Yachts & Yachting June 2013

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The ultimate guide to an iconic race

Past champions reveal how to win

Sail theFASTNET

£4.30ISSUE N°1662JUNE 2013

YACHTSYACHTING

CHELSEAMAR INE M A G A Z I N E S


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Race fasterWe explain

the new rules

Elan 400+ Sailing boots

ON TEST

Round the Island

Top tips from dinghy champion Andy Davis

Go Solo

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June 2013 Yachts & Yachting 5

THIS MONTH JUNE 2013

OPINION 8 News Latest insights into the world of sailing

13 Bob Fisher The technology race in San Francisco

continues

15 Paul Goodison On an enjoyable return to Laser

sailing and new challenges

16 Andy Rice: Dinghies All change for British Olympic

campaigners

18 Andi Robertson: Yachts Is New York YC’s HPR rating system

the future of big boat racing?

ANALYSIS 20 To the Rock and back Cover story A Rolex Fastnet Race

should be on every sailor’s ‘bucket’ list, but how can you compete?

28 Round the Island top tips Cover story Make this year’s race

your best-ever

34 Hall of Fame: speedstersThe sailors who like to go fast; 10 more names for our Hall of Fame

40 Peter HolmbergThe match racing legend shares his perspective on winning

TECHNIQUE

44 Staying on the pace International 14s are fast-paced and fast-changing. Andy Partington tells Andy Rice how he keeps up to speed

50 Solo dinghy secrets Cover story National champion

Andy Davis shares some of his winning secrets

56 The new rules in seven steps Cover story Rules guru Mark

Rushall talks us through the changes

60 Go faster tip #20 We asked you to give us your ideas,

here are the best of them...

TESTING 63 New boats The latest launches

66 Test: Elan 400 Rupert Holmes takes a trip to

Slovenia to try out Elan’s latest cruiser-racer

72 Kit bag The latest new gear and gadgets from

Rob Melotti

74 Boot-buying guideWhat to look for from dinghy boots, to cutting-edge ocean racing wear

TRAVEL

78 Top charter tips Essential advice for the seasoned

charterer, and for newbies

ESSENTIALS

86 Clubs and Classes Grassroots and grand-prix events

92 Boats on the water Our top picks

98 Position of the month Horizontal sails

34

The International 14 fl eet is fast-paced and fast-changing. Andy Partington tells Andy Rice how he kept up to speed to win the Europeans, 25 years since his fi rst debut in the class

STAYING ONTHE PACE

Some of the developments over the last few years have all made it easier to sail when you have a slightly, er, more mature disposition!

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June 2013 Yachts & Yachting 4140 Yachts & Yachting June 2013

Peter Holmberg

Match racing mindset

If ever there was a team sport that required everyone on board to succeed, it is match racing

Peter Holmberg is without doubt the most successful sailor from the Caribbean, having won both silver and bronze at the Olympic Games and raced in three

America’s Cups, including winning with Alinghi in 2007. However, Holmberg is best known for his prowess on the World Match Racing Tour in which he has competed for over a decade, winning the tour in 2002 and many major other major match racing events.

What has been your path to success?My path to winning the World Match Race Tour started with a simple invitation sent to the Virgin Islands Sailing Association inviting teams to the ISAF Nations Cup. The opportunity to represent my small nation of the Virgin Islands against all the nations of the world was the same desire that lead me down the Olympic path to my silver medal. I also liked the concept of match racing: the short course, spectator-friendly format, where the sport of sailing had the opportunity to be more visible to the general public.

We finished second in the inaugural Nations Cup, and I was hooked on match racing. I built a local team of

ragamuffins, pursued every opportunity to attend events, chased down sponsors to fund the campaign, and started winning. Sure enough this led to new opportunities, and ultimately getting involved with the America’s Cup, where the budget and the collection of talent enables you to take everything to a higher level. I ultimately reached the top, winning the Match Racing World Tour while working with Oracle Racing, so I must thank Larry Ellison and his organisation for allowing me the chance.

But ultimately I owe my success to all the crew that helped get me there, because if ever there was a team sport, one that required everyone on board to succeed, it is match racing.

What does it take to succeed?Match racing is a truly unique discipline within our sport of sailing. In fleet racing, the critical components to winning are speed and tactics. Match racing also requires speed and tactics, but introduces a distinct new dynamic to the game: a duel with one opponent. Your team versus his. Win or lose. One on one.

What are the key components to winning?Race strategy, boat handling, and rules knowledge. Successful match racing starts with developing a particular strategy for each race, the weather conditions, and the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. Once you have a strategy, it is then about positioning, and where you place yourself relative to your opponent. And because of the close contact duelling with your opponent, it forces you to learn the rules.

Although match racing focuses on these unique skills, your team must also be able to sail fast and smart, plus be able to perform every manoeuvre flawlessly. This is what makes match racing such a great discipline within our sport. It forces you to master all the fundamental skills of sailing, and then the winning difference comes down to the match race skills. Furthermore, because each event uses a different boat, you and your team gain the key skill of learning how to make a boat go fast; finding the balance, sail shape, and sailing modes that make a boat sail fast.

How valuable is teamwork?Match racing also places a premium on good crew work, with constant manoeuvres and short course racing. The team that can perform the

Champion match racer Peter Holmberg reveals the secrets of

success to Louay Habib

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6 Yachts & Yachting June 2013

Gael Pawson, Editor

CHELSEA MAGAZINE

COMPANY

THE

LTD

Writers this month include...

YACHTS YACHTING

EDITORIALEditor Gael Pawson+44 (0)7855 849273

[email protected] Editor/Test Editor Rupert Holmes

Deputy Editor/Chief Sub Helen FretterArt Editor Claire Greeno

Picture Editor Tom GruittSub Editor Rob Melotti

Clubs & Classes Editor Paula Irish [email protected]

Contributors Bob Fisher, Paul Goodison, Andy Rice, Andi Robertson, Mark Rushall

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www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk9 770044 000205

0 6

The ultimate guide to an iconic race

Past champions reveal how to win

Sail theFASTNET

£4.30ISSUE N°1662JUNE 2013

YACHTSYACHTING



YACHTSYACHTING



Race fasterWe explain

the new rules

Elan 400+ Sailing boots

ON TEST

Round the Island

Top tips from dinghy champion Andy Davis

Go Solo

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YACHTSYACHTING



YACHTSYACHTING



Keeping keen

It’s a Fastnet year, and it seems like the race has never been so popular with the maximum entry of 300 boats reached in just 24 hours – it was later enlarged to 380 boats, and there are over

40 boats on the waiting list. Why is this race so attractive to sailors? The answer lies partly in its legendary status and partly in the fact that it doesn’t happen every year – common themes shared across the wide variety of classes that our sport encompasses.

Doing the same thing week in, week out is quite simply boring for most of us. Perhaps it’s also one of the things that attracts us to sailing in the fi rst place – the weather itself provides a wide variety of challenges, but I’d argue that few of us want to do exactly the same kind of events week in and week out. This applies to club racing as much as it does to open meetings, championships and larger races... If your club or class is struggling, quite simply, try something different.

If you are personally struggling for motivation, the same applies. Reading Paul Goodison’s tales of sailing after the Olympics – he’s been doing everything from the RORC Easter Regatta on Keith Mills’ TP52, to International Moth open meetings – provide a good example of keeping fresh. It’s not just him, Ben Ainslie too has been out in a Moth...

Hmm! I still yearn for one myself, but it’s not going to happen this season. Still, I continue to enjoy the 400 enormously, maybe it just suits me pretty well, or maybe I have the right person to sail with! I also really enjoyed the variety of a three-race club mini-series over Easter – it really made a change and was great for sharpening up the old boathandling and getting rid of some winter rust!

We’ve got some great inspirational stories in this issue, including the inside view from Solo class national champion Andy Davis: now there’s a class that’s doing something right and attracting plenty of entries as well... And there’s plenty to learn from, not just his experience, but Mark Rushall is educating us on the new rules in this issue – not any massive changes many might argue, but his handy seven steps to the main changes could win or lose you a race this season.

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One of the world’s most respected sailing commentators, Bob Fisher has a depth of knowledge that’s second to none.

Beijing Olympic Laser gold medallist Paul Goodison races a range of boats when he’s not in his Laser.

Midlands-based Paula Irish is a highly experienced dinghy sailor and writer with a fi nger on the pulse of the UK dinghy scene.

@gaelpawsonFollow us on Twitter:See us on Facebook.com/sailingmagazine

1662 Editorial (1).indd 6 23/04/2013 14:21

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The most recent Olympic Classes World Cup event, the Princess Sofia Trophy, in Palma saw a host of new faces and new classes, but it was two familiar names, 2012 Laser Radial sailor Alison Young and Ben Ainslie’s arch-rival in the Finn class, Giles Scott, that took gold for Team GBR. There were plenty more medals, and some new names on the podium. Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre, sailing in their first event together, claimed silver in the 470 women’s event, while Dave Evans and Ed Powys recorded their first World Cup podium finish, with a bronze in the 49er event. 2.4mR Paralympic sailor Megan Pascoe also took silver.

Bryony Shaw added World Cup silver in the RS:X women’s event to her World Championship silver last month. Luke Patience and Joe Glanfield captured bronze at their first event since teaming up in the 470 class in their bid to turn separate Olympic silvers into gold in Rio. Sailors also experienced their first taste of competitive action at the event in the two new Olympic classes for Rio, with a promising start in both events for the Brits. In the women’s 49erFX, Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth finished fifth overall, while Lucy Macgregor and Tom Phipps were also fifth in the Nacra 17 multihull event with a third and a second from

their medal races. Pippa Wilson and John Gimson were eighth overall. ‘It’s been a good start to our competition season,’ said RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park. ‘As well as some fantastic performances by proven performers such as Ali Young and Giles Scott, there have been two really good things to have come out of this regatta. The first is the potential of so many of our new, young teams such as Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre and our teams in the new 49erFX and Nacra classes. ‘The second is that the team has had a cracking week together, has had good fun, and everyone is really looking forward to the next event.’

Seven GBR medals in Palma

Raymarine Wayfarers Raymarine is supporting the Wayfarer nationals, which takes place from June 6-9 at Parkstone Yacht Club, with the prize of a Raymarine Wireless Microcompass for the top boat sailing without a compass.

China’s Offshore starChinese offshore professional Guo Chuan made history as the first Chinese sailor to singlehandedly sail around the world non-stop.Guo returned to Qingdao, the Chinese city which gave the name to his Akilaria Class 40 yacht, after 138 days at sea. The record is also the first Class 40 circumnavigation by a solo

sailor. Guo competed in the Clipper Round the World Race in 2006 and became the first Chinese sailor to compete in the Volvo Ocean Race when he took part as media crew member on ‘Green Dragon’ in the 2008-2009 race, he also competed in the 2011 Mini Transat.

World ARC lFifteen months after it set off, the World ARC fleet finished its circumnavigation via 17 countries and received a warm welcome in Saint Lucia.

Left Giles Scott took gold in the Finn in Palma

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news

Williams on top In the ISAF World Match Race rankings Claire Leroy (FRA) has moved to world no.1 in the women’s match race rankings, knocking Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) off the top after the American held top spot since September 7, 2011. In the Open Match Race rankings Ian Williams (GBR) maintains a healthy advantage over the chasing pack.

Alinghi’s Extreme winMorgan Larson and his Swiss team Alinghi sailed a faultless regatta during Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Singapore to claim overall victory in the spectacular Asian city. Racing on one of the most striking yet challenging stadium racecourses the Extreme 40 fleet has ever sailed on, the team posted more race wins on the Marina Bay Reservoir than any other team, including the deciding final double-pointer. Only one race was sailed on the final day in light wind Singaporean conditions but it was one of the most competitive final races in the seven-year history of the Series with any of the teams capable of a podium position going into the race. Roman Hagara’s Red Bull Sailing Team posed the biggest threat, but had to settle for second place on the podium. The Red Bull Sailing Team is now tied on points with Alinghi at the top of the overall 2013 Series leader board. Next, the global roadshow moves on to Qingdao, China’s Olympic sailing city, a regular on the Extreme Sailing Series as the fleet returns for the third consecutive year.

Volvo route revealedThe route for the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race has been revealed. The nine legs will test the world’s best professional sailors to the limit in their nine-month race around the world. The race will start on October 4 2014, which will also be the day of

the first in-port race in Alicante, and finish with a final in-port race on June 27, 2015 in Gothenburg, the Swedish home of Volvo, stopping in Recife (Brazil), Abu Dhabi, Sanya (China), Auckland, Itajaí (Brazil), Newport (USA), Lisbon and Lorient.

“I’m pretty pleased to come away with a win – I’ve learned lots of lessons here, it shows all the winter’s training is going in the right direction so I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”Alison Young on winning in Palma

“It has been challenging for sailors, race teams and event organisers alike. It’s not necessarily been clear what the desired outcome was, or has been, other than increasing the element of luck in the process.” RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park on the new scoring format in Palma

“The Southern Ocean leg from Recife to Abu Dhabi is the most diverse ever presented in the race and will contribute to what could turn out to be the toughest race in our 40-year history.”Volvo Ocean Race director Knut frostad, on the route for the next race

“I have been out sailing a foiling Moth a few times with the other guys, along with the Oracle Team USA’s 45s, this helps with understanding the issues of foils and is also a reminder as to how versatile you need to be at the moment to understand the implications of one of the biggest changes in the America’s Cup.”Ben Ainslie enjoying new challenges

They said…

You said…The new RYA ‘NHC’ keelboat handicap scheme has you buzzing...

“In principle the system seems good but my enthusiasm has rapidly decreased when examining the list of base numbers... a Nicholson 32 is faster than a Bolero Quarter Tonner, as is an Albin Vega?” – sailorman

“NHC is designed for club racing – it will not work for a single race. It is something that we are looking at as part of its future development.” – RYA technical

“I struggle to understand people’s adversity to this new system, if you were using the PY scheme as the RYA had laid out then there wouldn’t be a need to change, but cruiser-racers didn’t, so here it is, a good fix.” – Slop_idol

“It’s your assertion that ‘a perfectly good free system’ is possible. It’s pretty apparent that no handicap system ever devised is ‘perfectly good’. The question is how imperfect you are prepared to put up with and how much you are prepared to pay to make it better..” – blueboy

For more views go to www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/

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1662 News (3).indd 9 23/04/2013 14:43


news

■ 25-year-old Simone ferrarese from italy won the long Beach yacht Club’s 49th Congressional Cup with a 54-second win over ed Baird in a one-race championship showdown. it was his fi rst win in a Grade 1 event.

■ Marine electronics specialist Simrad Yachting has chosen Marine services Kojima (MsK) as its distributor in Japan.

■ Oman Sail has announced the inauguration of the sailor of the year awards presented by Renaissance services saoG to honour the outstanding achievements of top sailors in the sultanate of oman.

■ Oyster Yachts has already announced the details for its 2016-17 world rally, following the success of the inaugural event that is currently underway.

■ a team of young sailors from Poole Yacht Club has won the inaugural British Keelboat academy inter Club Challenge Cup. ■ Ramsgate Week (august 12-17) entry is now open online, see www.rtyc.com

■ the Old Gaff ers Association celebrates its 50th birthday with a comprehensive programme of events, see www.oga50.org ■ fuel Cell Systems (fCs), the uK’s most experienced integrator of fuel cells for commercial applications, will sponsor this year’s uK solent 6.50 Mini transat race which will set sail on May 5, 2013 from lymington harbour.

■ leading dinghy insurer GJW Direct has announced a two-year agreement with West Kirby sC to become lead sponsor of the world-famous Wilson trophy. ■ Beneteau first 31.7 owners are invited to take part in the dartmouth Regatta from august 29 to september 1; there will be a class start and the event will also be the class nationals.

■ an event open to all elan Yachts is to be held in dartmouth, august 17-18, providing a combination of socials and racing. the elan Cup is being hosted by the Royal dart yC in association with yachts of dartmouth and Mark Chapman yachts of hamble. for further details contact offi [email protected] or visit www.royaldart.co.uk

In brief

Youth AC takes shapeTen international teams will compete in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, a new event to be held under the umbrella of the America’s Cup Event Authority. The event will be held in San Francisco during the break between the start of the 2013 America’s Cup Finals and the conclusion of the Louis Vuitton Cup (September 1-4, 2013). National crews from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal and Switzerland made the cut to advance to the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup where they will meet fi ve crews supported by current America’s Cup teams (comprising teams from France, New Zealand, Sweden and two teams from the USA).

Following the RYA Youth Nationals at Largs, selectors for RYA Volvo Team GBR, led by double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton, announced the 12 sailors who will represent Great Britain at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships. Welsh sailor Ellie Meopham, of Fishguard Bay SC, made it especially easy for selectors in the Laser Radial class, by not only

fi nishing top girl but dominating from start to fi nish, topping the overall leaderboard by 30 points. Also heading for Limassol, Cyprus, from July 11-20, will be: Laser Radial sailor Thomas Williams (Shotwick), 420 sailors Tim Riley (Warsash)/Luke Burywood (Lymington Town & HISC) and Annabel Cattermole (Welwyn Garden City)/Bryony Bennett-Lloyd (Hickling Broad);

29er sailors Mimi El-Khazindar (Royal Lymington) and Ben Batten (Lymington Town); RS:X windsurfers Kieran Martin (Carsington) and 2012 youth worlds gold medallist Saskia Sills (Roadford Lake); SL16 cat sailors James Henson (Weston)/Olivier Greber (Pevensey Bay).Meopham, Sills, Martin and Batten all competed at the prestigious event in 2012.

Worlds team confi rmed

Worth a lookOur sister title, Sailing Today, has some great reading this month. The June issue includes features on cruising the ice of Antarctica in a glassfi bre yacht; ‘Fun for two’ – a test of the new Sun Odyssey 41DS; and a feature on engines which asks should you ditch the diesel and go hybrid? PLUS a rather handy pull-out guide to Pwllheli.

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JUNE 2013 sailingtoday.co.uk £4.20

YACHTSYACHTING



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GO FURTHER I SAIL BETTER I BE INSPIRED

SAILIN

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NOW

BIGGERBRIGHTER

BETTER

BATTERY POWERWet cell, AGM and gel– on the test bench

DIESEL ELECTRICCould hybrid power be the answer for you?

BANE OR BOON?Paul & Rachel Chandler love new technology

GULL’S EYEPull-out guide to Pwllheli, in Snowdon’s shadow

AntarcticaExploring the last great wilderness in a GRP boat

Jeanneau’s nippy new 41DS is designed to be fun for two

Easy rider

Reef hopping

BOAT ON TEST

Get in among the rocks with our eyeball

navigation guide

The fastest sailor in the world on cold toes and pizza

RocketmanINTERVIEW

AN

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• FIRST CRU

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NEAU

41DS • PW

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NEW LOOK, NEW CONTENT

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1662 News (3).indd 10 23/04/2013 14:43

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Opinion


You have a windy venue, boats that are extremely overpowered, on an

extremely narrow racecourse...

The technology race in San Francisco continues, but as Artemis’s Paul Cayard explains, anything could happen...

Crossing the Bay Bridge recently, on my way to meet Paul Cayard at the Artemis Racing HQ at Alameda, I became completely confused by

the reality of a place I now understand is known to San Franciscans as ‘The Maze’. But, it was worth it. Paul has picked an ideal base for his team at what used to be the seaplane terminal. Artemis Racing’s base is a single building covering two and a half acres of uninterrupted floor space – the bright red AC-72 occupies only a corner of this vast hangar.

Paul was very frank, admitting that there was an hiatus in the Artemis programme. ‘There have been others; there was the trimaran and the wing that broke; that was one set-back. Now we have the on-going problem with the foils.’

Oracle is on ‘L’ foils, similar to the ones used by Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa. These have proved their value, and continue to do so with constant modification – most noticeably to the angle between the upright and the horizontal part of the foil.

I obvserved that Artemis was a long way astern of its rivals as March came to an end. ‘Yep,’ Paul said, ‘It is a big catch-up, but one way we can catch up is by observing them. We knew right at the start that we needed to absorb 100 per cent of whatever it is they are learning every day they go sailing, whether it is Oracle, or New Zealand or Prada. So I don’t know if we are getting 90 per cent, obviously we are not getting absolutely everything, but I think we are getting quite a bit out of their sailing and we need to integrate that and sort of develop in a virtual way through watching the video, de-briefing

and trying to imagine what it is that we will be doing and what equipment we will need to do it.

‘So, we can probably stay pretty close. If ever there was going to be a boat race this is one that has got some other things going on. You have a very windy venue; you have boats that are extremely overpowered; racing on an extremely narrow racecourse. I mean

the course that we are going to race on is going to be narrow for ACC Version 5 boats. We used to bang a corner for 12 minutes and come back, so it would be narrower by the old school standards if the boats were going 10 knots, now these boats are going 25 knots upwind and 40 knots downwind. It will all be happening in this America’s Cup. Things will break; we could have accidents. So

we need to be in the hunt.’I suggested that the team’s immediate

problems arose from not having a foiling AC-72 in the first place? ‘The information that we had, the research produced, said that there was a better compromise than full foiling. In my mind you go from an AC-45 daggerboard, which is all about side force and there is no vertical component to it, to the old foils that New Zealand and Oracle have, which have enough vertical force to lift the boat up out of the water. So if there is a grading in between, you can have curved boards, which we have seen in Artemis, and our research said to lift something less than 100 per cent of the boat out of the water was a better all round solution, but I think we came to the determination that it wasn’t right.’

It is going to need a completely new and different plan with little more than a couple of months to the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup races, but Paul seemed totally unfazed by this. ‘That little setback [will] maybe keep us focused. There are obviously three teams in the Louis Vuitton Cup round

robins – no one is going to knock anybody out, so the first time someone is going to race for a ‘do or die’ situation starts on August 6. In our case we need to realise what July really means to us, and it is simply being ready for August 6. That is the

way we have to slice it now.’All preconceived ideas on the outcome

of the Louis Vuitton Cup in July and August, and the America’s Cup in September, have gone out of the window in the last three days – the rate of change is too rapid to allow conclusions to be drawn, except that the America’s Cup summer in San Francisco will be one not to be missed.

