THE

242 BEST
TRADEWIND
ARC CRUISING
SET-UPS
SKIPPERS
SKIPPERS
REVEAL
WHAT WORKS
+ WHAT DOESN’T

OFF BEAT
ADVENTURES
Exploring Norway
and Guyana

TESTED RM1380
New cruiser loaded OWN-BOAT COACHING
with original ideas SLEEP OFFSHORE
RACING CROSS-CHANNEL
 JUNE 2024

26
DOWNWIND
SAILS
Which downwind
sails are the right
choice? ARC skippers
share how to take
the stress out of a
tradewind passage

AT A GLANCE

ON THE WIND
Philip Mrosk/Athena/WCC

12 All female Maiden crew wins

the Ocean Globe Race

14 America’s Cup AC75s unveiled

and take to the water

16 The rise of GPS jamming and

the threat to yachtsmen
Janneke Kuysters & Wietze van der Laan

36 44 NEW YACHTS
70 Previewing some exciting and
very different 40-something
James & Jayne Pearce

footers due in 2024/25

PRACTICAL
74 Special report Changes afoot
for The Shipping Forecast
CAPE NORTH THE MIGHTY ESSEQUIBO
78 Navigation briefing Tips for
Cruising north beyond the Arctic Circle Sailing from the Caribbean to Guyana’s
racing across the Channel
delivers a spectacular and enjoyable Essequibo River, one couple find theirs is
summer in Norway the only yacht for miles around 82 5 Expert tips Dee Caffari on
planning sleep routines at sea

52 62
Ludovic Fruchaud/imacis.fr/EYOTY

84 Taking ownership Inviting

experts aboard for coaching

REGULARS
06 From the editor
James Tomlinson

20 Matthew Sheahan
22 Nikki Henderson
57 Great Seamanship
87 Yachts for sale
96 Classified advertisements
HER OWN WAY TESTED: RM1380
98 World’s coolest yachts
Cole Brauer is the first American woman RM’s distinctive new flagship offers an
to sail non-stop around the world – and enticing combination of good sailing,
in doing so is shaking things up spacious accommodation and twin keels COVER PICTURE
Downwind sailing in the
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 509
Published monthly on the second Thursday of the month by Future Publishing Limited, Quay House, Kaholo. Photo: Tor Johnson
The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA ©Future Publishing, 2024 ISSN 0043-9991
 Online YouTube Facebook twitter
www.yachtingworld.com Yachting World @yachtingworld @yachtingworldmagazine

Ivo Rovira/America’s Cup

Is it a boat, is it a plane? ... it’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s new AC75

DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE

‘That’s not a boat!’ Guaranteed, as soon as we projects like Tracy Edwards’ Maiden, which – 34
share the first images of this year’s futuristic years after the first ever all-women’s team
AC75s online, there’ll be comments and competed in the Whitbread– saw the first
reactions saying ‘That’s not a yacht!’ And of all-women crew win an around the world race
course, the foiling monohulls bear little (see page 12). And sailors like Cole Brauer, who
resemblance to any boat that we have, or likely was told she was too petite to race around the
will ever sail (though, truth be told, how many world with a Volvo Ocean Race team, so did it
of us have raced a 12mR or IACC yacht?). solo in a 40-footer (page 52).
But isn’t that the point? Elite sport is supposed And it’s adventurous cruisers too. James and
to be otherworldly, and the America’s Cup has Jayne Pearce’s tale of sailing to a country where
always been at the very sharpest edge of there was not one single other visiting yacht and
development. It’s about taking sailing to the scant information, is inspiring stuff (page 44).
limits of what looks possible, then having the Plus, whether you’re following the tradewinds
world’s best sailors push those limits yet further. or heading off the beaten track, don’t miss our
Sailing, like any sport or technology, needs indispensible guide to downwind sails, with Helen Fretter
those who ask ‘why can’t we....?’ It’s crazy advice from over 240 ARC skippers (page 26). Editor

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6
PICTURE THIS
The colours! The British Virgin
Islands remain a sailor’s
paradise. And this looks
particularly dreamy for those
emerging from the hibernation
of a wet winter. You can almost
feel the warmth of the trades and
know those crews will be diving
straight into that inviting clear
water post race as the Swan 58
WaveWalker chases fellow US-
flagged RP42 Rikki at the Scrub
Island Invitational Race during
April’s BVI Spring Regatta.
Photo by Alex Turnbull/Tidal
Pulse Media

8
9
10
PICTURE THIS
The crew of Alani keep covered
from the harmful UV rays
while pushing this traditional
36ft Gurney sloop around the
Antigua Classics track. With its
parade of sail, single-handed
race, Concours d’Elegance, and
unrivalled dock talk, Antigua
Classics in mid April is a truly
memorable event – even the
conditions this year played ball
with a gentle start for the genteel
yachts before the tradewind
breezes improved each day.
Photo by Tobias Stoerkle

11
 ON THE WIND
NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE WORLD OF YACHTING
Photos: Kaia Bint Savage/The Maiden Factor

Maiden wins Ocean Globe Race

Maiden, the iconic former Whitbread Round the modern routing software. been a quieter affair, but fellow and former
Race yacht, has won the 2023/24 Ocean Globe After starting in September from competitors and supporters gathered to cheer
Race. In doing so skipper Heather Thomas and Southampton, the 14-boat fleet raced over four the team across the finish line off the Royal
team become the first all-female crew to ever stages, stopping in Cape Town, Auckland and Yacht Squadron, and to welcome them onto the
win an around the world race. Punta del Este – all ports associated with the pontoons in Cowes. A few days later, Maiden
Maiden was the fifth yacht to finish the last leg original Whitbread – before finishing back in the was joined by a flotilla of yachts and RIBs on the
of the Ocean Globe Race from Punta del Este, Solent after 28,500 miles. final stage of her journey, back up Southampton
Uruguay into Cowes, UK, arriving on 16 April. The finale had echoes of the 1989/90 Water into Ocean Village. Well-wishers included
However, by 22 April it was clear that no other Whitbread Round the World Race, when Tracy members of the Jordanian royal family, as the
yacht could beat them on IRC corrected time Edwards skippered the first all-female team late King Hussein I of Jordan had supported
– their closest rival the Swan 53 Triana stuck in to take part in a round the world race. At the Edwards’ team during the 1989 Whitbread, and
light winds – granting Maiden the overall win. time, many detractors thought they wouldn’t Maiden’s original ‘godmother’ Sarah Ferguson,
The Ocean Globe Race was created in homage get around, but Maiden came 2nd in class after The Duchess of York.
to the original Whitbread, setting off on the 50th winning two of the three Southern Ocean legs.
anniversary of the first crewed round-the-world Edwards and team were given a phenomenal OCEAN GLOBE RACE
race. In a similar vein to the Golden Globe Race, welcome when they brought Maiden back to Thomas had stated from the beginning that
crews were restricted in both the designs of the her home port in 1990, the Solent filled with Maiden was ‘in it to win it’, and the crew was
boats, and the technology they could use and spectator vessels. competitive from the outset – finishing 3rd (line
carry – eg using celestial navigation rather than The Ocean Globe Race finish may have honours and IRC) on the first stage from Cowes

12
 Big classics return
The Richard Mille Cup, for classics dating from the end of the 19th

Ewan Lebourdais
century to the late 1930s, will hold its second running this June. The
fleet, which includes famous yachts such as Mariquita, will compete
over a mix of inshore and coastal races via Falmouth, Dartmouth,
and Cowes before a cross-Channel passage to Le Havre, France.

Lloyd Images/Pip Hare Ocean Racing

previous Jules Verne Trophy record holder.
Going into the final stage, Maiden was seven
days behind Triana on IRC, and suffered a series
of gear failures on the northbound Atlantic
stage, including a broken watermaker, and
having to make repairs to the generator and
inverter. Unstable south-easterly tradewinds
made the leg a slow and tense affair for much of
the fleet, Maiden finally hooking into northerlies
to pull ahead of Triana.
After Maiden’s overall win was confirmed, Pip’s Vendée
skipper Heather Thomas said: “It’s amazing to
Above: skipper Heather
Thomas and crew are
be the first all-female crew to win an around the
world race; it’s a historic moment. Me and all
funding crisis
the first all-female the crew worked really hard for it and we’re very British Vendée Globe skipper Pip Hare
team to win an around proud of our achievement.” has warned that her preparation for this
the world race. The Maiden crew was an international team year’s Vendée Globe is in jeopardy after
Below: Tracy Edwards made up of sailors from Britain, India, South the loss of two key backers.
was back to celebrate Africa, USA, France, Antigua, Italy, Puerto Rico With less than six months until the
Maiden’s victory and Afghanistan. They had a diverse level of start of the round the world race, Hare
experience; only one had sailed in the Southern faces a funding shortfall after reporting
Ocean previously. that two sponsors “were unable to re-
Tracy Edwards MBE also welcomed the team sign contracts for the final year of the
into Cowes. When the win was confirmed she campaign due to the economic climate.”
said: “I am beyond proud of what these talented Hare explained: “I entered the last
women have achieved. Vendée Globe race four years ago after
“They took our success in 1990 to the next getting started with a £25,000 bank
level and blew away one of the very few firsts loan and some crowd-funding. Now I’m
left in women’s ocean racing. Well-deserved running a team in a different league.
congratulations to Heather Thomas and her “Losing this sponsorship at a key stage
crew for winning on corrected time. in our preparations is going to have a
to Cape Town, 4th (line honours and IRC) on Leg “I would also like to take this opportunity to huge impact on race potential.”
2, and 2nd on line honours and 4th in IRC on congratulate Marie Taberly for winning Line Hare’s programme is planned
Leg 3. However, they were pushed hard by Marie Honours. Two women at the top of their sport until June. “I have to finish the final
Taberly and crew on Pen Duick IV, as well as makes me incredibly happy and so proud of what qualification race, the New York Vendée
Triana, a competitive team on the smallest boat Maiden began. As the saying goes, ‘I think my to Les Sables d’Olonne. This will involve
in the fleet skippered by Sébastien Audigane, a work here is done!’” delivering the boat across the Atlantic
and then racing single-handed back.”
But she warned that additional training
and the boat’s pre-race refit could suffer:
MAIDEN’S HISTORY “If we’re not able to bring in more funding
Entertainment Pictures/Alamy

all of this activity will have to halt after

1981 Races as Disque D’Or III in the Whitbread June and we’ll just focus on getting to
1986 Races around the world again in the BOC single-handed challenge. the start line and race – there will be no
1989 Tracy Edwards skippers an all-female team in the Whitbread further development or preparation. If we
Round the World Race can’t do this work, essentially I’d have to
2014 Discovered abandoned in the Seychelles throttle back on performance.”
2017 After a crowd-funding campaign Edwards brings it back to For this year’s race title sponsor
Hamble for a complete refit Medallia re-signed, enabling Hare to
2018-21 The Maiden Factor world tour, with guest skippers including purchase and re-optimise a newer foiling
etty

Dee Caffari, Wendy Tuck and Nikki Henderson, raising design, the VPLP/Verdier-designed 2016
Hulton Archive/G

funds and awareness for girls education race winner (ex-Banque Populaire VIII).
2024 Wins the Ocean Globe Race overall With the newer, more competitive boat
she is now aiming for a top 10 finish.

13
 ON THE WIND

World ARC completed

World Cruising Club

Seventeen yachts completed their 26,000-mile circumnavigation when

the 2023/24 World ARC rally finished in St Lucia in April. Crews ranged
from seven to 77 years old, and included 10 children. In total 263 people
sailed one or more legs of the rally, with 21 nationalities represented.
The next edition sets sail in January 2026. worldcruising.com

America’s Cup/AC37 Event Ltd

Alinghi Red Bull
Racing’s Cup
boat was
unveiled at night,
with aerial
acrobats
representing the
sails and rig
Ugo Fonollá/America’s Cup

Cup boats unveiled

By contrast, when Emirates Team New
Zealand launched their AC75 a couple of days
after Alinghi in Auckland, they put the sails up
the same day. Even if their first sail was only
Four of the six competing America’s Cup teams to launch one AC75 this year, though as a new 10 minutes long, the Defenders’ no-messing-
have unveiled their AC75s, the boats in which entry into the Cup Alinghi had previously been about approach will have certainly signalled
they will contest for the Cup this October. practising in Emirates Team New Zealand’s boat the team’s confidence in their new design to
First to show their hand was Alinghi Red from the 36th Cup), including radical cut-away other Challengers, and they followed it up with a
Bull Racing who unveiled their AC75 in a glitzy of the hull sidewalls in the aft sections, reflecting fuller sailing session the day after. “It was pretty
night ceremony on 9 April, the sails and rig the updated rule’s focus on weight reduction, as incredible to sheet on and do a few foiling tacks
represented by a cascade of aerial acrobats. well as the removal of runners. straight off the bat,” said skipper Peter Burling.
Some of the rule changes for this second Like most teams, Alinghi Red Bull Racing then Third to launch – and certainly the most eye-
generation of AC75s were evident immediately in went through several days of tow testing before catching – was Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s silver
the Alinghi ‘Boat One’ (each team is only allowed first crewed sail trials 10 days after her unveiling. liveried design. The Italian boat features notably
sleeker lines than the other boats revealed so far,
The Luna Rossa with a slimmer bustle running under the helm
Prada Pirelli and more organic lines running from the cyclor
boat – sleek pods aft to the transom, and a smoother, almost
and eye- concave deck – in comparison to the ‘speed
Ivo Rovira/America’s Cup

catching in bumps’ some teams have around the bow, likely

silver and red to improve air flow over the jib. The Italian team
livery is currently training in Cagliari, Sardinia.
The other boat to be unveiled so far is that of
INEOS Britannia. Code-named RB3, the British
AC75 was yet to go sailing at the time of going
to press, but the first chance to glimpse her out

14
 ON THE WIND

Admiral’s Cup plans published

The Notice of Race for next year’s highly anticipated Admiral’s

imagecomms
Cup revival has been published. Entry opens on 1 July this year.
Registration and measurement will begin on 17 July 2025, followed
by a short offshore starting on 19 July, three days of inshore races,
and the Rolex Fastnet Race start on 26 July. admiralscup.rorc.org

Finding offshore
sailors of the future
The Royal Ocean Racing Club has Cowes in March. This was run by
expanded its long-running Griffin Charles Darbyshire’s FourthCape
initiative for young sailors aged project management company, with
C Gregory/INEOS Britannia

18-30, with significant investment in additional input from John Thorn,

a bid to find the next generation of director of the former Artemis
offshore sailors. Academy (alumni include Sam
The programme’s goals include Goodchild and Alan Roberts).
building a new pool of experienced Organisers structured the three-
and capable crew that RORC day trials to be more than simply
members can tap into, as well as a test. “The major goal is to share
helping create the future generation knowledge,” says Driver, “and we
of boat owners. designed the selection trials so that
“We know an enormous number of sailors that do not get through to
talented young dinghy sailors don’t the squad this year could take away
transition to larger boats and stop useful knowledge.”
Sam Thom/America’s Cup

sailing regularly,” Griffin committee The final squad of 20 sailors

chair Jim Driver told Yachting World. encompasses six nationalities,
The initiative’s aim is to give young including 11 from the UK, and an
sailors the chance to experience 11/9 male/female split. For their first
offshore racing, and running an training weekend a world class coach
offshore campaign, through an – Shirley Robertson, Dee Caffari,
accelerated learning programme. Steve Hayles and Ian Walker – was
The end goal was to select a team attached to each boat.
of 20 sailors who’d each receive top RORC chartered Jeanneau Sun
of the shed in Barcelona suggested the British Top: INEOS level training, followed by taking part Fast 30s from Cap Regatta for the
team had adopted a more substantial bustle than Britannia’s AC75. in a series of three RORC offshore programme, which in effect seeded
seen elsewhere, with a slimmer skeg running Above: Emirates races in teams of five. a Solent-based fleet of this new
underneath. The foils, mast and sail control Team New Once applications opened at one design class. Four boats were
systems haven’t yet been unveiled. Zealand’s Cup the end of January, demand was used for the selection and training
Team principal Ben Ainslie said: “This is a big boat was unveiled massive, with more than 200 formal weekends, while a further two are
day for the team. We’ve been keeping RB3 under and on the water applications received from 20 entered in six RORC offshore races
wraps for such a long time that it’s almost surreal the same day different countries. this year, enabling each of the Griffin
to see her out of the shed and in public view. Of these, 40 sailors were invited squad sailors to compete in three
“Thousands of hours of work have gone into this to a three-day selection process in races totalling around 1,200 miles,
boat so it’s great to finally reveal her to the world.” without an owner or
RORC’s Griffin
James Tomlinson/RORC

The British boat was built by Carrington coach on board.

initiative has a
Boats in Hythe, on the south coast of England, Initially a three year
squad of 20
before being transported to Brackley, in programme is planned,
young sailors
Northamptonshire, which is the centre for the with more funding
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, where the F1 anticipated for years
Team’s Applied Science division partnered with two and three, thanks
INEOS Britannia for the design and build. to sponsors including
The F1 influence on the latest generation marina company
AC75s is reflected in an increasing focus on boatfolk, and gear suppliers Ocean
James Tomlinson/RORC

aerodynamics across the fleet, and – the teams Signal and North Sails. In addition,
will be hoping – in improved reliability and RORC has earmarked £50,000
efficiency of systems. Two more teams are yet annually for the programme, while
to show their boats – American Magic, and the participants pay just £375 each. The
French Orient Express Racing Team. We’ll take a plan is to start the 2025 selection
closer look at all the designs in a future issue. process in September this year.

15
 ON THE WIND

Cape to St Helena entries

Simon McDonnell

Entries are open for this year’s iconic Cape to St Helena

Yacht Race. The challenging 1,700-mile course races
across the South Atlantic, starting on 26 December,
finishing on one of the world’s most remote inhabited
islands. Find out more at capetosthelena.co.za

Left: map IMPACT ON YACHTS

generated by What can sailors do to mitigate the risks of
gpsjam.org jamming, spoofing and other causes of GNSS
showing areas of outages such as solar flares?
GPS jamming on “We’ve got used to really quite accurate
13 April this year. positions and that is very beguiling because it
Below: leisure makes us all tend to believe implicitly in what the
yacht electronic machine is telling you,” says Bryans. “And you
charting could be should never do that – anybody who simply relies
susceptible to on one source of navigational information is not
jamming conducting safe navigation in my view.”
Cross-checking your
instruments can be achieved, for
instance, with a radar overlay, by
gpsjam.org

double checking position against

depth, and through using visual
transits or bearings taken with a
hand bearing-compass. However,
Bryans says a weakness of most
chartplotting equipment for

GPS jamming leisure use is that it’s only possible

to plot a single bearing line. By

David Bishop
contrast, the ECDIS systems used

on the rise
by shipping allow a visual fix, with
three lines of position meeting
in a cocked hat, to be plotted on
screen. This position can then
Over 60 hours of GPS outage in the Baltic region Glonass and the EU’s Galileo. However, all be used as the basis for dead reckoning or
impacted hundreds of passenger aircraft this transmit on similar wavelengths in the L-Band subsequent estimated positions. It’s quicker than
March, reports Rupert Holmes. The incident, spectrum, and therefore jamming attacks plotting on paper and has less chance of error.
which is by no means an isolated case, included typically take them all down simultaneously. Given the ongoing transition to digital-only
24 hours of interference across parts of Sweden, For example, as Yachting World went to press, navigation, Bryans chairs a working group
Germany and Poland, including the Baltic Sea, shortly after Iran’s drone attack on Israel, there including representatives from the RYA, RNLI,
plus a further 40 hours focussed on Poland. was significant disruption to GPS signals in the Cruising Association, and Royal Cruising Club
GPS jamming attacks, in which the weak east Mediterranean, according to gpsjam.org, Pilotage Foundation to create a set of standards
satellite signals are blocked by terrestrial which uses data based on aircraft reports of their for use in the leisure sector and for commercial
transmitters, have been observed for many navigation system accuracy to generate maps of vessels of less than 24m, for which it’s not
years, however, the scale of this attack was likely GPS interference. In this case the area of practical to fit ECDIS equipment.
unprecedented. But what are the implications for disruption covered more than 500 square miles In the all-digital future, without paper charts,
navigation at sea? of sea, stretching from Turkey’s southern coast he says, “If for whatever reason you lose your
Paul Bryans, chair of the Royal Institute of to Egypt, including the waters around Cyprus. GNSS signal, you have to be able to use the chart
Navigation’s small craft group, says that large plotter like a traditional paper chart [and] be able
scale jamming “tends to be by nation states GPS ‘SPOOFING’ to plot visual fixes on it.”
[who] want to send a message to somebody.” A second issue is spoofing, where instead of a At the moment it’s believed the only option
This requires a sophisticated, powerful system GNSS signal simply being masked, false data that currently offers this is the AngelNav iOS
to take the signal out over a wide area. However, is broadcast that leads navigation systems to app developed by Tom Cunliffe and Bill Aylward.
small scale jamming units that disrupt the signal display an inaccurate position. During a large- This uses UKHO data for raster charts and
over tens of metres are readily available online. scale incidence of GPS signals being spoofed allows users to physically plot position lines and
Even though the use of such units is illegal, seven years ago, 20 ships off the Russian port of courses on screen, though only charts for the UK
Bryans says their use is common, often when Novorossiysk reported their navigation systems and Ireland are currently available.
cars or lorries are stolen. were showing positions 25 miles inland. The Royal Institute of Navigation is also
Recent electronic devices don’t rely solely Spoofing is far less common than jamming, as currently working on a major update of its
on the American GPS system – there are now it requires far more sophisticated technology. It guidance for safe use of electronic navigation
five GNSS (global navigation satellite system) is also more difficult to detect, especially if used systems on leisure craft that is scheduled for
constellations in operation, including Russia’s to slowly nudge a vessel off course. publication (as a free download) this year.

