Table of contents for April 2015 in Practical Boat Owner

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is objecting to a number of harbour authorities being designated until recreational boating interests are represented on Port User Groups. It follows the RYA’s participation in the Government’s consultation on applications received from statutory harbour authorities for 26 harbours in England and five non-fishery harbours in Wales requesting to be designated with the power to give harbour directions, pursuant to the Harbours Act 1964 (as amended by the Marine Navigation Act 2013) Gus Lewis, RYA head of legal and government affairs, said: ‘The Code of Conduct stipulates that any harbour authority using the powers under the act should set up a Port User Group for consultation and dispute resolution purposes. ‘Provided those groups include representation of recreational boating interests and users’ organisations in the harbour,…

Boat owners cruising in Turkish waters are facing more difficulties because a new law regarding residence permits is confusing everyone concerned, the Cruising Association (CA) has revealed. Visitors’ visas to Turkey for cumulative visits of up to 90 days in a rolling 180 days are easily obtained online – an agreement that matches the Schengen regulations for non-EU citizens. But boat owners wishing to cruise for longer then have to apply locally for a residence permit before the 90-day limit is reached. The new law – 6458 – which came into force last April, means that anyone cruising in Turkey can only apply for a residence permit for a 3-12 month period, and this requires diffcult documentation. Before that, cruisers wanting to stay longer could easily apply for a residence…

A 70-year-old yachtsman who was dramatically rescued after falling into the River Conwy returned to thank his RNLI rescuers for saving his life. David Stocks from Llandudno fell into the water on 31 January as he tried to board his boat on the River Conwy. He quickly drifted out to sea with the outgoing tide, but managed to grab hold of a vessel to try staying afloat in the freezing water until assistance arrived. Luckily, some of Conwy’s RNLI volunteers were working nearby when the call for help was received. They launched the lifeboat within four minutes of the pager’s alarm and quickly located David, who was barely conscious due to the extreme cold. David, who is originally from Bradford, said: ‘I was attempting to reach my yacht to collect…

PRACTICAL Engine repairs ■ We try to start Hantu Biru’s secondhand diesel engine for the first time Plus Plus ■ Instrument pod from Plastikard ■ Budget Fireball dinghy restoration ■ Making a steering quadrant TESTED Lifejackets on test ■ We test 17 of the latest inflatable lifejacket models Freshwater hoses ■ Lazarette-friendly hoses on test BOATS Robin Knox-Johnston ■ The renowned sailing ambassador reminisces about a life on the water New RTC-22 tested SEAMANSHIP Grounded on a sandbank ■ A novice sailor’s testing day-sail Going Round the Island Going Round the Island ■ Tips for first-time racers Reusing old sails and bags Reusing old sails and bags ■ Don’t chuck those old sails! How to make parbuckles and drogues CRUISING Fécamp ■ Visiting this Normandy fishing port Fairey to Croatia…

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 There’s no doubt traditional boatbuilding skills are dying out in Maldon, as hardly any of the yards are now making vessels from the tried and trusted materials of leather and goose fat. These days, our marshland town is awash with boats built from a new-fangled material called wood. It’s a technology that’s in its infancy, which is perhaps why quite a few of these tree-fibre craft are awash: at least, that is, the ones that haven’t sunk. Most of the others are either ashore with the wind whistling through their planking, or lashed to pontoons on life-support machines in local boatyards,…

One of the challenges of sailing alone for extended periods is how to replace the exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences that take place on a crewed boat. One option is to talk to oneself, but that can become boring when you have heard all the stories before. My approach, which has evolved over 25,000NM of single-handed sailing, is to use the time to formulate ways to improve the safety, reliability, comfort and convenience of the boat you are fortunate enough to own and be sailing upon. What follows is a collection of (mostly) DIY modifications carried out on my 9.75m (32ft) kauri sloop Fantasy over the years. 1 Twin mainsheet system This system was devised and installed after a nasty head injury was sustained from the block of a…

Spinlock Tiller Extension Launched in the 1980s, the Spinlock Tiller Extension found fame at the 1988 Royal Lymington Cup match racing series when ‘The Stick’, as it was referred to, ‘performed magnificently’ on board all 10 competing Westerly Fulmars. British helmsman Tim Law said: ‘I was surprised at how well it survived the hammering we gave it.’ He added: ‘It’s an excellent piece of kit – everybody liked it.’ The tiller extension has evolved to have a more ergonomic handle for precision control and feedback, and a joint with even greater flexibility. However, materials have remained similar: lightweight marine alloys, hard anodised stainless steel and a soft-touch polyurethane handle. It is still engineered to be strong enough to hand-steer a boat like a Transpac 52 Class yacht doing 25 knots…

