Yachting World October 2020

The summer of 2020 has been a time of big change for a great deal of us. Many sailors have re-evaluated their plans this year, and may be reconsidering whether their current boat meets those new needs. But buying a boat on a whim is rarely a wise idea. Though you must be practical and pragmatic, the boat you can’t stop thinking about will probably be the one you end up buying. The right yacht will enable adventures, offer reassurance, challenge you just enough, and provide a lifetime of memories. In return it will demand time, investment, and no small amount of love. It becomes, to many, part of the family. So how should you disentangle such conflicting emotions, and clinically work out which will be the right fit for…

Inshore yacht racing has finally resumed in Britain after the long hiatus during lockdown. The first major event was the Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Race the Wight, which saw 133 boats race around the Isle of Wight in brisk conditions on 1 August. Mike Bartholomew’s GP42 Tokoloshe II took both monohull line honours and won the race overall on IRC, while multihull line honours went to the MOD70 PowerPlay, helmed by Pete Cunningham. Although a much smaller fleet than the (now cancelled) annual Round the Island Race draws, the race attracted familiar names including Giovanni Belgrano’s Whooper, which was 2nd overall, and Ross Applebey’s Scarlet Oyster. Many crews sailed with reduced numbers due to COVID-19 measures. Tokoloshe’s David Bartholomew said: “It was a quick race for us, I think our…

The Lonely Rock Race, which was created in reaction to the RORC’s decision to move the finish of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race from Plymouth to Cherbourg, had to contend with its own course change in the first running of the race this August. The offshore, which was organised by the Royal Western YC, started from the Eastern Solent on 16 August, in keeping with the original Fastnet racecourse of 1925. The fleet was to race past the Isles of Scilly to Fastnet Rock. However, with two developing low pressure systems in the mid-Atlantic threatening storm force conditions, organisers decided to shorten course, using Wolf Rock, 20 miles east of the Scillies, as a turning point. Fastnet Rock lighthouse later recorded sustained winds of over 50 knots, with peak wind…

Many yards are choosing to hold their own private viewings to exhibit the latest models, including: Solaris Yachts: Solaris Days, Trieste, 1-30 September Contest/Saffier: Dutch Yachting Weekend, 4-6 September Spirit Yachts: at its Ipswich yard, 4-6 September Oyster Yachts: Southampton Private View, 16-20 September Nautor’s Swan: Scarlino Private Boat Show, 16-18 October Sailors wanting to see this season’s new launches and latest equipment will have to contend with reduced shows and private viewings. The big show of the autumn was due to be the Cannes Yachting Festival in mid-September, but that was cancelled on 21 August. On the same day it was announced that the October shows in Annapolis are off. The Grand Pavois La Rochelle event has also been cancelled. Despite months of work by organisers Reed Expositions to…

Legendary bluewater cruiser, small boat sailor and master boatbuilder Larry Pardey has died in New Zealand, aged 81. Along with his wife, Lin, Larry sailed over 200,000 miles, circumnavigating the world both eastabout and westabout aboard their engineless wooden sub-30ft yachts. Their adventures aboard Seraffyn and Taleisin and their mantra ‘Go Small, Go Simple, Go Now’ inspired generations of cruisers, and their contribution towards nurturing ocean cruising in small boats won many accolades, including the Ocean Cruising Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Cruising Club of America’s Far Horizons Award. Originally from Canada, Larry was a professional skipper working in California when he met Lin. The couple married in 1968, when Larry had already started building the 24ft cutter Seraffyn, which was designed by Lyle Hess and based on the…

For most of World War II recreational sailing was banned in coastal areas and in many estuaries and rivers. After the Dunkirk evacuation, when the threat of invasion became very real, the Vessels (Immobilisation) Order came into force to ensure hostile forces could not make use of any boats lying in tidal waters. On the Thames, this meant no sailing would be allowed downstream of Barnes Bridge. However, Ranelagh Sailing Club’s secretary was having none of it and somehow persuaded the Port of London Authority to move the limit down to Putney Bridge. This allowed Ranelagh, as well as London Corinthian SC at Hammersmith, to run an almost full programme of races throughout the war, although there was a pause when the London Corinthian was seriously damaged by a V1…