16
 ON THE WIND

Sharon Green/Ultimate Sailing

Transpac rating factors weather
The next Transpac race, held in 2025, will use weather adjusted ratings to
improve fairness across the whole fleet, as division starts are staggered
over five days. The Time-on-Time Forecast Time Correction Factor
(F-TCF) ratings are calculated using polar performance data and weather
predictions in the morning of each start, from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Oyster back in profit changes to the company including a

streamlined range – and the introduction of
smallest Oyster for many years, the 495 in
Oyster Yachts has announced it is back in in a strong position and has the resources 2022 – greater in-house control of design
profit, six years after the company went and facilities to service our vessels world- and manufacturing, and the introduction of
under in early 2018. wide and provide owners with truly Lloyd’s Register surveyors to instil consumer
Oyster returned to profit in January personalised support. Investing heavily confidence after the Polina Star keel
this year and expects to make an overall in the founding principles of Oyster failure in 2015 (a contributing factor to the
profit for 2024 following a 29% year-on- Yachts is translating into stronger company’s previous financial woes).
year increase in turnover to £56.4m. After business results.” The company also refreshed its marketing
launching 32 yachts in 2022, the shipyard The British boatbuilders strategy. One of the key drivers of new boat
says its build bays remained full for the dramatically ceased operations sales has been the success of the Oyster
2023 financial year. on 5 February 2018 after the World Rally, with around a quarter of new
Oyster reports that over the same year private equity firm which had boat orders coming from Rally entrants.
the company grew its staff by a third, been supporting the company Oyster has announced that entries will
expanding its service network, refit, after- withdrew its financial backing. It open for the 2028/29 rally on 18 June
sales support, crew, and charter services, was swiftly bought by software this year. The 2024/25 rally is currently
following an additional £14.5m investment entrepreneur Hadida, who underway and, remarkably, the 2026/27
by owner and chairman Richard Hadida. poured millions of pounds of rally is already full. Places are limited to 30
Ashley Highfield, CEO of Oyster Yachts, investment into the company. yachts for the 2028 edition, and organisers
said: “We are confident Oyster is now Hadida also drove expect the 16-month tour to sell out swiftly.

Oyster order
books are
bulging, thanks in
no small part to
the Oyster World
Rally – entries for
2028 open soon

Ugo Fonolla/Oyster
Paul Wyeth

2024 Hurricane season warning

AccuWeather is among the forecasters [for hurricanes],” DaSilva added.
predicting a very active 2024 hurricane season, A second key influence is the rapid
which officially begins on 1 June. “The 2024 development of a La Niña phase in the eastern
Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to feature Pacific, resulting in reduced vertical wind shear,
well above the historical average number of which favours hurricane formation.
tropical storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting
and direct US impacts,” AccuWeather lead 20-25 named storms across the Atlantic basin
Stocktrek Images/Getty

hurricane forecaster Alex DaSilva said. in 2024, including 8-12 hurricanes, and 4-7
One key factor is record sea temperatures. major hurricanes. Colorado State University
“Sea-surface temperatures are well above meteorologists have also made their highest
historical average across much of the Atlantic ever predictions, of 23 named storms and 11
basin, especially across the Gulf of Mexico, hurricanes. The 30-year historical average is for
Caribbean and the Main Development Region 14 named storms in a single season.

17
 ON THE WIND

Antifouling rule change

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has updated regulations
Graham Snook

governing antifouling on shipping in UK waters to protect the marine

environment. The new legislation, which comes into force on 11
May, implements an international convention prohibiting the use of
cybutryne in marine paints, a chemical proven to harm flora and fauna.

The International Multihull Show is at La Grande-

Motte near Montpellier in the south of France

160 exhibitors at the show attracted a diverse

audience, with visitors estimated to be around
60% international and approximately 10% of
those from North America.
“English is the dominant language on the
pontoons,” says Caroline Popovici, the show’s
new director. She added: “what emerges from
our discussions with the industry professionals is
a visitor base that is increasingly high quality.”
The show has gained a strong reputation for
its friendly atmosphere and ideal location. This
year’s running was the first under new owners
M2Organisation (M2O), a subsidiary of the
French Nautical Industries Federation (FIN),
which also owns the Cannes Yachting Festival.
“Our objective for year one was to gain a
good understanding of the show’s ecosystem so
that we could ease into the transition,” explains
Multihull Show draws crowds Fabien Métayer, managing director of FIN and
director of M2O. “We’d like to make a number
The multihull sector continues to develop, with The 15th edition of the show was held in of adjustments for next year, particularly to the
the new owners of the International Multihull beautiful weather over Easter during the first visitor on-shore experience.”
Show in La Grande-Motte, France, reporting a week of April. Despite fewer world premieres The next International Multihull Show is
strong international attendance. of new designs than during previous years, the scheduled for 23 to 27 April 2025.

Allegra conquers
Caribbean
The well-travelled 84ft cruiser-racer
catamaran Allegra won the International
Maxi Association’s (IMA) inaugural
Caribbean Maxi Multihull Series by a single
point this spring. Designed to recognise
this growing segment of maxi yachting, the
new series featured 10 of the 60ft+ maxi
multihulls racing in the Caribbean Multihull
Challenge in St Maarten, the RORC 600, St
Maarten’s Heineken Regatta, and finally the
BVI Spring Regatta, during which Allegra’s
owner Adrian Keller took the series by a
Alex Turnbull

point over Todd Slyngstad’s HH66 Nemo.

18
 N E XT MON T H
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19
 COMMENT

M ATT H E W
SHEAHAN
ELECTRI C POWER ON BOARD IS BECOMING AN EVER-MORE POPULAR OPTION, BUT WHAT
WIL L WE D O WITH OLD BATTER IES? TH E AUTO IND USTRY MAY HAV E A SOLU TION

R
ushing to wean ourselves off fossil fuels it could be particularly important aboard boats.
seems we’re building another problem for There’s more testing to be done but the news has
the future. What do we do with the new attracted a great deal of interest in the EV world.
batteries we’re now installing once they’ve Meanwhile, another exciting development is that of
reached the end of their life? solid state batteries. Broadly speaking, existing lithium
The growth in popularity of electric cars is evident on batteries consist of three key parts: an anode (negative)
our roads – but how many old ones do you see? Sure, there and cathode (positive) physically separated by a polymer
are those that have been around for a while and may have layer, and these are immersed in a liquid electrolyte that
had their battery replaced, but old electric cars are still in allows the ions to transfer.
the minority, suggesting that we haven’t yet got to the In a solid state battery the separating material is a solid
point of mass battery replacements. layer that is also the electrolyte allowing the transfer of
The RAC Foundation reckons there’ll eventually be ions between the anode and cathode. The benefits of this
around 33 million electric vehicles on UK roads. At are said to be greater energy density (more than double
present there are around 1.6 million plug-in electric cars that of lithium-ion batteries), and much faster charge
in the UK, so there’s a long times (by around six times).
way to go and ultimately a lot As a result of their increased
of batteries to be replaced at capacity solid state batteries can
some point. As well as being ‘A solid state battery be smaller and lighter and are
an environmental headache it’s considered to be safer too.
set to be an expensive one too. won’t catch fire’ Aside from the advantages of
Although Tesla batteries are a more efficient cell, the issue of
believed to last 10-20 years, the safety is an important one given
cost of replacement is said to be $5,000-$20,000 per car. the number of serious fires on board boats that have been
So while emissions are coming down, it does look like attributed to battery problems. The liquid electrolyte is
we’re pushing a ruck in the carpet in the hope that new volatile and flammable.
technology will come along to help solve the problem. A solid state battery has a thicker separating layer that is
I use cars as an example as it’s much harder to establish more resistant to high temperatures which helps to
figures for the marine world, but if we continue to prevent short circuits within the battery. The thicker
progress towards electric power then clearly we’ll end up separator also helps to protect against the growth of spike
with a similar issue when it comes to battery replacement. shaped lithium formations on the anode, dendrites that
However, recently there have been some interesting can pierce the separator in a Li-ion battery and cause a
technology stories that could provide solutions. Toyota short circuit. And perhaps most important of all, a solid
believes it may have found a way of extending the life of a state battery won’t catch fire even when punctured or
lithium-ion battery with a simple injection, while it is in situ. damaged in impact.
Batteries become less efficient with age as they It’s early days for the technology, though. Dealing
lose some of the charged particles that store the with how the materials expand and contract when
energy. Toyota’s proposed solution is to they are charged and discharged is one key issue.
stimulate the production of new lithium Another is that the separator only works at high
ions and electrons as a result of the temperatures, plus life cycles are short by
injection. During tests the research team comparison.
claimed they were able to restore batteries Still, the future for electric power – be it
to around 80% of their original capacity, a ashore or afloat – looks very encouraging.
performance they could maintain for more And while ultimately the solutions are still
than 100 charging cycles. pushing the problem further down the line,
The ability to perform this restorative solid state batteries could provide one of the
process in situ is also significant in helping biggest steps forward to more sustainable
to keep costs down, something that green power.

20
 COMMENT

NIKKI
HENDERSON
C AN WE TRY AN D RECAPTURE OUR YOUTH ? THE FEELING TH AT ANYT HING IS
POSSIBLE CAN B E A POWER FUL M OTIVATOR FOR A NY C REW

A
s a team that is much younger than the rest colour. They hope to become role models in sailing for
of the competition, what superpower does anyone else ‘who looks like them’ and lay a path that
that give you? That’s the question I asked of others can follow. Half an hour of talking later, I was
a group of teenagers this month during a feeling inspired – how brave, ambitious and optimistic
sailing podcast interview. adolescent energy is!
Francesa Dougherty (aged 17), Isa Ford (15), Anna A true passion for something greater than the race itself
Cezik (16), Simone Ford (17) and Henry Thomas (15) – that’s their superpower. It’s that extra surge of energy
make up a Race to Alaska team named ‘Rock the Boat’. they needed to go overnight training in the pouring rain
They’re borrowing a Santa Cruz 27 and competing in this last weekend. It’s the thing that will fire them up at 3am
year’s 750-mile human-powered race from Port when they haven’t slept, and someone wakes them early to
Townsend, Washington to Ketchikan, Alaska. Oh, and if help with a sail change. It’s what will keep their frustration
you were wondering, their theme song is the one you’re in check when someone inevitably doesn’t rehydrate
thinking of. And, yes, it was released before any of them dinner properly or forgets to flake the spinnaker sheet
(or me) were born. during a gybe. It will turn whatever result they have, even
Their nervous giggling made me think they didn’t quite if they don’t make it to the finish line, into something that
see themselves as superheroes. feels good for them.
‘Energy and enthusiasm,’ just I left the call with more
about summarises their questions than answers:
bashful answer. As the ‘grown ‘Should we identify more always a sign of a thought-
up’ in the room, it is now my provoking conversation.
prerogative to reflect on what with our youthful selves?’ Should we all be identifying
else they could have said. more closely with our youthful
Something that struck me selves, and embracing those
was how able and confident they were, in such a ambitions that as adults we cast aside as naïve or
wonderfully humble way. Most adults see this race as inconsequential? I wonder if we are forgetting how
adventurous, if not extreme. For these teens to even powerful it is to go into a race, not to win, but ‘because it’s
believe they can do it is a mark of impressive self- just so cool.’ Or even, ‘because we could affect the future’.
assuredness. To find a boat, spend their free time training It’s easy to think that a relentless drive for first place is
offshore with mentors, and design and build pedal drive what elevates you to success. But the problem with the
systems to fulfil the ‘human-powered’ (rather than podium being the main motivator, is that if you fall back
sail-powered) element of the race by themselves is in the fleet so far that is no longer a realistic aim, your
exceptionally resourceful. motivation disintegrates. Is success for you actually even
But as they detailed their ambitious plan, there was winning? To me, they felt like winners because they
no arrogance, no cockiness, no overconfidence. wanted to inspire others, and I was inspired just
Instead there was a lot of “No, you speak first!” talking to them. The race is still two months out.
giving each other space to talk, coupled with The time has probably passed for any of us to
a lot of the aforementioned giggling. I’d be believe we can change the world by racing to St
fascinated to watch their future sailing Malo one weekend. But perhaps we could still
journeys unfold. find a golden thread – a deeper driver than just
As we dug deeper into what ‘being results – to weave into our upcoming season.
young’ meant, they opened up. They feel (Cole Brauer making history in a hat emblazoned
an innate sense of responsibility as a with the words WILD FEMINIST comes to mind,
young team. They have a sense of duty to be and remember, she didn’t win). What would my
safe, make good decisions and compete greater motivation be for the summer? What
at a high level, in order to set an example would be yours? What difference could that
for other young teams, other young make to us all if we flipped what
women, and other people of ‘winning’ looks like on its head?

22
26
 d ow n
winding
WH I CH DOW NWIND SAI LS A RE THE RIG HT CHO I CE FOR YO U?
AN D HOW DO YOU TA K E THE STR ESS OUT OF SAIL HA ND LI NG
O N A TRAD E WI ND PASSAG E? TO BY HODG ES QUIZ Z ED MO R E
TH A N 240 SK IPP ERS IN LA ST Y EA R’ S ARC TO F IN D OU T

Downwind sailing is any cruising sailor’s dream. The

thought of days, or even weeks, of reliable following
tradewinds pushing you across an ocean with just a
warm apparent breeze over the deck seems
particularly far-fetched for those of us who have just
suffered the wettest winter imaginable.
We all need a reliable downwind setup, whether
coastal cruising or passagemaking. But those planning
an Atlantic or Pacific crossing will want to give this
aspect particular attention, perhaps adding some tweaks
or sail wardrobe investments to help ensure that dream
adventure is as comfortable as possible for your crew
and your yacht.
While there’s certainly no one-fits-all answer, we can
learn a lot from those who have done a crossing. Last
year we used our annual ARC Gear Survey to focus on
the topic of downwind sails and handling and have since
analysed the responses to our detailed questionnaire,
from over 240 skippers on the ARC and ARC+ rallies.
The reason why there’s no optimum solution for all is
Philip Mrosk/Athena/WCC

multifaceted. Sure, the shape of your hull and keel type

can help narrow down options. Unless you have a
sportier design, then sailing the downwind rhumbline
should equate to least stress and gybes and therefore
potential problems. Those with newer hull shapes may
want to calculate their polars and work with sailmakers
to evaluate which angles and sails best suit their hulls.
V

27
 C RU I S I N G A RC G E A R S U RV E Y

How about your rig – is it easy to use a pole? Is there a

track to fit one... or two even? Can you square the boom
or do you have swept-back spreaders? Do you sail
short-handed or with plenty of crew to help pull strings
and get poles down?
The answers can lead to yet more considerations,
including chafe points, how to avoid rolling, and how to
easily depower or reef.
Does your mainsail help and does it fill the slot better
when reefed? What’s your best setup for short-handed or
at night? What are your backup systems (notably for torn

Tony Gratton/Niord/WCC
sails or a broken halyard or pole)?
A lot can be answered in advance by considering such
questions. The weather, however, cannot. We can only
hope for reliable trades and the sort of downwind crossing
conditions last year’s ARC crews gratefully experienced.

WEIGHING THE OPTIONS

Spinnakers can be ideal if you have the experience and
crew to handle them, their
numerous associated lines,
and can get them down easily. ‘Vented spinnakers, aka
Asymmetric spinnakers or
gennakers can make this parasailers, can seem like
handling much easier, as they
don’t require a pole. They were
carried by over 40% of the
the holy grail for many’
fleet last year, making these
the most popular offwind option in terms of numbers
carried (an indication of a modern fleet), but they don’t P O L E - O U T – B E LT A N D B R A C E S
suit true downwind sailing, meaning extra miles to sail. Around 60 yachts used a poled-out headsail, with over 40
Aero-style vented spinnakers, aka parasailers, can seem of these skippers still rating it the most reliable method. It
like the holy grail for many on a downwind crossing as uses your heavier-grade white sails, the mainsail can be
they can be set from the bow or in front of the boat and securely prevented, and both can be easily reefed.
are capable of reaching and running. However, these are Asante, a 2007-built Oyster 56, has a gennaker aboard
among the costliest sail options/upgrades and there’s a but found: “Best setup when windy is two reefs in main,
range of different brands now which all claim the poled-out headsail – easy solution and fast going at 8-10
optimum design. That said, perhaps the clearest message knots (we covered 205 miles in 24 hours)”. Serenity, a
from 2023’s ARC skippers was the real love of – or wish French HR40, said it “allows for a good wind angle in
for – a parasailer. Over 40 yachts carried one, yet so many tradewinds and is easy to reef single-handedly if needed”,
more commented that they would have wanted one. This while German Bavaria 51 Mola adds this setup is
is perhaps a reflection of last year’s “extremely resistant to squalls”.
consistent tradewind conditions – A poled-out genoa worked best aboard the Moody 54
“The parasailer was perfect for the Dilema, albeit making for a ‘rolly’ experience: “Simple
conditions we had” said the skipper and effective. We used centred staysail as well to reduce
of German Catana 47 Aquila. roll.” UK-flagged Rustler 42 Carrik also remarked on the
Other downwind sail setups rolling but was otherwise in praise: “sailing goosewinged
include twin headsails, or the spared us the drama of the spinnaker when winds were
specialist Bluewater Runners and 20-plus knots (which was most of the time) and allowed
TradeWinds, versatile sails which us to sail the rhumbline”.
share a single luff. The Swedish-flagged Hallberg-Rassy 48 MkII Sally was
However, a poled-out genoa, sailed double-handed so kept it straightforward with
where the headsail is typically flown main and poled-out headsail, sailing wing-on-wing for
wing-on-wing/goosewinged with two weeks. “Our simple sail approach worked well for us,
the mainsail, is still considered the fast enough and easy.”
most reliable method for Also sailing double-handed was Fisk, a 2007 Oyster 46:
downwinding. “Our poled-out genoa (130%) proved to be a very useful
Tor Johnson

Carrying a range of options is all-round tool, goosewinging with the main when
ideal, but remember you also need feasible.” They bought these sails new before the ARC but
the space to stow them! think a light wind sail could have been useful too.

28
 almost

30%
of white sails were less
than a year old

Only

30%
valeted their sails
before/for the crossing

TYPE OF SAILCLOTH (MAINSAIL)

18.4%
10.6% Woven polyester

Enhanced woven

9.2% Cruise Laminate

26.6% Performance Laminate

North Sails 3Di

Peter Blackadder/Flying/WCC
34.3%

TYPE OF SAIL HANDLING (MAINSAIL)

Conventional/stackpack
28.7%
In-mast furling mainsail

In-boom furling mainsail

5.8%

Jeanneau Sunshine 38 Cloud Jumper points out that Above: Grand 65.5%
“goosewinging is less weight on the bow than twin Soleil 46LC
headsails.” They sailed like this for 22 days. And 20-year- Flying into the
old Oyster 53 Jarina had another reason for the ease of sunset
this setup: “a foredeck crew with the combined age of 200! poled-out. Their SAIL HANDLING FOR CODE 0/SPINNAKER
Poled-out headsail plus main and preventer equals ease of twin headsails
handling. Stable and controllable.” were “a dream”. 9.8%
Snuffer
Experimenting and enjoying the process should be Far left: twin
Furler
encouraged. Ipanema developed a motto by doing this: headsails (one 25.7%
Top down furler
“poled-out genoa if wind greater than 18 knots; gennaker flown free) on
if wind less than 20 knots”. Bestevaer 53ST Aegle thinks Island Packet Snuffer and furler

having a good solution for various apparent wind angles is 380 Niord
48.2%
key: “goosewing is very effective; a furling spinnaker
makes life much easier”.

TWINS – TWICE AS GOOD?

Some bluewater yacht brands install their own systems as
standard, including a pole or twin poles, knowing twin
headsails are ideal for tradewind cruising. The Barters on
their 20-year old Super Maramu Nunky hail the Amel
twin headsail system as “superb: great downwind and
93
Snuffers
85
SPInnaker
poles
they can be furled together in a moment”. Equally, Oyster
54 Ostara says: “the Dolphin twin headsails performed
53
very well – very versatile and fast passagemaking in
tradewinds”.
Other skippers might choose to fit or retrofit two
forestays or twin luff grooves. “Twin headsails on the 19 16 furlers

twin poles
same furler worked really well,” is the verdict from Rival
36 Topaz Rival. They sailed like this for 17 days, including
at night, so it didn’t affect their watch pattern.
Norwegian Sun Odyssey 44 Moyfrid used genoa and
65
top down

bowsprits
V

29
 jib poled-out for 15 days, as it’s “easy to adjust, gave us
flexibility and safety of handling quickly in squalls”. The
same reasoning was given by Discovery 58 Aqualuna, who
found twin headsails excellent for double-handing. “It
meant we could do three hours on, three hours off ”. The
summary from Oyster 53 Distraction: “Twin headsails is
easy but not fast, asymmetric is fast but not easy.”
The Blackadders’ Grand Soleil 46 Flying has twin
headsails, a gennaker and a Code 0, “and trapped the edge
of the tradewinds to use them all”. They found “our twin
headsails/twin poles worked a dream – easy to fly
single-handed and not too rolly.” They also found them
easy to adjust and reef, and adaptable to different
conditions including winds up to 35° off the quarter.