Bob Fisher

1662 Bob Fisher (1).indd 13 23/04/2013 09:25

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14_YY_0613.indd 17 23/04/2013 15:04

Opinion


Part of me was hoping I wasn’t going to enjoy Oman... I was surprised how much I did enjoy it and found myself asking if I

was ready to give up Laser racing

An enjoyable return to the Laser in Oman, and trying new challenges, including the foiling variety

In my mind Rio 2016 is still quite a way away, so I have chosen to take a bit of time away from the Olympic circuit to focus on other campaigns. I need to be fully motivated to really commit to whatever I’m doing and if

I haven’t got the want to do it, whatever the short-term incentive, then it’s not worth me wasting mine or anyone else’s time. There are so many people that help you during an Olympic campaign that if I’m not giving it 110 per cent I’d feel guilty and I couldn’t do that to them.

That said, I really enjoyed being back in the Laser for the fi rst time at Mussanah Race Week in Oman last month. I hadn’t been in a Laser since the Olympic medal race and wasn’t sure what to expect. But it was actually awesome being in the situation where I was ultimately in control of, and accountable for, everything that happened in that boat. I’m a bit heavier at the moment so wasn’t as quick as I can be in the lighter stuff, but in the windy airs I was ok.

I was made up to fi nish on the podium, with a strong fl eet of guys fresh from the Down Under Series. The fact the guys that fi nished one and two in Mussanah, went on to fi nish the other way round at the ISAF World Cup Palma was reassuring.

Part of me was actually hoping I wasn’t going to enjoy Oman as it would have made my decision-making a lot easier in terms of what direction I want my sailing to go. But I was actually surprised by how much I did enjoy it and found myself asking myself if I was ready to give Laser racing up, and whether I may even do a short programme up to the worlds, also in Oman in November.

I’m staying on top of my fi tness as

a matter of course, because if that drops off it’s really tough to start from scratch. If I’m considering doing the worlds I’ll have to do as much Laser sailing as possible in between my other commitments. One thing I don’t want is to do anything half-heartedly and if I’m brutally honest the only Laser championship I’m really interested in winning again would be the Olympics.

It did feel a little bit strange not being out in Palma but at the same time I wasn’t missing it. It was great to see some of the other Brits putting in good performances across the classes. Alex Mills Barton did a great job in the Laser making the medal race and fi nishing top Brit in ninth, it’s

good to see all the work the guys put in over the winter paying off.

New challengesThis weekend I’m going to be taking part in my fi rst Moth event. I’m really looking forward to this, as I haven’t been on the water with more than a few boats before. I’m getting better in a straight line now, although I still haven’t quite mastered going round the corners nor done a proper start yet so I’m preparing to be a little bit embarrassed, but it’s going to be fun!

It reminds me of learning to sail all over again – it’s a great challenge and every day you go on the water you learn so much and get a bit better, it’s nice to be on such a steep learning curve for a change rather than just polishing the fi ner points.

The next event for me is a Melges 20 regatta in Gaeta, Italy. I did my fi rst event with Team Stig at the Bacardi Sailing Week in Miami in March. As a new team we went in with no expectations but fi nished second out of 50 teams, so we’ve set the bar quite high! I’m doing a full season with this team, so I’m going to try to learn a bit of Italian so I can understand when things get heated!

After that I’m back to the British Virgin Islands with the Melges 32s; the racing we did there earlier this year was some of the best I’ve ever done so I’m really looking forward to that. Then it’s over to Trapani, Italy for the next round of the RC44 Tour, which I’m doing on ‘Ironbound’ for the season.

It’s going to be another exciting year with some new projects and challenges in some cool boats. Working in new teams and learning new boats is a good way of making your general sailing much better. I am sailing with some real legends and learning lots all the time.

Paul Goodison

1662 Paul Goodison (1).indd 15 23/04/2013 09:25

Dinghies


This winter has been a catalogue of pitchpoles, capsizes and gear breakage

for the Nacra 17 teams

All change for British Olympic campaigners as mixed sex teams get to grips with the new Nacra 17

It’s a fascinating time in the Olympic cycle, especially with sailors of both sexes getting to grips with new boats – and each other – in the compulsory boy/girl teams for the Nacra 17 catamaran. The winter has been a

catalogue of pitchpoles, capsizes and gear breakage. But they’ve been having great fun. For full-time professionals used to honing fine details to get that extra 0.5 per cent of performance, going in at the bottom of the learning curve offers a welcome change.

Every day they go sailing they make massive steps – not always forward, sometimes two steps in the right direction and one step back – but banking valuable experience. It’s great to see Pippa Wilson back in competition after a four-year hiatus. Pippa joined the two Sarahs (Ayton and Webb) to win gold at the 2008 Games. They were unstoppable in the Yngling, but none would be part of London 2012. Hopefully we may see one or both of the Sarahs back in competition, but at least Pippa – still only 27 – is back in the saddle.

Pippa is steering, with Iain Percy’s understudy in the Star, John Gimson, at the front. As I write, the Princess Sofia Trophy is underway in Palma and of the four GBR crews, two have opted for girl helms and boy crews, and two the other way round. Which is best? Clearly too early to tell, although in a year’s time it may be that there is an accepted ‘wisdom’ in the Nacra class. One obvious comparison would be the Tornado campaigned by Carolijn Brouwer and Seb Godefroid. Carolijn did the steering with former Finn medallist Seb doing the grunt work. But the Tornado is a physically demanding boat whereas the Nacra is smaller and less loaded.

Arguably the much more interesting

question is how these male/female teams will gel at Olympic level. Examples of mixed teams in Olympic competition are few and far between, whereas for most of us weekend enthusiasts it’s probably the norm. Man and wife, boy and girlfriend travelling and competing together, what’s the big deal? We do it all the time. Personally I was in favour of a compulsory mixed 470 class too,

which was on the table before the 2016 Olympic classes were finalised last November. But when I dared suggest the idea in a boat park at a 470 Europeans a few years ago, I thought I was about to be burnt for heresy.

This was Pippa’s observation as she went into her first regatta with John in Palma. ‘It is fantastic to be faced with such a difficult challenge, mentally,

physically and with a new team mate. That is what the Olympics and life is all about – so John and I have accepted the challenge and every day is focussed on trying to become the best in the world in this new discipline.

‘It is a very large mountain to climb, and the road will be full of highs and lows, but at the moment it feels like home to be out on the water following a new dream and trying to make the best of every day.’

Meanwhile in the 470 we have the prospect of double Olympic silver medal winners, Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, competing in different boats. Nick has teamed up with Elliot Willis, who won two 470 world titles with Nic Asher; Joe has stepped into the front of Luke Patience’s boat. Joe is quite a bit smaller than Luke’s previous partner, Stu Bithell, but Rio is likely to be a good deal lighter than Weymouth.

It was for this reason that Stu jumped out of the front of the 470 into the back of a 49er. Coincidentally he’s crewed by Chris ‘Twiggy’ Grube, who is also adapting himself to the bigger physical loads of 49er crewing. Nic Asher is another ex-470 sailor enjoying the move

to the 49er. Although he won two 470 world titles, Nic has been dogged by chronic health issues in recent years, and attributed some of the problem to the incessant dieting he had to go through in order to remain

competitive as a 470 helm. Now sailing with Fynn Sterritt, Nic is loving his new skiff career, even if he probably did more capsizing in a week of 49er training than he did in a lifetime of 470 racing.

So it has been a big game of musical chairs as Team GB restructures itself for Rio, and as ever we will some mighty big talent left on the sidelines when the team for 2016 is selected.

Andy Rice

1662 Andy Rice (1).indd 16 23/04/2013 09:24

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Untitled-71 1 15/03/2013 15:00

Yachts


[HPR] would hopefully promote the development of a new breed of fast, stable boats with offshore capacity

Wonders if New York YC’s HPR rating system is the future of big boat racing?

From small acorns? That could be the case for the HPR 40 class after it debuted at Quantum Key West 2013 where nine boats competed. They ranged from a GP42 and Ker 40, through an

encouraging enclave of fi ve Farr 400s, to the two Carkeek HPR 40s which were built to the rule, ‘Decision’ and ‘Spookie’, which really dominated the leaderboard to the end.

HPR is just over a year old and has grown from the New York YC’s initiative to develop a new, more transparent rule which would hopefully promote the development of a new breed of fast, stable boats with offshore capability. The cynics will be saying it has echoes of IRM, but the rule does seem to be gaining traction with designers – most of whom are desperate for anything which might keep the cutting edge of their industry moving forwards. Though the rule was initially written by Bill Lee, one of the originators of the TP52, there is now signifi cant input from designers from the USA, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy and South Africa.

Dobbs Davis, one of the ORC’s prime movers in the development and popularisation of the rule explains: ‘The fi rst version of the HPR Rule appeared last summer, with HPR Rule developer Jim Teeters of US Sailing devising a Rule Calculator, which uses only 14 measurements on an Excel spreadsheet to yield a rating in metres, with time allowances expressed as a time-on-time TCF rating. The rule gives no credits whatsoever to any features which inhibit performance, so HPR designs are typically light, fast, and stable, with performance features seen in boats typically much larger in size.

‘So far the rule has also spawned the

development of several new designs, including a Carkeek 40 (three built), a new Botin 40 (one being built), an HPR version of the J/V 42 being offered by Hakes Marine, a Tripp 42, a Carkeek 45 (launching in April), a Fred Barrett 35 being built in Australia, the Carkeek 35, and a few other designs.

‘An updated version of the rule is due to be used in Miami for the HPR

midwinter championship. The new rule version gives more age allowance to let the Ker 40 and Farr 400 have a better chance. There’s also a few other tweaks to help them: an Economy of Scale credit given to production boats, and another tweak to the beam formulation that doesn’t punish the Ker so badly, but doesn’t help the rather narrow F400.’

At the moment trying to be as inclusive as possible is the name of the game. The core of the rule, though, is having a desired baseline boat and the handicap is calculated on differences from that benchmark.

In Miami it would appear that the tweaks to even up the advantage which the HPR Carkeek 40s had over the rest of the fl eet have been successful, but at this stage it is probably too early to tell. The Farr 400 is very much the baseline boat for the 40-footers. Patrick Shaugnessy, president of Farr Yacht Design, was sailing on ‘Chessie Racing’. He told me, ‘There has been some adjustment to the rating (of the Farr 400) since Key West. I am not sure that we know yet whether that adjustment is too little, too much or right yet because yesterday it was very light and today it was blowing off the beach, and so it made it quite diffi cult to make a real good inventory of the results. But for sure it feels more right than it did in Key West. The step is in the right direction.’

I think there is little doubt that there is a global need for HPR, but as usual there are the problems of politics and powerbases – it’s ORC and American-driven – which in effect means that it requires greater momentum to gain

worldwide traction. And at the moment I still don’t think the global economy is strong enough to support full-scale growth of an international grand prix scene. There will likely be small to medium sized enclaves of HPR style boats – e.g. it should work for the 52s in Australia - but it will be some time before there will be level rating classes of meaningful size.

Andi Robertson

1662 Andi Robertson (1).indd 18 23/04/2013 09:23

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The Rolex Fastnet Race is sailing’s equivalentof the London Marathon

1662 Fastnet (7).indd 20 23/04/2013 12:33

To The Rockand backA Rolex Fastnet Race should be on every sailor’s ‘bucket’ list, but how can you compete in this legendary 608-mile challenge? Helen Fretter gets the lowdown on this year’s offshore classic

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1662 Fastnet (7).indd 21 23/04/2013 12:33


competing in the Fastnet

The Rolex Fastnet Race is sailing’s equivalent of the London Marathon – a grueling endurance event which attracts some of the top professionals in the

sport, but also a race which to simply complete is a worthy achievement. Just like a marathon, you will perform better, be considerably safer – and have a lot more fun – if you put in the proper preparation.

The race begins from the Royal Yacht Squadron line in Cowes, on Sunday, August 11, 2013. The fleet exits the Solent (usually westward, although the committee have the option to start heading east if conditions necessitate) and passes the Needles towards Land’s End, before heading across the Irish Sea, around the Fastnet Rock, back past the Scilly Isles, and into Plymouth

– a total of 608 nautical miles.These days it is considered one of

the ‘classic’ offshore races, along with the likes of the Sydney-Hobart or Newport-Bermuda. When it began in 1925, it was criticised by some for not having the necessary open sea miles to be a true offshore. However, the challenging course – with its many tidal gates and iconic turning point around ‘The Rock’ – proved popular. It was held every year until 1931, and then became biennial. When the Admiral’s Cup was established in 1957 it was considered the pinnacle of British sailing competition and the race was a key element of the regatta until 1999.

The truly challenging nature of the Irish Sea, even in August, was most fatefully demonstrated in 1979, when conditions deteriorated to a 60-knot gale which tragically saw 25 boats lost and

15 fatalities, making the 1979 Fastnet sailing’s greatest disaster. Nowadays the race requirements include stringent safety measures to ensure both boats and crews are up to the task.

Despite the potential danger, not quite enough sleep, and the possibility of seasicknesss or hours spent kedging, the rewards are memorable. Dolphins greeting your watch change, the crew camaraderie and nonsensical jokes born of five days sharing a very small space; the awe-inspiring approach to Fastnet Rock under the lighthouse’s sweeping beam, and that first cold beer on shore in Plymouth – the experiences of a Fastnet Race more than compensate for the commitment required.

Piet Vroon is one of the race’s most enduring fans, having competed in it for so long the 83-year-old has stopped counting. ‘I believe I’ve done 20,’ he recalls. He won the race in 2001 with ‘Tonnerre de Breskens’, then a Lutra 52. ‘We hit it just right. We didn’t have any mishaps or whatever, we had a good boat and a good crew, and it was to our surprise we learned we’d won overall. But it was not all that much different to all the other races when we didn’t win. Sometimes you just get the luck right.’

Of course some things have changed since the first Fastnet races Piet competed in nearly half a century ago, ‘In earlier days people dressed up for dinner, we don’t quite do that any more; we don’t have cooks!’

entering the raceThe Rolex Fastnet Race has never been more popular. The 300-boat entry limit for IRC classes was reached in just 24 hours when RORC opened its books in January. In March, the limit was extended to 340, and with the addition of non-IRC entries such as IMOCA 60s, Class 40s, Figaros and multihulls the total fleet may well near 380. This year Plymouth Yacht Haven, with its larger capacity, will host the finishers.

Doublehanded entries are another growing

component of the race, and entry requirements

are strict, as RORC’s Nick Elliot explains: ‘We

require boats that wish to race two-handed,

and that haven’t raced with us two-handed

previously, to supply us with information about

the boat set-up, and a little bit about the two

people on board, their sailing experience.’

In 2011 Jamie Holmes finished fifth in the

doublehanded division on his first attempt and

his second ever Fastnet, having previously

competed onboard a Volvo 60. Swapping

from a dozen crew to just two onboard the

J/97 ‘Jika Jika’ brought major changes, as

Jamie recalls. ‘They were two very different

campaigns, we identified the goal, planned

the whole season, funded it between the two

of us, organised all the extra equipment in

terms of meeting the Cat 2 requirements, and

between the two of us took ownership of the

full spectrum of roles – both preparation and

on board sailing.

‘For both of us, most of our keelboat sailing

together had been in a big crew, so it was

making the adjustment from things “just

happening” with a big crew to putting a lot

of thought into all your manoeuvres, thinking

about the what-ifs and how you might handle

scenarios, and making sure that between us

we got the right amount of rest.

Two-man Fastnet

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below Maintaining race pace at manoeuvres throughout the 608-mile course is essential

1662 Fastnet (7).indd 22 23/04/2013 12:33


At the time of going to press approximately 40 boats were still on the waiting list. ‘We’ve always anticipated that somewhere in the region of 10 per cent of the fleet will turn over, maybe a little more,’ explains Nick Elliot, RORC racing manager. ‘So for the 40 boats waiting at the moment there’s quite a good chance that as the race approaches, they may well be offered a place. And we would always recommend that if they’re very keen, they make all the normal preparations, so they do the 300 miles of racing to qualify them, and they ensure that the team is trained and that the boat is ready for offshore Category 2 racing.’

For sailors not yet committed to a campaign but hoping to get a berth he adds: ‘There’s a strong chance that

places will come up on the boats that are already entered in the race, as well as a turnover of the actual boats. We have a “crew wanted” and a “crew looking for places” on our website and we advise people to upload a bit of

information about themselves on that.’Whilst last minute changes are

permitted, there are strict entrance criteria. ‘We understand that there will be crew changes probably quite close to the race, and we allow that as long

as they still meet the criteria of the Notice of Race, which is that at least 50 per cent of them, have sailed 300 miles on that boat together.

‘It has to be that crew, on that boat, within a year of the start of the race.

So it’s basically to ensure that the core of the crew know each other, know the boat and have significant recent experience on that boat.’

In addition, at least 30 per cent (no fewer than two, and including

Two-man Fastnet‘I really enjoy sailing as part of a team,

but the whole offshore responsibility and

self-sufficiency is only more amplified when

you’re short-handed and it’s a very satisfying

process. Particularly in a race like the Fastnet

where a big chunk of the miles are coastal,

there’s some huge tidal gates, a lot of sailing

in amongst other boats, navigational hazards,

and some quite stressful moments.

‘What amazed us was that we found all the

qualifiers significantly harder than the race

itself. Partly because all the qualifiers we did

were really, really windy! But also because all

the qualifiers were between 16 hours and 30

hours or so, which was really difficult to get into

any routine and we were competing against

fully crewed boats where a lot of people stay

up all the time. On the Fastnet you have to

go through that cycle of rest, you have much

longer to settle into routines.’

Having said that, Jamie’s top tip for

doublehanded crews is to do more mileage

than required. ‘Try and go offshore for a

longer period of time than any of the RORC

qualifiers, try and do a minimum of 48 hours

offshore so you can get into the routine.

Because our boat is sailed a lot with a full

crew, we actually needed to build up a

separate set of two-handed polars, and that

takes a lot sailing time.’

Entry requirements stipulate the minimum experience needed, but it’s worth investing much more

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1662 Fastnet (7).indd 23 23/04/2013 12:33



the skipper in charge) must have completed the ISAF Offshore Special Regulations Section 6 training (which includes use of safety equipment and storm sails, heavy weather sailing and MOB situations etc) and at least one crew member must have up to date First Aid training or be a medic.

Going beyondWhilst the entry requirements stipulate the minimum experience needed, to really get the most out of a Fastnet campaign it’s worth investing much more.

The British Keelboat Academy will once again see young sailors take on the Fastnet challenge, as Ash Holmes, the Academy’s head coach explains. ‘We’re trying to get them into as many offshore events as possible to prep. It’s the simple things, getting into your

routines, the watch system, making sure you keep on top of your nutrition and intake of fluid, and continually pushing themselves even when the weather’s quite bad and they’ve got quite a lot of fatigue. So the key thing is doing those smaller events in the build up.

‘I try and put our guys through as much as we can, so a lot of them have done their VHF course, Sea Survival, First Aid courses etc. What we try and do is provide them with as much experience as possible so in a worst case scenario you’re qualified to deal with the situation.’

Sailing Logic, who have won ‘Best School Boat Trophy’ in the past four Fastnet Races as well as scoring impressive class results, also advocate going beyond the minimum requirements. Allie Smith, who has 11

Key stages in the Fastnet course

Start: this year’s start will be

particularly critical with a record entry.

A conservative approach may pay off

– residents of Cowes are all too familiar

with the soul-destroying sight of OCS

crews attempting to sail back against

the tide while 300 rivals scoot off in the

opposite direction.

The Solent: the fleet will usually ride a

tidal slingshot through Hurst Narrows

and out past the Needles. Avoiding

Gurnard Ledge and the usual Solent

hazards is key on the first 16nm of the

race.

Tidal ‘gates’: the tide races around

the headlands of Dorset, Devon and

Cornwall, and hitting these gates at

the right time can be a race-deciding

move. The first headland is Anvil Point,

off Swanage where a strong tidal

race runs diagonally off the headland

which boats will be hoping to ride

as long as possible. The next gate is

Portland Bill, where hugging the shore

often brings the risk of light winds. After

crossing Lyme Bay, Start Point can also

be a deciding moment in the race

depending how well established the

sea breeze is. The final headland is The

Lizard, with huge tides and a boat-

breaking shoreline to contend with.

Irish Sea: the race is far from over as

boats enter the Irish Sea, with the line

of approach dependent on Atlantic

pressure systems which can cause

significant wind bends. Where to

cross the shipping channels is also a

key consideration. Land’s End to the

Fastnet is the longest leg, at 170nm.

Fastnet Rock: the iconic moment

of the race, rounding the Fastnet

lighthouse signifies turning for home

(and into the path of oncoming

boats).

Bishop’s Rock: the Scilly Isles,

especially in clement conditions, offer

some of the most stunning waters

British sailors are likely to experience,

but they are also peppered with

shipwrecks. There can be a tidal

advantage to tucking into shore here

but the coastline is unforgiving in the

extreme. From Fastnet Rock to the

Scillies is 154nm.

Plymouth: the final approach can see a

parking lot situation develop in light winds,

tidal awareness and concentration are

key in the last few miles.

Point to point

1662 Fastnet (7).indd 24 23/04/2013 12:33


Sailing Logic yachts entered in this year’s race, fields teams which often include sailors with no offshore experience:

‘They don’t need to have any racing experience at all. That’s why we do such a comprehensive training programme – two training weekends, plus four qualifying races, They do the St Malo, the Eddystone as well as the Channel Race and Morgan Cup, so they’re getting four good races in, and at the end of it they’ve got 500-550 racing miles under their belt, which is nearly twice what RORC is asking for.

‘A lot of it’s down to safety, we want to make sure that everybody on board the boat has had as much time on the water as possible. But giving them more experience on the water gives them a better chance of being competitive as well.’

