Indice dei contenuti per August 2015 in Practical Boat Owner

with the editor To receive the editor’s monthly email newsletter, sign up on our website: www.pbo.co.uk Boat owning, the unafflicted cheerfully tell us, is much the same as standing under a cold shower tearing up £20 notes, or maybe inflation has pushed it up to fifties these days. Those of us affected by the magnificent obsession that is getting afloat, however, hide behind various ruses to obscure the cost. My own is the ‘boat unit’, understood by my boatowning uncle and brother to be worth approximately £50. It’s a great way of conning your family and yourself – but unfortunately not your bank manager – that you really haven’t spent much. Where the banknotes-in-shower simile breaks down, however, is in the time taken. Standing under a stream of cold water…

The British Marine Federation has relaunched itself as a ‘British Marine’ brand to better promote businesses and British excellence in the UK and overseas markets. The organisation has pledged to invest heavily in a campaign to encourage consumers to look for the new British Marine logo and buy from British Marine members. The new look is the result of a year-long rebranding exercise. Fiona Pankhurst, president of British Marine, said: ‘This is a seriously exciting time for British Marine. The new brand will strongly connect our members with Britain’s reputation for quality, excellent design and innovation.’…

Bart’s Bash, the global sailing event in aid of the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, has launched participant sign-up with the help of some of the world’s best sailors. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Sir Ben Ainslie, Tom Slingsby and Shirley Robertson all feature in a short flm which aims to encourage sailors and non-sailors from across the world to take to the water on 20 September 2015. This is the second time the record-breaking sailing event will take place. Bart’s Bash was conceived in 2014 as a participation event in memory of Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson. It grew beyond all expectations, with more than 30,700 people taking part in more than 50 countries, raising more than £360,000 for the charity started in Bart’s name. See www.bartsbash.co.uk.…

Yachtsman Steve White has launched his ‘Westabout’ campaign to attempt the solo record for sailing non-stop around the world ‘the wrong way’. This is the realisation of a 15-year dream for Steve, who has planned and worked towards this since long before his successful eighth-place Vendée Globe in 2008/9. The Westabout challenge would see Steve sail a Volvo 70 against the prevailing winds and currents through the Southern Ocean, the wildest and most remote waters on the planet. Steve will be on standby for a suitable weather window to start from October 2016. Only five people have held the record since it was originally set by Sir Chay Blyth in 1970/71: in fact, more people have walked on the moon. The current record holder is Jean Luc Van Den Heede:…

The final countdown is on for the America’s Cup World Series (ACWS) Portsmouth. This summer’s ACWS is the first stage of competition in the 35th America’s Cup, which will culminate in the America’s Cup (Finals) in 2017 in Bermuda. The Portsmouth event will run from 23 to 26 July, and in addition to an action-packed spectacle out on the water, there will be a four-day programme of entertainment ashore. Six teams will compete in this series, racing on a relatively short course, close to the shore to allow spectators to catch the detail of this exciting event. More than 10,000 tickets have been bought for the Fanzone and more than 100,000 registered for the free-to-view Waterside Festival Arena. In the evening, pop and rock singers, and The Massed Bands of…

‘OSCAR’ MAN OVERBOARD RECOVERY SYSTEM Supplied in a smart, robust stowage satchel (white or yellow), with highquality rope, sling and webbing (all available separately). ■ Jimmy Green Marine Tel: 01297 20744 www.jimmygreen.co.uk PRICE RRP £70 OFFER PRICE £49 DRYMESH BEDDING DryMesh is a threedimensional woven polyester mesh designed to reduce moisture under mattresses and cushions. 2.0 x 1.8m. ■ Gael Force Tel: 01463 229400 www.gaelforcemarine.co.uk OFFER PRICE £69.99 LOWRANCE ELITE-4 HDI COMBO WITH 83-200 455/800 KHZ TRANSDUCER Chart plotter, fishfinder and DownScan all in one unit, 4.3in sunlight-viewable full-colour screen. Perfect for small boats and kayaks! Order code 210270. ■ Force 4. Tel: 0845 1300 710 www.force4.co.uk PRICE RRP £318 NOW £199.95…

