2020-09-01 Practical Boat Owner

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BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING BOATING MAGAZINE
No. 656 SEPTEMBER 2020 £4.85
GEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING · MAINTENANCE
EXPERT ADVICE
EASY INSTRUMENT Get more from
REPAIRS your mainsail
33 Track down leaks
PAGES
O F D IY Weather apps
CRUISING
Round Ireland
The £10 fix that saved £££ with friends
New Zealand’s
How to... Bay of Islands
Fit toerails and handles USED BOAT TEST
Troubleshoot engines Dependable
Climb the mast Devon Yawl
Install hot water
TRADITIONAL SKILLS
Clinker repairs
DIY brass gimbal
SOS DEVICES
EPIRB, PLB or AIS?
OWNER’S EXPERIENCE
‘The wheel jammed and
the rudder was locked!’ FAMILY
ADVENTURE
Raising children
on board
DIY RIG OVERHAUL
Check, fix and tension your rigging
1(:
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]LZZLSZ =VS[ Z\WWS` [OL IHZL \UP[ YLJLP]LZ ^PUK ZWLLK HUK KPYLJ[PVU KH[H MYVT [OL
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Contents 00
58
40 83
Welcome to the September 2020 issue
70 34
21
84
68
22
62
81
44
74 28
50
Paul Gibbins Photography
Cover: the Marcon 34 Tomboy enjoys a lovely brisk

sail. Photo by David Harding
PRACTICAL
Sailing the Devon
40 Instrument repair
How to fix a NASA Clipper
Yawl – page 22
Wind instrument
REGULARS BOATS, CRUISING

& SEAMANSHIP
Circumnavigating
Ireland – page 34 21 Troubleshoot engines
Diesel engine cutting out? Here’s
advice for overcoming fuel problems
22 Devon Yawl on test

The sturdy Devon Yawl has plenty
46 Get more from
going for it, reports Peter Poland
your mainsail
Ways to maintain your sails to
get the most out of them
28 Raising children on board
How one family traded in smart cars
5 Waiting for the tide and private schools for a life aboard
6 News
34 Round Ireland with friends
10 Regional news Four friends charter a yacht to spend
SAVE a month sailing round Ireland
12 Readers’ letters MONEY AND
SUBSCRIBE
16 Dave Selby ! 68 Climb the mast
Great offers
on Tips for staying safe when climbing
18 Sam Llewellyn
page 9
the mast for routine maintenance
50 DIY rig overhaul
Finding cracks and corrosion
20 Marsali Taylor 70 Fitting new toerails demands a rig replacement
44 New Gear and grabrails

Tips for removal of old toerails and
58 Track down leaks
How to find those sneaky
80 Practical projects grabrails – and the techniques for
leaks that are letting in water
fitting the replacements
82 Ask the experts
72 Installing hot water 62 Clinker repair
90 Sketchbook Retrofitting a pressurised hot water
Boatbuilding tips for restoring
a rotten double-ender
system to your boat
Cruising New
Zealand’s Bay of 74 Wheel jammed
Islands – page 84 and rudder locked!
Scuba diving came to the rescue
Lev Kropotov/Alamy
when a prop shaft sheared and

jammed the rudder
84 NZ’s Bay of Islands

Cruising guide to this most
irresistible of sailing destinations
Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 3

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EDITORIAL
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Waiting for
Editorial 01252 555176
Email pbo@futurenet.com
Editor Rob Melotti
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News Editor Katy Stickland
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the tide
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Group Art Director Kevin Eason
Contributors
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Photography
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Plumbing or rigging?
Head of Market Jane Smith 07966 159924
jane.smith@futurenet.com
Head of Market Michael Beattie 07803 722 007
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Senior Account Manager Simon Spong 07816 443436
D
50-56 for a brilliant guide to
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ÁƏƳƺƏȇƳƬǼƏ
ǣƺƳChris Wilson 07989 428596

chris.wilson@futurenet.com
Private Boat Sales Hana Sodawala 01252 555373
‘ on’t be shy when
it comes to engine
repairs,’ writes Tim
checking and replacing parts of
a yacht’s standing rigging (DIY
hana.sodawala@futurenet.com
Advertising Production Peter Burton 07534 146623
Davies in Learning while afloat with family living
peter.burton@futurenet.com From Experience aboard and preparing for their
International editions
(page 74-78). ‘They first ocean crossing). The author,
Practical Boat Owner is available for licensing. Contact the are only lumps of metal full of oil, David Carey, demonstrates a good
Licensing team to discuss partnership opportunities.
Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw fed with cooling water and fuel...’ understanding of metal corrosion
licensing@futurenet.com He goes on to explain that in his and a willingness to climb, crouch
Subscriptions experience most engine problems and inspect parts of the boat in
Email enquiries help@magazinesdirect.com
UK orderline & enquiries 330 333 1113 are mere plumbing issues. ‘This is great detail. But there it is again:
Overseas order line and enquiries +44 (0)330 333 1113 not rocket science,’ he declares. plumbing. You can replace every
Online orders & enquiries www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
CRM Director nȒɖǣƺ(ɖƳ ƺǼƳ If only it were so simple. bit of stainless on the boat, but
Circulation Keeping water, fuel, coolant, if water leaks in through the
Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers
exhaust etc separate and contained chainplates, your rig is not safe!
Production
Head of Production Mark Constance
on your boat is certainly of So perhaps the lesson is: look
Production Project Manager Clare Scott great importance, but it’s worth after the plumbing and the rest will
Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby
Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson
reminding ourselves that without take care of itself. If you only wish
Group Production Manager Becky Singleton his boat’s rig, Tim might still be to motor, or only to sail – you can
Production Manager Peter Wesson
stuck on a remote Greek island reduce your plumbing problems to
Publishing
Group Managing Director Dave Clutterbuck trying to fix his prop shaft! the bare minimum. But if you want
Editor-in-Chief Simone Kirrane So looking after your rig to live aboard and sail the seven
Group Editor Marine Elaine Bunting
Commercial Finance Director Dan Jotcham (if you have one) has to be the seas... prepare to plumb!
Printed by Walstead UK Limited priority? Well take a look at page Rob Melotti
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All contents © 2020 Future Publishing Limited or published under

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Erin Carey
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A solid rig will get you and your boat wherever you dare to dream – this is David Carey
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News and current affairs from the world of boating
Southampton Boat Show moved to 2021

The Southampton Boat Show
has been postponed until 2021
due to the COVID-19
pandemic, although the show’s
organiser, British Marine, will
attempt to hold a smaller,
outdoor event in its place this
September.
As PBO went to press British
Marine said it was ‘continuing
to explore the options’ for an
‘alternative, smaller scale
outdoor event’. This year’s
Southampton Boat Show had
been due to run on 11-20
September. The event regularly
OnEdition
attracts more than 100,000
visitors and over 430 exhibitors.
Churchouse Boats, which
builds Drascombes, is a regular
The 2020 Southampton Boat Show has been postponed until next year, although there are plans for a
exhibitor. Managing director
smaller outdoor event in September
Sharon Geary-Harwood said
given the current pandemic During lockdown some firms, informed about the boats on Other exhibitors are instead
crisis, “it was the best decision such as the yacht brokers offer, with video walk- looking at new ways to reach
British Marine could have Ancasta, have held virtual boat throughs, high-quality photos customers. The senior UK
made”. She said she was shows for customers. and 360° tours. But none of marketing manager for the
“hopeful” a smaller show would Geary-Harwood said physical that can replace physically charter firms Sunsail and The
happen to provide “a bit of a boat shows were still important, getting on the boat and Moorings, Kate Staniforth, said
boost” for the marine industry as consumers were presented running your hand over it and they were disappointed at the
after the last five months. with a choice of boats in one feeling build quality. Feeling postponement, but fully
Geary-Harwood would also place, making it easier for them and seeing the quality close supported the decision.
like to see more of a focus on to compare vessels and talk to up can’t be replicated online,” “We are currently exploring
the small boat market, manufacturers. stated Stone. alternative opportunities and
especially to tie in with British It is a view shared by James The proposed smaller campaigns to help people find
Marine’s campaign to Stone from the Hamble-based Southampton show is the right sailing holiday.”
encourage more people to try Inspiration Marine Group, which expected to focus on boats, Meanwhile, MDL Marinas has
boating, and believes that is a dealer for Hanse, Dehler, with Inspiration Marine announced a free, ticketed only
smaller regional shows would Privilege, Fjord and Moody. pledging to take up to 12 show at Ocean Village Marina
be a good way to achieve this. “Customers are much more models if it went ahead. Southampton, 11-20 Sept.
Richard Langdon
Pip secures The newly

named
Globe, which is all the
inspiration I need to succeed,”
Medallia has said Hare.
new Vendée undergone a “It’s been a lonely path to get
six month refit this far, so I am absolutely
sponsor ahead of the
start of the
thrilled that such a visionary
company as Medallia has
UK Vendée Globe entrant Pip Vendée Globe stepped in to make my lifelong
Hare has relaunched her in November dream a reality.”
IMOCA 60 following a six Hare is one of six women
month refit. skippers currently registered
The solo skipper has also for the round the world yacht
secured a new title sponsor, Hare announced her Vendée “My entire 28-year career has race, which will start on 8
Medallia, and, during a Globe campaign in October been focused on breaking November 2020 from Les
ceremony in Poole, renamed 2018 after buying the IMOCA down barriers to get to this Sables d’Olonne in France.
her yacht after the customer 60, then named Superbigou, point. More men have walked Fellow British offshore sailors
experience management which has already completed on the moon than women Miranda Merron and Samantha
company. four world circumnavigations. have completed the Vendée Davies will also be competing.
6 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

NEWS
New tax relief for subsidised diesel on the cards

A consultation has been have to submit a written
launched by the UK declaration to the fuel supplier
Government following the outlining how they intended to
announcement in April’s use each tank of fuel, although
Budget that the subsidy on red owners could lodge a standing
diesel is to be scrapped. declaration with any supplier
The move will see the where they were a regular
entitlement to use red diesel customer to save them making
removed, except for agricultural, new declarations each time
rail and non-commercial heating they refuelled. Declarations
purposes by April 2022. Her would need to be made
Majesty’s Revenue and available to HMRC on request.
MJ Perris/Alamy
Customs (HMRC) has confirmed The consultation document
that boaters will still be able to The use of subsidised also confirms that boat owners
use subsidised diesel to heat diesel for boat heating would not have to flush out
their vessels – but not power will still be allowed their tanks to remove traces of
them. Currently, UK marinas red diesel when the ban comes
sell red diesel on a 60/40 split a split of 60% for propulsion percentage as it is now or into force.
of full and lower tax rates for and 40% for non-propulsion. capped at a maximum The consultation ends on 1
propulsion and heating or power It wants to hear the views of percentage, which would October. www.gov.uk/
generation. The government is boat owners, with supporting ‘more accurately reflect the government/consultations/
considering introducing a new evidence. amount of diesel’ owners consultation-on-reforms-to-
tax relief scheme, and is asking It is also considering if tax intend to use for non- the-tax-treatment-of-red-
if a boat’s typical fuel use is still relief should be a fixed propulsion. Owners would diesel-and-other-rebated-fuels
Poorly marked creel pots Creel pots will have to be marked

with specifically-designed buoys
unlawful in Scotland
Creel pots in Scottish waters creels with one or more
now have to be clearly marker buoys that clearly
marked, with the use of plastic display the fishing boat’s port
milk cartons and netted letter and number (PLN), a
Eric Farrelly/Alamy
footballs banned. The Marking code used to identify vessels.
of Creels (Scotland) Order Only marker buoys
2020 came into effect on 20 specifically designed for the
June, and applies to creels marking of equipment in the
deployed within 12 miles of water can be used. Fleets of
the Scottish baseline. The ten or more creels must have
move has been welcomed by one or more marker buoy at Scottish Government has the marker and everything
the Cruising Association (CA) each end of the fleet, and all also said that removal of attached to it,” said a
which, along with the RYA, is marker buoys must display illegal markers would depend spokesman.
campaigning for the clearer the same PLN. on individual circumstances. The Maritime and
marking of static fishing gear Enforcement will rely on “Officers would never cut off Coastguard Agency-led
in UK waters. Marine Scotland patrols the marker on its own, so Lobster Pots and Small Craft
Under the new law, licensed acting on intelligence or tip action will only take place Safety Working Group was
fishermen must mark their offs from the public. The when they can safely recover set up in the UK last year.
The
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NEWS
Remembering Tom Nighy

Tributes have been paid to the their popular Grand Banks
founder of Hamble Craft, Tom range of motor cruisers.
Nighy, who died on 30 June at Tom was then production
the age of 83. director for Langstone Marine,
A former director of technical better known as Fairways
services for the British Marine Marine, which produced the Timothy Long is
Industries Federation (BMIF), Fisher range of boats, and in planning to sail around
Tom helped draft the European 1976 won the Queen’s Award 40 miles a day
Recreational Craft Directive for Industry. In 1978 he became
Tim eyes round
Nighy Family
(RCD) and advised on policy production director for Rank

for the BMIF. He was also a Marine, which is now Port
regular exhibitor at the Hamble and in 1980 founded
Britain record
Southampton and London Boat Hamble Craft, which produced Timothy Long, 15, has
Shows until his retirement in teak steering wheels for yachts. started his record
Tom Nighy was a former
2005. Between 1980-1983 he was attempt to become the
technical manager for the BMIF
Having been schooled as a also general manager for youngest sailor to solo
and helped draft the RCD
merchant seaman on HMS Bowman Yachts, then based at circumnavigate Britain.
Conway on the Menai Straits, developments in the UK. Emsworth. The Buckinghamshire
his initial career was at sea, In 1967 he joined JG Meakes In 1983, he set up Francis teenager spent
culminating as a Senior Deck at Marlow, which produced the Marine Engineering which fitted lockdown completing an
Officer with Union Castle, likes of the Sealion 36, windlasses and capstans, and online RYA Day Skipper
operating between the UK and eventually managing the boat he was particularly proud to course before leaving
South Africa. sales and servicing provide capstans for all of the Hamble Point Marina on
Tom went into the marine departments, before being RNLI’s offshore craft. 16 July, aboard his
industry in 1965 when he head hunted by American Tom’s son, David Nighy, said Hunter Impala 28,
became a yacht broker for Marine International. He was his father “always loved the Alchemy.
Cresta Marina in Newhaven, the firm’s UK/ European industry, the characters in it and He is expecting the
one of the first marina representative, dealing with the craftsmanship in the yards.” record attempt to take
six to seven weeks. His
parents are his shore
Nominations for seamanship award support team, driving
around the coast to be
Do you know a sailor who Disney and his Transpac with him. His voyage
has gone above and beyond Pyewacket crew who can be followed at
out on the water over the last rescued John Sangmeister timothylongsailing.
year? MS Amlin is looking and his crew after their co.uk
for nominations for its annual Santa Cruz 70 OEX began Timothy is a member
Seamanship Award which sinking during the race. of the Hunter
can include acts of Entries should be no more Association, and the
selflessness, achieving than 250 words explaining association’s new
personal challenges, why the nominated website (www.
pushing boundaries and individual, crew member or hunterassociation.org.
helping to build the team should win and The crew of OEX safely aboard uk) will be regularly
reputation of boating. Last emailed to yachtmarketing@ Pyewacket during the 50th edition of updating news of his
year’s winner was Roy P msamlin.com by 31 August. the Transpac circumnavigation.
Benefactor says Tracy won’t have to sell her medal

Tracy Edwards’ Whitbread Tracy Edwards donated £10,000 and has
Round the World medal has is trying to asked Edwards to keep her
been saved after she was raise £150,000 accolade. Edwards, who made
forced to put it up for sale to to keep The history by leading the first
keep her Maiden Factor Maiden Factor all-woman Whitbread Round
Foundation running. running the World team, said people’s
The girls’ education charity kindness to The Maiden Factor
has been struggling financially never ceased to amaze her.
since the COVID-19 pandemic “It is through that wonderful
Tim Anderson
following the cancellation of support from so many people

fundraising events. The three that we are able to do what we
year world tour of the Bruce do,” she said.
Farr-designed maxi Maiden Details about Keep Maiden
also had to be suspended, and Moving – and video messages
the yacht is currently on the A Keep Maiden Moving Edwards pledged her 1989-90 from its high profile supporters,
hard at Hamble Point. It is crowdfunder appeal was Whitbread medal in exchange including actor Jamie
hoped the world tour can launched to raise £150,000. As for a £2,000 donation, but a Lee-Curtis – can be found here:
restart in 2021. part of a reward for donations, mystery benefactor has themaidenfactor.org/donate

NEWS
Young talent sought DIARY DATES

Young sailors have a last others can continue to benefit Q Falmouth Sailng Week,
chance to win exclusive use of from the scheme. 12-15 August, at Falmouth,
their own boat for two years to To be eligible a young sailor falmouthweek.co.uk/
help develop their sailing. has to be under 15 on 31 sailing-week
The partnership between the December 2020, complete the Q RWYC Lonely Rock
John Merricks Sailing Trust OnBoard JMST Declaration of Race, starts 16 August
(JMST) and RYA OnBoard is Eligibility 2020 and attend the from Eastern Solent and
RYA
now in its final year. After two British Youth Sailing Regional finishes in Plymouth
years the equipment is Junior Championships in Topper sailor Ed Corbitt from Sound, rwyc.org/lrr/
returned to the young sailor’s September. For further Llangorde SC was one of the Q Cowes Spring Classic
original supporting venue so information call: 02380 604195. successful applicants in 2019 2020, 4-6 September,
subject to COVID-19
restrictions, at Cowes,
Nature Picture Library/Marine Conservation Society
Fundraising appeal for eco-moorings cowesspringclassics.com

Q Carey Olsen Jersey
An appeal has been launched The project Regatta, 11-13 September,
to help pay for over 75 will see the at St Aubin’s Bay, Jersey,
eco-moorings along the south installation of info@jerseyregatta.com
coast and raise awareness of eco-moorings Q The Ocean Village Boat
their use among boaters. to allow Show, 11-20 September, at
The LIFE Recreation seagrass Ocean Village Marina,
ReMEDIES project, led by to recover Southampton, free ticketed
Natural England, aims to along parts only show. Booking
protect seagrass meadows in of England’s essential, mdlmarinas.
Marine Protected Areas in the south coast co.uk
Isles of Scilly, Fal and Helford,
Send your diary dates
Plymouth Sound and Estuaries, million by the EU, but the extra £105,000 after identifying
to pbo@futurenet.com,
Solent and Essex Estuaries Marine Conservation Society, a funding shortfall.
see more online at
Special Areas of Conservation. which is part of the project, has mcsuk.org/donate/ www.pbo.co.uk/events
It has been awarded £2.5 launched an appeal to raise an marinemeadows
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Regional News
Send us your local news stories. Email PBO news editor Katy Stickland at
News from your cruising area pbo@futurenet.com, tel: 01252 555213, or write to the address on page 5
SOUTH COAST AND CHANNEL ISLANDS

RELIABLE POWER FOR
NOSS ON DART INTERNATIONAL
South Devon’s Noss on Dart LIFEBOAT
Marina is to benefit from a The Jersey Lifeboat
more robust and resilient Association (JLA) has
electricity supply. A new become a full member of
Hampshire Marine Support Unit
substation is being built on the the International Maritime

Premier Marina site as part of Rescue Federation
a £75 million redevelopment (IMRF). An international
plan. The work will be finished non-governmental
by September. organisation, the IMRF
aims to improve maritime
Operation Wavebreaker will search and rescue
be run by the Hampshire capabilities across the
Premier Marinas
Marine Support Unit globe. The JLA was
launched in 2019 and
operates the all-weather
CRACKDOWN ON ANTISOCIAL lifeboat Sir Max Aitken III.
BEHAVIOUR ON THE WATER
A new campaign to tackle prohibited areas. It would also
antisocial behavior on the look at improving liaison with IMPROVING POOLE’S
water has been launched by other police marine units to WATER QUALITY
Suzanne McGowan/Alamy
Hampshire Police following a share best practice and work A network of water quality
recent surge of reports, with harbourmasters, maritime sensors, monitored by artificial
including speeding jet-skiers. rescue agencies and intelligence analysis, is being
Operation Wavebreaker has community groups. installed in Poole Park’s lake to
been launched to address a Hampshire Police urged make it easier to protect the
variety of issues, from the those witnessing antisocial or ecosystem in Poole Harbour.
dangerous use of small boats, dangerous behavior to report it The lake is connected to the
to groups of swimmers in immediately via 101. harbour by a sluice channel.
WEST COAST, WALES AND IRELAND
ZERO EMISSIONS FERRIES

FOR BELFAST
A £33m UK Government propulsion system to power
innovation grant has been the high-speed ferries, which
awarded to a Belfast maritime will be capable of carrying up
BestPix/Alamy
consortium to develop zero to 350 passengers.

emissions ferries for the city. With further investment from
Led by Artemis Technologies, consortium partners, the total
a spinoff from the America’s project investment will reach
Cup sailing team Artemis close to £60m over the next four
Racing, the consortium plans years, creating an initial 125 RELINKING TWO CANALS AT RUNCORN
to use an electric hydrofoil research and development jobs. Plans to relink the Manchester build a boatlift, marina, turning
Ship and Bridgewater Canals basin and management
have been submitted to Halton centre to open up Top Locks
BRINGING MIDLANDS Ethan Harries, Borough Council. Unlock (pictured) at the western end
SAILORS TOGETHER 20, is a Runcorn wants permission to of the Bridgewater Canal.
Sailors across the Midlands MYCAR
are being encouraged to join member
a new Midlands Yacht Cruisers HONOURED FOR CANAL WORK
and Racers (MYCAR) group The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has presented Peter
on Facebook to find out more Jones with the Tetlow Cup for outstanding services to the
about training, cruising and waterways. Peter was honoured for introducing thousands of
racing opportunities. Search people to the upper Llangollen Canal in North Wales through
Facebook for Midlands Yacht his trip boat business.
RYA
Cruisers and Racers.

IS O
3 SU CTO
SE E B
PT ON ER
Next
EM SA
BE LE
R
month
SCOTLAND
RESPECT THE DESTINATION ISLAND FOR SALE

Inchconnachan, an
As overnight sailing returns to uninhabited island in the
Scotland, boaters are being middle of Loch Lomond, is on
urged to respect the the market for £500,000. BOATS
The island, which belongs to
destination they plan to cruise
the Colquhoun family, is
Used boat test: Twister
to, and those who live there. ■ Peter Poland sails the Kim
A campaign by Sail Scotland, popular with boaters. Agents
Holman long-keeler: ‘the very
RYA Scotland, British Marine Knight Frank is marketing the
essence of satisfying sailing...’
Scotland and Wild Scotland island, which also has a
aims to highlight the different derelict bungalow. It was once
arrangements, levels of service the holiday home of
and local access controls in powerboater Fiona Gore,
place at popular Scottish Countess of Arran. Lady Arran
destinations. The Isle of Rum won the Seagrave Trophy in
Community Trust has already 1980 after reaching speeds of
asked skippers not to come 102mph in a powerboat on
until further notice, as Lake Windermere.
Boaters are being warned that
moorings are not in not all destinations in Scotland
Knight Frank/Savills
commission and all public are ready to accept visitors PRACTICAL
facilities are currently closed. following the easing of
The CEO of RYA Scotland, I made my own mainsail
COVID-19 restrictions
James Allan, said: “Whatever ■ Competition winner Bob
your craft, wherever you are our presence as visitors in Tuckwood on his experiences at
planning to go, COVID-19 has small local communities and a sail loft in Portland
not gone away and we need to coastal and island The island has a price tag of Inflatable valve repair
remain mindful of the impact of communities.” £500,000 ■ Roger Hughes on how to keep
your inflatable afloat
LED FOR BUTT OF LEWIS A team from the Northern Surveying a ‘bad’ boat
ScotImage/Alamy
The rotating optic light in the Butt Lighthouse Board will also be ■ A true tale from Mike Coates
of Lewis lighthouse in the Outer refurbishing and redecorating the
Hebrides is to be replaced with a tower and mess facilities in the
static flashing LED to save neighbouring building. The OCTOBER PBO ON
money and improve efficiency. lighthouse was built in 1862.
SALE 3 SEPTEMBER
EAST COAST AND SOUTH-EAST
Offshore waters around

HONOUR FOR National Historic Ships UK.
East Anglia are already
MEDWAY QUEEN The Medway Queen
home to several wind farms
The paddle driven steamship Preservation Society has
and Dunkirk Little Ship, recently improved its
Medway Queen has been website including adding a
appointed South East virtual tour of the vessel.
Regional Flagship for 2020 by medwayqueen.co.uk
NORFOLK WINDFARM IS GO
Richard Halton
The UK Government has given to cement and maintain East

permission for a 1.8GW wind Anglia as a UK renewable
farm to be built off the Norfolk energy powerhouse’.
coast. The Swedish firm The Secretary of State for
Vattenfall plans to install Business, Energy and
CandyApple Red Images/Alamy
between 90-180 turbines, with Industrial Strategy, Alok

heights of up to 350m, around Sharma, has also indicated SINKING RIB OFF TYNEMOUTH TOWED TO SAFETY
25 miles offshore from that he is ‘minded to approve’ Volunteers with Tynemouth
Happisburgh. the 2.4GW Hornsea Three RNLI have rescued the skipper
The company said the project subject to further of a 5.5m RIB after the boat’s
turbines would power 1.95 information being submitted. engine failed off Tyne Piers.
million homes by the mid- The Danish firm Ørsted wants The RIB was blown two miles
2020s, creating 150 jobs. It to install the wind farm around offshore, where it started
added that the Norfolk 86 miles east of the Yorkshire sinking in windy conditions,
Vanguard project would ‘help coast. before the RNLI recovered it.

