 2022
YACHTSENSE
LINK 4G MARINE
ROUTER IC-M510E VHF/AIS
50
,2
£1
www.raymarine.com RECEIVER
39
£7
The Link 4G router is able to switch https://icomuk.co.uk

from SIM 4G to WiFi to provide
constant internet access while also Described by the DAME judges as a
allowing you to connect your mobile and ‘well-designed Class-D DSC VHF
NMEA2000 data devices into one from a leading radio specialist’, the
unified network. Featuring a high-gain IC-M510E allows users to receive
antenna and dual SIM card sockets to AIS and see surrounding vessel
accommodate two mobile carriers, it will traffic in real time using iOS or
provide a GeoFence alert if your yacht Android apps, whilst being able
leaves its preset area. to make individual DSC calls to
other selected boats. Up to
three mobile devices can be
paired, and simple navigation
Marine Electronics: Category Winner functions will help you direct
your yacht to any AIS target.
ROLLABLE
BOAT HOOK
DECK https://revolve-tec.com
EQUIPMENT Highly practical 2m

& RIGGING boathook that emerges,
surprisingly and effectively, from
a tight 10cm roll of advanced
malleable composite material.
Light, strong and incredibly
compact it packs away much
smaller than any comparable
boathook, saving valuable space.
FXE ELECTRIC CODE Perfect for all types of boat,
SAIL FURLER especially those that can’t
accommodate a traditional
www.facnor.com boathook. The DAME judges
considered it to be ‘exceptionally
Developed by French innovative, incredibly practical,
09
furling specialist, and great fun to use’.
£1
Facnor, this neat, light
and surprisingly compact
multi-motor electric furler
is capable of handling CYCLOPS MARINE
Code Sails up to 140m². WIRELESS
Supplied as a complete
LOAD PIN
94
kit, including relay box,
£9
circuit breaker, deck www.cyclopsmarine.com
plugging, protection cover
and storage bag, it can Developed originally for
furl/unfurl the sail using high-performance racing,
wire or radio remote this robust wireless unit has been
OA
£P
control in a rapid 45 designed as a drop-in replacement

seconds, making it ideal for solo or for existing pins in the standing
short-crewed sailing, while drawing rigging of cruising yachts. Its data
no more than 20-25 Ah under load. can be displayed via onboard
displays or app for tablet, phone
and smart watch, providing critical
tuning and safety data to help
BOATASY performance and eliminate risk of
ROPECLEANER a rig failure due to overloading.
4
Comes pre-calibrated.
£3
www.boatasy.com/ropecleaner
This is a simple yet effective tool

with specially sharpened inner KARVER JAMMER
edges on its 6mm stainless steel square-
STAYSAIL KIT
57
sectioned spiral that can slice along the

,6
£1
length of the rope, removing all types of www.karver-systems.com

unwanted growth, including shells,
corals and algae. The DAME judges Effective method for
praised it for being ‘clever, clean and tensioning the staysail or
environmentally friendly’, plus it should storm jib, with all the convenience
negate the need to use harsh chemicals. of cockpit furling. Benefits from a
3:1 purchase on the tensioning
line, held in place by Karver’s
three-jaw KJ jammer, proven to
reduce chafe to ropes. Simply tug
on the light release line to free.
The lower bracket is compatible
with any tack plate, and the flying
furler, with its endless line, is also a
well-proven piece of kit. Available
for 8mm or 10mm lines with 1t or
1.5t working loads respectively.
BEST FROM THE METS SHOW
PERFORMANCE
SOUTHERN
LIFESAVING OCEAN SUIT
00
& SAFETY
£9
www.northsails.com
EQUIPMENT Designed to help protect

sailors heading into wild,
deep blue water from everything the
sea is likely to throw at them, the
Southern Ocean Suit is a combination of
North Sails’ Southern Ocean Jacket and
Ocean Trousers, both constructed with
Gore-Tex Pro, special reinforcement
materials and TightWeave face fabrics.
As worn and tested by several Vendée
Globe and Ocean Race competitors.
EMERGENCY MARINE
VHF ANTENNA MANTUS
29
NAVIGATION LIGHT
£2
7
£8
www.revolve-tec.com
www.mantusmarine.com
If you’re crossing an
ocean you’d be daft to Waterproof IPX8-rated dinghy
do so without a back-up VHF light with solar and USB charging
antenna in the spares kit, and capabilities that comes with a quick
Revolve’s latest product is connect base to let you mount it directly
simple but effective. When onto the bow of your inflatable dinghy
stowed, the 750g antenna or cowling of your outboard. Or you
occupies just 11cm x 13cm in a can pitch up on top of its own 15-inch
tight roll of composite. When stainless steel transom pole.
you need it, you straighten the Provides five different light
roll into a stable tube 2.5m in modes (360° tri-color light;
length with 6m of coaxial cable 225° bi-color; 112.5° red
attached. Works with AIS and sidelight; 112.5° green
has a SOLAS-approved strobe. sidelight; 135° white stern light)
and is US Coast Guard-approved
for up to 2nm of visibility. Comes
with its own dedicated solar panel.
NORWEGIAN
LIFEGUARD
GLOBALFIX V5
www.regatta.no/pages/regatta-safelock AIS EPIRB
29
£6
The DAME Jury described www.acrartex.com

this as a ‘brilliantly
conceived’ clip to prevent life- Innovative EPIRB
jacket cylinders rotating loose, with an AIS alert that
and an ‘excellent example of provides the easiest and
how clever design can resolve quickest path to rescue
long-standing problems’. with Return Link Service
Comprises a one-way rotation (RLS) functionality to
lock set between two elements provide a welcome sense of
that can rotate relative to each security by providing direct-
other. The rotation lock allows to-beacon confirmation
a CO2 cylinder to be easily that your distress message
screwed in, yet is difficult to has been received. Also
loosen. Just press down on comes with Near Field
the Safelock ring to release Communication (NFC) to
the cylinder when required. allow remote data access.
EPROPULSION I-20
ELECTRIC
INBOARD MOTOR
00
PROPULSION
,5
£7
www.epropulsion.uk
& ELECTRICAL Clean, quiet and