Utilising the delivery trips back from qualification races to bolster all-round skills on board is a tip any boat can benefit from. ‘Being able to teach the guys coming back from the Channel races on the finer points of helming, of trimming or nav and meteorology, that makes them better all round sailors,’ comments Allie. ‘We don’t just want the guys to come onboard, do the race, get off and they haven’t learnt anything apart from sitting on the rail or trimming a jib.’ Given that races can be cancelled or boats may fail to finish due to conditions, factoring in extra events is a sensible contingency plan to

secure the qualification mileage.Organisation for any Fastnet

campaign is key. ‘We’ve logistically done everything now until the crew arrive for the first training weekend – down to restaurant bookings in Hamble for training weekends, booking vans for the end of the race to take crew bags and delivery sails down, hotels have been booked in Plymouth, we’ve got our boil in the bag food ordered, all that sort of thing,’ explains Allie. ‘The whole thing about doing a campaign is not leaving

The whole thing about doing a campaign is not leaving things to the last minute

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leFt Keep your eyes out of the boat during the crowded early stages as the fleet exits the Solent

below Familiarity with the Squadron line and RORC starting procedures can be a benefit

1662 Fastnet (7).indd 25 23/04/2013 12:33



This year the tri-service initiative, and Yachts

& Yachting’s charitable partner for 2013, Toe

in the Water, will for the fi rst time include a

project enabling wounded and injured service

personnel to compete in one of the world’s

most arduous offshores, the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The project, named ‘Team Endeavour’, is

funded by the Team Army Sports Foundation

and will see Toe in the Water loan its Farr 52

to a team of ‘graduates’ led by Capt Pete

Hayward (who was injured in Afghanistan in

2010) and the charity’s director of racing, Capt

Lloyd Hamilton MBE Royal Engineers. Skippering

‘Team Endeavour’ will be the last offshore race

Capt Hamilton will compete in before he is

deployed to Afghanistan on his fourth tour in

October 2013.

‘The majority of the crew will be selected

from wounded and injured service personnel

who have either already been through a Toe

in the Water programme, ‘graduates’, or those

who have acquired some sailing experience

via another route,’ explains Lloyd Hamilton,

‘Racing offshore will be a new experience

for the charity and we are really excited to

be able to facilitate this event, enabling the

crews to push themselves even further in such

a gruelling race.’

The team will be posting blogs, videos and

photos along the way, as Lloyd explains, ‘We

want to share the incredible journey these

young men and women will be undertaking

on the Rolex Fastnet and are fortunate to

have the technology available to bring this

adventure to life.’

To learn more visit www.toeinthewater.org

Toe in the Irish Sea

See RORC’s special fi rst-timers’ guide

to the race at http://fastnet.rorc.org

RORC is also running lectures on

Planning, Prioritsing and Performing

for the Rolex Fastnet 2013, with Libby

Greenhalgh on June 11, and Rolex

Fastnet Race Preparation with B&G

on June 25.

LEARN MORE

things to the last minute – that includes boat prep, checking your rigging, making sure your sails have been to the sailmaker, and you’re ready to go.’

Nick Elliot also recommends that crews should familiarise themselves with the safety drills on their yacht - particularly man overboard. ‘And the RORC prescriptions for when lifejackets and harnesses should be worn; so that they’re aware of it and it’s very natural. The key times are any time during the night when on deck, when alone on deck, when the mean windspeed is over 25 knots, when the boat is reefed, and when there is less than one-mile visibility. At all those times it’s mandatory for the crew to all be wearing their lifejackets and harnesses.’

For any skipper unsure about whether their boat fulfi ls the requirements – which this year includes a compulsory Cat 2 MOB alarm – he adds: ‘We understand that the regulations, and certainly the Special Regulations for offshore safety, can be very wordy and complicated. We’re quite happy for them to give us a ring and talk through any queries that they may have, and we’re also very happy to send along one of the RORC safety inspectors to have a chat with them on board their boat and actually look through their safety equipment, talk about the procedures that they run on the boat and offer any advice that we can.’ ph

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Yachting Pages 230x300Ad.pdf 1 2/20/13 12:38 PM

28 Yachts & Yachting June 201328 Yachts & Yachting June 2013

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June 2013 Yachts & Yachting 29 June 2013 Yachts & Yachting 29

50 MILES, 60 PRIZES82 YEARS, 1,850 BOATS

16,000 SAILORS

The winners of the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race often come from opposite ends of the fl eet, pursue diff erent strategies and may have very diff erent experiences

of the race. Rupert Holmes looks that the challenges that each will face…

DAVIDOR GOLIATH?

1662 RTI Tips (5).indd 29 24/04/2013 08:47


Round the Island

Whatever size of boat you race round the Isle of Wight, the essential fundamentals of winning a

boat race, such as meticulous boat preparation, remain the same. Similarly, communication, teamwork and slick manoeuvring in whatever conditions you may encounter on the day are all important. A serious campaign therefore begins a long time before the race, although much of the early preparation needed is no different to that required for any regular racing programme.

If you’re serious about doing well, it pays to start the weekend a day early so you can check the boat out in every detail and reacquaint yourself with the startline. Even regulars will not have started a race on the extended Royal Yacht Squadron line since the middle of last summer. The transit that marks the line will be lit on the Friday before the race, so you can get the feel of the line again. It’s worth doing this from inshore and offshore ends, as well as while sailing along the line. You can time this early Friday evening such that the tide will be at the same strength as during your start on Saturday morning.

The startOn the day, the big boats are always off first, to ease congestion around the course, however, there are some aspects that affect both early and late starters equally. This year, for instance, they will have very similar tidal streams at the start. The fastest IRC boats will be off at 0500hrs, roughly an hour before high water Portsmouth, when

the stream will have already started to set west.

The island end of the line gives the shorter route to Hurst Narrows, saving a few hundred metres, although for all classes the strongest stream at the start will be roughly one-third of the distance out from the shore. In such a big fleet it’s rarely advantageous to press too strongly for starting at the most advantaged part of the line – there’s no chance of finding clean air among the tight bunch of boats that will be clustered here. Instead, aim to start close to the favoured spot, but clear of the pack. As well as giving you the best chance of clean air at the gun, this strategy also makes it easier to stay

in a clean lane as you head down the western Solent.

Later startsAs the starting sequence progresses, the slower boats will have to contend with a faster stream, making it easy to be carried over the line. If high pressure is dominating, the early morning wind may well be light north-easterly, making it a light airs running start. If this is the case, be doubly careful not to be early – it may be impossible to return against the tide and there are time penalties for those who don’t, or can’t, return.

Maintaining clean air after the start is just as important for a small boat as for the early starters, but with many more boats this is a bigger challenge. The key is to keep your eyes out of the boat, so that you can spot every opportunity and threat to your clean air.

Tackling the NeedlesBy this stage, unless it is very light airs, the big boats will already be well down the Solent, with a strong favourable stream as they approach Hurst narrows. It’s well known that the strongest stream runs close to Yarmouth, and along the island shore as far as Sconce north cardinal buoy. It then moves to the north shore at Hurst, continuing along the north side of the channel right on the edge of the Shingles bank.

However, many competitors, among them some very good sailors, overstand the Needles, often needlessly throwing away a few hundred metres. ph

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1662 RTI Tips (5).indd 30 24/04/2013 08:47


In a race in which less than 60 seconds can make the difference between a dozen places on corrected time, this can cost dearly.

The next decision, whether or not to attempt the narrow gap inshore the wreck of the ‘Varvassi’, will vary for boats at each end of the fl eet. For the deepest draught vessels there’s no option – they must go outside. However any boat with a draught of less than about 2.6m has enough depth to get through the centre of the 60m wide gap between the wreck and Goose Rock.

It’s worth keeping in mind that the shortcut is a high risk move, with a relatively minor gain. Most boats opting for the safe offshore route sail much further to the west of the wreck than is necessary – the three remaining heavy lumps of metal, the remains of the ‘Varvassi’s’ boilers, are spread over a distance of less than 300m.

You should only be tempted to take a boat through the gap if not crowded by other vessels that restrict options for manoeuvring. In addition, you need to be well set up on a line for the gap in advance, monitored on an on-deck chart plotter viewed at a detailed scale.

By the time the slowest IRC boats reach the Needles, the fl eet is usually tightly packed, so there’s less likelihood of fi nding a safe approach to the gap between the Needles and the wreck.

Fighting the tideThe tidal gate at The Needles shuts a little after 1100, giving even the latest

starters four hours to cover the 13 miles to the western corner of the Isle of Wight. However, the early starters will have been fi ghting the full strength of the west-going tide after rounding the Needles.

The temptation on this leg will be to head close inshore. While there are instances of this being a winning move, the tall cliffs in Scratchells Bay create large windless areas, whether the breeze is offshore or onshore. The progress of boats ahead of you is a good indication of how close to shore it’s possible to

get without losing wind here – but the boats at the head of the fl eet must accept they are the guinea pigs in this.

Once comfortably past Freshwater Bay it’s often worth closing the shore, but watch for Brook and Atherfi eld Ledges – these stretch a considerable distance offshore and it will be getting towards low water when much of the fl eet passes here. The front-runners will need to remain close inshore between St Catherine’s Point and Dunnose, as they will be fi ghting the tide here. It’s important to be aware that it’s a rocky shore, with depths giving only limited advance warning of grounding. An on-

deck chartplotter is certainly useful – the pecked ‘limiting danger line’ clearly shows the extent of the dangers along this coast.

Given a strong wind with a westerly component this can be the roughest part of the course – and will also be the one in which a gybe will be necessary. If your crew is not well-drilled at manoeuvres in big winds and seas offshore, it may be faster to drop the spinnaker, gybe and then rehoist – broaches can be a spectacular. It’s worth remembering that a number of

competitors went overboard here in 2011 and, although all were successfully recovered, some spent more time in the water than would be desirable.

Once past Dunnose and into Sandown Bay the tidal stream is weaker, but fi rst you have to negotiate the wind changes at Dunnose. These can be particularly marked in strong westerlies, which tend to bend around the headlands at St Catherine’s and Dunnose. However, in Sandown Bay the breeze funnels between the hills, blowing directly off the land. The most common pattern is for the breeze to become increasingly patchy, but with

Many competitors, among them somevery good sailors, overstand at the Needles

AboVe St Catherine’s Point on the south side of the island is a key landmark

1662 RTI Tips (5).indd 31 24/04/2013 08:47


Round the Island

strong gusts, once just past Dunnose. After a 200-500m wide light patch you will then move into the new stronger breeze, which can head you by 30 degrees or more – be ready for a quick spinnaker drop here if necessary.

By the time the leaders are in Sandown Bay the smallest IRC boats will still be making their way along the island’s south-west shore. Although they will be here much later than the big boats, they will still gain a tidal advantage by staying inshore once past Freshwater Bay. Initially the benefi t will be a weaker adverse stream, but as the morning wears on they will pick up the favourable inshore back-eddy. This starts close to the north-west of St Catherine’s at around 0745 – three hours before the main stream starts to set to the east. By 0945 this eddy will extend along to coast as far as Brighstone.

Bembridge to RydeBy the time leaders are approaching Bembridge Ledge the fl eet will be very spread out, with the back markers possibly not yet out of the Solent. The rocks here are only marginally clear of the rhumb line route between Dunnose and the Bembridge Ledge east cardinal buoy that forms a mark of the course. The ledge extends well offshore and

shelves steeply at its outer end – caution is vital if you’re inside the rhumb line.

Before rounding the East Cardinal buoy you should already have a strategy for tackling Ryde Sands in mind, as this will determine your course after rounding the mark. The tide doesn’t start setting to the west here until after 1400, so much of the fl eet will again be fi ghting an adverse stream here.

On the approach to Ryde Sands most boats will fi nd suffi cient depth providing they stay outside the two red

posts that mark the sands – least depth on this route at low water should be around 3m, however, the very deepest draught craft may need to stay outside No Man’s Land Fort if they are here near low water. The northern edge of the sands – from the western-most red beacon onwards – shelve very steeply and every year boats run aground here. While it will be possible for some to cut inside the fi rst red post, the second one is within a few metres of the drying bank. If short-tacking against the tide along the northern edge of the bank

keep a careful eye on the depth on the inshore tack and hail other boats in good time if you will need a number of them to tack before you can do so.

Keep focusedOnce past Ryde Sands, even the front-runners will be liable to lapses of concentration, so it’s possible for the best teams to pick up valuable places between here and the fi nish. If it’s a slow race, there will be a west-going tide sweeping the back markers towards the fi nish from around 1640 until shortly after the time limit.

This year the useful short cut at high water that the most shallow draught boats can use to cut inside the outer part of Ryde Sands won’t be available unless the race is very slow – high water here is not until around 1840.

This route is not for the faint-hearted – it passes inshore of the outer part of the bank that is not navigable. However, if the weather forecast is for very light weather it would be worth checking it out on the spring tides of the weekend before the race.

If it’s hard for the fastest crews to stay focused, it’s a much bigger challenge for crews of the smallest boats, who are racing for many more hours, and may only have three people on board. It’s vital to pace yourself around the course, rotating roles and keeping well fed and hydrated. On a hot sunny day this will involve lots of cold drinks, plus sun block and hats, but on a cold rainy one, a fl ask or two of tea or coffee will revive fl agging spirits enough to make a tangible difference to performance.

Keeping in clean air in this part of the course will have been relatively easy for the fastest boats, but the smallest IRC entries usually get mixed with many much larger cruising boats in the ISC rating fl eet. This makes fi nding and staying in a clean lane a much more diffi cult task and one that at least one crew member should be dedicated to. As well as looking at boats ahead, it’s also important to keep an eye on those that overtake from behind.

Finally, make sure you know well in advance which line you need to fi nish on – and identify the line other boats around you will be heading for. While the race committee does an excellent job of recording fi nishers, it’s sometimes impossible to see every boat on a crowded line. For this reason, you need to record your fi nish time and the sail number of the boat immediately ahead and astern, and fi le these with your declaration after the fi nish.

On a light air day in which a sea breeze may form, keep a look out for the fi rst signs of the overnight offshore wind dying and a sea breeze building. The boats that make the right call on this will always get a signifi cant advantage.

TIP BOX: SEA BREEZE?

Pace yourself around the course, rotatingroles and keeping well fed and hydrated

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1662 RTI Tips (5).indd 32 24/04/2013 13:14

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Hallof Fame

Some sailors make a career out of going fast – whether it’s breaking records or demolishing the opposition

THE spEEdsTErs

Hallof Fame

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Rohan Veal led a revolution that reinvigorated the International Moth class. The Aussie sailor from Melbourne persisted with mastering the innovative use of hydrofoils on the development class. Collaborating with others on the foil, hull and sail design, Rohan then used these to perfection, culminating in his exceptional victory of the 2005 International Moth World Championships where he won every race using foils under varied conditions – in what was the most dominating performance in the history of the class. This incredible feat made sailing history as he was the first ever sailor to win a world championship on hydrofoils. Since then foils have become the norm in the class, and have led to a strong international growth as amateur and professional sailors alike have been inspired by the challenge of flying above the water.

Rohan Veal

Paul LarsenAustralian-born Paul Larsen has a history of sailing some of the wildest and fastest boats to grace the oceans. After delivering the 86ft ‘Commodore Explorer’ to Japan with Skip Novak he stayed onboard as crew for the successful 1998 Trans-Pacific attempt with Bruno Peyron. Inspired, Paul went in search of bigger and faster boats still, from 60ft trimarans to the revolutionary ‘Team Philips’, upon

which he crewed with Pete Goss until its untimely demise. When Paul Larsen launched the first Sailrocket in 2002, there were many doubters. But the boat looked amazing from the outset, and despite major crashes he persevered through to the development of the Mark 2 design, which eventually became the fastest sailing craft in the world in November 2012. Paul Larsen has to be the ultimate speed sailor.

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Hallof Fame

Few sailors can beat Cammas’ winning record – the winner of the last Volvo Ocean Race can count 34 victories and 61 podium places from 74 races, including six ORMA world championship wins. His list of world records is no less impressive – at various times this has included the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest crewed circumnavigation, the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race, North Atlantic crossing, 24-hour distance and the Miami to New York record.

He is a household name in France, having been supported by Paris-based international insurance group Groupama since winning the Solitaire du Figaro in 1997, at the tender age of 24. Despite his fame, he is actively engaged at many levels in the sport – earlier this year, for instance, he won the 2013 French match racing championship, sailing relatively small sportsboats.

On winning the Volvo Ocean Race, he said: ‘This is an epic dream, which has come true today and I can honestly say that I didn’t think we would win on our first attempt! This first crewed race around the world was about learning the ropes prior to a planned second participation. We were here to discover the scene without any pressure on our shoulders, but to win was a surprise to everyone, despite putting a huge amount of work into the race.’

Franck Cammas

The Australian designer Frank Bethwaite inspired a generation of skiffs and never tired of speed. His aeronautical background made him a unique yacht designer – his real thing was foils. The sum of his knowledge was laid into the prototype 49er, designed by his son Julian, and the 29er, which was put through a much more intensive and extensive process by Frank and others to optimise its performance, righting ability, and weight tolerance. His book ‘High Performance Sailing’ is regarded by many as the definitive work of sailing speed.

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Thomas Coville has seven circumnavigations under his belt. Since 2007 he has been speeding around the planet on his 105ft multihull ‘Sodebo’, in which he scooped a number of records over the years, and still holds the singlehanded transatlantic record, sailing from New York to Lizard Point in five days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds (set in 2009), as well as the singlehanded Miami to New York and non-stop round Britain and Ireland records. His long-term goal is to beat the record for solo sailing around the world. More recently the ‘Sodebo’ skipper has just confirmed his choice of boatyard Multiplast to undertake the work to trasform the maxi-trimaran ‘Geronimo’ ready to compete in a range of races, the first objective being the 2014 Route du Rhum.

In February 2004 Joyon shot to fame when he shattered the solo round the world record by more than 20 days, achieving a time just short of 72 days and 23 hours. What made this achievement all the greater is that his 90ft trimaran ‘Idec’ (formerly ‘Sport Electric’) had previously won the fully-crewed Jules Verne Trophy on the same route in a time only one day shorter than Joyon’s.

After wrecking the original ‘Idec’ after falling asleep off the Brittany coast, Joyon built a new boat, designed at the outset for singlehanded long distance sailing. He set off for another singlehanded circumnavigation in November 2007, completing the voyage in 57 days and shaving almost 14 days off Ellen MacArthur’s record.

Joyon has a well-earned reputation as a determined singlehander, which sees him achieving things at the age of 57 that many younger people would not attempt. Two years ago, for instance, he collided with a navigation mark shortly after leaving New York on an attempt at the solo trans-Atlantic record. In a situation in which others might have called for outside assistance, he returned under sail to a mooring in New York harbour, jumping into the water with the bowline to secure the boat to the mooring. He then dived to replace the propeller he had previously removed to eliminate drag, so that he could manoeuvre under power when he reached Brooklyn Marina.

Thomas Coville

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Hallof Fame

An amateur dinghy sailor that seems to be able to jump in almost any boat and make it go fast, Nick Craig has won the UK dinghy ‘champion of champions’ event, the Endeavour Trophy, four times. He has dominated many UK dinghy classes for nearly a generation, racking up seven world titles and an astonishing 22 UK

national titles. His achievements include four OK world championships, three world titles and five national titles in Enterprises, as well as five national titles in RS400s. He also won the B14 national title in 2008, the Finn national title in 2005 – both at the first attempt, and the Phantom national title in 2010.

Nick Craig

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A high-profile adventurer and businessman, Fosset attempted 116 world records, including 23 sailing world records and nine distance race records before his untimely death when his aircraft crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains in 2007.

His records include the first solo flight across the Pacific Ocean in a hot-air balloon in 1995. He followed that with the first ever solo round the world balloon flight in 2002, succeeding at his sixth attempt. It’s telling that he took out insurance against completing a circumnavigation by balloon – which reputedly paid out US$3 million after he was successful.

Two years later, he was back in a yacht – the giant multihull ‘Cheyenne’ (formerly ‘Playstation’), in which he wrested the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest ever fully-crewed circumnavigation. This marked the culmination of more than a decade of speed sailing that included shattering the trans-Atlantic record, shaving more than 25 per cent off the previous best time.

In 2005 he completed the first ever non-stop solo circumnavigation in an aircraft and then went on to attain the highest-ever altitude in a glider, a staggering 50,671 feet. Before he died, Fossett commissioned the build of a submarine in which he intended to be the first solo submariner to reach the 10,000m-deep Challenger Deep near Guam in the south-western Pacific, the deepest known point on the ocean floor.

Steve FossettAlain Thébault

Thébault is one of the great modern-day innovators in sailing, having spent more than three decades relentlessly pursuing the development of foiling multihulls. His early work was with the late Eric Tabarley – one of the great names in French offshore racing. More than 20 years elapsed between their initial one-third scale model, that hit speeds of 35 knots, and the first record that was broken by the full-scale ‘Hydroptere’. This was the outright sailing speed record, at an average of 50.17 knots over one nautical mile in 2005.

When in full foiling mode, the amas of this trimaran are five metres above the sea, with only 2.5 square metres

of the giant boat touching the water. Once the foils start working, at around 10 knots of boat speed, acceleration is dramatic – leaping from 25 to 45 knots in only 10 seconds. The loads to which the foils are subjected are equally impressive – they peak at twice the loads in the wings of fighter aircraft.

At the moment ‘Hydroptere’s’ speed potential appears to be limited to a little over 50 knots – the speed at which cavitation around the foil becomes a significant issue. However, Thébault’s team will doubtless be able to overcome this, as Larsen’s team so successfully did. In the meantime, ‘Hydroptere’ is poised for breaking trans-ocean records – watch this space!

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Ian WilliamsWhile many of our other speedsters specialise in straight line or long-distance speed, Williams’ speciality is getting round a short course quickly. He became a professional sailor after taking a year’s sabbatical from his job as a lawyer and by the end of that year had won the World Match Racing Tour and the Match Racing World Championship. That year was pivotal in another respect – at the St Moritz Match Race he met Andrew Pindar, who became Williams’ sponsor, meaning he didn’t need to return to his law career.