Letters Email pbo@futurenet.com
or write to us at the address on page 5.
Photos are appreciated, letters may be edited.
Readers share their thoughts and opinions
Where are the

BOATS POPULAR CLASSICS – 2010-PRESENT
Seascape 27 sails
downwind “like
it’s on rails”
Yacht design PART 7

Popular Classics
2010-
Brit boats? in the 2010s PRESENT
Boat ownership is changing

and designs are taking a
radical new direction. Is now
the golden age of yachting?
I caught up on my back asks Rupert Holmes
issues of PBO the other day,

and read in your summer
2019 issue about decade-
Rupert Holmes
Corsair Pulse 600
defining yachts since 2010. common complaint about to note that ‘60 had become the new 40’. Seascape 27 the boat speed hovered around 13-15
A the latest generation of new

yachts is that they just
represent ‘more big, white
plastic.’ While it’s true some
However, since then the trend appears
to have reversed and this year’s show
revealed many more new, smaller designs.
These included the first model of less than
Trend: propulsion
The past couple of years have seen a
switch in propulsion systems for new
cost, representing an increase of
capacity of 50% every three years.
While it’s clearly still a few years before
smaller offshore yachts will be ready for
(Beneteau First 27)
2011
In 2008 Slovenian company Seascape
knots, accelerating to 17.5 in the biggest
gusts, feeling as though it was on rails.
Given more time it would have been
enormous fun to spend a few days
It was disappointing that simply continue existing design trends

without offering new ideas, there are
also a number of genuinely innovative
small and medium sized boats that are
moving the game forward.
There are many interesting boats below
30ft in Beneteau’s Oceanis range for more
than two decades (see page 26).
There are other changes afoot within the
industry and boatbuilders are having to
rethink the future. There’s a growing angst
among those who’ve historically sold
designs of daysailers and tenders. At
this year’s Düsseldorf boat show, for
instance, every newly launched
daysailer or weekender I saw was
configured primarily for electric power,
with only a few also offering an internal
electric propulsion, the potential is
already there for larger yachts. These
can primarily be powered through a
combination of solar power – panels can
be zipped onto sails, or even laminated
into the cloth – along with regeneration
introduced a whole new way of thinking
with the Seascape 18, introducing a whole
host of racing events and rallies across
Europe associated with the class. It was a
hugely successful concept and there are
now more than 400 Seascape 18s afloat.
cruising downwind through the islands of
Croatia. And then get a friend to drive
down to Dubrovnik with the trailer, before
doing the 280-mile upwind leg the easy
way – by road.
there were only two UK

36ft, which recognise that buyers want larger models to a shrinking pool of combustion engine as an alternative. when under sail using the propeller and Now a member of the Beneteau family, the LOA 7.99m 26ft 2in
smaller, simpler boats to maximise the wealthy, but aging repeat customers. Christophe Ballin, CEO of marine electric motor as a generator. boatbuilder also launched the Seascape 27, Beam 2.54m 8ft 4in
enjoyment of being afloat and minimise the While this is a strategy that has worked electric propulsion manufacturer Torqeedo recognise this won’t be which was renamed the Beneteau First 27 Draught
hassles of manoeuvring and maintenance. well for the past 60 years, it’s clear that Torqeedo, told journalists that uptake for enough to motor long distances. in 2018. A much more grown-up boat, it (keel up) 0.95m 3ft 1in
For much of the early part of this decade younger clients will eventually be needed. day sailing and tenders is already past Working with WhisperPower, they’ve still retains the ethos of the original model, Draught
most mainstream new yachts continued to Yet younger generations are increasingly the early adopter stage and into early developed a 20kW (27hp) diesel but has a better fitted interior with four (keel down) 2.00m 6ft 6in
become larger and more complex, less likely to own property, cars or any majority. A big factor behind this is generator optimised to charge the 48V berths, galley and separate heads. Displacement 1,400kg 3,087kg
companies in there, and while

despite the economic woes that followed other type of physical item, preferring to improvements in battery technology, systems typically used by electric I test-sailed the prototype in Slovenia on Ballast 610kg 1,350lb
the 2008 financial crisis. Arguably, the spend money on experiences instead. thanks to massive investment by the propulsion, as efficiently and as quietly a winter’s day with 12-22 knots of breeze. Sail area 49m 527ft
culmination of this trend was at Düsseldorf It’s no longer enough for a boatbuilder automotive industries. Every year around as possible. This eliminates the ‘range It proved efficient and well mannered Gennaker 80m 860ft
2017 – the world’s largest boat show – to produce a great vessel – it has to be 15% more power is packed into batteries anxiety’ associated with all types of upwind, but downwind it’s an easily Price inc VAT (new) from £77,000
which saw the launch of a legion of new clear why buying that model will enhance of the same physical size, weight and electric transport. controlled rocket. Broad reaching with the thinkseascape.com
58-60ft designs, causing some observers the owner’s life experiences. big 80m spinnaker in 18 knots of wind, §
I wouldn’t want to take 20 Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk Practical Boat Owner t www.pbo.co.uk 21
anything away from Rustler or David Harding tested the

RS, we at Swallow Boats have Swallow Yachts Coast 250
produced over 200 yachts and power-sailer in PBO’s April
small boats in that decade, 2020 issue
including 86 BayRaider
Expeditions, and over 64
BayCruiser 23s. Both are truly Rupert Holmes replies:
David Harding/sailingscenes.co.uk
innovative in that they have Many thanks for your
water ballast, carbon rigs as message – I enjoyed writing
standard, and have had that series, but every
electric propulsion options installment saw a struggle to
since they were first launched. narrow down the final list.
Obviously you can't please Sadly many very worthy
all the people all the time, but designs therefore didn’t end
being tucked away in West up being included. On
Wales, I just didn't want you to reflection I regret not including
forget us! a model from Swallow. I’ll
Matt Newland certainly keep you in mind in
Swallow Yachts Ltd the future.
Restoring myself. This is simply because

we have owned newer and
PRACTICAL is SO glossy and reflective.
This time we used the High
gelcoat smaller boats that still had Traffic version of Zep which has
Drew Maglio’s article about gelcoat that could be buffed. more solids and is supposed to
restoring gelcoat (PBO Poliglow and Zep are last ditch repel surface scratches and
September 2019) was very efforts before painting as I 3 ways to scuffs. This is an ongoing
interesting, especially Method mentioned in the article. There restore gelcoat experiment but at some point
3, the wipe-on acrylic sealer. is no free lunch with gelcoat Drew Maglio has some simple tips that don’t require painting
we’ll paint the hull with a
ew things irk me more than
F
ABOVE Cleaner
But I do have some questions: and it’s not practical to keep a dirty, chalky and stained
gelcoat. Like an engine that
is corroded – or lines that are
chafed – worn gelcoat is a sure sign of
wax works well on
dirty and lightly
oxidized hulls
two-part paint ourselves. Paint
■ How many years have you
neglect. Fortunately there are multiple LEFT A boat that
40ft sailboat with 30-year-old ways to restore aged, stained, dirty

and faded gelcoat. With a bit of care
and a lot of elbow grease, the methods
here are guaranteed to drastically
looks like this
needs only a
ceramic coating,
paste wax, or
is far superior and is a one and
improve the appearance of your craft. PTFE polish
used Zep acrylic sealer for? porous gelcoat, that bakes in Method 1:
Cleaner wax/polish
This is the simplest and least laborious of and a polish. Low quality towels will shed across the boat’s gelcoat. It’s best to work
done process that requires little
■ Is it still looking good or have
the three methods, but only applies to fibres and leave streaks and residue. in small areas and work the polish into the
the sun in a slip 24/7, buffed newer boats with surface stains, minor
fading and discolouration of the gelcoat,
and little to no oxidation. To determine if
gelcoat is oxidised, wipe your hand across
For boats with slightly more deteriorated
or faded gelcoat, a cleaner or restorer wax
may be chosen – 3M and other brands
make a good quality product that can be
surface with a circular motion and lots of
leverage. A buffer with wool pad may be
used at low speed, but I prefer to buff by
hand as it’s much more precise and easy
maintenance after completion.
■ I have no experience with it
the surface. If any ‘chalk’ wipes off on your used for this purpose. to get into nooks and crannies.
you had any problems with its and shined via traditional fingers, the gelcoat is oxidised and will
need to be washed and buffed before
polishing. If you are lucky and all your
boat requires is a light polish, here’s what
For boats that have only minor gelcoat
defects or staining, a polish such as
Shurhold’s Pro Polish can be used. I’ve
found that polymer polishes work much
Step 3: When the polish dries into a haze,
remove it with a clean, dry microfibre rag.
Be sure to apply adequate force or a film
you need to do: better than carnuba waxes at sealing the of swirl marks will remain.
surface peeling or blistering? methods. Step 1: Gather your supplies: you’ll need
a pack of high quality microfibre towels
pores in gelcoat and producing a durable
high gloss finish. Polymer polishes can
last up to a year, while waxes generally
only last for a few months at a time.
Be sure to get in all the nooks and
crannies or they’ll be an eyesore.
Note: In the past I’ve cleaned and

but, based on its description, I
■ Do you know if the Zep
Tools and materials polished non-skid decks with polymer
In our boatyard there was a don’t think Nyalic is similar to

Step 2: Wet the microfibre rag, wring it out polishes, which made my deck highly
I Microfibre towels: 4-8 and then apply a tablespoon of polish to reflective. It did, however, make the deck a
I Shurhold Pro Polish: £20 bottle the rag. This amount of polish will work for bit more slippery so I’d advise using a
I Non-slip deck cleaner: £12 bottle a few square feet. product made especially for this part of
Before buffing, spread the polish evenly the boat. The best way to polish non-skid
product you used is similar in 1979 C&C that had applied 62 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk
Zep – it reads more like a clear
composition to a product called Poliglow years prior and still coat than the acrylic sealers
Nyalic (www.nyalic.com) as a shined like a freshly buffed hull. Poliglow work best when they Zep or Poliglow. If you want to
boat at our club used this and a I was amazed! There were a are able to soak into open try Zep or Poliglow, I’d simply
year later it had peeled few spots that peeled off, but gelcoat pores and seal them. go for it, as they can be
significantly. overall the boat looked great Paint doesn’t have open pores removed pretty easily with the
Neil Parsloe, by email for a few years after application. so products like Zep or Poliglow appropriate ammonia-based
Our boat, we have since don’t work as well on it. stripper. You could always test
Drew Maglio replies: discovered, had its topsides ■ After washing and reapplying on a small area for a few
■ I have seen Zep and the painted (perhaps the first owner over the existing layer (six months first.
better-known Poliglow used on had it painted?) above the months after initial application in The results for me are
boats for years, but have never rubrail so the Zep did not last as the tropics), it looks very, very certainly preferable to having to
used it before our sailboat long and did flake off. Zep and good again. The hull especially buff the boat every few months.

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Finding TDC Geoff Higginbottom replies:

The simplest way for valve Channel hopping
I base my Achilles 9m in Faro, adjustment is as follows: rotate Essential monthly highlights from the world
Portugal, and suffered a blown crank until both valves for of online sailing channels with Kass Schmitt
head gasket in February on my cylinder 1 are closed. At top
Perkins Perama M30. dead centre when you rock the
I’ve never tackled such a crank back and forth the inlet
large job before, but was valve for cylinder 2 and
inspired by Geoff exhaust for cylinder 3 will be
Higginbottom’s excellent step moving in sync, but valves for
by step guide for the same cylinder 1 will remain closed.
engine. Geoff’s guide has You can now adjust the
given me confidence as I find clearance for both valves on
the engine manual not clear for cylinder 1, and the exhaust
the amateur mechanic. valve for cylinder 2.
However in step 9 of the Next rotate crank approx
reassembly (adjusting valve two-thirds of a turn
clearances) there’s no mention anticlockwise. If you now rock
of how to do this ie how to get the crank back and forth you’ll
the valves in position for see the inlet valve for cylinder 1
measuring with the feeler and the exhaust valve for UK Youtubers bought another in the West
gauge/and what sequence. I cylinder 2 rocking in sync, but Country, setting out in a
understand the term Top Dead both valves for cylinder should Despite Covid restrictions clockwise direction. His latest
Centre, but not how to get 3 remain closed. You can now being eased to permit holiday offering takes us through the
there. adjust the clearances for the travel abroad, many Brits are Sound of Mull and on round
Paul Clancy, inlet valve for cylinder 2, and (re)discovering the appeal of Ardnamurchan Point. Dylan’s
S/Y Lotna both valves for cylinder 3. a ‘staycation’ afloat. My picks narration is full of his dry wit.
this month highlight some of KeepTurningLeft –
the delights of sailing our Moidart 1
Farewell to coasts. youtu.be/OZEAwndQISU
Kevan I first mentioned
professional video director
It is with great sadness that we Harry Dwyer in last October’s
are writing this letter to inform issue, as he set out from
the PBO readership of the loss London on a clockwise
of our dear friend and circumnavigation of the UK
exceptional yacht surveyor (sic) in Goodwin, his 4m Avon
Kevan Whittle. Sea Rider SR4 rib. The
For the last 15 years he has Kevan Whittle
quixotic nature of his quest is East coasters
lived with his wife, Linda, in at that time. In civilian life, he part of the charm. The latest Sailing Sareda is a new
Lefkas Marina aboard their 36ft ran a training school, a yacht episode sees him retrieving channel following the
Westerly. A popular and central delivery service and set up a his boat from the Plymouth adventures of Saphire and
character among the yachties, successful international dry stack facility in which it Liam, a couple in their 20s
he has helped countless surveying business. has spent lockdown, and who have recently bought a
people realise their dream of It has been a privilege and striking out with his 1980s Trident Voyager 35 in
owning a yacht, many of whom honour to know the man with unflappable sister towards Tenerife on which they plan to
have become lifelong friends. the twinkly blue eyes that we Falmouth. First stop: Drake’s circumnavigate the globe. I
Kevan served for 22 years in met in Lefkas Marina. Safe Island, for an exclusive tour particularly admire the way
the British Army with 1 Para winds wherever you may be. by the new owner. Harry is an they’ve methodically built up
(1st Battalion Parachute Debbie and Jeremy White engaging presenter with a the knowledge and skills
Regiment) and was the on behalf of the Lefkas Marina knack for finding interesting required, for example by
youngest ever Sergeant Major sailing community stories, and his production tapping into the wealth of
quality is, unsurprisingly, well experience of their fellow
above the YouTube average. Scarborough Yacht Club
SEADOG OF THE MONTH 1700miles in a Tiny Speed members. The early episodes
Boat detail how they got their intro
John Maughan sent in this photo of youtu.be/eBoNHsA4Klw to boat ownership by buying
Sula the Dalmatian, pictured here and racing a SK700 mini-
aged one and a half on the ferry to tonner out of ‘Scarbados’.
Oban. Sula lives on the Isle of Mull Left and right Picnic sailing and a sad
and gets afloat on an Orkadian 20. Dylan Winter, whose Keep goodbye!
John says: “Her name suits her as it Turning Left series youtu.be/FcAsp3H55JE
is old Norse for Gannet: ie black and chronicled his anticlockwise
white and eats a lot!” circumnavigation of Great
Britain in a Westerly Centaur,
Send us your seadog
£30 photos for our web

gallery www.pbo.co.uk/
seadogs and your pet may become Seadog of the Month and win you £30
has returned to YouTube after
a lengthy hiatus, during
which he sold his first
Centaur in Scotland and

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Dave Selby Dave Selby is the proud owner of a 5.48m (18ft)
Mad about the boat Sailfish, which he keeps on a swinging mooring
on the picturesque Blackwater estuary in Essex
dancing, devious foreigners started to

“The coracle 22 comes with a Baby
Blake fitted as standard...” make boats of their own. The existence of
boats to put toilets in was a great relief for
leisure sailors, but land folk had no choice
other than to continue hitting each other
with golf clubs until 001BC – Before
Convenience – when the sea toilet made
its first tentative steps on to dry land.
After that not much happened until
Blakes produced a model called The
Victory, from which Nelson’s flagship took
its name. Then not much happened again
until, as explained on the company
website: ‘The advent of the classic J class
racing in the 1930’s saw more
development in both marine equipment
and toilets.’ So now you know what
J class boats were for. And after that Ben
Ainslie won the Olympics for Great Britain,
but not in a boat with a toilet, so I suppose
that might be irrelevant. The rest is history.
Of course, stretching out the entire
evolution of leisure sailing and,
In the beginning
consequently, civilisation to a whole page
is no easy matter, and my exhausting
research could not have been brought to
fruition without recourse to the internet or
indeed the recent discovery of a truly
challenging and ground breaking
How the evolutionary development of the document unearthed by archaeologists at
a boat jumble.
sailor was saved from going down the pan For such are the intricacies of the Baby
Blake, what with its myriad levers,
plungers, taps, valves, diaphragms,
flanges, gaskets and gussets, that no one
eisure sailing is older than you Week one of them wanted to go to the loo, knew how to use it until publication of the
L think. Three days after early

man stopped breathing
through gills and stood
upright there was an
evolutionary breakthrough with the
introduction of the RYA’s very first Day
Skipper course. Although only a theory
and decided to dig a hole. You can guess
what happened next. They didn’t discover
America.
It was at this pivotal moment that
leisure sailing could so easily have gone
down the pan. But with Westerly 22
production severely delayed by water tank
first Blakes manual, which pre-dates the
Spinning Jenny and Rubik Cube.
Until then, early Old Gaffers, some of
whom were quite young at the time,
mistook the Baby Blake for a shrine and
spent most of their time keening and
kneeling before it with a handful of
course – as Westerly wasn’t quite ready tests that proved devotional
to go into production with the 22 – it problematic, as the ‘What with the Baby Blake’s spanners.
created a yearning to return to the sea ice didn’t melt for
which endures to this very day. Thus another five trillion
myriad levers, plungers, wasSothein Blakes reality it
did civilisation begin, and golf came years, another taps, valves, flanges, manual that was
shortly after that. trailblazing British the game changer
The rest is history. The RYA devised a company stepped gaskets and gussets, no in the ascent of
Day Skipper practical course, which led to up to the mark and one knew how to use it’ man. This seminal
the opening of chandleries selling tea invented the sea work is quite a lot to
towels printed with the Rules of the Road toilet three weeks before foreigners absorb in one sitting and may well cause
and Britain’s total domination of the seas thought of the wheel. a queue (another great British invention).
for ever. As a proud Brit it makes me flush with And thus, albeit, notwithstanding, ipso
Yet, in its very infancy, leisure sailing pride. Thus did the Baby Blake loo facto and in conclusion reading was
could so easily have foundered. For with kick-start leisure sailing, and lead to a lot invented long before anyone learned to
the Westerly 22 still on the drawing board more courses and further proliferation of write. And that answers the greatest
they decided to produce a stop-gap nautical tea towels. mystery of the universe.
model made out of leather from very big The only trouble was that Westerly 22 Now you know, ladies, why men spend
cows. But just 20 minutes after early man production was held up by industrial so much time in the loo: the Blakes
had set off in his Westerly Coracle along action, so as people started to jiggle from manual is 56 pages and we’re still quite
the Jurassic coast to take part in Cows one foot to another, thus inventing Morris slow at reading.

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Sam Llewellyn Sam Llewellyn writes nautical thrillers and
Flotsam and jetsam edits The Marine Quarterly. He is currently
patching up a 30ft ketch
channel slopes gently uphill until it

Drowning out reaches the wad or watershed, after which
swearing is as easy it heads downhill again. The recognized
as ringing a bell... method of crossing the watershed is to
nudge up to it on the flood until the china
breaks, emit cold sweat as the boat slows
to a crawl, and break out the beer as
the bottom drops away again and you
charge down the channel on the far side.
We will leave aside for the moment
sound signals in fog, such as the hammer
of drums, the clangour of bells, the toot of
hooters and the roar of burning tar barrels,
and proceed to miscalculations.
These fall into two categories, both
prefixed by the word ‘slight’. The Slight
Miscalculation on a Rising Tide is
no problem, but is characterised by
vocalisations (non-profane). A boat that
had been tied to the Colonsay ferry pier
– its owners lecturing everyone in the
harbour on their various shortcomings
– flung off lines, departed at speed, and
landed with a mighty clang on the rock
Tim Wright/Alamy
that lurks a few feet off the quay. The
‘There is much charm in

the gentle crunch of a
bow on a beach’
Sailing by ear owner’s wife commenced explaining to

him that he had made an error. The owner
rushed below, ostensibly to check for
water ingress but more probably to get
away from her explanations, which were
Alarm bells ringing afloat on a sea of sound piercing. Eventually the tide rose, the
boat floated, and away he went, leaving
behind him, regrettably, laughter.
t sea, ears are more ambulance and clergy without delay The Slight Miscalculation on a Falling
A important than one

might think. Each phase
of navigation has its
signature sound, and
using them can pay dividends, or not.
There is much charm in the gentle
crunch of a bow on a beach, wind
(see ’Slight Miscalculations’, below).
In keelboats it is of course legitimate to
tie up alongside a quay or on a scrubbing
grid, then buzz off to the pub or antifoul
while the tide goes out and in again. A line
ashore from the masthead or a goodish
tump of anchor chain on the side of the
Tide is worse, particularly if before stasis
kicks in the boat has been heading uphill
for 30 or 40 yards. Its signature sound is
swearing. There is seldom any point in
laying out kedges, unless you crave a
hernia. The favourite solution in the home
fleet is to attach an anchor to the main
offshore, sea like glass, followed by the boat nearest the quay will save you the halyard, lay it out as far away as possible,
merry cries of tinies piling out, waving embarrassment of the boat falling outwards winch in till the boat is lying on its side,
buckets and spades. There are also the into the creek, signature sound: CRASH. propeller just in the water, and hope the
groans of the older generation as they A more interesting form of intentional mast stays up. If it doesn’t, the signature
backpack the picnic towards the dunes grounding is indicated by a sudden sound becomes weeping. Otherwise jump
while shouting at Cynthia (aged four) that slowing of the boat, accompanied by overboard, laying mattresses between hull
jellyfish are not, ever, worn as hats. the merry tinkle of broken crockery from and ground, and wait suspensefully to see
Slightly less fun but perhaps more the saloon. This is sometimes heard in whether the flood floats you before it finds
useful is the clonk often heard in shallow tidal waters like those found in its way into the cabin.
conjunction with the employment of a the Waddenzee, inside the Frisian Islands, And finally, very finally, there is the
centreboard as a depth sounder. The as described by Erskine Childers in lee shore, the gale, the failed anchors.
sound signifies that the bottom is rocky. his excellent The Riddle of the Sands. The signature sound here is BANG,
If there is no sound and you stop dead, Here, the cruiser wishing to proceed BANG, BANG, BANG, then the thunder of
the bottom is mud, or you have forgotten along the inside of an island finds himself the heavy surf on the beach, the hull and
that you have borrowed a boat with a moving gingerly along a tortuous channel the crew.
fin keel, and should holler for lifeboat, marked by withies. The bottom of this The rest, like Hamlet said, is silence.

Marsali Taylor Marsali Taylor sails an Offshore 8M, Karima S. She’s a
Living with the sea dinghy instructor and author of The Shetland Sailing
Mysteries starring liveaboard sleuth, Cass Lynch.
The newly organised locker
compass bracket’s loose screw, the

vent surround that needed glueing and
the broken hatch-pull. I glued thin metal
strips where mooring ropes were rubbing
the gel coat, and put plastic pipes around
the offending ropes.
Karima S gleaming after a I painted the glassfibre bit of the floor. It
lockdown spruce up! was too cold for a boiler-suit, so I just kept
my jacket on. I managed the whole floor
without a stray drip. By this time I was
Smartened up
crouched in the narrow bilge, feet in a line,
and when I tried to stand, using stomach
muscles I no longer had, post-op, I fell on
my back, right on my beautiful floor. My
flailing feet managed to land on a painted
A tidy up in lockdown means the boat’s bit too, and I had to haul myself up using a
painty hand. The next ten minutes were
looking smarter now than she has in years spent in a welter of scrubbing: my jacket,
my trousers, my shoes. I repainted the bits
I’d landed on, wiped off the bit where I’d
nce I was let out for walks, those thoroughly, wiped them with turps hauled myself up, and squelched home
O I decided to go via the

marina. There were loads
of things I could be
doing there: woodwork,
for a start. On my first walk I just
happened to be carrying my bucket
with sandpaper, sanding block, turps,
and put on a coat of varnish each day for
the next five.
After I’d got the first varnish coat on, I
began washing the walls, ceiling, floor,
and inside the lockers – including the one
where stuff has just been thrown in for,
well, several seasons. I may not need to
damp and smelling strongly of turps.
Outside, I was horrified to see that Karima
had grown a waterline beard in the two
months since her last run. I scrubbed as
much as I could reach, turning the water a
rather nasty cloudy blue. The waterline
stain would have to wait for lift-out, or
brushes and International Woodskin. buy another block, shackle, screw or bolt possibly a day warm enough for me to lie
I got started on the cabin roof grabrails ever again! That locker is now full of neatly on the pontoon bare-armed. I scrubbed the
and window frames, then moved to the labelled ice-cream tubs. whole cabin roof and painted the non-slip
cockpit seats. They needed a good While I was doing that, I fixed all sorts of areas with an ancient tin of Danboline.
scrub, and I filled the water tank while little things. You know, the sort of niggles That left the rubbing strakes, which have
I was messing about with hoses. that take only two minutes’ work but every been a work in progress for at least five
Then it turned cold. My next walk time you notice it you go, ‘Must fix that’ – years. They’d been painted with a very
included a quarter-bucket of hot, soapy and never do. Well, I sorted all of them: the hard-wearing plasticky brown paint which
water, and while the snow swirled into the turned out to stick like glue. This
cabin, I was busy scrubbing my forecabin, time, I vowed, it was coming off...
including moving out all the stuff that had and so it did, with frequent new
gathered there and ‘rationalising’ it. Finds blades in the scraper and a slosh
included the rest of the wind and depth of Nitromors into the dents. The
instruments that I’d needed only part of last touch was turning her round
– always good to have spares – and a new to get at her nameboard on her
halyard. The next bucket did the heads/ stern. It glossed up beautifully
hanging locker; the next day, I was in the with a good sand and two coats
cabin, dealing with the stuff on my mental of Woodskin.
to-do list. I’m not sure her name’s as
The windowsills, for a start. There was clear as it was, though... I
varnishing needed on the bulkhead from The cabin has been suppose gold paint in the
where the window had leaked and along touched up and tidied too! indented letters would be over
the bottom sill on each side, so I sanded the top for a 26-footer?