SPINNAKERS – GOING DEEP

Anyone in a hurry, racing or wanting some sport for an
active crew would probably choose a spinnaker (or
several, space and budget willing). While capable of
harnessing those tradewinds most efficiently, a big
free-flying sail can be tricky to gybe and get back on deck.
A popular ARC solution is to fly a spinnaker during the
day and poled-out headsail at night as the latter is easier to
manage/reef without affecting the
watch system.
Oyster 406 Penny Oyster: “We
used the spinnaker during the day
(weather permitting) which
increased speed and was less rolly.
Poled-out jib overnight felt very
stable and safe. Easy to manage
solo.” It was the same for Grand
Stephanie Stevens/Pinnacle/WCC

Soleil 50 Sidney II and 20-year old

Sweden Yachts 42 Freedom, the
latter promoting: “full main and Pinnacle (left), a
spinnaker when 15 knots or less Nautitech 46, and the
(sailed on a dead run for 90% of US-flagged Ovni 450
trip); main and genoa goosewinged Reverie (above)
if 15 knots or more”. running west to the
Symmetrical kites (and sunset under
parasailers) are often a popular gennaker
choice for catamarans as they can be
set off each bow. Sailing double-
handed on their Aussie flagged Outremer 51 Spirit, the downwind course”. This was backed up by the Peckhams
McMasters bought a symmetric kite for the crossing to on their Hanse 455 Infinity of Yar: “Two reefs in the main
supplement their gennaker, flew it with the mainsail and allows wind over the top of mainsail so 165-170º TWA is
considered it “easy gybing and conservative for double- possible”. At night they resorted to the boat’s standard
handing”. Fellow Outremer Madeleine (a 45) carried white sails but as this involves a self-tacking jib, they’d
Code, A-sails and a symmetric spinnaker and found a want to fit a poled-out genoa or yankee if doing it again.
“half-reefed main and spinnaker stable and easy”. Handling an A-sail and whether to use a furler or
snuffer, also needs due consideration. Najad 490
ASYMMETRIC/GENNAKER – Adastrina cautions that a “top-down furler with its
WO R K I N G T H E A N G L E S torsion rope is difficult to stow due to bulk”, while Oyster
Despite gennakers being the most popular offwind sail 47 Aequitas also warns: “Don’t sail too deep as the
option carried (90 yachts), only around 20 skippers found snuffer jams.”
this to be their most successful sailplan for the crossing, Code 0s have transformed cruising for many
with many frustrated by not having a kite with enough production yachts, particularly those which typically day
belly to sail the deep downwind angles experienced last sail in light winds and want an easily furled fetching or
year. (While deeper cut asymmetrics are available, many, reaching option. However, they are not deemed so useful
especially furling types, have a flatter shape and suit for tradewind passages as they lack the deeper shape for
reaching more). Grand Soleil 46LC Mandalay reckons downwind conditions. “Code 0 was excellent, but could
their inability to sail deep cost them two days. not run deeper than 155°,” confirms new Canadian-
Grand Soleil 50 Mr Twister found that flying their flagged X46 Imi Makani.
gennaker with a double reefed main “allowed for a more An exception was perhaps the Oyster 745 Mexican

30
 C RU I S I N G A RC G E A R S U RV E Y

Stephanie Stevens/Pinnacle/WCC

Left: foredeck crew of

Estonian Oyster 565
Larimar stow the
furled gennaker while
under TradeWind.
Right: Pinnacle
before chafe issues
with its TradeWind
sail.
Below: birds-eye view
of the deep bellied
Bluewater Runner on
Hanse 505 Mojito
Magnus Harjak/Larimar/WCC

Wave: “We loved both our Elvstrom Code 0, which we

flew 10 days and nights, and our Bluewater Runner which
Tony Martin/Reverie/WCC

was great in light wind. Both on hydraulic furlers – easy.”

S P E C I A L I S T S A I L S – B L U E WAT E R
RUNNER & TRADEWINDS
Elvstrom’s Bluewater Runner (BWR) and North Sails’
TradeWind (TW) were purposefully designed for
downwind events such as the ARC. They take some of the
twin headsail concept, but use lighter fabric and modern
furling technology for a versatile multi-use sail.
The twin headsails are joined at the luff and can be
flown together on the leeward side to act as a light wind
genoa/Code sail equivalent, or peeled apart when
running to be flown wing-on-wing, independent of the
fixed forestay and headsail. And in principle, they can be
easily furled from the cockpit.
Hallberg Rassy 40 Northern Light purchased a BWR for
the crossing, used it for 16 days during daylight hours, and
found it “very effective when running dead downwind.”
The Hanse 505 Mojito agrees: “Worked really well, easy to
handle, and doubles up as a Code 0. It gave the best
downwind performance and can be managed from the
cockpit.” That said, they consider their BWR “too powerful
for the rig even in 20 knots of wind – we snapped one
halyard and broke the bobstay and bowsprit padeye.”
HR57 Saltair advises it needs lots of halyard tension,
while Lagoon 410 Newbee agrees that less than 20 knots
wind suits the BWR – they resorted to a triple-reefed
main and genoa when things got livelier.
North Sails’ latest offerings are popular on modern
luxury cruisers. Rock Lobster IV is a new Oyster 565 with
a wardrobe of North Sails including a TradeWind and a
David Anning/Mojito/WCC

Helix structural luff gennaker. “Helix is very easy (little

point using the G2); TradeWind is great in moderate
wind, and poled-out yankee gives good flexibility”. They
wisely “adapted sails to crew ability”.
Fellow Oyster Ri-Ra, a 675, also with a new North suit,
had “lots of difficulties with TradeWind sails,” however,
and blamed a poor setup and “inadequate halyard
V

31
 “Parasailor – fast,
stable and no rolling,”
says Contest 50CS
Athena (left), while
fellow Germans on
Lagoon 421 Manaia
(below) show off their
“amazing” Oxley
Levante

Philip Mrosk/Athena/WCC

Wingaker

casting”. Meanwhile Mastegot, a new

Oyster 595, found their poled-out jib
and main more successful than the
TW, and if doing again they’d instead
consider twin headsails, “because easy, perfect sail to cross the
they can be reefed”. Atlantic”. Another Lagoon,
But there were words of praise from Rockhopper of London, agreed,

Silvia Knubel/Manaia/WCC
Amel 60 Mrs G who found their calling it a ‘hoist and forget’ sail:
TradeWind most reliable with a “no trimming – the sail coped well
reefed main, and the Swedish Passad with wind shifts”. And Ovni 385
38 Lulu: “very good lift and speed, Contigo reports: “Parasail is
much better than wing-on-wing”. amazing up to 20 knots and easy to
snuff if the wind got too high.”
PA R A S A I L E R S – T H E The Harpers on their two-year-
VENTED KITE old Jeanneau Yachts 51 Blue Pepper
For want of a generic term ‘parasailers’ are specialist spent a season using their parasailer to prepare: “We
cruising spinnakers with a pressure relief valve. This practiced all the configurations we used several times as a
vented part diffuses gusts while the paraglider-style wing crew before we got to the Canaries – it paid off. The
creates lift and provides support to the sail (they don’t Parasailor was excellent, stable, including in gusts, and
require a pole, but can be used with one). It’s a forgiving, very easy to manage. Twin headsails also worked well and
versatile option that can be used for running and were surprisingly powerful, but Parasailor is faster, easier,
reaching, but it’s an expensive investment and one that with less wear and tear on running rigging.”
pays to learn how to handle properly. They work well Those with parasailers seemed happier to keep them up
without needing a mainsail set and are increasingly at night. The skipper of Lagoon Cosi mentioned how he
popular with multihull owners. would sleep in the cockpit for this. However, several
How they work and the different types available – Istec’s others added caution about getting a parasailer down –
Parasail and Parasailor, Wingaker and Oxley – is another the wing element can makes snuffing tricky, confirmed by
whole article. the double-handed crew on Broadblue Rapier 550 Blue
Lagoon 450F Marlove was one of 44 parasailer users last Wonder. Hence others promote snuffing parasailers early,
ARC, flying theirs for 13 days and nights: “made our life including Galatea Of Aune, who tore theirs in a squall.

32
 C RU I S I N G A RC G E A R S U RV E Y

Below: more Oxley

fans on the Garcia
Exploration 60 Fiore

Above: Fountaine Pajot Saba 50 Lady Roslyn exhibits all 190m2 of

her bright red P16 model Wingaker

Of the 44 international skippers who shipped

parasailers it’s hard to know exactly which types they had
as many just list them as ‘parasailer’, but there were clearly
some staunch supporters of both Oxley and Wingaker
types. “Oxley is amazing! Very stable, very flexible in
terms of wind strengths (gusts and wind direction),”
reckon the Dutch crew on their Garcia Exploration 60
Fiore. The Swiss crew on Moody 54DS Nautilia were
equally impressed: “We used it up to gusts until about 24
knots – gives calm downwind sailing with good speed.”
The Bösch’s on Jeanneau 51 Wolkenschlosschen said their
Levante “worked really well,” using it 90% of the time,
adding “take Oxley down below 20 knots TWS and use it
in gennaker mode”.
Aussie-flagged Fountaine Pajot 40 Cat’s Pajamas flew
their 130m2 Oxley for 16 days and, other than advising to
get it down early for squalls, the only thing they’d change
Harmen-Jan Geerts/Fiore

is to get a larger version.

Oxley offers the Levante (for up to 20 knots) and the
flatter Bora with an inflatable double-layer wing for
higher winds, seas and gust damping.
“The new Bora was excellent,” reports Oyster 55 Valent,
although they still found it difficult to snuff once the wind
was over 14 knots.
V

33
 C RU I S I N G A RC G E A R S U RV E Y

The main difference the Wingaker has over other

parasailers is that it is a single construction including the
vent and wing, which it claims produces a more stable
performance and is easier to handle and crucially to snuff.
The feedback for it was equally praiseworthy, particularly
from catamaran owners.
The new Seawind 1600 cat Pure Joy thought it just that:
“Wingaker very easy to handle and gybe as well as sail
completely downwind.” The American crew on FP Aura
51 Darla J left a strong testament: “2,142 miles without
taking the Wingaker down”. And the Kiwi FP Elba 45
Aratui simply stated: “Take a Wingaker” after flying theirs
for 90% of the voyage including at night.
Right: the family
M O R E M U LT I H U L L S O L U T I O N S dream? Letting the
Multihulls offer great platforms for experimenting with parasailer do the
downwind setups. While it’s easy to picture a cat flying work on June, a
along on a flat reach under screecher or A-sail, running Canadian Nautitech
downwind brings questions on how best to fill the slots in 44 Open.
different wind strengths. Indeed the Canadians on their Below: sewing sail
new Nautitech 44 Open June asked for “more detail on repairs on the
catamaran downwind strategy in the ARC’s downwind Contest 50CS Athena
seminar”. They found “full main and
gennaker faster than Oxley but poor
below 150° TWA – Oxley backs wind
behind main”. They wished for a
better solution for between 18-24
knots wind.
Portuguese FP Tanna 47 Portlish
found a good combination between
gennaker (with furler) and
Philip Mrosk/Athena/WCC

parasailer. “Gennaker was used for

110°-160° AWA and also during the
night, parasailer for 160°-180°.”
However, they advised it’s not easy
without a pole: “We would add a
spinnaker pole to be able to use a
poled-out genoa for downwind
sailing in above 25 knots of wind.”
The 53ft bluewater cat Lost Abbey
favoured goosewinging either their spinnaker, with tears they needed to repair, and the overriding
asymmetrical or screecher with the genoa, but still would advice is to carry plenty of tape and patches, a sewing
have liked a parasailer. Norwegian RCC Majestic 530 machine if possible, an extensive sewing kit if not.
Tempus seconded this: “If money were no object I’d buy a “With a good sail repair kit a sail can always be
parasailer.” Instead, they mostly used “the asymmetric repaired,” the crew on Penny Oyster advise. Grand Soleil
spinnaker on either bow plus one to two reefs in main”. 46LC Mandalay suffered a torn clew and luff in their
FP Lucia 40 Wanderlust used a Code 0 and asymmetric headsail and a torn batten pocket in the main, but report
the most: “both behaved well downwind and sometimes all were “hand stitched or taped and held OK”. After the
we flew both side-by-side”. They caution: “big mainsails A-sail “ripped from leech to luff ” on the new Oyster 595
and booms are a pain downwind!” While the new Excess JaZoFi, the crew stitched and taped the 12.5m tear, “but
15 Vida Loca adds: “as the rig required the mainsail to be only had a 25m roll of 50mm tape”. Frustratingly, the
flown with the gennaker, our sailing angles in decent wind repair only lasted an hour.
were 160° AWA”. Chafe to sheets and halyards is the other biggest issue
Nautitech 46 Open Pinnacle found their most effective on long downwind passages. “We had chafing on pole
sailplan to be: “TradeWind with third reef, next asymmetric ends caused by metal eyes on sheets,” Jeanneau Sunshine
with third reef – downwind sails need less mainsail in the 38 Cloud Jumper warns. “We failed to use plastic balls to
less wind,” they warn after they had problems with their prevent damage until too late.”
snuffer twisting. The sail lashing at the head of the There were also a large number of halyard failures last
TradeWind also chafed through, tearing the sail as it came year, including two spinnaker halyards and the genoa
down. Which leads us to other sail handling problems... halyard on the Alloy Yachts Irelanda alone.
Amel 60 Mrs G and Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 44 Moyfrid
P R O B L E M S & R E PA I R S both snapped gennaker halyards: “the halyard fell down
Having your ideal sailplan is one thing, but what do you inside the mast – unable to retrieve it while underway,”
do when that breaks? The majority of ARC skippers Moyfrid bemoans. “Carry spare halyards to replace any
experienced failures with sails and their handling, mostly that chafe or break,” is Hermione III’s advice.

34
 PRICING

A downwind sail is a big ticket item, but

the differences in price between the
specialist options are not too large – for
a 50ft 20-tonne cruising yacht they vary
between €8,000-€12,000 ex tax. A
gennaker may start at around €6,500,
but can be over €10,000 depending on
brand, material and the furling/sock
mechanism; A 160m2 BWR costs around
€8,000, a 180m2 TradeWind more like
€10,000 – again the furler can add
another €2,000 at least. A 190m2
Wingaker starts at €10,200. It’s a large
investment but, given the ARC skippers’
feedback, arguably a worthwhile one for
dream passages.

TO P T I P S

‘On the ocean it takes twice the time at

least to do your foredeck sail handling.
If you think about changing/reefing,
START IT’ – Vivace

‘Non-stop sailing takes much more wear

and tear than expected’– Soulsister

‘We had heavy headsails which were

good for the wind and waves’
Peter Hunt/June/WCC

– Nessun Dorma

‘Plan each change well and set lines

carefully’ – Dilema

‘Make sure every sail change is

discussed and walked through before
exactly. Don’t get complacent’ – Flying
FINAL THOUGHTS
Having compiled this survey for over 15 years, it’s clear to ‘Don’t keep the spinnaker up too long
see that ARC yachts are getting newer and larger and their when wind is rising. If windy, change
owners are increasingly happy to spend that bit extra to from sole watch to two on deck’
get the best out of their yachts or find their ideal sailplan. – Freedom
Today’s easily set and handled Code sails and
asymmetrics offer a completely transformative ‘Plan ahead, reef early, look around
experience during most of the test sails I do on these new before raising sail, look at every line
boats. But for a tradewind passage I’d choose a specialist tension point. Don’t rush decisions’
downwind sail, budget and space willing, and/or make – Fisk
sure I had a pole and headsail large enough
to goosewing effectively. ‘Take the downwind sails down at night.
Know your sails’ limits (in wind and And listen to your wife!’ – Homecoming
waves) and what you would default to over
certain strengths, remembering that ‘Double check all lines before and after
tradewinds can be strong for days and
Tim Carbury/Bare Necessities/WCC

hoisting the sail (especially Parasailor)’

nights at a time. – Pure Fun
Then get comfortable with your
downwind setup so all crew can safely ‘Be careful with electric winches –
manage and ideally reef it short-handed, don’t force anything as they are so
identify chafe points in advance, and have a powerful’ – Aqualuna
backup plan including spares and repairs.
Your dream crossing should be just that, ‘Adjust all lines every four hours to
so take the stress out in advance if you can avoid damage’ – Tranquillity
– and enjoy the ride!

35
 The fishing village of Reine in the Lofoten archipelago

36
CRUIS IN G BE YON D THE A RC TIC CIRCLE, JAN N EK E KUYST ERS A N D
WI ETZE VA N D E R L AAN EN JOY A SUR PRISIN G SUM MER IN N ORWAY

NicoElNino/Alamy

37
 Left: a blustery day
near Krisatiansund.
Below: Janneke
Kuysters, Wietze
van der Laan and
Anna Caroline.
Right: a sunny and
warm T-shirt day at
Sørfugløya – but
the water is still
Arctic cold.
Bottom: the port
town of Ålesund is
near the entrance
to Geirangerfjord

We’re not ones to wish a passage away, but we cannot

wait to get into Haugesund. After a rough three day
crossing of the North Sea in a stiff north-westerly
breeze, dodging a true obstacle course of shipping, oil
rigs and wind parks, we’re both tired, wet and cold. The
final 20 miles are windless, foggy and difficult: we know
there are steep rock faces on either side of the narrow
channel, but we can’t see them because of the thick fog. the coastline. “That’s sheltered and with lots of
The large cargo ships zipping around the channel are interesting places to go to,” Anita advises. “But if you
making us nervous. Do they really see us? pick the right weather, you can go outside and make
“Look there, it seems as if two eddies collide,” I point quick progress north or south and sail to the best
forward. Wietze peers into the fog and sees the small cruising grounds.”
band of foam, leaves and plastic floating ahead. Just as Bjørn offers an alternative: “You can make quick
Anna Caroline reaches it, he takes the engine out of gear progress on the inside track too: everything is well
and we slide through – you never know what lies marked and lit, so you can sail through the night, even
beneath. When we are well clear, he engages the engine with a short-handed crew.” We opt to go for a mix of
again. Two seconds later we hear a loud bang under the both, because the summer is relatively short and we’d
boat. We’ve picked something up, forward motion is like to sail all the way to the North Cape and back.
zero, it’s too deep to anchor and we’re still in thick fog
five miles from Haugesund. I grab my phone and start
making some frantic phone calls. Bjørn Terje and Anita,
our Norwegian cruising friends, were already waiting
for us at the quay in Haugesund. They spring into action
and get the rescue service Redningsselskapet to come
out to help us, while Coastal Radio South transmits a
warning message to other vessels every five minutes.
Soon after, the big red boat rumbles towards us with a
bunch of cheerful Vikings on board. We accept the
towline and begin our ‘tow of shame’ to Haugesund
where a diver clears our prop of fishing line and floats.
We exhale and hug our friends; “Welcome to Norway!”