Flotsam and jetsam Sam Llewellyn is editor of The Marine Quarterly, www.marinequarterly.com, and author of nautical thrillers. Three years ago he bought a Corribee on eBay The crew galumph aboard. The mooring lines come off. The boat’s nose points at the open sea, and the pierhead falls astern. There is cheery discourse, and someone cooks dinner. The hours draw on. Conversation slackens. Harnesses are checked, lights lit. Night falls. The navigator, who is trying to do it without electronics, gives an EP. The cook, who has stopped being sick, checks this on his GPS. The results are markedly different. The navigator attributes this to Chinese meddling with the GPS signal consequent on their territorial ambitions in the Spratly Islands. The cook reckons that it is to do with the navigator’s…

SEA SAFETY Will Stephens is Staff Officer Operations (Coastal Safety) at the RNLI BOAT BUYING David Harding is a regular contributor to PBO: his photo archive is at www.sailingscenes.co.uk CRUISING Stuart Carruthers is the RYA Cruising Manager and has sailed extensively SAILS Ian Brown of the International OneSails loft group is an expert on sails MASTS & RIGS Mike Coates worked in the spar and rigging business for many years SURVEY AND CORROSION Colin Brown runs a marine survey and consultancy company, CB Marine Services ELECTRICS Paul Holland is chairman of the BMEA and MD of Energy Solutions (UK) ENGINES Pat Manley is a diesel engine course instructor and marine author GAS FITTINGS Peter Spreadborough, of Southampton Calor Gas Centre, has 20 years in the industry PAINT AND ANTIFOULING Richard…

While Hantu Biru’s ‘new’ engine ran well, it didn’t exactly look the part, with the grime from 10 years on a farm, oily stains and large areas of rust making it look more like something from a scrapyard than the engine for our shiny project boat. Preparation for painting Applying the paint Paint choice was tricky. Many of the paints available for painting engines are Very High Temperature paints, which rely on an engine’s high running temperature to cure. That wasn’t an option for us – our engine is likely to run quite cool, and won’t be run up for a few weeks yet – so a paint that would cure at ambient temperature was a must. In the end, we went for Halfords engine paint in an aluminium silver…

Great ideas and tips from PBO readers Email your projects and tips to pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address at the top of page 5. We pay at least £30 for each one published Towards the end of last season we noticed that our tea was tasting horrible, so we vowed that cleaning the water tanks would be a priority while our Rival Sally was out on the hard over winter. However, a more pressing problem was the water pump, which was failing to turn off when the tap was closed. To test that the new pump was working correctly, we ran a hose across the boatyard and put a few inches of water in the forward tank: but by the next day the tank was empty. We…

SEND US YOUR STORIES Email news editor Laura Hodgetts at newspbo@timeinc.com, tel: 01202 440825 A cruising sailor has told of his horror at awakening from a nap to find his wife missing and presumed lost at sea. Pete Hill contacted Noonsite – the global website for cruising sailors – to share the full details of the tragic loss of Carly. PBO readers may remember Pete from exploits on his junk-rigged Jay Benforddesigned dory Badger with his then-wife Annie Hill during the 1980s and early 1990s. Annie’s book, Voyaging On A Small Income, laid out the essentials of their low-budget cruising lifestyle. Pete and Annie divorced in 2001. Pete remarried Carly and built his latest boat, a modified 10m (33ft) junk-rigged wood-epoxy catamaran Oryx, with Carly’s help in England during 2012.…

The European Boating Industry reports that with more than 26,000 signatures gathered against the proposed mooring tax by the campaign ‘Mer Libre’, French Minister Marylise Lebranchu announced in early June that the French government would not be supporting the proposed mooring tax bill at the National Assembly. The decision comes as a relief for the maritime community in France after months of uncertainty. The final decision of the government not to have or reintroduce the specific provisions regarding the mooring tax was welcomed by FIN (Fédération des Industries Nautiques), who launched an appeal for free access to the sea (Appel pour la mer libre) in March.…