Since then, Williams has won the

same title on three further occasions, equalling America’s Cup legend Peter Gilmour’s record. With Gilmour having announced his retirement this year, the way is open for Williams’ continued near-domination of the match racing title. He also successfully made the transfer to multihulls, in the Extreme Sailing Series, and is well known on the professional big boat circuit as a regatta winning tactician in many big boat classes. He has been shortlisted once for the ISAF World Sailor of the Year Award and twice for the British YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award. ph

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1662 Hall of Fame (5).indd 38 23/04/2013 09:49

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Peter Holmberg

1662 Peter Holmberg (3).indd 40 23/04/2013 09:47


Match racing mindset

If ever there was a team sport that required everyone on board to succeed, it is match racing

Peter Holmberg is without doubt the most successful sailor from the Caribbean, having won both silver and bronze at the Olympic Games and raced in three

America’s Cups, including winning with Alinghi in 2007. However, Holmberg is best known for his prowess on the World Match Racing Tour in which he has competed for over a decade, winning the tour in 2002 and many major other major match racing events.

What has been your path to success?My path to winning the World Match Race Tour started with a simple invitation sent to the Virgin Islands Sailing Association inviting teams to the ISAF Nations Cup. The opportunity to represent my small nation of the Virgin Islands against all the nations of the world was the same desire that lead me down the Olympic path to my silver medal. I also liked the concept of match racing: the short course, spectator-friendly format, where the sport of sailing had the opportunity to be more visible to the general public.

We finished second in the inaugural Nations Cup, and I was hooked on match racing. I built a local team of

ragamuffins, pursued every opportunity to attend events, chased down sponsors to fund the campaign, and started winning. Sure enough this led to new opportunities, and ultimately getting involved with the America’s Cup, where the budget and the collection of talent enables you to take everything to a higher level. I ultimately reached the top, winning the Match Racing World Tour while working with Oracle Racing, so I must thank Larry Ellison and his organisation for allowing me the chance.

But ultimately I owe my success to all the crew that helped get me there, because if ever there was a team sport, one that required everyone on board to succeed, it is match racing.

What does it take to succeed?Match racing is a truly unique discipline within our sport of sailing. In fleet racing, the critical components to winning are speed and tactics. Match racing also requires speed and tactics, but introduces a distinct new dynamic to the game: a duel with one opponent. Your team versus his. Win or lose. One on one.

What are the key components to winning?Race strategy, boat handling, and rules knowledge. Successful match racing starts with developing a particular strategy for each race, the weather conditions, and the strengths and weaknesses of your opponent. Once you have a strategy, it is then about positioning, and where you place yourself relative to your opponent. And because of the close contact duelling with your opponent, it forces you to learn the rules.

Although match racing focuses on these unique skills, your team must also be able to sail fast and smart, plus be able to perform every manoeuvre flawlessly. This is what makes match racing such a great discipline within our sport. It forces you to master all the fundamental skills of sailing, and then the winning difference comes down to the match race skills. Furthermore, because each event uses a different boat, you and your team gain the key skill of learning how to make a boat go fast; finding the balance, sail shape, and sailing modes that make a boat sail fast.

How valuable is teamwork?Match racing also places a premium on good crew work, with constant manoeuvres and short course racing. The team that can perform the

Champion match racer Peter Holmberg reveals the secrets of

success to Louay Habib



Peter Holmberg

manoeuvre better, gains that slight advantage that gives them control of the match. Teams train to fi nd the most effi cient way of stopping, accelerating, tacking, gybing, hoisting, etc. These condensed drills for every basic manoeuvre in sailing makes everyone a better sailor. And all of this is what makes match racing the absolute best form of racing within our sport.

How important is preparation?To win at the game of match racing requires total commitment. Your fi rst step, as in all successful projects, is to design and plan the campaign. This

starts with the people, selecting the right team that has the personality, talent, and commitment to do a winning campaign. Next is the training, putting in the time to become expert in match racing, with the right drills, practice opponents, and regatta schedule.

How important is your state of mind?Once on the water, the winning formula requires the right mindset. Enjoying the game of sailing, not allowing expectations to ruin your efforts, managing stress so that it does

not keep you from achieving peak performance. Because match racing involves lots of short 15-30 minute races, it provides a great opportunity to change and improve your game. This allows you to learn from mistakes, adjust your game, and learn how to rebound from setbacks.

Match Race GermanyLangenargen, May 15-20Boat: Bavaria 40s

Korea Match CupGyeonggi-do, South Korea, May 28-June 2Boat: mKM36

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CM Y&Y 16.04.13.indd 1 16/04/2013 12:36

43_YY_0613.indd 17 24/04/2013 13:12

The International 14 fl eet is fast-paced and fast-changing. Andy Partington tells andy rice how he kept up to speed to win the Europeans, 25 years since his fi rst debut in the class

STAYING ONTHE PACE

1662 International 14s (6).indd 44 23/04/2013 09:46

Some of the developments over the last few years have all made it easier to sail when you have a slightly, er, more mature disposition!

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Winning moves

The year 1989 looms large in the history of the International 14 class, and in the life and times of one of the most successful Fourteeners of the modern

era, Andy Partington. ‘It was the year I did my first regatta in the 14, so I’ve been in the class for 24 years now, and so I have been racing for as many years as my crew’s age!’ His crew being his son Tom, who you might have deduced was also born in 1989.

It was also 1989 when the International 14s and the Australian 14ft Skiffs met for a combined world championship in San Francisco, and which paved the way for merging the established International 14 fleets in the northern hemisphere with the 14-foot Skiffs down-under. ‘That was the new era of dinghy sailing started,’ he says. ‘It was the first time you had 14s racing all around the world. Sailing

against the Australians that year, that was the first time we used asymmetric kites. We had recently moved to twin trapeze and if you look at all the new dinghies that have appeared in the last 24 years, you can pretty much trace the roots back to that regatta.

‘But the 14s today are so much more sophisticated now than they were because we didn’t have carbon rigs or anything like that – they came a little bit later. The boats were converted from being single-trapeze with symmetrical spinnaker, so there was still a long way to go. I remember the time the Laser 5000 came out and thinking that was a major threat to the 14. But you look at a Laser 5000 and what a 14 looks like now – and they look like they’re from different centuries. Looking back at that event in 1989, it was the start of a big change in dinghy sailing.’

Twenty-four years on and you

might wonder how Partington has managed to stay at the top of such an athletically demanding boat. Despite Andy’s advancing years, if anything it’s the big breeze that the Partingtons revel in, with Andy’s ‘no prisoners’ approach earning him the moniker of ‘Spurs’. So how has he managed to stay at the front despite edging into his 50s? ‘I think some of the developments in the boat over the last few years – the crew taking the mainsheet, for example, the efficiencies of the rig and the lightness of the boat – have all made it easier to sail when you have a slightly, er, more mature disposition!’

Pick and chooseAside from great boat handling, success in the 14 doesn’t come without top boatspeed. New developments come along every year, although many of them don’t necessarily mean progress. Some so-called developments

above Andy and Tom Partington’s Phil Morrison-designed Ovington-built Pickled Egg hull



prove to be blind alleys, and the key is knowing which of the latest trends and ideas are worth the investment of time and money, and which to leave alone. ‘A few years ago I always used to take the view of being more of a bystander – looking at what different people were doing and making assessment of that at the right time, buying the right sails, or foils just before the championships, because you were looking at what other people have done and what had worked. That was always my way of doing it. Because I came from a one-design background, I wasn’t really that sort of true build-something-in-your-garage development type of person. Most of the time I made some good decisions with that approach.

‘For the last few years it’s been different, though, largely because I’ve been sailing with Tom. He did a ship science degree at Cambridge and so was very much into the theory, the

hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, and so on. We got very much into the development and we have started doing things for ourselves and tried things ourselves because we had the capabilities to do it. I must say that is a hard thing to do, and we’ve had good results from that and we also had major disasters when things go wrong.’

The 2008 worlds in Germany were one of those times when it went wrong for the Partingtons. It was a windy, wavy regatta in Warnemunde and

in boatspeed terms they had a clear edge, leading one race by more than five minutes. ‘That was a funny one because we had absolutely ballistic speed and that was because of the development we had done. But we had two gear failures in that week and if we hadn’t had those, we would have won. But we probably wouldn’t have been in that position in the first place without doing that development.

‘What’s good about the 14 is you have got people who are very successful in that class who mostly

sail in one-designs, and they buy pretty much standard products and they don’t do too much development but they sail the boats well. Then you have got all the people who look at what’s working before making their buying decisions. And then you have got other people who want to do the development themselves. You have got three different approaches, and yet sometimes you all arrive at the finish line at the same time. So there is no ‘right way’ of doing it, it’s whatever

suits you as an individual, how much time you have and what other commitments you have.’

By the time of the European Championship at Lake Como in 2012, the Partingtons had already been sailing a Phil Morrison-designed, Ovington-built Pickled Egg hull for a couple of years. In any case, not much has changed since the successful Bieker 5 design that is almost a decade old, and a modified version of which Archie Massey has used to win the last three 14 world championships. Instead the

We had absolutely ballistic speed, because of the development we had done,

but we had two gear failures

below Tom’s ship science degree has enabled the pair to experiment successfully with new foils and spars

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Winning moves

interesting areas of development have been above and below sea level. ‘We just focused on two things,’ says Partington. ‘The 14 rigs with the square-top mainsails have been progressively getting stiffer and stiffer. As that’s happened people have gone faster and faster. So we really just focused on making sure we got as stiff a rig as possible. We have got the longest spreaders in the fleet just to make that rig stand up straight and let the leech of the mainsail do the work. Our mast is probably just a fraction stiffer than others and at times that makes a real difference.

‘The other thing that we have done a lot of work on over the last two years is the rudder and particularly the flexibility of the foils and the appendages on the T-foil rudder. We discovered there is a potentially big gain in having a flexible foil in certain situations. For example at the Germany worlds when we won that windy race by six or seven minutes we had a very flexible foil on and it was incredibly fast – until it broke. So we have always been experimenting with different types of flex on the foils and the one we used in 2012 wasn’t super-flexible but it was reliable. We got to a point where we built something that was flexible enough to give us good speed but not flexible enough to self-destruct when you least needed it.’ Former Moth sailor, now a top 14 sailor in his own right, boatbuilder Sam Pascoe built the rudder for the Partingtons.

As to why flexible wings on the T-foil actually works, Andy doesn’t know. ‘My layman’s analysis – and this applies particularly in a breeze – is

it’s about the ability of the foils to flex with the dynamic nature of the boat in terms of changing its pitch, and changing its direction the whole time. The thing is moving around the whole time and that little flexibility in the foils just helps it keep it in the groove, whereas I think stiff foils can be just too tense for the dynamic nature of the boat. That’s my armchair theory! We don’t know the actual theory, we just know in practice that it works.’

Breakneck paceSo the Partingtons felt confident in their equipment, but with little sailing practice leading up to the Europeans, what was the confidence in their own sailing abilities? ‘The run into it started at the end of 2011 with the worlds in Weymouth where we had a really bad regatta. We broke the mast, and the boat didn’t perform, and we were almost at a point where we were going to stop 14 sailing, to be honest. So we did very little for about six months. But then the temptation of going to Italy and Lake Como was too much really, so I said, “Let’s do it.” I think the major difference with it is that we were better prepared with our kit. We got Sam and a few other people to help us;

the mast and the boat were absolutely bulletproof. We didn’t want the boat to fall apart again, we had had enough of that. My back had been causing me problems for a while, so I decided I was going to sort that out. I had been taking all sorts of treatment and actually I went to Como regatta feeling as fit as I have been for many years.

‘The other thing that made a difference, we had no real target set for Como, we were just going to go because it was a nice place to go to and I think two weeks before the regatta we sailed for the second time that year and we won the Itchenor Gallon. We both turned to each other and said, “Maybe we could do alright...” We went in feeling very relaxed, no pressure on ourselves, boat well prepared. Because we had no pressure on, I think we just went and did it with a relaxed attitude, and I think that probably suits us both. We may have tried a little bit too hard in the past and put pressure on ourselves. To a certain extent I think we won this regatta before we arrived because of the good boat preparation.’

As runner-up in the two most recent world championships, Roger Gilbert was probably the favourite going into

right The pair has focused on ensuring their mast is as stiff as possible: ‘...at times that makes a real difference.’

below Andy: ‘I went to Como regatta feeling as fit as I have been for many years

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Prince of Wales Cup Week, Restronguet June 22-28

Team Racing Worlds, Toronto, Canada September 9-10

Int 14 World Championships, Toronto, Canada September 13-21

2013 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Como. That said, he had recently teamed up with an old friend but new crew, Adam Brushett, so did not enjoy the same benefi ts of a long-term partnership as the Partington duo. However, it was Sam Pascoe and Toby Lewis who made the early running, winning the fi rst race. The Partingtons’ start was solid enough with all fi nishes in the top three. ‘The fi rst race we were actually leading for some of the fi rst rounds but then there was a pretty major shift and there was not a lot that we could have done, really. But it felt like even if we got something slightly wrong we had the pace to chip away and get back into it. It started to feel like as long as we didn’t make a big mistake, it was there for the taking.’

After the fi rst four races with scores of 2,3,1,3, the Partingtons really hit their stride with four back-to-back bullets. Meanwhile the usually consistent Gilbert racked up a 20th in one race. ‘Roger is a brilliant sailor but if you get him behind you, he tends to experiment maybe because he is not used to being behind. He can have a tendency to go and try something different just to get ahead of you, and I think that probably happened when he got that 20th.’

However, Gilbert and Brushett did close the gap by winning the fi nal two races, while the Partingtons fell away with a seventh and fourth, but when it was announced there would be no more races, the championship was theirs. ‘On the seventh I got a bit enthusiastic at the start and I managed to get us into a bit of a mess. They were relatively short races, and we struggled

to get back from that start, but we got back to seventh in a 35 minute race.

‘And then the fi nal race – well, if you talk to any 14 sailor that was there and ask him, “What is the most epic race you have ever raced?” they would say the long distance race in Lake Como, that last race. It started pretty light and we had a three or four mile beat up the lake almost to a point where the wind

ran out. Then we had a run back down to the bottom of the lake, which I think was about eight miles. The wind built and built and built as we went down there and we actually got into second place. Roger had capsized in front of us and we could see that it was there for the taking, but we were just a bit too close to the cliff and capsized because there was a bit of a wind eddy. That put paid to that challenge to Roger and then the breeze built to something near 25 knots and the rest of the fl eet were all going down to the leeward mark at breakneck speed. So we fi nished fourth but that was a race we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.’

Oh, CanadaWith the European Championships in the bag, Andy has well and truly got his 14 mojo back, and is now looking towards this year’s worlds in Canada. ‘We are going to do Canada and have a shot at the title. We have managed to negotiate a class deal with Paul Bieker to provide a design for his latest shape, the Bieker 6. A group of us are running a project to produce all the tooling for the B6, which is being done by Damon Roberts and Martin Jones [former 14 world champion]. We are getting all the CNC tooling built on the back of Damon

and Martin’s work in the oil and gas industry, and then we are going to license or provide that tooling to a builder – yet to be selected – in the UK to build hopefully what will be 10 or 20 boats.’

As Andy approaches his 25th year in the class, there could be no better way of celebrating his silver jubilee than with gold in the 2013 world championships.

We won this regatta beforewe arrived because of the good

boat preparation

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1662 Solo (6).indd 50 23/04/2013 09:19

Solodefence

What do you do when conditions don’t go your way? Paula Irish caught up with current Solo

national champion Andy Davis to find out

1662 Solo (6).indd 51 23/04/2013 09:19


Big fleet technique

On a freezing spring day at the sail loft in Birmingham’s Perry Barr where Andy ‘Taxi’ Davis works, he recalls the winning

factors behind his success at the 2012 Solo nationals, which took place against a stunning backdrop of sunshine, blue sea and skies at Mount’s Bay in Cornwall.

It was an event he won with a race to spare in one of the largest and most competitive one-design fleets in the UK, and he will be back to defend his title at this year’s nationals at Hayling Island in July. He is no stranger to putting in winning national performances. It is his second Solo nationals title, having first won it in 2007, and other successes have included helming to victory at the Merlin Rocket nationals in 2011, and winning the Scorpion nationals twice crewing for Tom Jeffcote.

He confesses preparation for the 2012 Solo nationals was somewhat last

minute. Winder provided a new Mark II boat and Andy managed to get out in it just once, on a weekday night at Midland SC, to put it together, sort the settings and look at the sail. There was also no chance to practise at the venue itself as he would usually. But off the start line of the first race at Mounts Bay SC, he may have been reliant on the kit, but he was quick: ‘It gave me power and pointing, everything I could want in those conditions.’

A good clean start and decent boat speed saw Andy take the first bullet of the championship in the 78-boat fleet. But it wasn’t all to go his way, and light winds began to tip the scales back against him.

Weight managementThe first day was less than six knots, while on the second day, a relatively steady 8-knot on-shore breeze saw some of the lighter 10-and-a-half-stone

overall and Matt down in 14th, so Andy remained upbeat.

‘Obviously I knew the boatspeed was there because I had a first and I was having good starts. I think in those two races where I had a sixth and a 10th I had good starts off the line but it was maybe that it was 8 knot conditions where the slightly lighter guys just get out in front.’

With day three lost due to no wind, day four provided a good offshore breeze. It was an opportunity for the heavier sailors – and fit sailors like Andy, who’d been putting in hours of running, cycling and sailing, and is currently in training for the Ironman triathlon at Tenby in September. ‘It was good sitting-out-hard hiking weather and that’s where fitness counts,’ says Andy. ‘I could sit out harder and longer and I was rounding the windward mark in the top one or

helms starting to hike out. ‘It’s hard to defend against that,’

says Andy, who at 82kg is mid-weight for a Solo. ‘I was probably struggling for a bit of pace, trying not to lose too many places. There are a lot of lightweights in the Solo and they were having their time so it was a case of waiting for the forecast to get windier... I was a good weight for the lighter stuff and knew I could carry it in the heavier stuff, so thought if we got a mixed week I would be in with a chance.’

Leading after days one and two were lightweight sailors Pete Mitchell and Tom Gillard respectively, with Andy slipping from third to fourth overall with a scoreline of 1,6,10,4. His key rivals, the heavier sailors Charlie Cumbley and defending champion Matt Howard were likewise challenged in the conditions, with Charlie in fifth

There’s a lot out there to learn and if you go from

one class to another you pick up a lot

RIGHT The first two days of the event were sailed in light winds

1662 Solo (6).indd 52 23/04/2013 12:03


two every race.’In the breezier conditions Matt and

Charlie were expected to do well and they shared a number of the top-fi ve results, but ultimately lacked the consistency of Andy, who added a 2,2,1,4 to his scoreline to establish a clear lead. The lighter weight sailors who’d started the week with some of the highest scores started to slide down the leader board.

Wave sailingGoing into the penultimate race, Andy had to fi nish within four places of Charlie to take the title. It didn’t start so well, as he rounded the top mark in the teens in the 20-knot breeze, but he says: ‘If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s not over ‘til it’s over, is it? I just kept plugging away; I knew I could catch most of these guys and because it was blowing offshore there were gusts

and shifts to be had.‘On one run I went from eighth to

second after I picked the left-hand side. Quite a few boats and Charlie had gone down the right-hand side and as I came round the windward mark there was some good pressure on the left, so I gybed into it and stuck with that and worked my nuts off down that run. When I gybed to come back across to Charlie I found myself on the inside of him and a boat length in front. I had water easy and I just covered him up the next beat and ended up sailing away down the next two reaches and that was it, job was done.’

Andy fi nished the race second behind Matt Howard, and a place ahead of Charlie, giving him the title with a race to spare. ‘Grabbing that second in race nine was a relief,’ he says. ‘I just did not give up and I think if I hadn’t been fi t enough there’s no way I would have

Andy was sailing the Winder II with a HD radial laminate mainsail with carbon battens – which are lighter and improve leech response – using a Selden D+ mast, designed to be stiffer fore and aft but softer sideways, making the rig more dynamic upwind in waves.

The mast foot position was 3070mm, measured from outside of the transom to the front edge of the mast, the shrouds just in tension 10mm off the back of the gate, and the forestay in tension with the mast touching the back of the gate, with the mast chocked back at all times.

‘It was a more raked set-up than what we’ve used in previous years and we’re doing that to try and gain a bit more speed upwind, trading a bit of height for a bit more speed. And certainly downwind if you can get the technique right, sailing with the rake on you didn’t lose much downwind.’

He used to change the forestay for different conditions but now tends to keep the rig the same through the range, then focus on where the boom is sheeted on the traveller and how much kicker is needed. His approach is: keep it simple, believe in your settings. And keep a record, so if you do make changes you can at least compare them with an identifi ed starting point.

SOLO RIG

1662 Solo (6).indd 53 23/04/2013 09:19


Big fl eet technique

got back to it, I was working as hard downwind as upwind.’

Andy says his downwind sailing has in the past been a weakness but in the last couple of years he’s worked with Jim Hunt, with whom he set up HD Sails in 2011, putting in time at various places to master the techniques for sailing downwind in waves. With the Mount and the tide kicking up waves and chop, it proved to be time well spent.

‘There’s probably only a handful of Solo sailors who are really good at getting downwind in waves... a lot of people are practising at it but I think it really takes time. Because the Solo’s

got shrouds, it’s not quite like a Laser, you have pick your moments, not run too deep and come up at the right time, and because it’s got a big spoon rudder as well, often people are just using too much rudder – maybe not steering enough with their body weight – and are a bit too conservative. People sail a bit too deep and end up running into the back of the wave and get stuck, whereas if they’d just come off a bit earlier... I suppose you’re sailing more distance but your speed is a lot higher, it’s keeping your VMG up.’