INSIDE OR OUTSIDE?
“You simply can’t do it all in one season,” Bjørn Terje
explains when we later lay out all the charts on the table
in our cockpit. He’s right: Norway’s coastline is vast.
“The first big choice you need to make is: inside or
outside,” his wife Anita adds. The inside track runs
between the coast and the thousands of islands dotting

38
 CRUISING

The next day is Norway Day. Almost all the women

are dressed in the impressive ‘bunad’: a charming
traditional dress. Young and old: they all wear it with North Cape
pride. We’re off to Bergen; to our delight we can find a Hammerfest
spot in the busy historic harbour. Bergen is one of
Norway’s largest cities, but is also an impressive old SØRFUGLØYA

Hanseatic town. The historic warehouses lining the

quayside tell the tale of trade and connections around Tromsø
Europe. We love wandering the sunny streets, though LOFOTEN
ISLANDS
Bergen is nicknamed ‘the rainiest city of Norway’ so we Nusfjord
count our blessings and head north before the weather
N
sets back in.
The lighthouse on notorious Cape Stadtlandet winks Above: lighthouses Lundesnes
GRYTØYA Bodø
its message to us when we motorsail past it on a calm are often old and Arctic
Circle
night, heading to Ålesund. In the early hours of the cleverly designed
morning, the wind picks up again and in the gentle HELGELAND
Norwegian ARCHIPELAGO
breeze we sail, surrounded by puffins. The island of Sea
Runde is home to thousands of our favourite birds. Rørvik SWEDEN

INSIDE THE ARCTIC 0 50 100

Ålesund is just as beautiful as Bergen and we get lots of
nautical miles
time to admire it: for eight days, there are very strong RUNDE
Ålesund
northerly winds and torrential rain. When we finally
Cape Stadtlandet
imageBROKER.com GmbH/Alamy

untie our lines, we’re eager to get north and there is still
N ORWAY
a long way to go to the North Cape. Bergen
The prevailing winds are from the north, but for two Haugesund
weeks we are lucky to have southerlies. It is still very Lysefjord
early in the season so most facilities are closed or just Stavanger
starting up. So we sail in a steady rhythm: an early start
at about 0700, admiring the rising sun and enjoying the
awesome scenery. Some days we need the gennaker to North
make any progress, other days we have to put three Baltic
V

Sea
Sea

39
 reefs in the main to keep things under control. The capes
and narrow passages present interesting and sudden
changes in wind direction and hand steering is the order
of the day.
We sail each day until mid-afternoon, then look for a
safe place for the night. The Norwegians we meet
complain that it is too cold for the time of year, but as
long as it doesn’t rain, we don’t mind the chilly days.
With the heater on, the nights are cosy. In larger towns,
like Rørvik, we often find small fishing boats with a sign
‘Reker’. Locals line up to buy a bag of fresh shrimp and
we’re quick to adapt to that habit too.
Just after we gybe to clear a headland Wietze points
ahead to a small island with a steel globe perched on a
concrete block: the Arctic Circle! It’s such a milestone to
have made it so far north. Later that day, we sail into
Bodø, the self-proclaimed ‘gateway to Lofoten’. We hug
hot mugs of tea in the cockpit, marvelling that we’re
sitting outside in glorious sunshine 50 miles inside the relatives lately. Most harbours offer good shelter from the
Arctic Circle. brisk breeze, and spectacular hiking trails, so our sea legs
So far, sailing in Norway has been beautiful with get a good workout. One of our favourites is tiny
snow-capped mountains all around us and crystal clear Nusfjord: we can’t even turn in the harbour, so backing in
– if icy – water. But Lofoten trumps everything in terms is the way to go. “Are you sure that you want to go here?”
of pure spectacle with its steep, black cliffs rising straight Wietze nervously asks. Reversing our long keeled yacht
from the sea, dotted with snow. We see cod drying on which doesn’t have a bow thruster is always an adventure,
huge racks at the shoreline, fishing boats chugging in and but thankfully we reach the jetty without a scratch.
out of tiny harbours and villages tucked in small coves.
A pod of orca swims past at high speed, though we cross T H E T RU E N O RT H
our fingers that they haven’t spoken to their Iberian The sun keeps shining so we keep looking north. The
North Cape feels within reach, so we decide to go for it.
Our next big stop is Tromsø, a city that truly feels like an
Arctic city. The main shopping street even has under-
pavement heating so the ice melts away. In the city
harbour, a small group of cruising yachts has gathered,
waiting for a weather window to go to Svalbard. We’re

Above: passing the

Arctic Circle
monument on the
island of Vikingen.
Right: typically
beautiful haven at
SØrvågen

40
 CRUISING

drawn in by their eager

anticipation and give our plans TO 8 0 ° N ?
another long consideration. We
have all the permits and charts to Whether to sail to Svalbard will be a key
go there, but it will take a lot of decision in planning a Norwegian cruise.
time and we won’t be able to do all Klaus Nadler and his wife, Katrin
the things that we skipped on the Trautwein, sailed their Hallberg-Rassy 43
way north on our return south. Saphir from Maine, USA, via Greenland
Wietze holds up his phone: “I and Iceland to Scotland and then on to
found the solution.” I burst out Tromsø last year, in preparation for an
laughing when I see what’s on the expedition to Svalbard. “It was an
screen: a flight from Tromsø to incredible adventure that we’ll remember
Longyearbyen on Svalbard. After for the rest of our lives,” he recalls. “The
all, nothing beats the upwind scenery, the people and just the
capabilities of a jet! incredible day in which you literally sail
Our luck with the weather holds off the electronic maps, north of 80°.”
and we enjoy a blissful week on Svalbard is visited by around 50,000
Svalbard, exploring glaciers and observing wildlife. The tourists each year, mostly on cruise
beluga whale and the smelly walruses are our favourite, Above and far left: ships and by air, though those numbers
although we don’t see the elusive polar bear. sunny days and are likely to be restricted by regulations
Once back on Anna Caroline there are no longer many light winds often due to come into force next year, which
sailing yachts nearby, just fishing boats of all sizes. Large added up to will also impact where cruisers can go.
eagles circle overhead, pilot whales chase their prey and glorious days on Only 30-40 private yachts sail there
the glaciers are glistening on the mountain ranges the water each year.
around us. We comment daily on how incredibly Facilities in Longyearbyen are good for
beautiful it all is. The glorious sunshine has only one provisioning and refuelling and there are
downside: the winds are very light. We use our gennaker some excellent restaurants. “Especially
when we can, but there is a catch: the wind funnels the one near Isfjord Radio,” Nadler says.
between the steep island sides, with sudden and drastic “When polar bears roam the area
increases in speed. It’s a matter of patience and ‘reading between the anchorage and the front
the water’ to check what’s ahead of us. Both of us enjoy door of the restaurant, you can only wait
the quick sail changes and sudden bursts of brisk sailing. and sip G&Ts until they’re gone.”
We see the Lyngen Alps and another unexpected But sailing to Svalbard takes time.
treasure: Bivrost, the northernmost whisky distillery in “You need good weather windows for the
the world, a place where Viking heritage meets
V

three- to four-day crossings and you

want to spend at least three weeks
exploring the awesome scenery in
Svalbard, so you need to budget at least
five weeks as the absolute minimum
time,” advises Nadler.
Trautwein adds: “Combining it with
some extensive cruising in Norway is
close to impossible in the short northern
summer, so we decided to store our
yacht in Norway for the winter and pick
up the pace next summer.”

Nature Picture Library/Alamy

41
 Left: anchorage in
front of the
Svartisen Glacier.
Right: motoring on
glassy Vestfjorden
south of Lofoten
with a pod of orca
nearby.
Below: high
latitudes sailing
required everything
from the gennaker
to the third reef

Scottish distilling expertise. We taste the delicious result you need to sail here. If anything breaks, you need to be
– made with arctic barley and glacier water, according to able to fix it. The small communities do everything to
our guide. We believe every word. keep going – we even found unmanned shops, where
In a few day sails, we reach Hammerfest where the sun everything is paid for honestly with a credit card. When
doesn’t set, so a day sail can in fact be 24 hours. It’s the weather is nice, Norwegian villagers usually walk up
confusing, to say the least. After a ‘day’ of active sailing, to Anna Caroline for a chat, or pass us in their fishing
we often wonder why we’re so tired, only to realise that boat and toss a fish onto the deck as a way to welcome us.
it’s 2am and we’ve been steering and trimming sails for Further south, we slowly sail into the Helgeland
20 hours on end. Two days later, finally, we reach the archipelago. The weather is beautiful, with cloudless days
North Cape, the northernmost tip of mainland Europe. and relaxed sailing in light winds.
Normally, visitors struggle in strong winds and driving “This is the best kept secret,” says Norwegian cruiser
rain just to visit the point. Not us – we wander around in Steinar, “Helgeland is better than Lofoten, but we don’t
just a sweater, looking out over flat, calm seas. mind that everybody goes to Lofoten.”
The islands bask in the sunlight and the crystal clear
FILLING IN GAPS water gives us a glimpse of what lies beneath our keel.
It has taken us a little over two months to reach the Cape, Norwegian yachtsmen are very helpful and offer lots of
and we’ve the same amount of time to get back, but we advice about the best anchorages. Most of the old houses
have a long list of places we skipped on the way north. on the islands are now holiday homes, so there’s a
After poring over the charts, we make plans for the 1,500 laid-back atmosphere. On Sørfugløya, we walk along the
miles back to the south of Norway. water’s edge in T-shirts and shorts, watching people
First we sail to Lundesnes on the island Grytøya. These enjoying a beautiful day on the beach. I dip a toe into the
are harsh lands, where traditional life depended on sea and swiftly realise why nobody is swimming – it’s
catching the migrating herring and easy to forget we’re still north of the
cod that would then be cured and Arctic circle.
traded. There are two types: Another highlight is the Svartisen
klippfisk is heavily salted and dried glacier. In flat, calm conditions we
fish while tørrfisk is naturally dried motor up a narrow fjord and tie the
fish without salt. The drying can boat to a small jetty. Two hours later
only be done on the Lofoten islands we’ve climbed up to the glacier face
and Vesterålen archipelago due to and touched the blue-tinged ice.
their slightly warmer temperatures The sun warms the glacier and
with no significant frost in the meltwater rushes down the rock
winter to destroy the quality of face further below. I lean in to
dried fish. listen to the glacier; it has a low,
The far north of Norway is still murmuring noise with occasional
sparsely populated and people need deep bangs when a chunk of ice
to be self-sufficient here. Some breaks off: an incredibly beautiful
places where we anchor or tie up sound. Later, when the sun sets, we
feel truly remote and we’re keenly watch from the cockpit as the glacier
aware of the level of preparation turns from blue to pink and purple.

42
 CRUISING

N A V I G AT I N G N O R WAY
Norwegian cruisers Jan Isaksen and Eli
Steffensen sail their beautiful Hoek
Design 57 Jenny from their home port
near Bergen.
Jan explains: “The wind in Norway
tends to follow the coast. So if it’s
against you, the best tactic is to go
inside between the islands to keep
making progress. In the fjords the wind
is either in or out, so be prepared for a
lot of tacking or easy downwind sailing if
you want to sail in a fjord.
“Quite often big low pressure areas
pass across the north of Norway or
across the south. When it passes in the
north, there is cold wind and rain. When
the low pressure is in the south, it’s the
other way around. When the low pressure
area passes across the south, you can
have a rare big high pressure area
Useful resources for in the north: you’ll have little
cruising in Norway include wind, but glorious sunshine.”
The next day, there’s a dense fog and still no wind. We Yr.no (local weather), “There are two notorious
motor out of the fjord and turn south again. Slowly, the Harbourmaps.com, the HG app places on the Norwegian
sun melts the fog away and we see a rare fogbow – like a (Harbour Guide), the GoMarina coast where you really need to
magical black and white rainbow. app for harbour payments, and be careful,” Eli adds, “there is
As we get further south over the following weeks, we Sysselmesteren.no for no inside track there and you
notice the Norwegians are wrapping their summer up information about sailing need to pick the right weather
although it’s only early August. Facilities are closing and to Svalbard window to go around.” They are
we have ample space in harbours where we want to tie Cape Stadtlandet and Hustadvika.
up. Our favourites are the old trading posts, most Statlandet has a reputation for rough
hundreds of years old and after careful restoration are seas, partly because of the waves
now either museums or a lovely restaurant and hotel. reflecting off the steep cliffs, while
The prevailing northerly winds pick up again and we Hustadvika is notorious for difficult
enjoy some brisk sailing through the channels between navigation in rough weather and bad
the islands. visibility due to many shallow areas;
careful navigation is required. Half of it
THE BEST FOR LAST can be done inshore in a very narrow, but
Once we’ve passed our starting point Haugesund, a interesting, waterway.
whole new cruising area opens up: the fjords just north
of Stavanger. Once again we’re lucky: apart from Tides
occasional rainy and gusty days, we enjoy beautiful In the south of Norway, the tidal
sailing days with bright sunshine and calm winds, difference is relatively small (40cm). In
which gives us the opportunity to visit smaller ports the north, it can be well over 2m. Near
with less shelter. There are some deep fjords, in which Egersund is an amphidromic point with
you can sail all the way to the end. One of the jewels in no tide at all.
the crown is the Lysefjord, with the Preikestolen (Pulpit
Rock) towering 650m above sea level.
With the last weather window of the season, we leave
Norway to head south, home to the Netherlands after
almost five months of blissful cruising in an amazing
and hospitable country. Norway, we’ll be back.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Janneke Kuysters and Wietze van der
Laan are cruising veterans. After an
eight-year circumnavigation, they are
exploring northern Europe in their steel
Bruce Roberts 44, Anna Caroline.

43
 The
Mighty
Essequibo
JA M ES AN D JAYNE P EARC E DISCOV ER THE IRS IS T HE ONLY YACHT
I N TH E COU N TRY CRUI SIN G RE MA RK AB LE G UYA N A
Photos: James and Jayne Pearce

44
You don’t see Guyana as you
approach it from the ocean, its
low-lying coastline perfectly
camouflaged against the hazy
tropical horizon as the sun rises.
And yet you sense it in so many
other ways: the pungent petrichor
of South American rainforest, the
towering white thunderheads
away in the distance, and even in
the way the sea itself changes. The deep blue of the Atlantic Left: drone view of
slowly gives way to beige, then caramel, and finally to rich a muddy waters
chocolate-coloured waters. This is your sign that the Lau Lau Islands
swirling estuary of the mighty Essequibo River awaits. anchorage,
looking north-east
towards the
S C O U T I N G FO R A DV E N T U R E mouth of the
Sailing on Scout, our 2021 Garcia Exploration 45, we’d spent the Essequibo River.
last year travelling down from Maine to the Caribbean – taking Above: Pearce’s
in the east coast of the US, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Garcia Exploration
Caicos, before putting her through her paces along the Thorny 45 Scout in bluer
Path towards the Windward Islands. A few months of island Caribbean waters
hopping later, we found ourselves anchored south of 12°N,
sitting out the first part of the 2023 hurricane season.
The eastern Caribbean is famous for its cruising, but sometimes
it feels like everyone else knows it too. We’d appreciated the
safety of buddy boats, good charts, and well-trodden paths, but
by October Grenada’s busy anchorages were starting to feel a
little too familiar and we were itching to get back out to the
deep blue. So we hatched a plan for a radical change of scene.
With the hurricane season still in effect, we were limited to
heading south. Tobago would be a comfortable overnight
V

passage... but where then? Our insurance company wasn’t

45
 enamoured with the idea of us visiting
Venezuela, so our eyes moved further down the
chart and rested on Guyana. That looked perfect
for a month’s getaway! It would be a solid
multi-day bluewater passage in both directions,
and would give us a glimpse of the vastness of
continental South America. Best of all, it looked
like we’d be able to sail upriver once we got there,
giving us a chance to try out Garcia’s famous
lifting centreboard design and Scout’s resulting
3ft 9in (1.14m) draught.
There were just a few problems: we didn’t
know anything about the country; no-one we
knew had ever sailed there; and we weren’t even
sure if there was anywhere to go if we did!

CARIBBEAN IN
SOUTH AMERICA Local ferries provided a useful visual guide as to where the deepest
Geographically, Guyana is located on the north-eastern water was to be found in the river
coast of South America between Venezuela and
Suriname. Culturally, however, it considers itself firmly
Caribbean, and boasts a complex, diverse, and sometimes passage to Guyana would likely not be a quick one. A
sorrowful history, shaped by centuries of indigenous three-day window of lighter north-easterly winds opened
culture, colonial rule and immigration. up and, although the thunderstorm capability was forecast
The earliest inhabitants were Amerindian Arawaks and to be high, we figured it was our best chance at a feasible
Caribs. The Spanish first glimpsed the country in the late point of sail. We also wanted to keep relatively far out
15th century, but it was the Dutch in the 17th century from the Venezuelan coast to avoid any unwanted
who established permanent settlements, importing attention and the stronger currents.
enslaved Africans to develop plantations for sugar, Our strategy was to depart pre-dawn, motor-sail 50
cotton, and tobacco. The British next took control, miles due east from Tobago, then turn south-east, staying
followed by an influx of indentured labourers from India, almost 100 miles offshore for most of the trip. For the first
China, and Portugal. The historical foundation for the two days, everything went to plan: an easy close reach
complex ethnic makeup of today’s Guyana runs deep. with dolphins for company, and just a few gentle course
The country’s fortunes recently changed dramatically changes to avoid squalls and sparse traffic. We spotted
with the discovery of significant offshore oil reserves, only one fishing boat as it circled its trolling grounds,
bringing the hope of economic prosperity to the easily visible on AIS, and with a friendly, waving crew.
otherwise poor country – though also leading to much On the last day of the passage, the 15-20 knot wind
debate over environmental sustainability issues. proved stronger than forecast, and we couldn’t resist
The first leg of our adventure led us from Grenada to making the most of it. The downside? We found ourselves
Tobago. Heading south-east in this part of the world barrelling towards the poorly charted (and shallowing)
requires some patience, and we waited to ensure there coastline, not at dawn as hoped, but in the darkest hours
were no likely hurricane risks, and for the tradewinds to of midnight. Since we were relying on the morning’s 2m
swing far enough north to offer a comfortable point of tide to enter safely over the bar into the mouth of the
sail. Even with good winds, however, this was our first Essequibo river, we needed to kill some time.
experience of the Equatorial Current that runs along the
northern coast of South America and up towards THE MIGHTY ESSEQUIBO
Barbados. It took at least a knot off our usual speed and Anchoring in the growing chop was out of the question so,
required a much closer reach than we’d expected. bleary-eyed, we reefed the main and staysail, and spent a
Tobago was the perfect stopover. Mountainous slopes of few hours beam-reaching up and down the coastline with
rainforest tower above the deep, protected anchorage of our 9ft centreboard down. It was fast and sporty sailing,
N
Charlottesville, and its sleepy quiet was a welcome but in the pitch dark, just 15ft above a muddy estuarine
contrast after the hustle and bustle of Grenada. shelf, and with the added challenge of avoiding a fleet of
Knowledge of the Equatorial Current fresh poorly-lit Guyanese shrimping boats, it wasn’t quite the
in our minds, we knew the 300-mile relaxing end to the passage we’d expected. We were happy
to see the dawn, and lifted our centreboard to finally turn
VENEZUELA
towards the wide mouth of the river that welcomed us.
Stretching over 600 miles, the Essequibo is the longest
0 25 50 75 Atlantic
Caribbean
Ocean river in Guyana, running south from its Atlantic delta
nautical miles Sea through the lowlands, meandering through dense virgin
GRENADA
Cuyuni LAU LAU Parika TRINIDAD &
TOBAGO rainforest, and up into the mountainous interior. We
River ISLANDS VENEZUELA
Orinoco hoped it would give us a taste of river exploration
Georgetown GUYANA
Hurakabra
and an unusual cruising experience. When
River Resort
COLOMBIA
At lan tic
Bartica Ocean researching the trip, we discovered we
GUYANA BRAZIL
were set to be only the second yacht
Amazon
SOUTH AMERICA Mazaruni
to enter the river all year.
V

River
Essequibo
KAIETEUR
NATIONAL
River FRENCH
46 PARK SURINAM GUIANA
A DV E N T U R E

Left: gunk-holing
in the Lau Lau
Islands.
Below: heading
upriver towards
Hurakabra

Left: exploring
while anchored
by Baganara
Island.
Above: Bartica is
a frontier town
on the very edge
of the jungle.
Right: remains of
the Dutch Fort at
Kyk-Over-Al, once
a colonial capital

47
Clockwise from above: derelict colonial-style
house; still but muddy waters; spectacular
200m-high Kaieteur Falls; outboard-powered
skiffs are common on the river

48
 A DV E N T U R E

At its entrance, the river is so wide you can barely see Left: raising the
land. Only once our sails were down, and we were safely yellow Q flag
over the shallow bar, did the morning light slowly reveal along with
towering native trees lining the two shores of the estuary. the colourful
As we headed further in, they came into focus, the courtesy national
sounds of exotic tropical birds got louder, the brown of flag of Guyana
the water got richer and redder, and we started to glimpse
small villages and homesteads populating the shoreline.
Maybe it was the hypnotic drum of our engine after three
days at sail, maybe it was the heavy, humid tropical air, or
maybe it was our tiredness from the passage, but we sensed
that even time itself seemed different here. Our new clock
was the languorous ebb and flow of this vast tidal waterway,
coupled with the diurnal pulse of the jungle and its fauna.
Within an hour of entering the river, we were spellbound.