SYSTEMS lightweight 20kW design
based on the shape of a whale,
the ePropulsion I-20 Electric
Inboard Motor comes with
cloud-based connectivity,
allowing you to communicate and
monitor it remotely in order to
check its real-time data, including
location, speed, battery levels and
charge time. It’s claimed to be 60%
POWER UP HYDROGEN smaller and 65% lighter than a similar
FUEL CELL typical combustion engine.
OA
£P
www.powerup-tech.com
GOBIUS C TANK
Compact (70 x 22.2 x 31.2 cm), LEVEL SENSOR
88
lightweight (16kg) and easy to
£1
use 400W fuel cell that converts www.gobiusc.com
chemical energy stored in hydrogen
fuel to electrical energy, designed Taking the guesswork out of
specifically to be used as a main or trying to accurately gauge
backup power source in any off-grid fluid levels in any tank, this neat
situation, ideally aboard a yacht. It and clever new device uses a
requires the connection of a microsized radar rather than an
replaceable hydrogen cylinder while ultrasonic sensor that can be fixed
offering the environment-friendly to the top of your fuel or water
benefits of highly sustainable tank to accurately and clearly
energy with practically silent describe volumes present from
running and no polluting emissions, just 0-100%. No in-tank installation is
small amounts of water and heat. required and it’s straightforward
to integrate wirelessly with a
dedicated app for smartphone or
laptop for monitoring at all times.
INTEGREL SOLUTIONS
SMART GENERATOR
SAILMON MAX MINI
OA
£P
www.integrelsolutions.com PERFORMANCE
TRACKER
29
When fitted to a yacht’s

£4
existing diesel engine, www.sailmon.com

this new intelligent unit
collects excess energy produced by the A portable wireless sailing
engine during normal operation, then tracker ideal for dinghy or
stores it in batteries for later use. Its cruiser racers keen to analyse and
power management system uses a improve their performances.
network of sophisticated sensors Essentially it’s a highly accurate
to ensure safe operation while GPS tracker with heel and pitch
producing a claimed 10 sensors, it will log speed, course
times more electricity and wind angle data to be stored
than a conventional for later review or beamed
alternator to help you ashore immediately using a
power heavy-duty SIM card (requires €59 annual
items such as bow subscription to SailMon LIVE).
thrusters, winches and Compatible with third party
fridges, as well as wind sensors, it also floats
12-volt items such as should you be unfortunate
lighting and enough to drop it over the side.
instruments.
TECHNICAL
TECHNICAL
WEATHER &
TIDE APPS
Weather and tidal data is getting easier and cheaper
to download. Sam Fortescue reviews the latest options
in an increasingly crowded market
apidly evolving
WHICH MET MODEL? digital technology
Weather apps draw on a huge range now allows the
of meteorological models to gather sailing community
and present their data, so dig down to benefit from a
into the version details to make sure huge range of
the meteorological model being used specialised,
by the app will suit your cruising plans. easy to use and
inexpensive weather and tidal apps.
ECMWF: European model with Advanced weather forecasting
9km resolutions, updated twice models are currently being produced
daily, and considered the most by a multitude of meteorological offices
accurate global model. around the world, whose supercomputers
GFS: 27km resolution with four churn through data of unimaginable
daily updates, from the US. Not so complexity, from the charge of particles
good near coasts, as it doesn’t in the air to convection currents and
consider topography. tertiary wave patterns. Different models
ICON: 13km resolution (7km in have different strong points, and many
Europe, making it the best for our of the apps covered in this survey allow
continent) including horizontal wind you to select between them, with the
speed. Developed in Germany with more technical ones comparing several
four daily updates. forecasts with actual observations in
SPIRE: 12km resolution with intensive your area and recommending the visualise the remaining rise or fall of
use of radio occultation data to provide most accurate. The best apps tend to tide, though some of these are generic
top accuracy offshore. charge a subscription fee, so it’s worth curves that require some caution.
UKMO: Met Office model with 10km being clear on where and how you Some apps also offer better overseas
global resolution and an exceptional intend to use your boat. There’s no coverage than others, with global
1.5km in the UK. sense going for PredictWind, for predictions up to a year ahead. But
CFS: Produced by the US NOAA instance, with its offshore weather be aware that you may need to buy a
for climate-level predictions over routing and narrowband satellite separate subscription to unlock
nine months ahead. mode, if you just want to unlimited forward
WRF: Resolves down to 500m and know what’s happening in predictions beyond the UK.
often used as a basis for other your local estuary over the Note also that not all the
forecasting services. next few hours. apps offer the same level of
OS: Developed in Greece with a 12km And when it comes to tidal support for secondary ports,
resolution – that’s very good in the Med. predictions, even the most so check your favourite
AROME: French model with 1.25km basic apps provide heights spots before you buy.
resolution. Reliable around France, and times that will allow you Errors can be magnified
southern England, Ireland and as far to figure out when to depart, in areas of eccentric tidal
as the German coast. round a headland or how behaviour, notably the Solent
HIRLAM: Collab between 10 European deep to lay your anchor. SAM FORTESCUE is where there are two high
met offices for short-range accuracy. Some do this free of charge a marine journalist waters and a very rapid ebb.
NAM: 12km resolution in N America. and offline, but better- and former editor. He Nor is it always specified
HRRR: 3km resolution for incredible designed and more powerful sails a Sadler 34, whether the apps use UTC
which he has cruised
detail over the US. apps will also provide a tidal to the Baltic via the
or local time, which can give
curve you can interrogate, to Caribbean rise to errors of an hour.
TECHNICAL
PREDICTWIND
Developer: PredictWind
Fantastic interface, with a slick