With builders like Winder and Boon producing boats which are competitive straight out of the box, trying to fi nd an advantage is hard in a tight one-design fl eet; as Andy found at the nationals, fi tness and technique can make the difference.

long line startsAnother essential element of his success was good starting: working out the big picture of which end of the line or side of the course was favoured and then having the boat handling skill to execute the start accordingly. As one commentator put it: if you had a bad start you were history. Long line starts made it vital to be at the correct end, with an early decision about where to start says Andy because ‘if you went down the wrong end you were just never going to get back’.

The fi rst two days saw line starts which were quite committee boat-biased and when the breeze came in it did so from the right, so Andy was keen to protect that side of the course.

For the gate starts later in the week Andy tended to start a couple of

minutes after the gate opened, just before the pathfi nder was released, as the course again seemed to be right-hand favoured when the wind was offshore; there was also a tidal advantage on this side as the tide swept along the coastline and up to the windward mark.

Maintaining consistency in the lighter conditions by sailing conservatively was another part of Andy’s winning strategy; avoiding BFDs and corners. His discards were a relatively low 10,6, and of those two races he says: ‘I was probably being too conservative, it was probably right-handed or something came through and I didn’t hit it hard enough. But that’s me; I don’t take big risks unless it’s staring at me in the face.’

In the fi nal reckoning Andy, of Blithfi eld SC, won the championship with 22pts ahead of Charlie Cumbley in second on 27pts and Matt Howard with 39pts. Early leaders Tom Gillard and Pete Mitchell took fourth and fi fth respectively.

The National Solo is a one-design, singlehanded dinghy with a fully battened main, designed by Jack Holt in 1956, and catering for crew weights ranging from around 65kg to 100kg.

Originally designed in wood, competitive boats are available in Foam Reinforced Plastic (FRP) or composite construction (FRP hull and wood deck) as well as wood. With 90 new boats built in 2012 alone and approximately 1,000 UK class association members, the Solo continues to thrive.

The 2013 nationals are at Hayling Island; with more than 60 Solos at the club alone, the event could attract more than 100 entries. Other key events in the calendar this year include:

February 23: Noble Marine Winter Championship, Grafham Water SC

April 6: Spring Championship, Oxford SC May 4-5: Welsh Championship, Corus SC May 11-12: Scottish Championship, Prestwick SC May 18-19, Nigel Pusinelli Trophy, Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

June 8-9: Northern Area Championships: Carsington SC July 13-19: National Championships incorporating Nations Cup, Hayling Island SC

September 7-8: Inland Championships, Rutland SC October 26: End of Season Championship, Draycote Water SC

Visit www.solossailing.org.uk

SOLO YEAR

ABOVE Andy squeezing up in light airs to reach the windward mark

1662 Solo (6).indd 54 23/04/2013 09:19


Class to classAndy started out in Toppers at the age of 15 through the scouts and sailed at Sutton SC. His nickname ‘Taxi’ pre-dates this to when he was in Scout Cubs and the leader needed a way to differentiate between him and another kid with the same name, and said his ears stuck out like taxi doors, a moment Andy refers to with typical good humour as character building.

He crewed for his dad in a Merlin until football diverted his attention, before returning to sailing with first an International Moth and then a 49er. He started work as a sailmaker with Richard Estaugh at Speed Sails in 2001 after finishing A-levels. Richard got him into sailing Scorpions, then the Solo followed, along with Merlin, Fireball and GP14 events.

‘One thing that’s helped me is just sailing many classes,’ says Andy. ‘People get too bogged down in one class and there’s a lot out there to learn and if you go from one class to another you certainly pick up a lot. I’ve been

fortunate in the fact that these fleets have had really good numbers and I think sailing in big fleets really does help.’

These classes have also attracted top calibre sailors like Jim Hunt, Richard Estaugh, Geoff Carveth, Stu Bithell, Nick Craig and Roger Gilbert,

with quality boatbuilders levelling the playing field and making fleets increasingly accessible and competitive. Meanwhile more information is available than ever before, be it from class associations, manufacturers, sailmakers or fellow sailors; at the nationals Andy sought downwind

advice from his rival Matt Howard, GBR’s Olympic squad Finn coach.

‘You just learn off the good sailors and it drives you,’ says Andy. ‘For me, having that drive to compete against those sailors is what it’s all about and it’s just good fun. I see a lot of people

not having fun whilst they’re sailing and you just think, why are they doing it? It’s got to be fun at the end of the day. I know we all probably do throw our toys out of the pram at some point but at least if you can have a laugh about it in the bar afterwards, that’s the main thing isn’t it?’

If I hadn’t been fit enough there’s no way I would have got back – I was working as

hard downwind as upwind

ABOVE Boatspeed was key, especially off of the start for the heavier people

1662 Solo (6).indd 55 23/04/2013 09:19

RACING RULES WHAT’S NEW FOR 2013-16mark rushall highlights the rules that will aff ect racers over the next four years...

1662 New Rules (4).indd 56 23/04/2013 09:42

1662 New Rules (4).indd 57 23/04/2013 09:43


Racing rules

The major review of our racing rules occurs every four years, to coincide with the Olympic cycle. The good news for most of us is that this year, the changes

have little effect on the way that we apply the rules in practice: most are for clarification or ‘tidying up’. In this feature we have focused on changes most likely to affect the way we race. Those who want the whole story could follow some of the useful links in the ‘improve your knowledge’ section (see right). We’d suggest having a rules book open as you read.

The coursen Starting limit marks: updated Rule 28.2 requires that boats pass any startline limit mark on the correct side after beginning to ‘approach the starting line from its pre-start line to start’. Previously this may not have been needed when the mark was placed well behind the startline: that was a classic situation when using a fixed transit startline with a moored limit mark.n Mark: An object temporarily attached to a mark, for example a RIB tied alongside, or a fender or mark tied to protect a committee boat, is now defined as part of the mark. If

you hit such an object, you’ll have to take a penalty or retire. The anchor line, or an object accidentally attached to a mark, remain excluded from the mark definition.

Keeping clearThere’s a subtle addition to the definition of keeping clear. The right-

of-way boat must be able to sail her course with no need to take avoiding action: no change there.

But the ‘wiggle room’ concept now applies between overlapped boats on opposite tacks as well as the same tack: the keep clear boat must not get so close that the overlapped right-of-way boat can’t ‘change course in both directions without immediately making contact’. This addition is most likely to apply when the boats are running parallel on opposite tacks.

Mark roundingn Mark room definition: This has changed slightly again. If you are keep-clear boat, and inside boat, the room you can take is limited to the prompt seamanlike manoeuvre necessary to sail the course, even once you are at the mark. That’s not necessarily your ideal racing line. If you are right-of-way boat as well, you can, of course, sail your racing line as before. n ‘Sticking your nose in’: If you are required to give mark room to a boat, but manage to sneak inside at the mark, rule 18.2(c)(2) requires you to give the other boat room to sail its proper course: the other boat can shut the door. If there’s a collision, you have infringed, and the other boat will be exonerated so long as there’s no damage or injury (rule 14). This rule applies only while there is an overlap and the other boat is rounding the mark.n Tacking inside the zone: It is still risky to tack close to the mark when there are boats fetching it. The rule (18.3)

WIND

WIND

START LINE

OUTER LIMIT MARK

Starboard

Too close:I need wiggle

room!

Naughty:my proper course

is to gybe!

You haven’tstarted correctly!

Nor have you!

WIND

WIND

START LINE

OUTER LIMIT MARK

Starboard


room!


is to gybe!


Nor have you!

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*Above Tacking into a line of boats approaching a mark is still risky, but Rule 18.3 has been simplified

right Do you know how to call for ‘wiggle’ room?

right middle If you sneak inside at a mark, rule 18.2 requires you to allow the other boat room to sail its proper course

fAr right Be sure to understand where the outer limit mark of your startline is and which side you should pass it under the updated Rule 28.2

1662 New Rules (4).indd 58 23/04/2013 09:43


is simplified though: it now applies if you pass head to wind inside the zone. In addition to your rule 13 (tacking) obligations, if you cause any of the fetching boats to luff above close-hauled to avoid contact, you have infringed. n Exoneration: new rule 21 is nice and simple, and worth reading to get the whole picture. Effectively, if you are ‘sailing within the room or mark room to which you are entitled’, and are forced to hit a mark, or break one of the six main right of way rules, by a boat required to give room, you should be exonerated. However, rule 14 still applies, so if there is damage or injury, you may still be in trouble.

Protests and Penaltiesn Hitting a mark: you are now only allowed to protest a boat that hits a mark if you actually saw it: not if you only know because your mum told you they hit it! (rule 60). n Sailing the course: if you want to protest someone for sailing the wrong course, the latest you can inform them is at the first reasonable opportunity after they finish. (rule 61.1(3))n Penalties: if a Scoring Penalty is specified in the sailing instructions, it replaces the One Turn and Two Turns Penalty system: there is no choice (rule 44).

Moving AsternA boat moving astern through the water by backing a sail, must keep clear of one that is not. (rule 22.3) The ‘through the water’ clause is new:

previously it was always difficult, in strong tide, to decide just what was backwards or forwards!

Propulsion n Pumping: so long as you are not clearly propelling the boat, you can pump the sail (more than once if necessary) to put right an inverted batten (rule 42.3 (e)). You are now allowed to use anything, for example a gybing strop or the boom itself, to

pump a sail within the constraints of rule 42.3 (c). Previously you could only use the sheet.

The EnvironmentAs well as a new basic principle that we are encouraged to minimise any adverse environmental impact, there is a new rule 55 which prohibits competitors, at all times when on the water, from intentionally putting trash in the water. Hopefully race officials and rescue boats will have read this and will

have a plastic bag ready to receive our banana skins between races!

Improve your knowledgeThere are plenty of ways to get up to date. The rules are published in full on ISAF’s website (www.sailing.org); their updated casebook will hopefully soon be available there too.n You can buy a hard copy of the rule book from the RYA: www.rya.org.uk/shop and you’ll find in-depth guidance

notes to the rule changes, and an up-to-date RYA case book on the RYA website at www.rya.org.uk/go/guidance n For iPad users the RYA has produced an interactive rules and casebook engine, available through iTunes and it will shortly be available for other platforms through the Google Play Store as well.

The rules have never been so accessible. So why don’t you choose your media, make some cardboard models, and have some fun planning world domination on the water.

WIND

WIND

START LINE

OUTER LIMIT MARK

Starboard


room!


is to gybe!


Nor have you!

The rules have never been more accessible. So choose your media, make some

cardboard models and start planning world domination on the water

1662 New Rules (4).indd 59 23/04/2013 09:43


We thought we’d covered every possible ‘easy’ and ‘cheap’ way to make your boat go faster in the April issue feature: ‘20 Easy Ways to Make Your Boat Go Faster’. But just in case, we invited readers to send in their own 20th ‘easy way...’

So congratulations Chris Papamichael – your prize (a Y&Y beanie hat) will be winging its way across the continent very soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the words of our runners-up as well, who both hit on the same idea but make interesting contrasting suggestions for how to put it into practice...

An open invitation to Y&Y readers to suggest a 20th ‘easy’ way to make your boat go faster yielded some interesting results...

Go faster tip #20

I believe mental preparation is very important to good performance and will make your boat go faster. It is worth spending a good few minutes before the start (either on the water or before launching – or both), visualising what it is you want to achieve: the best start, good boat handling, key manoeuvres and perfect positioning both upwind and down.

As a visual learner I fi nd this is greatly enhanced by viewing images – photographs or video – of success. These do not have to be images of your own success, necessarily, but it is great if it can be.Tom Shaw

MENTAL PREPARATION

I have read your article ‘20 easy ways...’ from the April 2013 issue and will defi nitely be using it as a comprehensive and practical guide before I go racing in the future.

My 20th idea and a common practice so far for me, would be to have a good look at the weather forecast, the day before, and study the tide charts, even the depth and coastline maps of the area I am about to sail in. In short, I think it pays to know what to expect once in the water, even if it is your usual area of sailing or even if you are only about to do a couple of short windward-leeward legs.Chris Papamichael, Athens

STUDY THE CHARTS WINNER

performance and will make your boat go faster. It is worth

RUNNERUP

1662 Go Faster Tips (2).indd 60 23/04/2013 09:44


A great strategy for going faster is visualisation – you don’t even need to get out of bed to do it! It can be used for multiple purposes including relaxing before and after racing, getting in the right mindset for a race and rehearsing manoeuvres without being on the boat.

Relaxing is important because it helps you focus on the right thing while still being aware of everything else that is happening

on the racecourse. Being able to relax after a bad race and think through what went wrong allows mistakes to be spotted and acted upon in subsequent races. It can also help you to unwind and get to sleep at the end of the day, which will benefi t your sailing the next day.

Visualisation helps get you in the right frame of mind before a race: after a two-hour postponement the energy levels tend

to drop so you need to get back in the right place mentally before the start.

Visualisation can also be used to rehearse techniques without going sailing; getting things straight in your head before applying the technique on the water.

It’s also great for when the weather doesn’t play ball and you can’t get out on the water.Kim Clark

VISUALISATION

back in the right place mentally

RUNNERUP

It pays to know what to expect once in the water, even if it is your usual area of sailing...

1662 Go Faster Tips (2).indd 61 23/04/2013 09:44

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62_YY_0613.indd 17 24/04/2013 13:17


Rupert Holmes looks at the latest new designs from around the worldNew boats

Enavigo 38Billed as the ultimate offshore racer, this is potentially one of the most interesting new designs of the year so far. The composite construction builds on the principles employed for several custom and small-scale production yachts in the late 1980s and 1990s, where a core of lightweight timber was laminated between layers of epoxy and glass to create a lightweight, yet very stiff structure. Enavigo has updated this concept for carbon construction, with carbon laminate vacuumed each side of a core of red cedar.

A moderate beam with narrow static waterline help to optimise upwind and

downwind performance, while a rounded chine extending forward almost to the bow helps to give high potential reaching speeds for offshore racing. Hull number one is in build and will be launched in June this year.www.enavigo.hr Hull length 11.60m

LWL 11.53m

Beam 3.50m

Displacement 3,600kg

Ballast 1,800kg

Draught 2.6m

Mainsail 58.5sq m

Jib 44.4sq m

Spinnaker 140.0sq m

Surfari 53We suspect this boat will be somewhat like Marmite - some people will love it, while others will hate it. The Surfari 53 was conceived as a sailing yacht that would also be ultra-fast under power, while offering an open, single-level outdoor living platform. Designer Ted Fontaine, who has more than 30 years experience, says this is the boat he would choose for himself.

Electrically powered sail handling systems include a fully battened mainsail, roller furling genoa and a permanent bowsprit fitted with furling asymmetric spinnakers. The twin 78hp Volvo diesels, each with a geared folding four-blade propeller, will also propel the boat at speeds of more than 11 knots.

The deck and accommodation borrows from the now well-established principle in luxury home design, where the distinction between inside and outside spaces is blurred. This design’s deck space stretches from the open transom through the full width cockpit and into a plush deck saloon/galley. Sliding glass doors virtually disappear when opened, leaving the entire living space without steps, blurring the line between interior and exterior. There are also three spacious sleeping cabins with en suite facilities. Retail price is expected to be around US$2.3 million.www.friendshipyachtcompany.com LOA 15.4m

LWL 14.4m

Beam 4.66m

Draught 1.9m

Sail area 120sq m


Ballast 5,634kg

1662 New boats (2).indd 63 23/04/2013 09:38


BlueMotion 550This 18ft dayboat combines a modern powerful rig with a ballasted 150kg centreboard. This aim is to give fast dinghy-like performance for a crew of three to four, but without a dinghy’s tendency to fall over when the breeze is up. The design is based on Keith Callaghan’s successful Hazardous Zero-9 Merlin Rocket.

The BM550 prototype, built of strip cedar/epoxy laminate, was on show at the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show in March. Production boats are available in this construction, dubbed the ‘Elite Marque’, or in polyester

foam composite. A racing version with a little less ballast in the centreboard for improved performance is also offered.www.foundryreach.co.uk/Yacht-Sales.asp LOA 5.5m

LWL 5.5m

Beam 2.2m

Hull weight 320kg (inc centreboard)

Upwind sail area 19sq m

Spinnakers 19sq m

Brading Haven SwanThanks to the close and tactical nature of one-design racing, traditional classes remain popular with many very competitive sailors and after a period in the doldrums, Brading Haven YC’s Swan is one of the latest classes to enjoy a revival. Some 20 boats were originally built by Bembridge boatbuilders Peter Scott and Alan Coombes, after Alan designed and built the first Swan, a 15ft clinker dinghy with mahogany planking, for his own use in 1955.

The past 10 years have seen a number of the original boats restored to a very high standard and the Swan Boat Company has now started producing them in fibreglass. As well as building boats for order, the company also plans to assemble a fleet of eight that will be based in Bembridge Harbour, where they will be available for hire by individuals, or as a fleet for organised activities including match racing.www.swanboatcompany.co.uk LOA 4.66m

Beam 1.78m

Draught 0.20m (centreplate up)

Draught 1.31m (centreplate down)

Mainsail 9.29sq m

Large jib 3.90sq m

Small jib 2.78sq m

Spinnaker 13sq m

1662 New boats (2).indd 64 23/04/2013 09:38

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The latest addition to the Elan line, the 400 was premiered in Dusseldorf in January, and is a worthy addition to the company’s performance range

with creature comforts, interior space and numerous developments and options to augment her speed around the track.

Concept and layout★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★The aim with the 400 was to keep the fun factor and a planing capability of other models in Elan’s performance range, while creating a design that’s an all-round performer on all points of sail. It’s therefore not as extreme as the 350, where the optimisation is focused towards downwind speed. Ease of sailing was also a priority, so the boat can be sailed by a small crew if necessary, or raced doublehanded. The 400 also has more features geared towards comfort, making it a race-capable very fast cruiser.

Humphreys Yacht Design worked hard with Elan to increase the stability of the 400 through an increase in ballast ratio, allowing hull form stability to be reduced a little. A little more rocker was put in the hull shape, with slightly

less volume in the aft sections compared to the Elan 350. This results in reduced upright wetted surface area, aiding both light air performance and downwind speed, as well as offering a more balanced hull shape when heeled.

The slightly finer aft sections mean the 400’s rudders are slightly closer to the centreline, which improves handling under power in close quarters. Steering is effectively two separate systems, synchronised by a tie bar that joins them together. As a result, there’s no requirement to carry an emergency tiller or emergency rudder when racing offshore.

The hull of all Elans has been vacuum infused for several years, but with the 400 some of the internal supporting structure is now vacuumed at the same time as the hull is moulded. The bottom of the hull of the 400 is Corecell foam sandwich, with PVC foam used for the topsides. There’s single-skin glass around through-hull fittings and the keel.

Standard deck construction is a balsa core sandwiched between inner and outer mouldings. This is good for stiffness and both thermal and acoustic insulation, however, it’s also possible to save a further 100-150kg here by opting for a lighter vacuum infused deck.

The full-length moulded toerail incorporates the hull-deck join, with the shape contributing additional stiffness to the structure. Throughout the joint, deck and hull are glued with structural adhesive, with additional mechanical through bolts in important areas. Also, the anchor locker bulkhead and a complete transom bulkhead are laminated over on the inside.

Water tanks and other heavy items are concentrated in the area around the keel. Big metal pans spread the load from the keel bolts, and mast heel, but there’s no metal bonded in, making the boat easier to repair in the event of a very heavy grounding. This also avoids problems that might be caused by different rates of thermal expansion of the metalwork and the fibreglass structure.

Deck and rig★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★The 400 has a very clean deck layout with flush hatches and recessed lines where possible, with access panels that can be removed if necessary. As standard the deck layout is configured for short-handed sailing, with winches for the T-sheeted mainsheet placed close to the wheels and within easy

Elan 400Rupert Holmes travelled to Slovenia to put the latest model in Elan’s innovative series of performance yachts through her paces

Boat test

SPECIFICATIONS Hull length 11.95m LWL 11.26m Beam 3.87m Draught (standard keel) 2.40m Displacement 7,500kg Ballast 2,700kg Mainsail 51.56sq m Genoa (107%) 37.60sq m Gennaker 135sq m

1

2

1662 Test Elan 400 (4).indd 66 23/04/2013 09:36


It’s easy to get the boat into the groove and stability in

gusts is impressive

1 The cockpit is uncluttered and many lines are recessed 2 As standard a Selden through-deck headsail furler, a removable anchor roller and retractable carbon pole 3 Recessed and tidied T-sheeted main and traveller 4 Bright spacious saloon with numerous woodwork options 5 The three-cabin layout has a fold-up chart table 6 Moulded in rope bins

3

5 6

4

1662 Test Elan 400 (4).indd 67 23/04/2013 09:36

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reach of the helm. There’s also space for a dedicated mainsheet trimmer to sit forward of the wheels and usefully positioned moulded-in rope bins to help keep the cockpit tidy.

By cruiser-racer standards, the cockpit is flush and clean, without too many changes of level. The removable seat across the back of cockpit doubles as a passerelle for stern-to Mediterranean-style mooring – it even has little wheels built in for this purpose. The full-width fold-down bathing platform is positioned just above water level, making it easy to get in and out of the water when swimming. There are also big cockpit lockers on each side, plus a liferaft locker aft and a neat pop-up table. Several levels

of teak trim are offered on deck – none, cockpit seats only, seats plus coamings and other areas around the cockpit, and a full teak deck.

Our test boat had the standard Selden aluminium two-spreader fractional rig, although the buyer of hull number two has specified the optional carbon rig. As standard there is a high level of equipment, including Dyneema halyards, Harken barber-haulers for the jib sheets, a Selden 300 Series through-deck headsail furler, removable anchor roller, retractable carbon pole and pop up mooring

cleats. The sails we used were high-end performance cruising membrane sails from 1Sails, which set well, with minimal stretch even in the strongest gusts.

The boat was fitted with the standard draught 2.4m deep T-bulb keel. The chord of this is a little longer proportionally than on the E350 and the keel fin section has been further refined, with the aim of helping to find an easy groove upwind.