I N TO T H E R A I N F O R E S T
Heading south, the wide estuary soon became a braided
delta. Numerous waterways wound between densely
wooded islands, with evocative names like Kwatano, Our destination was the town of Bartica, at the
Akuraikuru, and Kukuritikuru. Showing 20ft or more, the confluence of the Mazaruni and Cuyuni rivers. This little
depths of the channels seemed surprisingly safe, but we mining town is about as far as you can navigate before
soon learned that the deeper water was often closer to the shallow rocks, tight meanders, and raging rapids prevent
shore than in the calmer central parts where silty shoals further progress. As a result, Bartica has a real frontier
formed. The muddy water is absolutely opaque, and apart feel, its main purpose being a beachhead for transferring
from barely discernible changes in the surface eddies, miners, goods, and digging equipment from river barges
identifying shallows was a real challenge. onto gigantic off-road trucks that push onwards into the
Thankfully we’d discovered a couple of useful cruising interior. During the week, it’s an easy-going town, with
guides for the Essequibo, one from Chris Doyle, and life focusing around the vibrant fish and fruit market on
another by the RCC Pilotage Foundation. Both were the dock. At the weekend, the miners return out of the
almost 10 years old, but still provided invaluable route jungle, their newfound gold, diamonds and bauxite in
information, even though the charts of some shoals hand, ready to trade for cash. A pulsing bar and nightclub
seemed to be drifting out of date. As for Scout’s digital scene comes to life, allowing this melting pot of pioneers
chart plotter, it seemed like many of its unreliable to let their hair down.
soundings were from a long-gone imperial era: we We anchored just off the docks in 15ft of water, with
noticed Navionics proudly declare a ‘fresh water spring enough space to avoid the wash from the colourful
hereabouts’, text that sounded like it had probably wooden water taxis and local boat traffic. Many
originated from maps of a 19th century expedition. communities here have no road access, so small skiffs
Our first night’s anchorage was by the Lau Lau Islands, with big old Yamaha outboards serve as the transport of
two uninhabited slivers of rainforest in the middle of the choice. This far upriver, the tidal effects are lessened, but
river, about 25 miles from the mouth. The holding was we quickly learned that giant afternoon thunderstorms
fantastic in what we presumed was thick mud, and we pass over the river almost daily, gusting enough to move
were thankful for it, since diving on the anchor without us around significantly. Fortunately, as the only yacht in
any visibility would certainly be in vain, and because we the country, we had plenty of swing room.
expected to swing dramatically with the current against Despite its position far upriver, Bartica is a port-of-
the tide. We had time to take the dinghy for a quick ride entry, serving both river traffic like us and the refugees
around the two islands, gunk-holing up little creeks, who cross the forested border from Venezuela. As we
through mangroves, and deep under the rainforest walked through town to the police station, which doubles
canopy, surrounded by the most incredible cacophony of conveniently as the immigration office, we heard a unique
bird song and rainforest sounds. But the 6°N sunset crept blend of music and languages: part Caribbean, part
up quickly on us, and we were lulled to sleep by the sound Indian, part Asian, part Hispanic, and part Amerindian.
of the river rushing past the hull, and the evening calls of
roosting parakeets and the howler monkeys on shore. F RO N T I E R A DV E N T U R E S
The next day, we pushed on upriver, winding our way For a few days we explored, stocking up on local fruit and
from one bank to the other, trying to find the deepest vegetables, and failing at an aspirational attempt to hitch a
channels. We were constantly accompanied by bright ride on a truck to an interior gold mine. We instead
yellow butterflies from the shore, and the swallows that decided to move Scout across to the western shore to the
darted around the boat trying to catch them. peace and seclusion of the Hurakabra River Resort. This
Unsurprisingly, all charted markers were absent, but lodge’s previous owner did much to promote the region to
the Doyle waypoints continued to give us a broad idea of sailors prior to the pandemic, and though it’s now under
where to go. Observing the route of the daily river ferry new ownership, it remains a safe anchorage and
(which we were sure must draw more than us!) gave us welcoming destination for boats.
the final clues we needed to pass between the shoals, Caretaker Sherman provided local advice about the
promontories, and rusted hulls of river boats long- river, and showed us around the grounds. His wife,
wrecked on the eastern shore. Lorinne, prepared wonderful local fare, with chicken
V

49
 A DV E N T U R E

A C O U N T RY I N F L U X
As we reluctantly departed Kaieteur National Park, we
were struck how this magical but little-visited corner was
representative of Guyana itself. It’s a wonderful gem of a
country, but not well-known as an international
destination beyond some limited and adventurous
ecotourism. On one hand, this was fabulous, allowing us
to feel like we were really getting off the beaten path. On
the other we hope more get a chance to experience this
unique place for themselves before it changes.
Because there’s no doubt that Guyana is
changing. The scale of the boom from the oil
discoveries is astonishing, putting it on track
to become one of the world’s largest oil
producers within decades.
In the last few days of our trip, we felt the
Above: national pride in Bartica. impact of this. No doubt in part because of
Right: stocking up in bustling Bartica market the oil fields, neighbouring Venezuela
scheduled a referendum on whether western
kebabs and callaloo soup high on the Guyana was considered its own territory, a
list of memorable dishes. We hadn’t claim which would put Essequibo and the
fancied making our own water from town of Bartica on the frontline of a disputed
the muddy river, so were happy to be border. With the vote scheduled for the start
able to use the lodge’s showers and of December, accompanied by some
laundry, as well as top-up our rainwater alarming rhetoric, we decided it was time
supplies from the lodge’s tank. to leave.
Hubakabra served as a great base, So we lifted Scout’s anchor from the ochre
nestled between river and rainforest, waters and started our journey back towards
and a place to relax between our local adventures. For one the sea. With both the river’s current and tides in our
excursion, we took Scout further up the Cuyuni-Mazaruni favour – not to mention a proven track we could follow in
river system to anchor at Fort Kyk-Over-Al, a small island reverse – the Essequibo carried us, like a 4-knot magic
with an abandoned 17th century Dutch fort that was once carpet, back towards the Atlantic.
the colony’s capital. We headed over to Baganara Island, We crossed the sand bar, passed the shrimping boats,
where the currents were light enough for a few days of and watched the water imperceptibly change from orange
jungle kayaking. For one very memorable night, we towards the deep blue of the ocean. Just as subtly as they’d
anchored behind Grass Islands, the roosting site for appeared into view a month earlier, the shores of the
thousands of local parakeets. It was spectacular, watching country slipped out of sight behind us.
and listening to them noisily returning home at sundown A few hours later, Scout was romping downwind
in pairs – though their equally noisy departure again at towards the Caribbean proper, with the Equatorial
sunrise was less amusing. Current now in her favour, and her sails up again at last.
Sherman and Lorinne were also kind enough to offer to Both of us were pensive on the fast and uneventful
watch over Scout if we left her. We took one of Bartica’s three-day passage. While quietly happy to be heading
express water taxis back down the river to Parika, the back to some sort of cruising normality in St Vincent and
main port on the delta, then from there it was an easy trip the Grenadines (where we certainly weren’t going to be
by road to Georgetown, the country’s capital, and a the only yacht in the country), our thoughts were tinged
bustling city of yet more multicultural influences and with the sadness of knowing that we’d reached the end of a
contradictions. Old docks and seawalls flank once-elegant truly magical experience. Guyana had been an
colonial residences and the crowded kaleidoscope of unforgettable adventure, which has left an indelible mark
Stabroek market juxtaposes the stark white exterior of on our cruising souls.
St George’s cathedral and glossy new western hotels.
Georgetown offered us the chance to make progress • Since the Pearces’ trip, the political situation between
further inland. We took a light aircraft flight over the Venezuela and Guyana has calmed, with diplomatic
country towards its most southern region, Kaieteur. The discussions reducing much of the tension that was
journey was eye-opening, as we passed over the same present in the region at the end of 2023.
untouched rainforest we’d seen from river level, and then
over mining country, the scars of alluvial extraction
obvious from the sky. Finally we approached the tall
sandstone cliffs and flat-topped peaks of the Guiana
Highlands and landed on a small airstrip at the head of a JAMES AND JAYNE PEARCE
precipitous canyon. A short walk through the forest took have been sailing on Scout, a Garcia
us to the lip of the canyon for a highlight of the whole trip: Exploration 45, since 2022.
a view of the majestic Kaieteur Falls tumbling 200m over You can follow their adventures on
the escarpment, and crashing down into the rainforest Facebook and Instagram
below. At full capacity it’s considered the tallest and most (@scoutsailing) and via their blog
powerful single-drop waterfall in the world. scoutsailing.com

50
 PROFILE

her
o w n way
C O LE B RAUE R IS THE FI RST AMERI CA N WO MAN TO SA IL
SO LO N ON -STO P AROU ND THE WORLD. HE LEN F RET T ER
FIN D S OU T HOW SHE ’S SHAK IN G THIN GS UP

The first Saturday in November was laundry day for her rapturous reception in Spain, she flew home to the
Cole Brauer. One week into her single-handed around States and – after speaking on prime time television and
the world race, the Global Solo Challenge, the 29-year- meeting Vice President Kamala Harris at the White
old washed her smalls in a bucket, clipped them onto House – went back to living in her van. So how on earth
the lifelines of the Class 40 First Light, and posted a did she get there?
light-hearted video about it, hair in a towel, spa-style,
with a confetti of underwear fluttering behind her. H AWA I I DAY S
Eyebrows were raised. Offshore skippers don’t usually Brauer, and her twin sister, Dalton, grew up in Long
share quite so much. Not only was Brauer going to put it Island. Her parents were determined their daughters
all out there, but she was going to tell her story her own should be able to hold their own, intentionally giving
way – humorously, honestly, unashamedly feminine. them gender-neutral names. “My parents met in a gym,”
Over Brauer’s 130 days at sea her Instagram account Brauer recalled. “My dad was a rower, triathlete and
became a juggernaut that built to cyclist. My mom a cyclist, kayaker
nearly half a million followers. and trail runner. My parents pushed
Many had no idea what sailing me extremely hard in cycling, rock
around the world actually entails. climbing and running. All other
But Brauer’s race wasn’t just a sports were not sports, and not as
publicity stunt. She set out to respected.
become the first American woman “Throughout school we had
to sail non-stop around the world, physical fitness tests. My dad looked
and did so in one of the most at the boys’ metric and threw the
gruelling ocean races. The Global girls’ metric out. He said, if the boys
James Tomlinson

Solo Challenge is a pursuit format can do it, you can too. We started
with boats’ start times staggered with pull-ups; I was already a rock
according to their handicap – for climber and avid tree climber [so]
Brauer’s 2008 Class 40, that meant a pull-ups came easy. But he wanted
29 October start. It also means that me to make sure I did more than
rather than sailing with a pack, any of the boys.”
skippers are alone for the vast majority of the race, Sailing wasn’t on her radar until she went to the
picking off slower opposition ahead, then slogging their University of Hawaii, where she studied nutritional
way across the oceans without the reassurance of any science and took up dinghy racing. “Maybe because I
fellow competitors nearby. didn’t grow up sailing, I didn’t even know there was such a
Of 16 starters, nine have retired. Boats were rolled, thing as professional sailors. It was very relaxed,” she said.
dismasted, one skipper had to abandon ship after a “Being in the University of Hawaii, we’re our own separate
near-sinking. Brauer was the only woman and youngest little bubble. I was just trying to be the best that I could be
competitor. When she finished in A Coruña on 7 March, in Hawaii. Then I wanted to see if I can be the best that I
her time of 130d 2h 45m set a new benchmark as the can be in my hometown, on the East Coast.”
fastest solo non-stop around the world on a 40ft yacht. It After graduating she returned home to make a life-
was 17 days quicker than the winner, Philip Delamare, changing decision. “I had a choice between going to
who had set off a month earlier. medical school or working at a yacht club teaching sailing.
V

Yet Cole did not grow up in the sailing world. Following And my parents did not see these on the same level at

52
 ‘I had a choice between going to medical
school or working at a yacht club...’
James Tomlinson

She can hardly believe it, but Cole Brauer set the fastest solo non-stop round the world time in a 40-footer

53
 PROFILE

James Tomlinson

Right: pre-race
prep in A Coruña.
Below: sailing an
IMOCA with the
Magenta Project
Below: rounding
Cape Horn in the
Global Solo
Challenge and
(right) finishing at
A Coruña
Richard Mardens

Cole Brauer Ocean Racing Alvaro Sanchis

all! My dad didn't speak to me for six months. He was so because I’m small and it takes me extra steps to do things.
upset because, of course, I chose to work as a sailing I can’t just pick up the sails and throw them around. I
instructor teaching Opti’s. create a pulley system and I drag the sails around. You just
“Then everything after that was me asking for work. So have to figure out other ways to do the same things that
everywhere I went, I would say, ‘Hey, if you need a small the big guys are doing. I have to show up earlier, and I
worker bee...’ [Brauer is 5ft 2in], just to clean the bilges or have to stay later, but I don’t mind. In short-handed
scrub the bottom of the boat and whatnot. Everyone sailing, you have to be able to compromise.”
needs a worker bee. I met all these famous sailors because After some racing successes, including winning the
I was the one that was polishing the stainless on a cruising Bermuda 1-2 short-handed race, she secured dream
boat, but next to a TP52. I just wanted to be in that world. backers – a private family, with a history of supporting
And it didn’t matter if I never made it.” women athletes. They bought First Light (ex-Dragon), the
Living in her van in Newport, Rhode Island, she would Owen Clarke Class 40 she’d successfully raced with
sneak into the elegant New York Yacht Club for showers. previous owner Michael Hennessy, and hatched a plan.
“But I was very much accepted. I love fashion, so I can In big transatlantic races like the Transat Jacques Vabre,
blend in. And I can get along with a lot of people. So I First Light would not have been competitive against latest
kind of weaselled my way in, by being friendly and open generation 40s. The Global Solo Challenge offered
and not looking like a professional sailor.” different opportunities: the chance to be one of the newer
and most competitive boats, and to bid for the US record.
WO R K I N G U P “I can't thank them
Brauer secured her enough because there was
100 Ton captain’s licence ‘The majority of my no ROIs, there was no
in 2018, and kept return on investments.
grafting. “I said yes to just
about every job that I
followers don’t even know I didn’t have to give
anything unless I wanted
could. And it didn’t
matter if it was paid in
it was a race’ to,” she reflects.
“What was so good
food or if it was paid $800 about them versus a
a day, I was going to say yes to everything. corporate backer is they said that if any time during or
“You make families and connections so quickly if you before the race that I decided I did not want to do it, there
are open to that. I think I just walked into every job as if it was no obligation. They would pick me up off that boat
was a tryout. And then you’re invited back.” and get me home, and we’d just make it all go away.
Her sailing CV lists seasons spent racing as bowman on “The first thing I purchased was the media team. Then
keelboats like J/70s and Melges, crewing deliveries, and the second was food! The third, of course, ended up being
boat work doing winterisation and pre-season prep. But it all the supplies. But the media team was something that I
was the Class 40 fleet which offered her biggest was very specific about.”
breakthroughs – first as a boat captain, then as a
co-skipper racing double-handed. T E L L I N G A S TO RY
“Short-handed sailing was the only place that was First Light was equipped with Starlink and cameras all
giving me opportunities. Nobody wanted the little over the boat, enabling Brauer’s media team to keep her
100-pound 23-year-old girl on their fully crewed boat growing legion of fans continually updated. Brauer

54
 Red flare The critics came largely from within sailing –
celebration for questioning her tactics and safety protocols, or even what
Brauer at the Global she was sharing. “Sailors were the only people, really, that
Solo Challenge were, ‘How dare she wash her knickers and post it!’ I had
finish line on 7 no idea people were even upset about that until after the
March 2024 race. You have to do your laundry,” she shrugs.
“Afterwards, people were saying, ‘Well, you lost some
respect from some of your sailing counterparts.’ And I
said, ‘That’s fine. They don’t have to follow me.’”
But Brauer was doing something that vanishingly few
sailors have achieved before: she made ocean racing
interesting and appealing to a mass audience. What’s
more, she was building a following in the USA – a
country which has historically struggled to field well-
funded, competitive offshore entries (the notable
exception being 11th Hour Racing, the US-flagged team
which won last year’s Ocean Race).
All the while, she was powering through the fleet.
Seven boats started with First Light, but as they
James Tomlinson

approached the Azores Brauer was ahead of five,

matching Ronnie Simpson on his Open 50. By the time
she exited the Canaries, Brauer had passed the final two
and was hunting down boats which set off a week ahead.
In the South Atlantic she reeled in all the other
competitors except race leader Delamare on his 46-footer
produced a great deal of content herself (“I was brought Mowgli, and first starter Dafydd Hughes on his S&S 34,
up in the media age, I’ve had Instagram since 2013. I can who had set off months earlier but later retired. When
do it in 10 minutes.”) but also offered Patreon-style direct Brauer rounded Cape Horn (streamed live to nearly
messaging (“Pay $5 a month, and you can talk to me 180,000 people), the deficit to the leader was more than
whenever you want.”). 2,500 miles, and insurmountable – although a fast
A few days into the race, Brauer showed herself north-bound passage saw Brauer chip away to reduce
self-administering an IV-drip, on medical advice, after Delamare’s lead by another 500 miles.
severe seasickness. And she went on to tell the story of her By the time she was back in the North Atlantic, her
race through video after video; explaining sail changes following had grown to over 490,000 and she’d been
and weather systems, dancing on the bow while dolphins featured in The New York Times. It was time to face the
swam alongside, climbing the rig, painting her nails, and enormity of the public interest in what she’d done. “I don’t
surfing dauntingly large waves. She celebrated crossing know if [I’m emotional] because I want it to end – or
the Equator with Aperol Spritz and kissing a flying fish. because I never want it to end,” she pondered in a video.
Her audience numbers went up, and up, and by early
December she had over 100,000 followers. BIG AMBITIONS
Not everything went smoothly. The cameras also After the whirlwind reception of her finish, Brauer was
captured Brauer being violently flung from her bunk as back to living in her van. But things have changed for
First Light broached, cracking a rib. There were autopilot Cole. She’s stated her ambition to be on the start line of
issues in December, followed by hydrogenerator the 2028 Vendée Globe, and now is the time to capitalise
problems in January. Brauer shared it all. on the interest her Global Solo Challenge created. A
“Even when I was right next to the other competitors, I move into the IMOCA class would involve a big shift in
still told [everyone] what my sails were, took pictures of approach. “If I was to do the Vendée, I’d have to be very,
my sail chart and my polars. The French are going to hate very cautious because the seriousness of the race has
me for this! But I just don’t care. Yes, if you can beat me on gone up tenfold, and I’m not naive to that.
the water, that’s wonderful. But I’m going to beat you on “For this race, it was very open. I had a weather router.
social media every single time. And that’s where the I was able to communicate with my medical team, my
longevity comes in. Because my followers – the majority project manager. I called my mum every single day. And I
of them do not know that I got 2nd place. They don’t even talked about everything – the weather, the clouds. I
know it was a race.” talked about what my tactics were.
“But I think that I will still try within
HOUSEHOLD NAME the rules to be me. I don’t think that
As her following increased, the the Vendée really will care if I’m doing
demographics shifted. She developed a my nails and posting it!
staunch army of supporters, many “The boat’s an entirely different
older women who cheered for Cole like animal. And I hope that as I start
James Tomlinson

she was a daughter. Her team began training and working towards this, my
putting out more explanatory videos, followers will adjust.
sharing updates from her weather “But I just don’t think you have to
router (Chelsea Freas, SeaTactics) or lose a piece of yourself to be a part of
describing the different sails options. Greeted by race winner Philip Delamare this sport.”

55
 G R E AT S E A M A N S H I P

U N L I K E LY H E R O
A CROSS-EUROP E ADVENT UR E IN A 10FT DINGHY SEES SA NDY MAC KINNON
N EARLY C OME A CROPPER OFF W H ITSTA BLE’S MUD FLATS

W
hen the Great Seamanship column put
out to sea 20 years ago, the extracts
were drawn from classic sailing
literature, much of it written before
World War II. As years went by, we
realised we were missing a trick and that a stream of
eclectic new material was being published. Mining this
rich vein has been a source of continued delight. A fine
example arrived this month and I confess it has been a

AJ Mackinnon
struggle to put it down. The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de
Crow by AJ (Sandy) Mackinnon tells the tale of his solo
voyage from Shropshire to the Black Sea in, of all things, a
Mirror dinghy.
The tale begins with Mackinnon, a teacher at a small Sandy Mackinnon and his trusty Jack de Crow heading off east
public school, discovering the dinghy upside down under a
pile of leaves by the local lake. He rescues the boat, names it allow me to sail directly across them to shore, but not yet
after a pet raven, and decides to use it to take his departure so dry that they do not allow the vicious combers to come
from what might be described as ‘life so far’. Once sweeping across them, driven before the wind like grey
underway, the book is a wild helter-skelter of experiences, Furies. I am suffering the double disadvantage of being
people and narrow squeaks with disaster. out on an exposed body of sea and yet hemmed in a
We join him beating into a rising north-east gale towards narrow channel... and I am not coping.
Whitstable out of the Swale on the Thames estuary. It’s After half an hour of weeping frustration I learn a trick
noon and he has already been underway since 0515 but when going about. At the very moment of changing
matters rapidly deteriorate from the tough to the bizarre. course, I release the tiller for a perilous few seconds, grab
an oar and haul Jack bodily around onto the next tack.
There are a few seconds of jolting and sloshing and the
frenzied flogging of the mainsheet, then the brave little
dinghy kicks off towards the further bank of the channel. I
then have a minute or two to bail the boat like a madman
1200 Noon I have reached the end of the Isle, with my plastic half-milk-bottle, before repeating the
and the Swale has bent north-east to join the sea. process. Even this bailing is a precarious task. To balance
My destination of Whitstable lies visible across the force of the wind in the sail, I must sit out as far as I
a wide expanse of lumpy grey and dare, my bottom on the windward gunwale, my
white water directly east, but now, at low torso leaning out over the sea and clinging onto
tide, this is barred and broken by the oyster the mainsheet for dear life. To bail, however, I
beds of Whitstable Flats. I must continue in must lean right in, stooping to scoop the water
the main channel as it runs straight into the from the bilges, and then the dinghy threatens
nor’easter for several miles until I can finally to tip right over. On two occasions the lee
bear away to starboard and head directly to the gunwale sluices right under and Jack is
INTRODUCED BY
shelter of the harbour. The wind, now that I TOM CUNLIFFE suddenly awash with the briny flood. I decide
have emerged from the shelter of the Isle, has that bailing is perhaps something that can wait.
become stronger. It is an iron bar ruled straight Having said all this, I am, incredibly, enjoying
across the sea from Holland, thrashing the myself. I’m wet through, bone-cold and my tiller
waves to a savage chop of white horses. hand is cramped painfully to its task. I am also
making a bare mile in the hour. But, filled with
1230 This is dreadful. The waves are too big. adrenaline, I am singing ‘When the Foeman
Without a jib I am having a hard time Bares his Steel’ defiantly to the storm winds, and
tacking into the wind. Each time I try to The Unlikely
besides, I’m nearly to the open stretch and will
change tack I lose way, am slapped sideways Voyage of Jack
soon be able to turn and reach smoothly down
by the next grey fist of water and blown back De Crow by AJ
to Whitstable. Tee-hee and Taran-taraaa!
down the channel a hundred yards before I Mackinnon,
can regain control. Seafarer Books,
1323 I stop singing Gilbert and Sullivan and
Another problem is that the vast triangular £14.95
start singing ‘For Those in Peril on the Sea’. My
acres of Whitstable Flats are too shallow to boom has just broken.
V

57
 ‘I am riding Jack like a windsurfer’
Well, no, not my entire boom, just the bit where the 1435 Getting there. I am actually going to make it. Decide
mainsheet is attached. The boom-end pulley suddenly to experiment tentatively with the centreboard. Gingerly
decides that our chances of survival are actually not that try pulling it up a little. Stuck. Tug harder. Still stuck.
high, and decides to make a break for it. One moment it is Another pull and... whoosh! Up she comes like half a cork
there – the next it has vanished with a splash overboard. from a bottle. I am left clutching just the top half of the
The sail flogs uncontrollably. The loose mainsheet bloody thing, broken off in a jagged line halfway down,
convulses into knots. I coolly reattach sheet to boom with while the lower half drops smoothly out of the bottom
a special knot invented on the spot, and continue to sail. and reappears as a distant and useless bit of flotsam a
We have blown back half a mile in the interval. hundred yards away. I am going to die.