animated forecast that uses colours
to reinforce the data on wind
strength. You can also toggle
between traditional wind barbs and
arrows, and consult wind, waves,
electrical potential, cloud, rain,
pressure and temperatures. The
‘validation’ page lets you identify the
most accurate forecast model in your
location, but coverage is not universal.
PredictWind is also unique in
offering an unbeatable set of tools,
including offshore weather routing
that analyses wave patterns to
calculate how uncomfortable the
sea state will be. It also does GPS
tracking and has a narrowband
satellite comms version for more
efficient offshore forecasting (using a
separate Predictwind Offshore app). incredible wave modelling and to record NMEA data, track your boat
There is even a dedicated Predictwind offshore detail. But just $29/yr gets on GPS and put it all together in log
app within the Iridium Go! Satellite you the Basic package with 1km files or blog posts, which you can send
communicator. Subscriptions for the resolution, while the Standard to a sat phone to put online. You also
smartphone app range from a free subscription for $249/yr adds in become a mobile real-time weather
version to $499/yr for the weather routing. PredictWind has and AIS station for PredictWind.
professional package, giving you also developed a datalogger ($299) www.predictwind.com
yr
9
$2
Don Fitzroy Smith
th
9
m
1.9
9
.9
£1
£8
GRIBVIEW WINDY.APP
Developer: Theyr Developer: Windy Weather World Inc.
Offers 17 different forecast models ranging from super Aimed squarely at sailors and watersports enthusiasts.
accurate 1.1km resolution wind models of the English Offers wind and wave conditions in thousands of spots
Channel to five-mile models of much of the rest of the around the coast, giving cloud cover, rain and temperature
world. The free subscription provides wind forecasts at up to 10 days ahead. Free version provides tide times and
1º (60nm) resolution. For £8.99/month you get 0.1º heights. Subscribe to access forecasts from numerous
accuracy and extra wave data. The £16.99/month Premium detailed weather models. The PRO subscription costs
pack includes ice fraction and tidal stream data. However, if £8.99/m or £52.99/yr, providing archive info back to 2012,
you subscribe for a month at a time (rather than an annual and model comparison and offline forecasts. Compares the
contract), you pay a 30-40 per cent premium. You can predictions of each model for a given spot then tells you
overlay the forecast onto a small scale Navionics chart, but which one has proven most accurate in the past. A great tool,
the display feels old-fashioned compared to others as it isn’t especially if you’re cruising away from home waters. PRO
animated and uses traditional wind barbs to indicate access also gives you swell data, isobars and HD mapping.
direction and strength. www.theyr.com (Not to be confused with ‘Windy.com’.) www.windy.app
TECHNICAL
yr
9
99
.4
8.
£2
£5
WINDHUB NOAA BUOYS
Developer: Windy Weather World Inc. Developer: Flytomap
Intuitive controls allow you to toggle between weather Real-time weather data from 2,000-plus NOAA buoys
models on one hand, as well as data including wind, gusts, mostly around the US coast. There are some mid-Atlantic
rain, cloud, swell, pressure and electrical potential. A slide- and a handful of others around the British Isles. Data varies
away table summarises the data for your chosen point, depending on the buoy type, and can include pressure, wind
including a graphical analysis of wind speeds. Very easy to speed and direction, wave period and air temperature. Buoy
understand at a glance. Includes information on tidal E1 off Plymouth gives wind speed and direction, pressure
streams for spots you select with a tap of the finger. There’s and air temperature. The Sandettie Lightship off Dunkirk
a tidal curve, too, showing high and low water times and also gives water temperature and wave height and direction.
heights, although you can’t interrogate it for extra detail. Alas, there is no access to past reports that could tell you how
Offers multiple weather models, but calculates its own conditions had changed in preceding hours. A graph showing
high-resolution forecast for Europe and East Asia. changing pressure or wind speed would be very handy, but
An annual subscription will cost you £58.99 in Europe, there are other apps which do this, such as NOAA NDBC
but cheaper elsewhere. www.windhub.com Buoy Live Marine (£4.99/yr). www.flytomap.com
ek
th
we
m
9
9
.3
.4
£1
£5
SQUID MOBILE WINDFINDER

Developer: The Great-Circle Developer: Windfinder
A good-looking app with core data that includes wind, The basic app provides a good animated map of current
rain, cloud and wave heights, atmospheric pressure wind conditions across the globe. To unlock more detailed
and temperature. For the full choice of weather models, forecasts you need to upgrade to Windfinder Plus (£9.49/yr
flexible subscriptions run from a week (£5.49) up to a year or £1.39/m), which refreshes every six hours. The basic
(£29.99). It offers weather routing calculated in ‘the cloud’ app gives a 7km resolution in Europe (5km in the US), but
to reduce satellite airtime while offshore and packages coverage is limited to Europe, North America, Egypt, the
weather data so you can download it as a GRIB file for Canaries and South Africa, so you wouldn’t choose this app
use on other displays or apps, which is great for blue-water to go offshore. Other nice features include specific ‘spots’ for
sailors. Allows you to select and edit the area you want which you get instant wind, wave and tide read-outs, with
by simply tapping a map. You can then edit the time 20,000 weather stations and 160,000 spots globally.
period, frequency and exact data you need to ensure it Windfinder Plus also offers access to 63,000 webcams and
doesn’t clog up your Iridium satellite connection for wind alerts. Costs £3.49 to get rid of the annoying ads.
hours. Good value. www.squid-sailing.com www.windfinder.com
TIDES PLANNER
Developer: Imray
Imray’s tides app is free to download

and covers 8,000 global locations,
with no network connection
required. It shows you heights and
times, neaps and springs, and has a
tidal curve that allows you to set a
horizontal line for your minimum
depth to illustrate when you have to
clear out. A vertical line lets you walk
through the day’s curve, showing
depth and time at different points.
If you want to look ahead, you
have to buy a £3.49 licence for the
calendar year, which allows you
to see six days ahead in UK waters,
the current day in France, and any
day of the year in Italy, the USA, licence, costing an extra £4.99. sharp fine-motor skills. A useful
Australia, New Zealand, and a This also gives you access to tidal addition would be the ability to
handful of others. If you want to stream data for the UK and France. toggle between different tidal
broaden access to tidal data for Interface is info-rich but dated, and notation systems, such as French
any day of the year across all the the panning map function that lets coefficients, and adjust for different
territories, then you need an you pinpoint the tiny dots of weather datums. Upgrades from £3.49/year.
additional Hydrographic Office stations requires eagle eyes and www.imray.com
yr
9
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£3
yr
9
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9
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£3
AYETIDES TIDES PRO

Developer: Hahn Software Developer: Elecont LLC
Displays tide times and heights for 12,500 locations Provides global tidal predictions, complete with times,
globally, which you can search for by name or navigate heights, charts and maps. However, UK coverage is
to on a map. The basic display for each station shows mediocre with just 112 stations. If you are lucky enough
the day’s high and low water times and heights, with to sail in one of the covered areas, you’ll find the interface
those in the past greyed out. It also displays sun and moon is great with big tidal curves and even a tide clock.
times, and provides a compact tidal curve. Turn the phone The curve is plotted for five days, and you can scroll
on its side to flip to landscape mode with a much bigger conveniently through it with a swipe. A touch tells you the
interactive curve. It works offline, so no need for a mobile height at that time, although you can’t set a horizontal line
connection. It has a great range, covering dates until the to illustrate your minimum depth. Another useful feature is
end of 2030. However, cursory inspection showed that the stacked bar chart showing how the rise and fall of the
the app struggled with accuracy in the Solent where there tide is changing over the next three weeks, allowing you to
are long flood stands and second high waters. iOS only. clearly visualise swings between neaps and springs.
www.ayetides.com www.tidespro.com
TECHNICAL
ABSOLUTE TIDES
Developer: Darren Edwards
Although free to download, you will