News from your cruising area SOUTH FATAL COLLISION A man has been questioned by police following a fatal collision between a RIB and the powerboat that carried it on the Solent earlier that day. Ryan McKinlay, 36 from Gosport, died as a result of the crash which happened on 19 June at Osborne Bay, Isle of Wight. Ryan was travelling on board a Williams RIB, which was being used as a tender for True Blue, a Fairline Targa 62. Following first aid from Gosport and Fareham Independent Lifeboat crews, Mr McKinlay was airlifted to St Mary’s Hospital but later died from his injuries. HAMBLE STARS RETURN Created at Hamble in 1925, the Hamble Star One Design dinghy was the boat to race until Merlin Rockets and National 12s took over…

Email pbo@timeinc.com or write to us at the address on page 5. Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited. LOCK LADDERS IN FRENCH CANALS Right or rung? ▪ Re Richard Hare’s enjoyable ‘cruise circuit guide through France’ articles (PBO July and Summer), I strongly feel that his advice for dealing with locks is not safe. Climbing ladders in French locks, especially on the Seine, is dangerous! We have cruised the length of France on our Southerly 105 Enterprise, which is a longer boat than Richard’s, but we have always just used a centre line. Okay, the boat can rock about, but large fenders stop any damage. It’s much better to employ this method than to risk a crew member falling. Stephen Free Knutsford, Cheshire Richard Hare replies: In both parts I…

Monthly musings Yacht surveyor and designer Andrew Simpson cruises with his wife Chele in his own-design 11.9m (39ft) yacht Shindig. Read his blog at www.offshore-sailor.com Of course there are street markets everywhere, but they are a particularly popular and useful resource for cruising sailors who arrive from the sea into surroundings that may be unfamiliar. But not all markets are the same. They vary widely, both in tone and usefulness. Much depends upon the swankiness of the surroundings. A market staged in a posh marina like the one pictured is unlikely to be a great place to buy onions or scrubbing brushes, but if you fancy a natty line in Somalian gowns, tribal masks, a Moroccan fez or counterfeit sunglasses you can’t go far wrong. And you don’t have to…

The Star Mooring Hook PBO reader Chris Harman bought this item of kit back in the ’60s and, despite having bought and sold many small craft since then, he has never parted with his Star hook. He says: ‘I recall that the original advert claimed it would “stop a 5-tonner at 5 knots”. I never actually put that to the test but it certainly proved its worth over the years, enabling easy pick-up with its wide mouth and stainless steel sprung retaining clip. ‘I believe its manufacture was both its success and its downfall: it was made of forged steel, which although very strong was too expensive for the market at that time. The modern alternatives I see from time to time do not match it for connectivity or strength.…

It only takes a split second to break something, and often it can be the simplest of things that causes it. But this breakage wasn’t on the boat – it happened in the garage. I was moving a large sheet of cardboard, and the end just caught the top of the outboard engine. I watched as it tipped it off balance – and even though it seemed to fall in slow motion, I couldn’t reach it in time. It landed heavily, flat on its back on the concrete floor, smashing one side of the handle into pieces. I think most of us know the sort of things we say at moments like that. I looked at the handle, cross with myself for breaking it and crosser still because at first…

The Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) office has amended and broadened its acceptance of gas hoses manufactured to two new standards. This is with immediate effect as the BSS requirements now recognise the new classes of hose following the recent publication of a new European LPG hose standard. Class 3 and (where appropriate) Class 2 hoses marked with the BS EN 16436 1:2014 standard are now included as compliance options within BSS private craft checks 7.7.3R, 7.9.1R and 8.6.1R. The new additions also apply to the 2002 BSS standards for non-private craft, which sees the relevant checks, C7.10.4, C7.13.1 and C8.2.2f, amended. The BSS urges boaters, fitters, chandlers and other suppliers to check carefully before hose marked to BS EN 16436 is selected as there needs to be a clear understanding…

A survey has been launched to garner support for cruisers who face difficulty with visa restrictions while cruising in European waters within the Schengen area. Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) member Kingsley Ross has created the survey to help quantify the economic impact on cruising areas caused by restrictions on visa terms for cruisers from outside the Schengen agreement area who visit by yacht. The OCC is urging cruisers who have any experience with this matter to supply input to this important survey, which is online at https://goo.gl/wkMWxk. The information will be collated and analysed to support a case for easing visa restrictions on visiting yachtsmen by the EU and Schengen countries. Legislation to establish a touring visa has already been proposed but not acted upon. It is hoped that providing…