1327 I discover that my new knot is a rather clever sort of 1440 I have allowed myself to drift onto a nearby
self-jamming knot. Although I can still haul the sail in, I mudbank. I am two miles out to sea. Consider myself
cannot let it out again, it seems. I can no longer spill wind lucky that I am in a flat-bottomed dinghy at present. I take
to balance the blow, but must instead lean out even further. my anchor, newly bought in London, wade ankle-deep to
This is only possible by actually standing on the gunwale, a the end of its warp and proudly stamp it home in the mud.
stunt that Mirrors were not really designed for. I am now I shall simply have to sit out here and wait for the tide to
riding Jack like a windsurfer, and the rigging is emitting come in, cover the flats, and then drift or sail straight to
strange moanings and hummings. I am going to die. the nearest bit of dry land when I’m ready. All shall be well
and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well...
1352 Bailer blows overboard.
1447 No it won’t. I am quickly freezing to death. Being
1353 I turn sharply to retrieve it, a feat of utter stupidity soaked to the skin and sitting fully exposed to the North
for I run straight onto the eastern mudbank that here lurks Sea gale is rendering me inexpressibly miserable. I need
a foot below the water. There is an almighty CRRA-A-CK to be cool and resourceful yet again. I decide to rig my
from beneath the keel. Centreboard? Possibly... blue awning up over the boom, which is immediately and
surprisingly effective in keeping the wind out; then I
1359 Bailer is back in Sittingbourne by now. Boat still make myself a brand new centreboard out of some
sailing into the wind, oddly enough, so it can’t have been matchsticks, a safety-pin and an old gull’s wing.
the centreboard after all. Boat horribly full of water, so I Well, no, sorry, carried away there a little by the whole
use the pith helmet to bail. Marvellous! Much better than Allan Quatermain-ish idea of it, not out of those materials,
the old bailer, can’t think why I didn’t think of that before. but, almost as ingeniously, out of one of the duckboards
Am beginning to get really rather cold and tired. Make that I use for sleeping on at night. This is the right
slow but steady progress towards the spit just 500 yards thickness, but needs trimming to size with my Leatherman
ahead, sloosh, slap, wallop, splash, thud, plash, clunk. multi-purpose handy saw attachment, and then a hole
Thank God I don’t get seasick. drilling through the top so that I can jam a stout bit of rope

58
 G R E AT S E A M A N S H I P

Below: shoving off from England – next

stop France
Photos: AJ Mackinnon

Above: Mackinnon collected the flags of many nations during his adventure across Europe.
Here Jack de Crow is moored to a pontoon in Vienna

through to make a handle. I also rig up a much better the shingle unaided. There is nothing for it but to spend
arrangement to allow the mainsheet to run freely to ease off another weary hour crouched shivering by Jack’s side and
the mainsail. By the time the tide comes in, my little ship with every wave that comes swirling in, to float her
will be properly equipped to sail to shore with dignity. another foot or two uphill. An hour later, and it is nearly
Those tasks done, I have nothing to do but wait. There is dark. Finally she settles with a weary creak and scrape
nothing else for it. The usual solution. Hauling out my onto the dry shingle above the tide.
mattress and my sleeping bag, I fall fast asleep.
1815 I climb, bone-weary, out of my sodden clothes and
1630 I awake. Jack is fully afloat and there seems to be a find some relatively dry ones to wear. In doing so, I
clear run to the shore about two miles away to the south. discover the final insult of the day. I have lost my wallet, in
In that direction I can just make out what seems to be a all probability at the bottom of the sea. Well, thank you
long line of cottages above a strip of shingle, but I am very much, God. That is positively the last time I sing
reluctant to trust the dinghy to the vagaries of an exposed hymns to you, mate... I may as well just lie here and let the
beach. Besides, there will be no pubs or B&Bs so far out of herring gulls finish me off.
Whitstable. I stow my sleeping bag (damp), my mattress
(damp), put on heavy-duty clothes (soaking), pack away 1820 An angel appears. It is not in the form of an elderly
the awning (sodden) and take in the anchor (damp but it lady bearing brandy, dog leads and good advice, but an
doesn’t matter). I then hoist the sail, and begin the anthropology student called Arif. He takes me to his flat
four-mile skim to Whitstable Harbour. nearby, gives me two mugs of hot Bovril, loads up all my
sodden luggage into his car and drives me into Whitstable.
1633 Bugger Whitstable Harbour. In three minutes I have The B&B is utterly charming, but tonight I bitterly resent
hit five oyster beds and my Admiralty chart says quite the fact that it is located right on the seafront, as I never
distinctly that vessels grounding are liable to pay damages. want to see salt water again.
Cottages it is. I can get there without having to lower the The human spirit is a funny old thing. The day has
centreboard, and more importantly, undeniably been a disaster. I am more tired
before I die of hypothermia. It has than I knew it was possible to be. My left
begun to rain. wrist, from 13 hours of gripping the
mainsheet in icy conditions, is hurting
1707 I have made it. I ground on the abominably; my little ship is lying on a
shingle with a rushing crunch, carried distant stretch of inhospitable shingle with
the last few yards by a sudden swoop a faulty main block, jury-rig centreboard
of scum-topped wave. I am numb, and no bailer. I’ve travelled all of seven
exhausted and want nothing more miles. I have grown to loathe the sea. And
than to find a hot bath, a mug of Bovril as I lie between white linen sheets, and the
and a warm dry bed. But I can’t, not rain drums on the windowpane and the old
yet. The sea has dumped me on the sea slap-slaps the wall beyond the darkness,
steeply sloping beach only halfway up I realise the oddest thing. I am
the tidal reach. I can’t leave the dinghy happier than anybody else in
here, but nor can I lift it any further up AJ (Sandy) Mackinnon the entire world.

59
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 O N T E S T / / R M 138 0

21st
century
twins
RM ’S D ISTIN C TIVE N EW FL AG SHIP OF FE RS AN
EN T ICI N G CO M BIN ATION OF GOO D SA ILIN G
QUAL ITI ES, SPAC IO US ACCO MMODAT ION AND
TW IN K EEL S A S STA N DARD

62
 RUPERT
HOLMES

Where: La Rochelle
Conditions: Flat
water; wind 5-11
knots
Model: standard
twin rudder, twin
keel configuration
with Dacron sails
Main options:
asymmetric
spinnaker, roller
furling staysail,
transom arch,
cockpit table,
electronics
packages

Photos: Ludovic Fruchaud/imacis.fr/EYOTY

63
 ON TEST

I’ve admired the innovative range of fast yet Displacement is light by the standards of most cruising
comfortable cruisers from RM Yachts for many years yachts of this size, at a shade under 10 tonnes, and is
– their combination of spacious, attractive and broadly comparable with performance cruisers such as
brightly lit interiors, planing performance and well the X46 and Beneteau First 44, rather than the ultra
planned deck layouts is particularly appealing. And lightweight Pogo 44. Yet this is not a staid design, even if
their plywood epoxy hull construction offers a stiff it does adhere to a tried and tested formula. To promote
alternative to the norm. But despite having sailed easy surfing, and even full planing in the right conditions,
some 250 different yachts in my time, I haven’t had an the underside of the hull profile has relatively little fore
opportunity to sail an RM until recently. When I did, and aft rocker. Reduced static waterline beam also
it was the RM1380, the yard’s new flagship and its improves light airs performance compared to earlier
fourth generation 45-footer. wide-bodied designs. I was eager to try it on the water.
This long anticipated model from the Marc Lombard
Yacht Design Group is typical of the brand in many POWER IT UP
respects. It’s also one of the few yachts of this size offered My first day on board was in lighter airs, when reaching
with a complete range of keel options, including the with an asymmetric spinnaker in 5-8 knots of true wind
efficient high aspect 1.95m draught twin keels fitted to our we consistently made around 95% of the windspeed.
test boat, making this one of the largest ever twin keel However, in 7 knots of true wind we struggled to make
production yachts. more than around 4 knots upwind. and there was not

‘Fully powered up, the boat felt rock solid’

Halyard and primary winches at the companionway, a bowsprit with integrated bow roller and lines leading aft to the cockpit

64
 A powerful shape but
with minimal fore and
aft rocker intended for
early planing

enough breeze to drop into a clear and easy groove.

It’s rare that I test a boat these days, especially a
performance one, with Dacron sails. A well cut suit made
of a high tech fabric would undoubtedly have set better,
produced a better feel and given a few degrees closer
pointing at similar wind speeds.
Bearing away and hoisting a big asymmetric spinnaker
as the wind built to 10 knots true, our speed rose to a
maximum of 7.8 knots at a true wind angle of 105°, with
the apparent therefore a long way forward of the beam.
Now fully powered up, the boat felt rock solid, with a
light, positive and direct feel to
the helm.
Dropping the kite and
hardening up on a close-
hauled course again the RM
felt much more alive in 10
knots of breeze than it had in
the lighter airs earlier. It was
now easy to get in the groove Above: waterline beam
and we made just over 6 knots is porportionately
at true wind angles of 45-48º. narrower than earlier
We had marginally more designs.
wind for my second day, when Left: mainsheet
clocking 6.5-7 knots to traveller is mounted on
windward, with the helm so the cockpit sole
well balanced it could be left
for short periods to attend sail
trim without even engaging the pilot. As well as the asymmetric spinnakers for downwind work. However
generous 1.95m draught, the keels are splayed at an angle there’s also a multipurpose staysail that offers more benefits
of 15°. This combination makes for good windward than its modest size might suggest. In strong winds it can
performance in these conditions and a yacht that’s a be used as a heavy weather jib, with a much more efficient
totally different proposition to bilge keel yachts of old. shape than a heavily reefed roller furling headsail.
The staysail is also designed to be used in conjunction
CLEVER SAIL PLAN with a Code sail or asymmetric kite when power reaching.
In some respects the sail plan has more in common with This increases sail area forward of the centre of effort,
Class 40s than conventional cruising yachts. Granted, the reducing weather helm and therefore making the boat
pin-head mainsail and slightly overlapping jib are easier to steer, whether a human or autopilot is driving.
V

conventional, as are Code sails for reaching and big This can markedly improve the motion at sea, while a

65
 ON TEST

Left: the Dacron sails

on the test boat
arguably didn’t do
the design enough
justice, but we like
the choice of
headsails.
Right: U-shaped
galley is well planned
and has plenty of
work surface. Saloon
is bright and airy

speed boost of up to half a knot is a useful added bonus. the action. The exceptions are that the mainsheet is
A conventional fin keel, or hydraulic lifting keel, both handled aft, as are the cleats for the headsail furling lines,
with twin rudders, are also offered. The latter might be a which means a degree of planning is required for a lone
tempting option thanks to its combination of shoal draught watch keeper to reef the headsail.
giving access to many smaller harbours and anchorages, The mainsheet traveller runs across the cockpit just
along with a very deep draught that maximises efficiency ahead of the helm stations, and is controlled by winches
when it’s impossible to avoid an upwind passage. However on the coaming each side, with the traveller lines taken to
it’s an extra €42,000 and the casing and lifting mechanism clutches next to the wheels. Our test boat lacked rope bags
impinge a little on space in the galley and saloon. to prevent the mainsheet and traveller lines tangling.
The deck layout also eschews common thinking for Side decks are wide and benefit from deep moulded
cruising yachts of this size, particularly the arrangement at toerails, plus a very effective painted non-slip surface that
the companionway where halyards, reefing lines and other uses micro balloons to create the texture. As with other
key lines are handled. The primary winches are also here, RMs the foredeck is large and flat, though hatches are not
mounted inboard on pedestals at an efficient height, yet flush and furling lines are led along the deck, so it’s not as
under the protection of the sprayhood. aesthetically clean as some.
With a couple of exceptions it works very well, whether An integrated bowsprit includes anchor stowage and
sailing short-handed or fully crewed, while leaving those roller, while the windlass is just aft of the forestay, neatly
who want to relax further aft in the cockpit mostly clear of concealed under a locker lid.

‘The full width saloon has a great feeling of space’

Left: starboard corner sofa and raised navstation. Right: bright, generous and well planned galley

66
 Left: quarter cabins are
a mirror image of each
other, of a good size
and well lit.
Below: owner’s cabin
has a 1.4m-wide double
berth, and stowage is
not particularly
generous

On deck stowage includes a deep foredeck sail locker, a

liferaft locker positioned centrally aft between the helm
stations, plus a large lazarette with access each side of the
cockpit. This has capacity to take many fenders and
potentially an inflatable dinghy, if it’s not stowed on the
optional aft stainless steel arch that’s fitted to our test boat.

BRIGHT AND REFRESHING

Below decks the 1380 is typically RM, though thoughtfully
updated. The sculpted coachroof is higher than it appears,
so only three easy steps are needed to descend the wide
companionway to a wonderfully bright, full width saloon
with a great feeling of space. RM’s trademark big front
coachroof windows provide lots of natural light, although
unlike the smaller boats in the range these are slightly too
high for me to see out of. On the other hand you can
easily see out of the hull windows when sitting on the
saloon settees or on the berths in any of the cabins.
The saloon of our test boat is mostly decorated in white,
but with enough natural wood on the saloon and chart with decent raised fiddles, 1.5 sinks, plus a lot of
tables, the sides of the hull around the windows, and the refrigeration volume in two wide Isotherm drawers, plus
sole boards to give it a feeling of warmth. U-shaped a top-loading fridge. There’s further storage in four
seating wraps around the table to port, while a drawers, a big locker under the sinks, and eye-level
1.83m-long corner settee to starboard can double as a sea lockers behind sliding doors outboard of the worktop.
berth if fitted with a lee cloth. Aft of that is a navigation The owner’s cabin forward is of a good size, though
station that’s raised to improve the view and has a good surprisingly the bed is only 1.4m wide, even though there
size forward-facing chart table with its own seat. appears to be space to extend its width. A couple of hull
There’s not a great deal of provision for natural windows and a pair of opening hatches above the aft end
ventilation in the saloon, aside from small overhead of the bed provide natural light and ventilation.
hatches each side of the mast, plus one above the Stowage here is not overly generous, with hanging
outboard galley worktop. The two forehatches in the lockers fitted with fabric shelves, both port and starboard,
owner’s cabin may help in this respect, but a drawback of plus a couple of drawers under the aft end of the berth.
the big glazed panels at the front of the coachroof is the There are also four short shelves, plus additional space in
potential for solar heat gain on hot, sunny days if the open bins for storing small items like phones, keys, books
canvas covers are not in place. and wallets. En-suite facilities include a large shower stall
The large, almost wraparound galley is to port at the to port and a separate heads compartment to starboard.
foot of the companionway and is easy to use at sea, even The mirror image quarter cabins are a good size and well
in challenging conditions. It has generous worktop space lit, though natural ventilation is only via two small
V

67
 ON TEST

WATCH
THE VIDEO
R M 138 0 youtube.com/
yachtingworld

Well powered up, sailing under asymmetric spinnaker

opening ports, one in the front of the cockpit well and the
other aft by the helm station. Stowage is in a double width
hanging locker, plus long, slim shelves and three large
bins. There’s plenty of standing area at the forward end of
the berth, though the 1.85m headroom is lower than
elsewhere. On our test boat the starboard cabin had an
optional mini washer-drier installed in place of the
hanging locker.
Some owners may not be impressed by the mass market
furniture style of the materials used to line lockers, even
though this is simply a surface finish for quality plywood.
Our test boat also had bare plywood edges on otherwise S P E C I F I C AT I O N S
nicely finished cabin sole boards. Both relatively minor
points, it would not be difficult to solve the latter. LOA 14.40m 47ft 3in • Hull length 13.30m 43ft 7in
Plywood and epoxy hull construction, along with a • Beam 4.50m 14ft 9in
• Draught (twin keels) 1.95m 6ft 5in,
more conventional glassfibre foam sandwich deck, was a (lifting keel) 1.45m 4ft 9in to 3.35m 11ft 0in
brave move when the yard was founded in the late 1980s. • Displacement (twin keels) 9,800kg 21,600lb,•
Yet it creates a lightweight and very stiff structure that (lifting keel) 9,700kg 21,400lb
suits today’s hull shapes perfectly. Encasing the timber in • Mainsail 55m2 592ft2 • Jib 55m2 592ft2
• Staysail 33m2 355ft2 • Code 0 110m2 1,184ft2
glass cloth and epoxy resin gives good impact protection,
• Asymmetric spinnaker 150m2 1,614ft2
so longevity is on a par with other materials. • Fresh water 270lt 59.4gal (400lt 88 gal option)
In addition, no hull moulds are needed, which results in • Diesel 150lt 33 gal (300lt 66gal option)
less plastic waste. This also means every boat is painted, • Engine 60hp diesel (75hp option)
which opens up a wide range of hull colour options that • Base price €401,460 ex VAT
• Price as tested €434,267 ex VAT
helps RMs stand out in any marina or anchorage. rm-yachts.com
Whichever of the three keel options is chosen – fin, lifting
or twin – loads are distributed via a galvanised framework.
The 270lt fresh water capacity is not overly generous for ALSO CONSIDER
boats without a watermaker, however a further 130lt is
available as an option. Owners planning to sail longer X46
distances may also want to specify the option that doubles Spacious and fast, with quality
the standard 150lt diesel tankage. construction that established a
new benchmark in this sector
when launched back in 2018.
OUR VERDICT
€515,000 ex VAT. x-yachts.com
The market for mid-45ft performance cruisers has
become very competitive with a number of well regarded BENETEAU FIRST 44
yards offering attractive models. RM has never been afraid A more conventional option, but
to tread a different path, whether in construction a desirable boat nonetheless,
materials or standard twin keels. Happily it seems to be a although a little shorter and
route to an appealing yacht that offers something different narrower than the RM. €355,400
to those of larger yards and the 1380 represents an ex VAT. beneteau.com
enticing alternative to the mainstream. POGO 44
The boat is generally very nicely finished, the interior is Archetypal wide beam twin
comfortable, attractive and will work well at sea, while the rudder design with spacious
sail plan and deck layout are in general excellent. Even in interior yet full-on planing
the twin keel format I sailed, this is a powerful and performance. €331,502 ex VAT.
rewarding yacht to sail, especially once the true wind is pogo-structures.com
above 10 knots, though sadly I didn’t have the chance to
experience it in planing conditions.