Under sail★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★Our test boat was the prototype model, which is around 500kg heavier than the next boat

built, partly due to her full teak deck, but also subsequent boats have vacuum applied for longer to remove excess resin.

Close-hauled in the lightest winds we experienced – around six knots – we made a shade over five knots of boat speed. Tacking angles in these very light winds were a touch over 90 degrees and it was possible to leave the helm for short periods without worry that the boat would spin off course. Boat speed increased to 6.6 knots in 8-9 knots of breeze and 7.5 knots in around 14 knots of true wind.

It’s easy to get the boat into the groove and stability in gusts is impressive – in 18-20 knot bullets, although clearly over-pressed without a racing crew on the rail, she continued to track straight without easing the mainsheet, albeit with increased weight in the helm.

Downwind we set an asymmetric kite from the retractable pole, initially in around 7 knots of breeze, but this increased as we closed the shore, to give bullets of 18-20 knots and occasionally more off the hills. Our maximum speed was 10 knots – in flat water – with a rock steady feel. With the boat heeled at 10-15 degrees and the sheets pinned in with the apparent wind on the beam, she would happily bear away with just a twitch of the helm. When we finally allowed an extra-strong heading puff to spin us into a broach it was a mild affair, needing the helm to be centred only a couple of times before the leeward rudder regained its grip and we happily bore away to a more comfortable course.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough breeze – or weight on the rail – to develop sufficient power to get properly planing. However, at above 9.5 knots the stern wave was just starting to be left behind and you had the feeling it would not take much more effort to take off.

Below decks★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★The high performance design, which keeps weight out of the ends of the boat, loses around one metre of length in terms of accommodation compared to a pure cruiser, but there is still plenty of volume in the 400. As standard two or three cabin versions are offered, both with one or two heads compartments.

Boat speed increased to 6.6 knots in 8-9 knots of breeze and 7.5 knots in around

14 knots of true wind

Above Good access to the engine right Heeled over the stability is still impressive despite a slightly heavier helm

1662 Test Elan 400 (4).indd 69 23/04/2013 09:36


From: Matic Klemenc, Elan Yachts, SloveniaI think Humphreys Yacht design has done a great job designing the 400’s lines and there has also been a big step forward as far as rudders are concerned. The boat reacts instantly to the slightest move of the wheels.

In terms of interior design we aimed at a more comfortable interior offering two or three cabins with an option of a smaller head in forward cabin as a second one on board. One of the best features below is the folding navigation chart table which converts into a berth or a setee.

So far all the feedback is very positive and we are satisfi ed with sales numbers as well, especially considering the times are not very pleasant for the industry.

UK contacts:Mark Chapman Yachts 02380 452044Woodrolfe Boat Sales 01621 868494Yachts of Dartmouth 01803 833500

ANSWER BACKCOMPARISONS

First 40Beneteau’s popular performance 40-footer is

well proven on the racetrack both inshore

and offshore.

LOA 12.58m

Beam 3.89m


Mainsail 50sq m

Headsail 40sq m

Spinnaker 132sq m

Xp 38Although slightly smaller than the Elan 400, this is

a lighter boat with a powerful sail-area-to-weight

ratio, particularly with the larger optional carbon rig.

Hull length 11.58m


Ballast 2,760 kg

Mainsail (Alloy rig) 48.5sq m

Mainsail (Carbon rig) 49.8sq m

Headsail 37.1sq m

Spinnaker 130sq m

There’s a bright and spacious saloon with a wide range of options for the woodwork, and handholds neatly integrated into the furniture. There’s also a large galley with well-planned stowage and an opening port to provide ventilation above the cooker. Our test boat had the standard three-cabin layout, with optional teak veneer fi nish. A lighter race interior is also offered, with less woodwork to save weight.

The two mirror-image aft cabins offer good stowage and a very large berth, plus plenty of elbow room when standing. However, both are lacking in natural light, being lit only by three small opening ports – an additional one in the side of the coachroof would be a worthwhile addition. The forecabin is the largest on board, with another large double berth, plus plentiful stowage, including a

small vanity area. The cabin has space for an optional en suite heads to be installed here.

While the two-cabin boat has a traditional navigation table, with forward-facing seat, on the three-cabin model, to allow space for an extra-large heads compartment, there’s a folding chart table instead. This is a neat, hinged unit incorporated into the port side saloon settee – the whole thing swings through 90 degrees, giving a small sit-down chart table. The only downside is that the settee cannot then be used as a sea berth when under way.

Elan has eschewed a conveyor-belt style production line in favour of cells of production staff that are responsible for every aspect of fi tting out each boat. As a result, a good degree of customisation is possible, albeit at an additional cost. One owner of

an earlier model, for instance, had one cabin fully fi tted as an offi ce and it’s possible to add a traditional-style sit-down chart table in three-cabin versions of the 400, instead of the standard folding unit.

Verdict★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★The Elan 400 is fun and responsive to sail, and will clearly appeal to a wide variety of owners. We understand the IRC rating is around 1.064, which looks competitive given the boat’s all-round speed potential. Offshore the boat can be expected to be both comfortable and quick – even sailing doublehanded it should be possible to keep close to the boat’s maximum speed. There’s also the bonus of a high degree of interior comfort and space.

Above Easily sailed upwind in light airs with little rudder input required right The standard deck layout enables doublehanded racing

1662 Test Elan 400 (4).indd 70 23/04/2013 09:37

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Spring sailing wear and gadgetsKitbag

On Course to Win Forty years’ worth of coaching experience at the highest level distilled into a single quick-reference handbook: Jim Saltonstall’s racing tips for sailors. RRP: £14.99 www.bloomsbury.com

Free tide app Cosworth’s TideApp is a simple tool intended to enable professional sailors or coaches to easily measure surface tides using a tide stick or float. www.cosworth.com

Raymarine A-Series upgrade Multifunction display now comes with built-in wifi, which enables remote control from a tablet or iPhone via downloadable apps. RRP: £774 (A65/A67 with WiFi) www.raymarine.com

Antifoul alternative From the team that brought you Sailkote and Hullkote, comes a dedicated underwater hull protector that guarantees 20 days without slime or growth. RRP: £31.90/470ml www.mclubemarine.com

Helly Hansen Ocean Jacket Top of the range redeveloped quick-drying three-layer jacket with an extra-high Polartec fleece collar, fully adjustable hi-vis hood and a stowable face visor. RRP: £750 www.hellyhansen.com

Rooster SuperthermWarm, comfortable and unrestrictive – suitable for

both trapeze and hiking crews, featuring 4mm four-way SuperStretch Neoprene with fleece inner and DrySeal smooth Neoprene cuffs. RRP: £79 (junior: £66) www.roostersailing.com

1662 Kitbag (2).indd 72 23/04/2013 09:41


new products

Garmin’s new Quatix watch has a

host of embedded features and

enables users to tap into their

boat’s instrument systems

and control a Garmin pilot

remotely, writes Rupert Holmes.

Unlike earlier generations

of multi-function watches, it’s

sufficiently compact for regular

day-to-day use, yet it packs in

a GPS, altimeter, barometer and

three axis electronic compass, as

well as sophisticated software and a

wireless transmitter/receiver.

A comprehensive racing tool kit is incorporated

and it’s easy to see different crew using the watch in

different ways – a bowman might predominately use the

‘time to mark’ function, so he/she knows exactly how

much time is left before the next major manoeuvre. On

the other hand, a tactician would be more interested in

true wind direction, or the tack-assist mode that indicates

whether you’re being headed or lifted.

A neat start line function allows you to ‘ping’ the

position of both ends of the line. It then displays distance

to the line and ‘time to burn’ based on the boat’s current

course and speed over the ground.

The user interface is largely intuitive and it doesn’t

take unduly long to get the hang of using key features.

There are also useful embedded functions that can be

set to work in the background – for instance, in the event

of a man overboard, an alert will sound on a Garmin

chartplotter as soon as the watch is out of wireless range.

While the Quatix has GPS built-in, greater accuracy

is achieved if it’s connected to the boat’s unit, which

has a much larger antenna. Connection to the boat’s

electronics is via a NMEA2000 compatible unit that simply

plugs into the instrument network. Battery life is around

16 hours in GPS mode and the watch is recharged via a

slimline USB charger. RRP: £379.99 www.garmin.com

Garmin Quatix: First Look

Dual-purpose jacket From the back the SR Liner is a cool summer jacket. From the front the chest pocket makes it look more ‘functional mid-layer’... Available online in red and carbon black too. RRP: £261 www.sailracing.com

Chatham G2 PoppyA leather and mesh women’s deck shoe with removable footbed and breathable

cotton inner linings. Comes with a two-year guarantee. RRP: £79

www.chatham-marine.co.uk

Padded shortsDurable shorts with deep secure cargo pockets and an internal pocket to slot the £12 Gill Short Pad (bum cushion!). RRP: £90 www.gillmarine.com

Soft loft jacket Henri Lloyd breathable and waterproof Primaloft-lined jacket with water-resistant pocket zips, plus hem and wrist adjusters. Also available in men’s and vest versions. RRP: £120 www.henrilloyd.com

1662 Kitbag (2).indd 73 23/04/2013 09:41


Buyers’ Guide

A favourite pair of sailing boots can inspire fierce loyalty. Get the right design and fit and they will help keep you securely on board, your

toes snug and stub-free – it’s no wonder once we’ve found a style we love we tend to stick with it. For big boat sailors that has traditionally meant the classic Dubarry Shamrock, while many dinghy racers over a certain age still hold a candle for Aigle’s famous lace-up Maramu boots. But fabric

technology and design innovations mean that sailing boots have moved on, so how to choose the right one for you?

Big boat developmentsThe main criteria for yacht sailing are weather protection and traction. Trainers are increasingly popular for round the cans racing as they offer fantastic grip and flexibility, but

they do mean wet feet unless you’re confined to the afterguard (or opt for a pair of waterproof socks, such as SealSkinz). If you’re heading offshore or out in inclement weather it’s worth investing in a pair of waterproof, leather and membrane-lined boots which will keep your feet dry from saltwater and rain, but are also warm and offer some breathability.

The first such boot was the Gore-tex-lined Dubarry Shamrock, the distinctive navy and tan leather style launched in 1993, which is still

If the boot fitsWe get to grips with the latest

sailing boot technology

1662 Buyers Guide Boots (3).indd 74 23/04/2013 09:28


If you are trapezing on the gunwales of a dinghy, you’ll need your outsole to

wrap around the edge

popular today. High tech membrane uppers or inner socks provide waterproofing and breathability. Gill, for example, uses an Event membrane liner in its Kevlar and leather yachting boots, while Chatham’s Cruz II boots feature a breathable bamboo layer.

However, the join between the membrane inner and outer sole can become a weak point, so new technology is developing to eliminate this. OutDry is an Italian laminate fabric which sees the waterproof and breathable membrane bonded directly to the boot’s outer layer, removing any possible leak points. Italian footwear company Lizard uses OutDry in its Spin yachting boots, and Musto has adopted OutDry for its latest models.

Charlie Bird, footwear product manager at Musto, explains: ‘To date, breathable, waterproof sea boots have used free-floating inner liners which can be prone to stretching and tearing. Water would be absorbed and sit between the outer fabric and the liner, making the footwear heavier and slower to dry out. With OutDry technology, the breathable, waterproof

membrane is bonded directly to the external layer of the footwear, perfectly sealing any possible water ingress point and making it more durable (similar to bonded waterproof jackets). The benefits are that no water enters inside the boot, the boot retains a normal weight and drying time is reduced.’

Henri Lloyd has also developed a new lining system called TwinSkin, which features a first ‘skin’ of a moulded rubber shell around the inner section of the boot. Amy Grealish, PR and Sponsorship manager, explains, ‘The sole and foot is one all-rubber unit. Whereas normally you have stitching connecting the inner and outer soles, because this is all one unit it cannot leak.’ The second skin is a taped inner boot made from Henri Lloyd’s TP Ocean waterproof and breathable laminate fabric. This inner also uses Outlast fabric, a microencapsulated phase change

material (or mPCM), which adapts to variations in temperature to help keep feet comfortable.

GaitersOne of the most enduring yacht boot styles is Le Chameau’s Neptune Neo. While fundamentally a rubber wellington, the boots’ integral gaiter

and durability made them popular among many round the world racers for keeping feet dry in prolonged wet conditions. Henri Lloyd’s Extreme Waterproof Boot is an updated take on this classic style, with a thick rubber sole and Neoprene lining.

The gaiter has since been adopted by many other brands - Dubarry’s latest model, the Crosshaven, was developed in conjunction with the 2008-09 Irish Volvo Ocean Race entry ‘Green Dragon’ and features an integral gaiter which can be rolled down in drier conditions, while Musto’s Southern Ocean and HPX Ocean styles also feature attached gaiters.

If choosing boots with integral gaiters watch that the water has an exit point to avoid simply filling up, and that the boots are still easy to get on and off – the Crosshaven boots, for example, have loops sewn into the leather uppers to help tug them on. Alternatively you can

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above OutDry liner technology is a new addition to the sailing market, used in styles such as Musto’s HPX Race Boot

left The classic Chameau boot with gaiter



Buyers’ Guide

above Scientifically designed sole patterns create grip under foot

right Adidas is a newcomer to the sailing footwear market, with their radical hiking boots

buy separate gaiters to wear over the top of your boots for additional protection from waves shooting up your trouser leg – Henri Lloyd offers an Ocean Racer Gaiter made from TP1 fabric.

Grip and fitFor all types of sailing footwear grip and fit is key, however as yachting boots tend to have thicker soles than dinghy styles it puts an additional premium on the ‘stickiness’ of the sole.

A key principle behind sole design is the need for the maximum surface area to be in contact with the deck, balanced against the requirement to incorporate water dispersal channels razor-cut into the sole to prevent aquaplaning. These two factors can be incorporated most easily in a softer sole, which enables the wearer to ‘squeeze’ the water out from underneath their boot as you apply pressure to the foot, so further increasing the surface area. However, the softer the sole the less durable they tend to be – so avoid wearing your expensive sailing boots on shore.

Many sailing brands have developed their own sole technology to try and find an optimum compromise between these conflicting factors. Charlie Bird

explains how Musto’s GripDeck was created: ‘Firstly, the rubber has been specially selected to a certain shore-hardness scale to provide durable yet ‘sticky’ properties. The wide sole offers maximum contact with the deck and the wide bi-lateral channels allow a large volume of water to escape quickly. Fine siping (wiggly cuts) into the rubber provide greater traction, particularly when the foot is flexed.’ Alternatively, Gill and Sebago have utilised the well-known Vibram sole technology.

The correct fit will not only be more comfortable, but will also help with grip as your foot can be properly supported within the boot. Ergonomically designed footbeds now feature in many boot styles, while Henri Lloyd incorporates a midsole made from Phylon, a cushioning material used by sports shoe brands such as Nike.

There is also a much greater variety of sizes, with some specific women’s styles now on the market. Henri Lloyd’s Ocean King style is now supplied with two different sizes of in-socks to offer a choice of both standard and broad fits. Dubarry also now offer its Shamrock and Ultima styles with a stretch side panel and choice of calf widths.

Dinghy DesignsFor dinghy sailors, boot choice will be governed

by whether your tend to be hiking or trapezing.

The Aigle Maramu was popular for many

years because it suited both dinghy and small

keelboat sailors, and thanks to a high-laced

ankle with rubber outers also provided plenty

of stiffness. However, the rise of asymmetric and

trapeze classes has put flexibility higher on the

agenda, meaning most dinghy boots are now

made of a softer Neoprene.

For hiking boots supportiveness is still key,

with styles like Rooster’s All-purpose boot and

Ronstan’s Race Boot featuring a thick sole for

stability, while strategically placed straps and

rubber panels can offer ankle support.

Matt Clark, product development manager

at Gill, explains: ‘For hiking you need lots of

protection across the top of the foot, so in our

Hiking Boots there are three layers of material

designed to not only give impact protection

between your foot and the hiking strap but

also to provide some grip, so you’ve got a

degree of purchase. They’ve also got a very

flat outsole, so quite wide, very stable.’

Multi-purpose dinghy and trapeze boots

tend to be more flexible than pure hiking styles.

‘Sometimes you need that flat, sure-footed

support even when you’re trapezing, say if

you’re out on a cat and you need that flat

contact with the edge of the hull. But if you are

on the gunwales of a dinghy, you’ll need your

outsole to wrap around the edge so you’ve

got as much of that sticky, grippy outsole

material in contact with the deck surface, so

it’s a transition from hiking boots into something

that’s got a bit more flexibility, and a slightly

thinner outsole, so you can grip your toes

around the edge of the gunwale,’ adds Matt.

There are also skiff-specific designs, which

tend to be very minimalist in flexible Neoprene.

Both Gill and Rooster offer a split toe design

for additional feel, but unlike windsurfing

styles the split is internal so there’s no danger

of getting a shroud caught behind your big

toe. ‘What we wanted to get was that feel of

the boat, so it’s the closest thing to barefoot

sailing without having to actually go barefoot,’

comments Matt. Gill’s Skiff boot is made using

a thinner Neoprene for added flexibility, while

Rooster’s incorporates thicker 5mm Neoprene

for warmth as the split toe style prevents the

wearing of socks.

The most extreme versions feature cut-

away panels, such as the radical new Adidas

Adipower Hiking Shoe with 3D mesh or the

aptly named open toe and heel Zhik Barefoot

Boot, which are as barefoot as they are boot!

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To date, sea boots have used free-floating inner liners which can be prone to stretching and tearing

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1662 Charter Tips (5).indd 78 23/04/2013 09:29

Rupert Holmes’ guide to getting the most from a bareboat charter holiday

Topcharter tips


Sailing holidaysyour way

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Filling a yacht with friends and family for a week or two of lazy sailing can be an idyllic holiday, but it’s a tricky balance to ensure everyone on board enjoys themselves.

Prior planning can help avoid some potential pitfalls.

Who wants what?The amazing diversity of yacht charter destinations is one of the attractions of this type of holiday – there’s such a wide variety of experiences on offer. However, this also means it’s possible to book the wrong holiday for your mix of crew. Some destinations for instance are excellent for those who want to party until dawn every night, but that’s no consolation if you’re looking forward to a tranquil bay or a romantic meal under a palm tree at a low-key beach restaurant.

Equally if you have children in your

party consider their needs. In school holidays many flotillas are ideal in this respect, as your kids will get to meet – and travel with – those from other boats. Some flotillas place almost as much emphasis on playing in the water as on sailing upon it, which can really help children to feel the holiday is as much for them as for the adults.

Similarly, how much sailing does everyone really want to do? Some crews will relish making long passages each day in a strong breeze, but others

are content with a relaxed potter in light airs, with an extended lunchtime swim stop in a calm bay.

pick the right timeIf you have a clear picture of exactly where you want to go, it’s worth booking early to avoid disappointment. This is particularly important if you’re restricted to school holidays, when late bookings may be restricted to a very limited number of choices. Perhaps an exception to this

is for well-organised families, who can get prepared for the new school term during August, and then take advantage of the normally quiet last week of the holiday, when better prices can be found.

If you have a choice of dates and are flexible about the destination, a late booking may mean you are able to find a good price, possibly at a destination you would not otherwise have considered. Some of the happiest people I have met on holiday have been those who booked at the very last minute, got a great price, and arrived in a new place with an open mind about what they would find when they arrived.

If you are flexible about dates and destination, a late booking may mean you are

able to find a good price

left Going solo is an essential part of chartering for many

above Rafting up for lunch is great for socialising, but wouldn’t every crew

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82_YY_0613.indd 17 18/04/2013 10:37


Two small boats, not one bigOver the years charter boats have become ever larger. In many ways it’s easy to see why – a bigger boat has the potential to offer more luxury, with bigger cabins, better toilet and shower facilities and so on. And, let’s face it, a big boat is also rather nice for posing on.

However, the big boat may not be as much fun for everyone to sail. Charter boats are set up to be as easily handled as possible, so a 46ft boat with berths for 10 people can still be sailed by only two or three crew. That potentially

leaves a lot of people hanging around not doing very much. Of course there’s always reading, sleeping and generally lounging around in the sun, but most Y&Y readers will agree that actually sailing the boat is also an important part of the mix.

In the past, a group of 8-10 people would have chartered two boats, which enables more people to be active in the sailing and introduces another element: cruising in company is much more fun than doing it on your own.

pick the base staff’s brains Local knowledge of everything from the most spectacular anchorages, picturesque ‘must see’ ports, the best

restaurants and safe boltholes for bad weather will help make your charter more enjoyable and stress-free. The first people you will meet with detailed knowledge of the local area will be the staff at the charter base, so don’t be afraid to pick their brains relentlessly, particularly during the local area briefing that you should be given before setting off.

Check the boat thoroughlyThis may feel tedious when what you really want to do is chill out with a few

cold beers in the sun after a long day’s travelling. However skimping at this stage risks not understanding everything about how to operate the boat, which can spoil your days and in some circumstances could even be dangerous.

Equally, if there is equipment missing or damaged that is not spotted before you leave, you may end up being charged for someone else’s misdemeanour. Of course, charter company staff ought to check the boats over thoroughly before you arrive, but changeover days can be hectic and staff are only human. Booking a new boat is not a cast-iron guarantee that there will be no problems - in some cases it can take a season or two to fully debug

a new model. Ironically, this means a boat in its second or third season may be more reliable than a new one.

Don’t forget your foulies!Over the past decade I have sailed in the Med during every month of the season, and there’s not one calendar month – even August – when at sometime I have not been glad to have decent sailing clothing. Granted, at the height of the season the risk of bad weather is very small, but it’s not zero. And if you do encounter rainstorms

Booking a brand new boatis not a cast-iron guarantee that

there will be no problems

below Good preparation will create a stress-free chartering experience

left Charter base staff can help you find the perfect anchorages for your trip

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charter holidays

the temperature can drop by almost 20 degrees Celsius.

Towards the ends of the season, especially in the Mediterranean, the risk of inclement weather increases. Don’t risk becoming one of the many charter crews each year who resort to wearing bin bags to keep the rain off and keep warm – it’s really not cool.