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Primary and secondary filters

Start with the basics. Is there
may need changing and
fuel in the tank and is the
then bleeding for air
isolation valve open?
AIR IN THE SYSTEM

Fuel contamination, Check your manual to find out
from water, debris or diesel
bug, will be visible in the
separator bowl
5 where the bleed point is. With a
rag, paper towel or fuel soak under
the filter, unscrew the bleed to release
How to any trapped air. Pump the manual fuel

pump to lift fuel into the filter until clear
fuel comes out of the bleed
point and there are no more
Troubleshoot your
bubbles – this can take a while.
Tighten up the screw, remove
any fuel drips, and your engine
should be ready to start. If you
diesel fuel system do get any fuel in your bilges,

use a suction pump or fuel
soak to collect and dispose of
it properly rather than pumping
If your engine cuts out it might not be getting the it overboard.
fuel it needs. Here’s how to track down the culprit FUEL

C O N TA M I N AT I O N
Whether you have water in your
One of the most common causes of a P R I M A R Y F I LT E R

6 fuel, a lot of debris, or a bad case
of diesel bug, there is a technique
you can use to get you home. Rather
marine diesel engine not starting is a The first of your system’s two than trying to clean your tanks at sea,
fuel problem, says Rubicon 3’s Bruce
Jacobs. If you have engine problems
and you have ruled out an electrical
3 filters, the primary filter removes
any larger debris from the fuel and
separates out any water mixed with the
you can circumvent your fuel tank,
though you shouldn’t bypass the two
filters as this could expose your engine
issue, you need to start from the fuel. Some have glass bowls, making it to serious damage.
beginning and work your way easy to check To do this, disconnect the fuel hose
methodically through the fuel system. for a line that between the tank and the primary filter
would show and put it into a jerry can of clean fuel. If
where the you haven’t also diverted the fuel return
OUT OF FUEL? water and fuel hose away from the main tank and into
First, does your fuel tank have separate. If the can, you may find the can empties
1 fuel in it? The

fact the
gauge is showing
you have a
metal bowl,
you’ll need to
quicker than you expect – so if you have
far to go it’s worth doing this too.
Q Watch online: youtu.be/0pkp7VwCv2g
something doesn’t drain some
necessarily mean fuel off to
that’s the case – check for
gauges can be water.
faulty. You may
need a visual
check or to dip the F I N E F I LT E R
tank if you’re not sure. The next stage in the fuel process
S H U T- O F F VA LV E
4 is the fine filter.
This is the final stage of
protection available to the engine before
Next, is the fuel shut-off valve the fuel makes its way into the high-
2 open or closed? If the boat has pressure pump, and it’s here that you’ll
Images: Matthew Sheahan
been stored for the winter or often find you need to bleed the engine if GJW Direct offers some of the most
someone else has used the boat it it has run out of fuel previously. If fuel comprehensive boat insurance policies on the
might well be that isn’t making it past this filter, it could well market, at very competitive prices. With over 175
years in marine insurance, when you insure your
they’ve closed the be blocked with contamination or diesel yacht with us, you’re dealing with the boat
fuel shut-off. Make bug. Change the filter, pump it full of fuel insurance specialists, leaving you free to enjoy
sure it’s open. and bleed the air out. your time on the water. www.gjwdirect.com

BOATS
A One Design A friend and I once decided

that instead of sailing,
an August hike might
do us good. So we
took the coastal path
from Devon
from Branscombe to Bigbury. This
beautiful stretch covers around 100
miles of lung-bursting ascents and
knee-jiggering descents, interspersed
with overnight watering holes.
On the leg from Start Point to Salcombe
we were hit by the tail end of Hurricane
The Devon Yawl is as sturdy as she looks and Charley. Sitting outside a Salcombe pub,
huddled against driving rain and a rising
there is plenty else to admire about this popular gale, we watched yachts scurrying for
cover. Yet, amazingly, several elegant
Salcombe Yawl evolution, says Peter Poland yawl-rigged dinghies were still sailing.
But these were no ordinary dinghies –
they were Salcombe Yawls.
Paul Gibbins Photography

DEVON YAWL
Salcombe Yawls (SY) trace their history

back some 200 years to the days when
they were used as fishing boats. The
mizzen steadied them when working,
and the mainsail and jib gave them ample
oomph to get to and from their fishing
grounds quickly and safely.
But when fishermen moved from sail to
power, the yawl changed tack, evolving
into the dayboat and sophisticated racer
it is today.
Ian Howlett – famous for designing
12 and six-metre yachts – often stayed
in Salcombe and told me: “Out of the
blue in 1999 I was contacted by Jim Stone
(third generation of 90-year-old family firm
Stone boat builders) who explained why
Ian Howlett
he would like to set in motion a new
design/build of Salcombe Yawl.”
Salcombe Yawls – racing in Salcombe: SY183 (nearest the camera) and 178 are both Ian
Mike Bennett cruises Howlett-designed examples. The SY was used as a mould for the first DY.
(often single-handed)
Stone decided that Michael Atfield
and races his Devon
should build this Howlett-designed yawl,
Yawl on the Dart,
and several more followed. Howlett said:
demonstrating the
“The build quality of his traditional clinker
boat’s versatility
planking was exceptional; we’ll probably
never see such fine examples again.”
There’s only one drawback to a
Salcombe Yawl. If you want to buy a new
one, it could cost considerably more than
a new Mercedes to tow it. However, the
Salcombe Yawl Owners’ Association
sensibly splits the fleet into ‘Blue’, ‘Red’
and ‘Gold’ divisions, taking account of
boat age and crew experience. So owners
of older boats have just as much fun.
Tristan Stone
In 1968, a Salcombe Yawl sailor, Michael
Quick, decided that a new glassfibre
One Design yawl would appeal to less
well-heeled sailors. So a Salcombe Yawl Gleaming beauty: Michael Atfield built SY
hull was used as a plug for the new 183’s hull; Stones Boatyard made the deck,
class’s hull mould and the new GRP deck spars and did the finishing and painting
and cockpit were designed. And thus the
Devon Yawl (DY) was born. Its pretty Angler in the UK and the Devon Launch in
clinker hull looks (and sounds) much the USA.”
the same as the SY’s. Its spars are Main UK fleets are at Topsham SC, Yealm
alloy instead of wood, the SY’s wooden YC, Dittisham SC, Newport and Bosham
bowsprit remains and the heavy cast iron SC. A regular newsletter of news, events
centreplate is the same. and pictures of these photogenic boats
keeps owners in touch and up to speed.
The DY community Devon Yawls are still built in the UK.
The DY is not just a successful One James Gough-Allen of Pennant Yachts
Design. It also makes a superb dayboat. (part of GA Marine) took over production
Its appeal is wide, according to the Devon in 2014. Finding the original mould to be
Yawl Association (DYA) membership distorted (having been stored outside)
secretary Ian Scholefield. “We have just James produced a new hull mould.
over 170 members, most of whom own a His first production boat (DY383) was
Devon Yawl or Devon Dayboat,” he tells launched in 2015, sailed on the Yealm
me. “Around 400 Devon Yawls have been for two years then won the Devon Yawl
built, with about 20 built in the USA; the Nationals. James
builder is Andrew told me a new DY
Siwik in Connecticut. ‘The DY is not just a costs £18,000 ‘ready
In addition to the to sail’, adding that
Devon Yawls, some successful One he’s working on
70 Devon Dayboats a modification to make
[with a cuddy] have Design. It’s also the cockpit self-
been built, together draining to
with a few motorboats,
a superb dayboat’ get a CE mark
called the Devon Sea and expand the

BOATS
Peter k Poland
‘The Devon yawl

is much quicker
than it may look
at first sight’
My uncle, John Poland,

demonstrates the stability of
the Devon Yawl as he stows
sails after a jolly day afloat
market. The DYA added that providing the to the wind and, with the genoa, sails at Salcombe Yawls. So when his wife said
side tanks are sound, even a flooded decent speed. Gracenote will handle most she wanted to sail again, he thought of
Devon Yawl won’t sink. The excellent DYA seas and if it blows too much I furl the the SY. But when he realised how much
website (www.devonyawl.co) covers this foresail or drop the mainsail. one would cost, he changed tack: “A
in detail. “She also sails surprisingly close and Devon Yawl would be more suitable to
As well as sailing a DY myself – my fast on just the mizzen and genoa; which sit on the mud at low tide, be more
uncle bought hull number 85 – I contacted keeps fair-weather sailors happy in a fresh affordable as a One Design and more
several owners who gave me a broad breeze. She can go practically anywhere seaworthy,” he says, adding: “I potter
view of the DY’s character and versatility. – out past the rocks, breezing over the around, anchor and go swimming, picnic,
Robert McVean summarised his DY’s Atlantic swell and into shallow bays and fish and occasionally race. In light airs
virtues, telling me: “Gracenote sails off the lagoons. With her shallow draught and she’s faster than most people expect!”
Isle of Lewis and is a terrific family boat, centreplate, almost everywhere is in Tim Petitt (2019 DY National Champion)
cruiser and fishing boat. She sails close reach. My children can sail her easily too.” bought DY186 in 1995 when he ‘moved
Andrew Matthews, who mainly uses his west’ and joined the very competitive
DY for racing, told me he bought the boat Yealm fleet.
Robert McVean
Robert McVean’s Devon in 1993, paying £2,528 including trailer. He told me the DY “can be kept safely
Yawl parked in peaceful “Unlike many classes, the DY holds its on a mooring. It’s also a family boat: with
waters on the Isle of value well,” he says. “This boat would a 2hp outboard motor we used it for going
Lewis coast change hands today at around £4,000.” out to the local beach in the estuary or for
When not racing, Andrew uses his DY a day sail with the children.”
for family coastal day trips. “It’s ideal for Tim says the DY’s weight of 432kg
four grandchildren aged between four and means that for trailing you need a good
eight – but not all at once!” rollercoaster type trailer that supports the
He goes on to say that the Devon Yawl keel so the boat can be launched and
“is much quicker than it may look at first recovered easily.
sight; it is particularly good upwind. The
class is more active than ever, certainly on ABOUT THE AUTHOR
the racing front. My own fleet on the Yealm Peter K Poland crossed the Atlantic
is the largest, with around 30 DYs – up to in a 7.6m (25ft) Wind Elf in 1968
25 participate in our Wednesday evening and later spent 30 years as
racing series. Apart from the racing co-owner of Hunter Boats. He
interest, DYs continue to be family is now a freelance journalist
day-sailed all over the British Isles.” and PR consultant.
Peter Bowden told me he once raced

DEVON YAWL
Peter K Poland
DYA membership secretary Ian
Scholefield bought his DY without ever
having sailed one.
“I made the right choice!” he says. “She
is faster than other similar-looking craft
and can be raced in a mixed fleet of lighter
dinghies and still hold her own. She can
either be raced or cruised under full rig, or
be sailed gently under jib and mizzen
when one wants to just potter.
“I trail my yawl and take her to away
events a couple of times a season.
It took a while to get the system right
but I can now launch and recover her
single-handed.”
Mike Bennet told me he originally
bought a Drascombe Dabber when he
first moved to Dittisham (on the Dart) but,
unimpressed by its sailing performance,
ABOVE The Devon Yawl, my uncle at the helm, powers her way out of Snow Hill Creek in
bought a DY instead (also without trying
Chichester harbour for a day sail
one first) in 2003. Now he cruises his DY
on the Dart – solo or with crew – and board from a dinghy. I took a punt and
races on Start Bay in the Royal Dart YCs
Wednesday series, adding: “We race with
said: “Get a Devon Yawl. Look for an
elderly one, so if it doesn’t do the job,
Devon Dayboat
Class 2 and the boat goes well in these you’ll get your money back.” As an alternative, the Devon Dayboat
coastal conditions.” He’d never heard of it, but he went version has the DY’s hull, a similar
ahead and bought one. rig and a small cuddy/cabin in the
First-hand experience Years later he invited me to come and bows. As well as shelter and
When my retired uncle John bought his sail his DY. “She’s wonderful. She still lives stowage, this offers basic sleeping
DY, he also took the plunge without a trial on my Snow Hill Creek mooring. When I space. David Langley told me: “Our
Peter K Poland
sail. Instead, he phoned me and said: bought her, she was the only Devon Yawl two granddaughters put all their stuff
“You know about boats. I’ve got a in the creek. Now there are five.” up front and theoretically could use
problem. I’ve been on the waiting list for a So, relieved that my suggestion had the two bunks. We have a cruisey
local mooring for ages and they say I’ve been a success, I went for a sail. approach to sailing our DD but my
finally got one. These moorings don’t Getting out to the boat proved more wife and I sometimes do a short blast
come up often; if I don’t put a boat on it, challenging than sailing it. You need a ‘a deux’ ... The DD is a capable little
I’ll lose it. So what should I buy?” dinghy to row out across the mudflats as ship and gives us such a buzz.”
This threw me a bit. So I asked what sort the incoming tide covers them (and vice With around 70 built, there’s often
of mooring and what size boat he wanted. versa on the way back). So a small Avon a DD available second-hand.
“It’s a drying mooring in Snow Hill Creek was extracted from the car, inflated with an
in Chichester Harbour. I want something electric pump, then we rowed across the
that can live on the mud, that I can sail by shallows to the boat. As soon as I joined him on board,
myself if needed and that is safe enough The DY then demonstrated the first of I discovered why. Even though the
to pop over to the Isle of Wight when the her many qualities. She was bobbing on substantial 79kg (175lb) plate was raised,
tides are right. And it’s got to sail nicely her mooring under a cockpit cover. The its weight – combined with 65kg (144lb)
and have a motor.” centreplate was up. of fixed internal ballast – was enough to
My uncle once owned an X Boat. I “You stay in the dinghy while I clamber keep the boat on an even keel. Weighing
reckoned he would not be happy with aboard,” said Uncle John as he heaved 431kg (950lb), she has a 33% ballast ratio.
anything slow. But he was also a big man his bulk onto the yawl’s sidedeck; I Compared to say a Wayfarer weighing
– well over 6ft tall and on the heavy side. awaited the inevitable sideways lurch. 168kg (370lb), the DY is very stable.
And replacement hips reduced his agility. The boat barely moved. “Stable, isn’t With the cover stowed and main and
So anything too tippy would be difficult to she!” he said with a grin. mizzen made ready, we fired up the 4hp
Mariner outboard and left the mooring.
A new Devon Yawl This elderly yawl (number 85) had an
ready to leave outboard bracket on the transom, while
Pennant Yachts newer models have a bracket moulded
into the stern deck.
Under power, she moved easily and
fast. The trim didn’t alter as I wandered
James Gough-Allen of GA Marine
around the spacious cockpit searching

for my bag of beer cans. Anyone looking
for a versatile dinghy that can also troll
for mackerel under power or anchor off a
sandbank to catch a sea bass, will find
she’s an excellent fishing boat. Which is
no surprise, given her ancestry.
Once clear of the creek, we raised
the main and mizzen then unrolled
the genoa from its furler on the end of

BOATS
Dawn Barsley-Dale
Dawn Barsley-Dale
Tom Gruitt
the bowsprit. And the boat came alive. ABOVE A crowded
Sadly the wind was light, so I was start line at a DY
unable to sample the DY’s renowned championship
heavy-weather performance. RIGHT Tight mark
“What’s she like in a blow?” I asked. rounding during a
“Fantastic. She’s fast and stable, although DY regatta
I am not a racing man so I reduce sail
if necessary. I’ve never felt near to
capsizing. She always feels safe.”
“What happens if you take waves over
the bow?”
“I’ve got a bilge pump.”
In the light conditions her speed
surprised me. Even with her original
and stretched red sails – “What’s wrong
with them?” asked my uncle, “they the sails full and the speed steady. centreplate with its drum winch, then
haven’t got holes and she’s sailing Some boats are skittish, some feel the boat swept along the shoreline, close
nicely”– she slipped along at a speed dead, and others sense the wind and to the wildlife and away from convoys of
that belied her weight. speak to you. The DY is definitely one of gin palaces.
With the wind on the nose, she pointed the latter – a proper boat that makes Back on the mooring, I admired the
high and ‘talked’ to the helmsman. It’s sailing a pleasure. comfortable cockpit. Being an older
not a heavy helm – instead it feels steady When it was time to head for home – model, No.85 has a traditional wooden
and positive. before Snow Hill Creek started to empty floor with a shallow, flat bilge beneath.
When the wind gusts, it tells you that – the DY settled onto a leisurely reach. There’s stowage space under the fore
the boat wants to point higher. As long We relaxed in the cockpit, pulled tabs and stern decks. The centreplate case
as you do as you’re told, the boat lifts off beer cans and listened to the bow takes up little space, and there’s ample
and accelerates. Then, when the breeze wave chuckling along the GRP clinker room for a family crew to spread out
drops, she tells you to free off to keep planking. It was easy to raise the without getting in the helmsman’s way.
Which brings me to the second major
appeal of the DY. It’s not only still built
SPECIFICATIONS
(in the UK and the USA) but it also has
DEVON YAWL DIMENSIONS
an excellent owners’ association that
Length (excluding 0.6m/2ft
organises annual rallies for the pottering
Eduardo Aldaz Carroll
bowsprit 4.87m 16ft 0in

fraternity and regattas for the racers – all
Beam 1.88m 6ft 2in
featured in the class newsletter.
Draught (plate up) 0.28m 11in
(plate down) 1.36m 4ft 6in
Michael Quick definitely made a bold
Weight 432kg 950lb
and inspired move back in 1968. By
(inc. cast iron aerofoil centreplate) 79.45kg 175lb introducing the Devon Yawl One Design
(inc. fixed internal lead ballast) 65.38kg 144lb and Devon Dayboat, he has given a lot of
Sail area (with jib) 13.9 m2 150ft2 A Devon Yawl on the slipway in people a lot of fun. And because these
(with genoa) 15.5m2 167ft2 Brixham prior to the 2019 Nationals boats are built to last, this fun will continue
for many years to come.

CRUISING
why we chose this charter, because none
Our lives as of us had any idea how to sail.

We had a marvellous time sailing
between islands, dotted with pretty little
villages, and dining late in waterfront
tavernas. The water was so clear and blue
liveaboards
and by the time we left the girls were
swimming like fish. Roger was in his
element, soaking up everything the two
American crew could tell him.
It was during the long drive home that
Roger first mentioned the idea: “You know
Kati Hughes describes how her family traded in all those boats we moored next to, and
how many of them had Brits living on
smart cars and private schools for a life aboard them?” He chose his words carefully,
focussing on the road. “What would you
think about us doing that for a bit?”
Our small business was doing well, and
y daughters, Samantha and on an extended holiday, having driven we employed four salesmen. We had a
M Sallyanne, were only six and

seven when they gingerly
stepped on board our 35ft
Coronado ketch in Piraeus, Greece. Like
me, they’d never set foot on a sailing boat
from our home in Nottingham to Greece in
a small campervan. Here we decided to
charter a sailboat for a week to visit the
Islands. “You won’t actually have to do
anything,” we were told, “because a crew
nice house in the country. The kids went
to a private school, driven there by Roger
in his Jaguar, or myself in my Mini
Countryman, and we had a beautiful
snow-white Samoyed called Dougal. So
before. With my husband, Roger, we were of two comes with the boat.” That was why would we put all that in jeopardy, to

MEDITERRANEAN LIVEABOARDS
uproot and swan-off on a tiny boat to
goodness knows where? I also had big
concerns about the children’s safety on a
small boat, and what about their
education? I put Roger’s idea down to an
early middle-age crisis... but we went
ahead and did it anyway!
Preparing for a new life

It took two years to find a buyer for our
business and sell our house, along with
our furniture and cars. We had to do it that
way to raise enough funds to buy a decent
boat, with enough left over to live on.
Everyone, including our parents, thought
we were crazy to give up what we’d
worked so hard to achieve, but then, they
knew nothing about sailing either. The
girls’ teachers were much more
supportive and suggested ways we could
continue their education with
correspondence courses and books.
Roger went on a sailing course in the – at that time satellite navigation was not
North Sea, and I learned celestial available for yachtsmen. He bought me a
navigation at a local community college sextant for my birthday. Oh, what wife
doesn’t want a sextant for her birthday!
But I still have it.
Every spring we’d head east We found a two-year-old, well equipped
along the coast of Spain to the Endurance 40 ketch, on the River Severn
Balearic Islands. This picture is a near Bristol. It had three cabins, a saloon
painting of Tranquility Base by a and a separate galley. This meant the girls
now quite famous American could at least have their own room. The
nautical artist, Paul Garnett boat didn’t even have a name, so we
called her Tranquility Base, because we
felt sure that if the Americans could get to
their Tranquility Base on the moon, we
ought to be able to get to the
Mediterranean.
We lugged a van-load of belongings to TOP There are plenty of places to climb
the boat, including four bicycles. It about and jump from on a boat
certainly seemed like everything except ABOVE Tranquility Base at sea with
the kitchen sink, but then, I wanted to everything up.
make this dramatic life-change with as
little disruption as possible, especially for of the largest boats on the moorings. We
our girls. I remember they had three stayed there for a summer and the girls
teddy-bears each. We were very naïve in went to Flushing village school. We
those days, about what was needed, or arranged for the Flushing/Falmouth ferry
what could even be stowed on a 40-footer. to pick them up and drop them back at
Finally, with the help of a professional the boat, every school day. Passengers
skipper we sailed round Land’s End to on the ferry gave us quite stern looks!
Falmouth, where Tranquility Base was one It was the year of the Queen’s silver
Jubilee, and she came into Falmouth on
ABOUT THE AUTHOR the Royal Yacht Britannia. So, along with
other boats in the harbour, we dressed-
Originally from ship for the occasion. Some of the girls’
Nottingham, Kati friends also came to visit, which made
Hughes has been their transition a little easier.
sailing with her We learned how to sail in Falmouth
husband, Roger, (a harbour and the surrounding coast, and
frequent contributor how to live together in close proximity –
to Practical Boat which wasn’t always congenial. We joined
Owner) since 1977. the local yacht club, the prestigious Royal
With little previous Cornwall YC, and received a warrant to fly
sailing experience, they took their the blue ensign, a very distinctive flag
two small children on a seven-year embroidered with the heraldic feathers of
cruise into the Mediterranean. They the club commodore, the Prince of Wales.
eventually settled in Orlando, Florida,
where Kati runs her own real estate The voyage begins
brokerage. They’ve since sailed in Finally, on a cold November morning, and
many parts of the world, and are with considerable trepidation, we pointed
currently fitting out a 50ft staysail southward, and left England for Biscay. It
schooner for new adventures. took a few days before we settled

CRUISING
down to a routine. I kept a reasonable in a dark sky amid a million stars of The
school regime with the girls, using the Milky Way and was sure I saw the moon
books we’d bought on recommendations wink down at me.
of their teachers. They went to bed For a long time the learning curve
normally, as Roger and I kept night remained almost vertical for Roger and I,
watches, four hours on, four off, sleeping but we tried hard to make it as smooth and
on the saloon couch. They woke each normal for our daughters. One time we ran
morning asking, “Are we there yet?” out of diesel at sea and had a long, slow,
In the middle of Biscay, the boat was worrying sail back to land. But the girls just
rolling down a big following sea, when we thought it was nicer, not having the noisy
heard loud whooshing noises. A large pod engine on, and listening to the water as it Kati, Sallyanne and Samantha mid-way
of porpoises leapt out of the steep waves, swooshed past their beds. across The Bay of Biscay, heading for
either side of us and amazingly close. Eventually we arrived in Gibraltar, where warmer climes
They were much bigger than the we intended to make our base. With no
dolphins we’d become used to seeing other specific plan in mind I enrolled the the nuns might try to proselytize our
elsewhere, and some had calves. We were girls in a superb convent school, perched daughter’s young minds, but Sister Ann,
totally enchanted. As they leapt out of the half way up The Rock, with breathtaking the Irish headmistress set my mind
waves some looked at us and seemed to views overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar, squarely at ease, “Don’t you worry now
be saying: “Welcome to our world.” with Europe to the north and mysterious Mrs Hughes, we don’t go shovin’ it down
Often at night, I’d look up at a full moon, Africa to the south. I was a little concerned der troughts!” There were indeed many
other children of different nationalities and
religions at the school, and some lived on
boats in the marina. Our girls quickly
made just as many friends as they had in
England, and it didn’t take long before
they were both jabbering away in Spanish.
Both our parents came to visit us (or
LEFT Gibraltar has always been a major

staging post for both Mediterranean and
Atlantic bound boats
BELOW View of the Rock from the
Mediterranean coast

rather, their grandkids) in Gibraltar, and
were amazed how the girls had
‘When other pupils asked them which
‘blossomed’. It was an awakening school they went to before, they would
experience for Roger’s father in particular,
when he took his grandchildren shopping say “boating school ”’
in the main street (for ice-cream, what
else), and hear them talking to swarthy
Spanish and Moroccan merchants in keep her full-time, as sales increased further afield to the South of France and
Spanish. He confessed to being amazed; markedly when she was there, and they beyond. Many other boating families did
praise indeed from an old coal miner who loved their little ‘Niña Inglesa’. I have often the same and we’d meet frequently, when
was never easily impressed. wondered if this was the dawning of the children could play on other boats.
Once, when only eight, Samantha Samantha’s business accumen, as she This gave them, and us, a break from
eagerly informed us she now had “A job now owns a large printing company. each other. It was the nautical version of a
– for money.” One day, as I sat on the boat, a couple play-date.
We were in Estepona, the nearest port in engaged me in conversation, lamenting
Spain to Gibraltar. She had been to a that they’d just love to do what we were School onboard
shop in the port and noticed that none of doing, but couldn’t, “Because we have I still tried to maintain school time every
their signs were in English. Not only did two school age children.” Just at that week-day. We’d sit in the galley and open
she rewrite all their signs in English, moment both girls popped up through the the books where we left off, whether it was
whenever we went back to Estepona, companionway in their school uniforms, English, maths, writing or reading. The
Samantha acted as interpreter for the hopped across the gangplank and teachers in the Gibraltar school
many British tourists who came in the disappeared down the pontoon to the supplemented the work when we went
shop. The kind family owners wanted to school bus. All I could do was smile, as away, so the girls would not be behind
the couple walked away. when we returned. They also kept diaries
Each spring we of our travels, which they were required to
set off easterly to read to the class, when back in ‘real
explore the school’.
Spanish coast and It was indeed the vagrant gypsy life John
the Balearic Masefield talks about in Sea Fever. But we
Islands, then tried very hard not to become vagrants,
ABOVE The cosy galley – and school

room – on Tranquility Base
RIGHT Full and by, between Ibiza and
Mallorca. The Endurance 40 was designed
by Peter Ibold and has a classic clipper
bow with a sprit
imageBROKER/Alamy
The Hughes family with the Rock of

Gibraltar in the background

CRUISING
keeping Tranquility Base well maintained
and the teak decks and varnish pristine.
We involved the kids in this as much as
possible, and Roger taught them other
skills such as painting and woodwork.
Much better than ‘boring lessons’.
We took the girls to see as much as
possible – from the magnificent Alhambra
Palace in Granada to the cathedral in
Barcelona and Sintra Palace in Portugal.
We sailed up the river Guadalquivir to
Seville, where they dressed up and took
part in a real Spanish fiesta, and saw the
famous Carmen bullring. In Tangiers,
Morocco, they witnessed children
begging in the streets. They even went
inside the famous casino in Monaco. It
was the finest European history lesson
any children could possibly have.
‘Now, as
grandparents, could
we handle the same
worries we subjected
our parents to when
sailed off into the
wide blue yonder?’
We once found ourselves in the middle

of a pod of whales who’d come to take a
look at us, some were as big as the boat.
We were captivated,
but I was worried
they’d bump the hull.
Suddenly one ‘blew’,
showering us with
warm rain. The smell
was awful, causing one
of the girls to remark
that it had very bad ABOVE The magnificent Moorish Alhambra
breath! They Palace in Granada
disappeared as quickly LEFT One of the girls learning to row
as they came, yet it was
sobering to be reminded
that there were bigger scholarships. I worried about how they’d
fish in the sea than us. adapt to structured schooling on land,
We earned money and later asked the headmistress why
day-chartering in the she had accepted the girls so readily?
Balearic Islands, and “They have such a rounded, worldly
found a niche market of people who had of general education, Roger and I felt they experience for children their age,” she
never sailed before. needed a more stable environment, in said. “I think they will become an asset to
It was remarkable to see our daughters preparation for high school, university and our school.” Vindication indeed.
take charge of children, sometimes much adulthood. When other pupils asked them which
older than themselves, and explain how It took a while for us to come to the school they went to before, they would
the boat worked, even how to operate the inevitable decision, but we finally sold say “boating school.”
marine toilet, and what they should and Tranquility Base, for exactly the same as “Don’t you mean boarding school?”
should not do when on board. we’d paid for her eight years earlier. We “No, I mean boating school.”
We flew back to England a few times to returned to England, and have never seen
meet up with old friends but found we had or heard about our dear little home since. Adapting to life on land
little in common any more. We were From time to time even the girls wonder The transition to normality was not easy
always pleased to get back home, to our where she now is. How many children for Roger, who started a new business
little ship. who move house ever think that way? from scratch in the warehouse and
As all parents learn, 6 and 7-year-olds After being interviewed by the strict storage equipment trade, like we had
soon become 12 and 13. Although I was principal of a posh girl’s school in before. We were living in a different area
confident they lacked nothing in the form Lincolnshire, both girls were accepted with now, so he had to find new customers.

Contemporary although you still can’t get roadside

photos of Kati assistance half way across the Pacific.
Hughes and her Privacy was one of the problems all
daughters during parents with kids complained about – for
their time cruising the children and for themselves. Tranquility
the Mediterranean Base had a 12ft 6in beam, but a modern
Beneteau of the same length is 14ft. Some
catamarans are floating palaces, nearly
twice the beam of Tranquility Base, with
conveniences akin to houses – and
funkyfood London/Paul Williams/Alamy
unfortunately costing about as much. In

such a vessel there probably is the
possibility of not actually seeing your kids
in between meal times.
Communications also greatly simplifies
home schooling, and a laptop can contain
enough lessons for a lifetime, never mind
a childhood. My own has 1,000 classical
books in it. The internet also enables
face-to-face chats with teachers and
friends, even between boats on passage,
greatly mitigating the peer separation our
girls sometimes felt.
We revisited Gibraltar on holiday once university, where they both achieved good Everything now is so much easier for
by air, but none of the girls’ boating friends degrees. Sallyanne went on to do an MBA liveaboard cruising with children, not just
were still there. Strolling down the at The University of Virginia. Both now because of computers and the internet,
pontoon in Sheppard’s Marina was not have successful businesses and children but smartphones and digital TVs. On the
quite the same and there was another of their own. boating front, watermakers, radar, AIS,
boat in berth number 12, which of course Surprisingly we rarely talk about our life EPIRBs, solar panels, freezers, washing
was not as nice as Tranquility Base! on Tranquility Base, except when our machines and roller furling sails all make
Our daughters grew as normal grandchildren ask, “What was it like living sailing more pleasurable – none of which
teenagers do, and after a few years, on a sailboat?” we had on Tranquility Base.
through Roger’s business connections, They listen gleefully to our stories – Now, as grandparents, could we handle
we emigrated again, this time to America. sometimes slightly embellished – about the same worries we subjected our
To some extent this new life was harder what their mothers got up to when they parents to when sailed off into the wide
than becoming liveaboards. Sallyanne were their age and living on a boat. blue yonder? When will we see them
and Samantha were now 15 and 16 with again? Will they be able to handle the
friends of their own in England, and How do they feel now? boat in bad weather? How will they make
definitely with minds of their own. We still do wonder if one day our a living? What if there is an accident at
Initially we met fierce resistance, and it daughters will come to us and say, “Mom sea, far from land?
took a few flights across the Atlantic and and Dad, we’ve bought a boat.” What on Personally, we are hardly in any position
back to persuade them they could have earth could we honestly say to that? to dissuade anybody anyway. After a
much more fun in the perpetual Florida Could we recommend anyone to sell-up hiatus of more years than I care to
sunshine and beaches, than dreary and sail the seven seas with small remember, Roger and I are preparing a
English winters. children, especially our grandchildren? 50ft brigantine schooner, for our own
We finally settled in Orlando, Florida, Today’s cruising world is very different to return to sea – this time including some of
which was nothing like the sprawling how it was then. With advancement in the above-mentioned goodies. Still, some
metropolis it is now. The girls went to an communications, principally GPS and people might say, at their age they
excellent high school, and then on to satellite telephones it is a lot safer – really ought to know better...