68
 N E W YAC H T S
SO M E E XC I T I N G , A N D V E RY D I F F E R E N T, N E W 4 0 - FO OT E R S

Saffier SL 46 Saffier’s SL 46 in
Mediterranean version
LOA 14.90m 48ft 11in • Hull length 13.75m 44ft 11in with open aft deck
• Beam 4.45m 14ft 7in • Draught 2.2m 7ft 3in or 2.60m 8ft 6in and helm seats that
• Displacement 10,900kg 24,030lb • Price €580,000 ex VAT convert to loungers
• saffieryachts.com

Saffier Yachts has grown to become the It has a high class two or three-cabin interior
established name in luxury daysailers, particularly and, like all Saffiers, can be sailed short-handed.
over the last decade or so. The family-owned I have sailed most of its new models since
Dutch yard has secured this market sector with 2008, including its five European Yacht of the
its offering of both traditional, elegant lines and Year (EYOTY) winners, and have written about the
modern, sporty yet manageable designs, writes Hennevanger’s family story behind Saffier. But
Toby Hodges. news of this biggest production model to date,
But while it has done the odd larger custom combined with a move into a much larger yard,
project in the past, its announcement of a new prompted a revisit to Ijmuiden to find out more.
46ft performance cruiser marks a step change Dennis Hennevanger, who runs Saffier with
to its business model. The SL 46 is designed for his brother Dean, gave me a full tour of the eye-
fast cruising in comfort, and from a spacious opening new yard.
sheltered cockpit. While this is still just streets away from their
It is offered as a Med or North version, the original yard in this Dutch fishing port, it has
former with an open aft deck and helm seats increased Saffier’s floorspace from 1,200m2 to
which convert into lounge beds, and the latter 9,000m2. They have fitted it out into one of the
with a closed cockpit and dinghy stowage. most impressive production yacht facilities

70
 Open cockpit
version of the SL 46
should be right at
home in the Med

SL 46 is not overly voluminous below decks, but aims to be cosy and high quality

I have seen, while this increased capacity has where every item for each hull is packaged up “These customers would typically buy a yacht
allowed them to scale up in model size too. into trolleys, with all hoses numbered, all wiring like a Solaris 44, a Med boat for three weeks at
Dennis explained how their first European pre-cut etc, so the shipwrights working on each a time. But those boats are not very fast. We
Yacht of the Year award in 2009 acted as a hull don’t have to move from their station. “It’s all wanted a fast, comfortable, quality yacht with
launchpad for the Saffier name, establishing it as about minimising hours, while quality-wise it’s as Saffier’s DNA – including the large cockpit.”
an international brand. good as we can get,” Dennis comments. The SL 46 is once again an in-house design.
Saffier has continued to expand aggressively, The hull shape shows a flattish run in the aft
going from producing 40 hulls per year to 160 WHY SCALE UP? sections for offwind speed (“not a Pogo planer
per year in the last seven years, with 80% We walk into another hall to reveal full-scale but high performance,” Dennis adds). The
now to export. However, the former yard was timber mockups for the deck and interior of the vacuum-infused glassfibre hull has a galvanised
consistently too small. new SL 46. But why this size, I ask, especially steel grid for reinforcing keel and rig loads.
While this alternative factory already existed, when Saffier already has a successfully The design team aimed for a luxury experience
complete with 16 overhead cranes now used to established niche? below decks too. The mockup shows this is
move hulls around, Saffier completely rebuilt it, “We have a lot of customers that like us but not overly voluminous, but that the concept is
including removing the roof. The resultant serial want something bigger,” Dennis answers. “We about enjoying the boat from the outside and
production line is highly logical and efficient. The have always had this in mind but never had the particularly its large cockpit, while having a cosy
V

shop floor is like a supermarket, for example, space to do it. Now we have space. feeling within, says Dennis.

71
 Retractable bowsprit
allows code and
asymmetric sails to
be flown, yet doesn’t
detract from the
yacht’s lines

Hutting 46 cases, bulb dimensions were optimised using

CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis and
both keels are fully integrated into the structure
of the aluminium hull.
LOA 13.90m 45ft 7in • Beam 4.20m 13ft 9in Below decks the comparatively slender
• Displacement 14,500kg 32,000lb • Ballast 4,500kg 9,220lb transom and forward sections restrict
• Sail area 103.8m2 1,117ft2 accommodation volumes, yet there’s still space
• Full options price €1,400,000 ex VAT for a very comfortable two cabin, two head
• hutting-yachts.com arrangement with largely excellent stowage.
The first example, which is the result of a
14-month development programme and carries
This long distance aluminium cruising yacht is sharp V-shape, which Moerke says is intended to almost all options, hit the water in early 2024.
intended to stand out from the crowd. This Dutch enhance safety and comfort in rough seas. This year will also see Tjerk Hutting handing the
yard, founded in 1975 by Tjerk Hutting, has a A choice of two keel options, both with hefty company over to his two sons, Jelle and Wietse,
strong reputation for its 40-50ft serious cruising lead bulbs, is offered. Unusually, these have both of whom are already heavily involved.
yachts, plus a 54ft high latitude expedition design. been optimised to provide identical performance “Our goal is to continue creating our
The idea behind the 46 was to create a new characteristics. The 1.9m draught shallow keel customers’ dream yachts through semi-custom
yacht with more performance than existing has winglets, plus an optional trim tab to help built options,” says managing director and sales
Hutting designs, while retaining the brand’s fine tune performance. manager Jelle, “…creating truly exclusive sailing
long-standing key attributes, including an Alternatively, there’s a conventional 2.4m yachts that stand out from mass-produced
emphasis on comfortable and safe sailing. It’s draught deep keel without winglets. In both alternatives.”
also intended to fill the gap between robust bare
aluminium boats and “highly aesthetic yachts Hutting’s 46 is
that lack the security and practical aspects of a built for serious
world cruiser.” cruising with
“For us as hydrodynamicists, technicians and comfortable and
sailors this was a sweet spot of design,” says safe sailing in all
Niels Moerke, of Van Oossanen Naval Architects. weathers. The
“Our aim was to find an optimal combination for interior is fully
safety, comfort and performance.” He says this customisable
is why the stern is narrower than those of today’s
“really modern racers.”
Generous displacement of 14,500kg means
the canoe body is deeper than that of most
contemporary designs. The forefoot is also
deeper than current norms and has a relatively

72
 N E W YA C H T S

X-Yachts XR
Hull length 12.74m 41ft 10in
• Base price approx €400,000 ex VAT
• Price fully equipped raceboat
with carbon spars approx €600,000 ex VAT
• x-yachts.com

This model is intended as a serious return bracket and maximum beam of

to X-Yachts’ racing DNA, following an 4.10m-4.25m (13ft 5in-13ft 9in).
unprecedented hiatus since the launch of the “This is where we are seeing the
yard’s last pure race boat, the X-41, back in 2007. best boat speed vs rating values,”
The 41ft XR is being developed by X-Yacht’s says director of design and
12-strong in-house design and engineering engineering, Thomas Mielec.
team, with additional input from top professional The first two boats are scheduled
racers, including Bouwe Bekking and Danish to launch early next year and will
match racer Jesper Radich, plus further be sailed with a professional crew,
technical help from North Sails and Pure Design aiming for a podium position in
& Engineering. the ORC World Championship in
They have taken what the yard describes as Estonia in August 2025.
an AI approach to developing the hull shape, with Although this may sound like a
10,000 variants modelled. Several families were rarified campaign with little cross-
then selected for further investigation. That’s over for typical private owners,
a huge change from the IMX-40 of 2000, for the two teams will train at a new
instance, where a total of only 20 hull variants race hub in X-Yachts own marina in southern crewed focus. Sales of around 80 boats are
were considered. Denmark, which will allow knowledge to be anticipated in the first couple of years of
At the same time, a target was set to be the captured and passed on to other owners. production – the first five had already been sold
highest rated boat in ORCi class B at the 2025 Equally, the XR is intended as a multipurpose before the design’s overall length had even been
world championships. This process led to an boat, with sporty cruising, and short-handed determined and 10 are scheduled for delivery in
overall length in the 12.5m-12.8m (41ft-42ft) racing modes in addition to the main fully the second quarter of 2025.

so-called Alpha rudder system and Zero keel.

The rudder is hung on a full depth skeg
reinforced with a stainless steel beam, while
the Zero keel encapsulates all the lead ballast,
including the bulb, within a fibreglass fin with a
long chord length. This is moulded as part of the
hull so doesn’t require keel bolts, thus avoiding
a potential point of failure. Displacement of 14.6
tonnes will give a generous displacement length
ratio of 233, while the V-shaped forefoot should

Kraken 44
give a comfortable motion at sea.
A choice of two rigs is offered, with one 6ft
(1.82m) shorter than standard to give a 64ft
air draught that clears most bridges on the
LOA 13.52m 44ft 4in • Beam 3.83m 12ft 7in Intracoastal Waterway. Both rigs have a Solent
• Draught 2.0m 6ft 7in jib on furling gear just aft of the main forestay,
• Displacement 14,597kg 31,180lb which makes for a very efficient setup for upwind
• Guide price €779,000 – 850,000 ex VAT work in stronger winds.
• krakenyachts.com A hybrid drive system will be standard, with a
diesel main engine, plus a Combi 15kW electric
It’s no secret that Kraken Yachts has been drive. Kraken says the arrangement will provide
planning new models to join its existing range of all on-board power requirements, including for
serious cruising yachts. electric cooking, refrigeration, air conditioning,
A 58 is launching imminently, while more plus a high-output watermaker.
details are emerging on this 44. This will embody The 44 is currently still in development, with
many of the attributes that have made the production aimed to start at the end of 2025.We
existing Kraken 50ft-66ft models sought after will report more on the 58 after its launch later
serious cruisers. These include the firm’s this season.

73
 PRACTICAL
CROSS-CHANNEL RACING • SLEEP ROUTINES AT SEA • OWN-BOAT TUITION
Richard Thompson

74
 {
The Shipping Forecast began on MW (Medium
Wave), in 1925. It changed to LW (Long Wave)

Dan Houston
on 200kHz in 1978, and moved a smidgeon to
the left – the more efficient 198kHz – in 1988

SPECIAL REPORT
DAN HOUSTON ON CHANGES TO THE SHIPPING FORECAST

ews that there would be a reduced Forecast has been broadcast four times a day. It
N Shipping Forecast from BBC radio
this spring led to mutterings of
would make it the same as its output for Radio 4
on FM or DAB, where there have been only two
discontent among some devotees of Shipping Forecast broadcasts during the
this great British institution. But week, at 0048 and 0520.
has anyone actually changed their ‘IMMINENT’ This happened at the end of
routines at sea accordingly? in the Shipping Forecast March and the Shipping Forecast
No? That’s hardly surprising, means something will broadcasts have now been
given the traditional Shipping happen within six hours reduced to twice a day during
Forecast was superseded by of the stated time of the week and three times a day
online offerings more than two the forecast at the weekend. This means that
decades ago. the 1201 forecast has been dropped
From at-a-glance synoptic charts completely and the Shipping Forecast
giving graphic weather information is now at 0048 and 0520 seven days a week
through barometric lines and well-defined frontal with the 1754 forecast being on Saturdays and
systems to interactive sites like PredictWind or Sundays only. The 1754 broadcast is a shorter
Windy, the old business of listening to the BBC forecast of just the sea areas.
Radio 4 announcer and taking down details in Importantly, the more detailed inshore waters
some form of shorthand became irrelevant for forecasts and the coastal stations are broadcast
many sailors years ago, unless you were a long at 0048 (the full 22 coastal stations) and 0520
way offshore or could not get online. (13 coastal stations). The sea area Trafalgar,
As for making your own pressure and frontal south of FitzRoy and the most southern area, is
system maps, based on the more detailed only covered in the 0048 forecast.
information from the coastal stations’ weather
reports... well, we should offer a bottle of T U R N I N G O F F LO N G WAV E
something good to anyone who still does that. On another, potentially more serious note, the
Last year the BBC announced it would cease BBC has warned that its LW output might soon
the special programming for its Radio 4 Long cease altogether. This would drastically reduce
Wave output, where the Shipping the reach of the R4 Shipping Forecast, which
has provided a safety net of good weather
information four times a day for hundreds of
miles beyond the coasts of Britain since it was
first broadcast by the BBC in 1925. It had begun
broadcasting in the UK by the Met Office as early
as 1911, and before that by telegraph from 1861.
The BBC has periodically raised concerns
about whether it can keep broadcasting on
LW, citing difficulties in sourcing the large
specialist valves used in the aerials’ output. The
BBC outsourced its LW output from its station
at Droitwich, plus two in Scotland, to Arqiva
some 15 years ago. The BBC runs quite a lot of
output on both MW and LW. It has had to do this
because FM, or VHF, is basically a line-of-sight
medium, restricted by the curvature of the earth,
Dan Houston

and some areas of the UK are still without good

coverage from FM stations.
V

An important distinction between MW and

75
 PRACTICAL

Admiral Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle, is often called

De Agostini via Getty

the father of the Shipping Forecast. As head of the Met Office he

introduced the first British storm warning service for shipping
in 1861, using electric telegraph. He saw the Met Office’s job
as being primarily to save lives at sea. In 2002 the sea area of
Finisterre was changed to FitzRoy in his memory.

LW versus FM is that the former are amplitude

modulated (AM) radio waves which propagate The waters around Britain
across the surface of a territory, with a range of are divided into 31 sea
hundreds of miles – depending on the strength areas. The Shipping
and efficiency of the signal frequency. Forecast main element
Remote glens of Scotland are a good example is limited to a length of
where LW signals will rattle their way into the 350 words, extended to
most obscure locations. 380 words for the late
Long Wave, with frequencies in Europe between night forecast which
148.5kHz and 283.5kHz and wavelengths over includes the southerly
1,000m (R4’s is 198kHz and 1,514m respectively), sea area Trafalgar. The
is still the most efficient carrier of information in most comprehensive
terms of both cost and reach. forecast is the 0048 which
And this is why the Shipping Forecast has includes all the sea areas,
been on LW – you can receive it loud and clear the coastal stations and
in places as far away as Santander or Sweden. It inshore waters. It can take
also travels better over water, to the extent that just over 10 minutes to
an area of sandstone or well drained land will read out.
impede the signal more than if the ground is clay.
All this means that if you’re anchored in an out-
of-the-way bay in many parts of the British Isles,
or Europe or Scandinavia, the Shipping Forecast
on LW can still be the only way you can get an
idea of the coming weather unless you have
invested in a satellite system (expensive if you’re
just cruising for just a couple of weeks a year). decades now it’s been a comfort, to be able to cruisers, but with hardware set-up costs ranging
hear and make notes of the detailed forecast, from £500-£3,000, plus monthly data charges,
LINE OF SIGHT especially the recordings of the coastal stations it’s a substantial investment. Other systems like
Of course if you’re out of range of FM there is dotted strategically around the UK. Importantly Iridium GO! are more established, and offer full
always the coastguard of the UK and Eire, who these give you wind force and direction, weather, wifi mid ocean. Nor should you forget single side
broadcast their area of the forecast at regular visibility and the current pressure and its trend. band (SSB) where the forecast is broadcast by
intervals during the day. This they announce on All the terms in the forecast have specific HM Coastguard on MF the medium frequency
Ch16 VHF (also a line of sight medium) of your meanings, so if a station records pressure rising with a range of around 150 miles.
boat’s radio before switching to Ch67 – the small or falling ‘slowly’ that means a change of 0.1 to But many sailors may not want to invest in
ships safety channel. 1.5 millibars in the preceding three hours. ‘Mist’ expensive equipment they might only use for a
But two years ago sailing south from Scotland means visibility of 1,100 to 2,200 yards, ‘fog’ is few days a year, or only when in the most out-of-
I noticed that while we could receive Ch16 fairly less than 1,100 yards and so on. The detail gives reach places.
clearly, Ch67 was often unintelligible to us over you enough knowledge to predict where the There are other factors too – the power
several areas of the Irish Sea. We ended up being weather fronts are, and so to plan for shifts and consumption of a Starlink system needs to be
a full three days without a proper weather forecast changes in wind direction and force. managed, and always-on internet connectivity
and I was cursing myself for not bringing along can drastically change the cruising experience.
my cheap and cheerful Roberts R9993 battery- REDUCING STRESS Like most sailors, I don’t often use the
run radio which has very good LW reception. A digital voice recorder reduces the stress Shipping Forecast, but I like the idea that
In the past I even wore a watch with four of having to make accurate notes and, most it’s there. Even using the latest tablet and
alarms pre-set for a few minutes before the importantly, you are up to date with the weather downloading moving images in colour from wifi,
Shipping Forecasts – my navigation tutor with just the simplest of kit; pencil, paper and if not from a satellite far above, it’s good to know
always espoused keeping up to date with the radio. A wind-up radio obviates even the need for that if it fails you can tap into LW with a piece a
forecast for a better overall picture of the trend batteries, though these with LW are hard to find. kit your grandfather would have trusted.
– where the fronts were and how fast they were I know many who advocate for satellite But losing the LW forecasts – that 198kHz
travelling, say. The rule would also be to listen to systems and these have hugely dropped in price. weather safety crutch – could put us back
the forecast for two or three days before going With mini sat phones costing from around £300 to before 1925 when we used a barometer,
offshore for the same reason – to familiarise you can buy one to use at one-off monthly rates thermometer, logbook and pencil. We looked for
yourself with the terminology and trend. of less than £50 now, with weather forecasts halos round the moon; cloud layers lowering; a
So I find myself worrying about not having the around £1 a pop. Starlink onboard internet is of hard line on the horizon. We watched the birds
safety net of those Shipping Forecasts. For a few course becoming increasingly popular with world and gazed very warily to weather.

76
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 PRACTICAL

N AV I G AT I O N B R I E F I N G
Paul Wyeth

TOM CHENEY ON RACING ACROSS THE CHANNEL

Paul Wyeth/RORC

he UK has many active offshore racing quite alien if you’re used to a classic committee the line. Compared to a committee boat start,
T fleets, spanning from the west coast
of Scotland on the Clyde to Essex and
boat starting sequence. As with all racing, being
prepared and reading (and understanding) the
pinging both ends of the line here will need
careful consideration. For the flagpole end you
Kent in the North Sea, but the largest and most sailing instructions is absolutely essential. ideally need to have a pre-saved waypoint. If this
competitive racing is undoubtedly based on the All modern electronics and navigation set- is not possible then you need to position yourself
south coast in the Solent. ups will have some kind of race start options, on the line (using the transit or bearing) as close
Both the JOG (Junior Offshore Group) and whether just a countdown timer, or something to the shore as possible to get your ping.
RORC (Royal Ocean Racing Club) calendars have more advanced where you can ‘ping’ the ends The ODM also needs careful consideration.
a great selection of summertime coastal racing of the line and get distance and time-to-kill to You can repeat this procedure at the other end
in the English channel, most of which start in
Cowes on the Isle of Wight. These races are a
perfect introduction to offshore sailing, and are a
good proving ground for teams who want to build
up to a bigger goal such as next year’s Rolex
Fastnet Race.
These Category 3 and 4 races vary in length
from the 35-mile Lonely Tower Race to the more
challenging 175-mile Cowes-St Malo race. The
shorter races are just a long day on the water,
whereas the longer ones mean spending a night
(or more) at sea and take up a whole weekend.

T H E S TA R T
Nearly all of these races start from fixed lines off A west-bound
the seafront in Cowes, with the landward end of start for the
Paul Wyeth/RORC

the line being a yacht club flag pole ashore and RORC Myth of
a fixed outer distance mark (ODM). The ODM Malham Race
is sometimes not positioned on the line – there off the Royal
might instead be lights marking a transit and/ Yacht Squadron
or a bearing defining the line. This might seem line in Cowes

78
 { }
Tom Cheney is a World and European Championship-winning
professional navigator. With a background in software
engineering, he has worked on three America’s Cup campaigns
and won the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race with the JPK 1180 Sunrise.

tide – no point in starting in the best current only

for the boats at the other end of the line to cross
ahead of you minutes later because they started
upwind of you.
During your final approach (hopefully to your
chosen spot) make sure you’re confident about
how far back you are from the line. Being on
course side at the gun is going to be a significant
penalty if you have to fight your way back against
the tide. Have someone calling distance or time
to kill, if you don’t have these numbers from
your electronics, and make sure your bowman is
feeding you information from his vantage point.

