Practical Boat Owner April 2020

with the editor Diesels are on the way out? Sam Llewellyn went to Düsseldorf Boat Show in January and reports back in his column this month. Among his many observations, he writes: ‘Diesels are on the way out and there is electricity everywhere.’ Now, a quick look at the show’s website indicates quite a number of diesel powerhouses in attendance: Yanmar, Nanni, Volvo, Cummins and Bukh – plus the petrol heads Honda, Suzuki, Mercury, Selva, BRP/Evinrude and Yamaha. But almost all of these firms now emphasise technological evolution; despite hanging in there with fossil fuels, the emphasis is on highlighting efficiency, low emissions and reduced noise. So times have changed, but let’s be honest: the internal combustion is not really under threat… yet. For large sailing vessels with big budgets, the electric auxiliary is most certainly…

with the editor Diesels are on the way out? Sam Llewellyn went to Düsseldorf Boat Show in January and reports back in his column this month. Among his many observations, he writes: ‘Diesels are on the way out and there is electricity everywhere.’ Now, a quick look at the show’s website indicates quite a number of diesel powerhouses in attendance: Yanmar, Nanni, Volvo, Cummins and Bukh – plus the petrol heads Honda, Suzuki, Mercury, Selva, BRP/Evinrude and Yamaha. But almost all of these firms now emphasise technological evolution; despite hanging in there with fossil fuels, the emphasis is on highlighting efficiency, low emissions and reduced noise. So times have changed, but let’s be honest: the internal combustion is not really under threat… yet. For large sailing vessels with big budgets,…

Randall Reeves’s solo Figure 8 voyage, circumnavigating Antarctica and the Americas in one season, has earned him the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC)’s highest honour – the Barton Cup. The 57-year-old Californian told PBO he was “shocked” and “honoured” to have been recognised for his 306-day non-stop trip aboard his 45ft, aluminium expedition sloop, Mõli, although he believes the yacht should have the real recognition. “I think Mõ may be the only boat on the Barton Cup list that has won the award twice under different owners, the first being her non-stop circumnavigation via the Capes with Tony Gooch in 2002. She is simply a superb sea-going vessel and deserves most of the credit,” said Reeves. Ten-time circumnavigator Jon Sanders won the OCC Lifetime Cruising Award. The legendary Australian is currently sailing around the…

Born and raised in Northern California, Randall Reeves, 57, learned to sail on the rivers of central California and often ‘borrowed’ the family sailboat for solo ventures to San Francisco Bay. While in college, Reeves interviewed Bernard Moitessier for his campus radio station, a meeting that changed his life. In 2006 he crewed on a 40ft boat for a 3,000-mile passage from Hawaii to British Columbia. He was hooked. Between 2010-12 he completed a Pacific loop, sailing a 30ft ketch solo 13,000 miles, which took him to Mexico, French Polynesia, Hawaii, and Alaska. He bought the Dubbel and Jesse-designed aluminium sloop Mõli and made his first attempt at the Figure 8 Voyage in 2017-18. Three knock downs in the Southern Ocean forced him to stop for repairs and he abandoned the voyage. He…

Randall Reeves’s solo Figure 8 voyage, circumnavigating Antarctica and the Americas in one season, has earned him the Ocean Cruising Club (OCC)’s highest honour – the Barton Cup. The 57-year-old Californian told PBO he was “shocked” and “honoured” to have been recognised for his 306-day non-stop trip aboard his 45ft, aluminium expedition sloop, Mõli, although he believes the yacht should have the real recognition. “I think Mõ may be the only boat on the Barton Cup list that has won the award twice under different owners, the first being her non-stop circumnavigation via the Capes with Tony Gooch in 2002. She is simply a superb sea-going vessel and deserves most of the credit,” said Reeves. Ten-time circumnavigator Jon Sanders won the OCC Lifetime Cruising Award. The legendary Australian is currently…

Dan Stroud’s first sailing experience was at the age of 20. He hitched a ride on a 40ft ketch from Horta in The Azores to Falmouth and remembers it was “mostly cold and wet.” Twenty-seven years later he bought his Rustler 31 Aisling in Plymouth, planning to live on board. With the help of a friend, he quickly learned to sail Aisling and made a circumnavigation around the UK. He then decided to cruise to Brazil, entering the Pacific via Ushuaia, Argentina and then on to the Marquesas Islands, Hawaii, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea before a 60-day 8,000 mile solo passage to Richards Bay in South Africa. Stroud said the lack of technology onboard Aisling is “coincidental” as she had “very little to start with”. “A fridge, a shower and…