PBO SKIPPER’S HANDBOOK ■ Your quickreference guide, featuring 64 pages of expert advice on Colregs, cruising, safety, sail trim, maintenance and equipment, all for only £1.99 Tel: 01202 440830 2015 PBO SMALL CRAFT ALMANAC ■ Full of information covering UK waters, Ireland and much of north Europe. Now available from chandleries and online bookstores. Just £16.99 Tel: 01256 302699 PBO BINDERS ■ Ideal for storing a year’s worth of your favourite yachting magazine. Just £6.50 plus p&p. Tel: 01202 440830 PBO PLAYING CARDS ■ PBO’s playing cards provide a mini anchorage guide to 54 free overnight stays around the UK, Channel Islands and France. Just £4.99 plus p&p. Tel: 01202 440832 Practical booklets BASIC BOATING £1.75 NEW SKIPPER’S SKETCHBOOK £2 SAIL CONTROL SYSTEMS £5.95* BOAT OWNER’S HIGHWAY CODE £4.99* SAIL…

DO YOU NEED HELP? If you would like help from the PBO Sail Clinic contact David on 01202 440820 or email pbo@timeinc.com Yacht racing isn’t only for racing sailors. We all know that. Why else would the Round the Island Race be so popular? Much of the appeal of this particular event lies in the opportunity it affords weekend cruising sailors to pace their boats over a 50-mile course against many others of similar size and type. Wherever you are in a feet like this, and whatever boat you’re sailing, chances are you will fnd yourself in close company with others of broadly similar performance. You don’t have to be a cut-throat racing sailor to indulge in a little tweaking, hoping to catch the boat ahead or avoid being overtaken.…

The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) has been awarded the Royal Cruising Club’s (RCC) prestigious Medal for Services to Cruising, for its contribution to sea safety. Paul Heiney, RCC Vice Commodore, told the voluntary organisation: ‘In recognition of your frst 20 years, and also the growing contribution you are making to the safety of yachts at sea, we are awarding the National Coastwatch Institution this year’s Medal for Services to Cruising, which we very much hope you will accept.’ NCI chairman Alan Richards said: ‘I am delighted to accept this recognition of our work on behalf of the 2,000 or so volunteers who make the whole operation possible. I know how much it means to them to see that their efforts are appreciated, and there can be no better example of…

Topics and experts have been confirmed for the PBO Ask the Experts Live event. We are building on the success of our Ask the Experts pages by bringing the free service to life at Beaulieu Boatjumble! For this new attraction, we are teaming up with Beaulieu and the RYA Active Marina team to host a large all-weather marquee area from 9.30am- 6pm on Sunday, 26 April 2015. Join us for free practical presentations, demonstrations and the chance to quiz the experts about your boating questions. We’ll also be showcasing the PBO Project Boat, Hantu Biru. Confirmed topics and experts so far include: ■ Basic glassfbre skills: Wessex Resins ■ Using sealants: Sika ■ Painting your boat’s hull: International Paint ■ Polishing and restoring faded glassfbre: Silky Marine ■ Lifejacket servicing:…

■ The Medway & Swale Boating Association and Royal Yachting Association conference, 7 March, at St George’s Centre, Chatham. Tickets £15, or £12 in advance, www.msba.org.uk ■ Viking Voyagers exhibition, 20 March 2015-22 Feb 2017, National Maritime Museum, Cornwall, www.nmmc.co.uk ■ Craignish Boat Jumble, 28 March. Opens 10am. Craignish Village Hall, Ardfern, Lochgilphead, Argyll. £3.50, accompanied children and car park free. ■ The second Ancasta Boat Collection brokerage event, 3-12 April across Ancasta’s UK offices. www.ancasta.com/events/ancasta-easter-collection/ ■ Fish & Ships, Portland Marina, 11-12 April, boat and food festival, www.deanreddyhoff.co.uk ■ Norfolk Boat Jumble, 12 April, starts 10am, Royal Norfolk Show Ground, Norwich, www.boatjumbleassociation.co.uk ■ Irish Boat Jumble, 12 April, opens 10am, Carrickfergus Sailing Club, County Antrim. Admission r5. Accompanied children and car park free, www.irishboatjumble.org ■ Beaulieu Boatjumble, 26 April,…