SOLENT EXIT
Whether going east to the Forts or west towards
the Needles, the first leg of the race is your
Right: the RYS opportunity to get the jump on your competitors
and JOG start and be in a commanding spot by the time you
lines are from get to open water and your first real big picture
a fixed point on decision points.
the island shore

Tom Cheney
so ‘pinging’ • West to Hurst
the line needs When exiting towards Hurst and the Needles,
careful planning the ebb tide strengthens earliest inshore on
the island side, just off Cowes Green, so you
will often see boats pushing to be close in. The
of the line. If the ODM does define the line rather timeline, with a checklist of jobs to tick off by tricky part is successfully getting out again on
than a bearing, for example Gurnard on the JOG specific times. Personally I like to get the race port tack on a busy race course. There are also
line, then it’s a little simpler. However, you do timer running as early as 30 minutes before the some nice local left-hand shifts to be had around
still need to consider how much the mark might gun. Having this timer displayed somewhere Egypt Point and Newtown Creek, where the wind
move if the tide turns between your ping and the obvious on deck keeps everyone focussed. funnels from the south.
race start. A fixed start line is rarely going to be square Local land effects mean that the western
Race start times tend to be driven by the tide: to the wind, so choosing the optimum end will Solent often ends up being a fairly true beat
race officers are keen to try and get all the starts hopefully be obvious. If there is significant wind regardless of what the real gradient wind

V
away such that the Solent exit is down tide – this bias then this may override the influence of the direction is a little further offshore.
is the fairest way to get a handicap fleet away
without favouring faster or slower fleets.
Often you’ll end up in a situation where the Heading east
tide is just turning as you start or as you arrive at past the forts
the starting area. Make sure you know what time on a downwind
your start is in the starting sequence, and have a first leg in the
good idea of what you’re expecting the current to De Guingand Bowl
be doing at start time.
Tidal information for the Solent is available
in many forms, from digital tidal forecasts on
PredictWind to the trusty Winning Tides book.
Current in the Solent is notoriously tricky and
will hugely affect your starting strategy, both in
how you approach the line and where you want to
position yourself for the first leg.
Make sure you give yourself enough time to
Paul Wyeth/RORC

get to the start area and do all of your pre-start

admin. It’s really easy to underestimate the time
it takes to get the main up, choose your jib/kite,
do some tuning runs, ping the end etc.
Some teams like to follow a strict pre-start

79
 Paul Wyeth/RORC PRACTICAL

Races typically start

on a Friday evening
or Saturday morning

Paul Wyeth/JOG
Tom Cheney

Tidal strategy is fairly straightforward. Aim to Above: the Isle of

stay in the deep water channel, the port lateral Wight and south coast
mark, West Lepe, is a good first waypoint and the headlands can cause
north cardinal, Sconce is a good spot to aim at local wind bends
before Hurst Narrows.
Right: laying the forts
• East to the forts from Prince Consort

Tom Cheney
In the prevailing south-westerly winds, heading on an eastbound start
east means a downwind start. This adds plenty is likely to be a long
of complexity to your starting procedure. starboard tack
Hopefully you’ll be able to start on starboard and
set the spinnaker with 10 seconds to go before
the gun.
As with the western Solent, the best current am expecting to see once we are out past the access to good internet connectivity and route
will be in the deepest water. Be careful, however, Needles or past Bembridge to the east. planning software such as Expedition and
not to stray too far north as the main part of The change in tidal current will also have a Adrena, which used to be associated with only
the route to open water (from Prince Consort significant effect on the perceived wind direction, the flashier, high budget teams. With the advent
to the forts) is likely to be a long starboard tack. especially in light winds. of Starlink satellite internet and its rivals in
If your boat sails deep angles then in any true When going upwind if you think TWD will be coming years this trend will continue.
wind direction right of 260° you will lay the forts left of what you are seeing on the beat then
without gybing. you need to set up to be to the left of your DECISION POINTS
Generally it is less windy in the eastern Solent competition (and vice versa). This will mean Once you have an initial idea of the course you
than in the west. You also have the complexity you end up with a nice gain when you get that want to take, break the race down into key stages
of the wind coming off the land. This causes the inevitable shift. You can apply the same logic if and work out where you have to make important
wind to be much more variable, both in strength you are going downwind. Position yourself such decisions. These might be to stay inshore/
and direction. Races starting to the east on that when you experience the shift any leverage offshore at a headland, or to choose which side
summer Friday evenings can be particularly between you and your neighbours puts you of an island to go.
tricky. As the sea breeze dies and it starts to downwind of them. Identify the decision point in your notes. Write
get dark it is easy to get caught in holes in the down the factors that affect this decision. Then
breeze, particularly just after the forts before M E D I U M T E R M S T R AT E G Y when you get to this point of the race and are
Bembridge. Keep an eye on boats around you The races we are examining here are typically maybe sleep deprived or feeling a bit seasick, it
and be ready to change gears. completed in 12-36 hours. Modern high will be easy to remind yourself of how to make
resolution weather models do a very good job at this decision.
• Into open water this scale. By the time the race starts you should The gradient wind in open water is a great
In both directions, the main decision you have a pretty good idea of what your route might example of this. Before the start, note the
need to make as you approach the English look like, what sails you will need and how long forecast TWD just south of the Isle of Wight.
Channel is how to position yourself against the whole thing will take. As you approach the decision point you can
your competitors. I always try to have in mind It is also now more and more common for compare what you are seeing on deck to any
what the true wind direction (TWD) is that I smaller and lower budget racing boats to have local observations and weather stations that are

80
 { }
Plan for the finish – make sure crew know
where the finish line and channel entrance
is, and have a race dodger or a torch to
hand to shine on your sail numbers.

Paul Wyeth/RORC
winningtides.co.uk

Above: tidal strategy is fairly straightforward for Above: tides

a west-bound start – aim to stay in deep water. through Hurst
West Lepe is a good first waypoint, to Sconce Narrows can
before Hurst Narrows run at up to
3.9 knots on
Right: an eastbound start is often downwind, the flood and
and tidal strategy can be more complex. Be 4.4 knots on
winningtides.co.uk

careful, however, not to stray too far north the ebb

available. Refer to your notes and execute the

plan that you have made. WEATHER MODELS
Leg planning is also an opportunity to identify
risks. The easiest way to lose a race is to fail It’s good to be able to These two are global models which mean you expect to
to finish. These risks could be complicated understand any variations that do not include local see local thermal effects
navigation, bad weather, running out of food/ in weather models and what effects. You usually see the and wind bending around
water/appropriate clothing. might be causing your magic resolution of these models headlands and islands. These
Forcing yourself to consider all of the box software to route you described in degrees. The are useful for visualising how
problems you might face is vital to ensuring you differently depending on global models are typically bad an idea it might be to sail
are equipped to deal with them. them. You’ll probably want to available at 0.25° or 0.4° into a bay at night.
start looking at forecasts and scale. It’s easier to realise Regardless of which models
THE FINISH possible routes in the week what this means when you you’ve chosen to use, the key
When planning your race, it is important not running up to the race. translate degrees to a more information from any weather
to underestimate how tired or disoriented you For the UK I rely on a usable distance: 0.4° of routing is working out the
might be by the time you get to the finish. Even range of models to drive latitude is 44km. That means reason a model is pushing you
returning to a familiar finish line in the Solent can my decisions. The GFS and at this scale you’re only into one corner or another. If
be a completely different experience when you ECMWF are great for this getting a couple of wind barbs it’s pushing you hard left or
do it in the dark for the first time. longer-term planning stage. to cover your whole race area. right, see if you can force it
If the finish is in a port you haven’t been to Forecasts are available that Once within 24-48 hours to go the other way by adding
before, make sure you’ve identified the harbour cover 10-14 days which allow of your race, you’ll be able to another waypoint. It’s nice
entrance, hazards and navigational aids on the you to make informed sail look at the higher resolution to know how much faster
approach. We take for granted having charts selection and provisioning models. The AROME (French) it thinks one route is than
on our phones and on screens on deck, but it’s decisions and get a feel for and UKV (UK Met Office) another so that you can weigh
important to translate that information into which bits of the race might models include much more this against other factors
the format you are going to use to feed it to the be important or difficult. detail. They’re 2-3km grids, unknown to the magic box.
helmsman as you approach the line.

81
 PRACTICAL

5 expert tips
HOW TO P LA N A SLEEP ROUT IN E AT SEA

Few people have as much experience

as Dee Caffari at living in offshore
race mode for weeks on end.
She tells Andy Rice about the
importance of sleep at sea.

ee Caffari knows the

D importance of sleep to any

offshore sailor, whether
you’re racing solo, double-handed
or fully-crewed. “Most sailors don’t
understand how the lack of sleep can
affect your performance and your
ability to make decisions,” she says. “If
people increased their awareness of
the topic they’d be much better at it.”
Dee says it was skippering a team
of amateurs on the Global Challenge
that really opened her eyes to how
differently we all deal with sleep
deprivation. “Some people are natural
at it, some people really struggle. And
as conditions change, so does people’s
ability to sleep or not sleep. And then
I went from that environment, leading
a team, to being on my own.
“My biggest transition between my
‘wrong way round’ circumnavigation
and the Vendée Globe was the
psychology, learning about myself
and how to get the best out of myself.
Understanding how hydration, my
food intake and my sleep, all affected
my ability to make a decision. It can
be something as simple as getting a
weather forecast and looking at the
routing, and not really understanding
what the options are. Then, after a 20
minute sleep and waking up, looking
at the routing again and the answer
being blatantly obvious.”
Here are Dee’s five most important
tips for fitting a good sleep into your
offshore routine.
Antoine Auriol/Team Malizia/The Ocean Race

Nap time for Rosalin Kuiper

on board Team Malizia
during The Ocean Race of
2022/23

82
 Dee Caffari has been awarded an MBE in recognition of her

Volvo Ocean Race

Ainhoa Sanchez/
phenomenal offshore achievements: six circumnavigations,
including becoming the first woman to sail solo both ways
around the world, as well as skippering Turn The Tide On
Plastic in the 2017/18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

1 DON’T BE A MARTYR
In our enthusiasm for wanting to
look keen and be a good team player
there’s a common tendency for sailors
to say: “Oh, no, I’m fine. I don’t need
was an hour and a half. I became
conditioned to sleeping while listening
to the sounds of the boat. If one of
the sounds is wrong, you’ve got to get
up and do something about it.
sleep.” But actually, if you’re on your If you’re sailing with other people,
off-watch, your job is to sleep. It might be honest and tell each other what
be to eat and drink and fix something you need to function at your best.
as well, but your priority is to get your Conversations might include: “How
share of sleep. You never know when long have we got on this leg? This is
your next chance to rest is going to at least six hours, right? I just need
arrive, so get sleep while you can. to get my head down for two hours.
Don’t think you’re doing everyone If you can give me a solid sleep now,
a favour by staying on deck because then I’ll be alright later.”
further down the line you’ll be in
worse shape, and then you’ll be no
good to anybody.

4 TAKE EARPHONES
I like listening to the noise of the
boat because I can anticipate what’s

2 GET IN A ROUTINE
It’s important to know when to push
through and when to stick to a watch
pattern. If you’re only expecting to
be at sea for three days or less, most
coming. But now the IMOCAs are
up on foils, the sailors are saying
they can’t sleep or even function
without noise-cancelling headphones.
It allows the sailor to switch off,
people can manage with minimal otherwise it’s living in this torture of
sleep. You can get by with cat naps, constant white noise. That means
and without being in a routine. But you have to really trust all the alarms
once you go beyond three days you you’ve got set on your instruments so
need a routine and day one is critical. you can react quickly, because you’re
Let’s say you’re doing the Fastnet not hearing the sounds of the boat.
and you’ve just battled your way out But on fully-crewed boats, just work
of the Solent in 30 knots, and it’s out what works for you. Some people
been full on and you’re out the other like to plug in their earphones so they
side. Then you start the long beat to can mentally switch off, as well as
windward and everyone’s still quite tune out someone else’s loud snoring.
excited. But this is the moment when
the people on the first off-watch need
to get their heads down. Because you
still want that level of enthusiasm
and focus at midnight or three in the
morning, and to carry on through to
5 WHEN TO WAKE YOUR
CO-SKIPPER
Whether you’re racing or cruising
double-handed, you need to work out
the end of the race. It’s really hard to a system between you. You have to
get that initial group to go off-watch, look at when and where the critical
but it’s essential they do. moments of the passage are likely to
be coming up. For example, for a sail
change, a manoeuvre or approaching

3 HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

For me, my best sleep comes just
before it gets light in the morning. So
I like the early hours and if I can be
a headland, you know you’re both
going to need to be awake. So your
downtime is when you’re straight
line sailing. Once the boat is settled
off-watch in that time it makes me and there’s not much to do, one of
much more productive. Of course you can get your head down. You just
you don’t always get the choice to need to agree that actually waking
sleep when you want and everyone somebody up is fine. Anything that
is different. When I was sailing solo can be done more efficiently with two
I used to grab cat naps of 10 to 20 of you, that’s when it’s okay to wake
minutes, and a long sleep for me up the other person.

83
 PRACTICAL

TA K I N G OW N E R S H I P
WILL BRUTON ON UPSKILLING ON BOARD

Learning a new skill

such as downwind sail
handling in home waters
can provide valuable
lessons before hitting
the tradewinds
Richard Langdon

requirements of the owner, tuition at a one- get the most out of their yacht
Long considered one of the last bastions of to-one level is also far more intensive than the Together with his wife Su, Peter formed PSA
freedom, sailing has an enduring Corinthian usual 1:4 – or more – students commonly found Prime Marine (psaprimemarine.com) on the
spirit, with yacht owners often taking on a sailing course. south coast of England with the aim of making
great pride in learning from experience and his experience available to others, seeing that
working things out for themselves. But, with K N OW L E D G E D OW N LOA D many were struggling to find more than generic
yachts becoming more complex than ever, is Peter Sterling’s sailing CV is, by anyone’s yacht training.
it time to invite the experts on board? standards, extensive; 400,000 miles at sea, He explains: “Our biggest advantage is that
including 39 Atlantic crossings and skippering we shape everything to what the owner needs.
two Clipper Round the World Race entries. Sometimes I step on board as the yacht is
hat it takes to run a happy, safe – and The latter is perhaps the best indication of his leaving the yard brand new. I spend a good

W hopefully fast – yacht demands a

diverse range of skills, knowledge, and
skillset and temperament when it comes to
helping others, with varying levels of experience,
length of time with them getting used to the
fundamentals, perhaps over the course of a
experience. As a baseline, RYA courses offer an week, then come back a few weeks later and
excellent framework to build on, but first-time Sailing coaches undertake their first long passage with them
yacht owners tend to realise quickly how much Peter and Su after they have had some time to enjoy the boat
is not covered, and particularly how much they Sterling run PSA on their own. By that time, they’ll have found
need to know that is specific to the model of Prime Marine what they want to tackle and work through.
yacht they have bought. We’re not working to any fixed framework.”
With first time yacht owners increasingly Sterling recently did this for the owner of a
ambitious in their plans, many planning new Hallberg-Rassy 50, sailing with the owner
PSA Prime Marine

bluewater adventures for their first yacht, the and his wife from the Hallberg-Rassy yard locally
option of getting some expert tuition aboard before bringing the boat back to the UK.
your own boat is well worth exploring. “A delivery like that is a great opportunity to
Inherently flexible, shaped around the specific really learn the yacht inside and out, in real world

84
 { Own-boat coaching rates
are typically from
£300-£350 per day.
}
MANUFACTURER TRAINING

Outremer
runs its own
training
academy for
new owners
as part of
the buying
experience
Robin Christol
PSA Prime Marine

Outremer, manufacturers of fast, light

displacement, catamarans, has seen
an incredibly successful order book

Robin Christol
Bringing an over the past three years. Growing
expert onboard understanding of what their customers
can help with want to do with their yachts and how
writing a detailed much knowledge they often need to
maintenance and acquire before leaving for a bluewater
snagging list, or adventure has led this La Grande Motte- Outremer owner meet-ups, three
Richard Langdon

setting up new based company to develop its own times a year, serve as more informal
gear such as sails approach to training for new owners. training opportunities and for knowledge
Outremer’s Matthieu Rougevin-Baville exchange between owners. When a build
explains how the customer profile has contract is signed, personalised training is
changed. “Our average customer is also offered, tailored towards the owner.
now 58. Many have sailed dinghies For those with very little or no experience,
conditions, so it’s a huge confidence booster as children, but they often buy their Outremer begins with monohull dinghies
for the owner. They get to see that the boat can Outremer with a big life project in mind or keelboats before stepping on board a
do what it was built to do, usually in less than and little to no sailing experience of a catamaran. “We know just how useful this
perfect conditions. high-performance catamaran. We can can be and we have found it’s a better way
“Unlike a normal delivery, we are prioritising offer to help make their dream happen.” of teaching the fundamentals,” explains
the learning, rather than getting from A to B Outremer’s answer is to assess Rougevin-Baville.
as quickly as possible. In a warranty period individual owner’s needs – and usually “The training we offer is included in the
for a new boat we can also put together a also the needs of their sailing partner cost of the yacht and we try to get those
comprehensive snags list which I can help – early in the sales process long before that have signed a build contract involved
ensure the owner is really well informed about they receive their yacht. Several types of as soon as possible. It’s also very social
when they take it back to the yacht builder.” training are on offer. and a lot of fun!”
The Outremer Academy is a five-day For those wanting to build miles,
HELPING HAND course, run twice a year, targeted at Outremer has an online portal for crewing
James Lawlor ordered a new Southerly 47 after giving new owners opportunities.
sailing on the Clipper Round the World Race as knowledge to run “One Outremer is
crew in 2014, where he had got to know Pete as their boats far from about to cross the
his skipper on a leg from Australia to China. home. Over the Atlantic with members
“I ordered the 47 while I was still finishing course of the week, of the platform as crew;
training for the Clipper Race, with a long-term owners can pick from meaning they’ll gain a
Robin Christol

view to sailing when I got back. Taking part in different training wealth of experience with
the Clipper was an adventure for me personally, topics. Unusually, an existing owner before
while the Southerly was part of a broader Outremer also offers taking delivery of their
retirement plan which very much included my training sessions Outremer offers female-only own boats,” explains
wife. We wanted a comfortable and safe boat for that are female only. training sessions Rougevin-Baville .
V

Med cruising.

85
 PRACTICAL

{ }
One time-efficient option can be a ‘coached
delivery’ where an experienced skipper helps
a new owner deliver their yacht (rates vary
from £250-£400 day, plus travel expenses).

T H R E E TO C O N S I D E R

Richard Langdon
Above: James Lawlor
took coaching from Pete
£695,000
Sterling aboard his own
Hallberg-Rassy Brown Eyed Girl, 2014 Southerly 47
The last Southerly 47 built, with only one
owner from new. Combines swing-keel
“In some ways we were part of what I believe it – always, always, calm! My confidence grew so system with custom details including extra
is a wave of owners that buy one big boat much and in such a short space of time. vertical windows in the full width master
rather than working up through ownership of “We tackled teething problems on the boat cabin, plus bluewater upgrades.
increasingly large boats. With our decision that needed fixing while moving the boat at southerly47.co.uk
though, came a very steep learning curve.” the same time to a new cruising ground. As
Lawlor, like many new owners, was looking to Southerly also went bust, Pete became even
get to grips with his new yacht fast, so he could more invaluable. When sailing I learned by
enjoy his purchase and feel confident. He found talking things through, he would nudge me to
himself disappointed by the handover given by coming to the right conclusions myself, rather
the manufacturer. “Southerly gave me a day than saying outright that there was one way to
on board, which, I thought, for a yacht I paid a do things.”
lot for, was lacking. I engaged a couple of other James found the experience and knowledge
skippers before Pete became available, but what imparted by Pete Sterling invaluable, but
he brought on board was much more; not just a questions why it’s not something engaged by £995,000
breadth of knowledge, but a brilliant delivery of more manufacturers as standard.
“I think my experience with a boatbuilder in Agapi Mass, 2017 Jeanneau 64
financial difficulties at the time was particularly Very high specification Jeanneau 64
BOAT OWNERSHIP bad, but the reality is that there is so much to with recent price reduction. Has been
BASICS learn, you really need at least a week of handover professionally maintained. MCA coded, four
from a builder. Ideally a manufacturer handover cabin layout, wing keel, many upgrades
Seeing the need for knowledge of basic would involve an initial week on board, then include retractable hydraulic gangway.
skills that are not routinely taught under additional input of a few days each week as the s6marine.co.uk
the RYA umbrella, Hamble School of owner gets used to the boat on their own, being
Yachting has run a boat maintenance able to call on that support.
skills course for many years. “In the long run it’s going to get you up to
Run in conjunction with a local speed so much quicker if you start off right.”
technical college, it covers a wide range Since engaging Pete, James has also brought
of skills that would be useful to any new him on board for Biscay crossings, in the
boat owner. Mediterranean, and when the yacht ended up in
The course includes a day of Sardinia due to Covid 19 lockdowns and needed
sail maintenance and repair, a day work doing before she could be sailed away.
learning about rigging and hardware “While, to some, I might appear to have quite £1,200,000 ex VAT
with a qualified rigger, a day of basic a bit of experience, the reality is that I want to
boat electrical training, half a day on really enjoy the sailing we do. Knowing Pete is Barefoot, 2020 customised Hylas 56
plumbing and two days of training in on the end of the phone was invaluable when we German Frers design commissioned
basic GRP repair in a specialist training were cruising the Med and in many ways that in 2020 that has been lightly cruised
facility. was a big part of the ongoing learning. and professionally maintained. Unique
• Yacht Maintenance Five Day Course, “That, of course, is the real reality of boat personalised yacht specified for a
Hamble School of Yachting, £845 ownership. There’s no fixed course that covers round-the-world adventure.
it!” explains James. www.berthon.co.uk

86
 WORLD’S
C O O L E S T YAC H T S
WE ASK TOP SAILORS AND MARINE INDUSTRY GURUS TO CHOOSE
THE COOLEST AND MOST INNOVATIVE YACHTS OF OUR TIMES

‘Davies raised funds for

102 children to receive
life-saving surgery’
Eloi Stichelbaut/Polaryse

VITAL STATISTICS

COLE BRAUER NOMINATES INITIATIVES-COEUR 3

Jean-Louis Carli/Alea
Sam Davies’ entry in the 2020 Vendée Globe was and completed her circumnavigation solo, using
Initiatives-Coeur, a well-proven Verdier-VPLP design Initiatives-Coeur as a platform for the health charity
(ex Foncia/Banque Populaire/Maître CoQ III) that of the same name, raising enough funds for 102
had been reoptimised with second generation foils children to receive life-saving heart operations.
fitted – at the time some of the biggest in the fleet. It “Watching Sam Davies draw a heart with her
proved competitive – Davies racing in the top 10-15 tracker coming into the finish line of the Vendée
until she hit an unknown object, causing structural Globe was one of the biggest moments of inspiration
damage. “As if I had run aground on a rock. The for me to do the Vendée myself one day,” Brauer TOP SPEED 30+ knots
boatspeed went from 20 knots to zero,” she reported. says. “Her resilience and spirit, even though out of
LOA 18.28m/60ft
Davies diverted to Cape Town for major repairs, the official running for the race, was everything.”
LAUNCHED 2010

BERTHS 1

PRICE €3million
Alvaro Sanchis

COLE BRAUER became the first American March. Brauer attracted significant US and
woman to sail solo around the world non-stop international mainstream media interest,
ADRENALIN FACTOR 90%
when she finished 2nd in the Global Solo having built a huge social media following
Challenge aboard the Class 40 First Light in during the race. See our full profile on page 52.

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