need a licence, costing £2.49, to view
the calendar year’s tides.
This will give you access to
accurate UKHO official data for the
UK and Ireland, with tidal curves
and a very handy tidal atlas. The
graph may look simple but it does
exactly what you need it to do.
You can, for example, set a
horizontal bar for a minimum depth
that will tell you the times at which
the tidal curve crosses this set limit.
And sliding from left to right will
interrogate the curve for the exact
height at that time. Tap the ‘streams’
function and you switch to the
tidal stream atlas. Pick the area you
want and move forwards and back the job well enough. As a handy next, and must, instead, go all the
in hour increments to see how the bonus, this app will also give you way back to the calendar to select a
set and flow varies. the inshore waters forecasts for all of new date. And although the cursor
This information resembles a the UK coastal areas. The only gripe will give you the height and time, it
simple scan of the corresponding might be that you aren’t able to would be nice to have some helpful
page of the UKHO atlas, but it does simply swipe from one day to the axis scales as well.
9
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TIDE CHARTS NEAR ME MY TIDE TIMES

Developer: 7th Gear Developer: JRustonApps B.V.
Access over 7,000 global tide stations and visualise This app offers only basic time and height data with no
predictions with detailed curves and the lunar cycle. hint of a curve, although it does have moon phases. It passed
It also has a rain radar and weather forecast screen, and our Southampton tidal anomalies test, displaying times for
supports Apple Watch. Relatively few UK stations are first and second high waters, but the times and the heights
on the list, perhaps a couple of dozen, and the tidal curves varied by more than an hour and 50cm at times, so accuracy
appear simplified. Southampton’s notorious double high is not its strongest point.
water and young flood stand, which gives a curve looking It covers a good range of standard and secondary ports
more like a mountain range than a pleasing parabola, is in the UK, and gives access to global stations via a simple
barely acknowledged. Could be of use in an area with simple, map studded with pins. You can see times up to six days
clean tides. Certainly the chart illustrating how the range ahead in the UK, and up to a month ahead elsewhere in
changes in the days ahead is handy. There appear to be Europe and more globally. While the app is free of charge,
no date restrictions to the data, so you can look as far the Pro version costs £1.79, which also kills the ads.
ahead as you wish. www.7thg.com/mobile-apps www.jrustonapps.com
UKTIDES
Developer: Jim Burke
Not to be confused with the almost

identically named app below,
UKTides from Jim Burke is the real
deal. It costs just £3.49, and for that
you get excellent access to a wealth
of accurate information, with
genuine tidal curves. You can also
call up the corresponding month
of the official UKHO tide times for
any standard or secondary port up
to a year ahead (and up to 250 years
in the past!). The tidal curve is
marked with the lines showing
mean high and low water for springs
and neaps, and you are able to
interrogate the curve in five-minute
intervals. You can also switch to a
full-screen mode by simply rotating
your phone on its side. looking at. Just tap a diamond and it otherwise first-class navigation aid is
A particularly good feature of this will show you the set and drift of the that it has to download its data in
impressive app is the way the tidal tide, giving you the port of reference real time, so will only function,
stream information is presented, and the lat and long of the diamond therefore, when you have a good
which appears in diamonds on an for easy reference on a paper chart. enough connection to the internet.
Apple map around the port you’re The only downside of this United Kingdom waters only.
9
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UK TIDE TIMES UK TIDES

Developer: TXTVault Developer: Wingism
Basic free app that shows tide times and tidal heights for Well received app that draws on more than 500 locations
more than 220 UK standard and secondary ports. Search around the UK to automatically find your closest station.
by name or on a map, and see predictions for the day, It then provides a simple curve and tide times. Again, it’s
actual height now, and time until the next high water. unable to handle anomalous tides, so it’s unlikely to be
There is no apparent recognition of tidal anomalies, suitable for those sailing in complex tidal areas, but it
which means that the times and heights for our test will certainly serve adequately if you just require the
station of Southampton tended to differ significantly from straightforward basics. The free download provides tide
the official data. And some of the text is hard to read against times up to two days ahead. For further predictions, you
the background. It is, however, fairly easy to scroll through have to subscribe for £1.79/yr. The tidal data is actually
dates up until the end of 2023, which is a bonus. built into the app so there’s no requirement to have internet
Also allows you to toggle quite easily between British access to retrieve the information that you’re looking for.
Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time (UTC), and (Be careful not to confuse this app with the UKTides app
has the added benefit that you can use it offline. by Jim Burke, above.)
w
FO .yac
TECHNICAL
w
w
LL htin
OW gm
TH ont
HOW IT WORKS
E S hly.
ER com
IE /h
S H ow
THE ALTERNATOR
ER itw
E. ork
.. s
POWER RELIES Alternators don’t only fail
ON A HEALTHY because of a worm belt.
Switching batteries off or
ALTERNATOR overloading them can also

cause damage
Depending on the size of the engine, basically means that it makes positive
a yacht’s alternator will usually have a power for one half a revolution and then
maximum output of between 35A negative power for the second half of the
and 60A as standard – although it’s revolution. Hence the term ‘alternating’.
possible to fit one with a higher output. Boat batteries are DC, so the second
Modern alternators (as opposed to part of the alternator, called a rectifier,
straightforward DC dynamos) generate changes AC power into DC power.
alternating current (AC) and convert it The battery must never be disconnected
into direct current (DC) to charge the from the alternator when the engine
battery. The voltage is regulated at a is running, or else the alternator’s
nominal 12v (or 24v) to charge the ‘diodes’ (part of the rectifier) will be
battery and supply the electrical loads. destroyed. In other words, DO NOT
When the alternator is charging, the switch off the engine battery switch
output tends to be around 14v, and This rotating magnet cuts the lines when the engine is running.
when the battery is resting it tends to of flux between the coils, making As long as the alternator is kept clean
be around 12.5v. electricity. The reason that it makes AC and cool it generally runs without many
Inside an AC generator, there is a power is because the rotating magnet problems. Alternators, however, don’t
magnet rotating inside coils of wire. has a north and south pole, which like water, so any leaks, be they fresh or
sea water, can damage the alternator if
they get inside. And the alternator can’t
be sealed because it is air cooled. In
A TYPICAL ALTERNATOR Regulator
the diagram shown, the fan is the green-
coloured part that forces air through
the alternator, to cool it. The air vents
Brushes are at the back of the alternator by the
Stator
terminal screws.
Rotor If the alternator is struggling to charge
the battery it could be because the drive
Fan belt is slipping. As the alternator
produces more electricity, it gets harder
to turn – a bit like pedalling a bike uphill
instead of on the flat. So, if the belt is
worn or slack, it will slip. To fix this, the
belt should be re-tensioned. It’s always a
good idea to check the belt
for any damage, such as wear
or cracks, at the same time. If
in doubt, change it. Don’t
forget that this belt is often
also used to drive a water
pump, so it’s very important.
Diesels Afloat The new edition Diesels Afloat

