Table of contents for April 2020 in Sailing Today

Forget Greece – leading charter company Sunsail has announced the launch of new flotilla holiday opportunities ‘at home’ in the Solent. The company has three flotillas setting sail this year. The first, over the long Easter weekend (10-13 April), takes in Portsmouth, Southampton, Yarmouth and Cowes. The others run over the summer bank holidays (23-25 May and 29-31 August) and take in Cowes, Yarmouth and Portsmouth. The flotillas are a chance to sample the new Sunsail 41.0 fleet, which is based at the company’s Portsmouth HQ. “Our first ever UK flotilla routes are perfect for first-time sailors and experienced skippers alike,” says Sunsail’s UK marketing manager Kate Staniforth. “These mini cruises are ideal for those looking to get a true taste of flotillas closer to home, whilst sampling our new…

I couldn’t believe a year had slipped by since ‘A Med Time Story’ and ‘Sailing Safari’, on Bella Rose, our 2017 Oyster 545. It took minutes to decide the outline of our summer sailing 2019 adventure, reinforcing how easy-going both Captain Barry and I are when it comes to exploring together. A true sail and trail team! “How about we head from Malta to Sicily to the Ionian Islands to Montenegro to Croatia and then leave Bella Rose in Venice for the winter?” Barry didn’t need to hold his breath for my answer. Finally, the day arrived. On a Saturday at 5.30pm, we bid farewell to Valetta’s Grand Harbour, where Bella Rose had spent the winter. We motored into a blinding sun and 40-degree heat. Fifteen miles from shore the…

Next month’s edition of ST will be majoring on cruising round Britain, so I thought I’d get in ahead. I’ve done the trip a few times, and circumnavigated Ireland once. When planning, two big questions invariably arise: which way to go and how far. For the former, you either sail clockwise or tempt the fates by trying your luck ‘widdershins’. You can get stuffed by the weather either way, but received wisdom is that clockwise is probably an easier ride. The matter of distance is decided by going inside or outside the island of Ireland and, in Scotland, whether to traverse the Caledonian Canal or wander away to the misty north. ‘We actually preferred the rough-and-tumble of the waterfront’ Whichever route you choose, a sailor can be sure of the…

Poole Harbour has to be one of the greatest assets the south coast has. Think about it. This is the second largest natural harbour in the world – being narrowly beaten to the title by Sydney Harbour. As such, it has over 100 miles of coastline with five main islands, but probably more than double that at low tide. Its great size means that it is entirely realistic to plan a week’s leisurely cruise without ever leaving its confines. If you do, the Purbeck coast has a selection of beautiful harbours to help you out. The other thing is that the tide – so often the blight of any cruise – can become a real asset, particularly if you have a shallow draught yacht. The beauty of these shallow creeks…

NAJAD 450CC Another Swedish centre cockpit beauty. The 450 has been around for a few years now but that doesn’t detract from the fact that this Judel/Vrolijk design is an excellent bluewater cruiser with similar attributes to the 44. najad.se SOUTHERLY 435 With its swing keel, the Southerly 435 is a very different beast to the HR44 but it boasts true bluewater credentials, high-quality fit out and, of course, the versatility of that swing keel. Discoveryyachtsgroup.com RUSTLER 44 A pure bluewater cruiser in the traditional mould. This beautiful Stephen Jones design is a proven performer and her builders have established a strong reputation for marrying beautiful lines to superb-quality fit out. Rustleryachts.com…

A bit of sepia tinted observation to start this article. Do you remember when we had blue passports? I don’t to be fair, but I do remember when 30ft (9.1m) was deemed a pretty big yacht. Well, those days are gone. These days, things are different and 30ft is very much the base size – your ‘starter’ yacht to get youngsters with £100k or so to spare into world of yacht cruising. In recent years this entry level boat has become a bit of an afterthought for many manufacturers because profit margins are low and, frankly, it all seems like a bit of a pain. It was therefore refreshing to step aboard the Beneteau Oceanis 30.1. Beneteau has had a bit of an existential crisis of late and is worried…