▪ America’s Cup World Series in Portsmouth, 23-26 July, acws-portsmouth.americascup.com ▪ Sutton Harbour Classic Boat Rally in Plymouth, 24-27 July, experiencesuttonharbour.co.uk ▪ Torbay Royal Regatta, 21- 26 August, torbayroyalregatta.co.uk ▪ Portsmouth Boat Jumble, 23 August. Fort Purbrook, Cosham, . Entry £4, boat-jumbles.co.uk ▪ Holyhead Traditional Sail Festival, 28-31 August, oga.org.uk ▪ Essex Boat Jumble, 30 August, Battlesbridge Antiques Centre, Entry £4, boat-jumbles.co.uk ▪ Northern Boat Jumble, 6 September, Brookfeld Farm, Middlewich, Cheshire. Entry £3.50, boat-jumbles.co.uk ▪ Southampton Boat Show, 11-20 September, Britain’s biggest boating festival, southamptonboatshow.com ▪ Solent Boat Jumble, 4 October, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Southampton. Entry £4, boat-jumbles.co.uk ▪ Scotland’s Boat Show, 9-11 October, Kip Marina, scotlandsboatshow.co.uk ▪ Kent Boat Jumble, 11 October, The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge. Entry £4, boat-jumbles.co.uk ▪ East Hants Boat Jumble,…

PRACTICAL Engine installation ■ Also, attending to the PBO Project Boat’s cooling system, throttle and gearbox controls and shaft seal Plus ■ Cold moulding demonstrated ■ Fitting a Volvo engine to a Moody ■ Convert a launch for easy access ■ Tips for using a power router TESTED Four-speed winches ■ PBO puts Pontos’ four-speed winch technology through its paces Get to grips with tablets ■ The convenience and adaptability of tablets and sailing apps BOATS Laurent Giles designs ■ ‘Skill, artistry and embrace of innovation’ BayCruiser 26 ■ On the water in the new offering from Swallow Boats SEAMANSHIP Telltale troubleshooting ■ Can’t get your telltales flying? We show you how Fore and aft moorings ■ A helpful system in busy rivers CRUISING Brixham ■ A charming fishing town…

Mad about the boat Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft) Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex I’ve just returned from Lisbon. It’s in Portugal. The showers in the marina were fantastic. Other than that there’s nothing much to say about this spectacular city which was home to Magellan, from which Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama embarked on their voyages of discovery, where Christopher Columbus anchored on his way back from finding the Americas and where I discovered an intimate little bar where beautiful Fado dancers whirled faster and faster into the giddy night. Trouble is, I probably couldn’t find it again; but I know you’re interested in loftier matters, for the simple reason that there…

Screw fixings on boats can be a devil to remove. Chances are they’ll have been there for years, be covered in paint, or have welded themselves to their surroundings through corrosion. Here I’m going to show some ways and means of shifting them – and also how to get them out when all else fails. First and most important is to clear the screw head of old paint, varnish or glue. You’re going to need maximum purchase to turn the screw, and that means the slot or crosshead needs to be clean so your screwdriver has something to work on. Drilling out ruined screws When the screw head has had it and the fixing still hasn’t budged, there’s only one thing for it – you’ll have to drill the head…

THE PBO TEST TEAM Ex-merchant navy officer Alex Bell sails a Bénéteau First 305 and lectures in maths and engineering at Southampton Solent University. Bob Porter built his sailing credentials with Flying Fifteens on inland waters and has returned to the South Coast to widen his cruising experience. Adriana Mattei is a technology consultant, has sailed Lasers since the age of 12 and now sails a Malö 42. Chris Savage is a student at Southampton Solent University completing his Yacht and Powerboat Design course. Oksana Razina works at Southampton Solent University and is a club racer of yachts in the Solent in the role of navigator. Snatch blocks are versatile devices which find their way on to many sailing boats and which are very useful to have on board. They…