co-author Callum (Fernhurst, £18.99) is available
Smedley has spent
a lifetime at sea or at www. fernhurstbooks.com.
teaching seafarers It follows the
engineering and syllabus of the
MCA classes. He RYA Diesel
has also been a
Fernhurst
Engine and
chief engineer on
diesel ships. MCA Approved
Engine Course 1.
ME & MY BOAT
David Harding has
been testing boats for
more than 25 years.
He is also a marine
photographer and
If you want to tell us why you love your boat, get in touch by email yachtingmonthly@futurenet.com runs his agency
or by post Future PLC, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London W2 6JR Sailing Scenes
The Sigma 33’s hull is a strongly

built one-piece GRP structure,
hand-laid using chopped-
strand mat and woven rovings
Mark Heseltine’s sailing career

spans everything from dinghy
SIGMA 33
racing and Olympic keelboat
campaigns to offshore events One of the most successful offshore one-designs
including two Round Britain
races. He has also cruised ever launched, the Sigma 33 is also becoming widely
widely, from Norway to Egypt.
recognised as a capable and versatile cruising yacht
ME & MY BOAT
most outstandingly successful one-design

racing yachts the world has ever known,
fielding fleets of 70+ boats at Cowes Week
in the early 1980s.
Of a total of 364 Sigma 33s built between
1978 and 1991, that’s a remarkably high
percentage making the start line. It proved
how precisely she hit the spot. Her designer,
David Thomas, had done it again. He said
to me on a number of occasions that
the trick wasn’t just to design a boat that
people wanted to sail; you also had to
design a boat that people wanted to buy.
He was very good at that.
GROWING POPULARITY
As a racing boat, then, the Sigma 33 was an
unqualified success. She wasn’t the trendiest
boat of her size, and today, 45 years on,
she’s widely seen as perhaps a little staid
and pedestrian in racing circles.
Thomas wanted a boat that was modern
yet not extreme; that looked reasonably racy
and was easy to sail close to its potential.
This wasn’t a boat in which the hot-shots
would disappear over the horizon while
the club sailors were spat out of the back
of the fleet. She’s forgiving and easy to
get going; qualities that make her popular in
short-handed races to this day. A lot of
race boats are hard to keep on the boil,
demanding full concentration all the time.
The Sigma 33 isn’t like that, but getting the
last 5% out of her is hard. That’s what made
the racing close and made it difficult to win.
David Thomas himself won the nationals
more than once in his own 33, Circe.
The deck-stepped fractional rig

has a single set of well-swept
spreaders
The Sigma 33 is known for many things.

She’s the boat that was to have been called
the Skua 33 until an existing Skua class
complained and her name was changed.
She’s the boat that missed out on selection
as one of the three ‘official’ one designs
All pictures: David Harding
following the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s

one-design conference in 1978, but which
went on to outsell all those that were
chosen. She’s the boat that was known
as the ‘six-knots upwind and six-knots
downwind’ boat – rather unkindly, perhaps.
But above all she’s known as one of the
ME & MY BOAT
It wasn’t just as a one-design that the Sigma

excelled, however. Designed towards the
end of the International Offshore Rule era,
she also proved to be competitive under
IOR. What’s more, though conceived as a
race boat, she wasn’t so flighty that leisurely
sailing was out of the question, or that sailing
from the Solent to Cork Week with a small
delivery crew would be a major challenge.
In fact the cruising potential was recognised
when, in 1981, Marine Projects started
building a cruising version, the 33C, with a
shorter masthead rig and longer, shallower
keel. Even this de-tuned Sigma was no
slouch. After a double Atlantic crossing,
a 33C won the two-handed class in the
breezy 2011 Fastnet. A Sigma 36 finished
second and a 38 came fourth.
SIGNS OF THE TIME

Looking at the Sigma 33 now, it’s not hard to The deck layout is conventional for
a performance cruiser of the time.
date her as a design. The raked stem, the
Non-skid strips forward of the mast
relatively low hounds, the narrow stern (by and on the foredeck are helpful for
modern standards) and the IOR-shaped keel the mastman and bowman
(longer in the chord at the root than at the
tip) all give you a pretty good idea of when
she was launched. David Thomas later
said that she would have been faster if ways, the Sigma has had a long life both Sigma 33s are still winning today at national
she hadn’t had ‘an upside-down keel’. as a racer and as a cruiser. She proved her level under IRC, one topping its class in
That was the shape of the day, because offshore capabilities early on, when two Cowes Week in 2021. They’re also becoming
the IOR penalised stability: a low centre of boats survived the 1979 Fastnet. One was increasingly accepted as good cruising
gravity didn’t get you a favourable rating. sailed by David Thomas, with a crew that boats. Some owners, on giving up racing to
Despite all this, and largely because she included Bill Dixon and Sigma surveyor go cruising, have decided to make a few
was (and is) a conservative design in many supreme, David ‘Hoppy’ Hopkins. changes to their Sigma rather than to
change boats. One with whom I sailed 10
years ago had bought a 33 with the intention
of racing it. He had raced dinghies and
Despite her one-design origins, smaller cruisers, but enjoyed the cruising so
the Sigma 33 makes an excellent
fast cruiser. Over 360 were built much that he never actually raced the Sigma.
He frequently sailed past 40-footers, and
returned from Cherbourg to Poole on one
occasion in 6.5 hours.
Of course speed is relative. Would a
Sigma 33 ever get the better of today’s 33ft
pace-setters, such as the Sun Fast 3300,
J/99 or JPK 1010? Highly unlikely, even if
it was upwind all the way, but the Sigma is
still capable of springing surprises on the
race course. In any event, she’s a quick
boat for a 33ft cruiser.
One Sigma owner who knows this is
Mark Heseltine, who has co-owned
Trufflehunter since 1985. And that’s not the
full extent of his involvement in Sigmas,
because he had a share in one of the very
first boats to leave the factory some years
earlier. That one had been a move up from a
GK 24, both the GK and the first Sigma being
named Proven Sharpe after CID detective
ME & MY BOAT
Stowage for a liferaft