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 pundits say that in the worlds of war, cricket and politics, the participants are usually preparing for last time around. There is no reason for sailing to be any different. Most times when we got out of the harbour last year, the wind went to bed. Mighty ocean greyhounds ploughed through the heat-haze, ancient engines enveloping the cash customers on the counter in evil greenish fumes. Motor-sailers motored past, fulfilling their destiny, and mostly motoring a lot better than they sailed. If you have got a Corribee, though, you need to feel smug about something, and it sure as hell is not going…

We decided to install an LED tricolour light at the masthead. We opted to do this for a number of reasons. Firstly, it should make us more visible to larger craft, ie ships, at sea. It gives us a level of redundancy should the deck-level lights fail, and as the deck-level lights are mounted on the cabin sides, they can be obscured by sails and crew. Having the option to use a tricolour under sail and the deck-level lights and steaming light under power should ensure we’re as visible as possible! We chose NASA Marine’s Supernova LED tricolour. This came out well in our test of lights and is reasonably priced at £55. It also looked as though it would mount well on our skinny masthead crane, avoiding the Windex…

As all the world knows, Milford Haven is a long inlet in the end of a peninsula sticking out into the southern end of the Irish Sea. Between the scatter of islands at its western end and the Tuskar Rock off Wexford, the weather and tides pile up and eddy and blow and flow with grim intensity. So as the coast turned north and Skokholm came up on the bow, followed by the long, bird-haunted aircraft carrier of Skomer, we felt, frankly, relieved. There are fierce rips among the islands, and overfalls, and between Skomer and the mainland the rock-studded nine-knot tides of Jack Sound. We were going to ignore the lot and head inland. The mouth of the Haven is broad and welcoming, with a shoal in the middle…

Now in its seventh year, the PBO Marina Price Guide has become established as an essential reference for boat owners. It provides comprehensive regional listings of annual berths around England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands, Shetland Islands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We also provide a national ranking so you can see how your marina’s charges compare across the country, but bear in mind that the level of facilities and services offered by each marina may also differ greatly. We list only walk-ashore berths with mast-up access from the coast. In order to compare the prices provided by hundreds of marinas, many with differing pricing structures, we requested berthing costs for yachts 7m, 10m and 13m LOA, and worked out an average per-metre price. The sums we quote,…

Great ideas and tips from PBO readers Email your projects and tips to pbo@ipcmedia.com or write to us at the address at the top of page 5. We pay at least £30 for each one published Before leaving our anchorage in Loch Claidh on the Isle of Lewis aboard our Jeanneau 36i Albatross, I had a quick look at the engine. I noticed that there was a fine rusty line in an arc around the engine compartment: it seemed to radiate from the seawater pump. Without the wherewithal to investigate it properly, we decided to set off for Loch Harport on Skye anyway. The wind soon died and we motored for the last six hours of the voyage. Having anchored, I checked the engine again. There was rust and water…

A decision by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) not to include sailing on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sports programme has shocked the sailing community. The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and its 139 Member National Authorities have pledged to fight for sailing to be reinstated at the Paralympic Games. ISAF is asking sailors across the world to unite on behalf of all disabled sailors and to email letters of support to disabled@isaf.com. These will be sent to the IPC with a package of information about Paralympic sailing. The Paralympic Games is the ultimate pinnacle for disabled sailors, with many varied disabilities competing on equal terms. A Royal Yachting Association spokesman said it would support ISAF ‘if there is any further recourse to be had’, and added: ‘As we understand it,…

SOUTH MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT Salterns Marina Ltd is applying to the Borough of Poole Council for planning permission to build a new mixed-use development overlooking Holes Bay. The application proposes to demolish existing premises at 27-31 West Quay Road, Poole – including those of the Salterns Group’s GoldenArrow Marine engineering company and to erect a part 13-storey, part five-storey building containing a café, a commercial unit, a restaurant and 64 residential apartments with associated access and underground parking. A public consultation is under way: view the application at www.poole.gov.uk/planning-and-buildings (Ref: APP/14/01653/P). POOLE BOAT SHOW A host of exhibitors are already confirmed for the new Poole Harbour Boat Show 2015 – including Practical Boat Owner magazine. The PBO team will be welcoming visitors aboard project boat Hantu Biru throughout the Poole Harbour…

In the Admiralty Manual of Seamanship 1937, Vol. 1, Thomas Gray’s well-known mnemonic regarding the rules applying when power-driven vessels find themselves in a collision situation is supplemented by the following verses, written by an unknown naval officer: Now those four Rules, we all must note, Are no use in a Sailing Boat. As we’re dependent on the Wind Another set of Rules we find. 1. A ‘close-hauled’ ship you’ll never see Give way to one that’s ‘running free.’ It’s easier running free to steer And that’s the reason she keeps clear. 2. With wind the same side, running free, One’s to Windward, one’s to Lee. The Leeward ship goes straight ahead, The other alters course instead 3. Both ‘close-hauled’ or both quite ‘free’ On different tacks, we all agree, The ship that has…