Dig the anchor in wellCharter boats tend to come with good ground tackle, especially if they operate in areas where the boat will be predominantly anchored overnight in a bay, or stern-to a quay. However, if the breeze gets up on its own this is no guarantee that the boat won’t go for a wander while you’re enjoying a meal ashore, or soundly sleeping it off in the early hours of the morning.

The easiest way to avoid this scenario is to motor slowly in reverse after laying the anchor, while watching a transit abeam when the chain becomes tight. Racing sailors have an ingrained appreciation of the accuracy of a good transit – think of start lines – so you will be able to see whether

the boat is dragging the anchor backwards. If it is, you’ll either need to lay more chain out, or re-anchor, maybe in a slightly different spot in case it landed in a patch of weed.

If the anchor appears to be holding with the engine at idling speed in reverse then gently build the revs over a period of a couple of minutes, until it’s running at around two-thirds of full throttle. You should fi nd the boat will move backwards a little each time you increase the engine speed, as the chain straightens out and the anchor digs a little further into the seabed. If it holds at two-thirds throttle it’s a good sign that it has dug in reasonably well.

Go with the fl owTo paraphrase both Churchill and Eisenhower, planning is essential, but plans are useless. Don’t be afraid to rewrite your itinerary to suit the unexpected, whether it’s a change in the wind that gives an exhilarating 12-hour downwind blast, or an extra day or three spent in an idyllic spot you found by accident, yet immediately feels like a perfect second home.

Suncream and lipsalve Sunglasses and hat Trainers or deck shoes Waterproofs - even basic lightweight gear - and fl eece

Swimming costumes, UV suits for children

Insect repellent Eco-friendly toiletries Black bin bags, washing up sponge, small bottle of eco-friendly washing up liquid (to avoid buying expensive ‘care’ packs or full size products in port)

CDs or MP3 player/adapter etc - most boats have an audio system, check what yours is equipped with

Multi-tool (but don’t get caught out by airline baggage rules!)

Electrical tape - for taping up anything that snags sails or bare legs, and labelling clutches etc

Small dry bag for carrying wallets, phone, camera etc when in the tender

Large dry for taking laptop ashore to access in bars/cafes etc

And if you have an iPad - the Navionics app with charts for the area

IN YOUR BAG

below Don’t be afraid to spend an extra day or three if you fi nd an idyllic spot

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Clubs & Classes

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s UK season opener and training regatta, the three-day RORC Easter Challenge, saw David Franks and his JPK 1010 ‘Strait Dealer’, in IRC 3, finish in style with seven wins out of seven races. Franks attributed his success to his crew and to time spent sailing Etchells between RORC races. Many new crew were aboard ‘Strait Dealer’ for this regatta, with regular hand, Graham Sunderland, joined by Ben Ainslie coach David Howlett, ex-team GBR

squad sailor Bleddyn Mon calling tactics, and members of the British Keelboat Academy. ‘In one-design sailing there is nowhere to hide,’ said Frank. ‘Even little things are immediately seen. That helps you in handicap fleet racing.’ The winner of IRC 1 overall was Sir Keith Mills’ TP52 ‘5°West’ in what is the first regatta for the TeamOrigin boss as an ‘owner-driver’. ‘The objective of the weekend was to get better and these guys are great

coaches – when you have a crew of this calibre driving is easy,’ said Mills, pointing to the small army that sails ‘5°West’, led by three-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor Robert Greenhalgh and including Laser gold medallist Paul Goodison on tactics. Runaway leader in IRC 2 was Michael Bartholomew’s King 40, ‘Tokoloshe’, which was in the top three every race, while in IRC 4, the Lymington-based team aboard Peter Schofield’s HOD35 ‘Zarafa’ dominated.

RORC Easter Regatta

Exmoor BeastieThe Exmoor Beastie, in sub-zero conditions at Wimbleball SC, had ice building up on the boats and 30 crews who ventured out to compete – not all made it through the three hour pursuit race, but most did. It was an effort of endurance as well as skill and the podium showed plenty of both.

First overall was Laser sailor and rising young star Charlie Maunder, still a junior at Wimbleball SC. Father-and-son team Simon and Ben Hawkes, also from the home club and sailing an Osprey, finished second overall, with Val Millard (Rutland) in a Challenger, third.

Alton FrostbiteThe Alton Water Zhik/Seamark Nunn Frostbite Series was closely fought with quality racing across eight out of the planned nine series races that were sailed. Overall winners were: Kestrel sailors David Hearsum and Ian Hearsum, of Hickling Broad SC, in the fast fleet; Matt House of Alton Water SC in the Phantom fleet; and Graham Ireland, Royal Harwich YC, in the Laser fleet.

420 wintersForty teams were on the start line for the 420 winter championship in Weymouth. Light winds allowed only one race on day one, while a very different day two had a blustery 15-20 knots putting teams through their paces. Neil Marsden and Matt Wallis were top of the leaderboard from start to finish, claiming two race wins in the four-race series. Tim Riley and Luke Burywood claimed second overall ahead of Callum Airlie and Joe Butterworth in third. Annabel Cattermole and Bryony Bennett-Lloyd were first girls in fifth place.

Few could have predicted the freezing temperatures of winter would continue into spring, but as the Caribbean regattas kicked off, with true British resilience, it was business as usual here on the water. Paula Irish reports

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Submit your event reports to [email protected]

CluBS & ClaSSES

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1662 Clubs and Classes (4).indd 86 23/04/2013 09:32


Clubs & Classes

Record OppiesA total of 1,126 young sailors from 30 countries made the 31st Garda Optimist Meeting the largest single-class regatta in the world. Max Clapp, of Royal Southern YC,

took second overall in the Junior category of 854 participants aged 12-14 years. Italy’s Alexandra Stalder won the Juniors, while Jakub Golebiowski (Pol) won the Cadets.

Forthcoming events

40th International Rolex RegattaIt was make or break time on the final day of racing at the 40th International Rolex Regatta at St Thomas YC. Florida’s Rick Wesslund, who pocketed a Rolex timepiece for his class win in CSA Racing 1 aboard J/120 ‘El Ocaso’, summed up: ‘After three days and six races total, it came down to the last race on the last day to determine the winner in our class, but we just hung in there and won.’ Youth triumphed in the Melges 32 class where 21-year-old Dalton DeVos,

of Michigan, held his first day lead straight through to the finish aboard ‘Delta’, while kid-power prevailed in CSA Racing 2. St. Croix’s Jack Bishop, with a crew of 14 to 17-year-old sailors aboard the J/100 ‘Bad Girl’, took the prize. In the IRC class, it was the UK’s Jeremy Pilkington’s Baltic 78, ‘Lupa of London’, which finished with a flawless series of six wins. The J/39 ‘Crystal’, skippered by Puerto Rico’s Jerome O’Neill, took the CSA Non-Spinnaker class; Puerto Rico’s Efrain ‘Fraito’

Lugo picked up his 10th Rolex timepiece, this time in the IC-24 class; and Hobie 16 father-and-son team John and Kai Holmberg, of St. Thomas, championed the beach cat class. Lastly, BVI’s Peter Haycraft was awarded the Commodore’s Trophy. Haycraft’s boats have raced in all 40 IRRs. ‘I have only raced 39,’ says Haycraft, 80, who retired from racing after the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival. ‘My son, Chris, sailed the boat the year I didn’t and he won a Rolex.’

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June 1Round the Island Race, Isle of Wightupper Clyde Cat Race, Helensburgh sC

June 1-2squib, Irish Northern Championship, Royal North of Ireland YC

June 2Monohull dinghies/multihulls, solent slog long Distance Race, Weston sC

June 6-15etchells World Championship, Rosignano solvay, Tuscany

June 6-9J111 european Championship, le Havre, France

June 7-9blaze, National Championship, Paignton sC

June 8Multihulls, solent Raid for Catamarans, Weston sClloyd Hayes Trophy (Junior Handicap), West lancashire YC

June 8-9lightning 368, sea Championships, Weston sCsolo, Northern area Championships, Carsington sC3000, Noble Marine National Championship, Grafham Water sCsquib, east Coast Championships, Royal Norfolk & suffolk YClark, Inland Championship, bristol Corinthian YC

June 8-12Olympic classes, sail for Gold, WPNsa

June 9Dinghies/multihulls, asymmetrics, Rs classes, Osea Challenge Cup, blackwater sC

June 13-16Musto skiff, Noble Marine National Championships, Highcliffe sC

June 14-15enterprise, Noble Marine Inland Championship, blithfield sC

June 14-16 J80 and J70, National Championships, Royal Yacht squadronajax, National Championship, Royal Harwich YCClassic Yachts, IRC, 12m, annual Regatta presented

by Rolex, New York YC June 15-16

Filey Regatta, Filey sCContender, southern Championship, Highcliffe sC

June 16-19swan, Giraglia Rolex Cup, st Tropez, FRa – Genoa, ITa

June 22-23squib, Irish eastern Championship, Ireland Flying Fifteen, scottish Championship, Holy loch sC

June 22-26Olympic classes, Kieler Woche, Kiel, Germany

June 22Rs200 and Rs400, Irish sprint, Greystones sC

June 23-28 PHRF, block Island Race Week, storm Trysail Club, block Island

June 23-24Dragon, south Coast Championship, Weymouth & Portland sailing academy

June 25-30Dragon, edinburgh Cup, Weymouth & Portland sailing academy

June 25-29RC44, Championship Tour , Marstrand, sweden

June 28-30streaker, National Championship, Northampton sCWaldringfield Regatta, Waldringfield sC

June 29-30long Distance Weekend, bala sC Paignton Open for Doublehanded Dinghies (PODD), Paignton sCContender, eastern Championship, stone sCNational 12, Vintage Championships, burton sCMultihulls, east Coast Piers Race, Marconi sCDinghies/multihulls/sportsboats/IRC yachts, annual Regatta, Thornbury sCMirror, scottish Nationals, annandale sC streaker, Noble Marine National Championship, Northampton sC

June 29Junior Top Club, bristol Corinthian YC

June 30-July 5squib, National Championship, south Caernarvonshire YC

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, provided the sumptuous setting for the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean. In Class A (for yachts measuring upwards of 18.29m/60ft), James C. Madden’s crew aboard ‘Stark Raving Mad’ had a score to settle after a broken spinnaker in the final race curtailed hopes of class victory last year. Wendy Schmidt’s Swan 80 ‘Selene’ (CAY) claimed the first two bullets of the week but lighter winds over the final two days saw ‘Stark Raving Mad’ take the next two bullets and class victory.

In Class B, James Blakemore’s Swan 53 ‘Music’ (GBR), with a predominantly South African contingent onboard, claimed the first bullet and on day two repeated her success, showing gritty resilience after a far from perfect start which had seen her trailing in fifth. But Philip Lotz’s ‘Arethusa’, second on day two, grew in confidence, claiming day three’s bullet to set up a tantalizing head-to-head with ‘Music’ on the final day. ‘Arethusa’ dominated to take the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean Trophy and Rolex timepiece.

Swans in the Caribbean


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Untitled-19 1 19/04/2013 14:30


Clubs & Classes

Chilly Hamble warming panThe weather Gods were not smiling for the Warming Pan, held for the 51st year at Hamble River SC. Full marks to the 62 boats that braved the frustrating conditions, unable to work hard enough even to get warm. But even conditions such as these reward the skilful, and the final prize list was like a ‘who’s who’ of sailing. Day one provided good racing in light to moderate winds before the wind picked up for the afternoon, giving the rescue teams a fair amount of work, while by start time on day two the wind was down to 5 knots.

In the Albacore class the legend that is Mike McNamara lost only one race to record a win at the club where he began his career. The Camms were similarly dominant in the National 12s, whilst Ann Jackson and Alan Skeens in the Enterprises and the Sherringtons in the Fireflies had done well enough to sit out the last, very cold, race and still win. The familiar names of Richard Whitworth and Sarah Bines headed the Merlin fleet with second place occupied by Steve and Sarah Cockerill. In the phenomenon that is the Hamble Foxer fleet, in a hotly-competitive 18-boat fleet

Rob Greenhalgh won overall pipping brother Peter into second place, whilst at least one multiple world champion couldn’t even make it into the top three!

The overall best performance prize at the 33rd annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta went to Mark Plaxton’s Melges 32 ‘Team INTAC’, winner of the highly competitive sport boat class, CSA 8. BVI-based Plaxton and his team – including Canadian Olympic sailor Richard Clarke and St Thomas native Taylor Canfield – did not lose a race in capturing the division, comprising largely Melges 32s and 24s. The regatta concluded with great trade winds for some superb Caribbean sailing for the 200-plus yachts. In CSA 1, a tight battle was won by Jeremy Pilkington’s Baltic 78, ‘Lupa of London’, and CSA 3 by Sergio Sagramoso’s J/122 ‘Lazy Dog’, a perennial Heineken Regatta contender. There was less drama in CSA 4 won decisively by Han de Bruyn Kops’s Hanse ‘47e’. James Blakemore’s Swan 53 ‘Music’ captured CSA 2 while Raphael Magras’s

X-Yachts 34, ‘Maelia’, took CSA 7. In CSA 5, St. Maarten skipper Alain Riouallec’s ‘Bachi-Bouzouk’, a Sigma 41, wrapped up their class, and Remco van Dortmondt’s ‘Sunbelt Realty DASH’ was the victor of CSA 6. Andrea Scarabelli and ‘Team Budget Marine/Gill’ topped the Melges 24 fleet. The Gunboat ‘Elvis’ sailed a perfect regatta to win Multihull 1, while Petr Kochnev’s Lagoon 500 ‘Belisima’ also won their class, Multihull 3, in three straight sets. In Multihull 2, a duel between Nils Erickson’s Formula 40 ‘Soma’ and Richard Wooldridge’s fast tri ‘Triple Jack’ was settled with ‘Soma’ winning the final race and the class. Maas Hanen’s Outremere ‘Teora’ was top in Multihull 4 and My-Cat 26 ‘Carib Cat’ in Multihull 5. Rodion Luka’s Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44, ‘Team Ukraine’, was Bareboat overall winner while top boat in the Lottery Class was Marc Perron’s Jeanneau Sunfast 43 ‘Grosloup’.

St Maarten Heineken RegattaLaser QualifierThe first of the spring World and European qualifiers, held at Stokes Bay SC, attracted 170 Laser sailors, with a sunny day one lost to no wind. Day two dawned 10°C cooler in temperature and a bitterly cold and shifty ENE 12 knot breeze. In the 42-strong Standard fleet, Alex Mills-Barton took first overall with home sailor Matt Reid in second, tied on four points with Martin Evans but placed ahead on countback. In the 128-strong Radial fleet, Ali Young and Hannah Snellgrove finished on two points each, with discard, but Ali won overall having beaten Hannah in the first race. Hannah Tilley, Jon Emmett and John Booth all finished on five points and took third, fourth and fifth overall respectively.

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Hosted by Dabchicks SC and West Mersea YC, 145 Optimists made their way through the Mersea Creeks to compete in unfamiliar waters and icy temperatures for the Volvo Gill Optimist Spring Championship. Local sailor and defending spring champion David Labrouche led the fleet after the qualifying series with just one point between second and eighth place but was forced to retire due to ill health. The fleet headed out to the race course on day two as snow turned to sleet with a building NNE wind, and 15-year-old Jemma Viney, one of a strong Cardiff Bay YC contingent, took the title, while the prize for top boy and second overall went to Milo Gill-Taylor from Spinnaker SC, Hampshire. The Silver Fleet was won by Matthew Beck from Bowmoor SC with Hatty Cage, Bewl Valley SC, top girl.

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Clubs & Classes

RS Winter Championships round upRS100Chew Valley Lake SC attracted a select group of 13 sailors over a cold and breezy weekend, with Huw Powell (Red Wharf Bay) taking two wins and a fourth from the three races to claim the overall win by a point from Weston’s Steven Lee.

RS200 Grafham saw 19 boats battling the cold and forecasted snow, to produce some great close racing with a shifty 8 to 12 knots and consistency hard to obtain on day one. The second day was then a 12-16 knot easterly breeze with snow. Edd Whitehead, sailing with superstar substitute Juliet Charles, took the first win, with the Rusden brothers James and Will, from Royal Lymington taking two further bullets for a hat-trick of firsts,

which added to a 3,4 gave them the title. Burghfield’s Chris Catt and Ally Martin took second overall, with Edd Whitehead and Alice Kingsnorth/Juliet Charles from Parkstone YC claiming third.

RS400Light winds tested 15 RS400s at Leigh & Lowton SC, with Hamish Gledhill and Simon Dowse storming the first and only race on day one, and ultimately finishing second overall. Locals Paul and Mike Allen won two of the four races held in shifty light winds on day two and the event. Wayne and Deb Fletcher took third overall.

RS600The RS600 winters at Chew Valley Lake were decided with three races in a moderate breeze on day one, with the

next day canned due to a lack of wind. Northampton’s Peter Nelson took first overall ahead of Chris Tilbrook of Paigton in second and Mathew Holden, Locks SC, third, only two points separating the top three.

RS800 Twenty 800s braved the horrid forecast at Grafham, with day one bullets for Laurie Fitzjohn-Sykes and Dan Allin, Nick Charles and Christian Humphrey, and Roger Philips and Will Crocker. Day two, Tom Halhead and Stu Jagger took the first win, then Philips/Crocker and Fitzjohn-Sykes/Allin each took wins from the final two races. On countback, Queen Mary’s Fitzjohn-Sykes/Allin beat Emberton Park’s Philips/Crocker with Charles/Humphrey just a point behind in third.

Southport winter seriesIn the fast handicap fleet of Southport SC’s winter series, Supernova sailor Matt Harris won both the morning and afternoon series, while the slow handicap fleet was dominated by the growing local Streaker fleet. Only Ben and Gabe Hill in their Mirror could get close to splitting them, and in doing so won the morning series, while Streaker sailor Tony Halliwell took the afternoon series.

Bala Massacre Despite forecasts, the three-hour Bala Massacre pursuit race actually dawned with a perfect Force 2. Twelve different classes started the race which could not have finished closer. The winner was a Flying Dutchman sailed by Jon Williams and Alex Rogers from Rutland/Felinheli. Just half a boat behind was a 2000 sailed by Bala’s John and Sarah Haywood, and in third place was another local, a K1 sailed by Richi Allen.

St David’s at ChelmarshChelmarsh SC’s St David’s Regatta resulted in victory for local GP14 sailors Matt Thursfield and Sarah Allen. Nineteen boats turned out to compete in three pursuit races, battling some challenging conditions and temperatures,

with many capsizes; the final race was so cold it attracted only five takers. In second overall were Merlin Rocket sailors Chris Martin and Matt Smith from Blithfield, ahead of Solo sailor Gareth Wilkinson, of Chelmarsh, in third overall.

Frensham FrenzyFollowing two previous events with zero wind, the this year’s Frenzy brought 25-knot gusts from the north-east. But it was the wind chill that affected everyone involved, causing not a few retirements. Local Cadet sailors Molly Spiers and Lucy Petifor led off the line and held that lead for long periods of both

pursuit races. Among the chasing classes was the Finn of veteran sailor Richard Hart, a Frensham founder member and former champion, and by far the oldest entrant on the day, who finished fifth overall out of 28 entries. But the day belonged to three visiting crews. First a Lark sailed by Pete Mitchell and Karen Falcon from

Hayling Island SC, with an Icon sailed by Mike Lyons and Simon Beddows from Burgfield in second. The furthest travelled crew, James Ward and Kate Cumming from Exe SC sailing a Lark, finished third overall. Fastest Frensham entries were Tim Deacon in his Solo, with Richard Hart fifth and Graham Howlett sixth in his Laser.

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Winter freezerThe Winter Freezer Series for RS200s at Island Barn Reservoir SC gave competitors gales, snow, fog and even the occasional sunshine, with Dan Goodman and Jo Lloyd from Littleton SC taking the overall series. Second place went to Martin Vinson and Debbie Robertshaw, also from Littleton, while Julie Harrison and Liz Carrell topped the places from the home club in third.

The final day of the Snowflake Series at Elton SC provided a bitterly cold breeze, with swings, gusts and drops in strength. Three races took place and with the series winner and runner-up already decided competition for the remaining places was intense. Third overall was Laser sailor Dave Gamble (Elton), with Phil Worth’s Phantom (Delph) winning overall ahead of John Cronshaw (Delph) in his Solo, second.

Snowflake Series


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Suffolk IP12 4JF www.robertmulcahyyachts.comTel: +44 (0) 1473 353455

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Independent expert in pre-owned Oyster Yachts. Please call with your specific requirements and for impartial advice.

Oyster Heritage 37 1988 - Classic aft cockpit cruiser by Holman & Pye. Just returned from a successful short-handed Atlantic circuit. Recent upgrades and improvements including new engine,

rigging, plumbing, electrics etc. Ready to go. £69,500 UK E Coast

Other pre-owned Oyster Yachts available:

Oyster 655 2007 - Roulette V2. High performance version. Palma £1,450,000

Oyster 62 2002 - Ixion. Maintained to the highest standards Mediterranean £880,000

Oyster 56 2007 - Amanzi. Late G5 model, fantastic value.

UK South Coast £725,000

Oyster 56 2001 - Solitaire. Probably the best example of her age.


Oyster 55 1988 - Arabella. Immaculate Holman & Pye world-cruiser.

Jersey £225,000

Oyster 49 ph 1991 - Blue Elixir. Better than new condition refit.


Oyster 485 1996 - Warisha. Good example with fully battened main.

UK East Coast £237,500

Oyster 45 2001 - Iona Bess. Stunning condition, fully equipped.

UK West Country £315,000

Oyster 45 1996 - Ocean Drive. Fully battened rig well maintained.


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Boats for sale

Our monthly guide to the best boats available from private sellers and brokerages

ON THE WATERRace boats

The Swan 45 class is a one-design raceboat from the board of German Frers that offers a rare combination of competitive racing and luxurious accommodation.