CRUISING
A month
round Ireland
Gerry Flaherty and friends charter a yacht to
discover remote islands, ancient monuments,
blazing fireplaces and friendly locals
The full crew at the end

of their circumnavigation
of Ireland
oon after I started sailing,
S I realised I wanted to
circumnavigate Ireland. Not
owning a boat, I considered the
options: I could buy a boat, crew on the
Round Ireland Race or charter a yacht for
the trip. I decided on the latter and formed
a coalition with three friends, who were
fellow sailors from our club, Sailing In
Dublin (SID).
June and the first two weeks of July are
considered the best time weather-wise to
circumnavigate Ireland, but due to
personal commitments and the availability
of our preferred charter – a 43ft Jeanneau
Sun Odyssey – we agreed to hire the boat
from 30 April through to 29 May. sea miles on various week-long cruises great adventure had begun.
Garvan, Peter, Paddy and I set about we didn’t want to sail overnight unless Following overnight stopovers in
planning our trip. While our objective was absolutely necessary. This would be a Crookhaven and Knightstown on Valentia
to complete the circumnavigation, we challenge and an adventure, and I was Island, we arrived in Dingle. The next
particularly wanted to explore the west grateful to have the support of my family, morning we discovered an issue with the
and northern coast of Ireland and to especially my wife Bernie. regulator on our gas pipe that needed to
spend some time on the offshore islands, We picked up our boat, Inishceim, from be repaired by a certified gas fitter. This
visiting places you’d normally only get to Baltimore Yacht Charters in Cork and took some time to organise so we stayed
by boat. Although we’d clocked up many turned right out of Baltimore Harbour. Our in Dingle another night. There are worse

ROUND IRELAND CHARTER
Dolphins were
often seen ISLAY
N
MULL OF
GARVAN ISLES INISHTRAHULL KINTYRE
TORY
Malin Head RATHIN ISLAND
ISLAND
Culdaff Fair
ARANMORE Ballycastle Head
ISLAND Mount
Errigal
Glenarm
NO RTHER N
Killybegs IREL AN D
Broadhaven Belfast
Bay Donegal
Erris Head Bay Bangor
EAGLE ISLAND
INISHKEA Ardglass
ISLAND Frenchport Sliabh
RUSHKEEN Donard
ACHILL St John’s
ISLAND Point
Clew Bay
CLARE ISLAND
INISHTURK
Irish
Sea
INISHBOFIN
Killary
Harbour Howth
Caladh
Slyne Head Mór Dublin
Dublin
IRE L AN D Bay
ARAN Bray
Atlantic ISLANDS Cliffs of Head
Ocean INISHMAAN Moher
Wicklow
Carrigaholt Head
Loop Head Limerick
Kerry Head
Shannon Kilmore Rosslare
Blasket Estuary Quay Harbour
Sound
Dingle Tuskar
Dingle Bay Rock
VALENTIA Knightstown Carnsore

ISLAND Cork SALTEE Point
ISLANDS
Crosshaven Ardmore
Cork Harbour
Oysterhaven Bay 0 50
Holeopen Bay East
Old Head of Kinsale nautical miles
Crookhaven Baltimore
engine and strong tidal streams propelling

us up the estuary, it was 10pm before we Inishceim berthed
anchored in Carrigaholt. It was straight to alongside at Inishmaan
Lighthouse on the Old bed after dinner aboard in preparation for

Head of Kinsale an early departure the following morning.
Under engine and with a favourable
stream, we shot down the estuary at
places to be delayed and we enjoyed the almost 10 knots, with bottlenose dolphins
food, drink and music that is in plentiful riding our bow wave. Rounding Loop
supply there. Head we found ourselves in calm seas
Rather than sail directly to Inishmaan we with little or no wind as we made our way
decided to overnight at Carrigaholt in the at a leisurely pace, staying inshore to
Shannon estuary and were waved-off the appreciate close-up views of the set off towards our intended destination,
next day by Fungie, the resident magnificent Cliffs of Moher. The walkers the Aran Island of Inishmaan. By
bottlenose dolphin. on the clifftop and kayakers 700ft below mid-afternoon we were tied up alongside
Our course took us through Blasket provided a great sense of scale to this the pier at Caladh Mór enjoying cool
Sound. Given the choppy sea state and awesome landscape. The ferries between beers and watching the ferry passengers
long passage ahead, we decided not to Doolin and the Aran Islands left a creamy come and go.
go ashore to the Great Blasket but wake on the blue sea, giving the whole It wasn’t long before we met the force of
pressed on around Kerry Head and into scene a Mediterranean feel. nature that is Brídín. In addition to providing
the Shannon Estuary. Even with our Reluctantly we left the cliffs behind and a taxi service on the island, she also acted
as a concierge. Whatever we declared an
interest in, Brídín could provide it or arrange
Great Blasket seen
from Blasket Sound for someone else on the island to do so.
Photos by Gerry Flaherty
We were taxied to and from the pub,

hired bikes and had a home-cooked
dinner in a local bed and breakfast.
The bikes were a fantastic way to
explore Inishmaan.
We visited a church with stained-glass
windows designed by Harry Clarke, the
famous, Irish stained-glass artist, and ➜

CRUISING
LEFT Stone walls
criss-cross
Inishmaan
RIGHT Spectacular
views of Croagh
Patrick
BELOW Rafted up
to the Inishbofin
ferry
an altar made by the father of Irish patriot

and poet Patrick Pearse. We saw the
cottage where playwright John Millington
Synge stayed for a time, and his favourite
viewpoint – Synge’s Chair – at the edge of
a sheer limestone cliff. There were many
beautiful vantage points with views back
to the mainland and the neighbouring
islands. I especially loved the stone walls
that criss-crossed the island and the pub
with the most welcoming, blazing fire I’d
ever seen.
Birthday cruise
The next morning was my 60th birthday
but there was no lying-in! At 7am we cast
off from Caladh Mór en route to the island
of Inishbofin. There was full cloud cover
and moderate seas while the wind
increased steadily from Force 1 to Force 5 me that we’d made
over the duration of our passage. the right decision to
Two places of interest along our route stay in port. We
were Saint Macdara’s island and Joyce’s Slyne Head. While short, the pass is very restocked our water, fuel and groceries
Pass. Saint MacDara is believed to offer narrow with tides running at up to 4 knots. – it’s always good to be able to support
protection to all those who brave stormy According to the cruising directions it’s the local economy on the islands. That
seas, provided of course that they dip their not feasible in heavy swell and dangerous evening the captain of the ferry warned us
sails three times when passing the island. in strong wind over tide conditions. We of an impending swell that would make us
There sits a tiny church that dates back to decided to take a look at it and assess the very uncomfortable if we remained on that
the 6th century. Each year on 16 July a conditions but the presence of a marker side of the pier. He invited us to move to
festival is held on the uninhabited island in buoy and lines from some lobster pots in the opposite side and raft up against his
the saint’s honour. This includes a mass, the middle of the narrow channel made it ferry, provided we promised not to delay
followed by a regatta for Galway Hookers too risky to proceed. We retreated and his departure next morning. This
and currachs and a picnic on the beach. took the more common route, rounding thoughtful gesture rounded off the lovely
We continued on towards Joyce’s Pass, Slyne Head with its distinctive black- time we’d spent on Inishbofin and
which is the only navigable channel inside coloured lighthouse. Six common replicated our experience of the kindness
dolphins accompanied us briefly and we of the local people.
were alongside the pier at Inishbofin by Departing Inishbofin at 9am on 9 May,
6pm. Andrew, from the Doonmore hotel, we passed Cromwell’s Barracks. Our
very kindly helped us with our lines at the destination was Clare Island, to be
pier so we returned the favour by dining in preceded by a short sojourn in one of
his bar that night. Garvan’s favourite places – Clew Bay. A
Garvan, Peter and Paddy kindly treated variable Force 3 wind, sunshine with some
me to dinner and we consumed several cloud and calm to moderate seas provided
pints to celebrate my big birthday. Andrew a very pleasant passage. En route, we
drove us back to the boat and gave us a caught splendid views of Killary Harbour,
freshly baked loaf of bread. Needless to Inishturk and Caher Island. We took a
say, we all slept well that night! mooring at Rosmoney, and ate our lunch
with spectacular views of Croagh Patrick
Sightseeing on Inishbofin before setting off again across Clew Bay
High winds were forecast for the next day for a night at anchor, just off the quay at
so we welcomed the opportunity to spend Clare Island. There was no enthusiasm to
a day sightseeing. I set off on one of the go ashore for the evening so we settled in
loop walks, which took me to a high for a home-cooked meal aboard, courtesy
vantage point. Howling wind at the top of Peter. It was a fitting end to a beautiful
Harry Clarke-designed stained glass and waves below that glistened with white day on the ocean, anchored in the lee of
windows in the church on Inishmaan horses in the strong sunshine confirmed for 16th century Granuaile’s Castle.

Look no hands!... Peter

testing sail balance
‘The walkers on the

clifftop and kayakers
700ft below provided
a great sense of scale
to this awesome
landscape’
Our next destination was Frenchport to

overnight before a long passage across
Donegal Bay to Killybegs. The beautiful
beaches at Keel and Keem Bays stood out Frenchport to Killybegs Inishmaan and Inishbofin.
as we passed Achill Island. We were in At 8.30am we hauled both anchors and We spent two days in Killybegs,
sombre mood passing Black Rock Island left Frenchport for the 80-mile passage to replenishing diesel, provisioning and
where the Irish Coastguard helicopter, Killybegs. Leaving Eagle Island to port, we getting laundry done. During this time we
Rescue 116, and its four crew were then rounded Erris Head, and sailed met some lovely people, including the
tragically lost in 2017. Even in good across the entrance of Broadhaven Bay helpful harbourmaster and his colleague,
weather the environment here seems very with the Stags to starboard, then across and had delicious meals at the Ahoy Café
harsh. Shortly after, we anchored at Donegal Bay towards Killybegs. and Seafood Shack. The weather was
Rusheen, near Inishkea South Island for A moderate sea state and northerly Force glorious during our stay in Killybegs, the
lunch. We had chosen here to get a view 3 winds meant we alternated between only irritant being the peacock-like shrieks
of the few remnants of the whaling motor and sail, enjoying the stunning emanating far too often from the bird
operation set up there by Norwegians in vistas of Sliabh Liag and Ben Bulben as alarm in the marina.
1908 and some deserted dwellings on we approached the entrance to Killybegs. Tory island was next on our itinerary,
both North and South islands. At 6.30pm At the end of our 13-hour passage we preceded by an overnight stop on a
we reached our chosen anchorage in berthed in the new marina in town. mooring off Aranmore Island. Our
Frenchport. Given the forecast and the This was day 12 of our trip and we were approach to our mooring was via the
sea state we decided to deploy our kedge happy with the progress so far as we’d north sound as this is less challenging
anchor in addition to our main one. Our estimated 12-15 days to reach here. than the rock-strewn approach from the
passage had taken 10 hours so I doubt Just one day had been lost to weather south. It also afforded us great views of
we would have woken even if the anchor and we’d spent really enjoyable days the west side of Aranmore and its
had dragged, which, thankfully, it didn’t. ashore on Valentia Island, in Dingle, lighthouse. Rounding the top of the ➜

CRUISING
island provided a fantastic view of Mount
Errigal on the mainland. We picked up our Formidable Mount Errigal
on the mainland seen from
mooring at Calf island and enjoyed a the North Sound of Aran
hearty dinner with a wonderful sunset as a
backdrop.
Variable winds on a smooth sea saw us
cover the 25 miles to Tory Island in five
hours, leaving plenty of time to explore.
On a fine day, Tory Island is a wonderful
place to visit. There are spectacular cliffs,
strange buildings from the war years, a
lighthouse, Christian relics from the 12th
century such as the Tau cross and a small
Commonwealth graveyard.
The three main islands across Ireland’s
northern coast (Tory, Inishtrahull and
Rathlin) are conveniently spaced with
35-40 miles between each of them,
making it possible to traverse in three on its western edge as we approached.
comfortable legs. On closer investigation, Once ashore a short walk to the east
we decided that Inishtrahull wasn’t lighthouse granted fantastic, clear views
suitable for an overnight anchorage so we across the Irish Sea to the Mull Of Kintyre
agreed on Culdaff instead on the and other parts of Scotland, Fair Head
mainland. The cruising directions warned and Ballycastle in Northern Ireland.
it was subject to swell but we thought it Sadly, some bad news concerning my
worth a visit. uncle’s health reached me that evening
We departed Tory at 10am on a cloudy and the next morning I boarded the first
day with light easterly ferry to Ballycastle
winds and a calm ‘Swell is a bit like en-route to Dublin.
Minke whale seen while heading for Howth
sea. The highlight of We’d known when we
the day was passing Marmite – you either set off from Baltimore its direction didn’t favour us so we
Malin Head, Ireland’s that I might be called motored the rest of the way enjoying fine
most northerly point love it or hate it. I was away at some point. views of Rockabill lighthouse under
and a real milestone Though we’d hoped sunbeams that broke through heavy
on our journey. awake for most of the against it, we’d cloud. At 9.35pm we tied up at the visitors
Garvan of course,
considers this
night as the boat planned that the
others would
berth in Howth marina and tucked into a
fish and chip supper.
surpassed by the rolled on the waves’ continue to sail and I Wishing to take advantage of favourable
passing of the would rejoin them if tidal streams to reach Kilmore Quay
Garvan Isles, just time permitted. necessitated a pre-dawn start. At sunrise
south of Inishtrahull. we motored across Dublin Bay and by
We all gave three cheers in deference as Game of Thrones discovery 9am were enjoying nice views of Bray
we sailed past both landmarks. Two days later I returned to the boat in Head, Sugarloaf Mountains and the
By 6pm we’d secured a mooring in Ardglass where the lads had travelled lighthouses on Wicklow Head. Progress
Culdaff. Swell, to me, is a bit like Marmite from Rathlin Island via Glenarm and slowed as we met opposing tidal streams
– you either love it or hate it. I was awake Bangor. With only three on board, it was until around 2pm when the steams flowed
for most of the night as the boat rose, fell difficult for safety reasons to undertake in our favour again and we averaged over
and rolled on the waves. The others on long passages so we needed to make up 7 knots for the rest of our passage. The
board felt that the motion of the boat some time. We decided to head for Arklow bank wind farm, Rosslare, Tuskar
rocked them to sleep and they slept like Howth, 71 miles to the south. A highlight Rock, Carnsore Point and the Saltee
babes. At least now I have a clear idea of from Ardglass was meeting a cast Islands provided welcome distractions
what the cruising directions mean when member from Game of Thrones and along the way.
they say ‘subject to swell’! discovering that the two ‘Direwolves’ from Fatigue, strengthening winds, tidal
A passage of only 32 miles combined the hit TV series actually resided there. streams and the fading light made our
with a 6am departure saw us arrive at the Not in fact wolves, Thor and Odin were approach to Kilmore Quay harbour
marina on Rathlin Island by noon. We had Northern Inuit dogs – the closest domestic challenging but by 8pm we were rafted up
a fine view of the ‘upside down lighthouse’ breed the production team could find. on the south pontoon.
In pleasant
sunshine we enjoyed ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sea arches run through
the Old Head of Kinsale lovely views of the
coast including Sliabh Gerry Flaherty is a
Donard and St John’s retired chartered
Point. To our great engineer from
delight, Paddy Dublin, Ireland.
spotted a minke He came late to
whale close to us. sailing but in the
We’d encountered last ten years has
plenty of common gained experience
and bottlenose cruising and racing on the Sailing in
dolphins but this was Dublin club’s boats. Cruising Ireland’s
our first whale. The coasts is highly complementary to his
wind slackened and other passion, photography.

ABOVE Wicklow
lighthouse and
towers
LEFT Dinner
aboard Inishceim
in Killybegs
RIGHT Some of the
local sheep out for
a walk on Tory
Island
welcome us back. As my feet landed on

the pontoon some conflicting emotions
swept over me. I was elated at having
completed what we had set out to do yet
Later we shared some drinks with the It was now 26 May and we were due back sad that the adventure was at an end. We
crews of Celtic Mist and Kestrel. Telling in Baltimore on 28 May. However, the sipped some bubbly that I’d stashed away
jokes and seafarer’s yarns provided the weather was closing in and we’d be in anticipation of this moment and Con
perfect end to a very long passage. port-bound in Kinsale the next day. took some photos to mark the occasion.
The next day I left by bus for a funeral in We cast-off from Kinsale around 6am I was delighted to have shared in such a
Dublin and Peter, Paddy and Garvan took and headed towards the Old Head. A great adventure, covering almost 1,000
a day to rest. They’d leave for Ardmore the helicopter landed some wealthy golfers on miles in 22 passages over 29 days. We’d
following morning and I’d return to join the course for an early morning round. encountered seals, whales, dolphins,
them in Crosshaven on 25 May. Westerly, Force 4 winds directly on our gannets, kittiwakes and many more
Fair, fresh winds propelled us the 30 nose met us as we rounded the Old Head seabirds as well as enjoying stunning
nautical miles between Crosshaven and so we continued to motor hoping for a vistas from seaward. Above all, we’d
Kinsale. Despite the cloud we still enjoyed wind shift. At 10.30 we were delighted to enjoyed each other’s company and met
the view of the Sovereign rocks at the be able to hoist our sails for the final miles some wonderful people who were kind
entrance to Oysterhaven Bay and the to Baltimore. Just off the Stags, Garvan and encouraging.
iconic Old Head Of Kinsale. spotted two minke whales close by. Our Every day on board was a school day,
The winds slackened and sunshine second encounter with whales on the final learning new skills and honing existing
broke through so we decided to linger leg of our passage was a thrilling surprise ones. We became adept at picking up
awhile in east Holeopen bay. This allowed for us. moorings, anchoring, rafting up to other
close-up views of sea arches that run Pretty soon, Lot’s Wife, the beacon boats, and berthing alongside pier walls
through the Old Head to west Holeopen marking the entrance to Baltimore, and in marinas. We improved our helming,
Bay. Legend has it that the lighthouse appeared from the misty rain. It was hard sail trimming and reefing as well as
keepers on the Old Head tried to claim an to believe that we were on our final pilotage and passage planning.
island allowance as the lighthouse is approach to our last docking of Inishceim Far from quenching a desire for adventure
circumnavigable via the sea arches! after four weeks circumnavigating Ireland. and exploration at sea, this voyage has
With lunch finished, we headed for a Con from Baltimore Yacht Charters was on only whetted the appetite. I’m sure
visitor’s berth at Kinsale Yacht Club marina. the pontoon to take our lines and that future adventures at sea await.

PRACTICAL
NASA Clipper Wind

instrument repair
There’s no need to fear the workings of
your boat’s electronics, says David Berry
ABOVE AND
LEFT A fix with
a soldering iron
and £10 worth
of components
meant David
Berry didn’t have
to fork out £250
on a brand new
unit
stumbled across an entry in a sum total of the components I was going
I ten-year-old logbook the other day.

It recorded the fact that the NASA
Clipper Wind was not working. I’ve
battled with the instrument ever since.
This season, the wind direction was
to replace came to less than £10. So in
this article I’m not going to talk about
identifying the failed components – unless
you have an oscilloscope, you can’t do it
– so I’ll just show you how to replace all
way off and the speed didn’t work at possible failed parts. This approach may
all. I climbed the mast and replaced solve your problem and it may not, but
the vane and cups to no avail, so it was risking £10 to save £250 seems like a
time to get assertive. good idea to me.
If you can solder it’s always worth taking
things apart and having a go at repairing Understanding Clipper Wind
them (I first wrote about this in PBO The NASA Clipper Wind Version I
February 2013). Often all you have to do comprises a masthead unit and a display,
is wiggle every connector you can find – which are connected by a five-core cable.
they can get tarnished and fail to connect This is a very simple design and I can’t
David and Ann Berry’s Moody Eclipse properly. In this case a new instrument say whether any other manufacturer uses
Aderyn Glas in her home waters, Greece would set me back about £250, while the the same basic scheme.

DIY ELECTRONICS REPAIRS
Most of the processing of wind speed

and direction is done within the display
Connecting for testing
unit, which takes signals from the
masthead unit. Speed processor Masthead unit Display unit
Transistor 5 core
Within the masthead unit there are two Magnet Hall effect sensor 1A (BC55) mast cable
in wind cups x >1 MPH
pre-processor circuit boards: one is for x

windspeed and the other for direction. Capacitor x
Amplifier (220pF or
The speed unit utilises a magnet in the 0.22uf)
+12V
(LM358N) Ground
rotating windcup assembly. The faster the
Direction processor
cups spin, the more often the magnet
Ring magnet Hall effect sensor
passes over the Hall effect sensor, which in vane 2A and 3A HI
x >1
generates a pulse. x Boat supply
x >1
The direction indicator is a ring magnet x Amplifier
(LM358N)
that passes over two sensors in the
masthead direction board. These sensors
A rough pictorial scheme of the instrument (not a circuit diagram)
Step
send analogue signals to the display
along two of the cable cores. The by
position of the vane alters the voltages
of the signals from the sensors, which 1
The slim red and black power
supply cores of the NASA Clipper
step
enables the display to calculate where display unit will need to be attached to a
the vane is pointing. 12V-14V power supply (see panel, page
In the speed unit pre-processing board I 43). The thicker black cable contains the
replaced the transistor, the amplifier and five wires that send power and receive
the capacitor. I assumed the Hall effect signals to and from the masthead unit. I
sensor would be OK because it is didn’t want to remove my entire connector
essentially a solid-state lump. However, cable from the boat, so I cut mine at the
if the fix had not worked, I would have top of the mast and pulled the plug at the
replaced it as well. back of the display unit then substituted
The amplifier acts as a comparator some multi-core telephone wire for
which remains ‘off’ until a threshold value testing in the workshop. I later reattached
is exceeded then turns ‘on’ and so the masthead unit with a waterproof
sharpens up the pulse. ‘chocolate block’ arrangement.
The transistor acts as a ‘line driver’
providing enough power to overcome the
resistance of the long cable from the The five-core cable terminates in a
masthead to the back of the instrument. 2 plug on the back of the display unit.
The capacitor connects the two active It’s not obvious which plug pin connects
devices (amplifier and transistor) together. to which core, so it’s easier to connect
So the signal the display unit receives the temporary cables to the display by
is a pulse every time the magnet in the dismantling it. Once you have unscrewed
windcup assembly passes over the sensor the display and separated the halves, you
– the display unit then inverts the time need to attach five wires which will join
between pulses to produce windspeed. the masthead unit to the display. All you
On the direction pre-processing board, have to do is connect the red in the
I only replaced the amplifier. display to the red in the head unit, wires to the terminal pads on the boards
Q See page 80 for more practical followed by blue to blue and so on. The while leaving the original wires
soldering ideas from David Berry easiest way to do this is by soldering the in place.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Berry learned to sail in

dinghies and now owns a Moody The first step with the masthead Remove the three self-tapping
Eclipse, Aderyn Glas, which he 3 unit is to remove the vane and cups
4 screws holding the speed processor
keeps in Preveza, Greece. Since his then unscrew the seven screws holding board into the plastic housing. At the
retirement from design engineering the unit together. At the end of the arm bottom left of the photo are the wires I’ve
he has written an account of his is a gland and you need to slacken the substituted to connect the masthead unit
voyage with his wife, Ann, from nut to allow the cable which contains the to the display. The original wires at the top
France to Greece, entitled Time to five cores to be drawn into the body of of the picture will later be reconnected to
go South. the unit so that the circuit boards can the wire in the mast. The ones to the right
be removed. connect to the direction processor.

PRACTICAL
It doesn’t really matter how you
Capacitor 6 remove the three components,
Amplifier provided you can do so without damaging
or bridging the copper tracks on the
Transistor board. They are soldered on the reverse
of the board, so turn it over and melt the
solder. I use this thing called a solder
sucker, which is like a spring-loaded
syringe, but if you simply cut through
the legs of the transistor, amplifier and
In my unit, the speed data was not capacitor then remove the left-over bits of
5 being displayed at all, so one of the wire with tweezers while the solder is
three processing components (labelled) molten, that’s fine. You need to end
was faulty. To save time, I decided to up with a hole into which the new
simply replace them all. The capacitor component’s legs will fit, and that may
may not always look like this one but it mean wiping away the solder with the
will be in this position. tip of the iron if you need to.
To fit the three new components into

8 the holes you have made, turn the
board over and solder each of their legs
into place then snip off any spare wire. If
This image shows the solder pads you’re new to soldering, the way to It’s worth stating here that all
7 that relate to each of the components proceed is to heat the junction of the wire
9 electronic components are
that need replacing. The red ones are the leg of the component with the track on identified with their type number printed
LM358N amplifier, the blue ones are the the board then add solder. The only on them. You’ll probably need a lens to
capacitor and the green, the transistor. danger is overheating the track, which see the numbers properly though. For
When removing the old components and may result in it delaminating, so be example, the rectangular component here
cleaning up the holes with the soldering cautious until you’ve developed the is an LM358N. The transistor will be
iron be careful not to bridge between two necessary skill. Don’t forget to ground marked BC55 and the capacitor either
holes or tracks with solder. yourself with your wrist strap. 220pF or 0.22μF.
(220pF or 0.22μF) is the same then it

Transistor will work. The physical size of the ‘can’
doesn’t matter. It’s always worth marking
the board with a felt tip pen so that you
know which way around the components
have to go and which colour wire is
Capacitor connected where. Here the number ‘1’
refers to the first pin of the amplifier
Amplifier (the amplifier has a scallop one end and
pin 1 is that end and on the left, viewed
from above) and the reversed ‘D’
This particular new capacitor is represents the shape of the transistor
10 much larger than the one it replaces seen from above. The capacitor can be
but as long as its capacitance value mounted either way.
PARTS LIST This is the magnetic Hall effect

11 sensor on the reverse side of the
• Both amplifiers (speed and direction) are LM 358 N (the ‘N’ is important) speed board. If all else fails, you could
• The magnetic sensors are Ratiometric Hall effect sensors type 503 try replacing this but make sure you get
• The single transistor is BC55 (NPN medium power type) it the right way around. The plastic case
• The capacitor is 220pF (or 0.22uF) with a voltage rating 25V or above is shaped and the wire legs must be
orientated as shown here.

