Yachts & Yachting magazine July 2020

MANY YEARS BACK I BOUGHT my first boat and, although it wasn't in a terrible state, it did need a reasonable amount of work doing to it before it could be launched at the start of the season. As I was frantically daubing paint on it and stripping off layers of peeling varnish, I was rather perturbed by the sight of the owner of the boat next to mine. His yacht was in an immaculate state and apparently wanting for very little at all. Yet, despite this, the owner seemed frantically busy and, in the end, curiosity got the better of me and I asked him what he was up to. 'Oh' he replied, 'I'm making a rack where I can stack the washboards when they're not in use. I…

Sailing was among the first activities allowed to get going again in May after almost two months of lockdown. Guernsey led the way, after a Notice to Mariners on 2 May granted owners on the island permission to sail for two hours daily, as part of their allotted daily exercise. An anomaly meaning that many owners still could not launch, because they were not allowed to work on boats on the hard, was later lifted after lobbying by the Guernsey Boat Owners Association. England followed suit after the Prime Minister’s statement on 10 May, with the RYA urging a “considerate and cautious” return to the water. The lifting of restrictions came amid growing concern for the wellbeing of many boats still on the hard. The RYA said that maintenance and checking of boats had…

The RYA advises clubs to create a Covid-19 team, which can confirm what is permitted, assess risk, decide controls, introduce policies and procedures, then communicate those policies and keep reviewing them. A 13-page document has been drawn up by the RYA to assist sailing clubs move forward safely and responsibly. The document is available via the main page of the RYA website, which has a link to all of its Covid-19 advice. rya.org.uk Meanwhile Restart Sailing, a group of enthusiasts led by Simon Lovesey, of the SailRacer tracking app, has put together considerations for those debating whether or not to run an event: 1. Number of attendees: larger gatherings offer more opportunities for person-to-person contact; also consider the density of attendees within a confined area. 2. Travel: it may not be fair to…

Sailors and marine companies across the UK are engaged in an extraordinary drive to make vital PPE for health workers. One voluntary initiative in the New Forest has supplied more than 16,000 gowns to Southampton General Hospital – and has become the hospital’s main supplier of protective gowns. Peter Sanders, MD of Sanders Sails in Lymington, said: “At one stage Southampton General was going to run out of these gowns within a week. It was a desperate situation.” Volunteers worked day and night over one weekend to find the right plastic material, simplify the pattern so it could be welded together with domestic irons instead of being sewed, then distribute the plastic and pattern to marine firms with the cutting ability, then have the pieces ironed together by volunteer seamstresses and finally rush…

A new 3,600-mile solo offshore race will run in July as a qualifier for the Vendée Globe. The Vendée-Arctic-les Sables d’Olonne starts on 4 July, taking the single-handed IMOCA fleet from the French Atlantic port of Les Sables d’Olonne, up west of Iceland into the Arctic Circle, down to the Azores and then back to Les Sables d’Olonne, over 10 to 12 days. It has been organised to replace two transatlantic races that would have been used by many Vendée Globe competitors as their qualifying sails for the round the world race, which is due to begin in November. The new race will run within social distancing guidelines, which probably means little in the way of a race village for spectactors. The Vendée Globe itself has said that it may not run without a…

London sailing club fights for survival The Westminster Boating Base (WBB), a charity founded in 1975 to enable kids of any background to sail, canoe and drive powerboats on the tidal Thames, has been forced to the brink of closure by the Covid-19 pandemic. Over the years, the club has taught thousands of young people of diverse backgrounds to sail. The WBB normally raises funds through venue hire, but with activity like this frozen, the future of the club is uncertain. The WBB is run by volunteers and is aiming to raise £100,000 to last it this year. Donate via westminsterboatingbase.co.uk. SailGP SailGP has moved its entire 2020 season to 2021, meaning Ben Ainslie’s win at the Sydney event in January this year will not count towards a possible season title. Meanwhile SailGP…