When you’re deciding on where to go for your next UK-based cruise, you probably don’t want to hear the words ‘danger came from the sea’. But, somewhat counter-intuitively, Salcombe’s history of smuggling, piracy and slavery are all part of what gives the beautiful South Devon estuary resort its appeal today. The town was originally – and continued to be, throughout this rather dramatic period of the 16th and 17th centuries – one that based its livelihood on the water, through fishing and boat building. Known for outstanding coastal and countryside views, coves, creeks, and hidden beaches accessible only by boat, Salcombe sits on the banks of the Kingsbridge estuary, and is now within the South Devon Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty and part of the English Riviera. Historians say that…

Boat: Biscay 36 LWL: 27ft (8.2m) Beam: 10ft 9in (3.3m) Type: Long-keeled ketch Back in 2008, I got the boat sandblasted down and applied the Coppercoat with my son. It was easy, but genuinely boring. Anything over about 25ft, you just don’t stop – go up one side, down the other and then back up again. One person mixing, one person rolling, then you swap. It looks fantastic when it’s done. I kept the boat in the River Orwell, where you get green grass growing on anything dangling in the water. I had the odd barnacle, but not many. In a high-fouling area, you should expect a wash-off mid-season. I did it on a leaning post in the marina. Then I took the boat down to St Mawes and left…

Time was when teaching Day Skipper and Yachtmaster that I would get to the bit about GPS and satellite navigation and people’s eyes would light up in wonder and amazement. Not any more. We now have GPS on everything from watches and phones to chart plotters. We take the electronics for granted, but do we actually know what they are telling us? I wrote Stress Free Navigation because there is a gap in the Day Skipper and Yachtmaster offerings. We do cover electronic navigation, but we only really touch on it. I wanted to integrate the electronic with the traditional. I have approached every subject from the electronic first, and then explained what it means. I compare the accuracy of the electronic answers versus the manual answers derived from the…

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is to undertake an investigation into the use of drones in future search and rescue operations. A project announced in February aims to explore how current regulations might be developed to allow the MCA to operate Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) drones, unlocking potential for them to be used to make coastal rescues safer and more efficient. It’s thought that BVLOS drones could be used to survey rescue sites ahead of rescue teams’ arrival, whether that be sending images back of cliff accidents or looking for casualties in the sea. “The use of drones in search and rescue, counter pollution and maritime aerial observation operations will potentially increase overall efficiency and also reduce the risk to our personnel – allowing the MCA to discharge…

Britannia and Navahoe off the Needles Collect one of Britain’s finest contemporary marine artists This stunning painting is by Stephen Renard, one of Britain’s top marine artists, and it depicts a famous race in 1893 between the Prince of Wales’s yacht Britannia and American yacht Navahoe. The race has inspired painters many times over the years, but Renard’s eye for detail is evident in his interpretation. The Huddersfield-born artist has amassed a big following, and the painting is one of several of his works being shown at The Open Art Fair in Chelsea (18-24 March) by Haynes Fine Art. According to Haynes, Renard’s pieces have sold for up to $77,000 at auction, so this one’s a bargain - and a potential investment. £2,850 haynesfineart.com Azure on The Hoe Stunning Plymouth…

It was impossible not to be impressed with the 44. Hallberg Rassy’s reputation for quality is superlative and, having visited their factory I can completely see why. This is a boat that sails supremely well and offers extremely high levels of comfort. The styling is a bit of a departure for Hallberg Rassy but it is contemporary without being jarring and signposts the company’s willingness to move with the times. I guess the thing that will raise the most eyebrows are those twin rudders which are a bit of a departure. Yet there are pros and cons to twin rudders over a skeg hung single blade. I have to say that on the 44 the steering certainly felt supremely well balanced. Aside from that, decades of building quality bluewater cruisers…

This is a cracking little yacht and full credit to Beneteau for investing heavily in its starter boat and loading it with features generally seen in bigger models. The hull design is innovative and the boat is fun to sail – I just wish there had been a bit more breeze for the test. For a family of three or four, you can’t really fault this boat and it would provide a great introduction to sailing. The only problem might be your disappointed when you come to trade her in and discover that many of the clever touches aren’t there on the replacement boat. LOOKS: COMFORT: PERFORMANCE:…