DIY ELECTRONICS REPAIRS
Replacing wind-direction sensors

I decided that since I had the thing The Hall effect
12 in bits, I may as well change the
13 magnetic sensors.
sensors and amplifier on the direction Don’t be afraid to bend
board too. So I took the board out by the wire legs carefully
removing the three screws but left the until they are the right
wires connected. I replaced the sensors Sensors shape to fit the holes
one at a time (so that I could position they go in. Ensuring
them at the right height to detect the correct orientation is
magnet). The orientation is important so vital. To work, they must
draw their profiles onto the board. This be fitted the same way around as the
is not a great photo – the two sensors are ones you remove and at the same height
at the centre of the shot and at this point above the board. The sensors are
I hadn’t drawn their outlines. chamfered to enable correct orientation.
While I was at it, I replaced the worthwhile changing the amplifier and
14 amplifier chip. Again I marked the sensor’s components because my
board with the orientation before I instrument was not giving a reliable
removed the old one. It’s worth saying direction display, if your direction
that the worst part of this operation was indicator is functioning properly leave it
trimming each of the potentiometers well alone! If you do have to change the
(the four black round devices) to get the components, it’s worth photographing
unit trimmed up again. The pots seem the position of the pots (that is the small
to trim each of the four directions and white arrowed centres) before you begin
are very sensitive – tweaking one upset so that you can always go back to the
the others. So, although for me it was start position.
So did it work? Yes it did. To test

16 the speed function wave a magnet
close to the sensor and watch the
display. Since the windvane has a circular
magnet embedded in it, the only way to
test the direction function is to replace
the direction board in the housing and
rotate the vane slowly. After that,
unsolder the wires you added to link the
This is the solder side of the display to the masthead unit and check
15 direction board and the red the original wires are still in place. Then
dots show the legs of the amplifier’s screw it all back together. Well done,
solder pads. you’ve made a successful repair!
12V adapter power source fine (your alternator puts out about 14.5V
If you can’t find one of these lurking on your boat). Any current (A) value WHAT IF YOU DON’T
HAVE A NASA CLIPPER?
around your house, you’ll get one on above 0.5 will be fine (equivalent to 6W).
Amazon for less than £10. The ‘ALSISK 1 Wiggle all the connectors inside
AC 100-240V to DC 12V 1A(1000mA) Staying grounded and outside the unit.
12W’ seems ideal since it comes with a I used an Aituo anti-static metal 2 If you have a meter, check
screw terminal. To identify whether any adjustable grounding wrist strap which individual units are receiving power.
particular power supply is 12V, you prevents build up of static electricity with 3 If the system works when you
need to look for the label then the possible consequential damage to connect the masthead unit to the
‘Output’. Although I’ve talked about 12V sensitive electronics. display outside of boat, you have a
throughout this article, 12V to 14V will be wiring problem.
Soldering irons and solder 4 Find the active components.
This is the If you are going to buy a soldering iron, These will be transistors, which
adaptor I the best type for electronic work is a have three legs, or DIL devices
used: note the small-tipped iron with temperature which are rectangular. Identify them
diagram just control. Amazon have a selection at from the legend printed on the top
above the word around £25 for a 40W iron: and buy replacements.
‘Corporation’,
which illustrates
· Katsu Electronic Rework Soldering Iron
Station 48W, 160-500°C Adjustable
5 Find the sensors. These will
probably be like Hall effect devices
how the 12V plug is wired: the positive Temperature Control. described here, with three or four
is shown going to the centre of the plug
and the negative to the outside.
· Amtech S1751 lead-free solder (it has
flux inside the solder wire).
legs. Swap in replacements.

New Gear
Rupert Holmes reports on electronic distress signalling
The shorter the search phase of any
search and rescue operation, the better McMurdo
the likely outcomes. The past few years SmartFind G8
have seen a number of welcome AIS EPIRB
developments in the sphere of (centre) and
communicating distress that are aimed SmartFind G8s
at all but eliminating the search aspect.
Much of the framework, including VHF
radios equipped with DSC (Digital Select
Calling) and 406MHz EPIRBs (Emergency
Position Indicating Radio Beacons) has
been in place since the implementation of
the Global Maritime Distress and Safety
System (GMDSS) in the late 1990s. While
the essential framework remains the same,
the latest advances in equipment makes it
more effective than ever before.
The latest generation medium earth orbit
MEOSAR satellites, for instance, give faster
detection, with a more accurate position
and will soon be able to acknowledge
receipt of an EPIRB distress message
through the Return Link Service. This
typically activates an indicator light on your
device to show the message has been
received. The MEOSAR system is currently
in an extended early operational capability
phase, so Return Link functionality is not
yet available, and existing equipment may
need a software update, but the launch is
expected to be fairly soon.
The cost of basic EPIRBs fitted with GPS,
which enables your position to be
determined within a matter of minutes, has
reduced significantly over the past decade.
Models with a ten-year battery life can now
be found from just over £300, making the
annual cost of ownership remarkably low.
Those with bigger budgets can take
advantage of products such as McMurdo’s need for a compact device that easily fits in unfolded the antenna has to be manually
eighth generation FastFind G8 AIS. This a pocket, lifejacket or on a belt loop, held above water and pointing towards the
incorporates an AIS transmitter within the necessitates some compromises. For a sky. Finally, the 24 hour battery life is only
EPIRB that helps rescue parties solve the start, PLBs are not self-activating – they half that of an EPRIB.
‘final mile’ identification problem by guiding must be physically activated by the user. Personal AIS is a more recent
them directly to the unit’s position. This is a requirement for type approval, so development that works on a completely
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) work all PLBs are the same in this respect. In different principle. It transmits a local signal,
on the same principle as EPIRBs, but the addition, they doesn’t float and once including GPS position, that will show
clearly on the chartplotters/MFDs of vessels
and shore stations equipped with AIS
receivers. In the event of a person
overboard this maximises the chances of
your own vessel, or another nearby boat,
being able to execute a quick rescue.
Providing national regulations allow it (as
they do in the UK) Personal AIS can also
transmit an All Ships DSC message to any
vessels within a 3-5 mile range. However,
unlike a PLB, the user can’t directly
communicate the distress situation to the
rescue services.
Different models of personal AIS
A typical personal AIS network transmitters have different procedures to
activate the signal. There’s much to be said

NEW GEAR
Putting a lid on it
Eagle Boat
Windows has
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sealing hatch
openings when
yours are away for
refurbishment – a
temporary replacement fitted with a thick
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neat clamps at the corners, so there’s no
messy sealant involved and no need to drill
Ocean Signal MOB1 personal AIS additional holes in the boat. Price from £36.
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for those, such as Ocean Signal’s MOB1
that can be set to activate automatically
when a lifejacket inflates, although even
then some features such as an All Ships
VHF message may have to be manually
High output solar
triggered. These Mono High Density (MHD) rigid
It would be great if Personal AIS and a solar panels are 20% smaller and lighter
PLB could be incorporated into a single than conventional units. This is achieved
device. However, while there have been by replacing the usual silver electrical
some moves in this direction, significant ribbon that connects the cells with contacts
regulatory hurdles remain so at this stage on the underside of the unit.
it’s not worth delaying a purchase in the They are available in 120W and 155W
hope that something will soon be available. sizes. A kit is also offered that includes a
Electronic distress flares have also PWM charge controller (upgradable to
continued to develop over the past MPPT), bespoke aerodynamic brackets, 155W model 1310 x 670 x 30mm.
decade. The latest ODEO Distress Flare, cabling and so on. The 120W panel Prices from £240.
for instance, is intended to replace measures 988 x 670 x 30mm and the Q solartechnology.co.uk
hand-held pyrotechnics. It has user-
replaceable batteries with a life of around
eight hours once activated.
Will traditional distress flares
ever become a thing of the
past? The requirement for
offshore racing yachts to
carry red parachute flares has
already been dropped and the
RYA’s view on the matter is clear:
the availability of alternative
electronic distress alerting and
location indicating technology
mean that pyrotechnic flares are
now obsolescent.
Nevertheless, in daylight there’s
ODEO
Distress
still much to be said for buoyant
orange smoke flares, as these are Radios revisited
Flare such a clear marker, especially in Icom has relaunched its IC-M423G and
good visibility or in crowded waters, where IC-M400BB fixed VHF radios with the
identifying a specific vessel that’s in addition of an external GPS antenna that
distress may be a challenge. Flexible stick on meets the latest ITU regulations. The
padeye IC-M423GE is a compact unit with
advanced functions, dual station control
BEACON REGISTRATION Advances in adhesives mean that simple and built-in active noise cancelling
Astonishingly, according to the RYA padeyes for relatively low working loads of technology to improve audio performance.
around half the 40,000 distress up to 150kg can be glued to the boat, An optional COMMANDMIC enables all
beacons in the UK are unregistered. which greatly speeds up installation. The functions to be controlled remotely and can
Yet without registration there’s nothing idea is so successful that in some cases act as an intercom in conjunction with the
to associate your beacon with your raceboats buy them in bags of 20 for a main unit. The IC-M400BBE is a black box
boat, which means rescuers won’t wide range of uses including hanging foul unit that’s installed below decks and
know what type of boat to look for weather gear. controlled solely by COMMANDMICs or via
and won’t even know its name if they The biggest problem has always been an interface that converts it to a dual-station
want to call on VHF or look for it on they need to be stuck onto a flat surface, system.
AIS. Registration is a quick and easy but Loop’s latest product gets around this Prices: IC-M423GE £329.99, IC-
process at www.dft.gov.uk/mca/ limitation thanks to a flexible carbon base. M400BBE £479.99, HM-195CMI black box
beacons Price €25.20. interface £240.
Qupffront.com Q icomuk.co.uk

PRACTICAL
Zest’s mainsail on
its last ever day out –
well patched but still
holding reasonable
shape, though clearly
ready for retirement
The 24,000
also adds to the boat’s heel and increases
weather helm. The boat is therefore more
difficult to steer, whether by a crewmember
or an autopilot, and the motion at sea
becomes more uncomfortable.
High tech laminate and membrane sails,
mile mainsail as well as the latest generation that rely on

advanced resins instead of plastic film, all
solve the problem of stretch. However,
historically they suffered from a reputation
as having a short lifespan. This was well
deserved for early sails made of Kevlar
Rupert Holmes explains how maintenance that were the preserve of the racing scene.
Technology has moved on enormously
can maximise the life of your sails however – it’s been well over 20 years
since this type of sail first gained
fter 24,000 miles – including material for cruisers as it’s relatively cheap popularity on performance cruising yachts
A three visits to the Azores,

racing round Britain and
Ireland and a foray into the
Atlantic – it was a simple day-race
(round the Isle of Wight) that finally
(by sailmaking standards), retains
strength for a long time and is easily
repairable. Unfortunately, it’s also a
stretchy material, a factor that becomes
more pronounced as the sail ages.
and they’ve been well proven in that time.
Much of the longevity of Zest’s mainsail
was down to it having been carefully
looked after. This is particularly important
for a high-tech sail, especially those that
killed Zest’s last mainsail. It’s often said this stretch doesn’t really use a Mylar film. With these sails, what
Sails are often the most expensive things matter much for cruising. That might be might initially appear to be a small area of
we will buy for the boat, even outstripping true if all your sailing is running downwind damage can propagate very quickly, with
electronics, so it’s hardly surprising that in the tropics, but few of us are that lucky. the potential to render the sail beyond
most of us try to maximise their life. The problem with a misshapen sail goes sensible repair.
Dacron is by far the most popular far beyond the loss of a little speed – it When my partner, Kass Schmitt, bought

LOOKING AFTER SAILS
Rupert Holmes
Maximising the lifespan of sails

Never let the sail flap any Fully battened sails last
1 more than is absolutely
necessary. This can’t be
4 better and will tend to
retain their designed shape
emphasised enough. for longer than those with
Keep checking sails
2 over for problems and
pre-empt damage wherever
conventional short battens.
5 Pay close attention to

chafe protection on
possible. Reinforcing a spreaders and shrouds.
weak area is quick and Tension the leech line to
inexpensive, but when a
tear starts it can propagate
6 prevent the leech of the
mainsail from fluttering.
very quickly, leading to a big With care even high-tech
repair job.
Schedule a mid-life refit,
7 sails have potential to
last as long as some Dacron
3 adding a two-ply leech
and reinforcing any other
materials and will retain
their designed shape almost
areas of weakness. throughout their life.
After this it covered four passages of

more than 1,000 miles, plus two Fastnet
races and numerous shorter trips along
the South Coast and across the Channel.
Before last year’s AZAB (Azores and
Back Race) we took the sail, which had by
then covered more than 20,000 miles,
back to Paul. He added more material in
way of the reinforcing patches of the lower
two reefs, where hinging of the cloth as it
steps down in thickness had weakened
the fabric due to flex damage. He also
attended to some flex damage at the inner
edge of the two-ply leech that had been
fitted 8,000 miles earlier and replaced the
leech tabling.
The eventual demise

SORC Solo
The sail in its younger The sail’s eventual downfall was

days, alongside a jib associated with an excess of flogging. Part
that is now long dead of the problem was an unusual challenge
in last summer’s Solo Offshore Racing
Club’s RIOW (Round Isle of Wight) race.
Zest (a 36ft custom design by Rob leech above the third reef. Given this is the We started from Cowes, heading west
Humphreys) in 2013, the top-spec most loaded part of a sail, and also flogs towards the Needles against the tide. That
membrane mainsail – built by Elvstrøm in the most when the sail is flapping, such a meant repeatedly short tacking in the
2007 for ocean racing – had hardly been two-ply leech can all but eliminate failure weaker stream close to the shore,
used and was like new. in this part of the sail at a later stage. repeatedly crossing tacks with the 21
It was retrofitted with a third reef by At the same time he also added other competitors. My track showed 29
OneSails in Hamble, but other than that, reinforcement around the ends of the tacks over a straight line distance of only
and regular visual checks for signs of batten pockets. Without doubt this 13 miles.
damage, we paid little attention to the sail attention mid-life was key to the sail’s The early stages were in light airs, but
aside from ‘sticking plaster’ repairs using longevity and reliability at a minimal cost the wind increased in the Needles
thin self-adhesive Dacron on any areas of compared to a new sail of similar quality. Channel, with true wind speed in the
chafe on the protective taffeta outer layers.
The two-ply leech
At 12,000 miles we had the first – and
added above the
only – mid-life failure, when the fibres
third reef helped
below the third reef gave out when gybing
reinforce this
in 30 knots of breeze, resulting in a 6in
highly-loaded part
tear. We got Paul Newell in Bembridge to
of the sail in the
repair this damage – he was apprenticed
second half of
at Ratsey and Lapthorn in Cowes, before
its life
sailing with Robin Knox-Johnston as
sailmaker in the Whitbread Round the
World Race and understands what the
ocean does to sails better than many.
Rupert Holmes
Paul stitched on a heavy-duty multilayer

repair that bridged the reinforcement
between the second and third reef points.
At the same time he recommended
adding a second layer of fabric to the

PRACTICAL
Laminate sails and

those made of other
high tech materials
will retain an efficient
shape across the
lifespan of the sail
‘Fully battened sails will always last longer than

conventional ones built of the same cloth’
gusts topping 20 knots. Although Zest is Fortunately, it was still useable after without being terminal. However, had that
well set up to reef quickly, to do so still turning downwind at the Needles and I been the case I would have taken time to
risked popping out into deep water and was able to nurse it around the rest of the thoroughly check it for any newly apparent
quickly losing places in the strong adverse course, in the knowledge that its problems after the race.
tide. I therefore held on, playing the replacement was already on order (and Nevertheless, until its demise the sail
mainsheet and traveller to depower in we had an older, though little used, had survived far more hard use than most
the puffs. Dacron spare that could be pressed into ever see, despite being a high-tech
Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before every service if necessary). membrane sail that was originally
tack saw more taffeta and Mylar film That one race put the sail through more designed and built for racing. Importantly
detaching from the sail, accompanied by wear and tear than many see in a whole it had also retained its designed shape
increasing depth in the middle of the sail season. Had the sail been subjected to until close to the very end.
as the structural fibres started to slip past this treatment at an earlier stage it would
each other. have reduced the remaining lifespan, A stitch in time
An old adage of seamanship is that ‘a
Various areas of
stitch in time saves nine’. That’s just as
damage that required
true today as it was 300 years ago, but
repair with fabric glued
regularly checking for damage and
in place near the end
making repairs is not enough on its own
of the sail’s life
to maximise a sail’s life.
How well the sail is treated is also a
factor. It’s easy to think that flaking it
carefully on the boom is the most
important element of taking care of a sail.
While that’s clearly helpful it’s only a
relatively small part of the story – what you
do with the sail when it’s hoisted is far
Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes
more important.
The big problem is flapping and
flogging, which rapidly breaks down the
structure of all sail fabrics. The more you
can minimise this the longer your sails will

LOOKING AFTER SAILS
Easy sail repairs Zest’s new mainsail

is fully battened,
Until a few years ago sized, sail repairs can be
which will help
repairing a mainsail meant carried out in-situ and in
prolong its life
either painstaking hand- only a few minutes. I’ve
stitching, or the hassle and successfully used it on
time of removing the sail structural repairs that have
from the boat and taking it lasted thousands of miles.
to a sewing machine. That The only downsides are the
has changed with modern adhesive is a slightly yellow
adhesives such as Dr Sails. colour and it’s relatively
This is a super-strong expensive in small tubes.
flexible two-part epoxy That said, a 265ml
resin that cures to 80% of cartridge costs less than £50
its final strength in just 20 and additional nozzles are
minutes. It’s also easy to sensibly priced. With a three-
apply thanks to a nozzle year shelf life, and given
in which the two parts are that the same cartridge can
automatically mixed. be re-used multiple times
This means small, and in with new nozzles, it’s well
some cases even medium- worth carrying on board.
last and the lower the risk of unexpected

damage. This explains why, whatever
material the sail is made from, fully
battened sails will always last longer than
conventional ones built of the same cloth.
While usually the choice to opt for a fully
battened sail has to be made when the
sail is new, it may be possible to
economically retrofit full battens to an
existing sail. The barriers to making this
cost-effective tend to be in the cost of the
batten material and luff cars, rather than
Rupert Holmes
Rupert Holmes
the simple task of sewing in longer batten
pockets. Nevertheless, I successfully
retrofitted full battens to the mainsail of
Ammos, my Discovery 3000 in Greece,
which has noticeably reduced the rate of
degradation of the cloth. I was fortunate in strength. This means the sail flaps more period. The solution is to strap the sheet in
having been able to rescue second-hand gently and therefore results in less wear as hard as possible and point a few
battens that could be cut down to size and tear on every outing. degrees off the wind to keep wind in the
from a sail that had been discarded at the Motor sailing is the situation in which sail. If I’m expecting to be motoring in a
end of its life. cruising yachts are most likely to have the calm for an extended period I’ll drop the
whole mainsail flapping for an extended sail and stow it to prevent accelerated
Efficient reefing systems wear, even if that means hoisting it again
Efficient reefing systems also reduce when a favourable breeze returns.
flogging (see PBO April 2020), simply The leech of any sail has a tendency to
because they speed up the process of flutter, which can degrade the cloth very
Rupert Holmes
either tucking a reef in, or shaking one quickly. Tensioning the leech line prevents
out. Good racing crews even back up in this, but with many mainsails it’s not
reverse gear when hoisting or lowering the always easy to adjust as leech line cleats
mainsail to reduce the apparent wind are positioned on the back of the sail and
therefore out of reach near the end of the
boom. On a quality sail the leech line
should start at the clew, run through a
pulley at the head of the sail and then be
LEFT Damage back led down to cleats on the luff of a sail at
in 2017 – a reef each reef point, where it’s easy to reach
reinforcing patch for adjustment.
had started coming It’s also important to pay attention to
unglued from the chafe protection on spreaders and
main structure of shrouds. Self adhesive spreader patches
the sail. I glued it with thick padding can be excellent, but
back on with batten pockets may also need webbing
Rupert Holmes
Dr Sails (ABOVE) glued in place to protect against chafe on

which lasted for the shrouds. This is particularly the case
2,000 miles until the with some high tech sails, where the
area needed further batten pocket itself carries the sail’s
reinforcement structural fibres.

PRACTICAL
DIY rigging
replacement
Dave Carey discovers cracks and corrosion in his 1980s cruiser’s rig
and gets to work replacing much of it in the Caribbean sunshine

REPLACING RIGGING
s a former RAAF aircraft particular, the chainplates. The rig had
A technician, I was always

going to perform a thorough
rig check before attempting
my first ocean crossing. Our 1984
Moody 47 Roam is a solid blue
been replaced seven years ago – not an
overly long time as far as standing rigging
is concerned – but what did set off alarm
bells was that the chainplates, and their
mounting hardware, had never been
water performer, but as I am quickly replaced. After tracking down the original
learning, boats are only as reliable as owners of the boat, I found she had
the owners who maintain them. completed seven Atlantic crossings,
Having never attempted an ocean enduring over 30 years of cyclical loading.
crossing, I erred on the side of caution in A little investigation showed that the deck
the way I prepared for our west to east plates had never completely sealed out
passage across the Atlantic. Our vessel, the water from penetrating the deck. This
although stoutly built, was made in the combined knowledge planted a seed of
1980s and has many of the original doubt in my mind.
fittings. One of the main issues I was
concerned about was the rigging and in A thorough inspection
Thankfully I have never had an issue with
heights. After preparing my bosun’s chair
A secluded anchorage
and emergency lines, and with my wife Crack in the chainplate is easily missed –
in the Caribbean – Dave
Erin at deck level on the winch, I but obvious in the right light
Carey managed to carry
clambered up the mast with my
out his rig service far
magnifying glass, a rag and my iPhone for put some pressure on the nut of the bolt
from home
taking pictures. to undo it, the bolt snapped clean off. To
With a spectacular view of the turquoise my surprise and horror, as I performed the
Caribbean waters of Marigot Bay, St same manoeuvre on the second stem
Martin, I set to work. It took me the better fitting bolt, the same thing happened.
part of the afternoon to properly clean and I wasn’t too happy about how this was
inspect the rigging and I was not overly unfolding, and as I quickly secured spare
happy with what I found. Although difficult halyards to the windlass horn and forward
to see, hairline vertical cracks had cleats to support the rig, I had visions of
appeared in the swages, and there was my forestay parting at the bow, and my
also some pitting – not discoveries that mast crashing down in a tremendously
filled me with confidence prior to tackling dangerous fashion.
the open ocean. With halyards in place, I was able to
Corrosion is an insidious thing; from the breathe a little easier and take stock of the
outside everything can look fine, giving situation. It was clear that I’d have to
the unsuspecting sailor the impression replace all 36 of the 5⁄8in diameter
that their gear is in good condition. When I chainplate bolts in the boat.
pulled bolts from my chainplates I found
that in some cases, corrosion had Finding parts
rendered them completely useless. Cruisers who have performed any level of
Corroded threads, pitting and missing maintenance on their yacht, in any of the
steel were all present. Caribbean islands, will know the feeling of
Perhaps the scariest find was the stem spending an entire day looking for parts,
fitting bolts. With only a ratchet in hand, I often ending in a wild goose chase. My
replacement bolt hunt was no different. I
visited three chandleries, two rigging
shops, and a local commercial fastener
store before I managed to obtain the
correct bolts, nuts, and washers for the job.
Having lost faith in my boat’s mounting
hardware, inspecting the chainplates
themselves was the next item on the
agenda. There isn’t much to be gained
without pulling them to see how the
ABOVE Fatigue
and corrosion:
this is why
chainplate bolt
inspection is so
important
RIGHT Crevice
corrosion
has begun to
form where
the chainplate
penetrates the
deck

PRACTICAL
steel looks as it passes through the deck.
This is the area where crevice corrosion
usually forms.
By using halyards to support the mast I
was able to remove the forward and aft
lowers, and could then pull the
corresponding chainplates. Rust staining
on them was obvious, but inspection with
a magnifying glass would be required to
get an accurate picture of the damage.
Pitting is another cause for concern. As I
cleaned and inspected them, the small
brown holes in the steel staring back at
me helped confirm the decision to replace
rather than reinstall them to keep my boat
seaworthy.
On many cruising yachts, the bow roller
is integral with the stem fitting. These
beautifully crafted, seamlessly welded
‘I was surprised to ABOVE The
see that my stem starboard rear

lower chainplate
fitting had a crack in being pulled up
from out the deck
it; the welded circular RIGHT Highly
polished stainless
plate had separated steel resists
after years of fatigue’ corrosion for
longer
items, when observed closely, are

amazing things. Often, the manufacturer
will weld circular stainless steel plates
onto the main body of the chainplate
where the clevis pin is installed, to counter discussed the job with them. The plan was On returning to the boat, I gathered all
the point loading experienced in that area. to have them cut the stem fitting from the the necessary tools to reinstall the newly
Again I was surprised to see that my bow roller, manufacture a new one and fabricated and highly polished bow roller/
stem fitting had a crack in it; the welded weld it back in exactly the same stem fitting. In the excitement of collecting
circular plate had separated after years of orientation. I was assured that a jig would the unit, and admiring the polished finish
fatigue and exposure to the elements. At be made to match the angle of the old and craftsmanship, I hadn’t noticed the
this point, it was time to speak to a bow roller/stem fitting, as the angle had to glaringly obvious mistake the shop had
professional fabricator. be correct due to the rake of the bow. made, the angle of the stem fitting was too
In the Caribbean islands, there are many Naively believing this would be done, I small, there was no way this item was
marine chandleries and fabricators to be didn’t measure the angle of the stem going to bolt in.
found. It is pretty much a case of speaking fitting myself, something that would have After returning to the fabricators, and
to the local yachties, or putting out a call saved me heartache in the future. The following a few heated words, workers
on the VHF radio net to find a reputable new stem fitting was fabricated, polished were organized to come to my boat at
company. With the knowledge of which and welded to the bow roller arrangement, anchor, measure the correct angle and
company to use, I made contact and looking good as new. adjust the incorrectly made item. Luckily,
on the second attempt, I was able to
massage the item into place and bolt the
A perfect secluded
forestay back on.
anchorage in the
There was no denying I had a sour taste
Caribbean
in my mouth, and I wasn’t very keen to
give more business to this rigging
company. It was time to source a new
Further reading
Throughout
the process of
replacing my rig
I referred to the
rigging manual,
Illustrated Sail &
Rig Tuning by Ivar
Dedekam

REPLACING RIGGING
Note a small crack in the chainplate
above the clevis pin
fabricator. I managed to track down a man

who worked out of shipping containers in
the industrial side of town. I was assured
by a local who runs the radio net in St
Martin (thanks Shrimpy’s Laundry!) that
his work was top-notch.
It soon became apparent that this
one-man shop had all the machinery and
expertise to complete the task of
fabricating the remaining eight
chainplates. After meeting the South
African gentleman who runs the shop, the
job was discussed and a price agreed on.
From here I went through the process of
supporting the mast with halyards,
removing one chainplate at a time, having It pays not to be afraid of heights when working on the rigging
it made and polished, then installing it with
new bolts. will help when resealing the chainplates, seaworthiness, don’t stop now, do the job
Another issue to look out for with boats and will ensure your deck is properly right. Fortunately, mine were solid.
that have protrusions through the deck is supported.
leaking deck plates. When water gets into Regardless of how good your hardware Measuring the rigging
this area, it will cause crevice corrosion, and chainplates are, if the knees that are My next task was to measure up the old
and rot cored decks. fibreglassed into the boat are rotten, the rigging before ordering replacements. I
Having felt the wet, rotten plywood in mast is at risk. chose a calm day and had my wife hold
these areas, I knew a repair would need to When inspecting the knees, pull bolts the tape at deck level while I took the
be carried out using West System epoxy. and use a scriber to determine if the measurements according to the rigging
I really love this product; it’s easy to use, timber is rotten. Push the scriber into the manufacturer’s guidelines.
makes strong permanent repairs and can timber of the bolt hole, a little wetness is Remember that some measuring tapes
be used on a variety of jobs from structural no cause for concern as the area can be stretch, so be sure you only put enough
gluing and fairing, to osmosis repair. scraped out and some thickened epoxy pressure on the tape to get an accurate
Using a cordless drill with an Allen key used to remake the hole where the bolt reading, and that the tape is following the
in, you can machine-out the rotten ply. goes through. contour of the wire as it passes through
Allow some time for the area to dry before If there is significant moisture and rotten the spreaders.
mixing the thickened epoxy then form it timber, the knee may need to be replaced. When measuring up, pay attention to the
into the repair area. Carrying out this task If you have come this far in your quest for number of threads showing inside the
turnbuckle at deck level, try not to be on
Dave Carey used
the upper or lower limit when it comes to
West System
turnbuckle adjustment. I checked the
epoxy for deck
measurements of our rig three times to
repairs around the
be sure.
chainplates
When the new rigging arrived in St
Martin from Florida, it was like Christmas
had come early. I could feel the Atlantic
crossing was in our grasp; the reality was
setting in and we might actually have to
leave the Caribbean!
I found the best way to replace an upper
shroud was to go aloft in the bosun’s chair
with the required tools and a long length
of 8mm rope. I have a large permanent
snatch block for a spare halyard near