is beneath a lift-out
moulding at the forward
end of the cockpit
A lever backstay tensioner A full-depth cockpit locker

worked well on Sigmas, to starboard swallows
though some owners plenty of warps and fenders
added yet more power
Towing genoa cars are

well worth having whether
you’re cruising or racing
A classically proportioned
fractional rig and balanced
hull lines combine to create
an attractive boat
ME & MY BOAT
A nicely finished saloon for a
sporty boat, with no interior
mouldings, bulkheads bonded
directly to hull and deck, and
vinyl panels overhead
Chief Superintendent Proven Sharpe,

who was based nearby in Devon at the
time. CS Sharpe graciously consented
to the use of his name and even popped
along to the GK’s launching party.
Before moving into cruisers, Mark
had spent many years racing dinghies
and had also been involved in an
Olympic campaign in the Soling with
his brother, Richard, competing against
the likes of John Oakeley.
Having joined the offshore world – while
continuing to sail dinghies too – Mark did
a substantial amount of offshore sailing,
including the 1982 Round Britain Race in
the first Sigma. Entrants on that occasion
included Robin Knox-Johnston, Chay
Blyth, John Oakeley (again), Rob and
Naomi James and Bob Fisher.
Along with Chay Blyth (during his British
Steel days) and the late great Mike Birch,
Rob and Naomi James were among the
big names of the day to spend time in
Dartmouth in the 1970s.
Both Mark and I were based on the preceded the worlds and where the entry Trufflehunter powered up nicely and
Dart and doing a lot of sailing – often in list was a veritable Who’s Who of the remind me that the Sigma is a thoroughly
different boats, sometimes in the same yacht-racing world. enjoyable and responsive boat to sail.
one – so we were fortunate to find Another national championship was with At the helm you have a comfortable perch
ourselves rubbing shoulders with some the Sigma in Cowes in 1989 – a year when on the coamings abaft the mainsheet
of the world’s greatest sailors. a certain Mr Thomas won – so when we met traveller. For fully crewed racing or short-
for a sail last summer it had been over 30 handed cruising, the layout and hardware
LITTLE AND LARGER years since I had sailed on Trufflehunter and work well, though if single-handing without
At various times Mark had the GK 24, a too long since I had sailed from Dittisham, an autopilot you need to hop over the
J/24 and the Sigma 33s, all of which I raced where I was brought up and where Mark’s traveller to reach the headsail winches on
with him from Dartmouth and sometimes family has kept boats since the 1950s. their plinths either side of the companionway.
elsewhere. We sailed in a distinctly blustery We chose a stunning day for our sail, with Mark treated Trufflehunter to a Harken
J/24 nationals in Poole in 1984, which just enough wind after an hour or two to get windward-sheeting car while he was still
A good-sized chart table with

stowage and instrument
space – something rarely
found on modern 33-footers
To starboard of the
companionway, the
galley is basic but
perfectly functional
ME & MY BOAT
racing (winning As we sailed across Start Bay, Mark

the European refreshed my memory on some of the
Championship in 1990 details when he and two other crew were
and the nationals in lifted by helicopter from a liferaft after
Hanging space with 1995). Otherwise, abandoning a 39-footer west of Bermuda.
zip-up doors opposite
the heads between the most of the hardware They had been on a delivery from the UK to
saloon and forecabin is original. As for the Annapolis when the keel started wobbling
‘software’, cruising rather alarmingly and showed every sign of
sails in Dacron have being about to drop off. They didn’t wait for
replaced the racing laminates. The mainsail that to happen. The boat was never seen
has luff sliders rather than a bolt-rope, and again. Mark’s account of the incident was
the headsail is on a reefing system. published in Yachting Monthly in 1986.
Despite having made these changes for Having not arrived in the USA quite as
ease of handling, Mark acknowledges that: he had hoped on that occasion, Mark made
‘Sigma 33s are still jolly good cruising boats it more comfortably a few years later as
even with the original sails, because they sail commodore of the Royal Western Yacht
fantastically well with the working jib in any Club, to greet the finishers in the 2000
sort of breeze. We had a cracking sail once OSTAR (singlehanded trans-Atlantic race)
along the south coast of Brittany, slicing that had been started in Plymouth by the
through the 40-footers that were struggling RWYC. One of the prizes he presented was
with their roller-reefing headsails. We to Ellen MacArthur, the surprise winner of the
overtook them with no trouble’. Open 60s. MacArthur returned the favour
EXPERT OPINION
BEN SUTCLIFFE-DAVIES, Marine Surveyor
and full member of the Yacht Brokers
Designers & Surveyors Association (YDSA)
www.bensutcliffemarine.co.uk
The longevity of the Sigma 33 is a testament
to David Thomas’s design and the build
quality of Marine Projects.
When considering a Sigma 33, be mindful
of the boat’s background, particularly the kind of sailing she has
done. Several of them have been raced hard, so background
checks on racing campaigns and incidents is extremely prudent.
I have surveyed several Sigma 33s as part of damage claims or
pre-purchase surveys. The common issues are usually the
softening of decks, when they are balsa core, and the cracking
of areas around deck combining arrangements.
Pay close attention to the hull-to-deck joints; any issues are
likely to be caused from previous contact or collisions with other
boats, where these joints have been compromised. One of the
classic clues is the condition of her alloy toe rail for impacts;
examine the bedding down of the toe rail too for signs of contact.
Look internally for any signs of water damage as a result of
impacts. Watch out for any cracks or failing of the main bulkhead;
I am aware of many owners who overload the rig when tuning it.
Make sure you take the boat out of the water and carry out a
keel tip test; it is important to see the hull with the keel in
suspension. Load the base of the keel to make sure the keel and,
in particular the hull, doesn’t deflect. Then set the craft down and
ensure the hull doesn’t sag over the keel which could indicate
laminate softening developing around keel root areas.
ME & MY BOAT
Although designed as a
racing boat, the Sigma has
a cockpit that works equally
well for leisurely sailing ALTERNATIVES
TO CONSIDER
WESTERLY FULMAR
Surprising though it might seem in some
ways, the Fulmar has much in common with
the Sigma. The boats were aimed at different
markets when they were launched in the
late 1970s, but both came from well-known
British builders and designers, some of their
vital statistics are not dissimilar, both have
fractional rigs, their layouts below decks
are fundamentally the same and they both
sail very nicely indeed.
The Fulmar is a heavier boat with a
higher ballast ratio and shallower draught,
and was conceived with more of an
emphasis on cruising. Nonetheless, she
quickly established a reputation for being
fast, responsive and enjoyable to sail, and
is widely regarded as one of the best
Westerlys ever built. After the Griffon, she
was the second design by Ed Dubois, who
was commissioned to give Westerly a
sportier and more modern image. Whereas
the Griffon replaced the Centaur (eventually,
two years later, presenting Mark with she might not surf downwind as because demand meant the Centaur had to
the trophy for winning the Squib class in readily as some, she will get up and go. remain in production for a while), the Fulmar
Cowes Week. I remember a lively spinnaker reach replaced the Laurent Giles-designed 31s
On the subject of comfortable arrivals, back across the English Channel in – Longbow, Renown, Pentland and Berwick.
let’s take a quick look below decks on the the pitch black of the early hours during In Westerly tradition she was offered with
Sigma. It’s the traditional British layout: the offshore race of the 1989 nationals, a choice of fin or twin keels, and a few were
forecabin, heads and hanging locker, when we were all trimming hard to use also built with lifting keels that swung up
saloon, galley, chart table and quarter every surfable wave. We managed a lot under the hull. In fin-keel form she was used
berth. With no internal mouldings except more than six knots then, and Mark’s
in the heads, stowage and access to the maximum to date has been 14.4 knots.
hull is generally good, though the space The Sigma has mellowed with age. A rudder that turns through
almost 180° makes the
under the saloon berths is used for water She’s no longer the boat of the argy- Fulmar very manoeuvrable
tankage to centralise the weight. You can bargy racer, of ‘he who shouts loudest
stand up (headroom is 6ft 1in/1.85m), lie at the leeward mark’. She did have that
down and cook, both in harbour and reputation for a time. And while it’s true
under way. For a boat that was conceived that some 33s that have been raced
as a one-design, it’s pretty civilised. hard might look a little worn, on the
whole they’re pretty tough boats.
VERDICT Cosmetics aside, these boats have
Between his sailing bases in Plymouth stood up well when not sailed by crews
and on the Dart, Mark’s smaller boats in who went mad with ultra-powerful
recent decades have included a Devon backstay tensioners. Mark put
Yawl, a Squib and a J/80. But it’s the Trufflehunter through an extensive
Sigma that has proved to have the staying refurbishment over the winter of
power, and it’s easy to see why. Whatever 2021-2022 and she looks remarkably
sailors of modern, sportier boats might fresh for a 35-year-old boat.
have to say, the Sigma is not a ‘six knots As another Sigma 33 owner put
Colin Work
upwind and six knots downwind’ boat. it recently, ‘This is a boat that looks
Six knots is not a bad upwind speed for a good, looks after you and is fun to
33-footer anyway – as long as the boat be with. Those are three vital elements
points, which the Sigma does – and, while in any relationship.’
ME & MY BOAT
SIGMA 33 WESTERLY FULMAR OOD 34 ALBIN NOVA 33

