Practical Boat Owner November 2021

with the editor To receive the editor’s monthly email newsletter, go to our website: www.pbo.co.uk Watching Katie McCabe burst onto the scene, first as boat restorer (age 13) and now (age 14) as round-Britain sailor, YJA Young Sailor of the Year and YJA Young Journalist of the Year (see news page 7) has been exciting for us at PBO… so imagine what it’s been like for Katie and her family! After the awards night, at the beginning of Southampton Boat Show, Katie went on to appear live on the Foredeck Stage at the show to nervelessly describe her round-Britain trip and announce her intentions to race in the Mini Transat, hopefully in 2024. After that presentation, I asked Katie whether she ever feels any fear and she told me that apart from getting on…

SEND US YOUR STORIES Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at pbo@futurenet.com, tel: 0330 390 6738 A powerboater and her family sprang into action when a biplane crashed into Poole Harbour on the south coast, narrowly missing yachts, rocks and a chain ferry. The plane, carrying a wingwalker, flipped upside down during the unscheduled sea landing, which occurred during a Bournemouth Air Festival display on 4 September. Libby Chambers, her partner, Alan Badenhorst, and their three children were on their 3.1m rigid inflatable boat’s maiden voyage when they witnessed the biplane, a 1940s vintage Boeing Super Stearman, struggle and then plummet into nearby water. Libby said: “The pilot did an outstanding job to avoid all the boats who had been out to watch the air show, the rocks and the chain ferry. “There must have been a…

with the editor To receive the editor’s monthly email newsletter, go to our website: www.pbo.co.uk Watching Katie McCabe burst onto the scene, first as boat restorer (age 13) and now (age 14) as round-Britain sailor, YJA Young Sailor of the Year and YJA Young Journalist of the Year (see news page 7) has been exciting for us at PBO… so imagine what it’s been like for Katie and her family! After the awards night, at the beginning of Southampton Boat Show, Katie went on to appear live on the Foredeck Stage at the show to nervelessly describe her round-Britain trip and announce her intentions to race in the Mini Transat, hopefully in 2024. After that presentation, I asked Katie whether she ever feels any fear and she told me that…

SEND US YOUR STORIES Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at pbo@futurenet.com, tel: 0330 390 6738 A powerboater and her family sprang into action when a biplane crashed into Poole Harbour on the south coast, narrowly missing yachts, rocks and a chain ferry. The plane, carrying a wingwalker, flipped upside down during the unscheduled sea landing, which occurred during a Bournemouth Air Festival display on 4 September. Libby Chambers, her partner, Alan Badenhorst, and their three children were on their 3.1m rigid inflatable boat’s maiden voyage when they witnessed the biplane, a 1940s vintage Boeing Super Stearman, struggle and then plummet into nearby water. Libby said: “The pilot did an outstanding job to avoid all the boats who had been out to watch the air show, the rocks and the chain…

Fourteen-year-old Katie McCabe stole the show at the Yachting Journalists’ Association (YJA) Stoneways Marine awards celebration by winning both Young Sailor of the Year and Young Journalist of the Year 2021 awards. Presented by double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson OBE and Tokyo 2020 sailing gold medallist Stuart Bithell, Katie won the Young Sailor of the Year Award for her record-breaking solo journey around Britain on her restored 26ft Morgan Giles, Falanda, and the Young Journalist award for her engaging voyage blogs. Katie said: “I didn’t expect to be nominated at all, and I see all these amazing sailors and didn’t realise that anyone would know me. It was really, really cool. After this I’d like to get into racing and might be considering the Mini Transat one day.” Vendée Globe star Pip…

Sir Tim Colman, the first man to break the 30-knot speed sailing barrier with his Crossbow proa/catamarans, died on 9 September, aged 91, writes Barry Pickthall. Born in Norfolk, a member of Colman’s mustard dynasty, Tim learned to sail on the Broads and never lost a love for his county nor zest for speed on the water, and dominated the world sailing speed record charts for more than a decade. When the Royal Yachting Association floated the idea of an organised speed week held over a 500m course in the sheltered waters of Portland Harbour in 1971, Colman commissioned Tornado catamaran designer Rod Macalpine-Downie to produce something special. The record is measured in one direction only, so he created a 60ft proa with a 31ft 6in span supporting a pod in which…