PRACTICAL
Cap shroud
Boat’s centreline
Spreader
A Cap shroud Cap shroud
B Main halyard
A=B
the uppermost sheave, and this was an ABOVE Ensure

adequate purchase point. your spreader
I attached the rope to the installed angles are correct
rigging wire while Erin took the tension off RIGHT Use the To check the mast
is centred, swing the
the shroud by loosening the turn barrel at main halyard to main halyard to the port
deck level. I knocked the clevis pin out cap rail then to the
check the mast is starboard cap rail
and then – while holding the rope passed central
It should be equidistant
through the snatch strap – slowly lowered
the wire rope to the deck.
Port cap
At this stage you will have the entire rail A=B
weight of the shroud attached to the 8mm
rope in your hands, so you’ll have to
physically brace yourself as you sit in the A B Starboard
cap rail
bosun’s chair; a falling swage fitting from
this height could go through the deck, or
hit someone.
With the shroud lowered, Erin undid the
rope and tied off the new shroud in the Initial mast set up predominantly used to set the mast rake,
same manner. Mast tuning is not overly complicated with the backstay being used to determine
At first it was easy to use the rope to pull when approached in a systematic way. A the forestay sag.
the new wire rope up the mast. However, it correctly tuned rig will ensure a faster Don’t induce too much aft rake as this
became much harder as I hauled the boat, with less heel and will allow you to will lead to increased weather helm.
entire weight of the wire rope. Once the point higher, something every sailor Maximum backstay tension is generally
new shroud was hoisted up, I popped the seems to need sailing between the agreed to be 30% to 40% of the stay’s
clevis pin through the swage fitting and Caribbean islands! breaking load. With the mast rake set,
the tang, and installed the split pin. From Begin the rig tune by initially hand-tighten the backstay turn barrel, and
here I fed the shroud through the recess straightening the mast, which is carried with the mast in its desired position, you
in the spreaders. Once routed correctly, out by adjusting the forestay, backstay, are now ready to put some tension into
Erin tightened the turn barrel at deck level and upper shrouds. the rig.
by hand. To check the mast is centred, swing the To check the mast is centred, swing the
It’s very important to ensure that the main halyard to the port cap rail, then to main halyard to the port cap rail then to
spreaders bisect the angle of the cap the starboard cap rail, it should be the starboard cap rail. It should be
shroud. According to Sail & Rig Tuning by equidistant, If not, adjust the upper equidistant.
Ivar Dedekam, this is very often neglected shrouds accordingly and hand tighten the
and has been the cause of a number of corresponding turn barrels, making sure Tensioning
mast failures to stop the wire rope from turning as you A simple but effective method of
tighten the turn barrel. There are usually determining the tension in the wire rigging
ABOUT THE AUTHOR two flats machined onto the lower swage is to measure the stretch of the installed
to accommodate a spanner. wire from a set point as the rig is
David Carey has a Allow the boom to rest on the deck, or tensioned. With an accurate tape
background as an prop it up with a piece of timber, so the measure, place a mark on the upper
Aircraft Technician topping lift can be released. The lower shrouds, 2m above the top of the lower
with the Royal shrouds should be loose at this stage. swage fitting.
Australian Air Masts are usually set with a slight (1°-3°) As the turn barrels are slowly and
Force. With his aft rake, which improves upwind sailing equally tightened, measure the amount of
wife, Erin, and ability. This can be eyed off or specifically stretch in the wire, by comparing the mark
three young boys, set using a plumb bob mounted to the top on the rig with the tape measure 2m mark.
he cruised the Caribbean islands of the mast. The forestay length is As the tension comes up, this
aboard their Moody 47 Roam,
crossing the North Atlantic to arrive
safely in the Azores. They plan to ‘Don’t induce too much aft rake as this will
head to the Mediterranean in 2021.
lead to increased weather helm’
REPLACING RIGGING
A solid rig brings peace

of mind when you’re
miles from anywhere
Opinion from PBO rigging

expert Mike Coates
This is a very well carried my own from experience essential.

out inspection. Dave’s – the swage has been These
training has held him produced by incorrectly should include looking
in good stead and he specified material, that for broken strands of
has possibly gone a lot is, it was made from a wire where they exit
further than most riggers material which was not the swage terminal. If
would. He is obviously malleable resulting in you suspect you have a
well versed regarding cracking. cracked terminal this can
crevice corrosion, which On the subject of be checked using an NDT
quite often goes unseen crevice corrosion, boats (non-destructive) spray,
until disaster manifests moored in the tropics which usually consists
itself. suffer more readily from of three spray cans,
Cracking of swaged crevice corrosion owning a cleaner, a dye and a
terminals is not an to the raised temperature developer. After cleaning,
uncommon cause and higher humidity. We the dye is applied and
of failure and can were often requested left a few minutes and
often be attributed to to fill swages with a then cleaned off with the
over swaging by the silicon sealant prior to developer. Any cracks
rigger attempting to swaging to help prevent will have residual dye
get the swage down any possibility of water left in them making them
to the correct size, ingress and subsequent much easier to see.
The Carey family in the Azores straightening of a hidden corrosion within All standing rigging
bannered or similar the terminal. should be replaced
measurement will increase. Every swaging defect. I was a little sceptical at preferably by the eighth
millimetre of stretch is the equivalent of Often this is a result on doing this at first, fearing year and by the tenth
inducing 5% of the breaking load of the older swaging machines it may compromise the at the latest. This is
wire, over the 2m sample distance. where the bearings have grip of the wire in the because the rig is
It is generally accepted that a figure of worn, giving play in them, terminal, but pull tests subjected to cyclic
15% of the breaking load of the wire is allowing the gap in the revealed little if any loading which causes
how tight the shrouds should be. This swage blocks to open difference. unseen work-hardening
equates to 3mm of stretch. sufficiently to prevent Annual rig checks are of the material, which
Set the mast pre-bend by adjusting the the machine producing a in the long term can
forward lower shrouds. This is done to swage down to size in a result in failure. A
flatten the upper half of the mainsail. single pass. To counter good example of cyclic
With the rig tensioned, use the main these defects the swage loading is to straighten
halyard to recheck the mast has remained is often passed through a wire coat hanger then
centred. Also, look up the mainsail track; it the machine numerous repeatedly bend it back
should be straight. times resulting in work and forth – eventually the
The backstay can also now be tensioned hardening of the material wire will fail.
to approximately 30% to 40% of the stay’s and subsequent cracking If in doubt about any
breaking load. However, do check this which can go undetected Non-destructive dye tests part of your rig consult
figure with the boat manufacturer, for some time. Very typically consist of cleaner, an experienced rigger for
remembering that over the 2m sample rarely – and this is from penetrant and developer advice.
we’ve marked out, 1mm of stretch

PRACTICAL
equates to 5% induced breaking load, so Q What processes do you have in place hardware had been replaced, was
30% on the backstay would be 6mm of to deal with an emergency while you immense. I remember a very experienced
stretch measured over 2m. are aloft? offshore cruising friend telling me, “Your
Q Can you handle the responsibility of boat can handle way more than you can.”
Things to consider knowing you replaced your rigging? For a new sailor on his first ocean
All in all our chainplate and rigging Q Do you have an assistant who you trust passage with three young children, a wife,
replacement was completed for a fraction with your life to hoist you up the mast, and a young crewmember aboard, I never
of the cost of hiring a project manager or a and perform deck level duties? wanted to doubt that this was true. Yet if I
rigger. The job was reasonably difficult. Q Are you meticulous with measuring and had to pay professionals to complete this
You need to feel comfortable working at recording numbers? job, I doubt our Atlantic crossing would
height, and have a good working Q Do you have the required tools and have occurred.
knowledge of what safety precautions hand skills to perform the task? Arriving into Horta, Faial, the main
you will implement. Some things to While sailing en route to the Azores, in landfall island of the Azores, marked the
consider are: the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a culmination of an incredible amount of
Q How competent are you working aloft thousand miles from land with a nasty preparation, determination, and relief.
with hand tools? low-pressure system bearing down on us, I believe that carrying out these
Q Do you have the strength to be the security I felt knowing that not only my upgrades were a huge part of our
repeatedly climbing your mast? rigging but chainplates and mounting successful passage.
Quick tips for replacing rigging
Rust stains are a sign of leaking

2 deck plates, always ensure a water
Inspect for hairline cracks and tight seal is made where a chainplate The crew hard at work inspecting
1 pitting in rigging swages. penetrates the deck.
3 parts for cracks and corrosion.
A helper on deck is essential for

An unfortunate setback, this newly
6 winching up the rigger, tying off the
4 fabricated stem fitting was never Exciting times as the new rigging new wire rope and inserting clevis pins
going to fit...
5 arrives! through chainplates.

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Although one of the oldest marinas

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Work with us to accelerate a cure
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PRACTICAL
Is your boat proving

‘almost’ watertight?
Water can sneak into your boat undetected for years. Øyvind Bordal
explains where leaks develop, and how to find them in time
here’s no such thing as When a vessel is under way, rigging places minimum of effort and cost. The latter are
T ‘almost waterproof’. Still,

that’s how most boat owners
would describe their boat, if
they were being totally honest.
Somehow, somewhere, a tiny bit of
huge loads on chainplates and blocks.
Rain and waves are splashing over
everything and there are hundreds of entry
points through deck gear, stanchions,
steering systems, etc. And, as we all know,
the ones you should worry about.
Most boats have wooden interiors, and
bulkheads are often built from plywood.
Some boats have chainplates attached to
wooden bulkheads. Behind inner liners
water always seems to find its way sealant doesn’t last forever. In spite of this, tiny, unseen streams of water can trickle
through the outer shell. Most often the it is possible to keep your boat waterproof, down for years and end up where rot can
problem is above the waterline, so the but you will need to keep an eye on things, develop undetected.
boat won’t sink. But it can create serious track down the source of the problems A few incoming drips when green seas
damage over time. and know what to do about it. have rolled over the deck, or when
If you think about it, leaks are natural. extreme rainfalls have passed, is hardly a
Two types of leak big problem. At least not if the water ends
Windows and hatches will often develop There are two types of leaks: the ones you up where you can see it. But quite often
leaks over time. This sort of repair is not know about, and the ones you don’t. The penetrating water stops in places where
a permanent fix… first ones will most often be fixed with a it’s hard to see or reach. And if you’re
Photos by Øyvind Bordal

TRACING AND CURING LEAKS
LEFT Where shrouds
meet chainplates: a
potential leak with
possible dramatic
consequences, if left
unattended
BELOW The number
of fittings bolted
through the deck
is huge, and all are
Something is going on behind the areas for potential
chainplate. And wood rots. Not good! leaks
High load areas, like chainplates, should

be inspected regularly. This one clearly
needs attention
unaware of it, things eventually start to

deteriorate. Boatbuilders frequently get
repair jobs due to undetected leaks, that
costs tens of thousands of pounds.
Sometimes, the problem has developed
over decades. Decks built with balsa core
are especially exposed. If caught in time,
serious damage could have been
prevented with an hour’s work and £2
spent on materials. In cold climates –
where winter frosts are frequent – the
process is accelerated. Frozen water
expands in cracks, and melted water can ‘Water can travel undetected from one end
crawl even further in.
of the boat to the other, before gravity
Where to look for leaks
It’s not always obvious where incoming
puts it to rest somewhere’
water builds up, and even less obvious
where it comes from. Water can travel Windows and hatches Deck gear
undetected from one end of the boat to The hull and superstructure will to some Fittings for lifelines, genoa tracks, winch
the other, before gravity and the intricacy degree twist or move under load. Sealant bases, clamps, clutches, blocks... all of
of the boat’s construction puts it to rest has a life span. Microcracks will develop, these are bolted through the deck, and
somewhere. To find the source can be a and water can seep in at the lowest point. occasionally loaded heavily. Some of the
long journey. Take a look at the following bolt holes will develop leaks over time.
checklist to see where to start: Through-deck cable fittings Getting to them from the inside can be
Check the gasket. Over time it will dry out challenging, but that’s what it takes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR and become leaky.
Keel-stepped masts: Mast collar
Øyvind Bordal is a Hull/deck joint External collars are rarely totally
Norwegian sailor This is usually bolted, and nuts are most waterproof for very long. Leaks are luckily
and writer based often covered by interior fittings. The tricky very easy to discover – water will be
in Copenhagen. job is to get to them. Bolts could be collected around the mast foot. Water also
He spent his youth insufficiently sealed. Be especially aware if enters the mast tube through sheaves,
sailing dinghies at the boat has had an impact of some sort. etc. Newer masts often have a block of
an international If so, also check for cracks in laminate. high density foam or similar material
level and went on to restore all sorts inside, positioned at deck level, with drain
of boats, from classic wooden boats Chainplates holes above to lead water out. This block
to multihulls and offshore keel Shrouds and stays pull on the chainplates can start to leak and it can be fixed – but
boats. He’s crossed the Atlantic with very high loads. Leaks can appear only with the mast down.
three times – twice as a skipper – where they enter the hull. If chainplates
and has developed learning are attached to bulkheads built from Cockpit drains
programmes for young sailors. He plywood, an undetected leak – if left alone Drains will easily block, which leads to
has written six books and hundreds long enough – will develop local rot in the water constantly filling the hose/pipe. If
of magazine articles about sailing. bulkhead. The worst case scenario is this clamps or the hose/pipe is damaged or
could lead to a dismasting. loosened, a leak will be the result.

PRACTICAL
Steering pedestal
A lot of force is applied here, and a lot of
moving parts are involved. Leaks have
great opportunities to develop. Serious
damage can occur if undetected leaks
allow water to cover components of the
steering system over time (depending on
the system). Also check the engine
steering cables.
Saltwater pump/engine cooling

system
The saltwater side of the engine’s cooling
system can leak, especially the pump,
which has a critical gasket. Start the
engine and monitor every part (hoses,
clamps etc) with a torch while the system
is under pressure.
Through-hull fittings/seacocks
These should be inspected and tested
regularly, and replaced at the slightest
sign of cracks or corrosion. If a seacock ABOVE The author
gives in you’ll most likely not be present on a hot day,
and the boat will probably sink. Also checking the far
check the clamps and hoses. corners of the
engine room
Rudder stock
RIGHT Leaks
There are various ways of constructing
between roof covers
rudder stock/bearing systems, but a lot of
can be especially
boats have some sort of tube around the
tricky. Water can
rudder stock, glassed into the bottom of
travel from one side
the hull and reaching above the waterline.
of the boat to the
Keep a close eye here. Run the rudder
other, hidden behind
from one extreme end of its turn to the
interior details
other, while watching for drips (obviously
the boat needs to be in the water for this
check). Water could also enter from the
top bearing. ‘Water coming from above is not as
Propeller shaft/cutless bearing
threatening as water coming from below’
Again, there are a few different designs,
but all of them can leak. Watch this with a Luckily it happens very rarely, but keep an How to find the leak
torch while the shaft is turning. eye out. This is especially important after a Check the fluid
grounding. Rust is a sign of humidity over What is it? Freshwater or saltwater? This is
Anchor well time. Also, look for cracks in the laminate crucial to know. Saltwater means the
Drain holes are not always sufficient, or around the bolts. If there is water, wipe it situation could be serious. The leak is
they could be blocked. Water standing in away, block all other accesses to the area probably (but not necessarily) under the
the anchor well may find its way into the and look again the next day. waterline. Saltwater may come from
boat where cables feed through the waves breaking over the deck, so figure
bulkhead. The bulkhead itself could also Internal tanks/hoses/pumps out if the boat went through rough
be partly disconnected from the hull, and Internal leaks often stem from freshwater weather recently. Water coming from
allow water to run through. tanks, boilers, or (easy to detect) diesel or above is not as threatening as water
black/greywater tanks. Check also all coming from below. If a seacock is
Keelbolts hoses, connections and pumps in the deteriorating, you may actually be sinking.
This is the last place you want a leak. system. Make an assessment of the progression:
is it increasing, and if so, how fast? A
A very common spot quick crane lift could be necessary. The
for hidden leaks. first places to look are through-hulls,
Stanchions will be rudder stock, keelbolts and cutless
loaded on the top bearing (if your boat has a prop shaft).
end, which over Is it fresh water? If so, there are two
time will rock the options: a leak in the fresh water supply
bottom end looser line (tanks, hoses, pump etc) – or a leak
– and open up for above the waterline, letting rainwater
water ingress. The through. The fresh water pump will
leak is most often probably give away a leak, by starting up
impossible to see even when there is no consumption.
from the inside, Search leaks by following the freshwater
because of inner system (pump turned on for pressure) all
liners or interior the way from tanks to sinks/water taps
fittings with a torch and a dry finger. If still in

TRACING AND CURING LEAKS
doubt, empty the water tanks, make sure ABOVE Does the water
everything is dry and see if the leak stops. inside your boat taste
If the leak doesn’t stop with empty water salty? A lift out could
tanks, and the water is not salty, the be your next action
problem is to be found on deck or in the RIGHT Providing
cockpit. Have someone flush everything ventilation and
with a water hose or bucket, every step of keeping the boat dry
the way from the pulpit to the pushpit, is obviously important.
while you look from the inside. Take extra But where does the
care around windows, hatches and water come from?
ventilators. If this doesn’t solve the
mystery, you could start at the other end;
where the water collects, there will be a pressure and soap water. Start by market, for example Captain Tolley’s
path, giving away the route of the water. covering every area where air enters the Creeping Crack Cure. This is a thin liquid,
Follow the track backwards. It could be boat using plastic sheeting and tape. The penetrating even tiny cracks, before
necessary to remove interior parts, but in arrangement doesn’t have to be hardening. Even though it may not last
the end, you will catch the perpetrator. completely airtight – all you need is the air forever it can tide you over season, after
pressure inside the boat to be higher than which there’s time for a proper repair.
Air pressure and soap water outside. Find a powerful vacuum cleaner, Removing loose or cracked sealant from
A more spectacular (and fun) technique, is and switch the direction, to make it blow the outside and replacing with new can
the one we know from cycling: air instead of suck. Connect it to the sealed also work for a while. But the only way to
interior of the boat (tape around the hose) really ensure a waterproof boat over time,
and start the vacuum cleaner. Now you is to demount, clean out and remount with
can walk around the deck, pouring soap new sealant or gasket.
water everywhere you suspect a leak. Got If you really want to make a perfect seal,
small bubbles being formed somewhere? drill out the hole bigger than needed and
There’s your leak! remove some core material around the
hole (use a drill with a bent screw/nail). Fill
When you’ve found the leak the hole up with thickened epoxy. When
So, the leak is found. What now? It’s very cured, drill a new hole sized for the bolt.
tempting to try to fix the problem without Apply a thin layer of sealant and remount
dismantling the whole installation. This the fitting. Now you can tighten the nut
rarely works very well, and if so only hard without crushing the laminate. There
Looks nice – but what’s happening behind temporarily – but it could still be a good will be no humidity entering the core, and
the facade of the hull linings? idea to try one of the products on the no leak into the boat.

PRACTICAL
How to repair a
clinker day boat
Mike Coates uses traditional skills to repair a rotten family-owned
double-ender and shares some handy boatbuilding tips
arly this season I was asked a tool into it that could you tell it was also required the removal of the aft thwart
E by my son-in-law if I could
undertake a repair to a Goodall
double-ender. The 18ft beach
boat had been in the family since the
early 1960s, when it was built in the
rotten. After its removal the full extent of
the problem was revealed; both the sheer
strake and second plank had
considerable rot, which had been hidden
by the rubbing band.
to give access to the plank landing and
nails. Under normal circumstances the
work wouldn’t have been financially viable
owing to the amount of labour involved.
However, as I’d do the work for free and
village by Tony Goodall. His double- the cost of the materials was modest we
enders and cobles were the choice of Stopping the rot decided to go ahead.
many fishermen along the north-east Further investigation revealed the cause: The first job was to remove the oak
coast for their sturdiness and quality the oak gunwale just aft of the thole pin gunwale, which was secured by nails
of build. In fact, there are still cobles mounting block and next to the scarf joint through the oak ribs and sheer stake into
and double-enders fishing out of of the sheer strake had started to rot, the gunwale. When the boats were built it
Whitby for lobster and salmon, and allowing rain water to run down the joint. was common practice to use galvanised
several still in use for recreation. From there it had run fore and aft between steel nails. I’d expected to be able to prise
On the surface, the task looked to be a the rubbing band and the two planks, the rib away from the plank with a chisel
simple job of replacing the rubbing band finding its own level. With the boat lying then push the nail out of the rib so it could
under the top plank, which had rotted. The dormant for the winter, it had soon rotted. be extracted with a claw hammer.
damage to the rubbing band was So rather than just having to replace the However, this was impossible without
deceptive, owing to it being well painted. It band the work had now escalated to a splitting the top of the rib. The tannic acid
was only when pressing it hard or pushing new gunwale and two planks as well. It in the oak had stripped the galvanising,
Nearly there! After some extensive

repairs, the double-ender is painted and
filled with water to swell the planks. You
can see the puddles of water running
from the dried out seams
BOATBUILDING SKILLS
The defective rubbing band looks quite

Trying to pry the ribs away from the plank
sound at first glance...
without damage proved impossible
... but once it’s removed the defects are Rot in oak gunwale at plank scarf joint, Rust damage to nails from tannic acid in
much more apparent which has caused the water ingress the oak gunwale
causing severe rusting and the expansion

of the nails, preventing their removal. The
easiest way was therefore to cut through
both the sheer plank and nails with a
grinder and slitting disk.
Next, I removed the two top planks
carefully as these were to be templates for
the new planks. This required the copper
roves to be removed from the nail to allow
it to be driven out. I used a grinderette
with a coarse sanding disk to remove the
rivets over the top of the nail. I took care
doing this as it’s quite easy to make the
nail red-hot, which will burn the hole in the
plank, resulting in the new nail being
slack. Where planks had a knee or thwart
hiding the rove, a hole saw without an
arbour was used to drill round the nail
head in the plank to release the plank,
leaving the nail to be cut flush later. A hole saw without the pilot bit was used
With the gunwale and two planks to drill around the nail – leaving a plug G-clamp becomes a
removed it was now possible to see the over the nail – to allow plank removal
DIY nail extractor
extent of any damage or rot in the tops of
the oak ribs. Any nails that remained in the nail to give extra strength.
ribs could also be removed with a special Any defects in the remaining third plank
extractor tool made from an old G-clamp. were made good. This included a missing
This pushed the nail out without having to knot on the plank landing, which required
use a hammer and punch, which could a piece gluing in, and a broken rebate in
damage the ribs. the stern ‘gerald’ which required a piece
Because of the number of ribs found to gluing in (see panel, next page).
have damage to their tops, we decided to G-clamp modified
scarf and epoxy-glue new top sections. Replacement planks with a cup and spigot
The easiest method to cut the scarf was to I laid out the old planks to determine the
use the grinderette with a coarse sanding width of the new timber that would
disk. This left a good rough surface for accommodate its sheer curve. Larch
gluing. New sections were cut and glued boards with a minimum width of 330mm
into place, and where possible the centre (13½in) were required. These proved
of the scarf was placed over a planking difficult to find. However, Summerscales at
Keelby near Grimsby were very helpful Nail head is
pushed out so
and suggested they could take some
it can then be
‘Tannic acid had slices off a log. I also asked for them to be pulled with a
run through a thicknesser planer as their claw hammer
caused severe width prevented them going through my
own machine. They asked if I wanted Sawn-off nails could be pushed out
rusting of the nails, them to be cut out of a log with a ‘kick’ in it of the ribs with minimal damage
– a natural curve as a result of the tree using this home-made tool
preventing removal’ growing out of a hillside – which was

PRACTICAL
RIGHT A scarf A straight edge was clamped onto the
joint cut into the plank as a guide to run the saw against to
top of a rib with cut to the depth of the rebate. A tenon saw
a new top piece in combination with a shoulder plane were
butted into it then used to remove the timber and clean
BELOW The new up the joint.
top part of the rib The scarf was cut by laying the plank on
clamped in place the bench and planing the bevel to six
while adhesive times the plank thickness, in this case a
cures 75mm (3in) bevel. After a trial fit all faying
(mating) surfaces such as plank landings
and geralds – but not scarf joints which
were yet to be glued – were given a
couple of coats of primer.
Help for single-handing

Working single-handed, I needed
something to help fit the plank to the
The gerald correct position on the landing. To do this,
I drove a row of panel pins approx 300mm
The gerald, also known as a gain, is
(12in) apart along the lower edge of the
where two planks meet at the bow
landing bevel to support the plank until
on the stem piece. Also used on the
useful as it would ensure sufficient width the clamps are applied.
transom, it makes both planks lie flat
of the board to take the curve in the plank. Starting at the stern, the first plank was
and doesn’t create a step at the stem
In fact it meant I was actually able to cut screwed into the stern post rebate. This
or transom. It is a tapered rebate
two planks from each board. The old had been given a liberal coating of
starting around 250mm from the
planks were laid onto the board and traditional oil-based mastic which remains
plank end where it runs out from a
marked out flexible when set. Don’t be tempted to use
feather edge to the full plank depth.
Initially each plank was cut roughly to silicone or polyurethane sealers as they’re
shape with a jig saw and checked against unsuitable for this particular job.
the old plank before making a final cut The gerald rebates on both upper and The ‘gerald’ (rebate) and bevelled plank
with the band saw. lower edges of the plank required cutting landing were also given a coating of
The final shape was planed at the bench as did the scarf at the midships joint in the mastic before the plank was eased round
using a low angle block plane. There’s not plank. When cutting the rebates, I the ribs and clamped as required.
a lot of room in the workshop when you preferred to use a backed saw – such as a Despite the sharp curve the plank was
get an 18ft boat in there! tenon saw or Japanese pull saw – to make surprisingly easy to bend into place. Once
A couple of knots were found in the the initial cut of the rebate. satisfied it was in the correct position I
middle of the plank. As these would be
below the waterline and could over time
‘blow out’, I cut them out with a hole saw
and drove new plugs into place, glueing
them in with epoxy.
The bevel to take the next plank had to
be marked out and planed onto the upper
edge. The depth of the bevel to be planed
can be taken from the old plank by laying
a straight edge flat across the plank face
and simply measuring the distance
between the bevel and the underside of
the straight edge. The measurement can
then be transferred to the new plank.
TOP TIP
When cutting out a plank make
an initial cut a good 20mm wider
all-round than required. Sometimes
the initial cut releases stresses with Finishing the curve of a plank with low angle block plane. Note another old plank which
the result that the new plank will not will serve as a template for the board on the right
follow the original marked-out line.
Cutting the edge of the rebate to depth with Wood was cut away with a shoulder plane
a Japanese saw to create the finished rebate, or gerald

BOATBUILDING SKILLS
Nail and rove

copper fastenings
To use a nail and rove fastening,
first drill a pilot hole smaller than
the diameter of the nail through the
planks (and rib if required). A drill
the same diameter as the square
shank is ideal.
ABOVE Pins to support plank

ABOVE RIGHT Plank screwed into stern
post rebate with traditional mastic sealant
RIGHT A section of the new D-shaped
rubbing band
nailed it into place.