Change is afoot in the antifouling market. Ever-tightening regulation around biocides and pollutants in the EU means that manufacturers are having to cut the leach rates and VOC (volatile organic compound) content of their products. With Britain in the wilderness post-Brexit, nobody knows whether our environmental stance will be tougher or slacker than that of the EU, but one thing is certain: if you want to take your boat into European waters, you’d be smart to think about the environmental impact of your antifouling. So, in a spirit of non-scientific investigation, Sailing Today has taken a closer look at the experiences of four boatowners, each with a different approach to keeping their hulls clean and their boats slippery. Self-polishing antifoul Most cruisers will use a form of ablative antifoul, which…

Boat: Harmony 34 LWL: 29ft 10in (9.1m) Beam: 11ft 5in (3.5m) Type: Modern sloop There isn’t really a perfect antifouling system, but I considered a range of options. In the end I chose hard racing antifouling from Teamac, which we make last for five years. The current one is three years old. I also put in ultrasonic antifouling, which extends the life of the antifouling and keeps the propeller fouling-free. Two transducers work off one controller, which is a little white box that you mount inside the boat, wherever you can get to it. We’ve got five 10W solar panels on the coachroof and the ultrasonic antifouling wired in to the ‘dump’ socket on the solar regulator, which cuts out when the voltage drops below 12.1V, preventing damage to the…

Bruntons Autoprop Everybody knows that a folding or feathering propeller will make your boat faster. In numerous tests, boats sailed 0.5-1 knot faster when the fixed propeller was replaced. Although my boat already had a simple feathering prop, the symmetrical form of its blades made it less efficient under power and prone to propwalk astern. So I didn’t hesitate when the opportunity came up to install a state-of-the-art feathering propeller and flexible coupling – both from the nice people at Bruntons. The Autoprop is a sophisticated self-pitching design, whose pivoting blades feather when sailing or naturally find the best angle to drive the boat forward and astern. Bruntons managing director David Sheppard says: “It improves motoring, reduces fuel consumption at the mid-range rpm and enhances motor sailing as the blades…

JEANNEAU 57 | OCTANES MEMOIRS This Jeanneau 57 is for sale in St Lucia, having just completed the ARC – and she’s also cruised in the UK, the Med and the Caribbean… so far. The owners have had the Philippe Briand-penned 2016 model for three years, since launch, and are selling because they want a bigger boat. Jeanneau’s 57 offers a massive cockpit, which is key for long-term cruising, comfortable lounging seats with back rests, and the option of setting up two Sunpads forward. That 58ft LOA means she is roomy below and can sleep nine in four double cabins and one single, plus three crew. She has three heads. The in-mast furling main and headsail, both by Elvstrom, were new in 2016; others, including a Tradewind sail,…

Greek ministers have unveiled controversial new plans to reduce the flow of refugees coming from Turkey to Greece via the Mytiline Strait. The strait separates Lesvos in Greece from mainland Turkey and at its narrowest point is 5.5km wide, making it a realistic - albeit dangerous - method of gaining entry into the EU. The Greek government has announced that it will build a floating barrier running 2.7km along the narrowest section of the strait, rising 50m out of the water and equipped with flashing lights. Greece’s defence minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, told the Greek radio station Skaia: “In Evros, natural barriers had relative [good] results in containing flows. We believe a similar result can be had with these floating barriers. We are trying to find solutions to reduce flows.” Amnesty…

CHICHESTER MARINA BOAT SHOW 25 - 26 APRIL 2020 CHICHESTER MARINA This year’s Chichester Boat Show will take place from 25 – 26 April 2020 and we’re happy to announce that Sailing Today will be media partners. Alongside an array of new and pre-owned sailing and power boats the show will include a dedicated watersports area for those who are keen to embrace all aspects of getting out on the water. Plus, on the Sunday, there will be a Flares Disposal Service for Premier berth holders and visitors. With superb on-water and onshore displays this will be a great opportunity for visitors to get up close and personal with the boats, and talk to experts who have a real passion for their brands. Exhibitors will include onsite brokerages, Ancasta International…