DESIGNER David Thomas DESIGNER Ed Dubois DESIGNER Doug Peterson DESIGNER Peter Norlin
BUILT 1978-1991 BUILT 1979-1997 BUILT 1978-1981 BUILT 1981-1987
PRICE £15,000-£26,000 PRICE £25,000-£30,000 PRICE From £24,000 PRICE £20,000-£30,000
LOA 9.91m/32ft 6in LOA 9.70m/31ft 10in LOA 10.26m/33ft 8in LOA 10.06m/33ft 0in
LWL 8.00m/26ft 3in LWL 7.92m/26ft 0in LWL 8.53m/28ft 0in LWL 8.00m/26ft 3in
BEAM 3.20m/10ft 6in BEAM 3.33m/10ft 11in BEAM 3.38m/11ft 1in BEAM 3.15m/10ft 4in
DRAUGHT 1.75m/5ft 9in DRAUGHT 1.60m/5ft 3in (fin) DRAUGHT 1.93m/6ft 4in DRAUGHT 1.68m/5ft 6in
BALLAST 1,575kg/3,472 lbs 1.22m/4ft 0in (twin) BALLAST 1,656kg/3,650 lbs BALLAST 1,754kg/3,868 lbs
DISPL 4,173kg/9,200 lbs BALLAST 1,909kg/4,210 lbs DISPL 3,651kg/8,050 lbs DISPL 3,709kg/8,177 lbs
SAIL AREA 43.20m²/465 sq ft DISPL 4,490kg/9,900 lbs SAIL AREA 44.22m²/476 sq ft SAIL AREA 45.80m²/500 sq ft
SAIL AREA 43.22m²/465 sq ft
The Fulmar was offered Fast and well finished,

with a choice of fin or the Nova sold in large
twin keels numbers in Scandinavia
The OOD 34 was later modified

to become the Contessa 34
for the Royal Lymington Cup for a number

of years. This match-racing series
attracted many of the world’s top sailors of
OOD 34 ALBIN NOVA 33
the day and did the Fulmar’s reputation no Another design from the same era, the Designed by Peter Norlin and built in
harm at all. Despite being perhaps a little OOD 34 was the largest of the three boats Sweden by Albin Marine, the Nova 33
more cruisey than some of them were used selected by the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s proved extremely popular in Scandinavia.
to, she was recognised as a swift boat with 1978 one-design conference, together with Around 500 were built during a production
few vices and remarkable manoeuvrability, the Impala 28 and the Aphrodite 101. She run of 16 years – more than the Sigma 33
which made her ideally suited to the role. came from the board of Doug Peterson, or even the Fulmar – though they’re less
Few changes were made during the whose Contessa 28 had been launched the well known in the UK.
12-year production run, though a small year before, in 1977. In traditional Scandinavian style, they’re
number of boats were built with aft cabins Despite her ‘official one-design’ status, slippery boats with a generous fractional
in place of the quarter berth. Then in the OOD 34 was never destined to sell in rig. Even so, they’re generally regarded
1992 she was given a sugar-scoop and large numbers. While some survived the as well mannered and easy to sail.
stretched to become the Fulmar 33. 1979 Fastnet relatively unscathed, two The iron fin keel is relatively long
Only a handful of 33s were built before found themselves in the wrong place at and a skeg runs aft to the semi-balanced
production finally ended in 1997. Well over the wrong time. One was abandoned after rudder. Like most boats of this era,
400 Fulmars left the factory in total. capsizing, and the other sank following they will struggle to keep up with
multiple knockdowns. newer designs downwind in any
The design – built, like the Contessa 32, breeze but are known as exceptional
by Jeremy Rogers – was subsequently held performers to windward.
up as an example of how relatively light- A keel-stepped rig keeps the mast
displacement boats with high-volume hulls section reasonably slim. Unlike
were inherently less stable than the likes many Scandinavian designs the Nova
of the Contessa. In her defence, many felt has a keel cast in iron rather than lead.
that the OOD had been both unlucky and Below decks the layout is very much
unfairly singled out. of its time and similar to the Sigma and
OOD 34s have subsequently been cruised Fulmar, only with the chart table and
and raced widely, though their masthead quarter berth to starboard instead of
rig and large foretriangle can make them to port. It’s a wide berth; sometimes
physically demanding in racing mode. considered a cosy double for two slim
The class hasn’t raced as a one-design for people on intimate terms.
some years and the 80-odd boats built (by Interior fit-out is to a high standard.
injection-moulding, of which Rogers was an Well-finished woodwork abounds, and
early adopter) are now widely scattered, with stowage – including plentiful drawers
most being in the UK and Holland. – makes good use of the space. This
After production of the OOD ended, feature, together with the pillar handholds
about 20 more were built as the Contessa by galley and chart table and the coaming
34, with a shorter rig, heavier keel and a locker in the cockpit, set her apart from
different deck and interior. most modern equivalents.
THE END
WIN A FLOATING
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month wins a Standard
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It boasts a water- Future PLC, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, Paddington, London, W2 6JR
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Kill switch chaos