Square copper boat nails were used
together with roves. The nails had a
slightly larger gauge than the original to
ensure they remained watertight in the Drive the nail through the
original holes and also stayed in place
1 planks from the outside.
while applying the rove to the nail (see laminated the new ones in situ from two
panel, right). sections of 38 x 19mm (1½ x ¾in) ash,
The forward half of the plank was glued with polyurethane adhesive. Despite
similarly fitted, starting at the stem rebate. the reduction in section it would still take a
I temporarily screwed the plank in place lot of pressure to bend to both the
then bent it round to meet the aft plank so compound curve of the hull and sheer
the scarf joint with the aft plank could be line, so to ease handling they were made
marked out to the correct length. After up from two pieces with staggered scarfs
removing the forward plank the scarf was approximately midships. They would also
cut and the plank trial fitted before finally require screwing at each end into the
being fastened into place. I prefer to glue stem and stern posts as well as being
Hold a heavy hammer against
and clamp the scarf instead of relying on glued. The completed gunwale would be 2 the nail head and at the same
just nailing and roving. This stops the joint fastened through the gunwale, plank, and
time drive the rove over the nail with
opening-up and prevents water ingress. rib with copper nails and roves and bolted
a hollow punch.
After finding additional damage I through the thwart knees.
abandoned the idea of reusing the original After the two laminations were planed
gunwale and decided to replace it with level with the top of the sheer strake and a
new. Before I could fit the gunwale, round-over given to the outer edge, a block
however, the rubbing band under the for mounting the thole pin was added.
sheer strake had to be fitted.
Two 25mm x 25mm (1in x 1in) sections Fixing fractured ribs
were cut and given a D-shaped profile on While carrying out the work I found several
the router, these were later scarf jointed in of the steam bent ribs were fractured. As
the middle after each end was fitted to the boat was already in the workshop I
bow and stern pieces. This was easier decided to replace these now. Most of the
than trying to manhandle one full length ribs were fitted in one piece; gunwale to
Cut off the nail so it protrudes
and made the trickier end joints to the 3 to between 1.5mm-2mm.
bow and stern easier to fit.
Next, I coated the back of the band and
planks where it would be fitted with two
coats of primer. Traditional mastic was
applied to the underside of the sheer
strake plank landing and face of the first
plank just under the landing to stop water
getting trapped again between the plank
and rubbing band. The rubbing band was
clamped both sideways and vertically into
place then drilled together with the first
plank and rib to take a copper boat nail
and rove. Still holding the hammer
4 against the nail head, the cut
Fitting new gunwales end of the nail is planished over to
The gunwales were next to be fitted. form a riveted head using a small
These were originally made from 38 x light hammer. Don’t be tempted to
38mm (1½ x 1½in) oak, steam bent into rivet the nail over using a big
place. As I no longer have a steam box it hammer as you’ll bend and collapse
wasn’t feasible to replace the gunwale in a the nail inside the planking.
similar one-piece section. I therefore Aft gunwale glued and clamped into place

PRACTICAL
gunwale. Where only one half of the rib
had a fracture, only one half of the rib was
replaced. The nails and roves were
removed in a similar manner as when
removing a plank. Ash strips were
machined to 22 x 11mm (7⁄8 x 7⁄16in) and a
round over added to each corner. This can
be done as a simple bevel but is essential
to stop splitting from the edges when bent
into place.
The ribs required steaming to bend them
Glued scarf joint at the midships gunwale Thole pin block glued to gunwale.
into place. Half an hour was sufficient for
the small section. I set up a temporary
steam box using a piece of 60mm (2½in)
drainpipe which had a brass gas pipe
fitting screwed into the top to take the pipe
from a wallpaper stripper used as a steam
generator. On the underside was a 3mm
drain hole to allow condensate to drain.
The ends being temporarily blocked with
pieces of expanding foam. As it turned
out, this wasn’t a good idea!
Shortly after steaming commenced the ‘Drooping’ black plastic steaming tube Steaming tube with timber reinforcement
tube started to sag. I rectified this by
fastening the pipe to a length of timber steam the timber (steaming time is 30 mins nail head outside the boat while riveting
with cable ties. The pipe still distorted, but for every 13mm (½in) thickness of timber). the nail on the inside.
it did last long enough to satisfactorily It was surprisingly easy to bend the ribs After the ribs were fitted the boat was
to shape – especially full ribs, as pressure ready for its paint. Inevitably, as it had
can be applied from each end forcing it been out of the water for some time in a
DIY roving tool into the curve of the hull. Make sure you dry workshop, several rents (splits) had
wear a sturdy pair of gloves: it may not opened-up in the planks and plank
I have a lump hammer that I modified look it, but the timber gets extremely hot! landings. To prevent the boat from sinking
specially for roving nails. It has When fitting a half rib, you must have until such time as the planks swell and
a wooden tongue with a spacer some means in the centre of the boat to close the rents, I squeezed a soft
attached to the hammer shaft, this stop the rib sliding across and up the oil-based mastic into the split. Never use a
allows it to be slid over the plank other side as you apply force downward hard solid setting mastic as that could
being nailed. The end of the tongue from the gunwale. Once a timber is forced cause further damage when the planks
is such that when resting on the into shape, clamp it at the gunwale and swell, as the sealant can’t be compressed
landing of the plank, the hammer leave to cool. It can then be nailed into and squeezed out of the joint.
head is centred over the nail. position. I prefer where possible to remove After two and a half weeks with the boat
Pressure can then be applied using the rib and give it and the hull a coat of kept full of water most of the plank
your knee or other body part leaving primer before fitting it permanently. landings had swollen and taken up, with
both hands free. A removable dome the exception of a rent in the plank under
headed machine screw fitted into the Fastening ribs the engine – something that had been
face of the hammer is useful when When fastening the rib into place I problematic for some years. The solution
using countersunk nails – the dome ensured it was positioned exactly where will be to fit a copper tingle (a thin copper
head ensures pressure is applied the original was so I could use the original patch given a coating of non-setting
to the nail head rather than the nail holes in the planks to drill the pilot builders’-type mastic and held in place
surrounding timber. hole through the centre of the rib. with copper tacks). This will usually
Roving the ribs is a two-man job as you prevent water ingress and permit the rent
need someone to hold the dolly on the in the hull to swell over a period of time.
Modified
lump hammer
helps when
roving nails
single-handed
Threaded holes
to accept dome-
headed screws
ABOVE Steam-bent timbers clamped in place in the hull while they cool to shape

BOATBUILDING SKILLS
Clinker repairs at a glance
A grinder and slitting disk cut A hole saw without the pilot bit These ribs have split from rust
1 through nails on the gunwale.
2 drills around the rusted plank nails.
3 expansion of the old steel nails.
A special homemade tool pushes New top sections are scarfed and Wooden plugs are glued in where
4 rusted nails out of the ribs.
5 epoxy-glued to repair damaged ribs.
6 knots have dropped out of planks.
Slightly oversize planks are trimmed Knots in the new planks are Front plank is bent into place to
7 to final shape on the bandsaw.
8 cored-out and plugged.
9 meet up with the fitted rear one.
The scarf joint between front and Outer gunwale laminate is glued Replacement and repair ribs nailed
10 rear planks is glued and clamped.
11 and screwed at the stem.
12 and roved in place.

PRACTICAL
The top of the mast is
a long way up... and a
long way down!
Working aloft
Alex Blackwell has some tips for staying safe when climbing the mast
s much as I love sailing, No, this has nothing to do with our mast
A there is one thing (besides

rebuilding the heads) that I
really have a problem with,
and that is the height of the mast.
being unable to clear certain bridges, but
rather how incredibly high above the water
you are when at its pinnacle. I admit that I
have a real problem with heights. But then
who doesn’t when swinging back and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR forth at the very end of a 60ft metronome?
Several times a season it is a really good
Alex and Daria idea to climb up and visually inspect all
Blackwell are the the sheaves, turnbuckles, shackles, and
authors of Happy other sundry fittings.
Hooking – The Art The tip of the mast happens to be the
of Anchoring. Now business end of much of what makes
in its third edition, sailing so pleasurable. So, I suppose it
it covers every simply goes with the territory that its
aspect of anchors ascension is one of those things that you
and anchoring and is available from just need to come to grips with. After all,
chandleries, www.CoastalBoating. pretty much the last thing you want to Check your gear before going aloft.
net and Amazon. happen is for your mast to come down. If Having seen Dame Ellen MacArthur wear
you are a split rig aficionado, as we are, a helmet up a mast, I now do the same

CLIMBING THE MAST
RIGHT Mast
climbing without a
harness and halyard
attachment is not be
recommended
BELOW The
Topclimber lets me
comfortably stand
with head and
shoulders above the
Andrew Parker/Alamy
head of the mast
something that we’d highly recommend. top of the mast. It was actually quite lucky
As this is not affixed at either end like the that the mast was at the maximum
one I climb up with the Topclimber, Daria amplitude of its swing when I dropped it.
B.A.E. Inc/Alamy
tails this as I ascend and then belays it The wrench flew past the side of the
while I am at the top. boat, landing in the water with a nice
With the tip of the mast swinging pretty splash. Had it not done so and landed on
violently with even the slightest the deck or coachroof, it would surely
disturbance of the water, I also opted to have caused some significant damage –
use my ski helmet (or or worse had it hit Daria.
bicycle helmet) to protect Anything of value I
my head. This is bring up with me is now
something we spotted tied with its own lanyard.
Dame Ellen MacArthur This takes a bit of
doing in a photograph planning and
taken far offshore preparation, as I try to
somewhere and it was make sure I don’t have a
then be prepared for double the ‘fun’. one of those “Duh!” tangled mess when I get
Previously we used a regular boson’s revelations we frequently up there. I also always
chair. One of us would muscle the other have. I’d just come back take at least two
one up the stick with a winch. No choice down having worked on screwdrivers. Should I
task for my wife Daria, who is about half my our anemometer and lose one, I won’t have to
size. We reviewed all the available options, was complaining about go down and up again to
which included steps and climbing gear, the bruises on my finish my work. I also
and settled on the Topclimber, which lets shoulders and noggin. make sure there is
me climb up a halyard at my own pace Yeah, it sometime takes nobody underneath me
using my legs to lift me up. Like all gear a little knock on the head while I am working aloft.
you must inspect this equipment to loosen the cobwebs (Yes, something did
Once you’ve
thoroughly each time before use. enough to come up with drop, and no, it did not
inspected the
The fear and adrenalin make this a slow a sensible thought. hit Daria, but yes it came
mast you can
climb at the best of times. I don’t do very As we have often close, and yes, it did
enjoy the view!
well on a step ladder, let alone suspended pointed out we tend to ‘dent’ the coachroof.)
in mid space with just a skinny piece of learn a lot from our own No, going aloft is a task
rope holding me. Adding a second mistakes – and we certainly make our fair I will never cherish. The view, however, is
halyard attached to a separate harness share of them. I once lost my favourite always magnificent. We have many
did not take a stroke of genius and is wrench to the depths of the sea from the excellent photos of harbours and
anchorages from this perspective. From
up there you also get the opportunity of
‘The fear and adrenalin make this a reviewing your deck layout. If you love your
boat as much as we do, a new viewing
slow climb at the best of times’ angle can actually be quite the treat.

PRACTICAL
Fitting new toerails

and grabrails
Rupert Holmes
explains the
techniques for
removal and
replacement
orn wooden toerails,
W coachroof grab handles

and rubbing strakes are
a common problems for
many owners of older boats. Most of
these will originally have been teak,
although lesser quality timber may
subsequently have been substituted
on some boats.
Fortunately these are easy DIY repairs,
providing you know a few tricks. In many
cases removing the old toerail or grabrail
may prove the biggest challenge. If the
fastenings are bolts it’s generally a two
person job, one of whom will be inside the
boat, often in confined spaces and
potentially reaching behind cabinetry.
In the past I’ve started by drilling out the
teak plugs to reveal the screwheads. If the
screws are made of stainless steel there’s
a good chance you’ll be able to remove
most of them. Brass screws can be much
more difficult to remove, however, as they
are softer, so the heads burr more easily Fitting a new toe rail to a
and may be liable to snap off completely. yacht is, in most cases,
I’ve tried both drilling these out in their not too difficult a job
entirety, or drilling a pilot hole for a screw
extractor. However, both options can be
difficult to achieve using handheld drills were in the right place and to mask up to other end of the piece to be used as a
and require a good eye. facilitate cleaning up any excess sealant. lever to manually bend the wood into the
To speed the process up I’d now look at To minimise waste material two lengths correct position for each screw hole. This
using an oscillating multitool fitted with a of toerail, with a trapezoid cross section, is invariably a two-person task, but one
saw blade to cut through just above the can be cut from a single rectangular that can generally progress very quickly.
deck level, then clean up with a chisel. length of timber. The minimum I used a PU adhesive sealant, which is
After that a small hacksaw blade, or the recommendation for height is 1in (25mm)
multitool with a metal cutting blade, could but a figure of at least 1½in (38mm) would
be used to cut the remains of the screws provide better security. What wood to use?
off flush with the surface. The biggest problem when fitting the
After removing the old timber, and new timber is likely to be bending it to fit I used teak from existing stock for
cleaning up the surface left behind, the the curvature of the hull. The trick here is Zest’s toerails. However, for a similar
new toerails can be fitted. I did a dry fit on to start attaching the timber at the end job I would now use Lignia Yacht.
all sections to be sure all screw holes with the greatest curve. This allows the This new material is made of
sustainably produced pine with a
resin treatment that gives it the
‘The biggest problem when fitting the new characteristics of hardwood, with
longevity expected to exceed even
timber is likely to be bending it to fit the that of teak. It’s available in the UK
from Robbins Timber, robbins.co.uk
curvature of the hull’
TOERAIL AND GRABRAIL REPLACEMENT
Step
by
step
Holes were carefully pre-drilled in Don’t use too much sealant, but Fitting each section is a two-person
1 the deck and masking tape applied
2 make sure there’s enough to
3 task: one guiding the free end of the
after a dry fit. squeeze out at the edges. timber, the other screwing in the fixings.
Here’s a fitted section awaiting teak Once cured, trim the excess sealant Glue and gently tap the teak plugs
4 plugs and a final clean up of the
5 using a craft knife. The deck will be
6 home, making sure the grain aligns
sealant once it has cured. clean when you peel off the masking tape. with that in the toerail.
long-lasting in a marine environment, ABOVE Zest is a

sensibly priced and quick and easy to one-off Rob
apply. It’s worth calculating in advance how Humphreys design
much sealant is likely to be needed. For my launched in 1992
partner’s boat Zest, to achieve a 0.8mm RIGHT A finished
thickness two rows of roughly 3mm toerail section,
diameter gave a little excess squeezed out waiting for the teak
at the edges. Taking a bit of time to figure plugs to be cut level.
this out avoids wasting sealant and makes If doing it again I’d
the clean-up much easier afterwards. smooth the hard
It’s best to use flat-head screws, rather corners off the
than countersunk, as this will prevent a timber before fitting
tendency for the wood to split. Bore out
the top of the hole so that screw heads with varnish, although on boats with a keep in Greece. These are bent to follow
are recessed by at least 6-7mm. The plywood deck I prefer to use epoxy to the curvature of the edge of the deck.
diameter of this needs to match that of the minimise the chances of water ingress at a A similar approach works for fitting
wooden plugs that’ll be used to seal the later stage. When fitting plugs make sure aluminium toerails, again starting at the
hole and provide a neat cosmetic finish. their grain is aligned with the grain of the end with the greatest curvature. If refitting
Plugs are readily available from rest of the timber and tap them gently in the old toerail, for instance after re-sealing
chandleries, but if you have a pillar drill place with a mallet. Then use a razor the bolt holes, this material will retain
and need more than a handful of plugs it’s sharp chisel to slice the top of the plug off, some of its original shape. However, a
a lot cheaper to buy a set of plug cutters leaving it flush with the surrounding timber. brand new toerail will require more effort
for around £20 and cut them yourself from I used the same broad technique to to bend it into shape – often a block and
scrap timber. replace broken coachroof grabrails on tackle is needed to force the final bit into
Traditionally these plugs are sealed only Ammos, my 30ft Discovery 3000, which I the correct form.

PRACTICAL
Washing up is a lot quicker
and easier if you don’t have
to boil the kettle
HOW
UP
TO SET T
OA
YOUR B
PART 9
Fitting a hot
copper,” says Ashley Bradley of ASAP
Supplies, who offer a wide range of
products for water systems. “They retain
heat for up to 24 hours and have better
antibacterial properties.”
Sizing a calorifier tank is not an exact
water system science and Bradley says it’s often

determined by the available space, but
where possible he advises always opting
for a larger unit. As a rule of thumb, a 30lt
model is likely to be fine for 3-5 minute
showers for a couple of people.
Today most new yachts come with The calorifier needs a pressurised
supply from the main water tanks. A mixer
pressurised hot water, but that wasn’t the valve is also fitted to regulate water
temperature and prevent it coming out of
case 20 or 30 years ago. Rupert Holmes the taps scalding hot.
Often there’s a choice of buying a
looks at how to retrofit a system to your boat complete unit, or assembling components
yourself. ASAP’s universal mount
calorifiers, for instance, are supplied with
any boat owners are happy which the water is heated by the fresh all the essential fittings including mixer
M to rough it with a kettle

as their only source of
hot water. Others value
the convenience of harnessing ‘free’
excess heat from the engine to warm a
water side of the engine’s cooling system.
This circulates through a coil of pipework
within the body of the calorifier. In addition
a 240V immersion heater, typically of
around 1kW, can be fitted for use with
valve, pressure relief valve (PRV),
immersion heater element, plus 13mm and
16mm barbs for connecting pipework.
On the other hand fittings can also be
supplied separately, allowing a lower
tank of water. shorepower when in a marina. pressure PRV to be used, or for
Typical systems have a calorifier tank in “The best calorifiers are made of connecting to different types and

HOW TO SET UP YOUR BOAT
Typical water pump for up to four outlets
A typical 30lt calorifier
Electric immersion heater element
Equipment prices
QCalorifier from £350
QImmersion heater element
from £68
QWater pump from £49
QExpansion tank from £62
QFood quality hot water hose £2.78/m
QSink basin and shower mixer tap £94
Sink basin and shower mixer tap

pump fitted with a pressure gauge.
There’s a diaphragm inside the expansion
tank that simply needs to be pumped up
to the required pressure.
Hoses need to be of food quality, rated
for use from -5˚C to +60˚C and be
coloured red to avoid confusion when
making repairs at a later date.
It’s also worth investing in thermostatic
valves as these make mixer taps or
Hot water showers work pretty much as they would
Food quality hot water hose expansion tank at home.
Engine take off

sizes of existing pipework. reservoir on the hot water side, the Bradley says it’s important to check the
Today’s pressurised water pumps have pressure must be set just above the size of the fitting for the take-off and return
built-in pulsation dampeners that help maximum pressure of the pump, and just points on the engine for the hot water feed
prevent the pump cycling too frequently. below that of the pressure relief valve. The that circulates through the calorifier.
It’s still good practice, however, to fit an same product can also be used as an “These are typically a 16mm barb
accumulator that will further smooth out accumulator on the cold feed, when the fitting,” he says, “but it’s not guaranteed,
the flow, preventing unwanted power pressure must be set just below the pump’s so you need to check and measure it on
draw and noise. This should be sized to cut-in pressure – 12-13psi, for instance, for your own engine. Adapters that will work
be as large as you can sensibly fit. a typical pump that activates at 15psi. with different size fittings are available.”
Given that water expands when heated, Bradley says one of the most common Long pipe runs need an adequate pump
an expansion tank needs to be fitted on problems boat owners encounter is the size, as do multiple outlets. A typical
the hot water side of the system to pressure relief valve spurting water. Jabsco Par Max 2.9 pump, which is rated
prevent a build up of pressure. Bradley Usually the cause is a lack of an at 11lt per minute, will feed up to four
says this must be at least 8% the volume expansion tank, or the expansion tank outlets. Ideally it makes sense to mount the
of the calorifier. pressure being set incorrectly. The calorifier as close to the engine as possible,
When used in this way, as an expansion pressure can be changed using a bicycle as this will minimise pressure loss due to
friction and heat loss in a long pipe run.
A common failure point is the pressure
‘An expansion tank needs to be fitted switch within the pump. These tend to
have a shorter service life than the pump
on the hot water side of the system’ itself, but are usually user replaceable.

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE
Propeller
predicament
looked up through the Aegean water We had been anchored in the bay foot charter ketch, Kilena. My wife was the
I to see wavy faces peering at me. I was

at the bottom of Pythagorio harbour,
Samos, wearing diving gear and
holding a large adjustable pipe
wrench. The water was clear, and it was
easy to see my task, which was to remove
part of a broken propeller shaft. It seemed
overnight with a family of charterers on
board who were due to leave us the next
day in Samos. The loud clunk occurred
just as the anchor came aboard and the
engine was put in gear to motor out of
the bay.
Fortunately, we were still in the middle of
cook and there were no other crew. We
were due to drop off this charter the next
day at Pythagorio and pick up a large
family the day after who were to be shared
between us and another similar charter
yacht. We knew the crew on the other
that the tourists on the quayside could the bay and I ran forward to let the anchor ABOUT THE AUTHOR
also see me clearly working under water. go into the crystal-clear water. After
The day before, when leaving an considering the situation I found a snorkel Peter Davies went to
anchorage in the nearby Greek Fourni and mask and hung the swimming ladder sea on tankers as a
islands, an ominous clunk had preceded over the side. young man. For 20 years
a rapid increase in engine revolutions. I Once in the water it was easy to he was a professional
backed off the throttle and turned the understand what had happened. The yacht captain voyaging
wheel to steer towards the entrance of the propeller shaft had broken within the worldwide. He became a
anchorage. The wheel jammed and the stern tube. The propeller, with some of the partner and director of Southampton
rudder appeared to be locked in a fixed shaft attached, had slid out and wedged Yacht Services and was closely
position. There was no response from the into the aperture in the rudder, preventing involved in building the tall ship
engine which, although running normally, clearance for it to move from side to side. Tenacious for the Jubilee Sailing Trust.
was not moving the yacht. I was captain of the beautiful wooden 60-

BROKEN PROP IN GREECE
LEFT 60ft ketch
Kilena
BELOW Kampi
hamlet on Fourni
island and
Thymena island in
the background
Hemis/Alamy
yacht well and radioed to see where they

were and if they could help. They were too
‘The propeller had slid out and wedged into
far away but we arranged that if I could
sail to Pythagorio for the next day they’d
the aperture under the rudder’
at least be able to tow us into the harbour.
They’d also try to find another yacht to
take our half of the new charter as it was the stern bearing and the propeller. My we would tow Kilena with our outboard-
clear we were going to be out of action for plan was to cut the propeller free with a equipped inflatable Zodiac out into open
a while. section of shaft still passing through it and water and hope for wind. One of the
I thought that if I could free the rudder then haul the propeller on board, freeing charterers volunteered to drive the Zodiac.
we could sail out of our anchorage and the rudder. He was not experienced and somehow
head for Samos. Our charterers were It was surprisingly easy to hacksaw managed to rip open one of the Zodiac’s
understanding and keen to help. I underwater as the water lubricated the air chambers on a shallow rock near the
prepared a rope, tied one end to a deck cut. Just as the scuba tank emptied, the shore. I tied the half-inflated Zodiac tightly
cleat and dropped the rest over the stern shaft broke clear and the propeller fell to alongside and slowly motored out of the
near the rudder. I found a hacksaw and the bottom. The charterers on deck were bay with my wife steering Kilena.
slung a scuba tank and mask over my then able to haul the propeller on board. Once clear of the land, we hoisted the
shoulders. Once in the water I tied the The remaining part of the shaft remained Zodiac on board and set some sails to
rope securely around the propeller and jammed in the stern tube. catch what little wind there was. It was
started to saw the stainless-steel shaft There was no wind in the anchorage, so glassy calm with the odd zephyr rippling
which was stuck at a slight angle between sailing out of the bay was not an option; the surface here and there.

Pythagorio’s harbour was Kilena’s
destination and haven
Gradually, as the sun set, a slight breeze decided to raft both yachts tightly together to haul Kilena out of the water, so the
allowed us to move slowly in roughly the and Sinbad would motor into a place installation of the new shaft would need
right direction. It was to be a long night where I could drop an anchor and back to take place underwater.
sailing at one or two knots, though the sky down to the quay in the usual way. We needed all three parts of the old
was clear and full of stars; the horizon This plan didn’t take long to execute and shaft to measure before the new shaft
merged into the sky with only the once Kilena was tied up, Sinbad left us to could be machined when it arrived from
occasional fishing boat lights to distract moor independently. What a relief. We Athens. One part was still in the propeller
us from a very peaceful sail. were safe in a harbour and the charterers and was easy to remove. The middle part
I spent some of the night with a repair kit were preparing to leave. was jammed in the stern tube, partly
of glue and neoprene patches trying to fix protruding from the outboard shaft
the rip in the Zodiac, as we’d need to use Repair shop bearing. With the rudder hard over there
it the next day. At around six, the wind Local enquiries soon led me to a machine was a clear passage through the propeller
increased slightly, and we made a shop in the back streets of the village. The cut-out to allow the shaft to slide out,
reasonable five knots and arrived to owner spoke a little English and with my although it was currently stuck. In the
anchor outside Pythagorio harbour at sketches of the shaft problem he engine room the third part of the shaft was
around nine in the morning. The Zodiac understood what was required. flanged and connected to the gear box.
was inflated and launched with only a I guessed he was used to dealing with This part required unbolting before it
slow air leak requiring an occasional mechanical problems on the many local could slide into the engine room, though
pump to keep it rigid. fishing boats. He would order a suitable the engine and gearbox would need to be
Our friends arrived in their yacht Sinbad stainless-steel rod from Athens and lifted to allow the inner part of the shaft to
at around noon and came alongside while machine the ends to fit our engine shaft be removed. I had some work to do.
we planned the move into the port. coupling, the propeller taper and the My scuba tank needed refilling which
It was only a short distance so we locking nut thread. There was no facility was not possible on Samos and it had to
ABOVE and RIGHT Kilena in dry dock for repairs and refurbishment

BROKEN PROP IN GREECE
Milan Gonda/Alamy
ABOVE Peter’s can-do attitude overcame

a double dose of marine misfortune
go to Kalymnos, the sponge-diving island

to the south.
I borrowed a scuba tank from Sinbad
and with a large pipe wrench jumped into
the harbour to tackle the outside part of
the shaft. After a lot of pulling with ropes to
deck I managed to twist the shaft clear
and haul it on board. I sent both scuba
tanks off to Kalymnos on a fishing boat ABOVE Sometimes it was good to leave the engine behind
with a promise they would be refilled and
returned within three days. threaded into the stern tube from outside We rigged ropes under the stern
under water and I needed help to do gangplank and lowered the new shaft into
Engine lift this. The shaft was 50mm diameter and the water. He and I dived below the stern,
Meanwhile I disconnected the engine 1,700mm long. It was heavy but not too he with a hose pipe in his mouth and I
mounts, controls, cables, cooling water heavy for two people to handle. with scuba equipment. Mr Rosebud was a
pipes, and the exhaust system. I then My wife made enquiries about who big man with huge hands which grasped
rigged a block and tackle through the could help; they needed to have diving the shaft and pushed it into place with no
engine room hatch to the main boom and equipment and be able to work help from me.
led the rope to the anchor windlass. I underwater. She was recommended to He indicated that I should go inside the
made two wooden plugs: one I had speak to a local fisherman who was yacht, remove the plug and see it slot into
tapped into the outboard shaft bearing known to have worked underwater and he the engine room so we could attach the
when I removed the broken middle part, agreed to help. He perfectly understood flange which connected it to the gearbox.
and the other was ready in the engine the task even though he spoke no English Meanwhile, he was able to stand on the
room in case water gushed in when I and I little Greek. His name translated into bottom of the harbour and push the new
removed the inboard part of the shaft. ‘Mr Rosebud’. shaft into position.
Using the anchor windlass, I lifted the The stainless rod duly arrived from As I was climbing on deck, I noticed that
engine a few inches then tapped out the Athens, and the machine shop soon had his compressor engine in the truck was
shaft and banged the plug into the stern the new shaft ready to install. Mr Rosebud belching smoke which was probably
gland before replacing the engine. was summoned and arrived in a small being sucked into his breathing hose
The three parts of the old shaft went on three-wheel truck with a petrol-powered pipe. The shaft now in place, I was soon
a barrow to the machine shop and I garage compressor in the back and a lowering the propeller into the water for
reconnected the engine. The new shaft long length of garden hose: this was his him to connect.
was to be lowered into the water and diving equipment. In the engine room I connected the
flange, bolted it to the gearbox and
levelled the engine with shims and packed
‘Mr Rosebud came onboard... he seemed no the stern gland with grease.
Mr Rosebud came on board and we fed
worse for breathing engine exhaust fumes’ him a cold beer; he seemed to be no
worse for breathing engine exhaust

A fully rigged Kilena
was a tricolour treat LESSONS LEARNED
to behold
Repairs to wear or corrosion on
1 stainless steel propeller shafts
should always be treated with
caution. Rewelding the worn and
damaged part to build up the
diameter before machining to the
original diameter is not an
uncommon repair procedure.
However the welding heat involved
can harden the metal and make that
part of the shaft brittle.
Bronze propellers with fixed
2 blades can be damaged and
bent or suffer wear and tear. Repairs
are often tricky. If not too badly bent a
little careful hammering may make it
useful again. Sometimes a blowtorch
in a workshop can make the metal
soft enough to rework the shape
slightly or fill in a damaged blade
edge. However, excessive heat
repairs are not recommended for a
permanent solution and it is safer to
replace a damaged old propeller.
‘After looking carefully at the old propeller, it Don’t be shy when it comes to
was clear it had previously been repaired’ 3 engine repairs. They are only
lumps of metal, full of oil, fed with
cooling water and fuel to produce
horsepower, fumes and hot cooling
fumes while working under water. afternoon, we were motoring roughly water. Plumbing problems are a
The whole episode had taken almost a 60 miles from Malta when another huge significant cause of yacht engine
week. We had lost a two-week charter clunk and enormous vibration came from failures. What is plumbing other than
and our next one started in Rhodes, three the engine. keeping liquids in pipes without
days’ sail away. We needed to get going. I stopped and started it again; no luck. leaks? This is not rocket science and
A short trip out of the port to prove the Just unacceptable vibration from the a practical person with a good tool kit
new shaft, and that the engine was propeller. Since it was very calm, one of should be able to carry out most
reinstalled correctly, was soon completed. our passage crew took a snorkel and repairs. When I reinstalled the
We were back in action. mask and dived over the side to see if the engine, I needed to make a paper
Four of the wavy faces I had propeller had been fouled. He gasket for a cooling water flange. I
seen from the bottom of reported that our three- used an old chart and it worked fine
Pythagorio harbour bladed propeller was now until the end of the season.
belonged to two one blade short.
Accurate engine-shaft alignment
couples from
Southampton.
Nothing to do but sail
all the way to Malta. 4 is now mostly dealt with by
installing flexible couplings. In my
Holidaying on The following
Alan Lathwell
Samos, their spring, we removed case, such things were not common
interest had been the old propeller on old yachts at that time. A careful
piqued by our while in dry dock procedure with a feeler gauge on a
problems and they and took it to a local loose shaft-gearbox flange and a
helped from time to foundry who were wad of thin shims was required.
time pulling on ropes able to cast a new Some of the shims we made by
and generally being one. After looking cutting up beer cans.
Any yacht voyaging remotely
useful.
My wife and I had joined
carefully at the old
propeller, it was clear it had 5 should have an extensive tool kit.
Forget about their weight – just find
them for a drink and a dinner previously been repaired.
in one of the quayside tavernas Mr Rosebud’s quick Probably a blade had been good quality tools of a suitable size
during our busy week. They and dirty scuba hose welded and reshaped, causing for the engineering and equipment
were friendly and asked that if weakness in the casting. I still on board.
they paid for their keep could they crew had the three parts of the old shaft on I was never a keen diver but I
with us to Rhodes?
I jumped at this opportunity to have
board, and in the foundry we examined
the centre section where it had broken.
6 used my scuba gear regularly
for clearing fouled anchors, cleaning
passage crew and to make our voyage There were signs of corrosion that had barnacles from sea water inlets and
less tiring. They came on board and we been repaired with line-welding and it had once, but never again, scrubbing
sailed for Rhodes, stopping in Kalymnos, then been machined to a round shape. the bottom. I certainly recommend
to have the now empty scuba tanks So both of our recent shaft and that scuba equipment is carried on
refilled, and in Simi for a taverna dinner. propeller problems had been caused by any long-distance cruising yacht
At the end of the season we sailed for inappropriate repairs when replacement and that you take some time for
Malta, where we were planning to winter, would have been safer and, for us, formal training.
with two friends as passage crew. One made for much plainer sailing.