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 Forgive me for sounding selfsatisfied, but one of the bonuses of being a yachting journalist is being invited to attend training events in the role of observer. Amongst such opportunities this past winter, one saw me attending a VHF radio course, not as an actual candidate for the Short Range Certificate but certainly as an interested participant. Let me say that I found it enlightening, both in its content and as a reminder of how quickly technology can leave us behind. Earlier generations had more time to adapt. For example, had an 18th century navigator spotted the sextant stowed in one of Shindig’s lockers he…

Deck glands We bought three single chromed deck glands from the chandlery, and installed them between the tabernacle and the forehatch, where they will be protected from flogging sails and feet. This means that the wires come through the deckhead in the forepeak, where they can be easily concealed. We could have used one large deck gland, but have previously found that these are more likely to leak – and require a much bigger hole in the deck! The junction box We placed our junction box adjacent to the main bulkhead and just aft of the deck glands. This means that the wires can be unplugged with minimum re-routing whenever the mast needs to come down. Having chosen to use small, circular deck glands, we needed connectors that would pass…

CHARTS ■ Harbour chartlet – Admiralty 1612 ■ Approaches – Imray C24 Flamborough Head To Fifeness Visitors’ fees per night: £26.40 for a 10m yacht FACILITIES ■ The toilets, showers and launderette are in Scarborough YC. To gain entry, collect keys from the lighthouse attendant. Shower charge £1.00 ■ Water on the pontoons ■ Electricity on the pontoons, approx 13p per unit ■ Diesel – fuel berth on West Pier, enquire at the lighthouse or harbour office ■ Chandlers – East Coast Marine, Sandside. Tel: 01723 375199 ■ Slipway on Sandside: keys and permits from the lighthouse or port control office ■ Crane for visiting trailerkeelboats on Vincent Pier: contact the harbour office for details CONTACTS In the summer season in office hours, harbour office staff are based in the…

I found coating a small craft like this was a valuable way of learning about the product should you plan to tackle a bigger project with Coppercoat. Even with a small boat I found the antifouling to be effective over a six-month span and, having done it once, I would now feel more confident about taking on a larger boat. Meanwhile, I shall monitor its performance over a longer period. ■ Full application details come with the products, and more information is available from www.coppercoat.com.…

Laura Hodgetts reports on the latest marine products Lowrance were first to show off their wares on a fishing trip in the Florida Keys. While the better fishermen were hauling in fish hand over hand, my catch stubbornly remained at two small specimens – but that did at least give me an opportunity to examine their new electronics. A new fish finder, Elite-3x, has a dual-frequency 83/200kHz broadband sounder and an LED-backlit display with 240x360 pixel resolution. It provides up to 60° of conical coverage, and costs £102. Next up was the Outboard Pilot, an autopilot for outboard engines that has been designed for use with their HDS series of plotter displays, and is controlled via the touch screen. Compatible with hydraulic and cable-steered outboard systems, it is for single…

BUILDING SITE SPIKES KEEP TRICOLOUR CLEAN At a local building site I noticed a remnant scrap of a strip of spikes that are used to prevent pigeons sitting on the windowsills of commercial properties. When I asked the builder about it he let me have it for nothing. I cut off a short section of four of the plastic spikes and attached them on top of my tricolour with Sikaflex 291i sealant, then remounted the tricolour to the top of the mast. The spikes are well clear of the windvane and antenna, and there’s no more fouling of the tricolour by gulls or crows. I have had it in place for several years now and have never had to clean the tricolour since installation. Willem Bijl, Chelmsford, Essex DINGHY LANDING…

If you’re worried about the accuracy of electronic tank gauges, use a dipstick. A. A light-coloured piece of wood is the simplest. Just add known increments of liquid to the tank and mark the levels on the stick with notches, or scribed lines. If the filler pipe does not go straight down into the tank, use a flexible dipstick. B. A piece of rigging wire with smooth end fittings works, but can be hard to read. C. One French boat had a leather belt stiffened with sections of wood. D. Or you can buy very long flexible dipsticks made from stiff tape on a reel. E. Small tanks can often be dipped by using a clear tube like a pipette. Dip the open tube in, press your thumb over the…