Steven Montgomery
After getting my Day Skipper during the

COVID-19 lockdown, I was excited to take
the family on their first sailing holiday in
Greece. After a great first day’s
sail from Lefkas to Sivota,
with the sails full of wind, I
reached the dock full of pride.
Thinking I’d got things
figured out, I proclaimed to my
wife and kids that they were in for a treat,
a tender ride to the beach for some
snorkelling. Following the charter staff’s
instructions, I was ready for the magic pull to
start the outboard. I pulled… No joy. By the
fourth pull I was using the same force as if I’d
got a great white shark on the end of a
fishing line. Just then, a guy tapped my
shoulder and said: ‘I think you need to calm
down, on your first pull you threw the kill
cord over your shoulder. The next two pulls
were funny but we were worried you would
break the thing!’
Sure enough, behind me was the kill cord
and a taverna table full of amused cruisers!
Knotty shame
Bill James tidying up and then headed ashore for a well mooring at Kames and Mike declared that he
earned drink. The next weekend I was on the would check the prop in the morning. A great
I had only just recently started sailing and, of boat and saw a nasty scratch where a fender evening was had, though I cannot now recall
course, boasted about my sailing prowess should have been. I told my partner the just what was eaten; there would certainly
whenever I saw my non-boating friends. I fender had burst rather than own up to my have been liberal quantities of beer
bragged a lot about my ability to tie knots poor knot tying skills. consumed. After breakfast and with five crew
and used to keep two bits of string in my on deck patiently waiting for the
pocket to demonstrate this, particularly after
a few drinks. What I never shared though, Water quality entertainment to start, Mike was down below
getting ready. Key to his preparation was a
was that sometimes I had moments when Simon Hiles visit to the heads, a visit that appeared to
my mind would go completely blank when prepare him both physically and mentally, as
having to put this into practice on a boat. A lesson to be learnt whilst sailing on small wasting no time at all when he came on
On one occasion, I was coming back into yachts is not to be shy, particularly when it deck, he jumped into the sweetcorn and
harbour. A friend of mine was at the helm comes to the heads. carrot containing slick that he had just
and I was tying fenders to the guard rails. It was 1994 and the training yacht, with five produced. Happy memories.
Once again, my mind went blank. My hands novices and the skipper Mike, was motoring PS: In 1994 the City of Glasgow
and brain could not tie a round turn and two up the Kyles of Bute. The boat, a Sadler 32, shipped and dumped all its effluent off
half hitches. Instead, I tied a double knot and began to vibrate and boat speed reduced. Largs daily. This disgusting practice has
thought I would come back to it once we Suspecting that we had picked up something now ceased making holding tanks in yachts
were moored. Safely alongside, we started around the prop we hastily picked up a more relevant.
9000 9001

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H O W A LT E R N AT O R S W O R K + MOORING IN A GALE

NEW & USED BOATS ON TEST

FOR OLD SAILS

28 SKIPPERS’ TIPS Navtex hack

66 CRUISING COMMUNITY Sail therapy

68 CRUISING LOG A crew of friends

GEAR AND BOATS

20 NORDSHIP 420 DS A centre-cockpit,

78 WEATHER AND TIDE APPS We review

04 EDITOR’S LETTER Skipper in a pickle

84 HOW THEY WORK:

Follow YACHTING MONTHLY online

YACHTING 24/7 SAVE

Richard Langdon/Ocean Images

IT’S NOT ABOUT SPEED, HONEST SEE PAGE 40

Orca interactions with boats escalate

Autoridade Marítima Nacional

Keith Fergus/Alamy Stock Photo

Legal action against sewage spills

NEWS IN NUMBERS Petrol and diesel phase out on the Broads

sediment re-use programme.

VAT warning for boats visiting Portugal

Serhiy Stakhnyk/Alamy Stock Photo

New marina planned for St Peter Port

Radar reﬂector MGN will not be amended

Crewsaver moves towards greener production

without the need to purchase a brand

Scuttle or salvage? Many crew take part in

James Mitchell/World Cruising Club

with snap shackle to

Tides and towing

open it up – it will be handy for when I

Theo Stocker responds:

Line-handling tips long as the boat, I would consider going in

Winter jobs and

Words and pictures: Graham Snook

The helm station

The cavernous cockpit

There is a shallow lazarette

Double glazing ensures

The cockpit table is removable,

A small sugar-scoop stern aids

The raised saloon gives its occupants views out in

I might be tempted to get them as a backrest which

LEFT: Batteries are

leaving just the bar as a handhold and

The saloon of the Nordship

KEN ENDEAN OLIVER PERKINS HELEN MELTON BEN SUTCLIFFE- CHRISTOPHER

Navtex fault hack

A large swimming platform

Take time Keep safety

THE BIG QUESTION

How do I get high water timings correct?

Ensure you know how

in an area we wanted to sail and used

Once you deploy your

by in the locker on a cord in case you

unfamiliar boat, such as on charter,

A QUESTION James Stevens, author