Practical projects Email your projects and tips to pbo@futurenet.com
Great ideas and tips from PBO readers or write to us at the address at the top of page 5.
We pay at least £30 for each one published
What a
mesh!
David Berry
replaces the
strainer on his
engine coolant-
water inlet
The strainer on the engine
coolant-water inlet – part of a
through-hull fitting on our
Moody Eclipse, Aderyn Glas
– broke up as I rodded
through it last season. I was
surprised to find it was made
of brass – a material
unsuitable for a long
immersion in the electrolytic
environment of the sea.
I had rodded down through
the inlet valve to free some
obstacle and felt the strainer
break as the rod hit it. There
was nothing I could do at the
time so at the end of the cruise
I packaged everything up,
broken bits included, and
brought them home to the
workshop.
Moored stern to,

Aderyn Glas is based
at Preveza, Greece
The inlet. I had

1 modified the inlet
fitting by adding this length
of copper pipe (yes I know it This was the state of The new bronze mesh I The rings are copper
will corrode) to the flange
2 the strainer when it
3 bought on ebay was
4 – not ideal with bronze
above the strainer. This was removed from the more flexible than the mesh – but are automatically
modification came about housing. The rings at each existing and would need the the right size to fit the
after repeated clogging of end supported the mesh and support from the rings. It was housing. With this mix of
the strainer as we traversed were an important part in my fairly easy to remove the old materials I’ll have to inspect
the French canals. new design. mesh by heating with a torch. the strainer fairly regularly.

Directional stability
Sam Longley makes his own brass compass gimbal
I’d not be without my grid

steering compass. I managed Sam Longley made
to track down a replacement this impressive
A bit of schoolboy compass gimbal
5 maths gave me the size
for my 51-year-old unit, but it
from scratch
was designed for a motorboat
to cut (pi x the diameter) and and had no gimbal. Well I
the length as the original. I needed a good project for
decided to make the mesh lockdown... and this was it!
two layers thick so cut it I bought 2 x 600mm lengths
appropriately. of 9mm brass rod. I already
had some other offcuts of
brass and 5mm stainless steel
bolts in stock.
To bend the brass, I used two
pieces of scrap 25mm square
hollow tube. I drilled and put 4mm at right angles in the the two pivot ones were drilled
two pieces of 12mm studding centres as a guide for later and tapped for 5mm CS bolts
in one piece at 25mm centres. work. I threaded these onto the and connected to the main
In the other, longer, piece I bar and once the ring was ring. All threads were coated
It was easier to form
6 the new mesh over a
drilled a hole 9.5mm near to formed, I used a 20mm piece with Loctite.
the end. I clamped the piece of 10mm copper pipe to align I wanted to make the
dowel rolling it back and
with the studding in a vice, the ends of the bar. Once lined compass removable and fit it
forth on a soft surface until it
then placed the brass between up, all pieces were soldered in to the existing Sestral dovetail
took on the shape I wanted.
the studs and through the place. bracket, so fitted a 6mm plate
other bar. By gently applying I bent and drilled a pair of and to form the dovetailed
pressure as shown in the 3mm brass brackets and fitted parts I drilled and tapped two
picture (below) I was able to them to the underside of the pieces of brass to the plate
bend the rod in increments. A compass with 3mm stainless filed with angles such that the
pattern of the curve gave me steel socket screws. Then angles form the dovetails.
the amount to bend the bar. 5mm bolts were used to form Once I have checked the
I needed nodes for the pivots pivots to the first two nodes, angles are correct on the boat,
and for this I cut 12mm-long which were tapped. I’ll silver solder the pieces in
pieces of 18mm rod and drilled The outer semi-circle was place. Then, all I need to do is
Then I inserted the
7 mesh into the cleaned
them 9.25mm to slip over the bent, once again with four to swing the installed compass
9mm bar. I also drilled them nodes soldered in place and and make a deviation card.
up rings and used a fat mains
soldering iron to introduce
solder around the complete
circumference.
The new mesh is

8 springy and moves in a
Jig for bending brass rod worked well Rod was bent into a circle to match the template
way that the old one didn’t. In

order to anchor it, and keep
the inside diameter from
shrinking, I added a blob of
solder to the overlapping
mesh at the centre of the
length. This made the whole
assembly more rigid. And
that’s it. It’s in place on
Aderyn Glas and has given us
no trouble throughout last
season despite having been
rodded through at least once.
Swivel nodes were cut from 18mm brass rod All the components fabricated for the gimbal

Ask the experts Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from
Got a question? Email pbo@futurenet.com PBO readers. Email or write to the address on
page 5 and our experts will answer your queries
ENGINES
Should my exhausts. The water collects,

and the pressure builds up
until it is sufficient to push the
diesel be collected water out. If the
engine is stopped halfway
steaming? through this cycle then the
capacity of the collector box
I have a Yanmar 3HM in must be sufficient to absorb
Q my Colvic Countess 35.
Both boat and engine were
the back flow of water from
the length of the exhaust pipe.
an abandoned project (all If the engine exhaust elbow
unused) from the 1980s is below the water line, a high
which I bought in 2011 and rise system or anti syphon
completed about three years valve is used to prevent back
ago. I installed the engine ABOVE Richard syphoning of the water to the
and shaft and got the final Irving has a engine.
alignment and fitting Colvic Countess It would appear that the
completed by a marine 35 ‘shower’ injection point and its
engineering company in position in combination with
Ipswich. As the engine was LEFT The boat’s the extra-high high rise system
fitted below the waterline engine has a is causing your steam. I
they installed a custom high curious custom suspect that the injection point
rise mixing elbow. cooling water is atomising the water at the
When I operate the engine mixing tube injection point and so is
at higher revs I get a lot of allowing some of the droplets
steam from the exhaust. to be turned to steam.
How much? To the extent Another issue is that as time
that I have been pursued by goes by the atomisation will
a local fishing boat to warn allow salt crystals to build up,
me! But it’s definitely steam. mixed with carbon from the
There is plenty of water 1. Would this explain the exhaust pipe in the opposite exhaust, to exacerbate the
coming through (I have steam? direction to the exhaust. situation. Having said all that,
replaced the water pump) 2. And apart from the Any advice as to what to the system does seem to have
and no part of the exhaust annoyance of looking like I do next? been working effectively for
system or engine seems to am generating smoke is this Richard Irving the past few years except for
be overheating. It has all a problem? Should I be Buckingham the steam issue.
been running fine for the last worried? I’d suggest finding a
couple of years. There is no 3. Is this a normal way of STU DAVIES REPLIES: knowledgeable engineer and
steam at lower revs. building a custom elbow? Raw water is injected close to studying the Vetus guidelines
I’ve had it looked at by I have read elsewhere or at the elbow so that the for an exhaust design. I like
another set of engineers in about problems with the cooling of the gases is started their way of presenting the
the Hamble where it is now standard elbow where the immediately. Then the water facts which allows good
moored and their opinion weld fails at the start of the has to go to a silencer or design of a system. Plus of
was that the unusual sleeve allowing the water to collector box which has a big course they sell the parts
arrangement of the cooling head back towards the enough capacity to hold the required! I also am impressed
elbow was causing engine (rather than being swept volume of the exhaust with ASAP Supplies range of
insufficient mixing so some directed in the direction of pipe. This box also has to be exhaust parts and it is also
of the water was staying as exhaust flow) and through fitted as close as possible to worth a chat with them.
steam. The unusual element the exhaust port causing the exhaust elbow and The Vetus design pdfs are to
they were highlighting was serious problems. injection point to prevent large be found here: tinyurl.com/
that whereas a standard In my set-up it seems the volumes of water being held y28mat46
Yanmar mixing elbow water is sprayed in all between the engine and
introduces the water via a directions anyway, but collector box.
sleeve around the exhaust perhaps the extra distance The exhaust gas pressure Stu Davies has
pipe this arrangement has a between the port and the has to be sufficient to push the a background in
sort of shower head elbow in the high rise collected water out of the engineering in
arrangement poking out into exhaust compensates for exhaust system. Hence the the coal and oil
the elbow (see photo). that – any spray would have characteristic ‘bloop bloop’ industries
The questions I have are: to travel back down a foot of sound we hear from our

MARINAS THE PBO EXPERTS
To ask a question email
Facilities for disabled sailors pbo@futurenet.com and
include your address.
I have recently returned the exit ramp? JOFF MCGILL REPLIES:
Q from an East coast sail
on my cruiser with a friend
3 Is there a hoist to lift
someone from the cockpit to
I’m not aware of anyone that
collects this sort of
BOATBUILDING
Tony Davies has been
building and repairing
who happens to be disabled. the pontoon? information, but agree with the boats for more than 40 years
He can walk with the aid of a 4 Is the walkway to the reader that it should be
CRUISING
frame for very short shore of shallow enough assembled and made
Stuart Carruthers is the RYA
distances but beyond that gradient to enable a available. We do get more and
Cruising Manager and has
he uses a mobility scooter. wheelchair or mobility more enquiries about it. sailed extensively
His mobility scooter is scooter to be used (1:12 is We are in the process of
collapsible to about the the maximum gradient in updating our self-assessment ELECTRICS
same size as a liferaft, which building design)? access audit – mainly geared Duncan Kent tests yachts
means not only can he take 5 Is the change in gradient at a sailing club environment. and equipment and writes for
the scooter in his car, but from the walkway to the As we roll it out there is no the marine media
also that it can be lashed shore smoothed out enough reason why it couldn’t be
ELECTRONICS
onto the foredeck and used to prevent a small mobility adapted for a marina – most of
Andy Haines is a retired
when we reach a marina. scooter grounding? the questions will be relevant, director of Greenham-Regis
He manages to get around 6 If slats are fitted to the and a few could be added. marine electronics company
the boat remarkably well, walkway are they narrow The self-assessment audit is
but sometimes the marina enough to allow a of course a broader brief than ENGINES
facilities are not what they wheelchair or mobility just access for wheelchair Stu Davies has a background
could be. I think it would be a scooter to run on a smooth users, there are a range of in engineering in the coal and
useful exercise to survey the non-slip surface? issues to be considered. It is oil industries
marinas in the UK to find out 7 Once at the top of the about being proud of your
GAS FITTING
just how disabled-friendly walkway, are the routes to facilities and services, thinking
Peter Spreadborough of
they are and perhaps publish all the facilities and the route through any barriers to access SoCal has 20 years in the gas
the results as part of your off-site (to the pub, of and involving disabled people industry
annual marina guide. course!) accessible by in this process.
I’m no expert in these wheelchair (dropped kerbs It would be hard for any one MASTS & RIGS
matters but here is a list of and paved routes)? marina to have thought of Mike Coates worked in the
questions that might be 8 Are any security gates everything, but it’s about an spar and rigging business
appropriate: openable by someone in a ongoing commitment to for many years
wheelchair? improving access and being
PAINT & ANTIFOULING
1 Are there visitor 9 Are all the shore facilities open to anything marinas
Richard Jerram is former
pontoons available that are wheelchair-accessible and could do differently. UK technical manager for
wide enough to are the disabled showers International Paint
accommodate a mobility and toilets in the same area
scooter or wheelchair and as the others? Joff McGill SAILS
allow an able-bodied person I am sure our friends at is Sailability Wilf Chaplin of the
to assist and walk past (ie at RYA Sailablity would be able Manager at the International OneSails loft
least 1.2m)? to provide a more Royal Yachting group is an expert on sails
2 If the answer to 1 is yes comprehensive list. Association
is this reasonably near to Jeff Peters Bingham SEA SAFETY
Keith Colwell is the author
of the RYA Sea Survival
Handbook
SEALING AND BONDING

GUEST EXPERT Penny Tranter (Chartered Meteorologist) Gareth Ross is Sika UK’s
marine market field specialist
I have more than 20 years your weather limits: safety is dramatically.
of experience in weather as important as enjoyment – Always use the SURVEY & CORROSION
forecasting, broadcasting, is to use more than one. latest Colin Brown runs a marine
survey and consultancy
training, severe weather Different apps use different information.
company, CB Marine Services
communication and, as an weather models. If all are Interestingly,
active sailor, weather out on giving the same forecast, you you may find that different TOILETS & PLUMBING
the water. The question I’m can be confident in it. If apps perform better in Karl Sutcliffe of Lee
often asked is: which is the forecasts differ from one different conditions within Sanitation knows all about
best weather app to use for another, keep monitoring your sailing area! Where I plumbing on boats
UK inland, beach and them all. They’ll then tend to sail, one app gives optimal
coastal sites? converge on a similar forecasts in an easterly and TRAILER-SAILING
Weather apps allow us to forecast as you approach another in a south-westerly, Colin Haines is a design
engineer who has
have forecasts at our your date on the water. but it has taken me a while to
trailer-sailed for 25 years
fingertips, which is good Plenty of apps offer figure that out!
news when planning to go forecasts more than a week ■ If you have questions for YACHT DESIGN
out on the water. But the best into the future, but accuracy Penny or any of our Guest Andrew Blyth is a naval
advice on using weather tails off the further ahead you Experts, get in touch at the architect with interest in
apps – apart from knowing go. Forecasts can change email address on page 5 stability and buoyancy

Cruising Notes We pay for your published cruising stories and
Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far harbour updates. Email pbo@futurenet.com or
write to the address at the top of page 5
Bay of Islands
cruising guide
Huw Williams visits New Zealand’s
irresistible Bay of Islands Sometimes it gets a
little crowded...
f you were tempted by my cruising ‘winterless north’. That’s not strictly true, brilliantly, as Pay Here – and Opua,
I guide to the Whitsunday Islands in

Queensland (PBO July2020), you may
wish to make the most of the extremely
but with a winter low of about 10°C and
a summer high of around 30°C, it’s not
far off a perfect climate. January and
which is where most of the yacht charter
companies are based. This is where you’ll
pick up the boat and provisions and it’s a
longhaul flight by combining your visit February are the warmest months. good place to book activities such as
there with another wonderful I’ve visited several times from January diving and fishing too.
Antipodean destination – New Zealand’s through to April and have yet to see a
Bay of Islands. Unlike the Whitsundays single raindrop. The first few days
there are almost no large predators; Winds are predominantly south-westerly Opua is one of the ports used for visiting
you’ll be significantly closer to the and occasionally the weak tail end of yachts to clear customs and immigration
top of the food chain. So maybe visit a tropical cyclone makes a brief and and is where you’ll probably find lots of
here first… benign appearance. It’s a sailing dream circumnavigators sitting out the cyclone
When Captain Cook arrived in 1769, he come true. season. Spend your first day here soaking
wrote, ‘I have named it the Bay of Islands The main hubs for all activities, including up the vibes. Plenty of good sea stories
because of the great number which line its yacht charter, are the small towns of Paihia to be heard in the cafes and bars! Who
shores, these helping to form several safe – pronounced Pah-hee-ah and known, knows, it could just change your life…
and commodious harbours wherein is
room and depth of water for any number
of shipping.’
He wasn’t wrong. Add to that stunning
scenery, endless perfect anchorages,
epic diving and snorkelling and arguably
the best fishing on the planet. Oh, and
world-class seafood.
When to go
Rafael Ben-Ari/Alamy
You’ve heard about the unpredictable

Kiwi weather? Four seasons in one day?
Fortunately, it doesn’t really apply here.
The Bay of Islands is situated about 150 Russell could be a good first anchorage
miles north of Auckland on the east coast and is a seafood lover’s dream
of Northland, an area the locals call the

CRUISING NOTES
agefotostock /Alamy
MOTUKOKAKO ISLAND
(PIERCY ISLAND)
North The hole in the rock
Cape BAY OF Cape
ISLANDS Brett
NORTH Auckland Ba y of URUPUKAPUKA
ISLAND
Isl and s ISLAND
MOTUROA Otehei
NEW ZEALAND ISLAND Bay
MOTUAROHIA Deep
Pacific ISLAND Water
SOUTH Ocean (ROBERTON ISLAND) Cove
ISLAND
Wellington Tapeka
Point
Christchurch
Waipao Bay
Twin Lagoons
Flagstaff Bay
N Waitangi Te Ti Hill
Bay Russell
P aci fi c
Oc ean
Paihia
0 3
NORTH ISLAND
NEW ZEALAND Opua nautical miles
Once you’re provisioned, leave the dock, ABOVE RIGHT

head north from Opua and in an hour Motuarohia
or so, off to starboard, you’ll see the (Roberton) Island.
charming town of Russell. This could Nice view of
be a good place to practise with your the lagoon
new boat’s anchoring gear and is also RIGHT The hole in
a very pleasant place to spend an the rock is through
evening. Run ashore in the tender and
Lev Kropotov/Alamy
Motukokako Island
spend some time exploring and eating,
then walk up Flagstaff Hill and you get
a spectacular view of the Bay of Islands.
A taste of things to come!
The following morning up anchor and
head north again, round Tapeka Point
(nice lighthouse) and head east for a
couple of hours to Motuarohia (Roberton) In Paihia, you may have seen visitors Things to do
Island. You’ll find the most perfect booking a boat trip to ‘The hole in the Q Diving This area offers probably the
anchorage in Twin Lagoons Bay, nice rock’. This is well worth seeing but, by best sub-tropical diving in the world. There
walks ashore and the unique attraction Kiwi standards, it can be a little crowded are several operators in Paihia and Opua
of a shallow saltwater lagoon with a as numerous boats jostle for the best view. who offer trips.
signposted snorkel trail (the signs are Head north-east towards Cape Brett and Q Fishing Practically all New Zealanders
under water). It’s ideal for beginner you’ll find it on tiny Motukokako (Piercy) fish, and no wonder with the diversity of
snorkellers to gain confidence and Island just off the point. Alternatively, species on offer. You’ll find large snapper,
interesting for the more experienced too. anchor in Deep Water Cove and walk kingfish (kingies) and kahawai. If you have
Motuarohia really is the most delightful along the Cape Brett track. This is a fairly a multi-piece travel rod (heavier rather
spot, and you may not want to leave, but rugged walk, so check the details on the than lighter, these fish are powerful) take it
you must be strong! There’s lots more to excellent Department of Conservation with you – it’ll be cheaper than buying
see. You can always stop again on the (known to everyone as ‘dock’) website tackle in NZ. In season, there are also
return journey (you will). and see if it’s for you. You’ll also find large game fish such as marlin which can
Next head east again and you’ll come information on every other tramp in NZ be tackled from the numerous sportfishing
upon a cluster of Islands including (Kiwis call hiking tramping) and lots of boats operating out of Opua and Paihia.
Moturoa where you can anchor in Waipao other interesting and useful stuff too. Q Eat lots of seafood If you like seafood
Bay. On Urupukapuka Island – the largest you’re in the right place. Either catch
in the group – there’s an interesting walk it yourself or buy it from one of the
that takes you to the remains of an ancient numerous retailers in Paihia, Opua and
Maori village and in Otehei Bay you’ll find Russell. There are also lots of excellent
a cafe overlooking the water. waterside restaurants.
Waitangi Treaty Grounds

This is where the Treaty of Waitangi was
signed in February 1840 by representatives
of the British government and Maori
chiefs. The grounds feature traditional
Maori buildings including the beautifully
ABOVE Waitangi decorated Meeting House and an
has wonderful incredible war canoe that is over 37m in
carvings. The eyes length and can hold 150 paddlers.
Phil Crean A/Alamy
are made from You’ll find Waitangi a few miles north

Paua shell – of Paihia. You can anchor at the northern
abalone end of Te Ti Bay or take a bus or taxi from
LEFT War canoe Paihia or Opua. It’s well worth taking a
at the Waitangi break from sailing and paying a visit.
Treaty Grounds I found it fascinating.

MARINE DIRECTORY To advertise call +44 (0) 7989 428596 or email: chris.wilson@ti-media.com
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86 Practical Boat Owner September 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk

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Practical Boat Owner September 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk 87

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To advertise call +44 (0) 7989 428596 or email: Chris.wilson@ti-media.com MARINE DIRECTORY
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FITTING OUT TILLERS & RUDDERS
Practical Boat Owner September 2020 • www.pbo.co.uk 89

Dick Everitt has tips on how to help people in trouble
Windsurfers It’s often quite hard to work out when people are in trouble
and when you should offer to help. Often just standing by until
they have rested is enough. If they are hurt you have to weigh
up calling for professional help against getting them to shore
as fast as possible. But if their craft has to be abandoned tie
a note on it and inform the coastguard – otherwise a full scale
search could be started when it is found drifting.
A. Windsurfers might be too tired to raise the rig, so just lifting the B. To get them ashore quickly, hold the rig across the boat and
mast out of the water might be enough to get them on their way. motor in. if you have to de-rig the board ask them how it’s done.
Kite surfers
C. Approach from the side so they can see
you, and keep clear of their flying lines. They
might only want their board retrieving.
D. But if they are tangled in the lines you
might have to cut them free. As the kite can
fly at any time, they may ask you to deflate
Take care – there could be 30m of line in the water!
the leading edge to de-power the kite, In that
case approach from downwind, find the valve
(often in the middle), deflate it and roll the
kite up. In an emergency, puncture it!
Personal water craft (PWCs)

E. If they have broken down, help the rider
on board your boat and tow their craft slowly
– there is often an eye in the bow to attach a
line to. Ask the rider if anything needs to be
closed on the engine to stop it being flooded.
Canoes
Once the paddler is safe, the easiest way of
retrieving a canoe is to get it on board. Don’t push down – it could snap!
F. Tip the water out of a traditional open-
decked canoe as you haul it up.
G. Be careful with a waterlogged kayak,
because you can break its back if you try to
lift one end out of the water and then lever it
on board.
H. It is best to tip a kayak on its side in the
water and try to slosh the water out from
either end before you lift it.
I. The main thing to remember when helping
canoeists is not to take their paddle away too
soon, as they need it to balance.

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Photo © Graham Snook Photography
CRUSADER SAILS The Sail Loft, Hatch Pond Road, Poole, BH17 0JZ, UK
+44 (0) 1202 670580 info@crusadersails.com www.crusadersails.com

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good vibes

Welcome to our new, modern, online chandlery,

www.seahorsechandlery.com seahorsechandlery shchandlery seahorsechandlery

Seahorse Chandlery Ltd

@ sales@seahorsechandlery.com 0141 530 9787

No. 656 SEPTEMBER 2020 £4.85

GEAR REVIEWS · PROJECTS · SEAMANSHIP · CRUISING · MAINTENANCE

;HJ[PJHS THZ[ ZLUZVY *SPWWLY ;Y\L >PUK KPZWSH`

;Y\L >PUK KPZWSH` \UP[

*SPWWLY >PYLSLZZ >PUK :`Z[LT

>PYLSLZZ THZ[ [YHUZTP[[LY )HZL \UP[

)XOO GHWDLOV VHH RXU ZHEVLWH

Cover: the Marcon 34 Tomboy enjoys a lovely brisk

REGULARS BOATS, CRUISING

22 Devon Yawl on test

44 New Gear and grabrails

when a prop shaft sheared and

84 NZ’s Bay of Islands

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 3

Try Turmeric+ Rated Excellent

before you buy it

Claim your free trial online at 0800 808 5740

www.FutureYouOffers.co.uk And quote code PBT26

ǣ ƺƳChris Wilson 07989 428596

We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from

All contents © 2020 Future Publishing Limited or published under

PBO is also available on these digital platforms

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 5

News and current affairs from the world of boating

Southampton Boat Show moved to 2021

Pip secures The newly

6 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

New tax relief for subsidised diesel on the cards

Poorly marked creel pots Creel pots will have to be marked

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 7

Remembering Tom Nighy

(RCD) and advised on policy production director for Rank

Benefactor says Tracy won’t have to sell her medal

following the cancellation of support from so many people

8 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

Young talent sought DIARY DATES

Fundraising appeal for eco-moorings cowesspringclassics.com

■ Never miss an issue with convenient home delivery

SUBSCRIBE BY PHONE SUBSCRIBE ONLINE

SOUTH COAST AND CHANNEL ISLANDS

substation is being built on the the International Maritime

WEST COAST, WALES AND IRELAND

ZERO EMISSIONS FERRIES

consortium to develop zero to 350 passengers.

Cruisers and Racers.

10 Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk

RESPECT THE DESTINATION ISLAND FOR SALE

EAST COAST AND SOUTH-EAST

Offshore waters around

The UK Government has given to cement and maintain East

between 90-180 turbines, with Industrial Strategy, Alok

Practical Boat Owner • www.pbo.co.uk 11

Readers share their thoughts and opinions

Where are the

Yacht design PART 7

Brit boats? in the 2010s PRESENT

Boat ownership is changing

I caught up on my back asks Rupert Holmes

ǣƺƳChris Wilson 07989 428596