Yachts & Yachting magazine April 2021

AS THE VENDEE GLOBE winds up and the America's Cup heats up, I just wanted to extend a hearty thanks to the fates and the organisers of both events which has ensured in this most numbing of winters, there is still plenty to keep us distracted and provide welcome succour in grim times. At present, any distraction is welcome and both events could not have been more obliging in dishing up relentless action. With the Vendee fleet now safely returned, all that remains is to doff a cap to their extraordinary feat of endurance. In many cases, modern technology can tend to cosset us from the harsh realities of life and sometimes even strip us of important skills. Yet with the Vendee racers, every single advance in technology seems to…

Australian yachtsman Jon Sanders has become the oldest person to sail solo around the world, aged 81, after he arrived home in Fremantle on 30 January. It was his 11th solo circumnavigation. Sanders arrived back after 455 days away. He had to extend the trip by six months because of Covid restrictions. At sea, he said he saw some of the roughest conditions he has known. His latest voyage was supported by the Minderoo Foundation, which works to combat plastic pollution in the oceans. Sanders said: “As someone who has spent more than 60 years traversing and enjoying the world’s oceans, I could not sit idly by and watch that same environment be choked to death with plastic waste. “My voyage has given me a unique opportunity to contribute to scientific research on microplastics, particularly…

The Seldén Sailjuice Winter Series will run until August, after Covid restrictions prevented most of its events taking place. Only the Datchet Flyer was able to run. As the other events were postponed or cancelled, the series organisers put on webinars and online talks that proved hugely popular. Now series co-organisers Andy Rice (read Andy’s column on page 34) and Simon Lovesey have agreed with title sponsor Seldén Masts to continue to the series through to a concluding event at Rutland Water, the rescheduled John Merricks Tiger Trophy on the last weekend of August. “This is probably the first time a winter series will be taking place during the warm months of the year,” said Andy. “But the focus for me and Simon has always been to maximise participation in dinghy racing by…

British sailor Pip Hare crossed the line of the Vendée Globe in 19th place on her boat Medallia after 94 days at sea. Hare, aged 47, from Poole, finished on Thursday 11 February close to midnight, making her the first Briton to finish this edition of the race, after Alex Thomson and Sam Davies retired into Cape Town after collisions. Miranda Merron was approaching the Azores as Hare finished. Hare, whose achievement was celebrated on the front of the Times newspaper, said she was overwhelmed with the messages of support, which she had only been able to read upon arriving. She said: “I’m coming to terms with how many people have been following my story and engaged with it. I’m stunned. It’s a little bit hard to comprehend. For all those people who…

Cheaper Vendée Globe French veteran Jean Le Cam has called on the Vendée Globe organisers to ensure the race remains ‘accessible’. Le Cam, aged 61, who finished fourth overall after his rescue of Kevin Escoffier, said: “Today this race is becoming financially inaccessible. There are boats at €6-7 million, so you wonder if you need to have a multi-national sponsor to be able to participate and not be left out on the sidelines.” Buckler’s Hard 50th A £2m redevelopment of Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour will be completed in the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the Beaulieu River marina. It was opened by Lord Montagu with Sir Chay Blyth 50 years ago. The new-look marina contains 66 additional berths. A celebration is planned for Saturday 1 May, with guests from the 1971…

Sailors may be forced to pay for the safe disposal of flares, following a UK Government consultation that is critical of the marine industry. The Department for Transport is asking for responses before 15 March and proposes a ‘polluter pays’ concept, pointing to other industries that produce waste. In those instances, the DfT says “industry itself is legally required to have in place effective mechanisms and processes that facilitate the safe management, containment, storage and disposal of such items…and for which they’re usually obliged to pay”. “It’s perhaps not unreasonable, therefore, to encourage the recreational boating sector to adopt a similar approach in disposing of its own waste products,” the consultation says. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has voluntarily provided a free flare disposal service for leisure boat owners for a number of…