Hallberg Rassy 40C The Hallberg-Rassy 40C is the centre-cockpit version of the Swedish brand’s aft cockpit 412 model. As such, there has been a fairly extensive rejig in order to accommodate a centre cockpit. The big gain here is that, with the cockpit moved forward, you have a comparatively palatial aft cabin. In addition, you have the added feeling of security that comes with a centre cockpit. Aside from that, this is the same Germán Frers hull seen on the 412, featuring a decent amount of beam aft, coupled with twin rudders. hallberg-rassy.com Eleva 42 Eleva Yachts is one of a growing crowd of Italian manufacturers providing super-stylish cruisers with an emphasis on luxury and sportiness, without necessarily being an out-and-out racer. The Eleva 42 is the latest addition to…

‘A steady westerly progress seemed like the most logical option for a couple who were green to life on the blue’ You’re going sailing? Fantastic! Where to? I hear Hawaii might be nice, or how about the Azores? Will you simply follow the equator or do you plan to round Cape Horn? A ‘sailing round the world’ plan sounds incredibly grand and rather simplified in its design, but, let’s be clear – you are not going to get to go everywhere and see everything. In fact, making any stops or visits in order to actually experience and enjoy any of the places on your route will result in the whole business taking longer than you might have first thought. We’re well into our ninth year of full-time, liveaboard, worldwide cruising.…

Think Hallberg Rassy and I generally think of armchairs. A couple of comfortable recliners in the saloon has become something of a trademark for the brand. This came about after a client specifically ordered armchairs for his Hallberg Rassy and the company – somewhat reluctantly – complied with his unusual order. The boat was then displayed at a boat show and lots of other potential buyers demanded armchairs in the saloon. The rest is history and, frankly, anyone who has been on one of these boats will generally slump straight down into one of these armchairs. It has, however, given Hallberg Rassy a rather hidebound image; this is a company steeped in tradition and conservatism. Yet, the latest models from Hallberg Rassy have rather blown that notion out of the…

Trieste lies at the top of the Adriatic Sea and in the very northeast corner of Italy – in fact the border with Slovenia is just a handful of miles inland to the northeast and along the coast to the south. For centuries it was the main seaport of the Austro-Hungarian empire and didn’t become part of Italy until the end of the First World War. Much of its stunning architecture dates from the mid-19th century, including the magnificent Piazza Unità d’Italia (thought to be the largest square in Europe that opens onto the sea), home to the various government buildings. Trieste’s principal marina is the Marina San Giusto, which has berths for visiting boats of up to 24m (79ft) – as well as adjacent wharfage for superyachts of up…

In September 2018 I was up most of the night running the engine to help keep Skylax off the quay while ‘Medicane Zorbas’ went through Greece – and that was with three mooring lines bar-tight on the front. Thankfully, Skylax was on the hard for ‘Medicane Victoria’ lashing the Mediterranean in November 2019. In fact, there were two medicanes that month – and this seems to be a pattern that is occurring most years in the autumn, when the sea has warmed up over the summer and the conditions are there for these hurricane-like weather systems to form. Disruption of normal weather patterns Compared with 20 years ago, when I first wrote about the effects of global warming, there are fewer climate change deniers around now. Whether on the land…

We look after a fleet of the Bembridge One Designs here. Historically, they always used to use a hard antifouling. Eight years ago, they ran samples with all the dark-red antifouls available, including Micron - back when it was Micron X2. There wasn’t a huge difference, but the Micron was the best product. Now we’ve switched to the Micron 350, you can tell as soon as you’ve washed them there’s a lot less growth on them. So much of it washes off when you get it out for the scrub, so it’s not getting the build-up that we’ve had in the past. It’s hardly even worth their coming in for the scrub – there’s so little film on them. The same is true of the cruising yachts we’ve done –…

Boat: Dehler 46 LWL: 42ft 5in (12.9m) Beam: 14ft 3in (4.3m) Type: Modern sloop We wanted a protection for our hull which is respectful of the environment. The traditional antifouling is notoriously polluting - easy to imagine what the impact is on animals in the sea, and also, ultimately, on humans. In a boat show in 2014 we learned about Hempel Silic One, its different approach (fouling release as opposed to fouling killer) and we just went for it! When we opted for Silic One, our boat was being built, so it was relatively easy to apply Silic One on the hull. First, a Hempel primer is used (several layers, as usual), then a special tie-coat layer (yellow colour) is applied, which enables the Silic One to stick on the…