Swan has a reputation for building boats of the very highest craftsmanship and quality. The interior of the 45 offers a surprisingly spacious three-cabin layout, which comfortably accommodates up to six people and includes a commodious owner’s cabin. As befits a boat of this pedigree, the interior joinery is in meticulously handcrafted teak.

Despite the sumptuous appointments below deck, the Swan 45 was also conceived as a high octane raceboat. There are active and well supported circuits, both in the Mediterranean and in northern Europe.

The concept proved to be a popular one, and 50 boats were built in the early and mid 2000s.

This example is hull number 40, and is one of the last Swan 45s built. She is offered for a fraction of her original price. Launched in 2004, she has been carefully maintained since new and used mainly for club and Swan 45 class racing in the Mediterranean.

She is currently based in Italy, where she is well located to continue

The J/24 is one of the most successful race boat designs ever, with almost 5,000 boats built since the mid 1970s. This Westerly-built example from 1979 is keenly priced and would make an ideal low-cost entry point into the world of keelboat racing.

The J/24 class has well attended fleet racing at various points around the country, including Falmouth and Poole, and last year’s national championship attracted a very respectable 28 boats. European and world championships continue to attract big fleets and some of the world’s very best sailors.

If you’re looking for a high-performance singlehander, but don’t want to go down the foiling Moth route, the RS100 could be perfect. Designed by Paul Handley in 2009, it gives you a spinnaker to play with on the downwind legs and there’s a thriving circuit both in the UK and in Europe.

Given that it’s a fairly new class, RS100s don’t as yet come up on the second-hand market very frequently,

offering her new owner both exciting racing and spectacularly fast and comfortable holiday sailing. Contact: Nautor’s Swan Italy & Monaco, Tel +377 97 97 95 07www.mym-italy.com

LOA 13.83m

LWL 12.07m

Beam 3.91m

Draught 2.80m


Sail Area 334.9 sq m

SWAn 45 i €295,000 (tax paid) J/24 i £3,200

RS100 i £5,495but when they do they offer a worthwhile saving on the new price. This example, sail number 134, is reported to be in excellent condition and includes some new blocks, toestraps and halyards. It has the 8.4sq m mainsail and comes with lightly used sails, a carbon tiller extension, launching trolley with road base, under/over covers, and a Tacktick compass.

The boat has a good record in open meetings and a few hours of on the water coaching is available for the buyer. It is located in Alton, Hampshire. Contact 07973 839155 LOA 4.3m

Beam 1.83m

Hull weight 52kg

Crew weight 70-100kg

Mainsail 10.2 or 8.4 sq m

Spinnaker 12.5 sq m

‘Wild Thing’ is a family-owned boat that has been used for fun racing and is ready to go back in the water. She was surveyed two years ago and is robust, fast and fun to sail. The boat comes with two mainsails, a genoa, jib, two spinnakers and a sound trailer. The price, which reflects that there are no electronics or outboard engine, is open to near offers. Contact 07885 518967 LOA 7.32m

Beam 2.64m

Draught 1.22m

Weight 1,270 kg

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1662 Boats on the Water (1).indd 92 23/04/2013 09:22

Golfe-Juan FrancePhone 0033 493 636 680Email [email protected]

Lymington United KingdomPhone 0044 01590 679 222Email [email protected]

Rhode Island USAPhone 001 401 846 8404Email [email protected] www.berthon.co.uk

I N T E R N AT I O N A L YA C H T B R O K E R S

Follow us on Twitter @BerthonGroupuk Open 7 days a week

Frers and the magicians at Nautor in 2008, ultimate performance mile muncher, she comes with carbon this and kevlar that. As with Swans of all denominations – of course – she flies. Not for sale in USA waters.

swan 66’ Fd £2,250,000 VAT paidLying East Coast USA.

The only ketch rigged Mystic on the planet, she breezed across the Atlantic with the Panerai Transat Classique, showing a clean pair of heels to much of the fleet. Epic teak interior, massively well sorted for blue water and very, very red.

Mystic 60’ £395,000Lying Northern Europe

Immaculately well sorted crustacean from the Humphreys board, she emerged from the shell in 2001. Still with her first owner, never raced, rallied or put away remotely wet. Fab for oceans and stuff; her greatest modesty is definitely her price.

Recent iteration of this iconic sisterhood, she hatched 2008. The last word for blue water, comes with all the caboodle to do the job. Impeccably maintained, discover – as our chums at Marchwood are fond of saying – the difference....

Oyster 56’ £498,500

discovery 55’ £750,000

Lying Lymington, UK

Lying Lymington, UK

Bluewater Cruising yachts

BERTHON FP JUN13.indd 1 18/04/2013 09:18


DIRECTORY

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FORMULA 18 HOBIE TIGER Well sorted former Championship winning boat with Excellent sails, Measurement Certifi cate, Carbon Boards and Tornado Marstrom Rudders, Stern Supports, New Cover, Cat Trax Launching Trolley, Galvanised Road Trailer with large box available, Lying Portsmouth / Stokes Bay David . £5750 Tel 02392 754000 Offi ce hours / 07958 418145 (PORTSMOUTH)

DART 18 A 1998 Applause in good condition. Hulls refurbished, new ropes and halyards. Trolley included £2995. £2995 Tel 01795 880116 / (KENT)

UNICORN A CLASS CATAMARAN 2009 National Championship winning boat Sail No.1074. 1988 Condor professionally built foam sandwich construction hulls, dagger boards & rudders. Low maintainance competitive boat in good condition. Ideal for single handed adrenalin seeking man or woman. £1499 Tel 01621 779119 / 07714425460 (MALDON)

Multihulls

HOBIE DRAGOON Sail nos 229, 10 years old. Twin trapeze, ideal junior catamaran for 2 sailors, or to sail single handed by an adult. Beach launch trolley. Complete and ready to sail. £1850 Tel 07742 219109 / 01590 681061 (MUDEFORD)

MASTROM TORNADO SPORT CATAMARAN Year 2000 Built Marstrom Tornado Sport, Carbon Mast + Shoot, Big wheeled launching trolley Gp sails Marlow Lines & Harken Blocks Good condition, well maintained & ready to race. £6500 Tel 07843 063265 / 01702 588553 (SOUTHEND)

DART 16, 2973 WITH GENNAKER Dart 16, 2006 (2973). White hull, with blue and white sails and yellow Gennaker. Second boat so occasional use only. Has big wheel launch trolley, road trailer and full cover. It has the new style DartX Gennaker, new style Traveller and Main Sheet. Very clean boat excellent condition. £3100 Tel 07766 831613 / (OXFORD)

DART STING This is the classic Dart 15 / Sprint 15 with a more powerful rig. The hulls & equipment are in good condition. There is NEW tri-radial sail only used about 10 times in pristine condition and original 1990 main. Jib in good condition. Road trailer, trolley, cover. Photos available. £1700 Tel 07531 653574 / (HALIFAX)

DART 16No. 1627 (1997) Inc. Trailer, Top Cover and Trolley. At Rutland Water but not sailed this year. Fully Complete and open to inspection or sail. Fantastic price to sell. £1500 Tel 07850 755876 / (RUTLAND WATER)

DART 16 2689 Excellent condition sailed inland only, grey hulls, blue white sails, yellow genny, cover trolley and road trailer. Great fun, daughters changing class. £2700 Tel 02920 752167 / (CARDIFF)

TORNADO CATAMARAN White Marstrom hulls, Carbon mast and pole. Excellent main, good jib, new GP spinnaker and old spinnaker. Full cover and big wheel trolley. No. 412. £6500 Tel 07894 280190 / (STOKES BAY)

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BUTLER/PB STREAKER 1800 Winner of the Inland and National championships 2012. Superbly fitted out with Milanese foils, a one of a kind boat! Further encompassing the SuperSpar rig with full championship fit-out. Includes covers/trolley and trailer as expected with this championship winning boat. TRADE. £5750 Tel 01604 592808 / 07908 753734 (NORTHAMPTON)

DINgHIES

COMET VERSA 350 Inland raced 13’ single or double hander in yellow,jib furling,reefing option, adjustable fair leads, rear storage locker, hard wood fenders, bilge, strake runners,new combi trailer,boom cover, bottom cover, trolley. Built 2008, immaculate condition. Ideal for racing enthusiast or beginner looking for stable easy to sail boat. £4300. Tel 07500 532169 / 0208 979 3221 (HAMPTON)

RS VAREO Very little used RS Vareo for sale. Sail no 237. Excellent condition. Road combi trailer. Sailed on fresh water reservoir. great boat for those needing a greater challenge from a Laser. £1800. Tel 01822 855996 (PLYMOUTH)

RS200 - 774 Selling as leaving the country so open to offers. good condition, ready to race, 2 sets of sails, combi trailer, undercover and over cover, foils with bags, new sheets, new halyards, new main sheet block, blue, small chip on bow but still watertight. £3200. Tel 07912 629011 (DERWENT)

INTERNATIONAL FOILING MOTH AXIOM 4 2008 boat by Aardvark,the predecessor to the Ninja. Ninja main foil, refurbished March 2013, Axiom 4 rudder foil. 2012 Oligario adjustable wand, control lines replaced January 2013. Mast is one piece.The sail is the original Hyde from 2008, full cover and a beach trolley but no trailer. £4500. Tel 07552 902853 (EASTBOURNE)

RS200 289 good condition, sky blue hull. New jib, good main and spinnaker. Spare full suit of sails. Comes complete with combi trailer and undercover. Would consider p/x for RS400. £2200. Tel 07834 391535 (UTTOXTER)

TOPPER 35947 Rigged for racing as centre main 6:1 downhaul 3:1 kicker 4:1 outhaul, good spars & foils. 2 sails – one new (used 5 times) plus original sail. Metal trolley. Older well used Topper, Hull has some scratches, deck colour raspberry some minor fading but all cosmetic. £540. Tel 01142 681552 (SHEFFIELD)

LASER 2000 Lightly used - Lake sailed only. Excellent condition throughout. Combi Trailer, under / over covers, nearly new Kite. £3500. Tel 07817 575351 (WIDNES)

LASER 1 SAIL NUMBER 66995 Old, slightly tatty - structurally sound; stiff decks; no cockpit/deck/hull cracks. Ready to sail; foils fine; spars straight. New main. Sail well-used but plenty of use left. Ideal first Laser for fun sailing. Viewing gloucestershire/Hampshire. TRADE. £495. Tel 07813 899043 / 01594 517111 (FOREST OF DEAN)

LASER 160919 XD kit, 2 sails, gunwhale hung trolley, cover, foil bag, spare ‘gorilla tiller’, 2 x Boat Whisperer DVDs. Stored indoors since 2002 and sailed little. Sound hull no leaks. Offers considered. £1650. Tel 07966 274992 (PUTNEY)

TOPPER 27762 (1989) Dark Blue deck in good condition. Light occasional use, unused for last few years, currently garage stored. Two part mast, boom, rudder, dagger board, cover and folding metal launching trolley. £500. Tel 07873 386830 (ROYSTON)

DINgHIES

LASER 4.7 RIG 4.7 lower mast section and sail. Lightly used for one season only. £195. Tel 07885 413619 (ISLE OF WIgHT )ROOSTER 8.1 RIG Rooster 8.1 sail and mast extension for Laser 1. Sail has a slight tear but rig is in working order. £200. Tel 07801 803680 (READINg)XENON 5148 Hull is in good condition 2007 built boat. Only slight fault is that the spinnaker chute has some minor damage and has been a bit bleached but totally useable. Could be viewed in gloucestershire or Hampshire. TRADE. £2650. Tel 07813 899043 / 01594 517111 (EMSWORTH)

ENTERPRISE 21505 Decent wooden Prior Enterprise. Sound condition for age, no varnish or painting required. Proctor spars, Reasonable suit of Speeds sails. good trolley, top cover. No trailer included but could deliver. Ideal boat to start club racing with family. No work required - ready to sail. Could be viewed in gloucestershire/Hampshire. TRADE. £850 Tel 07813 899043 / 01594 517111 (EMSWORTH)

LASER 200100 Excellent hull almost unmarked, with excellent foils Mast and Sail 2 Seasons use. No trolley or cover. Must Sell. £3250 Tel 02392 816706 / 07958 418145 (PORTSMOUTH)

RS800 1091 good trolley and trailer, good top cover and cocoon cover, carbon tiller, one weight. Reasonable sails for racing. Hull very sound/stiff - no damage but some small gel nicks and some trapeze harness dents. Could be viewed in gloucestershire/Hampshire. TRADE. £3990. Tel 07813 899043 (gLOUCESTER)

RS200 832 Very nice boat, wedgewood blue. Fully race sorted with all tweaks. Hull well looked after in true good condition, does not leak. 1 good main, 2 jibs 1 good, 2 spinnakers 1 good. Could be viewed in glos/Hamps TRADE. £3700. Tel 07813 899043 (gLOUCESTER)

Directory JUNE13.indd 95 23/04/2013 14:48


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Yacht & Yachting Multi 130x99 wiPage 1 10/8/12 10:04:06kEElbOaTs

CRUISER/RACER NAJA 30WEsT composite, Whisstock’s built, exhibited Paris 1980. Fast planing capability. Teak decks, Volvo inboard, radar, plotter, full instrumentation. 6 man avon liferaft & dinghy. Heating, H & C pressurized water. keel bolts, chain plates, principal fastenings drawn & inspected. New standing rigging. Epoxy coated this year. £23750 Tel 01852 500329 / 07876 371203 (lOCHGIlPHEaD)

SADLER 32 Take a look at www.sadler32forsale.com for this well founded and easy to handle boat. all the information is at the link. £24995. Tel 07581 577441 (GOsPORT)

MODEL SAILING YACHT, REGINEA 100 WITH FUTABA ATTACK 2ER RADIO CONTROL SYSTEM as new used only once. Comes with stand and covers, length 103cm/40.6in. Height 147cm/57.9in. Has to be seen. £220. Tel 07811 452769 (CHElMsFORD)

FLYING FIFTEEN 3332 3 sets of sails,including 2 spinnakers. Trailer with tailboard. Rig Gauge. £2000. Tel 07891 767665 / 01912 901929 (DURHaM)

SIGMA 33 OOD NO. 1 GENOA (STOBSTAD GENESIS) No. 1 Genoa (in foredeck bag). Good condition with c. 2 x seasons use from 1998. sail comes from st Joan the twice national winner, twice National runner up, scottish series, Cork Week and overall scottish series winning boat. Reduced: must sell this week (could be delivered scotland / south Coast). £170. Tel 07584 250203 (sOUTHaMPTON)

SOLING CLASS 26’ KEELBOAT Elvestrom hull k73- built 1960’s. Fast hull shape. Has been out of water for last 2 years. Needs completely re-furbing for racing but would be ideal for conversion to small cruiser. No trailer with boat but can be delivered for cost of fuel. £100. Tel 01548 852405 (salCOMbE)

SB3 (SB20) 3177 PRICE REDUCED blue Hull, good condition. Owned from new. lots of sails included. all kit you need race competitively. all reroped with very expensive string! keel aligned and on the weight limit! Well serviced trailer, and undercover included!! Fast boat when sailed right 4th at the Hayling Nationals, 3rd Royal southern GP. £10499. Tel 07876 630806 (HaMblE)

WESTERLY J24, 1979 Wild Thing is robust, fast, fun to sail and ready to go in the water. Two mains, genoa, jib and two spinnakers. No electronics or engine, robust trailer. surveyed 2011. Wild Thing is family owned and fun to race. Price is £3200 ONO. Tel 07885 518967 (COWEs)

K1 DINGHY Dinghy with lifting keel, sail number 3, two suits sails, one suit unused and brand new, fly-away jib stick, top and bottom covers, combi trailer. £5250. Tel 07787 552282 / 023 8045 3828 (HaMblE)

YACHTSHARE IN 2005 BAVARIA 36 1/8th share in professionally managed friendly syndicate giving minimum 6 weeks per year. Extra Weeks FOC, Christmas and New Year often available. boat in fully maintained excellent condition,Unexpectedly available immediately and great value. see “Musketeer” at Yacht fractions Website or call. £5950. Tel 07836 351582 (alCUDIaMaR MallORCa)

X-99 ONE DESIGN Performance cruiser yacht, built 1998 in Denmark. New running rigging and sheets 2012. New prop and engine refurb 2012. see link for more details: http://tinyurl.com/bh3lvkc. £25000. Tel 07739 580425 (CaRDIFF)

J 24 ROGERS Jethro 1982 Rogers J 24 on 4 wheel trailer. Fully equipped with tacktick and recent mast, boom, winches, windex, tiller, outboard. White hull with cream deck. 2010 sW div 3 IRC championship winner. In good condition. Reduced to sell. £4500. Tel 01326 250148 / 07915925895 (FalMOUTH)

SQUIB AND TRAILER IN KENT Oliver lee build 01 June 1972, sailing weight 727lbs. Originally “sixpence” sail no 299, now “Wavy Gravy “Hull sprayed silver above waterline, White below. believed complete, 2 suits of sails and spinnaker, latest of batt manufacture. sturdy trailer, new wheelbearings. £1100. Tel 07779 746603 / 01580 720804 (sIssINGHURsT)

SPRING 25 - ATOM GBR111 This spring 25 was built in 1988 and is in good condition. The inventory includes a Yanmar 8hp diesel, folding prop, various safety equipment, VHF, simrad instruments, bamar furling system, spinnaker pole, mainsail new 2005, genoa new 2012, no.3 new 2010, spinnaker new 2008, new mast 2011, anchor. £11950. Tel 07768 467977 (MalDON)



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T: (01929) 554308The Sail Loft, 16 Sandford Lane Ind Est,Wareham, Dorset, BH20 4DY

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EUROPE Built in 1986 fibreglass/mahogany veneer composite. Foils VGC. Aluminium Mast (redband equivalent) 2x Greens sails). Needs someone with shed and a pot of varnish. Student unable to care for her properly. Good cheap project with fast boat at the end of it. Regular event and club race winner in 2012. £200. Tel 07528 472762 (CARDIFF)

BARIENT 24-45 2 SPEED CHROME WINCH Chrome on bronze 2 speed sheet winch. 2 available, never fitted. Height 170mm, base 160mm, drum 90mm weight 15Ibs. £300. Tel 01489 575847 /(WARSASH)

BARIENT 27C 2 SPEED WINCH Barient 27c 2 speed chrome sheet winch, 2 available, as new, never fitted! Height 175mm, base 180mm, drum 95mm, weight 24Ibs. £400. Tel 01489 575847 (WARSASH)

JIB 632 - CHERISHED CAR NUMBER PLATE JIB 632 cherished car number plate for sale. Priced to sell. Usual retail price of this type of number £1300-£1400. On transfer document ready for immediate sale. Private seller. £800. Tel 07968 939373 (ANYWHERE)

ICOM IC M31 HANDHELD RADIO Very little used complete with charger, battery and dry cell pack. £65. Tel 07803 678593 (STAPLEHURST)

NASA TARGET 2 ECHO SOUNDER Brand new and still in box. Complete with transducer etc. £60. Tel 07803 678593 (STAPLEHURST)

LOFRANS KOBRA WINDLASS FOR SPARES No motor and some corrosion on underneath of mounting holes. More than 10 years old otherwise sound. Works fine as a manual windlass. £50. Tel 01489 572959 (SOUTHAMPTON)

BARIENT 22-39 CHROME 2 SPEED WINCH New, never fitted to yacht, height 163mm base 150mm drum dia 86mm weight 13lbs. £250. Tel 01489 575847 (WARSASH)

AVON ADVENTURE 400 Avon Adventure 400 1999 40hp Four Stroke Mercury (big foot gear box)1999 Snipe Trailer Custom Made Cover Fish Finder (speed & temp) Electric Bilge Pump Lots of Extras Ex Condition. £4250. Tel 07834 240846 (MYLOR)

£122.50 GIFT VOUCHER FOR SCOTSAIL TRAINING (RYA SAILING & POWER COURSES) FOR £80 A gift voucher for the value of £122.50 which can be used towards all yachting and power boating courses / experiences from Scotsail Training in Largs, Ayrshire. Valid until the end of 2013. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. £80. Tel 01828 670389 (BURRELTON, PERTHSHIRE)

AH07 BOY NUMBER PLATE Available immediately. £1500. Tel 07785 575100 (ANYWHERE)

BARIENT 24-45 2 SPEED CHROME SELF TAILING WINCH New, never fitted!! Height 190mm Base dia 165mm Drum dia 87mm Weight 18lbs Line entry 80mm Line 8mm - 14mm. £480. Tel 01489 575847 (WARSASH)

HOUSE WITH BOAT SLIP IN PANAMA Tropical island home. No hurricanes. Large boat slip 14 feet deep, 25 feet wide. 45 minute flight to Panama City. Open concept home. Beach, garden, ocean views and breezes. 2 minutes to main town. Island has complete infrastructure. £135000. Tel (507) 6464 4242 (PANAMA)

TOP 541L CAR REGISTRATION Rare sailing related plate. 1973. Never allocated. Might suit Olympic sailor or victorious Admiral of the Fleet. £20000. Tel 07931 773378 (BOURNEMOUTH)

POWERED HEADSAIL FURLER For sale due to cancelled project Powered Headsail Furler. Custom made by Bamar for below deck fitting. Everything required for push button reefing and furling, 24volt system. Designed for max 100m2 sail. New, never installed and still in original packing cases. Retail value over £16,000. £12000. Tel 07966 098312 (LYMINGTON)

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Position of the month

Never mind wing sails, here’s the latest innovation...

No.195 Horizontal sailingDifficulty rating: 5/5

With the rig lowered, you won’t need to hike as hard… you might need

to start swimming though!

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Sailing with your rig at an angle is an innovative way to try to cope when it gets a bit breezy and perhaps you are lacking

the weight to hike your craft out sufficiently. By lowering the height of your rig, so the theory goes, you reduce the leverage needed to keep the boat flat in high winds. However, this does require some superhuman balancing skills, and there’s every danger of ending up in the drink.

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Untitled-29 1 23/04/2013 14:14

Documents

Yachts & Yachting June 2013